SUCCESS!

After relatively little wailing and gnashing of teeth, my computer is back up and running again. I was correct in predicting that it definitely didn't follow the path of least resistance, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Actually, it was amazingly good for me to do that with Dad because I really learned a lot. The next time I have a major computer repair, I won't be nearly as afraid to attempt it myself -- which can be good and bad. You just have to know when you're in over your head and to call in the experts.

So tomorrow we're heading down to Ankeny for a much delayed Christmas get together with Mary. It'll be a good time. We're just meeting at Village Inn for lunch and then we're going to be on our merry ways. We also have to stop at Petsmart to see if we can find some more of those Comfort Zone plug ins for the cats so that Blair can stop peeing in inappropriate places -- and stop peeing blood, no less. He's not infected, just stressed out beyond words according the vet. So stressed that his bladder is inflamed and he's got blood in his urine. Poor guy.

I sure am glad to have my computer back. It feels good.

Close to my computer

My dad's coming over today to help me put my computer back together. I'm getting a new motherboard (faster), a whole gigabyte of memory, and new power supply (for fun, I guess, since that didn't seem to be the problem.) I'm half expecting it to not be up and running by the end of the day as assembling computers never follows the path of least resistance. In fact, if all went smoothly, I'd wonder what the trade-off was.

I'll be really glad to have my computer back -- it's been a long few weeks. It's not like there's a shortage of computers in the house (Anna's got one on her little table and Heidi has a laptop which I'm currently working on) but it'll be nice to have all my settings back. I'll be mostly glad to have my 10,000 song strong iTunes library back. There's nothing like not having access to it to wish you had something that is miraculously not on your iPod. And thank heavens for my iPod. Had it not been for that, I'd have been in a world of hurt as far as music listening goes.

So we'll see how it goes. I'm listening to the Evita soundtrack right now, which pretty much guarantees that I'll have the songs stuck in my head for the rest of the day. I'm betting I'll be putting the computer together and have "This has really been your year Ms. Duarte/Tell us where you'll go from here, Ms. Duarte" looping endlessly in my head.

Finally saw Brokeback Mountain

Heidi and I secured child care last night and went out to the Varsity here in Ames to see Brokeback Mountain. All I can say is that I hope this movie sweeps the Oscars, because it deserves to. I will stand by my original assessment of the story that while it is a "gay" story, referring to it as "the gay cowboy movie" is not only doing the movie a great disservice but also grossly understating its potential impact. Scenes like the one where Ennis breaks down and cries because he has no way of telling Jack how he feels as they leave Brokeback Mountain for the first time speak not only to a gay audience, but should also speak to a male audience in general.

Heidi hates sad stories -- part of the reason she writes and reads romance (you can always be assured of a happy ending in romance.) And while I enjoy the catharsis of a sad story, this story just rips my heart out of my chest and throws it on the floor. And while it's a period piece of sorts and you couldn't reasonably expect a "happily ever after" ending, it makes me mad that we're living in a world right now where hate is an ok thing to feel for a group of people. It makes me all that much more committed to being a gay rights advocate in my everyday life.

Everyone needs to see this movie -- especially the bigots that are disavowing it. Of course, they won't see it, but they should. Kudos to everyone involved in the movie for making something so effective. If you see it and don't just feel for everyone in the movie, check yourself for a pulse.

In the meantime, here's hoping that this is the necessary first visit in order to get to the happily ever afters.

Odd iPod segue

OK, by now I've accepted the fact that I've just got some bizarre combinations when it comes to taste in music. But the other day as I was walking to work, listening to my iPod, minding my own business, I was witness to what was perhaps the most bizarre music segue courtesy of "Shuffle Songs" on my iPod. I was listening to "Just Lose It" by Eminem (which I still think is a bit on the lazy side for Eminem) when suddenly, I found myself listening to "Daddy's Moonshine Still" by Dolly Parton. So I went from Eminem making the crazy Pee-Wee Herman noise to Dolly singing about washing mason jars and hiding them from the cops when they came around, and even after all that, Daddy's moonshine still was good for nothing but to break momma's heart and to tear our home apart and make our lives a living hell.

Gotta love it. I think I was grinning ear to ear all the way to work.

Saving the world in his pajamas

Heidi and I just got done watching the Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion episode thanks to our friends from Canada who were to have taped it, but for reasons I don't quite understand didn't, so they got the AVI file and made a videotape of it. And dang, was it something or what? Heidi was worried about how easily David Tennant would fill Christopher Eccleston's shoes, but in my opinion, he's a damn good Doctor. That's not to say he's necessarily better than Christopher Eccleston (OK, maybe I'd say that) but he's definitely different, and that's a good thing.

I never watched Doctor Who growing up, even though it was on PBS every Saturday night. It just seemed too weird to me. Which is why, when Heidi announced that she had the new Doctor Who episodes on tape copied from a Region 2 DVD, my response was a bit on the underwhelming side. Well, that and the fact that the dubbing was so poor that you practically had to have the volume turned up as loud as the TV would go in order to have a prayer of understanding what they were saying. Consequently, the TV was always louder than hell and I just wanted to go down to the basement while they were on. But she kept on me and talked me into letting her order the Region 2 discs from Amazon.uk and buying codes off of eBay that would turn our Region 1 player into a region-free player. Once we got those, I was pretty much hooked.

It reminds me so much in so many ways of Buffy The Vampire Slayer -- scary monsters and weird stuff going on every week, but the people are so genuine and real you just feel like you know them. And after seeing the preview for Season 2, or rather Series 2 after the Christmas Invasion episode, I can hardly wait for the new season, despite the fact that we really have no way to watch it as it's not on BBC America and well, even if it were, we don't have cable so that's kind of a moot point anyway. Suffice to say, I can't wait till those Region 2 DVDs of Series 2 come out. I have a feeling I'm going to like this next set of episodes even better than the first set.

2005 in a nutshell

Well, I can barely believe that 2005 is so much history. It seems like just yesterday I was spending New Year's Day 2005 sicker than a dog (not for that reason!!) and the year was an endless sea of possibilities spread out before me. And now it's gone.

It's been a good year for the most part. This was the first full calendar year I spent at my current job, coming up on 2 years in April. It's a good job and I enjoy it. There are days that I miss the relative simplicity of my previous job, but I realize that the cost of staying there were too high in other areas of my life. I've taken on more responsibilities at work, which is a good thing, but also a bit nerve-wracking because I don't always think that I'm the best person to do some of the things that I'm doing. But I'm learning. It's been a lesson for me so far -- I'm far too much of a people-pleaser (something I got from my mom) and part of some of my new responsibilities require me to jettison some of that and just do the job. So that'll be good for me to learn.

Anna's growing up so fast -- I can hardly believe it. It's funny to think back to June when she wouldn't stay at a play group while Heidi went just down the hall without screaming and crying at being left alone. Now, as I drop her off at preschool, she hardly even notices that I leave. While this is good and an essential part of her development, I can't help but miss the baby she was. However, the little girl she's become is so fantastic. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that my daughter would be singing along to Cher, Kylie and Madonna. I probably should have known though, because she was getting 50% of her genes from me. It's fun watching her pretend-play with her Barbies and Playmobil unicorn set. Sometimes I'm amazed at the fact that I've raised this little girl. While I realize that the job is far from done, it's reassuring to know that so far, so good.

I feel like I've grown a lot in the last year. Isn't that weird -- to be 33 years old and feel like you're growing? Although, on the other hand, I suppose if you stop growing you've probably stopped living. So it's been a good one.

As for changes for the New Year? Well, wouldn't mind losing a little bit of weight (not that I feel I'm overweight, but I'm certainly not getting any younger.) I also want to keep on working on the spiritual aspect of my life -- getting centered in my life and feeling comfortable with myself. That's kind of an ongoing process, I guess. I'm also mulling switching from Blogger to Typepad because, dang, they just have some of the coolest features. Anyone reading this with input, I'm all ears. And if I do switch, I'll just have to make sure I blog more because I'll be paying for the privilege.

So here's to 2006. Happy New Year to anyone who may read these words -- but especially to all the friends that I know will read these words.

It's gonna be light

Blogging, that is. Expect some light blogging for the next week or so. My computer's on the blink -- I think it's the motherboard -- and so I'm currently writing on my 4 year old's computer sitting on her little chair at her little table. So don't expect much. But fear not, I shall return soon.

Ailing Christmas tree

Well, thanks to our cats, our Christmas tree has had a stroke. The above picture isn't the greatest (click to see a bigger view -- it's hard to get a picture of Christmas lights no matter how hard you try) but the entire upper right hand side has no lights any longer. And I sure can't figure out what the hell happened. A part of me doesn't even want to fix it -- exceptional amount of work for only one more week till Christmas -- but I suppose I probably will.

Brokeback backlash begins

I kinda figured it wouldn't take long for the right-wing in this country to come out swinging against Brokeback Mountain now that it's racked up some impressive critics' awards and is all but assured a bevy of nominations at this year's Academy Awards. I had read somewhere that conservative groups were deliberately not fanning the flames of controversy as to not draw too much attention to the story's gay plotline. But once awards started getting heaped upon it, they had no other choice.

I wonder how many of the people speaking out against it have actually seen the movie. I've read the short story upon which the movie is based and let me tell you, while the story is definitely about two gay ranch hands, there's so much more to it than that. It's about relationships, it's about the inevitable heartbreak that comes from trying to be something that you're not. It's about how even had Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist had the words to express their feelings for each other, the societal mores of the time would have squashed them like a bug. But ultimately, to me, the story is about missed opportunity, and how much it can hurt when the opportunity you missed was true love.

I'm lucky -- I get to spend every day with the woman that I love more than anyone in the world (with the possible exception of my daughter, who I love in a completely different way.) But I think that for so many people in this world, gay or straight or somewhere in between, true love misses them, whether by a mile or an inch. In the short story, the ache just emanates off the page. I couldn't help but feel pain and heartbreak for Ennis and Jack. I won't let Heidi read the story before we see the movie because I think that the movie experience might be diluted for her if she knows specific plot points.

I really wish there was more tolerance in this country. I mean, I'm by no means the most tolerant person in the world -- my feelings toward the extreme right-wing and "religious" right in this country would mark me as a liar were I to make that claim. But I just hope that someday people will realize that love is love, and the validity and importance of that love is not cheapened or less valuable by who they choose to love.

Blogging 2005

This image has been making the rounds in the blogosphere, but it doesn't make it any less funny. My personal favorite -- I'M THIRTEEN AND EVERYTHING SUCKS!!

How many copies do I really need to own?

Madonna, how much of my money are you eventually going to get from your Confessions on a Dance Floor project? I bought the regular CD the day it was released because I wanted the continuous mix, but I also wanted instant gratification that morning so I bought the unmixed version of the CD on iTunes for $9.99. Overall, that only cost me $20.00 because the CD was on sale at Target for 10 bucks.

I vowed that I wouldn't purchased the limited edition that's coming out tomorrow. Even though it has a bonus track "Fighting Spirit." And a year long membership to her official fan club ICON which would gain me access to yet another bonus track called "Super Pop." And I'm not one to join fan clubs because they're mostly just ways to suck money out of fans. Additionally, I'd get the 40 page book with more photos from the photo shoot.

*sigh* I guess she'll probably get more of my money. But I'll wait to see if someone buys it for me for Christmas first as I told Heidi that's a good thing to tell people to get me if they're having trouble. That way, Madonna would get someone else's money for a change!

Christmas time is here

We got all our Christmas stuff up last weekend and it's nice to actually have snow this year. Anna has no concept of the fact that Christmas is still two weeks away so she continually asks "Is it Christmas yet?" She loves the ornaments and Heidi and I love getting them out every year because it's like a trip down memory lane each year. Rather than being all anal and having deliberate themes for our tree every year (I remember one year my mom didn't have anything but Santa ornaments on her tree), we enjoy having the mishmash of ornaments that we have. It really represents us--a mishmash of all our life histories.

I don't really want much for Christmas and have had tons of fun shopping for people this year. Anna's so easy to shop for and everyone just showers stuff on her as she's the only grandchild in either of our families. I asked her to pose by the tree for me when we put it up, so here she is in Santa hat and everything.

Into Thin Air

I finished reading Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air last week. It was an amazingly fast read--truly one of those books that I couldn't put down, staying up way too late because I just had to read to the end of the chapter. I'm not sure what got me to pick up this book in the first place--I'm not really all that much of a fan of stories with guys climbing mountains acting all macho, not really being a macho mountain-climbing type of guy myself. Perhaps it was the $1.00 price tag at 1/2 Price Books in Minneapolis--that combined with the fact that I had really enjoyed Krakauer's book on Mormon fundamentalism, Under The Banner of Heaven. Whatever the reason, I read it and sure am glad that I did.

The story takes place in 1996, with Krakauer joining a guided expedition to the top of Mt. Everest. However, during that season, a freak storm came upon their expedition on their way down the mountain, resulting in the deadliest season on the mountain since it was first summitted in 1953. Krakuer, being a seasoned climber, goes into great detail about the specifics of the climb and you meet a colorful cast of characters (mostly the macho, mountain-climbing type guys.) Although there are a lot of characters, I never really found myself wondering "OK, now who is that again?" as is common in a lot of books such as this. And although there is a lot of techincal mountain climbing jargon, I never found it difficult to understand what Krakauer was talking about.

Krakauer (obviously) survived his encounter with Everest, but many people that he considered friends didn't make it. Krakauer's "survivor's remorse" was heartbreaking. But then again, I'm always impressed with men that aren't afraid of their emotions. And even though Krakauer strikes me as the macho, mountain-climbing type, there were also some very touching parts of the book as well.

It will never pass for high art, but Into Thin Air is an amazingly great read and I highly recommend it. After finishing it, I Netflixed the TV movie version of it. I wasn't expecting much (heck, it was 90 minutes and the book is 300 pages!) and on it's own merits, it wasn't bad, but as most movie adaptations of books go, it just can't compare.

2005 Song

As usual, I don't usually go for these online quiz things, but this one's clever.

Your 2005 Song Is

Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani "This shit is bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S)" For you, 2005 was the Best Year Ever.

What Hit Song of 2005 Are You?

It's funny, I didn't even like "Hollaback Girl" the first few times I heard it. But like any good pop song, it drove its way into my brain and didn't leave for a good chunk of the summer.

World AIDS Day

This is the Obelisk of Buenos Aires, Argentina--and look what they've done to it for World AIDS Day (which was actually yesterday.)

It really is too bad that AIDS has dropped off the radar for a lot of people. It's still killing people, it's still spreading. Bottom line--the drug cocktail didn't put an end to it.

The book that really made the AIDS epidemic real to me was Randy Shilts' And The Band Played On. While not the most unbiased piece of journalism ever written, it is a riveting read and definitely worth the time it takes to read it. I remember how negligent our government was at the time, in large part because the disease was killing the undesirable components of society. And don't even get me started on the criminal negligence of the nation's blood industry. How many hemophiliacs died needlessly because of them? Read it. It's a great book.

In the meantime, head here and light a candle. For every candle lit, they donate a dollar to AIDS research.

Blog name change

So I've changed the name of the blog -- the URL is still the same, but I felt like I wanted something different, something not so lame and boring. Maybe what I've titled it is just as lame and boring, but at least it's something different.

I'm tired and worn out right now, which isn't good for a Sunday night before a full work week, but I'm sure I'll make it through. Feeling very listless and adrift these days--not sure what that's all about. Time, I'm sure, will tell.

Diana Krall -- Christmas Songs

Well, it's that time of year again, and I've purchased my first Christmas CD of the season. It's Diana Krall's Christmas Songs. I've kind of been itching for Diana to do a full length Christmas CD--the teasers from the Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas EP a few years back were good enough. And besides, it was only a matter of time until someone of her vocal caliber recorded the Christmas standards.

This CD is a pretty decent one -- all the usual suspects are here. "Let It Snow!", "I'll Be Home For Christmas," "Sleigh Ride," and "Jingle Bells" (two versions of "Jingle Bells" on the iTunes version.) She also pulls out some unexpected ones, like "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" and "Christmastime Is Here" from A Charlie Brown Christmas. The arrangements, unfortunately, are a little bit more in the vein of The Look Of Love, that is to say, snoozy and orchestral, although she does cut loose one several of the tracks and gives us some good upbeat jazzy Christmas music. But Christmas music is, by definition a little bit on the snoozy side, so the arrangements actually work out all right.

Probably my biggest disappointment is that "Christmastime Is Here" appears to be exactly the same version that was previously on the Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas EP. That being said, I'm not really sure what else she'd do with it other than what she's done, but it does smack a bit of laziness--kind of like Whitney Houston recycling Christmas songs from The Preacher's Wife soundtrack for her Christmas CD a couple years ago.

So it'll get a lot of play this year, although it'll be neck in neck to see what gets more play, Diana or Casey Stratton's Winter Fields.

And speaking of zombies...

This real life shot (gakked from planetdan) could possibly pass as a shot of zombies out of control.


After looking at that picture, I think I'm glad that I'll be working tomorrow and not out at the mall or any other place like Target or, heaven help us, Wal-Mart. Although I wouldn't mind getting my hands on a copy of Meet The Fockers for 5 bucks at Best Buy. We'll see how that works out.

Land of the Dead

The (relatively few) people that read me regularly (when I'm blogging at all) know that I adore zombie movies. It's really really hard to screw up a zombie movie in my estimation, and I recently Netflixed the latest in Romero's Dead series, Land of the Dead. I missed it in theaters last summer, mostly because I was lazy and didn't get myself out to the dollar theater when it was there ever so briefly, but I don't think I missed out on much watching it on DVD.

The thing that's cool about Romero's Dead series is that even though they are kind of their own stories, they are related to each other. And this is a perfect progression for the zombies. The zombies in Land of the Dead are starting to organize, communicate and are forming the beginnings of an undead society, so to speak. Which is not to say there isn't a great deal of flesh-eating going on in the meantime.

Perhaps the best part of the whole movie comes early on in the movie. While Dawn of the Dead may have had the zombie pie fight (never seen in any zombie movie since), Land of the Dead had the zombie brass band, and I only wish I had a picture of it to post (believe me, I tried to find it--too bad I sent the movie back to Netflix or I'd screen capture it.) Apart from that, we have the story of a Donald Trumpish guy that has boarded up an unnamed American city from the marauding undead hordes, saving the inside of a ritzy skyscraper for the best of society, leaving the rest of the city to get by on its own. Well, you know from the outset that the zombies are going to find a way in and even though you know it's bound to happen, it's still fun watching how it plays out.

It was good to see some classic slow-moving and intestines-chomping zombies after being treated to 28 Days Later (oh, sorry, not zombies, just infected) and the remake of Dawn of the Dead. Both movies were very capable and I own both of them, but there's something about Romero's zombies that you can't compare. And believe me, there was plenty of guts being eaten in this movie. It got to even me at times.

Another plus for the movie--the use of digital effects and blue screen was apparently prevalent according to some of the special features on the DVD, but these effects were not apparent during the movie. It's always good when the effects don't draw attention to themselves and announce their presence as if they're wearing a "look at me! I'm a digital effect!" sign around their neck.

Even though Ryan saw it and wondered what happened to Romero, I still thought it was a capable entry into the series, probably on par or slightly inferior to Dawn of the Dead and definitely superior to Day of the Dead. *sigh* If only they'd called it Dusk of the Dead.

Now's about the time that Heidi would be saying "just how many ...of the Dead movies does the world actually need?" To that, I say (in the immortal words of our ridiculous leader,) bring 'em on.

Turkey Day 2005

I feel as if I'm about to slip into a diabetic coma from all the food I ate today, but oddly enough, I really don't feel as if I've overeaten. I just totally OD'd on sweets, as per usual. God help me, but I just can't get enough of the sweet potatoes! They're definitely my favorite.

It wasn't an overdone holiday this year, just the three of us + Wendy and my mom and dad, but it was fun. Ryan called in the middle of the afternoon and talked to everyone so that was pretty fun. We all settled in after the big meal (and the even bigger clean up which was performed by none other than yours truly) with a viewing of X2: X-Men United which I haven't seen in forever.

So now it's 6:30 and I'm pooped out + I have to work tomorrow and Saturday (but not Sunday.) That's not so bad, I guess. I can't expect to have a 4 day Thanksgiving weekend every year.

Truth be told, I have a lot to be thankful for this year. Our house in Washington is sold (finally), we're probably going to be taking a trip to Europe this spring, and things are mostly on an even keel.

Oh, and it's been the best fall ever for music. But that's another entry altogether.