End of the week. I am tired. I feel like I could fall asleep right now... and I am thinking that maybe I ought to. You and I both know that I won't.
May 31, 2002
I stayed up a bit too late and got up a bit too early, but I like it that way. More hours of function in a day. I have Moby : 18 playing. All the windows are open; the sun is coming in.
I was sitting here... part typing e-mail, part setting up my laptop to charge, and part taking a few photographs; and it really overwhelmed me. I have it good... maybe not perfect, but I have it damn good. I have a love for life and many passions... and the motivation to have gotten this far; and those are just a few of the things I carry in my person. I have so much more.
I have a great girl with awesome parents. My family is all good. Some great friends. Workmates pretty much rule. I cannot complain about the car, the computers, and the junk that clutters my desk.
I am not trying to compare my life to that of someone living in a third world country. I am not ecstatic about my quality of life and bragging about how I have made it to the top; I am simply stating that for wanting so much more for my life all the time; I am honestly satisfied with where I am.
Maybe I am high on Orange County smog, but I really ought to smack myself around for getting down as often as I do. Hard times ahead, but a bright future beyond it.
And I like the smog.
May 30, 2002
Maybe it is a step backwards in design, but it fits. Designed, coded, and live on the web in 10 minutes. Just add water.
Everything is rolling along fairly smooth... not that I expect it to last long. I am going to enjoy while it is this way.
Got all the quotes ready for the wedding invitations. Thanks to some help we are going to be able to save a little money.
I put the pictures of the building (where we are getting married) in to develop yesterday... so about three days and I will have those to post. It is a beautiful place. I am so happy to have it. It makes me smile just to think about it.
Have to go into work early this morning... have to take Ong's car into the shop for a tune-up. My car is next. I have 17,000 miles on my car... and I have only had it since June 2001. Geez.
Also, my car now has one scratch in the paint... and one dent. I am so sad. Little imperfections, but it just ruins the newness of a car.
May 29, 2002
This looks like a cool design contest.
I am in a strange spot right now. I am really to busy to do anything. Just about to tired to care about doing anything. Yet, I am starving to learn... I just need to know something new. I am starving to create. I have been cursed with a mind that just will not stop and a thirst that cannot be quenched. I think the is the closest that one can get without going over the line into insanity.
Met up with Vladislav last night. Good guy. We went down to The Block and ate at Cafe Tu Tu Tango. Apparently, it is Mardi Gras every Tuesday at Tango... so I was wearing beads... that is me, party animal (or maybe King Boring with beads).
Got another e-mail from DZ. The commie is smoking my favorite cigars. Tisk.
May 28, 2002
It is amazing that it is a Tuesday, but it feels like a Monday.
Busy week ahead. Don't expect to see many updates here.
Got a new camera bag yesterday... after registering for dishes and the like at Mikasa... and before trying a few tuxes. Yeah, yesterday was a busy one.
I think my roommate is dying of a toothache. He should be going to the dentist today, but he looks tore-up. Poor guy.
Man... I did a whole lot this weekend. I don't think I can even remember everything. Craziness... I feel rested though, so it must not have been that bad.
May 25, 2002
Rest... and more rest. Then, rest some more.
May 24, 2002
So happy that it is Friday. I need the weekend so bad. I slept like a log last night. Fell deeply asleep around 9p. I am feeling a lot better now... I think I was a few hours behind on sleep. Off to work before I am late.
May 23, 2002
DZ has landed and is alive. I was beginning to wonder.
The meeting with EFI and Xerox yesterday was pretty good. It is amazing dome of the technology that they have available now. They showed us a few lame/funny videos and they let us play with the machines... and best of all, they fed us.
I think I left the power adapter for my laptop somewhere... which basically make my laptop a really expensive paper weight.
"My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you’ll be happy; if not, you’ll become a philosopher."
-Socrates
May 21, 2002
Tired. Cranky. Wish it was the weekend.
May 20, 2002
Strange weather this morning. It was sorta warm and nice when I first got up, but right before I got in the shower it started raining. And now that I am out of the shower it is nice again. That is just crazy.
I am going to start collecting boxes today. I have to start packing. It is fairly sure that Ong and I will be moving to the townhouse that we looked at last week... if not, we will be moving into her apartment... so, either way, I have to pack up my stuff.
I have my tux fitting tonight. More updates to follow.
May 19, 2002
Back in town... and very tired.
May 17, 2002
On the road again.
I am so very happy that it is Friday. I am just tired of working… tired of all the stress mainly.
I am solo in my department today which is both good and bad. It is bad because there is work that needs to get done, and only one person to do. It is good because everyone is extra careful not to piss me off, since I am the only one that can get things done today. Someone even brought me a box of doughnuts. Nothing says ‘I love you’ like a box of doughnuts.
I got all packed of this morning for heading up north. I noticed that I am running really low on clothes. So low on clothes that I might need to purchase an outfit to wear Monday morning. That is bad, but I do get a new outfit. Unfortunately that means I have to stay up late Monday night to get laundry done.
I am getting fitted for my tux on Monday night as well. I am heading there straight from work. I think the place closes at 8p, so I cannot be there too late.
Tuesday night, I have a job to do. I have to go fix a friend’s network and internet connection. I seem to be doing a lot of those lately. I don’t mind it that much… it is usually pretty easy and I get pizza out of the deal. Even though I am not in school right now, I still seem to be doing a lot of work for food. Maybe it is just something that you do in your twenties and has nothing to do with college.
Speaking of school, more than likely I will be going to back to school in the fall. I kinda do not know what to do though. Part of me wants to go get my Bachelor’s in Graphic Design… and the other part of me wants to get a few techie certifications. I am very interested in getting Mac OS X Server certified… as well as MSCE. I just do not know what to do. I might just do both. The other thing that I am looking into is getting Adobe Certified for InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. I think my choice is going to come down to money.
Claire has officially joined me at LP. I am very happy about that. I think it is going to be a good relationship. I was just thinking about it yesterday… and I noticed that is going to widen my perspective on design with her being from the UK. I am too used to my American audience… which is a bad thing. Just one major difference we have with the UK that affects design is paper size. The standard sheet sizes in the UK are different than in the US. I knew this fact already, but I never really thought that I would have to deal with it.
Last night, Ong and I went and looked at a home. Nice little place... two bedroom, one and a half bath, washer and dryer hookups... and two story as well. I also really like it because it has a yard and a garage. The yard is great for the puppy... and the garage is great for storing junk... woo!
Started into lesson 9 in my Indesign book. I was a little to tired, so I did not make it through it. Very good lesson about the typography tools. I have never used a baseline grid to align columns of text before. Very nifty feature... I am still learning about it or I would say more.
I am hunting through my laundry this morning to amke sure that I have enough for a trip up north this weekend. Ong's parents are moving, so we get to help pack. We are going to try to leave tonight or in the morning.
Listening to All Star United again this morning... might actually switch to Skypark. Has been a really long time since I have listened to them.
May 16, 2002
Got up fairly early this morning. I have been working on a Flash-to-ASP-to-Flash data relay system. Pretty interesting stuff can be done. I am starting to change my mind about Flash. When empowered with some server-side scripting help, Flash has quite a bit of power. I think I have even discovered a way to use Flash for blogs with the help of PHP. Neat stuff.
I am running late now. It appears that I have 7 minutes to get ready for work... and I have not even gotten in the shower yet. Learning sucks up time.
May 15, 2002
Busy morning for me. Finally finished up lesson 8 in Classroom In A Book: InDesign. It has only taken me about a week to complete. This is really sad because I did the first 7 lessons in about two days. I am really looking forward to lesson 9. It is all about the typography tools in InDesign. There are only 14 lessons, so I hope to finish the book soon.
Been listening to All Star United and burning 2 copies of Jimmy Eat World while I was working. While looking through my horridly huge CD collection, I decided that I really should have a CD player in my car. I have however figured out how to route my laptop through my car stereo... how insane is that. I need help. Once I get the car adapter for my laptop, I just might start doing that too. I am interested to see if it skips.
Looks like I got paid today. I should be happy, but I know it is just time to pay bills again. It is time to start hunting down some more paying side-jobs. I have been doing a bit too much for free lately. It really is difficult making money when I love doing what I do. It is just nicer to be able to afford to do what one likes to do.
Currently, I have two major volunteer projects. I should be able to knock those out fairly quickly. I hope... then I can get some money flowing in again.
It is clear that Apple nows they are making a come back. Xserve, a rack mount Mac box, is here is help make Apple's way into the wonderful land of servers. Apple's steal from the poor and give to themselves theory of business is about to pay off. This UNIX/Linux based operating system is putting the scare on Windows and Linux developers alike... and doing it with a level of class that only Apple can pull off.
May 14, 2002
Got my brakes fixed today. It only cost me 70 bucks... I was shocked and pleased. Never have I had automotive work done so cheap. All is happy and my brakes are no longer making that grinding sound.
Noticed that I have not installed Photoshop 7 on this computer. You don't really notice the difference between 6.0 and 7.0 until you have been using 7.0 for a while and go back to 6.0. It is very difficult to find some of the tools... and some of the palettes look way different. I am going to have to say that 7.0 is worth the money. It is more than your standard upgrade. (Also runs great on XP and OS X.)
Was designing my wedding invitations tonight until I got a little fuzzy-eyed. I am fairly sure that the human eye was not designed to stare at a monitor all day... it gets to you after a while.
As mentioned before, I am going to be making a few changes at LoungePunk.com. I really want to bring my passion for design to a purpose... my hope is to help other designers (beginners included) with a little insight on what is going on in "the real design world". I work in it everyday and it is nothing like what they tell you it is in school (It is not half as fun.). So first off, I am going to be bringing Claire on board at LP. Together we should be able to generate some useful content and some more swanky designs.
Cafepress is going to be releasing some new products in the near future. The one that I am most excited about is Frisbees... got to love it. They will also be adding stickers and posters to their list of products. Again, I am very excited to see these new products... and I plan on abusing them more than I do now.
I am going into work early today... why? I have no real idea. Maybe because they need me too... that does not sound like the great reason to me. I think they just need more hours to bring me down.
Work should be enjoyable. It really should be... all work gets stressful... and busy. This job could kill the happiest of all people. I think there is something in the employee manual about not being allowed to go home until you feel completely worthless. If that was the case, I think most of us could go home within the first hour.
Wish me strength.
May 13, 2002
I have once again found a lovely and shady spot next to the creek. It sure is hot out today. I am going to assume that it is officially summer time in Orange County.
I am exhausted today. I am fighting the urge to get a Red Bull… I am instead “quenching my thirst” with a Gatorade. I bought what I thought was a new flavor… it is not a new flavor. It is however a new language. I bought the Spanish Xtremo Gatorade… does it taste different? No, and I am thankful for that.
I have a huge form that I am recreating at work today. The form is so massive… and it has that print legal bull-crap on the back as well. I doubt that I will finish it today. I am sure that this job will be the cause of rage later this week… primarily due to poor management. The form was billed out for three hours of artwork… by management. When my department was asked how long it would take… the answer was, “at least four hours”. At that time, we did not even know that it was double sided. I can bet cash that management is going to through a fit over the fact that it is going to take about eight hours to complete the job… even though it is their fault that the job was not billed properly.
I cannot even begin to understand the level of stupidity that happens. It amazes me to no end.
May 12, 2002
Happy Mother's Day!
May 10, 2002
After carrying my laptop around without its bag, I have noticed that it is heavy. It has to weigh at least 7 pounds… and is a very awkward shape to carry. I have also noticed that the LCD screen on laptop is useless outside on a sunny day unless you are in the shade. You just cannot see a darn thing. As one could imagine, this makes it very difficult to do graphics work… and I guess that is why I am blogging and not working on any of my projects.
I think there are some kind of fish in the creek here… possible frogs. They keep jumping out of the water… but so quickly that I cannot identify what they are. Entertaining to watch… kinda like having a lava lamp.
I am thinking about a new project for me… as in, to my benefit. I am toying about with several ideas for Lounge Punk. I am not going to be changing the site’s function from what it is now… but possibly expanding it. Expansion one, I am thinking about adding a new part of the site called lp.southland. It would be about life and things on Southern California (aka The Southland). I would like to write about reviews about places that I go… places that I eat at… bands that I listen to… and the like. I am hoping that it will be of benefit to someone, but my real purpose is to have a reference for myself. I do/have done so many things here, it is very difficult to remember it all. I was originally going to call it lp.oc… I noticed that I massively enjoy San Diego and Las Angeles too much to limit myself that way. The Getty Center in LA is my largest example of why I could not just limit to OC. Orange County is my favorite by far, but it is the entire experience of Southern California that is so very captivating for me.
Expansion two, I have been toying around with the idea of a clothing company for about 10 years now. I think that Lounge Punk Outfitters has a nice ring to it. I am doing research and sketches for designs right now… and have been for the last few months. If you desire to do something for 10 years… and it does not fade… well, I think you ought to do it. So I am going to try to listen to my own advice. Now might not be the time… and I am keeping that in mind… might be another ten years from now. It is just something that I have been tossing around. I am going to most likely start with t-shirts… the equipment is affordable enough… or should I say that it is the cheapest… by a few thousand dollars.
Looks like it is about time to get back to work.
Out to lunch now… I am try a new place to eat. It is a little deli on the other side of the creek in a nice business complex. Today’s special: Honey ham on a croissant.
I work so close to Irvine that nearly every building is in a business complex. Irvine is an odd place really… purely industrial. I don’t believe that I have seen a housing development in Irvine… maybe a few apartments scattered about. There is a company called Irvine Spectrum that own or manages a lot property… I once thought that Irvine Spectrum Center was just an outdoor mall. It turns out that a very large section of Irvine is called Irvine Spectrum. There are a lot of large companies like Ford, Dodge, and Mazda… all right here. Very nice business buildings as you can imagine.
Sitting down by the creek again. The sun is out with a cool breeze… just plain beautiful. Ong, however, thinks that the water looks like a toxic waste dump… I like it. Anyways…
Today is DZ’s last day at work. I dawned on me that I am going to miss the nine million e-mails that we exchange daily (It appears that we both have really busy jobs, huh?). I was a bit saddened for a second… I am now looking forward to reading about his foreign adventures. I am sure that he will have many… being that DZ is an adventure all to himself. I giggle ever time I think about the trouble that he is going to be getting into. I know some country out there is going to send him back… probably for the crime of sharing a bit too much wisdom.
I wish you the bets of luck my friend. My only regret is that you will be missing my wedding. I hope the rest of the planet is ready for you.
May 09, 2002
Just bought a new book. Yes, I am making the journey into the evil worlds of Flash and server-side programming. Okay... maybe not so evil, but definately no so common. I think I have a horrible adiction for learning.
XML and I are getting to be better friends... and not where you would expect us to be. XML is the unlying structure for InDesign 2.0. Odd that a web standard is the base for a publishing tool? I agree. At first, I had my doubts about the relationship... my doubts have since died and turned into awe. As a designer, I have spent most my time recreating and repurposing data for different mediums... no longer shall this be the case. I am still reading and working out some bugs... but it is truly amazing what can be done.
I feel like I have had a personality disorder for the past week or so. I am extreme artist/designer or mega-geek. In all honesty, both lay closely on the edge of a large grey line... which is really where I am. I feel like my thoughts and posts reflect that there is some large black and white difference between the two. I don't think I would be doing either without the other. A new term needs to be invented for the graphic designer that is willing to use technology to further design. Not enough credit is given to those that do it.
I could ramble on, but I must sleep.
Someone lie to me and tell me it is Friday. Please? I cannot see one more day of work this week. I was either stressed or bored today... all day. Neither are fun... as if you did not know that. Some days... if were not for the bills, I would have to just walk out. I have too many goals to waste time being tortured.
Moderately restfully night. I think I woke up at about 5.30a... I just could not bare the thought of getting up that early, so I forced myself to stay in bed until 6a. Had Rufus Wainwright in the alarm... fantastic music to either wake or fall asleep to. I forgot how much I love that CD.
I have been installing Illustrator 10, InDesign 2.0, and Photoshop 7.0 on Mac OS X for most the morning. It is a G3 Powerbook... so it is a bit slower than normal. It seems to run the programs just fine. So far these are the only graphics programs that run native to OS X. The new Mac OS is truly the greatest operating system yet. It is beautiful, simple, powerful, and fast. For the first time in a very long time, Apple has out done Microsoft.
Also installed 5 new OpenType fonts onto my laptop. OpenType fonts are great. They are not only great fonts because they are a fully self-contained glyph set... they are also cross-platform. I can finally use the same fonts on my Mac as I do on my XP or ME machines. I am not sure about OpenType support for Linux... if supported that would be another great reason to make the switch. I am sure that the web will be moving in the OpenType direction within the year.
Since I am Mr. Geek reviewer this morning, I would like to add a few good words about Adobe InDesign 2.0. Throw PageMaker and Quark XPress in the trash... they are now outdated and worthless. InDesign has ever tool that I have ever wanted... and more that I discover everyday. I highly suggest that you learn this program. There will be a high demand for people who can quickly operate this awesome piece of software.
May 08, 2002
I have computers surrounding me and all I want to do is play. Instead, I am going to do the smart thing and go to bed. Exciting, huh?
This is my first attempt at blogging without being on the internet. Strange feeling really.
Right now, I am sitting at the edge of a creek… typing on my laptop. Peaceful… even with the sound of cars and hammering in the background.
I am wishing that I would have brought my camera this morning. The lighting is perfect… slightly overcast, just enough to diffuse the light. A few of the trees down here are loosing their blossoms… leaving a gorgeous blanket of wine-colored petal on the ground. Very deserving of a photograph.
My mind is busy. I have so many projects going on and so many that are waiting to be worked on. To be honest, it is fairly random that I obtain projects… and even more random the order that I work on them in.
I am going to be doing a lot more IT and programming work in the near future. I am looking forward to it… I think it will actually be a whole lot less stressful than the projects that I am working on now.
I have a whole list of projects that I truly desire to be working on, but they do not pay. I wish that I was not in such desperate need of cash. It would be so very fantastic to take a few weeks off from work and start on a few projects that bring me a little joy.
Currently, I am squeezing enjoyable projects in during the times that I should be sleeping. It is hard to decide which is better an enjoyable little project or sleep. Although the lack of sleep usually gets to me after a while… I have found that if I had picked sleep to start with I would not have slept well anyways. My head just spins with thoughts and ideas… very difficult to get a good night’s sleep. The last PHP project that I completed, I programmed the entire thing in a dream… then woke up and typed it all out.
It appears as though the ants have found me… well… they have found my bag. They are surrounding it currently. Unless they are interested in a Palm Pilot or a cell phone, I have not a clue what they are going after. Maybe the world is going insane… even the ants are turning into geeks.
Morning again. I am not feeling so hot this morning. I am not sure why... I don't think I can be sick again. Maybe I am not getting enough sleep. It is driving me nuts whatever it is.
Stayed up a bit too late last night, picking out music and designing invitations for the wedding. We have narrowed down the music choices to about a dozen songs or so. The invitation is looking pretty good.
Had a talk with a guy last night, looks like I might be switching from PHP to ASP scripting. Never fails you learn one language and they want the other. I figure the more I know the better... so I am not complaining.
May 07, 2002
Among the million things that are going through my skull... here are the ones that you get to read about... since I only have about 5 minutes to blog.
Dreamweaver MX has been released. I want it so very bad. I am think about asking for it for a wedding gift... I am so lame. I need help... or lots of money.
I don't design enough. I work too much. Things are going to have to change with that problem. My mind is so very ready to just explode with ideas... but time is in the way. I have narrowed it down to work taking up too much time (and not paying well enough for it).
When was the last time I took a photograph? Last week... plus. I think I shall wear my camera to work tomorrow.
Near the top of things you will never hear me say: "Damn my menstrual cycle." I just about fell out of my chair... that is not something that anyone would expect to read anywhere. I love the web... the power to communicate freely. What was the world like before?
Still a very busy week for me... don't be shocked if the posts are rare this week.
May 06, 2002
I consider this redesign a personal challenge to my design skills. Yet another design that rocks. While I am becoming a code-head... I am getting design-dust kicked in my face.
This site rocks. I have no money, but if I did... I know where most of it would go. Wow... fun stuff.
Anyways... sorry I have been out for a few days. It has been very busy... and I got ill on Saturday.
As usual, I am juggling one to many projects in hopes that something good will happen. Things look hopefully, but nothing to shout about at the moment.
Special thanks to Dominic for helping me get my servers running. We spent a little time on them this weekend... things are improving. Look right now like we are having a minor problem with DNS... I am just greatful that DNS is working at all. It has been a long getting to this point.
May 01, 2002
Feels like a Monday morning.
I think I have the new Solbeam logo just about sketched-out. I will most likely start building it tonight while I do my laundry. Heh... ooh aah... the wonderful life of a designer.
Going into work early this morning. Just have to pack up the laptop and I am out the door.