Halloween 2005

For the first time in four years I had trick-or-treaters come by on Halloween. Two, to be exact. Last year no kids came to my house. I found out a week later that my front light was burnt out, so they assumed no one was home. Two years ago the neighborhood had just about burned to the ground by the big fire, and the air was thick with smoke and ash keeping all children at home. So now I have almost two bags of candy to get rid of. I'll keep half here and take the rest to work where it will surly be devoured.

TCU at SDSU - Homecoming Game

New Computer

Last week I bought a new computer. I average a new computer once every five years. That is a long time for someone like me, who spends his whole day working with computers and software. I upgraded from a PIII 667 MHz to a P4 3.0 GHz duel core processor with 1 GByte of RAM and a 200 GByte hard drive. If your are impressed by these numbers then you need to get a life! I am only beginning to realize what I can do with this new computer. Soon I'll be burning DVDs and even connecting over a wireless network!

Go White Sox!

I'm happy that the White Sox won, even though I'm a National League (specifically, the Padres) team fan. I wish the Astros had won at least one game, but Houston will have another chance at the World Series sometime soon. Next year it would be great if the Cubs won the title - just keep that "Bartman" guy away from the game. Now that the endless baseball season is over, it is time to concentrate on football, American style. Go Charger!

Wilma Heads Towards Key West

I've always wanted to experience a (weak) hurricane for some crazy reason, and if I were still in Key West I'd get to ride though a strong one tonight. Wilma is heading more south towards the Keys, as 80% of the residence hunker down for the night. Since my next trip there isn't until next year, all damage should be repaired and life on the island back to normal. Speaking of bad weather (because there is nothing else to talk about), it has been so gloomy here that I feel like jumping off my roof Seattle style (not really). I guess this weather is better than exactly two years ago when the big fire driven by warm, dry Santa Ana winds forced me to evacuate by house.

Gwen Stefani Solo Tour

Just got back from seeing Gwen Stefani on her "Harajuku Lovers" tour ( I still don't know what "Harajuku" means). It was a good concert, but nothing like No Doubt. The No Doubt concerts I've seen have more energy, and of course, more songs. Tonight Gwen Stefani basically just sung each song from her solo album, adding some extended endings and lots of "San Diego" shouts. What was missing from her songs were the guest vocals, like Eve on Rich Girl. That song just didn't sound the same live. However, the base player sang a few solo lines, and her voice was really strong and clear. I could have done without the break-dancers on the stage - I thought that died out in 1984! Anyways, I'm glad I went to the concert but now it is time for another No Doubt album and tour.

Wesley, Loren, Buffy and Faith Action Figures

New Buffy and Angel arrived this week - a total of 11 new action figures. This series included four Wesley and three Lorne figures, plus Buffy and Faith "deluxe" figures. The "deluxe" figures have more "points of articulation", meaning that they are more bendable. Since I don't take them out of their packaging, that means nothing to me.

These action figures will be going on my wall for display, soon to be joined my even more new figures that just went on sale: Angel, Fred and Illyira. I can't keep up!

Baseball Playoffs

Even though I'm disappointed that the Padres didn't win one game in the NLDS, I am glad that there are different teams that did win, like the Angles and White Sox. I'm tired of the Yankees winning, and Boston won last year so it is time for some other team to make it to the world series. Right now I'm rooting for Astros vs. Angels (although White Sox would be fine too).

Marina In Key West

This is a view from the Half Shell Raw Bar in Key West. The fish at this restaurant is very fresh. I've had my fill of fish during my stay on the island.

I got home last night around 10pm without my luggage. American Airlines had it delivered this morning to my house, after waking me at 7:15. I'm suffering from jet-lag and am thinking about taking a mid-morning nap.

Room View in Key West

This is the view from my hotel room in Key West. Looks nice. Too bad I never went swimming. I did walk by the pool many times on the way to the pool bar, where I drank Hurricanes and Yingling beer. Yingling is very common on the East Coast. Every bar seems to serve it and it doesn't taste too bad.

I spent most of my free time sleeping, eating and watching movies. I saw Corpse Bride and Lord of War. One was a basically a fairy tale and the other was violent and depressing. Guess which is which. Both were good.

Angry in Virginia Beach

Here is the photo I've been trying to upload for the past week. They have these signs all over in Virginia Beach. I had to get a photo of one with me disobeying it. Nearby shop owners were giving us strange looks. I had never been to the beach part of Virginia Beach. It looks like a fun place to be during the Summer. After Labor Day eveyone goes home for the Winter.

Key West Stay

I was going to come home a day early but the airplane ticket was $500 more, so my boss axed that idea. If it is not raining then I will try to do something other than watch a movie during my extra day. Hopfully rain will not keep me here longer on Thursday.

Trip Report

I've been trying to upload photos from my phone, but Blogger keeps rejecting them. Once I figure the problem out I will have some interesting pictures to share from my trip.