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January 27, 2005
Cheese Doodle Porn
Without going into the convoluted and roundabout way that I found my way onto this site, I just have to say that there's something rather bizarre yet strangely appealing about photos of a woman in... well, here, see for yourself...
Click on the photo to go to the photographer's website or here for the gallery for this particular model.
Posted by KinCross at 09:17 PM | Comments (6)
Things you don't see every day
Walking home from the train station last night, just outside my home, I found two men fencing in the middle of the street.
On second thought, I'd like to see more of that. It was cool.
This morning on the bus to work, I watched a guy struggling to keep his car in the lane while lighting up some kind of wrapped herbal device that didn't look like a conventional cigarette.
Posted by KinCross at 12:51 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2005
I'm not dead yet!
A coroner discovers that a body in the morgue isn't quite dead yet.
Posted by KinCross at 10:08 AM | Comments (0)
The rain's insane, the bane of crashing trains
I suspect that the train crash between two Metrolink trains (and a parked freight train) in Glendale will make the national news. There's something rather surreal about hearing about. a disaster (almost) live as it's happening, though.
Ever since I got tired of the usual ClearChannel morning drivel, which seems more and more like a recap of the previous night's television, interrupted by a few tabloid headlines and the occasional song, I switched over to a "Headline News" style news radio station. For the New Yorkers, it's just like 1010 WINS.
Anyway, I was still surfacing from slumber around 6:11, when the crash occurred. The traffic copter caught it right away and they were reporting on it by 6:15.
Those initial moments of chaos and frantic reporting were interesting as the reporters on the ground--they had two on-site within ten minutes, it seemed--brought in a trickle then a flood of information from eyewitness accounts, corporate officials, and eventually the first responders.
Go figure, two of the responding police departments said the scrambled after hearing about it on the radio. At last count, four departments were involved.
Sometimes, I wish I could have been at certain places at certain times. It occurred to me this morning that I really would have liked to have been stuck in traffic on the 5 to snap a picture of a 30+ convoy of ambulances as they were escorted up to the crash site by CHP.
About to finish my bus commute to work, so signing off until later.
PS: No idea if the rain's actually to blame for any of this, but the rhyme fit.
PPS: This post was originally emailed to myself while on the bus to work and has been dated according to the time stamp of the email.
Update (09:38): The whole thing was caused by a vehicle that was intentionally parked on one of the tracks. Speculation was suicide and that the guy chickened out and ran. Of course, there could have been other reasons. Fucker.
Posted by KinCross at 08:33 AM | Comments (5)
January 21, 2005
Final Kickoff
Picked all the right people last week and floored the playoff fantasy league. =)
This week, we're back at it again, but due to the reduced number of players, we're now playing with rosters of 1 QB, 1 RB, 2 WR/TE, 1 K, and 1 D. We're also playing this as the remainder of the playoffs, so the best score over the next three games wins. Drafting strategy and predicting Superbowl teams is everything now.
Looks like I'm looking for an Atlanta-New England Superbowl. Down with Pennsylvanians!
The draft:
| Round | 1st Pick (Ian or Tim) | 2nd Pick (Phil or Newton) | 3rd Pick (Phil or Newton) | 4th Pick (Ian or Tim) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Donovan McNabb | Corey Dillon | Brian Westbrook | Tom Brady |
| 2 | Jerome Bettis | Freddie Mitchell | Michael Vick | Hines Ward |
| 3 | Patriots | Adam Vinatieri | Plaxico Burress | L. J. Smith |
| 4 | David Akers | Jeff Reed | Eagles | Deion Branch |
| 5 | Jay Feely | Todd Pinkston | Steelers | David Givens |
| 6 | Falcons | Ben Roethlisberger | Peerless Price | Warrick Dunn |
The rosters:
| Position | Ian | Phil | Newton | Tim |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Donovan McNabb | Michael Vick | Ben Roethlisberger | Tom Brady |
| RB | Warrick Dunn | Corey Dillon | Brian Westbrook | Jerome Bettis |
| WR/TE | Deion Branch | Todd Pinkston | Plaxico Burress | David Givens |
| WR/TE | Hines Ward | Peerless Price | Freddie Mitchell | L. J. Smith |
| K | Jay Feely | Adam Vinatieri | Jeff Reed | David Akers |
| D | Patriots | Eagles | Steelers | Falcons |
Posted by KinCross at 12:46 PM | Comments (0)
January 16, 2005
Congratulations
My little sis is getting married! Her boyfriend-now-fiance proposed on her birthday with a ring that he had personally designed. Tentative date for the event is sometime in August, which means...
Sorry everyone, I think the one wedding I'm going to this year will be my sister's.
In other news, my friends Won Suk and Seung Hye are going to have a baby.
I am neither getting married nor having a baby, but the possibility is open for negotiation.
Posted by KinCross at 02:40 AM | Comments (0)
January 12, 2005
Still More Pigskin
Four of us at the office made an impromptu fantasy football playoff league. We simplified the scoring system for it and are basically redrafting for each week's starting lineup. This works out okay for the first two weeks, but we may have to switch systems when we get to the conference finals.
The lineups are seven players: 1 QB, 1 RB, 2 WR/TE, 1 flex (RB, WR, or TE), 1 K, and 1 D. With a four team draft and no bench players, it really changes the dynamic of the draft, as exemplefied by the Week 2 draft below, where Culpepper gets drafted in the seventh round.
The other interesting thing that's appeared is that No. 1 wide receivers are being eschewed for the No. 2 or 3 wide receivers. I guess it is a reflection of our collective opinion on how "locked down" they would be by opposing defences that we think we'd get better stats from the "other guys".
Then again, it's really hard not to go with Colt receivers right now.
| Round | 1st Pick (Phil or Newton) | 2nd Pick (Ian or Tim) | 3rd Pick (Ian or Tim) | 4th Pick (Phil or Newton) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peyton Manning | Brian Westbrook | Donovan McNabb | Marc Bulger |
| 2 | Jerome Bettis | Corey Dillon | Warrick Dunn | Edgerrin James |
| 3 | Reggie Wayne | Hines Ward | Brandon Stokley | Nate Burleson |
| 4 | Torry Holt | Deion Branch | Alge Crumpler | Curtis Martin |
| 5 | Isaac Bruce | Steelers | Justin McCareins | Jeff Wilkins |
| 6 | Patriots | Adam Vinatieri | Mike Vanderjagt | Falcons |
| 7 | Jeff Reed | Daunte Culpepper | Eagles | Freddie Mitchell |
A couple of trades occurred after the draft, since we allowed trading up until kickoff of the first game of the week, so the rosters currently look like this:
| Position | Phil | Ian | Tim | Newton |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Peyton Manning | Daunte Culpepper | Donovan McNabb | Marc Bulger |
| RB | Edgerrin James | Brian Westbrook | Corey Dillon | Jerome Bettis |
| WR/TE | Reggie Wayne | Hines Ward | Marvin Harrison | Nate Burleson |
| WR/TE | Brandon Stokley | Alge Crumpler | Deion Branch | Torry Holt |
| RB/WR/TE | Curtis Martin | Warrick Dunn | Justin McCareins | Freddie Mitchell |
| K | Jeff Reed | Mike Vanderjagt | Adam Vinatieri | Jeff Wilkins |
| D | Falcons | Steelers | Eagles | Patriots |
Alas, I don't have the draft results from last week, but the rosters looked like this:
| Position | Phil | Newton | Ian | Tim |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Daunte Culpepper | Marc Bulger | Peyton Manning | Brett Favre |
| RB | Shaun Alexander | Edgerrin James | LaDainian Tomlinson | Curtis Martin |
| WR/TE | Javon Walker | Marvin Harrison | Nate Burleson | Reggie Wayne |
| WR/TE | Randy Moss | Darrell Jackson | Brandon Stokley | Torry Holt |
| RB/WR/TE | Ahman Green | Antonio Gates | Rod Smith | Ashlie Lelie |
| K | Doug Brien | Jeff Wilkins | Nate Kaeding | Mike Vanderjagt |
| D | Rams | Colts | Chargers | Jets |
I won last week, by the way, riding Peyton Manning's coat tails all the way.
Posted by KinCross at 06:01 PM | Comments (0)
In response to Doyce
In response to a comment Doyce made about controling my dosage of City of Heroes:
City of Heroes...
World of Warcraft...
[Insert Massive Multiplayer Online game title of choice here]...
It's all the same. It's all addictive. It's... that way by design.
Don't get me wrong. I love playing the games and given the chance, you'll still find me gravitating back to the computer to play when I have some downtime.
The key here is "when I have some downtime." I got off of City of Heroes because I saw how much time I was spending on the game and then I considered what it would be like a few decades down the line, talking to grandchildren. Would I want to be regaling my kids about the time that I took on Carnival of Shadows ten levels higher with my Force Field Defender? Could I be as passionate about this one game, or any other game, as I would with something else that might be more lasting?
That's when I decided to tap into the creative part of my core, which I had suppressed in college and which I have been struggling to resurface. As gamers, I have no doubt that there is plenty of creativity around and seeing Doyce's writing, I know there's plenty waiting to get out there, too.
It's just a matter of finding inspiration in what you're doing, rather than let the easy hedonism of the game get in the way. Video games are like a drug to me. It's just that, right now, I think there are bigger and better things to do with my time.
Einstein, Leonardo, and Prince all had/have the same 24 hours in a day. It's just a matter of what you do with them.
(Mind you, there are now 2.68 microseconds fewer than Einstein and Leonardo had, but that's not even a blink's worth of time.)
Posted by KinCross at 10:31 AM | Comments (0)
iGrill
Inspired by a ThinkGeek April Fools joke, James of the UK made an actual iGrill out of a George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine. It's the webserver for the iGrill link.
Sweet.
Posted by KinCross at 10:16 AM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2005
The Alphabet Project
I've noticed that I never "visit" the city I live in until guests arrive and I realised that I'm really missing out on a lot of cool stuff when I'm not a tourist in my own town. So, I have this idea and I'd like to make it fly, but I can't do it all myself.
It's all about fun, which is something that was so easy to do when I was a kid, but seem to have so much difficulty as an adult. I'm not talking about times where I'm having a "good time". No, I'm talking about outright, unbridled fun for no other purpose than to have fun.
Since it's not easy to gather up a game of dodgeball or tag with adults, here's a game that I'm playing that I'd like to share with you: take pictures of the alphabet as you see them in shapes, structures, and things. If it's part of some kind of signage, like the McDonald's arches or the McDowell's arcs, it doesn't count.
What might you find? Maybe the door handle of an old Civic looks like a D. The lock insert of a Kryptonite U-lock could be a Q. A fire escape may look like a Z. Letters of the alphabet, are everywhere.
It's a game you can play anywhere, anytime. You can do it with friends or with the kids. It's an excuse to go out and about and explore. Who knows? You may discover corners of your town or city that you never knew existed as you try to compile a full alphabet.
You don't have to be a professional photographer. In fact, I'd love to see the results of what us casual or amateur photographers can put out. Work it! Work it, baby! Oh, behave.
Would you like to play along with me?
Here's the part I don't know how to do, though. I'd like to see all the results that others get. It'd be one thing to ask people to send all their stuff to me, but then I'd be the only one to see it and I figure this is the sort of thing that all the participants would like to see. Wouldn't it be neat to see the alphabet in London through a lens? How about Toronto, New York, or Hong Kong?
I'd love to hear about the places where the pictures are taken. I'm sure some really cool stories could be told about how people found their letters and it's the sort of thing that would be fantastic, if shared.
But how?
I thought of doing a website, but it's too much for me alone to manage. Then I thought that it'd be neat if there could be posters done up for each city, after some time had passed. I suppose then, that there might be a contest to get the best pictures and that led to thoughts of different categories for amateur vs. professional photographers, in case any participated.
This could be big and it could be a lot of fun for a lot of people and I'd like to make it happen. I need help, whether it's with discussing ideas or taking on a chunk of this and running with it. I don't need credit. I just want to see it flourish.
If you'd like to help, please let me know.
If you don't, that's cool, too. Just before I wrap this up, though, I'll say one more thing: in the time that I've been playing the game myself, it's really opened up my eyes to what the world around me looks like when I'm not automatically assuming what it should look like. It's been surprising.
Play the game. Have fun.
Posted by KinCross at 07:53 PM | Comments (0)
Cough Cough Wheeze Wheeze
Been sick since Saturday, though the first two days was more about annoying nasal drip. Monday it got into more head cold, chills, and a sore throat. Today, still some chills, still sore throat, more coughing.
I love the slow build up.
And I'm really regretting going into work today.
Was that TMI?
Posted by KinCross at 10:12 AM | Comments (0)
Things To Do
- Fix the individual archive page template in MT.
- Blog about the photo project.
- Upload sunrise pictures.
- Develop further creative projects.
- Get well.
Posted by KinCross at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)
January 05, 2005
Holiday Recap
When last I wrote about the holidays, I was at gate 115A at Liberty International Airport in Newark. Many thanks to the cute lady on her way to Providence, RI, for snapping the picture. I hope she made it home alright.
Airports would make a great place for psychological study, really. Personalities amplified, at their worst and their best. It's a real trip. (Please pardon the pun.)
The trip home went like clockwork and I was really lucky to have gotten the flight out on Christmas Eve, since most other people on my canceled flight weren't able to get out until Boxing Day (the day after Christmas, for all you non-Commonwealth folks).
Once I got into Ottawa, I went straight to a Christmas Eve function at a church that I used to go to when I was in high school. It feels weird going back these days, since most of the people that I knew then aren't around. The other thing is that I'm really not that much into the idea of Christianity anymore, having developed differing philosophies since heading off to college. Still, I have some great friends there and it's good to see them again, wherever the venue.
I miss eating poutine. My waistline doesn't agree.
Christmas Day was quiet and spent with family, as I like it, as how I think it ought to be. Had dim sum for lunch and ran into some old family friends at the restaurant. Running into old Chinese friends at the only restaurants and stores open on major federal holidays is one of the more amusing and fun things that I like.
Met my sister's boyfriend for the first time. He seemed like a really nice guy, a little quiet, but I guess I can be a little intimidating. Shame I couldn't find a polygraph machine for the full treatment. Sis, if you're reading, the "At least he didn't piss me off" comment is not as glowing an endorsement as I could have given. I trust your judgement. ;)
Boxing Day means sales. It was great to see Chris again and brave the crowds at the Future Shop and Best Buy to see what we could scavenge. Probably walked away from the place with far more DVDs than I need... Who am I kidding? I don't need any of my DVDs--except the Lord of the Rings extended editions--and I especially don't need that extra copy of The Count of Monte Cristo that I accidentally bought.
Materialism aside, the best part of the day was having dinner at the pub with Chris while watching football and reminiscing about old times and new. Cheers, Coop.
The rest of the trip was embroiled with various meals and meetings with family, starting with a meeting of the cousins at my uncle's place in Stittsville, and then relocating to Toronto to drift between the various elements of my mom's side of the family. Met more significant others of cousins and stuff like that. Lots of fun all around.
Yeah, I'm summarising. This is getting a little long.
Trip home: uneventful. Returning home, though, was an exercise in jumping right into cleaning house in preparation for guests that were arriving the next day.
Had a couple of friends from college, Kai and Juliet, come into town for New Year's and a little beyond. New Year's Eve itself was pretty quiet, nothing too riotous, perhaps a little sober since we were all getting up pretty damned early in the morning to climb Mt. Hollywood in Griffith Park to greet the first sunrise of 2005.
I'm not sure where the tradition came from, but it's something that a bunch of Koreans in Los Angeles do. Being friends with some Koreans, I went along for the ride last year and continued to do it this year. While it's painful to make that early rise in the dark only to hike up this big hill, the sunrise is phenomenally beautiful and I took lots of pictures this year. I don't have any of the pictures ready for the web yet, but I've got some great pictures of sunsets and sunrises. If anyone thinks they're worth anything, I may sell them as posters or something.
At one point, there was a hawk that was playfully hovering in the wind nearby, but I wasn't able to take a picture of it before it flew off. There was a distinct absence of poongmul drummers this year, which dampened the festivity a little bit. I hope they come back next year.
And then I had a day to recover and it was right back to work with me. Hooray!
Posted by KinCross at 06:58 PM | Comments (0)
Saying Something Nice
Here's a meme I picked up off of Doyce or ***Dave, I can't remember who I read first:
To start the new year off on a positive note, comment to this post, and I’ll post one reason I think you’re cool. It may not be the best or coolest thing I can think of, obviously, because I’m sure there are many things — just the first thing that pops into my head.And if I don’t really know you, then I’ll make something up :)
Go!
Posted by KinCross at 06:56 PM | Comments (5)
January 03, 2005
Raindrops keep falling on my head
Interesting little factoid:
It's 3 January. Here in downtown Los Angeles, we have already exceeded our average annual rainfall.
Update: Heard something on the radio on 11 January that cast into doubt whether what I said here was true or not. Ultimately, I don't know, but I discovered that there is a calendar year and then there is a water year. It might very well be true that we've exceeded the average annual rainfall based on the water year, which appears to run from July to June. Not sure if we've exceeded it for the calendar year, though.
Here's an article about California weather.
For what it's worth, the average annual rainfall looks like it's 14 inches. Just this past weekend, with sustained rain from Friday through Tuesday (there's sun today, but there are showers throughout the day), we've picked up 6 inches and maybe more. It's definitely more outside downtown Los Angeles. There's talk about mudslides and death tolls in Ventura, something about a house that's threatening to slide down a hill in Glendale, and a woman that crossed a flood control barricade lost her two year-old when it was swept away in the current.
That's just five days of rain. I had no appreciation of what fourty days and fourty nights of rain may have caused until now.
Posted by KinCross at 11:02 AM | Comments (0)