I think I used to be an interesting person but now I think I’m boring.

It seems, over the past few years, that I’ve become much more bland.  All the things I used to have the time and energy for seem to have fallen by the wayside.  I still think they’re cool…but apparently not enough to become involved in them again.

Let’s take modeling for instance…no, not that kind of modeling.  Like models of cars, planes, tanks, spaceships…that kind of modeling.  I used to be good for at least several decent models a year and now the thought of setting up a space required and the amount of time and work involved in actually assembling and painting the model makes me run for the couch.  I’ve got an AWESOME $250.00 model of the NX-01 from the Star Trek series Enterprise…I’ve even got a lighting kit for it.  Check out the still of someone else making the model…doesn’t it look cool?  It’s in my downstairs closet, still in the box.

But it’s not just models…it’s making music, actually collecting comics, it’s playing football in an afternoon league, acting on stage…it’s a bunch of things.  Is it because I’m getting older and thusly less active?

I just don’t want to become boring but I think it’s too late.  Apparently I bore myself.   Perhaps this is simply the beginning of a midlife crisis and a tattoo or something will take care of it.  I’m not unhappy, in fact it’s quite the contrary…I guess I just miss doing some of the things I find fun.

So, this weekend I’ll reinvest myself into one of my old hobbies.  Perhaps I’ll start small…maybe a rocket launch, or a snap-tite…hehe.  Maybe a tart, or perhaps something else baked…maybe I’ll social engineer my way into a NOC somewhere.  I’ve just got to do SOMETHING!

F_M

This past weekend we went to Philadelphia to see Pearl Jam and the concert was great.  I’m not a fan of Philadelphia, but that’s ANOTHER post, but I’ve got the say the Centrum wasn’t a terrible place to see a band.  It reminded me a lot of the old Boston Garden, which was more intimate, if such a word could be used for an arena.  I was MOST impressed with the seat cushions which were very comfortable…for the 20 mins I sat on it waiting for PJ.

I’m glad PJ decided to punch me in the face on the first song with “Gonna See My Friend.”  I’ve been to a ton of shows where they start out with “Release” or another slower song that takes time to build.  That night PJ was coming out fighting and I was glad to be the punching bag.  There were several really nice highlights during the first set including “Tremor Christ” ,”Habit”,”Present Tense”  and two personal favorites “In Hiding” and “Untitled.”

The second encore started slowly and included a mix from several different, older albums ending with a rousing “RVM.”  Good stuff.  The second set ended precisely at 11pm, which for a moment made me think the show was over, but when the lights didn’t come up I knew they had another set in them.  The last set was a doozy starting with “Whipping” leading into lovely and haunting “Crazy Mary.”  Two of my most memorable concert experiences happened during the playing of “Crazy Mary.”  One was in Mansfield, Ma. on Sept. 14th,  1998 and then at the Boston Garden on May 24th 2006…both concerts were amazing and both of those crowds had a connection to the band and the music they were playing…everyone was singing and it made for a memorable moment that sticks with me even now.

During this concert I don’t think the crowd hit that peak…but they were Philadelphians.

Again PJ graced up with the mamasan trilogy…which means we heard “Footsteps!”  They ended the show with two great songs in Sonic Reducer and Baba O’Riley…which I’m sure most of the kids at the show thought was the song from CSI.  Oh, and the opening band was pretty decent.  Bad Religion opened for Pearl Jam and they were pretty good.  Like many Americans I’ve heard of Bad Religion but I couldn’t name an album or a song they’ve written…but they did a fair job.  It can’t be easy opening for the best band on the planet.

Here are some other higher-quality videos from that show.

Light Years

Off He Goes/Force of Nature

and here’s the real thing…

Finally, I’ve got to say that what really made the concert special was my Sweets.  If we had never met I’m sure we would still see Pearl Jam but it wouldn’t nearly mean as much to me as seeing it with her.  You’re so special honey and I know we’re going to many more shows together!

Did I say that I need you?

Did I say that I want you?

Aww if I didn’t I’m a fool you see…no one knows this more than me.

I LOVE YOU!

F_M

As a huge fan of comics and an obsessive collector of several different book lines I’m excited and yet horrified by the possibilities for comics when the Apple Tablet launches. I really like the feeling of getting a new book in hand and paging through…looking at the sheen on the pages and the smell of the ink and paper mash wafting up takes me back. Am I ready to abandon my books forever? Am I to accept the digital versions saved to my hard drive as a collection worthy of the pride I have for my bagged, sealed, and graded copies of relatively rare books?

When I’m buying a line of books I always get 2 copies…one to read and one to bag immediately. Following a particular artist you like can provide hours of discovering new and interesting lines…or a great style or formatting choice. John Romita Sr. was my first real obsession The Amazing Spiderman series in particular. One of my two very favorite is his son John Romita Jr. and his work on Peter Parker: Spiderman and most recently Kick Ass which is being made into a movie.  J. Scott Campbell is the other. This guy can flat out draw. He started on Gen13 was great and followed that up with my favorite series Dangergirl.

Great stuff…but could it be replaced by this new Apple device? My guess is no, but it’s a direction that the smaller book publisher are already heading and it’s incumbent on the big boys to step up to the digital plate in a substantial way. I could see new markets where the were none before because the device, or devices very similar, could be everywhere. The medium could finally meld the interwebs into the true connection it’s supposed to be. The iPhone took me a step closer to that complete integration but this device, well…it could be big.

A good article over at Gizmodo by Joel Johnson inspired this ramble…thanks man!

F_M

We’re heading the Philadelphia this weekend to see Pearl Jam and I’m quite excited.  Our seats are in the front row of the first balcony to the left of the stage…we should have a FANTASTIC view.  Hopefully we’ll be able to grab a tour poster as we’ve got quite the collection already, nicely framed, in our living room.  My brother-in-law Johnny is going with a bunch of his friends and we’re going to have a blast!

Here’s a great 10 minute video “The making of Backspacer.”

Every time I see PJ it’s an experience…and I’m sure this time won’t be any different.  I can’t express the feeling of the collected multitude all singing the same lyrics, sharing the same space and experiencing the same things…it’s magical and hard to understand unless you’re a PJ fan and been to their shows.

Anyhoo…enough of that…back to work!

F_M

Oh…and by the way…

I’m loving being married!  I’ve never been as happy as I’ve been in the last few months.  She’s amazing and she loves me.

I’m a lucky man!

F_M

I’ve been much more contemplative recently and much less expressive lately.  I’m not sure what it is that’s causing this, but I’m assuming that it’s just a phase as it is most of the time.

I’m trying to find a balance between exercise, work, casual time and my marriage.  It’s tricky because if the balance is off it can take a while to realize it so I’m trying to be aware.  Routines certainly help in that regard and I’m a routine kind of guy.  So trying to get back to an active routine where I’m working out AND getting the proper amount of sleep is tricky and I’m in the middle of that now.  For some reason my body only responds when I’m doing things absolutely right and I’ve not been 100% for a few months now.

I was really frustrated from my workouts prior to the wedding.  I was consistently going everyday and doing a good 45 mins of heavy cardio and working out…but it didn’t manifest itself in weight loss (or fat loss).  So that frustration is haunting me a bit now…but it’s also fueling me to make sure I only put what I NEED into my body.  ”You will lose weight ONLY when you burn off more calories than you take in.”  I need a nutritionist because when I eat fewer calories that I burn I eventually lose strength and become weak and tired…BAH!

On a different note, things at work are coming to a head.  I’m sure that if my job were in jeopardy I’d get some indication but things are still chugging along.  I’ve got to get my resume up to date though as I’ve let that slip.  Oh, that reminds me…I’ve got to change my withholding information here at work.  I’m going to do that now before I forget again!

I’ll do better with the updating…I promise.

F_M

Holy Crap…I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve posted.

I’ve been struggling with the exercise/dieting thing for the last two weeks.  Trying to find a consistent rhythm is tougher than I anticipated and I’m unable to nail down a routine.  Frustrating.

I know that life could be better for me when I’m 40lbs. overweight.  BUGGER!  Something has to change, for sure.  I’m not sure what needs to change but I’m hoping to find out.

On a different note…

I’ve got a twitter account and rarely used it but I’ve discovered a cool and different use for twitter.  Some of you may know that I’m a serious Trekkie and I’m currently obsessed with Twitter RP, specifically Enterprise based stuff.  It’s really like a text based MMO.   This is organized stuff with pretty decent story lines and great implementation.  They’re a closed group and produce a LOT of content for their audience.  Typically I stay away from fan fiction and other related stuff because it’s so far out of canon that it’s silly, but these guys and gals have rules and really pay attention to the details.

In other news…

The new Pearl Jam album, Backspacer, is out and AWESOME.  I was in the process of writing an in depth review but can’t seem to find the file, so it’ll be late.  Go get it and enjoy it anyway.  I will say that it’s a great album and listens well.  A worthy successor to the last few albums.

I’ve been playing Aion recently but it’s not scratched the gaming itch I can’t seem to get rid of.  WoW, while a staple, hasn’t done if for me recently and I’be been hoping to find a game that commands my attention.  I’ve been killing COD5 zombies for the last few months and need a fix.  Still looking.

F_M

So I’m in a weird spot.  I’m trying to figure why I’m motivated to be more physically active.  For as much motivation as I had BEFORE the wedding I’m surprised that I’ve completely dropped things since.

Well, this morning I did my 45 mins. so I’ve got that under my belt.  It’s funny building on progress because it doesn’t actually amount to anything until you’ve got something “under your belt.”  It takes a commitment to understanding that the first 30 days don’t count for shit except to contribute to the habit of working out.

The problem is that it takes MORE than time.  It takes monitoring food, portions and consumption, which is what I have the biggest problem with.  When I lost weight previously I was living alone and able to strictly regulate what I ingested, but I’m finding it almost impossible when shopping and cooking for more than myself.  I think that part of the problem is that both Sweets and I are decent cooks and we enjoy good food.  Dinner and after dinner snacking is the big issue for me.

The secret may be portion control.

It’s hard to imagine that I can be filled by 3 oz. of beef, which is about the size of a deck of cards and considering 1 serving size.  Can I actually sustain myself on one serving of cous cous which is only 1/2 a cup?  That’s the real challenge for me.  I’m told (and have experienced) that my body will adjust to the proper amounts of food and if I fuel myself wisely throughout the day I’ll be full and satisfied.

We’ll see.  I’m starting AGAIN today.

F_M

We lost.

It wasn’t pretty.  We were outplayed and outcoached.  We weren’t able to make halftime adjustments and they did.  I’m sure we’ll work on our problems and come back strong for the Falcons, who have a great team.

If I’m sounding like Bill Belichick it’s for a reason.

/simmer

F_M