Minutiae update

[dslartoo]

I spent most of the weekend dealing with severe lower back pain. No, I don't know how I triggered it THIS time. If I knew, I'd be able to prevent it from happening again. It is improving today but I still have to say back spasms are something I would really rather do without, thankyouverymuch.

I've definitely decided I like Facebook much better than Myspace; its layout and tools seem worlds better. The one problem with it, at least for me, seems to be that all of the people I'd like to reconnect with have annoyingly common names. Kind of hard to decide between seventy people with the same name, especially when you have no idea where they might be living now, the profile picture they've posted is tiny and sometimes not even a picture of them, AND many people choose to hide all details of their profile from everyone except those they have added as "friends". Where's the logic in that?

Sean Bean's been tapped to play Eddard Stark in the upcoming HBO series of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. THAT is some kickass casting.

Finally got a chance to watch my new Blu-Ray of Kingdom of Heaven this weekend (datalopez doesn't care for the movie, but she's out of town this weekend so I can watch it if I want). I am extremely annoyed that they removed the roadshow presentation that appeared on the 4-disc DVD version and also didn't see fit to include any of the magnificent extras on that same set. You get the director's cut version of the movie. That's it. Good grief, what is Blu-Ray FOR except showing off your system? At least the picture and sound are magnificent.

I'm hoping I haven't killed one of datalopez's plants. A few of its leaves have withered (I've been watering it only every other day while she's gone and I found out when she called Sunday that it should be watered EVERY day). I hope it will recover. Phil the plant-killer strikes again....*sigh*

My friend Helly sent me season 10 of "Top Gear" last week and I spent most of Friday night and Saturday morning watching it all. Good gods, how the hell did I not know about this show until now? It's fantastic. If you love cars, and you love British humor, this show will be like crack for you. It kicks enormous amounts of ass.

I also spent a fair amount of time this weekend playing Tomb Raider: Underworld, which I'd found new at Gamestop for twenty bucks. It's an interesting game but has some serious camera issues and I'm having trouble adjusting to the control scheme as I've always been a PC player for first-person or third-person shooters. This is the first Tomb Raider I've played. It looks freaking gorgeous, though, and the gameplay is good.

Going to see Billy McLaughlin this Wednesday. Looking forward to that as I haven't seen Billy in years, since before he was struck with focal dystonia.

Also looking forward to our upcoming return to Georgia for a couple weeks. datalopez and I will be heading back to visit my parents and my Georgia friends from July 23rd - August 8th or so. If you want to see us, let me know!

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[[The Oracle would like to know where your ideal vacation would be.]]

Comments

[marared.livejournal.com]

That camera angle IS annoying, but it's really only a problem jumping to places you can't see when your back is to a wall, and the last three TR games have dumbed down the jumping mechanism a bit so that if you're at least aimed in the right direction, you'll land safely. (TR3 on the PS2 makes even experienced players cry due to limited saves and a high frequency of situations that require you to Get It Right The First Time.)

I have a myspace account but mostly only use it to stalk people - I still call it the Geoshitties of the 00s. Half the people I've friended haven't even been on in months.

Ideal vacation: three or four months of slowly bumbling my way around the world, meandering from town to town, country to country, continent to continent. As long as they don't shoot Americans or women on sight, I'll drop by for a drink...

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

We should make it into a reality show. "Kimpytravels: a dopey American tourist in....where the hell is she this week? Mumbai? Okay, in Mumbai."

cheers,
Phil

[marared.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'll do a documentary on hostels and the hilarious people that stay there. I'm looking forward to a week of hostels in October.

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

I saw an article last week on how to have sex and not get arrested or piss people off when you're at a hostel. Cracked me up. There were some great stories in the comments, too.

cheers,
Phil

[marared.livejournal.com]

That *is* a hysterical article. One of the hostels I'm staying at has some substantial grounds, so I may want to reconsider any late night walks when the afterparties wind down...

[m0usegrrl.livejournal.com]

Top Gear is my absolutely favourite show! The guys are hilarious and knowledgeable, and the cars are HAWT XD If you get BBC America, they show a couple episodes every Monday, and they get the latest season just a bit later than it's aired in the UK.

My ideal vacation would be a motor tour of England. Failing that, a run up the Pacific Coast from LA to Seattle in my Mini. Which I'm kinda halfway planning for later in the year when it cools off. <3

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

The Mini is a great tourer, I hear. Maybe not quite to the level of the grand touring cars like Aston Martin or Mercedes, but still very respectable.

I love that show. I am now quite annoyed to find out that previous seasons are not available in "complete" on DVD. There are a bunch of other collections featuring BITS of seasons 1 and 2, or 3 and 4, but I want THE COMPLETE Top Gear season 1, 2, etc.

cheers,
Phil

[eminor9th.livejournal.com]

Tpo Gear is my favorite show, And Wendy (not a car person by any stretch) likes thhe humor, these guys are amazingly funny!

I'm very close to taking my dream vacation... Wendy & I are going to Little Palm Island for our honeymoon... The island has no internet, no TV's, no onee under 18 allowed, and it is simply paradise. We have a room over the water with a private beach & hot tub...

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

Dude. Where's that place and how can I find out more? Sounds like it would be a nice three- or four-day getaway for Leslie and me too.

cheers,
Phil

[eminor9th.livejournal.com]

Little palm Island, FL - it's in the Florida Keys, accessablee ONLY by boat. You fly into Miami & its two hours south...

www.littlepalmisland.com

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

Beautiful, but it looks like a "once every GREAT while" thing. They have fees and surcharges tacked onto EVERYthing, it looks like.

Still, quite gorgeous. No doubt it worth every penny for a honeymoon. :)

cheers,
Phil

[ahtrap.livejournal.com]

re: the facebook thing, find people by looking at the friend's lists of people you've already reconnected with. Common name or not, it's likely the people you're trying to find that already been tracked down by someone who's also tracked you down.

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

Thought of that, but some of the people I'm looking for don't know or never met most of the people I know on Facebook. I shall keep it in mind all the same. :)

cheers,
Phil