Did a whole week go by? Sheesh!
What a week! We have been experiencing what can only be referred to as an Appliance Apocalypse. We have no less than 4 appliances that have decided to either act up or break down completely: dishwasher, oven, dryer and refrigerator. After a relatively expensive (but wonderful) summer, it looks like the fall is starting out with an attack on my wallet as well...
Plus, we had that blackout the other night, which was actually not bad... kinda fun, actually. Of course, it sort of served to point out that most prominent flaw in our current Emergency Plan... namely, that we don't have a plan, lol. Time to do some research and stock up on necessities. Man, people freak out over the power being out for a dozen hours, what would happen in a real crisis situation? Time to be better prepared.
Of course, the most amusing part of the whole blackout affair was the rumor-mongering on the radio, as people called in with their "I heard a friend of a friend say this" type of thing... then it gets spread as "unconfirmed reports of" this that and the other. At one point, it was said that two big power plants simultaneously blew up, lol, and because the caller referenced a friend with a ham radio that used to work for Homeland Security, it was repeated with the news updates, lol... crazy. Turns out it was a simple case of employee error. Nothing blew up. Ah, well...
It's funny how people's minds immediately jump to terrorism. Might be because of the proximity of 9/11 Anniversary, but I don't think so. I think perhaps people want a crisis situation to be as interesting as possible, I don't know... people talk about "the terrorists winning"... maybe they don't even need to attack us anymore. Whenever something crazy happens, we seem to automatically think it was terrorism, and so we think of their "message" by association. They get the same effect, perhaps?
Went to the Wild Animal Park with the family today. Of course, it's now called Safari Park or some such, for some reason. Why rename it? Anyway, I made a quick note on my Facebook status about the vast, unruly herd of shrieking kids terrorizing the place (buncha little terrorists!). It's a pretty place, though. I like it better than the zoo, actually. What I liked most about it is that I didn't have to spend a dime, woot! And my family loved it. Not that I wouldn't have spent $$$ on them... it was just nice not to have to.
The Wagner Women love takin pictures there (well, they love taking them everywhere, but especially at the zoo/animal park). I've been known to snap a pic or two in my day... but I normally just line up a shot, snap it, and that's it. My girls, however, do not seem to be satisfied until they've snapped at least a half-dozen shots every time they take a pic. Eldest Daughter has a nice new camera - one with a detachable lens and everything! Nice! We took the tram ride today, and her rapid-fire picture taking left me wondering... why? 8 identical shots! Why not just one!? Sounded like a machine gun going off!
I finished reading Empire in Black and Gold, by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It ended up being a good read, I'm glad I persevered. However, I don't know if I'll continue the series or not. It has some good concepts, and solid characters, and a unique world-building schematic... I just don't feel like I connected with either the story or the characters enough to want to pursue it further.
What am I reading now, you ask? Why, how inquisitive of you! I read a few free samples (The Etched City, Farlander, Leviathan Wakes), re-read a couple things I've enjoyed before (The Blade Itself sample, a Ted Chiang story) and started a pair of books (Jonathan Strange & Mr Norell, Night of Wolves), before settling into Night of Wolves by an author named David Dalglish. It's a fantasy story with Paladins and Werewolves in it! It reads well so far, so I'll stick with it. I'll let you all know how it proceeds, since I know how highly you hold my opinions of such things!
I also did something else I haven't done in a long time... I beat a game! I played Medal of Honor: Airborne (which I picked up on Steam for like $5 or something), and played it through. I was surprised when it ended, since it only took me about 10 hours total play time to beat it. I guess gone are the days when you need to sink a good 40 hours into a game to reach it's conclusion... Now I'm playing Call of Duty 2... but I also bought Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit when it was on sale the other day, so I'll scratch that one off my wish list...
Games I'm Looking Forward To, by David Wagner
-----------------------------------------------------
- Torchlight 2
- Diablo 3
- Skyrim
- Battlefield 3
- Serious Sam 3
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution
- Portal 2
- Dead Island
- Rage
- Red Orchestra 2
- The Witcher 2
There are others, but these are on my radar... bring on the Steam Christmas sales! WOOHOOOO!!!!! Steam = My Fave!
This Summer was wonderful beyond words, and could not have come at a better time. However, as much as I'd love it to last, it is clear to me that Summer is most definitely over. Well, I'll always be able to say, "At least we had the Summer of '11!"
I'm gonna run. Got some more work-related nonsense to catch up on. I know you're heart-broken that I must leave you thus, but buck up! Be strong! I shall return, and then all will be well in your world again! Fear not!
Adios for now,
Dave the Circumspect
7 comments:
Happy to know you have work-related nonsense... HEY! That's MY work-related nonsense?!?
(Thanks for the help.) =)
Lisa
P.S. If we were a royal family I would NOT kill you off to take the crown. Just FYI.
9/11. You're still to recover from that, huh?
Well, the world has neither, it seems...
Terrorism is still used as an excuse to put more cops over our heads.
I'm with you on the "one shot, one print" stance on photography.
Same with CoD.2 (snipey snipey!).
Loved the cardboard pic.
I love the Wild Animal Park too! My parents were always taking us there when we were kids.
I disagree on the picture taking style. More is better (in moderation). I generally only take one picture because I feel like a fool snapping 5 of the same thing, but there are too many times that the image doesn't turn out. What I saw with my eyes was missed by the lens. But if I had taken a couple of shots, who knows...
Stock up on supplies, you never know when the next power plant will blow up. lol. And it is fire season right around the corner...
Goodness gracious that's a beautiful opening image. I love the colors.
As for books, you've not read Way of Kings have you? That's a good book. And one I definitely recommend the ebook for, since the physical copy weighs a ton. (No hyperbole used.)
Lisa: Thanks for the work. And in some countries, you'd already have the crown, since you're the oldest child... rule well, sis!
Dry: Snipey snipey indeed! MUAHAHAHAH!!! And I think I'll keep my 9/11 thoughts to myself, out of respect for the dead... O_O
Rebecca: Were you one of those screaming kid terrorists, tearing up the place?!? Still not sold on the multi-photo thing... still makes no sense... I guess I'm thinking of hard drive space, lol... we are due for another wildfire... 2003, 2007, 2011!
Logan: Glad you liked the pic as much as I did. I have Way of Kings still taunting me from my shelf. It seems a bit extreme to buy a digital copy of it as well... though the price of the Kindle version has dropped to $9...
Glad to hear you made it through Empire in Black and Gold and that it was a good read. but sorry it's iffy for the rest of the series. Sounds like you've been busy. And you have to take loads of pictures. That's the fun part! lol. :) At least she is enjoying the nice new camera.
I like and love the first image and even myself love to show animals to my little kids. They are very interesting to see them.
Post a Comment