Yet another new year - yet another new page:
January 2005- I started this new year
by playing paintball New Year's day. I had a welt on my back for a week.
I attended a sucker punching / bouncing 101 / have no fear when someone's
shoving you and yelling at you class. ...Don't be jealous.
February 2005-
I moved on to level 3 in my martial arts school. I've been there a year this month.
I moved from the Arboretum area to the Plaza Midwood area. I'm back online after not
having internet access for 3 weeks!! (What do you mean you didn't notice I was gone??)
I had another birthday this month.
R.I.P. Hunter S. Thompson.
March 2005-
Here's a picture I just made in Illustrator.
This new place is coming along nicely - new furniture, fresh paint and new pictures on the walls..
April 2005- Still working on some
home improvement,
you know, using power tools - often times shirtless... Oh yes.
I have a new agenda now.
Instead of going out after work, I come straight home and go through recipes, study, work on projects, play guitar,
work out and stretch, etc.
A tad boring, admittedly, but I'm making up for lost time and saving money in the process. I mean,
I'm 36 and I still haven't been to Japan, Australia, Hawaii, hell - even the Grand Canyon.
I went to see author David Sedaris talk. He's both funnier and shorter in person.
Saw the English rock trio Muse.
How cool is this?
May 2005- Much has happened this month:
Finishing up the home improvement: painted my bedroom blue, been adding more plants and candles, put up a shelf.
My family was in town briefly. Congrats to my brother Jon who now has a degree in
mechanical engineering.
Had some car repairs. Thanks to Craig during that time for the unlimited use of his BMW so
I could get to work and class. Speaking of which,
I moved up to level 4 in my martial arts school.
My grandmother passed away. She was 92. I flew up to New York and had the
honor of being one of her pall bearers. I got to see and reconnect with
lots of extended family that I hadn't seen in a long time.
I got my ticket for the Duran Duran concert in July (I'm sure you're shocked by that one).
I know you're also not surprised to hear I saw the newest (and last) Star Wars movie. Of course I could nit pick it to death,
but overall I greatly enjoyed it. George Lucas redeemed himself with this one
after the two most recent installments. It's my third favorite after episodes 5 and 4 respectively.
Thanks a million to my friend Earl. My computer died and he put together a souped-up replacement for me
(including a Gig of RAM, a 2.6 GHz duel processer, an 80 Gig hard drive, upgraded it to XP, and other such swankiness.
No more annoying pop-ups, and despite all the power "under the hood", it's completely silent! It's a sleek black, too.
June 2005- I've been going to Pops in the Park on Sundays.
For those of you out-of-towners reading this, the Charlotte Symphony plays free to a
huge outdoor crowd every Sunday night. At the first one, they played the Imperial March flawlessly.
I much enjoyed Batman Begins. It makes total sense that he would have been trained as a Ninja beforehand.
I've recently taken up running.
I got to hang with my long time friend (and former room mate) Phillip, as he visited Charlotte for a few days.
Hey, instead of spending money on that next bar tab,
how about sending a small tax deductable donation to help the people of Darfur (in Africa) who are starving,
being slaughtered, raped, displaced and such by the many thousands. Help for them and good karma for you.
July 2005- I watched the Fourth of July fireworks from the 27th floor of a building uptown (Bentley's on 27).
Got my nose broken sparring. I wasn't covering as I should have, and it connected hard
with my bud's knee. I didn't actually go get an x ray -
what most probably really happened was the cartilage was broken off from the bone,
and the bone itself wasn't actually broken. All I know is that I could move stuff below the surface
in unnatural ways (painfully) till it set right.
Now my nose is slightly crooked, but it's not obvious unless you're looking for it. When it first happened,
it swelled up big, gushed like a water balloon, and was bruised for about a week.
To quote Alfred Hitchcock fom Psycho: "You should have seen the blood..."
I saw Duran Duran for my 5th time. Great show! I mean, they opened with "Friends of Mine"- how cool is that? I lost count after about
the fifteenth time or so that I was asked to quit dancing in the aisle and get back to my seat. Originally, I had the
set list displayed here. But then it seemed too much like something someone who
follows one of those cult bands would do, so I removed it (although I do have it saved on my computer
so I can remember it years from now). Okay, if you really are curious, you can see it here:
Here's my latest drawing I did for someone's birthday.
August 2005- I passed the firefighter Physical Ability Test -
While wearing a 50 pound vest. For the stair climbing aspect, an additional 25 pounds was added.
It's Bond month on AMC! Every night a different Bond movie for the whole month. Whoo Hoo!
( I know, I know, it's American Movie Classics...)
So, no more Six Feet Under anymore (well, new ones anyway).
What a perfect way to end such a great show. However, it could have been better: in the scene where Claire passes away,
why wasn't everyone else who preceeded her standing there waiting?
(I'll give credit where it's due, thanks Greg for bringing that to my attention) I'm going to miss looking forward to each week's new episode. I've heard a lot of people talking about the moving piece of
music that was playing as the final episode came to a close. FYI: it's a song called "Breathe Me" by an Australian
singer named Sia Furler.
September 2005- I saw Coldplay.
My friends and I had lawn tickets.
About 20 minutes into the show,
I went to the men's room, and upon my return, I looked out at the sea of people
(hands down the largest crowd I've EVER seen at that venue),
and realized I had officially lost my friends. I made a bit of an effort,
but I'd been drinkin' a bit and quickly gave up the hunt (maneuvering through SO many bodies,
while walking up a hill, etc). So, yeah, I saw the concert by myself basically.
Normally I would have switched into Terminator mode and found them with relative ease, but the thing is,
I don't really drink much anymore, and with the pre-show festivities, my mind was numbed.
Note to self.
They played Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire. The thing about Coldplay is,
(as evidenced by their lame album covers),
they're really not big on visuals. The music was excellent as expected,
but the two big screens on either side (for the lawn folks), weren't even on till the last 10 minutes or so!
What's that all about? I mean, you go to, for example, a Rush show, Pink Floyd, or the like, and you know
that the entire time you're hearing amazing music, you'll be experiencing amazing visuals too.
You know, the total concert experience. I could do that for them. For a price.
October 2005- I went to the Carolina Greenbay game.
It wasn't planned - I went on a whim, wanting to catch a night game.
I arrived just before halftime, putting it out there to the universe that I needed a ticket (but wasn't going to pay a lot for it).
A guy walked up and gave me a $90 ticket for FREE. It was a great seat on the 37 yard line.
This is just a reminder that we can create our own positivity or negativity
in a very powerful way just by our mindset (and focus),
like in the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know?".
I met John C. Riley in a local coffee shop. I respectfully asked for a photo for this website.
He was with his wife and kids and said he's in there often, and if I catch him alone, sure, but not during his family time.
I assured him I understand and that I hope I wasn't intruding and wished him a great stay while in Charlotte.
November 2005- Got to see my bud Jim (and his girl) when he visited Charlotte recently.
Passed my level five test at my martial arts school (you start at level zero). I drove down to Atlanta to see my best friend Bryan
(and his wife, daughter, and two Border Collies). Those Border Collies are smarter than some people I know.
I was in Atlanta for roughly 42 hours, and in that time, I was in the gym 3 times, starting within an hour
of my arrival at 2 AM. Pain is weakness leaving the body.
December 2005- Let's hear it for my girl
Sarah who was on an episode of All My Children. Woo Hoo!
(Her site's not quite done yet).
Saw the Panthers game against the Bucs. The Panthers didn't fare so well
(I kept saying "I should be out there!"), but I had
a great 7th row seat behind the goal post (Thanks Margaret!).
Got the newest Depeche Mode CD. I'm listening to it as I write this, and it's kind of
comforting in a weird way - I've been fondly listening to them since high school,
and after all these years and countless memories and experiences later, they're still going strong.
I don't usually write about the movies I see anymore (it's just too much too keep up with, and no one cares about my opinion anyway),
but I feel I have to write about Peter Jackson's new King Kong. I've always been a Kong fan -
the first one was a stop-motion masterpiece in its day, and the second one in the 70's endeared itself to me to the point where
the soundtrack is still in my head even though I haven't seen the movie since I was a kid.
Jackson's movie is three hours long, which is pretty
standard nowadays,
but please believe me when I tell you that you can and should skip the first hour completely.
That part of it could of and should of been cut down to a half hour TOPS.
You never even see Kong until an hour and a half into the movie!! After the first hour,
the movie is amazing and totally believable visually. Afterward, I went back and watched some clips and
stills online from the 70's version, and this new one makes that look like a man in a suit. Also,
for those of you waiting to see it on DVD,
this is one of those movies to be seen on the big screen to really appreciate it (just skip the first hour - ask me -
I'll fill you in on the details). When Kong roars, you
feel it. I knew it would make me sad (we all know how it ends),
but the music and cinematography are done in such a way that I was far more sad than I expected.
Even the second time, when I saw the last two hours the next day.
click here for 2008.
click here for 2007.
click here for 2006.
click here for 2004.
click here for 2003.
click here for 2002.
carried over:
home defense! (because it's cool)
Stay tuned for even more excitement yet to come...
(Can you stand it?!)
Go home 
Portfolio
Misc. Info..
Animations
January 2005- I started this new year
by playing paintball New Year's day. I had a welt on my back for a week.
I attended a sucker punching / bouncing 101 / have no fear when someone's
shoving you and yelling at you class. ...Don't be jealous.
February 2005-
I moved on to level 3 in my martial arts school. I've been there a year this month.
I moved from the Arboretum area to the Plaza Midwood area. I'm back online after not
having internet access for 3 weeks!! (What do you mean you didn't notice I was gone??)
I had another birthday this month.
R.I.P. Hunter S. Thompson.
March 2005-
Here's a picture I just made in Illustrator.
This new place is coming along nicely - new furniture, fresh paint and new pictures on the walls..
April 2005- Still working on some
home improvement,
you know, using power tools - often times shirtless... Oh yes.
I have a new agenda now.
Instead of going out after work, I come straight home and go through recipes, study, work on projects, play guitar,
work out and stretch, etc.
A tad boring, admittedly, but I'm making up for lost time and saving money in the process. I mean,
I'm 36 and I still haven't been to Japan, Australia, Hawaii, hell - even the Grand Canyon.
I went to see author David Sedaris talk. He's both funnier and shorter in person.
Saw the English rock trio Muse.
How cool is this?
May 2005- Much has happened this month:
Finishing up the home improvement: painted my bedroom blue, been adding more plants and candles, put up a shelf.
My family was in town briefly. Congrats to my brother Jon who now has a degree in
mechanical engineering.
Had some car repairs. Thanks to Craig during that time for the unlimited use of his BMW so
I could get to work and class. Speaking of which,
I moved up to level 4 in my martial arts school.
My grandmother passed away. She was 92. I flew up to New York and had the
honor of being one of her pall bearers. I got to see and reconnect with
lots of extended family that I hadn't seen in a long time.
I got my ticket for the Duran Duran concert in July (I'm sure you're shocked by that one).
I know you're also not surprised to hear I saw the newest (and last) Star Wars movie. Of course I could nit pick it to death,
but overall I greatly enjoyed it. George Lucas redeemed himself with this one
after the two most recent installments. It's my third favorite after episodes 5 and 4 respectively.
Thanks a million to my friend Earl. My computer died and he put together a souped-up replacement for me
(including a Gig of RAM, a 2.6 GHz duel processer, an 80 Gig hard drive, upgraded it to XP, and other such swankiness.
No more annoying pop-ups, and despite all the power "under the hood", it's completely silent! It's a sleek black, too.
June 2005- I've been going to Pops in the Park on Sundays.
For those of you out-of-towners reading this, the Charlotte Symphony plays free to a
huge outdoor crowd every Sunday night. At the first one, they played the Imperial March flawlessly.
I much enjoyed Batman Begins. It makes total sense that he would have been trained as a Ninja beforehand.
I've recently taken up running.
I got to hang with my long time friend (and former room mate) Phillip, as he visited Charlotte for a few days.
Hey, instead of spending money on that next bar tab,
how about sending a small tax deductable donation to help the people of Darfur (in Africa) who are starving,
being slaughtered, raped, displaced and such by the many thousands. Help for them and good karma for you.
July 2005- I watched the Fourth of July fireworks from the 27th floor of a building uptown (Bentley's on 27).
Got my nose broken sparring. I wasn't covering as I should have, and it connected hard
with my bud's knee. I didn't actually go get an x ray -
what most probably really happened was the cartilage was broken off from the bone,
and the bone itself wasn't actually broken. All I know is that I could move stuff below the surface
in unnatural ways (painfully) till it set right.
Now my nose is slightly crooked, but it's not obvious unless you're looking for it. When it first happened,
it swelled up big, gushed like a water balloon, and was bruised for about a week.
To quote Alfred Hitchcock fom Psycho: "You should have seen the blood..."
I saw Duran Duran for my 5th time. Great show! I mean, they opened with "Friends of Mine"- how cool is that? I lost count after about
the fifteenth time or so that I was asked to quit dancing in the aisle and get back to my seat. Originally, I had the
set list displayed here. But then it seemed too much like something someone who
follows one of those cult bands would do, so I removed it (although I do have it saved on my computer
so I can remember it years from now). Okay, if you really are curious, you can see it here:
Here's my latest drawing I did for someone's birthday.
August 2005- I passed the firefighter Physical Ability Test -
While wearing a 50 pound vest. For the stair climbing aspect, an additional 25 pounds was added.
It's Bond month on AMC! Every night a different Bond movie for the whole month. Whoo Hoo!
( I know, I know, it's American Movie Classics...)
So, no more Six Feet Under anymore (well, new ones anyway).
What a perfect way to end such a great show. However, it could have been better: in the scene where Claire passes away,
why wasn't everyone else who preceeded her standing there waiting?
(I'll give credit where it's due, thanks Greg for bringing that to my attention) I'm going to miss looking forward to each week's new episode. I've heard a lot of people talking about the moving piece of
music that was playing as the final episode came to a close. FYI: it's a song called "Breathe Me" by an Australian
singer named Sia Furler.
September 2005- I saw Coldplay.
My friends and I had lawn tickets.
About 20 minutes into the show,
I went to the men's room, and upon my return, I looked out at the sea of people
(hands down the largest crowd I've EVER seen at that venue),
and realized I had officially lost my friends. I made a bit of an effort,
but I'd been drinkin' a bit and quickly gave up the hunt (maneuvering through SO many bodies,
while walking up a hill, etc). So, yeah, I saw the concert by myself basically.
Normally I would have switched into Terminator mode and found them with relative ease, but the thing is,
I don't really drink much anymore, and with the pre-show festivities, my mind was numbed.
Note to self.
They played Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire. The thing about Coldplay is,
(as evidenced by their lame album covers),
they're really not big on visuals. The music was excellent as expected,
but the two big screens on either side (for the lawn folks), weren't even on till the last 10 minutes or so!
What's that all about? I mean, you go to, for example, a Rush show, Pink Floyd, or the like, and you know
that the entire time you're hearing amazing music, you'll be experiencing amazing visuals too.
You know, the total concert experience. I could do that for them. For a price.
October 2005- I went to the Carolina Greenbay game.
It wasn't planned - I went on a whim, wanting to catch a night game.
I arrived just before halftime, putting it out there to the universe that I needed a ticket (but wasn't going to pay a lot for it).
A guy walked up and gave me a $90 ticket for FREE. It was a great seat on the 37 yard line.
This is just a reminder that we can create our own positivity or negativity
in a very powerful way just by our mindset (and focus),
like in the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know?".
I met John C. Riley in a local coffee shop. I respectfully asked for a photo for this website.
He was with his wife and kids and said he's in there often, and if I catch him alone, sure, but not during his family time.
I assured him I understand and that I hope I wasn't intruding and wished him a great stay while in Charlotte.
November 2005- Got to see my bud Jim (and his girl) when he visited Charlotte recently.
Passed my level five test at my martial arts school (you start at level zero). I drove down to Atlanta to see my best friend Bryan
(and his wife, daughter, and two Border Collies). Those Border Collies are smarter than some people I know.
I was in Atlanta for roughly 42 hours, and in that time, I was in the gym 3 times, starting within an hour
of my arrival at 2 AM. Pain is weakness leaving the body.
December 2005- Let's hear it for my girl
Sarah who was on an episode of All My Children. Woo Hoo!
(Her site's not quite done yet).
Saw the Panthers game against the Bucs. The Panthers didn't fare so well
(I kept saying "I should be out there!"), but I had
a great 7th row seat behind the goal post (Thanks Margaret!).
Got the newest Depeche Mode CD. I'm listening to it as I write this, and it's kind of
comforting in a weird way - I've been fondly listening to them since high school,
and after all these years and countless memories and experiences later, they're still going strong.
I don't usually write about the movies I see anymore (it's just too much too keep up with, and no one cares about my opinion anyway),
but I feel I have to write about Peter Jackson's new King Kong. I've always been a Kong fan -
the first one was a stop-motion masterpiece in its day, and the second one in the 70's endeared itself to me to the point where
the soundtrack is still in my head even though I haven't seen the movie since I was a kid.
Jackson's movie is three hours long, which is pretty
standard nowadays,
but please believe me when I tell you that you can and should skip the first hour completely.
That part of it could of and should of been cut down to a half hour TOPS.
You never even see Kong until an hour and a half into the movie!! After the first hour,
the movie is amazing and totally believable visually. Afterward, I went back and watched some clips and
stills online from the 70's version, and this new one makes that look like a man in a suit. Also,
for those of you waiting to see it on DVD,
this is one of those movies to be seen on the big screen to really appreciate it (just skip the first hour - ask me -
I'll fill you in on the details). When Kong roars, you
feel it. I knew it would make me sad (we all know how it ends),
but the music and cinematography are done in such a way that I was far more sad than I expected.
Even the second time, when I saw the last two hours the next day.
click here for 2008.
click here for 2007.
click here for 2006.
click here for 2004.
click here for 2003.
click here for 2002.
carried over:
home defense! (because it's cool)
Stay tuned for even more excitement yet to come...
(Can you stand it?!)
Go home
Portfolio
Misc. Info..
Animations
I attended a sucker punching / bouncing 101 / have no fear when someone's shoving you and yelling at you class. ...Don't be jealous.
February 2005-
I moved on to level 3 in my martial arts school. I've been there a year this month.
I moved from the Arboretum area to the Plaza Midwood area. I'm back online after not
having internet access for 3 weeks!! (What do you mean you didn't notice I was gone??)
I had another birthday this month.
R.I.P. Hunter S. Thompson.
March 2005-
Here's a picture I just made in Illustrator.
This new place is coming along nicely - new furniture, fresh paint and new pictures on the walls..
April 2005- Still working on some
home improvement,
you know, using power tools - often times shirtless... Oh yes.
I have a new agenda now.
Instead of going out after work, I come straight home and go through recipes, study, work on projects, play guitar,
work out and stretch, etc.
A tad boring, admittedly, but I'm making up for lost time and saving money in the process. I mean,
I'm 36 and I still haven't been to Japan, Australia, Hawaii, hell - even the Grand Canyon.
I went to see author David Sedaris talk. He's both funnier and shorter in person.
Saw the English rock trio Muse.
How cool is this?
May 2005- Much has happened this month:
Finishing up the home improvement: painted my bedroom blue, been adding more plants and candles, put up a shelf.
My family was in town briefly. Congrats to my brother Jon who now has a degree in
mechanical engineering.
Had some car repairs. Thanks to Craig during that time for the unlimited use of his BMW so
I could get to work and class. Speaking of which,
I moved up to level 4 in my martial arts school.
My grandmother passed away. She was 92. I flew up to New York and had the
honor of being one of her pall bearers. I got to see and reconnect with
lots of extended family that I hadn't seen in a long time.
I got my ticket for the Duran Duran concert in July (I'm sure you're shocked by that one).
I know you're also not surprised to hear I saw the newest (and last) Star Wars movie. Of course I could nit pick it to death,
but overall I greatly enjoyed it. George Lucas redeemed himself with this one
after the two most recent installments. It's my third favorite after episodes 5 and 4 respectively.
Thanks a million to my friend Earl. My computer died and he put together a souped-up replacement for me
(including a Gig of RAM, a 2.6 GHz duel processer, an 80 Gig hard drive, upgraded it to XP, and other such swankiness.
No more annoying pop-ups, and despite all the power "under the hood", it's completely silent! It's a sleek black, too.
June 2005- I've been going to Pops in the Park on Sundays.
For those of you out-of-towners reading this, the Charlotte Symphony plays free to a
huge outdoor crowd every Sunday night. At the first one, they played the Imperial March flawlessly.
I much enjoyed Batman Begins. It makes total sense that he would have been trained as a Ninja beforehand.
I've recently taken up running.
I got to hang with my long time friend (and former room mate) Phillip, as he visited Charlotte for a few days.
Hey, instead of spending money on that next bar tab,
how about sending a small tax deductable donation to help the people of Darfur (in Africa) who are starving,
being slaughtered, raped, displaced and such by the many thousands. Help for them and good karma for you.
July 2005- I watched the Fourth of July fireworks from the 27th floor of a building uptown (Bentley's on 27).
Got my nose broken sparring. I wasn't covering as I should have, and it connected hard
with my bud's knee. I didn't actually go get an x ray -
what most probably really happened was the cartilage was broken off from the bone,
and the bone itself wasn't actually broken. All I know is that I could move stuff below the surface
in unnatural ways (painfully) till it set right.
Now my nose is slightly crooked, but it's not obvious unless you're looking for it. When it first happened,
it swelled up big, gushed like a water balloon, and was bruised for about a week.
To quote Alfred Hitchcock fom Psycho: "You should have seen the blood..."
I saw Duran Duran for my 5th time. Great show! I mean, they opened with "Friends of Mine"- how cool is that? I lost count after about
the fifteenth time or so that I was asked to quit dancing in the aisle and get back to my seat. Originally, I had the
set list displayed here. But then it seemed too much like something someone who
follows one of those cult bands would do, so I removed it (although I do have it saved on my computer
so I can remember it years from now). Okay, if you really are curious, you can see it here:
Here's my latest drawing I did for someone's birthday.
August 2005- I passed the firefighter Physical Ability Test -
While wearing a 50 pound vest. For the stair climbing aspect, an additional 25 pounds was added.
It's Bond month on AMC! Every night a different Bond movie for the whole month. Whoo Hoo!
( I know, I know, it's American Movie Classics...)
So, no more Six Feet Under anymore (well, new ones anyway).
What a perfect way to end such a great show. However, it could have been better: in the scene where Claire passes away,
why wasn't everyone else who preceeded her standing there waiting?
(I'll give credit where it's due, thanks Greg for bringing that to my attention) I'm going to miss looking forward to each week's new episode. I've heard a lot of people talking about the moving piece of
music that was playing as the final episode came to a close. FYI: it's a song called "Breathe Me" by an Australian
singer named Sia Furler.
September 2005- I saw Coldplay.
My friends and I had lawn tickets.
About 20 minutes into the show,
I went to the men's room, and upon my return, I looked out at the sea of people
(hands down the largest crowd I've EVER seen at that venue),
and realized I had officially lost my friends. I made a bit of an effort,
but I'd been drinkin' a bit and quickly gave up the hunt (maneuvering through SO many bodies,
while walking up a hill, etc). So, yeah, I saw the concert by myself basically.
Normally I would have switched into Terminator mode and found them with relative ease, but the thing is,
I don't really drink much anymore, and with the pre-show festivities, my mind was numbed.
Note to self.
They played Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire. The thing about Coldplay is,
(as evidenced by their lame album covers),
they're really not big on visuals. The music was excellent as expected,
but the two big screens on either side (for the lawn folks), weren't even on till the last 10 minutes or so!
What's that all about? I mean, you go to, for example, a Rush show, Pink Floyd, or the like, and you know
that the entire time you're hearing amazing music, you'll be experiencing amazing visuals too.
You know, the total concert experience. I could do that for them. For a price.
October 2005- I went to the Carolina Greenbay game.
It wasn't planned - I went on a whim, wanting to catch a night game.
I arrived just before halftime, putting it out there to the universe that I needed a ticket (but wasn't going to pay a lot for it).
A guy walked up and gave me a $90 ticket for FREE. It was a great seat on the 37 yard line.
This is just a reminder that we can create our own positivity or negativity
in a very powerful way just by our mindset (and focus),
like in the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know?".
I met John C. Riley in a local coffee shop. I respectfully asked for a photo for this website.
He was with his wife and kids and said he's in there often, and if I catch him alone, sure, but not during his family time.
I assured him I understand and that I hope I wasn't intruding and wished him a great stay while in Charlotte.
November 2005- Got to see my bud Jim (and his girl) when he visited Charlotte recently.
Passed my level five test at my martial arts school (you start at level zero). I drove down to Atlanta to see my best friend Bryan
(and his wife, daughter, and two Border Collies). Those Border Collies are smarter than some people I know.
I was in Atlanta for roughly 42 hours, and in that time, I was in the gym 3 times, starting within an hour
of my arrival at 2 AM. Pain is weakness leaving the body.
December 2005- Let's hear it for my girl
Sarah who was on an episode of All My Children. Woo Hoo!
(Her site's not quite done yet).
Saw the Panthers game against the Bucs. The Panthers didn't fare so well
(I kept saying "I should be out there!"), but I had
a great 7th row seat behind the goal post (Thanks Margaret!).
Got the newest Depeche Mode CD. I'm listening to it as I write this, and it's kind of
comforting in a weird way - I've been fondly listening to them since high school,
and after all these years and countless memories and experiences later, they're still going strong.
I don't usually write about the movies I see anymore (it's just too much too keep up with, and no one cares about my opinion anyway),
but I feel I have to write about Peter Jackson's new King Kong. I've always been a Kong fan -
the first one was a stop-motion masterpiece in its day, and the second one in the 70's endeared itself to me to the point where
the soundtrack is still in my head even though I haven't seen the movie since I was a kid.
Jackson's movie is three hours long, which is pretty
standard nowadays,
but please believe me when I tell you that you can and should skip the first hour completely.
That part of it could of and should of been cut down to a half hour TOPS.
You never even see Kong until an hour and a half into the movie!! After the first hour,
the movie is amazing and totally believable visually. Afterward, I went back and watched some clips and
stills online from the 70's version, and this new one makes that look like a man in a suit. Also,
for those of you waiting to see it on DVD,
this is one of those movies to be seen on the big screen to really appreciate it (just skip the first hour - ask me -
I'll fill you in on the details). When Kong roars, you
feel it. I knew it would make me sad (we all know how it ends),
but the music and cinematography are done in such a way that I was far more sad than I expected.
Even the second time, when I saw the last two hours the next day.
click here for 2008.
click here for 2007.
click here for 2006.
click here for 2004.
click here for 2003.
click here for 2002.
carried over:
home defense! (because it's cool)
Stay tuned for even more excitement yet to come...
(Can you stand it?!)
Go home
Portfolio
Misc. Info..
Animations
I had another birthday this month.
R.I.P. Hunter S. Thompson.
March 2005-
Here's a picture I just made in Illustrator.
This new place is coming along nicely - new furniture, fresh paint and new pictures on the walls..
April 2005- Still working on some
home improvement,
you know, using power tools - often times shirtless... Oh yes.
I have a new agenda now.
Instead of going out after work, I come straight home and go through recipes, study, work on projects, play guitar,
work out and stretch, etc.
A tad boring, admittedly, but I'm making up for lost time and saving money in the process. I mean,
I'm 36 and I still haven't been to Japan, Australia, Hawaii, hell - even the Grand Canyon.
I went to see author David Sedaris talk. He's both funnier and shorter in person.
Saw the English rock trio Muse.
How cool is this?
May 2005- Much has happened this month:
Finishing up the home improvement: painted my bedroom blue, been adding more plants and candles, put up a shelf.
My family was in town briefly. Congrats to my brother Jon who now has a degree in
mechanical engineering.
Had some car repairs. Thanks to Craig during that time for the unlimited use of his BMW so
I could get to work and class. Speaking of which,
I moved up to level 4 in my martial arts school.
My grandmother passed away. She was 92. I flew up to New York and had the
honor of being one of her pall bearers. I got to see and reconnect with
lots of extended family that I hadn't seen in a long time.
I got my ticket for the Duran Duran concert in July (I'm sure you're shocked by that one).
I know you're also not surprised to hear I saw the newest (and last) Star Wars movie. Of course I could nit pick it to death,
but overall I greatly enjoyed it. George Lucas redeemed himself with this one
after the two most recent installments. It's my third favorite after episodes 5 and 4 respectively.
Thanks a million to my friend Earl. My computer died and he put together a souped-up replacement for me
(including a Gig of RAM, a 2.6 GHz duel processer, an 80 Gig hard drive, upgraded it to XP, and other such swankiness.
No more annoying pop-ups, and despite all the power "under the hood", it's completely silent! It's a sleek black, too.
June 2005- I've been going to Pops in the Park on Sundays.
For those of you out-of-towners reading this, the Charlotte Symphony plays free to a
huge outdoor crowd every Sunday night. At the first one, they played the Imperial March flawlessly.
I much enjoyed Batman Begins. It makes total sense that he would have been trained as a Ninja beforehand.
I've recently taken up running.
I got to hang with my long time friend (and former room mate) Phillip, as he visited Charlotte for a few days.
Hey, instead of spending money on that next bar tab,
how about sending a small tax deductable donation to help the people of Darfur (in Africa) who are starving,
being slaughtered, raped, displaced and such by the many thousands. Help for them and good karma for you.
July 2005- I watched the Fourth of July fireworks from the 27th floor of a building uptown (Bentley's on 27).
Got my nose broken sparring. I wasn't covering as I should have, and it connected hard
with my bud's knee. I didn't actually go get an x ray -
what most probably really happened was the cartilage was broken off from the bone,
and the bone itself wasn't actually broken. All I know is that I could move stuff below the surface
in unnatural ways (painfully) till it set right.
Now my nose is slightly crooked, but it's not obvious unless you're looking for it. When it first happened,
it swelled up big, gushed like a water balloon, and was bruised for about a week.
To quote Alfred Hitchcock fom Psycho: "You should have seen the blood..."
I saw Duran Duran for my 5th time. Great show! I mean, they opened with "Friends of Mine"- how cool is that? I lost count after about
the fifteenth time or so that I was asked to quit dancing in the aisle and get back to my seat. Originally, I had the
set list displayed here. But then it seemed too much like something someone who
follows one of those cult bands would do, so I removed it (although I do have it saved on my computer
so I can remember it years from now). Okay, if you really are curious, you can see it here:
Here's my latest drawing I did for someone's birthday.
August 2005- I passed the firefighter Physical Ability Test -
While wearing a 50 pound vest. For the stair climbing aspect, an additional 25 pounds was added.
It's Bond month on AMC! Every night a different Bond movie for the whole month. Whoo Hoo!
( I know, I know, it's American Movie Classics...)
So, no more Six Feet Under anymore (well, new ones anyway).
What a perfect way to end such a great show. However, it could have been better: in the scene where Claire passes away,
why wasn't everyone else who preceeded her standing there waiting?
(I'll give credit where it's due, thanks Greg for bringing that to my attention) I'm going to miss looking forward to each week's new episode. I've heard a lot of people talking about the moving piece of
music that was playing as the final episode came to a close. FYI: it's a song called "Breathe Me" by an Australian
singer named Sia Furler.
September 2005- I saw Coldplay.
My friends and I had lawn tickets.
About 20 minutes into the show,
I went to the men's room, and upon my return, I looked out at the sea of people
(hands down the largest crowd I've EVER seen at that venue),
and realized I had officially lost my friends. I made a bit of an effort,
but I'd been drinkin' a bit and quickly gave up the hunt (maneuvering through SO many bodies,
while walking up a hill, etc). So, yeah, I saw the concert by myself basically.
Normally I would have switched into Terminator mode and found them with relative ease, but the thing is,
I don't really drink much anymore, and with the pre-show festivities, my mind was numbed.
Note to self.
They played Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire. The thing about Coldplay is,
(as evidenced by their lame album covers),
they're really not big on visuals. The music was excellent as expected,
but the two big screens on either side (for the lawn folks), weren't even on till the last 10 minutes or so!
What's that all about? I mean, you go to, for example, a Rush show, Pink Floyd, or the like, and you know
that the entire time you're hearing amazing music, you'll be experiencing amazing visuals too.
You know, the total concert experience. I could do that for them. For a price.
October 2005- I went to the Carolina Greenbay game.
It wasn't planned - I went on a whim, wanting to catch a night game.
I arrived just before halftime, putting it out there to the universe that I needed a ticket (but wasn't going to pay a lot for it).
A guy walked up and gave me a $90 ticket for FREE. It was a great seat on the 37 yard line.
This is just a reminder that we can create our own positivity or negativity
in a very powerful way just by our mindset (and focus),
like in the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know?".
I met John C. Riley in a local coffee shop. I respectfully asked for a photo for this website.
He was with his wife and kids and said he's in there often, and if I catch him alone, sure, but not during his family time.
I assured him I understand and that I hope I wasn't intruding and wished him a great stay while in Charlotte.
November 2005- Got to see my bud Jim (and his girl) when he visited Charlotte recently.
Passed my level five test at my martial arts school (you start at level zero). I drove down to Atlanta to see my best friend Bryan
(and his wife, daughter, and two Border Collies). Those Border Collies are smarter than some people I know.
I was in Atlanta for roughly 42 hours, and in that time, I was in the gym 3 times, starting within an hour
of my arrival at 2 AM. Pain is weakness leaving the body.
December 2005- Let's hear it for my girl
Sarah who was on an episode of All My Children. Woo Hoo!
(Her site's not quite done yet).
Saw the Panthers game against the Bucs. The Panthers didn't fare so well
(I kept saying "I should be out there!"), but I had
a great 7th row seat behind the goal post (Thanks Margaret!).
Got the newest Depeche Mode CD. I'm listening to it as I write this, and it's kind of
comforting in a weird way - I've been fondly listening to them since high school,
and after all these years and countless memories and experiences later, they're still going strong.
I don't usually write about the movies I see anymore (it's just too much too keep up with, and no one cares about my opinion anyway),
but I feel I have to write about Peter Jackson's new King Kong. I've always been a Kong fan -
the first one was a stop-motion masterpiece in its day, and the second one in the 70's endeared itself to me to the point where
the soundtrack is still in my head even though I haven't seen the movie since I was a kid.
Jackson's movie is three hours long, which is pretty
standard nowadays,
but please believe me when I tell you that you can and should skip the first hour completely.
That part of it could of and should of been cut down to a half hour TOPS.
You never even see Kong until an hour and a half into the movie!! After the first hour,
the movie is amazing and totally believable visually. Afterward, I went back and watched some clips and
stills online from the 70's version, and this new one makes that look like a man in a suit. Also,
for those of you waiting to see it on DVD,
this is one of those movies to be seen on the big screen to really appreciate it (just skip the first hour - ask me -
I'll fill you in on the details). When Kong roars, you
feel it. I knew it would make me sad (we all know how it ends),
but the music and cinematography are done in such a way that I was far more sad than I expected.
Even the second time, when I saw the last two hours the next day.
click here for 2008.
click here for 2007.
click here for 2006.
click here for 2004.
click here for 2003.
click here for 2002.
carried over:
home defense! (because it's cool)
Stay tuned for even more excitement yet to come...
(Can you stand it?!)
Go home
Portfolio
Misc. Info..
Animations
This new place is coming along nicely - new furniture, fresh paint and new pictures on the walls..
April 2005- Still working on some
home improvement,
you know, using power tools - often times shirtless... Oh yes.
I have a new agenda now.
Instead of going out after work, I come straight home and go through recipes, study, work on projects, play guitar,
work out and stretch, etc.
A tad boring, admittedly, but I'm making up for lost time and saving money in the process. I mean,
I'm 36 and I still haven't been to Japan, Australia, Hawaii, hell - even the Grand Canyon.
I went to see author David Sedaris talk. He's both funnier and shorter in person.
Saw the English rock trio Muse.
How cool is this?
May 2005- Much has happened this month:
Finishing up the home improvement: painted my bedroom blue, been adding more plants and candles, put up a shelf.
My family was in town briefly. Congrats to my brother Jon who now has a degree in
mechanical engineering.
Had some car repairs. Thanks to Craig during that time for the unlimited use of his BMW so
I could get to work and class. Speaking of which,
I moved up to level 4 in my martial arts school.
My grandmother passed away. She was 92. I flew up to New York and had the
honor of being one of her pall bearers. I got to see and reconnect with
lots of extended family that I hadn't seen in a long time.
I got my ticket for the Duran Duran concert in July (I'm sure you're shocked by that one).
I know you're also not surprised to hear I saw the newest (and last) Star Wars movie. Of course I could nit pick it to death,
but overall I greatly enjoyed it. George Lucas redeemed himself with this one
after the two most recent installments. It's my third favorite after episodes 5 and 4 respectively.
Thanks a million to my friend Earl. My computer died and he put together a souped-up replacement for me
(including a Gig of RAM, a 2.6 GHz duel processer, an 80 Gig hard drive, upgraded it to XP, and other such swankiness.
No more annoying pop-ups, and despite all the power "under the hood", it's completely silent! It's a sleek black, too.
June 2005- I've been going to Pops in the Park on Sundays.
For those of you out-of-towners reading this, the Charlotte Symphony plays free to a
huge outdoor crowd every Sunday night. At the first one, they played the Imperial March flawlessly.
I much enjoyed Batman Begins. It makes total sense that he would have been trained as a Ninja beforehand.
I've recently taken up running.
I got to hang with my long time friend (and former room mate) Phillip, as he visited Charlotte for a few days.
Hey, instead of spending money on that next bar tab,
how about sending a small tax deductable donation to help the people of Darfur (in Africa) who are starving,
being slaughtered, raped, displaced and such by the many thousands. Help for them and good karma for you.
July 2005- I watched the Fourth of July fireworks from the 27th floor of a building uptown (Bentley's on 27).
Got my nose broken sparring. I wasn't covering as I should have, and it connected hard
with my bud's knee. I didn't actually go get an x ray -
what most probably really happened was the cartilage was broken off from the bone,
and the bone itself wasn't actually broken. All I know is that I could move stuff below the surface
in unnatural ways (painfully) till it set right.
Now my nose is slightly crooked, but it's not obvious unless you're looking for it. When it first happened,
it swelled up big, gushed like a water balloon, and was bruised for about a week.
To quote Alfred Hitchcock fom Psycho: "You should have seen the blood..."
I saw Duran Duran for my 5th time. Great show! I mean, they opened with "Friends of Mine"- how cool is that? I lost count after about
the fifteenth time or so that I was asked to quit dancing in the aisle and get back to my seat. Originally, I had the
set list displayed here. But then it seemed too much like something someone who
follows one of those cult bands would do, so I removed it (although I do have it saved on my computer
so I can remember it years from now). Okay, if you really are curious, you can see it here:
Here's my latest drawing I did for someone's birthday.
August 2005- I passed the firefighter Physical Ability Test -
While wearing a 50 pound vest. For the stair climbing aspect, an additional 25 pounds was added.
It's Bond month on AMC! Every night a different Bond movie for the whole month. Whoo Hoo!
( I know, I know, it's American Movie Classics...)
So, no more Six Feet Under anymore (well, new ones anyway).
What a perfect way to end such a great show. However, it could have been better: in the scene where Claire passes away,
why wasn't everyone else who preceeded her standing there waiting?
(I'll give credit where it's due, thanks Greg for bringing that to my attention) I'm going to miss looking forward to each week's new episode. I've heard a lot of people talking about the moving piece of
music that was playing as the final episode came to a close. FYI: it's a song called "Breathe Me" by an Australian
singer named Sia Furler.
September 2005- I saw Coldplay.
My friends and I had lawn tickets.
About 20 minutes into the show,
I went to the men's room, and upon my return, I looked out at the sea of people
(hands down the largest crowd I've EVER seen at that venue),
and realized I had officially lost my friends. I made a bit of an effort,
but I'd been drinkin' a bit and quickly gave up the hunt (maneuvering through SO many bodies,
while walking up a hill, etc). So, yeah, I saw the concert by myself basically.
Normally I would have switched into Terminator mode and found them with relative ease, but the thing is,
I don't really drink much anymore, and with the pre-show festivities, my mind was numbed.
Note to self.
They played Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire. The thing about Coldplay is,
(as evidenced by their lame album covers),
they're really not big on visuals. The music was excellent as expected,
but the two big screens on either side (for the lawn folks), weren't even on till the last 10 minutes or so!
What's that all about? I mean, you go to, for example, a Rush show, Pink Floyd, or the like, and you know
that the entire time you're hearing amazing music, you'll be experiencing amazing visuals too.
You know, the total concert experience. I could do that for them. For a price.
October 2005- I went to the Carolina Greenbay game.
It wasn't planned - I went on a whim, wanting to catch a night game.
I arrived just before halftime, putting it out there to the universe that I needed a ticket (but wasn't going to pay a lot for it).
A guy walked up and gave me a $90 ticket for FREE. It was a great seat on the 37 yard line.
This is just a reminder that we can create our own positivity or negativity
in a very powerful way just by our mindset (and focus),
like in the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know?".
I met John C. Riley in a local coffee shop. I respectfully asked for a photo for this website.
He was with his wife and kids and said he's in there often, and if I catch him alone, sure, but not during his family time.
I assured him I understand and that I hope I wasn't intruding and wished him a great stay while in Charlotte.
November 2005- Got to see my bud Jim (and his girl) when he visited Charlotte recently.
Passed my level five test at my martial arts school (you start at level zero). I drove down to Atlanta to see my best friend Bryan
(and his wife, daughter, and two Border Collies). Those Border Collies are smarter than some people I know.
I was in Atlanta for roughly 42 hours, and in that time, I was in the gym 3 times, starting within an hour
of my arrival at 2 AM. Pain is weakness leaving the body.
December 2005- Let's hear it for my girl
Sarah who was on an episode of All My Children. Woo Hoo!
(Her site's not quite done yet).
Saw the Panthers game against the Bucs. The Panthers didn't fare so well
(I kept saying "I should be out there!"), but I had
a great 7th row seat behind the goal post (Thanks Margaret!).
Got the newest Depeche Mode CD. I'm listening to it as I write this, and it's kind of
comforting in a weird way - I've been fondly listening to them since high school,
and after all these years and countless memories and experiences later, they're still going strong.
I don't usually write about the movies I see anymore (it's just too much too keep up with, and no one cares about my opinion anyway),
but I feel I have to write about Peter Jackson's new King Kong. I've always been a Kong fan -
the first one was a stop-motion masterpiece in its day, and the second one in the 70's endeared itself to me to the point where
the soundtrack is still in my head even though I haven't seen the movie since I was a kid.
Jackson's movie is three hours long, which is pretty
standard nowadays,
but please believe me when I tell you that you can and should skip the first hour completely.
That part of it could of and should of been cut down to a half hour TOPS.
You never even see Kong until an hour and a half into the movie!! After the first hour,
the movie is amazing and totally believable visually. Afterward, I went back and watched some clips and
stills online from the 70's version, and this new one makes that look like a man in a suit. Also,
for those of you waiting to see it on DVD,
this is one of those movies to be seen on the big screen to really appreciate it (just skip the first hour - ask me -
I'll fill you in on the details). When Kong roars, you
feel it. I knew it would make me sad (we all know how it ends),
but the music and cinematography are done in such a way that I was far more sad than I expected.
Even the second time, when I saw the last two hours the next day.
click here for 2008.
click here for 2007.
click here for 2006.
click here for 2004.
click here for 2003.
click here for 2002.
I have a new agenda now. Instead of going out after work, I come straight home and go through recipes, study, work on projects, play guitar, work out and stretch, etc. A tad boring, admittedly, but I'm making up for lost time and saving money in the process. I mean, I'm 36 and I still haven't been to Japan, Australia, Hawaii, hell - even the Grand Canyon.
I went to see author David Sedaris talk. He's both funnier and shorter in person.
Saw the English rock trio Muse.
How cool is this?
May 2005- Much has happened this month:
Finishing up the home improvement: painted my bedroom blue, been adding more plants and candles, put up a shelf.
My family was in town briefly. Congrats to my brother Jon who now has a degree in
mechanical engineering.
Had some car repairs. Thanks to Craig during that time for the unlimited use of his BMW so
I could get to work and class. Speaking of which,
I moved up to level 4 in my martial arts school.
My grandmother passed away. She was 92. I flew up to New York and had the
honor of being one of her pall bearers. I got to see and reconnect with
lots of extended family that I hadn't seen in a long time.
I got my ticket for the Duran Duran concert in July (I'm sure you're shocked by that one).
I know you're also not surprised to hear I saw the newest (and last) Star Wars movie. Of course I could nit pick it to death,
but overall I greatly enjoyed it. George Lucas redeemed himself with this one
after the two most recent installments. It's my third favorite after episodes 5 and 4 respectively.
Thanks a million to my friend Earl. My computer died and he put together a souped-up replacement for me
(including a Gig of RAM, a 2.6 GHz duel processer, an 80 Gig hard drive, upgraded it to XP, and other such swankiness.
No more annoying pop-ups, and despite all the power "under the hood", it's completely silent! It's a sleek black, too.
June 2005- I've been going to Pops in the Park on Sundays.
For those of you out-of-towners reading this, the Charlotte Symphony plays free to a
huge outdoor crowd every Sunday night. At the first one, they played the Imperial March flawlessly.
I much enjoyed Batman Begins. It makes total sense that he would have been trained as a Ninja beforehand.
I've recently taken up running.
I got to hang with my long time friend (and former room mate) Phillip, as he visited Charlotte for a few days.
Hey, instead of spending money on that next bar tab,
how about sending a small tax deductable donation to help the people of Darfur (in Africa) who are starving,
being slaughtered, raped, displaced and such by the many thousands. Help for them and good karma for you.
July 2005- I watched the Fourth of July fireworks from the 27th floor of a building uptown (Bentley's on 27).
Got my nose broken sparring. I wasn't covering as I should have, and it connected hard
with my bud's knee. I didn't actually go get an x ray -
what most probably really happened was the cartilage was broken off from the bone,
and the bone itself wasn't actually broken. All I know is that I could move stuff below the surface
in unnatural ways (painfully) till it set right.
Now my nose is slightly crooked, but it's not obvious unless you're looking for it. When it first happened,
it swelled up big, gushed like a water balloon, and was bruised for about a week.
To quote Alfred Hitchcock fom Psycho: "You should have seen the blood..."
I saw Duran Duran for my 5th time. Great show! I mean, they opened with "Friends of Mine"- how cool is that? I lost count after about
the fifteenth time or so that I was asked to quit dancing in the aisle and get back to my seat. Originally, I had the
set list displayed here. But then it seemed too much like something someone who
follows one of those cult bands would do, so I removed it (although I do have it saved on my computer
so I can remember it years from now). Okay, if you really are curious, you can see it here:
Here's my latest drawing I did for someone's birthday.
August 2005- I passed the firefighter Physical Ability Test -
While wearing a 50 pound vest. For the stair climbing aspect, an additional 25 pounds was added.
It's Bond month on AMC! Every night a different Bond movie for the whole month. Whoo Hoo!
( I know, I know, it's American Movie Classics...)
So, no more Six Feet Under anymore (well, new ones anyway).
What a perfect way to end such a great show. However, it could have been better: in the scene where Claire passes away,
why wasn't everyone else who preceeded her standing there waiting?
(I'll give credit where it's due, thanks Greg for bringing that to my attention) I'm going to miss looking forward to each week's new episode. I've heard a lot of people talking about the moving piece of
music that was playing as the final episode came to a close. FYI: it's a song called "Breathe Me" by an Australian
singer named Sia Furler.
September 2005- I saw Coldplay.
My friends and I had lawn tickets.
About 20 minutes into the show,
I went to the men's room, and upon my return, I looked out at the sea of people
(hands down the largest crowd I've EVER seen at that venue),
and realized I had officially lost my friends. I made a bit of an effort,
but I'd been drinkin' a bit and quickly gave up the hunt (maneuvering through SO many bodies,
while walking up a hill, etc). So, yeah, I saw the concert by myself basically.
Normally I would have switched into Terminator mode and found them with relative ease, but the thing is,
I don't really drink much anymore, and with the pre-show festivities, my mind was numbed.
Note to self.
They played Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire. The thing about Coldplay is,
(as evidenced by their lame album covers),
they're really not big on visuals. The music was excellent as expected,
but the two big screens on either side (for the lawn folks), weren't even on till the last 10 minutes or so!
What's that all about? I mean, you go to, for example, a Rush show, Pink Floyd, or the like, and you know
that the entire time you're hearing amazing music, you'll be experiencing amazing visuals too.
You know, the total concert experience. I could do that for them. For a price.
October 2005- I went to the Carolina Greenbay game.
It wasn't planned - I went on a whim, wanting to catch a night game.
I arrived just before halftime, putting it out there to the universe that I needed a ticket (but wasn't going to pay a lot for it).
A guy walked up and gave me a $90 ticket for FREE. It was a great seat on the 37 yard line.
This is just a reminder that we can create our own positivity or negativity
in a very powerful way just by our mindset (and focus),
like in the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know?".
I met John C. Riley in a local coffee shop. I respectfully asked for a photo for this website.
He was with his wife and kids and said he's in there often, and if I catch him alone, sure, but not during his family time.
I assured him I understand and that I hope I wasn't intruding and wished him a great stay while in Charlotte.
November 2005- Got to see my bud Jim (and his girl) when he visited Charlotte recently.
Passed my level five test at my martial arts school (you start at level zero). I drove down to Atlanta to see my best friend Bryan
(and his wife, daughter, and two Border Collies). Those Border Collies are smarter than some people I know.
I was in Atlanta for roughly 42 hours, and in that time, I was in the gym 3 times, starting within an hour
of my arrival at 2 AM. Pain is weakness leaving the body.
December 2005- Let's hear it for my girl
Sarah who was on an episode of All My Children. Woo Hoo!
(Her site's not quite done yet).
Saw the Panthers game against the Bucs. The Panthers didn't fare so well
(I kept saying "I should be out there!"), but I had
a great 7th row seat behind the goal post (Thanks Margaret!).
Got the newest Depeche Mode CD. I'm listening to it as I write this, and it's kind of
comforting in a weird way - I've been fondly listening to them since high school,
and after all these years and countless memories and experiences later, they're still going strong.
I don't usually write about the movies I see anymore (it's just too much too keep up with, and no one cares about my opinion anyway),
but I feel I have to write about Peter Jackson's new King Kong. I've always been a Kong fan -
the first one was a stop-motion masterpiece in its day, and the second one in the 70's endeared itself to me to the point where
the soundtrack is still in my head even though I haven't seen the movie since I was a kid.
Jackson's movie is three hours long, which is pretty
standard nowadays,
but please believe me when I tell you that you can and should skip the first hour completely.
That part of it could of and should of been cut down to a half hour TOPS.
You never even see Kong until an hour and a half into the movie!! After the first hour,
the movie is amazing and totally believable visually. Afterward, I went back and watched some clips and
stills online from the 70's version, and this new one makes that look like a man in a suit. Also,
for those of you waiting to see it on DVD,
this is one of those movies to be seen on the big screen to really appreciate it (just skip the first hour - ask me -
I'll fill you in on the details). When Kong roars, you
feel it. I knew it would make me sad (we all know how it ends),
but the music and cinematography are done in such a way that I was far more sad than I expected.
Even the second time, when I saw the last two hours the next day.
click here for 2008.
click here for 2007.
click here for 2006.
click here for 2004.
click here for 2003.
click here for 2002.
I much enjoyed Batman Begins. It makes total sense that he would have been trained as a Ninja beforehand.
I've recently taken up running.
I got to hang with my long time friend (and former room mate) Phillip, as he visited Charlotte for a few days.
Hey, instead of spending money on that next bar tab, how about sending a small tax deductable donation to help the people of Darfur (in Africa) who are starving, being slaughtered, raped, displaced and such by the many thousands. Help for them and good karma for you.
July 2005- I watched the Fourth of July fireworks from the 27th floor of a building uptown (Bentley's on 27).
Got my nose broken sparring. I wasn't covering as I should have, and it connected hard
with my bud's knee. I didn't actually go get an x ray -
what most probably really happened was the cartilage was broken off from the bone,
and the bone itself wasn't actually broken. All I know is that I could move stuff below the surface
in unnatural ways (painfully) till it set right.
Now my nose is slightly crooked, but it's not obvious unless you're looking for it. When it first happened,
it swelled up big, gushed like a water balloon, and was bruised for about a week.
To quote Alfred Hitchcock fom Psycho: "You should have seen the blood..."
I saw Duran Duran for my 5th time. Great show! I mean, they opened with "Friends of Mine"- how cool is that? I lost count after about
the fifteenth time or so that I was asked to quit dancing in the aisle and get back to my seat. Originally, I had the
set list displayed here. But then it seemed too much like something someone who
follows one of those cult bands would do, so I removed it (although I do have it saved on my computer
so I can remember it years from now). Okay, if you really are curious, you can see it here:
Here's my latest drawing I did for someone's birthday.
August 2005- I passed the firefighter Physical Ability Test -
While wearing a 50 pound vest. For the stair climbing aspect, an additional 25 pounds was added.
It's Bond month on AMC! Every night a different Bond movie for the whole month. Whoo Hoo!
( I know, I know, it's American Movie Classics...)
So, no more Six Feet Under anymore (well, new ones anyway).
What a perfect way to end such a great show. However, it could have been better: in the scene where Claire passes away,
why wasn't everyone else who preceeded her standing there waiting?
(I'll give credit where it's due, thanks Greg for bringing that to my attention) I'm going to miss looking forward to each week's new episode. I've heard a lot of people talking about the moving piece of
music that was playing as the final episode came to a close. FYI: it's a song called "Breathe Me" by an Australian
singer named Sia Furler.
September 2005- I saw Coldplay.
My friends and I had lawn tickets.
About 20 minutes into the show,
I went to the men's room, and upon my return, I looked out at the sea of people
(hands down the largest crowd I've EVER seen at that venue),
and realized I had officially lost my friends. I made a bit of an effort,
but I'd been drinkin' a bit and quickly gave up the hunt (maneuvering through SO many bodies,
while walking up a hill, etc). So, yeah, I saw the concert by myself basically.
Normally I would have switched into Terminator mode and found them with relative ease, but the thing is,
I don't really drink much anymore, and with the pre-show festivities, my mind was numbed.
Note to self.
They played Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire. The thing about Coldplay is,
(as evidenced by their lame album covers),
they're really not big on visuals. The music was excellent as expected,
but the two big screens on either side (for the lawn folks), weren't even on till the last 10 minutes or so!
What's that all about? I mean, you go to, for example, a Rush show, Pink Floyd, or the like, and you know
that the entire time you're hearing amazing music, you'll be experiencing amazing visuals too.
You know, the total concert experience. I could do that for them. For a price.
October 2005- I went to the Carolina Greenbay game.
It wasn't planned - I went on a whim, wanting to catch a night game.
I arrived just before halftime, putting it out there to the universe that I needed a ticket (but wasn't going to pay a lot for it).
A guy walked up and gave me a $90 ticket for FREE. It was a great seat on the 37 yard line.
This is just a reminder that we can create our own positivity or negativity
in a very powerful way just by our mindset (and focus),
like in the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know?".
I met John C. Riley in a local coffee shop. I respectfully asked for a photo for this website.
He was with his wife and kids and said he's in there often, and if I catch him alone, sure, but not during his family time.
I assured him I understand and that I hope I wasn't intruding and wished him a great stay while in Charlotte.
November 2005- Got to see my bud Jim (and his girl) when he visited Charlotte recently.
Passed my level five test at my martial arts school (you start at level zero). I drove down to Atlanta to see my best friend Bryan
(and his wife, daughter, and two Border Collies). Those Border Collies are smarter than some people I know.
I was in Atlanta for roughly 42 hours, and in that time, I was in the gym 3 times, starting within an hour
of my arrival at 2 AM. Pain is weakness leaving the body.
December 2005- Let's hear it for my girl
Sarah who was on an episode of All My Children. Woo Hoo!
(Her site's not quite done yet).
Saw the Panthers game against the Bucs. The Panthers didn't fare so well
(I kept saying "I should be out there!"), but I had
a great 7th row seat behind the goal post (Thanks Margaret!).
Got the newest Depeche Mode CD. I'm listening to it as I write this, and it's kind of
comforting in a weird way - I've been fondly listening to them since high school,
and after all these years and countless memories and experiences later, they're still going strong.
I don't usually write about the movies I see anymore (it's just too much too keep up with, and no one cares about my opinion anyway),
but I feel I have to write about Peter Jackson's new King Kong. I've always been a Kong fan -
the first one was a stop-motion masterpiece in its day, and the second one in the 70's endeared itself to me to the point where
the soundtrack is still in my head even though I haven't seen the movie since I was a kid.
Jackson's movie is three hours long, which is pretty
standard nowadays,
but please believe me when I tell you that you can and should skip the first hour completely.
That part of it could of and should of been cut down to a half hour TOPS.
You never even see Kong until an hour and a half into the movie!! After the first hour,
the movie is amazing and totally believable visually. Afterward, I went back and watched some clips and
stills online from the 70's version, and this new one makes that look like a man in a suit. Also,
for those of you waiting to see it on DVD,
this is one of those movies to be seen on the big screen to really appreciate it (just skip the first hour - ask me -
I'll fill you in on the details). When Kong roars, you
feel it. I knew it would make me sad (we all know how it ends),
but the music and cinematography are done in such a way that I was far more sad than I expected.
Even the second time, when I saw the last two hours the next day.
click here for 2008.
click here for 2007.
click here for 2006.
click here for 2004.
click here for 2003.
click here for 2002.
It's Bond month on AMC! Every night a different Bond movie for the whole month. Whoo Hoo! ( I know, I know, it's American Movie Classics...)
So, no more Six Feet Under anymore (well, new ones anyway). What a perfect way to end such a great show. However, it could have been better: in the scene where Claire passes away, why wasn't everyone else who preceeded her standing there waiting? (I'll give credit where it's due, thanks Greg for bringing that to my attention) I'm going to miss looking forward to each week's new episode. I've heard a lot of people talking about the moving piece of music that was playing as the final episode came to a close. FYI: it's a song called "Breathe Me" by an Australian singer named Sia Furler.
September 2005- I saw Coldplay.
My friends and I had lawn tickets.
About 20 minutes into the show,
I went to the men's room, and upon my return, I looked out at the sea of people
(hands down the largest crowd I've EVER seen at that venue),
and realized I had officially lost my friends. I made a bit of an effort,
but I'd been drinkin' a bit and quickly gave up the hunt (maneuvering through SO many bodies,
while walking up a hill, etc). So, yeah, I saw the concert by myself basically.
Normally I would have switched into Terminator mode and found them with relative ease, but the thing is,
I don't really drink much anymore, and with the pre-show festivities, my mind was numbed.
Note to self.
They played Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire. The thing about Coldplay is,
(as evidenced by their lame album covers),
they're really not big on visuals. The music was excellent as expected,
but the two big screens on either side (for the lawn folks), weren't even on till the last 10 minutes or so!
What's that all about? I mean, you go to, for example, a Rush show, Pink Floyd, or the like, and you know
that the entire time you're hearing amazing music, you'll be experiencing amazing visuals too.
You know, the total concert experience. I could do that for them. For a price.
October 2005- I went to the Carolina Greenbay game.
It wasn't planned - I went on a whim, wanting to catch a night game.
I arrived just before halftime, putting it out there to the universe that I needed a ticket (but wasn't going to pay a lot for it).
A guy walked up and gave me a $90 ticket for FREE. It was a great seat on the 37 yard line.
This is just a reminder that we can create our own positivity or negativity
in a very powerful way just by our mindset (and focus),
like in the movie "What the Bleep Do We Know?".
I met John C. Riley in a local coffee shop. I respectfully asked for a photo for this website.
He was with his wife and kids and said he's in there often, and if I catch him alone, sure, but not during his family time.
I assured him I understand and that I hope I wasn't intruding and wished him a great stay while in Charlotte.
November 2005- Got to see my bud Jim (and his girl) when he visited Charlotte recently.
Passed my level five test at my martial arts school (you start at level zero). I drove down to Atlanta to see my best friend Bryan
(and his wife, daughter, and two Border Collies). Those Border Collies are smarter than some people I know.
I was in Atlanta for roughly 42 hours, and in that time, I was in the gym 3 times, starting within an hour
of my arrival at 2 AM. Pain is weakness leaving the body.
December 2005- Let's hear it for my girl
Sarah who was on an episode of All My Children. Woo Hoo!
(Her site's not quite done yet).
Saw the Panthers game against the Bucs. The Panthers didn't fare so well
(I kept saying "I should be out there!"), but I had
a great 7th row seat behind the goal post (Thanks Margaret!).
Got the newest Depeche Mode CD. I'm listening to it as I write this, and it's kind of
comforting in a weird way - I've been fondly listening to them since high school,
and after all these years and countless memories and experiences later, they're still going strong.
I don't usually write about the movies I see anymore (it's just too much too keep up with, and no one cares about my opinion anyway),
but I feel I have to write about Peter Jackson's new King Kong. I've always been a Kong fan -
the first one was a stop-motion masterpiece in its day, and the second one in the 70's endeared itself to me to the point where
the soundtrack is still in my head even though I haven't seen the movie since I was a kid.
Jackson's movie is three hours long, which is pretty
standard nowadays,
but please believe me when I tell you that you can and should skip the first hour completely.
That part of it could of and should of been cut down to a half hour TOPS.
You never even see Kong until an hour and a half into the movie!! After the first hour,
the movie is amazing and totally believable visually. Afterward, I went back and watched some clips and
stills online from the 70's version, and this new one makes that look like a man in a suit. Also,
for those of you waiting to see it on DVD,
this is one of those movies to be seen on the big screen to really appreciate it (just skip the first hour - ask me -
I'll fill you in on the details). When Kong roars, you
feel it. I knew it would make me sad (we all know how it ends),
but the music and cinematography are done in such a way that I was far more sad than I expected.
Even the second time, when I saw the last two hours the next day.
click here for 2008.
click here for 2007.
click here for 2006.
click here for 2004.
click here for 2003.
click here for 2002.
I met John C. Riley in a local coffee shop. I respectfully asked for a photo for this website. He was with his wife and kids and said he's in there often, and if I catch him alone, sure, but not during his family time. I assured him I understand and that I hope I wasn't intruding and wished him a great stay while in Charlotte.
November 2005- Got to see my bud Jim (and his girl) when he visited Charlotte recently.
Passed my level five test at my martial arts school (you start at level zero). I drove down to Atlanta to see my best friend Bryan
(and his wife, daughter, and two Border Collies). Those Border Collies are smarter than some people I know.
I was in Atlanta for roughly 42 hours, and in that time, I was in the gym 3 times, starting within an hour
of my arrival at 2 AM. Pain is weakness leaving the body.
December 2005- Let's hear it for my girl
Sarah who was on an episode of All My Children. Woo Hoo!
(Her site's not quite done yet).
Saw the Panthers game against the Bucs. The Panthers didn't fare so well
(I kept saying "I should be out there!"), but I had
a great 7th row seat behind the goal post (Thanks Margaret!).
Got the newest Depeche Mode CD. I'm listening to it as I write this, and it's kind of
comforting in a weird way - I've been fondly listening to them since high school,
and after all these years and countless memories and experiences later, they're still going strong.
I don't usually write about the movies I see anymore (it's just too much too keep up with, and no one cares about my opinion anyway),
but I feel I have to write about Peter Jackson's new King Kong. I've always been a Kong fan -
the first one was a stop-motion masterpiece in its day, and the second one in the 70's endeared itself to me to the point where
the soundtrack is still in my head even though I haven't seen the movie since I was a kid.
Jackson's movie is three hours long, which is pretty
standard nowadays,
but please believe me when I tell you that you can and should skip the first hour completely.
That part of it could of and should of been cut down to a half hour TOPS.
You never even see Kong until an hour and a half into the movie!! After the first hour,
the movie is amazing and totally believable visually. Afterward, I went back and watched some clips and
stills online from the 70's version, and this new one makes that look like a man in a suit. Also,
for those of you waiting to see it on DVD,
this is one of those movies to be seen on the big screen to really appreciate it (just skip the first hour - ask me -
I'll fill you in on the details). When Kong roars, you
feel it. I knew it would make me sad (we all know how it ends),
but the music and cinematography are done in such a way that I was far more sad than I expected.
Even the second time, when I saw the last two hours the next day.
click here for 2008.
click here for 2007.
click here for 2006.
click here for 2004.
click here for 2003.
click here for 2002.
Saw the Panthers game against the Bucs. The Panthers didn't fare so well (I kept saying "I should be out there!"), but I had a great 7th row seat behind the goal post (Thanks Margaret!).
Got the newest Depeche Mode CD. I'm listening to it as I write this, and it's kind of comforting in a weird way - I've been fondly listening to them since high school, and after all these years and countless memories and experiences later, they're still going strong.
I don't usually write about the movies I see anymore (it's just too much too keep up with, and no one cares about my opinion anyway), but I feel I have to write about Peter Jackson's new King Kong. I've always been a Kong fan - the first one was a stop-motion masterpiece in its day, and the second one in the 70's endeared itself to me to the point where the soundtrack is still in my head even though I haven't seen the movie since I was a kid. Jackson's movie is three hours long, which is pretty standard nowadays, but please believe me when I tell you that you can and should skip the first hour completely. That part of it could of and should of been cut down to a half hour TOPS. You never even see Kong until an hour and a half into the movie!! After the first hour, the movie is amazing and totally believable visually. Afterward, I went back and watched some clips and stills online from the 70's version, and this new one makes that look like a man in a suit. Also, for those of you waiting to see it on DVD, this is one of those movies to be seen on the big screen to really appreciate it (just skip the first hour - ask me - I'll fill you in on the details). When Kong roars, you feel it. I knew it would make me sad (we all know how it ends), but the music and cinematography are done in such a way that I was far more sad than I expected. Even the second time, when I saw the last two hours the next day.
click here for 2008.
click here for 2007.
click here for 2006.
click here for 2004.
click here for 2003.
click here for 2002.
Stay tuned for even more excitement yet to come...
(Can you stand it?!)
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