I posted Song-A-Week 2 days early. I missed it last week, figured I owed it to everyone. Besides, I'm too busy getting ready for Omaha!

ALDaily (a favorite site of mine) posted a link to a fantastic compilation by scientists, philosophers, et al. - "What have you changed your mind about?" There are some fascinating answers (scroll down to read), and a whole lot of them to boot. The question has really made me think, what have I changed my mind about?

Many, many things, really, though my biggest one is probably about technology. I think I'd been in denial about my love of technology for some time, thinking myself somewhat of a naturalist, not needing mass media, going outside all the time, etc. But between thousands of talks with Bren and my travels to Taiwan, my opinions have changed. I love technology, and I certainly need media. In a society where we can buy food, generate heat without starting a fire, and drive (instead of walk) wherever we need to go, we need media to get by - games, movies, whatever - to stimulate our minds, give us something to think about, and simply take up our time. Humans have never had this much free mental time before, and it takes something human to fill the gap. So I'll enjoy my DS, Wii, and my surrogate 360, watch all the MSTs I can stand...and take a hike when I'm done. :)

Any thoughts? What have you changed your mind about? Interesting stuff.

Labels: reflection

We're hosting a Hoot tonight! Should be fun. :) Pizza and brownies for all! That being said, I have no time to post, but I happened to like this article. Good stuff. And Obama's new layout is gorgeous. Web 2.0 without looking it, flows very well, and I never noticed how amazing the logo is, the connotations it has. It's really something, and makes the other candidate's sites look dull, to say the lease.

Labels: links

New Year's was awesome - two parties in 2 days! First at Liz's apartment, which was rather fun, then a huge party at Jackie/Brian's, which was very fun, lots of Rock Band, catching up with people, and drunken merriment. Bren took me to Penang, one of my favorite restaurants, so that was excellent too (fried taro and bubble tea mmmm), and we got to spend some quality time together :) Bren's mom made a delicious dinner as well :) New Year's was great! I am so happy I was able to spend time with friends and loved ones during the holiday season.

Now, for more New Year's-related lists.

Stuff I should force myself to buy:

1. Quicken - so I can actually keep track of my finances, learn how much money I have so that I'm not afraid to spend it. I want to actively save, not be cheap. :P In tandem, I want to learn about taxes and all that so I actually know what I'm doing.
2. Apartment-related goodies - since we're at least at the apartment through September, it'd be nice to fix things up a bit, get a new shower curtain, hang up more pictures, maybe a new rug or a carpet runner, how about a one of those pot-hanging racks so I can keep track of what I have? I never let myself invest in the apartment, but I should.
3. A new apartment - well, yeah. I'd like it to be more homey, but I'd also like to leave when I can, for a place that has a bit more storage space, and of course has a tiny second bedroom for the Jamie music studio. Recording when Bren is snoring is a bit difficult. :)
4. At least 1 or 2 pointless, really pretty things - probably clothes. I never let myself do that, but it would be fun. :)
5. Music-related stuff - if, in fact, I somehow win the competition next week, I'd have a tough choice ahead of me. Would I get the Garritan Personal Orchestra, new 2-gig memory sticks for my laptop, perhaps a LEGAL copy of Sibelius, and a million new VST instruments? Or perhaps I'd splurge and get the Total Studio Workstation. Shinyyyy~

Well, back at work. I'll post later I'm sure.

Labels: holiday

New Year's is probably my favorite holiday. I know that most people don't like New Year's nearly as much as, say, Christmas or Thanksgiving, but there's something about New Year's. I guess I'm very big on dates - the marking of the passage of time always makes me think. I'm very big on celebrating our anniversary on the day, that sort of thing. So New Year's is pretty big for me.

It's been a rather important year for me. I moved in with Bren, a very big step, and started adjusting to having a normal (non-distance) relationship; I went to Taiwan and Japan, and the many events and sights seen profoundly affected me, drew me closer to friends; I got a new, cosy, pretty impressive job, with a great boss and atmosphere; and I finally started becoming a composer, placing in 2 competitions and starting Song-a-Week. And of course, there was also Mom's surgery - she's doing very well and prefers not to jinx things by talking about it. :)

This year has been a real emotional rollercoaster, but in the end it was probably the best year I ever had. A whole mess of issues came up from seemingly happy events, but that forced me to really think, and I'm much better off for it. I've been through a whole bunch this year, and I'm very happy for that.

Some favorites:
Bioshock; Mass Effect; Puzzle Quest; Super Paper Mario; Super Mario Galaxy; Portal; Sweeney Todd; Stardust; Enchanted; the new P.J. Harvey and Explosions in the Sky Albums; the "Casino Royale" RiffTrax; "Wild Women of Wongo" MST; The Passion of Artemisia; The Handmaid's Tale; The Blind Assassin; "The Office"; "Avatar: The Last Airbender"; "Futurama: Bender's Big Score"; the Giants-Pats game yesterday.

Favorite moments: the picnic Bren made me on our anniversary; seeing EitS at the music festival in Toronto; basically all of the Taiwan/Japan trip (with special nods to Tainan, seeing Dana, and Kyoto); seeing Mom walk for the first time after the surgery and smile; seeing Sam again; countless little moments with Bren.

Two Carl Sagan quotes I'd like to live by this year:
"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."
and
"Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere."

And now, some goals for 2008!

1. Keep up Song-a-Week. This is numero uno. If I can keep it up for the majority of the year I'll actually be proud of myself.
2. Take time to think. Write in my (pen-and-paper) journal, read, *gasp* meditate.
3. Speak without shame. The less I hold back, the happier I am. Which goes in tandem with
4. Accept myself - my limitations and flaws, the things I should be proud of.
5. Stop worrying about food! I'm in pretty good shape. Calm the F down.
6. Let myself feel the ups and downs of life, and be content without sorrow.
   and of course
7. Keep up with all of my wonderful friends and family!

The thing I learned the most this year - by far, the most important thing in life is to connect with those around you, to be kind (but honest) to friends, to hold them close to you. There is nothing like the joy of a loved one actually being by your side, and nothing like the sting of their absence. I love my friends so very much, and hope to see them more in '08.

Happy New Year!

Labels: reflection

- To the Patriots, who always, always find a way to win, even if they are being *gasp* outplayed for 3 quarters, they always seem to find a way to pull things together. That interception was amazing - Manning was just throwing the ball out of bounds and somehow, somehow he created a turnover out of it. They're an amazing team, no question about it. Seeing them in person was awesome.

- To the Giants, who proved that despite how amazing the Pats are, they aren't as perfect as their record! We played an amazing game, Eli played the best game he's ever played, Hixon was unbelievable. We really came together, a real team, and we can beat most anyone in the league if we keep this up...perhaps, save the Pats...

Last night was really fun. It wasn't too cold, the atmosphere was electric. The fans (on both sides) were very nice, not much booing yesterday (though I heard a couple of Pats fans showing "Go Tampa Bay!" after the game). And there really wasn't much to boo. I don't think I've ever seen (in person) a better game.

So we'll see what happens! Pats fans can't gloat about this, but Giants fans can be happy. We're all going to the playoffs, and hell, maybe we'll face each other again!

Labels: sports