My lesson with Ellerby went really well this morning. He said I had a natural fluency, and that my next step should be the art of structure, balance, and placement -- things that aren't necessarily taught as much as they're discovered. We went through Badinage, and he made some very on-target comments about how to improve the piece's cohesiveness.

There's not enough good pieces of chicken in fried chicken boxes these days. There should be a white-meat trade-in program so I don't have to bother with so much dry stringiness -- Dark meat is definitely key.

Monday's Boston Public episode was definitely a good start to the season, if a little over the top. I'm glad they started a little ways into the year, so they didn't have to waste time directly introducing the new students and teachers. A "first day" episode would have been such an easy throwaway.

Happy Halloween! I have big fatass CRUNCH bars if you want to knock on my door.

As you've probably deduced from yesterday's cryptic update, I've decided not to go for a Doctorate in music. I accepted an unofficial offer from FGM on Wednesday morning, and received word last night that an unexpected budget surplus has guaranteed me a spot on the payroll starting next May. There are many reasons behind how I came to this decision, and I'll try to write some more about them this weekend.

In the meantime, if you like any of my furniture, lay claim to it now because I won't be taking it all back to Virginia.

Stupid people still exist.
BSA hates heathens.

Happy Halloween!

I bought lots of big candy bars and treats and toys with which to spoil the apartment complex kiddies, as is tradition in Uri! households.

Everything is in order for a November 1 rollout of the URI! Zone. In fact, the early birds among you will probably see it a few minutes after midnight if all goes according to plan.

"Halloween and Halloween Eve are two days when dressing like a clown is less likely to draw attention." - CNN news reporting on why someone might dress as a clown to rob a bank

Happy Halloween!

If you are reading this and you work with me, there's a massive mountain of sugar and chocolate on my desk. Please partake freely. If you are in my house because you are a daytime burglar, there is a ridiculous amount of beverages left in my fridge. Please partake freely, and leave all the rest of my crap behind.

In honor of Halloween, I have gone through my backlog of pictures from the past month and posted them all in the Photos section. Follow this link to see the pictures of the newly-completed guest room. Follow this one to see a couple pictures from Nikki's wedding. Follow this particular link to see a bunch of cats and dogs and follow this link to see a bunch of pictures from the ridiculously black Halloween Party we had on Saturday night in my basement. As always, you can use the left and right arrows on those pages to browse through the pictures in order, or you can use the menu on the left-hand side to jump to another section.

I do not plan on giving out candy tonight, because half the kids are one year old and have no idea why their parents have dressed them up as ghosts, and the other half of the kids do not wear any costumes. It really kills the magic of the holiday. Maybe I will just leave a bulk box of raisins and apples on my stoop. Every neighbourhood has to have the weird house where the owner doesn't want to answer the door, so he leaves a big basket on the steps, trusting in the goodness of kids, and every neighbourhood also needs the dentist who passes out healthy snacks -- I could kill two birds with one stone.

Halloweens of Yore

In 1992 (ninth grade), I went trick-or-treating as a Candy Recycler (a.k.a. teenager who is too cool to think up a real costume but still wants candy). The recycling sign hanging off the trash can was a carry over from my Environmental Science merit badge and is still highly useful at parties. "Do you recycle beer bottles? OH."

I've gone trick-or-treating as both a wizard and a warrior (but never a rogue). Coincidentally, the walking stick I used for my wizard costume and the wooden warrior sword made by my grandparents' neighbour were both later destroyed by situp-farting Tony who tried attacking a cinderblock wall with them. I was not happy about that.

In 1999, I went to a party at the Tuba House. I was a Math Major (complete with tape on the bridge, high waters, and impeccably combed hair), except when I was talking to Math Majors, in which case I was a Physics Major. Nikki was a schoolgirl, but everyone kept thinking she was Britney Spears -- since she was into peer pressure, she ran with that instead. Liz was some kind of sexy cat.

In 1994, I climbed up onto the roof of my house with a giant bag of leaves. When the passing populace knocked, I scared them with a homemade ghost on a bungee cord and then lowered the candy down, occasionally stopping to dump leaves on parents. I said nothing, communicating only with the buzz of my trumpet mouthpiece. The professional trumpet player from down the street took the opportunity to explained to his daughter how the embouchure worked.

In 2003, I was a gangster. I picked this costume because I could also wear it to work without getting strange stares in traffic, or walking about. Booty was a ghost, but only for about ten seconds.

One year in elementary school, I wanted to get one of those orange and black shirts that said, "This is my costume", but my parents didn't want to spend $14 on a T-shirt that I would only wear once a year, so I had to write it in black marker on a white shirt. This did not achieve the desired effect whatsoever -- no one could read the shirt so I had to hold out stretched out as if I were concealing a pregnancy at every house I went to.

In 2005, I was a ukelele-playing Hawaiian without a ukelele, but with a coconut bra, which was much more crucial.

Happy Birthday Eric Barberan!

Media Day

Since it's the last day of the month, I thought I'd play catch-up and upload 119 photos into my Photos gallery. Some of these have been seen in various forms in my news updates, but for the first time, you can see the complete series in its unadulterated glory.

See More Basement Photos	See More Cat Photos
See More Ella Photos	See More Photos from Jen's
See More Photos from Great Falls	See More Photos from Blacksburg
See More Photos from the Halloween Party See Even More Photos from the Halloween Party

Happy Halloween! There's candy on my desk.

End of the Month Media Day

Because it's the last day of the month, I took the opportunity to upload the past month's worth of photos and dub it an update. You can also enjoy two short movie clips:

Happy Halloween!

Weekend Wrap-up

Friday

After work, I cleaned the house (which is part of my normal Friday afternoon routine although it sometimes alternates with mowing the lawn), did some reading, and played some Terraria, which is like a version of Minecraft that's actually finished and bug-free, and has the added bonus of not inducing migraines or prematurely advancing my nearsightedness.

Saturday

I was up early to head to my parents' house in Alexandria for an oil change and use of the computer with Firewire for some video editing, so I was a firsthand witness to the premature precipitation barely recognizable as snow, over which most of the local populace peed all over themselves. I spent the afternoon working on Brian & Emily's first dance wedding video (mainly inserting pictures of Booty's face all over the primary cast). In the evening, we had a quick dinner at Moby Dick's House of Kabob (which was tasty, though of questionable gastrointestinal benefit), followed by a trip of average female length to DSW for new physical therapy shoes for Rebecca. We ended with a viewing of Memento, which I hadn't seen since 2005, and which Rebecca ironically no longer remembered at all.

Sunday

Sunday was a stress-free day of indoor activities. I puttered about, added some pumpkins to the Stone Band website, and prepared a very easy recipe of grilled pork chops with salsa and a spicy rub (like a massage therapist with a sharp tongue). The pork chops turned out to be so delicious that we consumed all two pounds (except the bones), leaving no leftovers for midweek lunches. Sadly, we also finished The Wire today.

Happy Halloween!

Random Chart Day: How I Feel About Pigs In a Blanket

Happy Howsereen!

Because of the holiday, I can repost my original mashup of the themes from Halloween and Doogie Howser, MD and call it a real update.

Happy Halloween! I hope you are giving or receiving some big candy bars this evening. Halloween, like marriage, is all about giving and receiving.

End-of-the-Month Highlights Day

New photos have been added to the Life, 2014 and Seattle, 2014 albums.

• Events
  • Celebrated a 5th Wedding Anniversary in Harper's Ferry and lost a FitBit in the Shenandoah on 10/4.
  
  
  • Had Game Night with Mexican food and weird German board games at the Smiths on 10/11.
  
  
  • Went on a week-long vacation in Washington State from 10/18 - 10/25, missing Anna's 33rd birthday, Booty's 12th birthday, and Amber's 10th birthday.
  
  
  • Planning to spend Halloween night quietly with the Ambrognes in Fairfax.


• Projects
  • Worked on a proposal about big data and clouds.
  
  
  • Mercifully finished a weak Coursera course on Usable Security, and started a much better one on Software Security.


• Consumerism
  • Enjoyed the new album by the Dirt Poor Robins.
  
  
  • Tore through multiple seasons of The Shield and Sons of Anarchy, and Parks and Recreation, Season Six. Still enjoying Person of Interest, Season Three.
  
  
  • Played Hearthstone and some classic Warcraft III.

October's Final Grade: A

End-of-the-Month Highlights Day

New photos have been added to the Life, 2016 album.

• Events
  • Celebrated our 7th Anniversary with a trip to Aslin Brewery and Barcelona Wine Bar on S 10/1.
  
  
  • Visited the Ambrognes for their daughter's first birthday party on S 10/8.
  
  
  • Made bean chili for Rebecca's yoga friends who volunteered to take a trial yoga class with her on F 10/14.
  
  
  • Went to my 20th High School Reunion on S 10/15.
  
  
  • Our across-the-street neighbours sold their house and moved out on F 10/21.
  
  
  • Spent a weekend in the countryside at Deer Haven in Edinburg, VA, F 10/21 - M 10/24. Hiked to Woodstock Tower and Duncan Knob, hot tubbed, and made s'mores.
  
  
  • Said goodbye to the Lowrys (who are moving to San Diego next month) on F 10/28.
  
  
  • Visited the Alhbins and the Hickses in Fredericksburg, S 10/29 - S 10/30.


• Projects
  • Worked on a new proposal for the first half of the month.
  
  
  • Obtained my AWS SysOps - Associate certification on F 10/7.


• Consumerism
  • Still playing Overwatch, having gotten my win rate back up over 50% and reaching Level 367. Tried Civilization 6 but was bored.
  
  
  • Enjoyed seasons of Orphan Black and Crazy Ex Girlfriend. Currently watching Narcos, Season Two.
  
  
  • Listening to new music by Twenty One Pilots.
  
  

October's Final Grade: B+, Fun weekend trips and nice weather.

End-of-the-Month Highlights Day

New photos have been added to the Life, 2018 album. Google Photos sucks.

• Events
  • Celebrated our 9th Wedding Anniversary on W 10/3 with leftovers and a bottle of black pumpkin stout.
  
  
  • Rebecca and Maia went to visit Andrea, Ben, and Amelia on F 10/5, while I worked and then had dinner at Miller's.
  
  
  • We went to SterlingFest on S 10/6 so Maia could enjoy her second petting zoo experience. In the evening, my parents babysat while Rebecca and I had an Anniversary Date at Port City Brewing and Fat City Kitchen.
  
  
  • Maia had her 15 month check-up and still didn't crack the 20-pounder ceiling on T 10/9.
  
  
  • Elisa came to town to visit F 10/12 - S 10/14. The weekend included bird-watching in Claude Moore, dinner at Singh Thai in Lake Anne Plaza, and a homemade spaghetti dinner on the last night.
  
  
  • Took Maia to Frying Pan Park for the first times on T 10/16 and W 10/17.
  
  
  • Had a family dinner at Mellow Mushroom on F 10/19.
  
  
  • Took my parents on a tour of Lake Anne on S 10/20, followed by slow-cooked apple pork for dinner.
  
  
  • Had a solo dad dinner at Miller's, marred by the annoying Cowboys - Redskins game, on S 10/21.
  
  
  • Had a warm, friendly dinner at the Shrimp Lover on F 10/26.
  
  
  • Had Ray and Cristina over for dinner and National Parks Monopoly on S 10/27.
  
  
  • Had a solo dad dinner at the V on S 10/28.
  
  
  • No plans for Halloween this year.


• Projects
  • Went up to 30 hours per week at work this month.
  
  
  • Continued to purge excess stuff and optimize storage space around the house.
  
  
  • Digitized all of my old calendars so I can be on the Supreme Court some day.


• Consumerism
  • Identified my Linksys EA7500 router as the bottleneck on my slow Internet over the past few months and upgraded to the ASUS RT-AC68U.
  
  
  • Mixed gaming time amongst Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
  
  
  • Enjoyed watching Fargo, Season Three, American Vandal, Season Two, Bodyguard, Season One and Killing Eve, Season One this month.
  
  
  • No new music this month.

October's Final Grade: B, Cooler weather brings more variety to potential baby activities, but this was an unusually long-feeling month

End-of-the-Month Highlights Day

New photos have been added to the Life, 2022 album.

• Events
  • Went to Ava's 5th birthday party at Hyperkidz on S 10/1.
  
  
  • Spent the afternoon at the Smith's on S 10/2.
  
  
  • Celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary on M 10/3.
  
  
  • Family dinner at Sweetwater Tavern on W 10/5.
  
  
  • Took Ian to my parent's while Maia and Rebecca went to Disney on Ice! on S 10/8. Everyone went to SterlingFest in the afternoon.
  
  
  • Rebecca's parents came over for the afternoon on S 10/15.
  
  
  • Had Larry, Janice, and the kids over for lunch on S 10/16. Maia got a corneal abrasion from a book left in her bed.
  
  
  • Went to the HOA Annual Meeting on W 10/19 and started a two-year term as a real board member.
  
  
  • Rebecca and Maia went to the Community Center Halloween Party on F 10/21.
  
  
  • Family outing to Potomac Crossing Park on S 10/22.
  
  
  • Rebecca and the kids hiked to Bear's Den with Sara and Karl on S 10/23. Pizza dinner from Fire Works at our house with Sara, Karl, Car, and Jordan.
  
  
  • Forest Grove Trunk or Treat on F 10/28.
  
  
  • Visited my parents with the kids on S 10/29.
  
  
  • Rebecca and the kids went to the Cascades Halloween Farmer's Market with Tammy and Patrick, then everyone came back to the house for an afternoon fire pit and pumpkin carving on S 10/30. Made udon soup for dinner.
  
  
  • Went Trick or Treating with the kids (late-game shift to the Berenstain Bears) until in started raining on M 10/31.
  
  


• Projects
  • Continued learning IntelliJ IDEA and migrating my personal projects over from Eclipse.
  
  
  • Continued picking up trash around the neighbourhood with Ian.
  
  
  • Pressure washed the front porch on S 10/15.


• Consumerism
  • Playing Overwatch 2 now.
  
  
  • No amazing new music, TV shows, or movies this month. The Peripheral seems promising so far.

October's Final Grade: A, a very nice month