Demon Fuel
Last night after work I went out and purchased something I have nicknamed ‘Demon Fuel’ as well as some new shoes for training. I ended up with a nice pair of Nikes (I know, I know, Nike-e’s … lol) that were surprisingly affordable. My trainer had suggested the Under Armor brand but those were a little too pricey for me to just be training in them and I was assured that those were no better than the ones I bought. Now this ‘Demon Fuel’ is a whole other beast and I have mixed emotions about it. What I got was Fast Twitch and what it did for my running time last night was extraordinary. I knocked more than 2 minutes off my previous best time for a 5k and felt very strong before, during, and after the run. It also kept me up for the next few hours and had me feeling like I could have run another one, so I’m not entirely sure this is a good thing. Or at least maybe taking it at 6:30pm before a 7pm run might not be a good idea?!
Either way, this stuff was one of those “you didn’t hear it from me” conversations I had with my trainer after I told him I was ready to take things to the next level and hit the weights hard again. Even with my normal freak-like energy levels I am fatiguing out too early to make the impressive gains I want to see, so this is supposed to give me that extra push during the intensive workouts we have returned to. I was really hoping to discuss this stuff with a friend before doing this, but I have probably made an ass out of myself and looked a little pathetic lately, so that didn’t happen. I have read about and researched this ‘Demon Fuel’ on the internet and I trust my trainer so we’ll just have to see how this works out.
Since I was up and watching the election results and subsequent speeches last night I went ahead and posted some items on my tech blog. I am submitting my posts to a few other tech sites and I hope to get some feedback from peers on those. If nothing else I am creating an online repository for my own practices and procedures in terms of large volume meeting capture projects. Yea, try saying that last sentence five times fast … damn Demon Fuel … lol
Alright kids, time for me to get back to it. Have a good day.
A Time of Change
Welcome to a new United States of America.
Today we elected a President who represents a host of change for this great country of ours. Let us only hope and pray that this is what we have all been searching for. That this is the change our country so desperately needs.
In my opinion we as a country have a very long way to go to bring ourselves into the next century and regain the title of the greatest country in all of the world. But I feel that finally, for us, for our country, we finally have a hope for the future.
This is not a political blog. I have no intention of making it into one either.
However, I felt a need to say that.
God bless the USA.
A guide from the wine expert - MY DAD!!
I received a letter from my parents today and inside was a cutout of the front page of their local paper The Daily Times and who did I see on the front page?
Well MY DAD!!
He was pictured pouring wine for the winery he now works for, Bordeleau Vineyards, during the recent Autumn Wine Festival at Pemberton Historical Park in Salisbury MD. So after reading and re-reading the article I decided to do some poking around on the internet to try and find the picture. Well I haven’t found the picture yet, but what I did find was an article with an interview he gave (to a TV station?) detailing the in’s and out’s of wine tasting. He breaks down the entire wine tasting procedure, from looking at the legs, to picking out the aromas that each wine contains, and so much more. Now I remember him talking to my brother and I explaining this over dinner, but I never thought I would find him talking about it on the internet. I could not be more proud!!
So without further ado … here is my favorite wine expert … MY DAD!!
New Music Anyone?
This weekend I heard some great new music. My brother Bryan and I happened to catch a band called Spector 45 at the Billiard Bar on Friday night. What’s funny is I have met these guys before and didn’t realize it was them that I was enjoying so much. The lead singer/guitarist Frankie had changed his hair color and I just did not recognize him. What’s even funnier is that I went out with my friend Brian Nesbit on Saturday night and before we hit the streets I was bragging about this really cool band I heard the previous night. Well it turns out Brian, who owns a recording studio, is actually producing Spector 45’s new album … lol So after a few moments I was listening to some un-mastered tracks that will be on their forth coming album. Too funny.
Anyway, you should check out Spector 45. Their music is like a combination of rockabilly, punk, and country, mixed with generous amounts of young angst. I really liked what I heard and hopefully I will be helping them out in the future with a some live mixing. For me that would be really cool as I have been dying to get back into music. I’ll keep my fingers crossed and we’ll just have to see what happens. But seriously check them out.
So what have you been listening to lately?
Does anyone have any recommendations?
After drinking a few too many beers Friday night I woke up Saturday morning (ok, afternoon) and decided to go for a run. I have been using this new site mapmyrun.com and before I took off I plotted myself a 3.5 mile course and then off I went. I’m really happy with my progress and despite being slightly hungover I managed to beat my average mile time by over a minute. So that felt really good.
I spent most of today doing the basic chores of life and working on my dreaded pdf project. Late Friday afternoon I was given a review of it by the client and they asked for some fairly significant changes that required me to rebuild nearly every portion of the project. Oh and did I mention the final version is due to the duplicator on Monday morning?! Jeez … what a mess. Needless to say I spent most of the day tweaking this and that on it and only just finished it a few moments ago. But whatever, it’s done and time to move onto the next project.
I have a few minor major things to kick out tis week and then Sunday its on to San Jose, CA for the Adobe DevLearn 2008 Conference. I’ll be attending a specific portion of the conference geared towards the Adobe Presenter software which I have been using for the past several years. This is really exciting for me as I finally get to be face to face with Adobe and hopefully present and discuss this software and its uses, limitations, workarounds, and future directly with the people who make it. I’m also hoping to meet a few peers and gain some contacts. It should be a fun learning experience for me.
Plus this is the first conference I will be attending and not working in quite a while.
Ok kids, send me your suggestions for new music and have a good day tomorrow.
Happy Halloween & Good News
Boo! Or as Bunny would say Woof, woof!!
We’re having fun tonight with all the neighborhood children coming by in their Halloween costumes. I am handing out candy and Bunny is displaying her prowess and ferocity. I can’t count the number of times a child said she looks like a polar bear tonight. The kids all think she is this big scary dog, then they ask to pet her and she either bows down or cowers backwards. Too funny. Yea, big scary Bunny … lol
I finally heard from the veterinarian today. Bunny had a cancerous angioma, or a benign tumor removed from her tail. They were careful in removing an extra layer of tissue surrounding the tumor and that too was checked for any cancerous cells. All the tests came back the same and I am glad to say that Bunny is at this time cancer free. This is very good news!! I could not be happier and this is quite a relief.
Bryan and I are going to go out later after all the kids have finished coming through the neighborhood. We don’t have a particular destination in mind but I’m sure we’ll find something cool. After all he needs a getaway tonight since today was his last day at Belo. He was officially laid off and has joined the thousands of other Americans in the job hunt. Sounds fun, right?!
Ok then, time to get some adult candy. Happy Halloween kids.
No news is good news, right?!
Still no news about Bunny girl’s biopsy. I know several of you are eagerly awaiting the news, so I will try and kick the vet in the ‘you know what’ tomorrow and see where I can get. I think I have been very patient so far, and maybe the old saying “no news is good news” will apply here.
I sort of finished my big pdf project as well. I say sort of because there was a conference call this morning with the client and of course they have changes and modifications to make. It never fails to amaze me the “oops, I forgot to tell you that changed” conversations that occur after you think you have finished something. But hey, its what pays my check and I’m happy to do re-edits. After all, they cost money too! 
My MAC is still dead but I think I am making headway with it. If you know me at all, you’ll know that I will generally refuse to enlist a repair shop for help on a matter like this. I guess its the inner geek curiosity inside that drives my insane desire to figure things out. Either way I have learned an awful lot about high level repair processes for MACs. Thing like fsck and booting into command line single user mode … yes I know, you’re wondering what in the heck I am even talking about. But hey if I ever loose my day job maybe this could get me a job as one of those cool MAC Genius’s at a MAC store sometime … lol
Well tomorrow is Halloween and I’m looking forward to having hordes of kids at the door. I really like this holiday. I’m not sure where or what I will be doing but I know I will be getting out somewhere. I hope all of you are going to have a good holiday and feel free to send in those pictures.
Goodnight kids.
What a day/night
Yesterday was quite a day for me. It was intellectually challenging to say the least; started very early and went on until nearly 11pm. My large PDF project took an unexpected turn when I found out that there is a huge difference between the search functionality in the Adobe Acrobat Reader plugin for a web browser and the Adobe Acrobat Reader application. WTF Adobe, can you make anything consistent?! This will be my first post on the tech blog I created. That is as soon as I can get a moment to write about it.
Bunny’s follow up appointment was yesterday afternoon and although it was a good one, I learned absolutely nothing more than I knew the day before. I still do not have any results from the biopsy, nor was I able to talk to the vet about the little spot I found on the top of her neck. She did get her stitches removed, so that was good. Bunny was none to happy about seeing the parking lot of the vet either. She recognized where she was immediately and sat down on the back seat of the truck and refused to get out. I had to actually pick her up and set her on the ground to get her out! Jeez … not an easy task with a 124lb. dog. lol
The vet is supposed to give me a call later today to go over things with me, so I’ll post that information when I have it.
Ok kids, time for me to go and implement all the workarounds I developed last night for my project. Have a good day.
Buny’s follow up …
Bunny girl has her follow up appointment tomorrow and I’m looking forward to some good news. I still have not heard anything about the biopsy, so I’m going with the “no new is good news” theory. Her coat has also come back quite nicely and although her hips are not getting any better she seems to be back to her old self again. I know I have said that before but I figured it couldn’t help to say it again and maybe drum up some positive vibes. I am a little concerned about a spot she has on the top of her neck by her stitches but we’ll get that answered tomorrow as well. The power of positive thinking right?!
Today was a busy day for me. I have an enormous Acrobat PDF project I am managing/working on and it has been a bear to say the least. I’m constantly trying to educate our clients in the ways and means of how things should be done and today was an eye opener on that front. I assumed they understood what I was doing and why what they paid for from a competitor last year was a joke and an enormous waste of resources to accomplish a simple goal. Basically, if you’re going to print hundreds of pages of documents locally and across the web you stick to a print based solution like Acrobat PDF documents and not Adobe Flash. This is not a swirly page with lots of movement and interactivity, so it makes no sense to use Flash. Most of the design world learned that several years ago … most of us anyway.
So last night I went on another nice long run to let off the steam my MAC created inside my brain. I haven’t actually driven the course I ran last night but I figured it to be a little more than 3.5 miles. It was my first time in a long time running outside too. I kept to the streets and sidewalks mostly but also managed to get in some running on uneven grassy areas. I must say I could definitely feel the difference in my knee with running on pavement as opposed to a treadmill, but I still felt really strong the entire time. You know, its amazing to me how pathetically out of shape I was just a few months ago. At that time I cold barely finish a few laps around the neighborhood let alone kick out a 5k. It feels good to be able to say that. Now I just have to get the rest of my health going at the same pace!
I have started that process too. But I’ll elaborate more on that some other time …
Ok kids, that’s enough for me. Have a good day tomorrow.
Not a good computer day …
So after revising my post last night I fell asleep on the couch and my wonderful MAC laptop, which was running on its battery, ran out of power and lost its freakin mind. Today I tried to reboot it and after several hours of troubleshooting I am facing a complete rebuild. Consequently, I am now officially over the whole MAC is superior to PC thing.
During the last month I have spent more than seven days worth of time repairing and fixing things on my MAC, and although I do enjoy many aspects of the MAC over a PC this is getting ridiculous. Maybe I’m jut having a bad spell here, but seriously, this is a pain in the you know what. “It just works” … yea whatever, my ass it does … lol
Right now I’m watching a blue bar go across the screen as I backup my data before blowing out my laptop. What fun. I ‘m going to go run a few 5k’s to blow off some steam. See ya’ll later.
A day well spent
Today was a full day of cleaning out the garage, organizing the gym, and searching for a Salvation Army location to donate household items to. I had a truck full of household items, mainly kitchen stuff, that has been just siting in my garage for several years now. 
I was hoping to donate it to a rehab house called the Pheonix House but I was unsuccessful in getting them to call me back or let me know how, when, or where I could bring these items.
That was a bummer but I figured I could fall back on the backup plan and drop it off at the local Salvation Army office. Well that turned out to be more difficult than I imagined as it was closed and boarded up when we got there. So on to the backup backup plan and a short while later it was all inside a Goodwill drop off location. I have somewhat of a reservation about Goodwill since they sell these items in a retail store but then again they say they donate most of those funds to various organizations, so I am putting my faith in them. I really hope this suff helps somebody.
Tonight I am going over to Joanne and Glen’s house to watch some UFC fighting. There are a couple of really good bouts scheduled so this should be fun.
Well kids time for me to get moving. Have a good night and a good day tomorrow.
****
@1:20am
Tonight was a good night. I spent a very nice evening with two good friends and watched a great series of UFC fights. You know, I was really stupid in thinking I don’t have anyone to talk to about my life. I was so worried that my friends would not have time with all they have going on. But it is humbling to know that despite all they have going on, Joanne and Glen still care a significant amount about me and want only the best for me. For that I am eternally grateful.
Maybe its the old “forrest for the trees” analogy but I think its high time I start listening to what a lifelong friend told me a few weeks ago, and that’s to remember what is positive in your life and not to concentrate on the negative and what you wish you had. Life is short and I have an awful lot to be thankful for. Yes, I’m alone and I wish I had someone, but it could be so much worse. So here’s to my good friends, may I never take them or anything else for granted. And may you never do the same.
Quiet night at home …
Tonight I am spent a nice quiet evening home with my best girls, Bunny and Paloma. I’m made myself some wings, relaxed with a cold beer and caught up on life. So with that I give you the following randomness …
Just in time for Halloween, I found the how-to make your own brain out of a watermellon. This looks really cool and I’ll be trying this myself.
Along the same lines … having a Halloween party? The check out Corpses for Sale
Yet another Halloween treat for ya’ll … ahh destruction, sweet destruction. This is perfect for the bathroom I now have to rip out, and maybe even for a few of you in the office.
Not that I am trying to get political or anything here, but here’s one for all you Palin fans out there … Vlad and Boris: Love Song for Sarah Palin, our Alaskan Neighbor
Ok, there is probably one person in the world who will find this funny with me, and you know who you are … lol
I have been thinking about getting some new running shoes, namely Nikes (umm, nike-ee’s thank you).
This makes the urge even more compelling than before.
I personally love dogs, soldiers, and guns … not necessarily in that order either.
Umm, yea … about those guns … my worst nightmare … lol
Ok so when you absolutely cannot decide what gruel to eat for lunch, I give you the wheel of food.
Well that’s all I have for you kids tonight. Have a good day tomorrow.
Home again, and a few changes
It’s good to be home again. San Diego was nice but its good to be in my own home with my girls Bunny and Paloma. Bunny is looking much better and was very happy to see her daddy. Her coat is looking and feeling nice and slick again and her wounds have healed really well. I’ll be making her an appointment tomorrow to have her stitches removed and hopefully get an update on the biopsy. As I write this she is resting peacefully in the living room dreaming away. Paloma kitty is also dreaming away and enjoying Bunny’s bed … lol! It’s funny how Bunny just lets her have the bed as she lays on the floor. They really are the best of friends.
Well as some of you might have noticed, I have done some rearranging of my site. The url for erichpeters.com now re-directs you to a page listing my personal blog as well as a new one for tech related information, located at erichpeters.com/tech. In the next few weeks I will be completing a major redesign of the entire site as well as incorporating a slew of new items.
I have needed a place to put the more technical items concerning the software and technologies that I use on a daily basis for a while, and I’ve also decided to make sure I separate those from the more personal entries I have in this blog. Lately I have found myself censoring my entries a little bit and I need to make sure I have a place to let things out. I don’t really have anyone down here I can sit down and hash out parts of my life with, so at times this blog serves as a type of therapy for me. Think of it as a personal journal that I keep in my bedroom drawer that you have access to. I’m not entirely sure if that is 100% safe, but I am who I am and I wear my true feelings on my sleeve and have never held much back.
Well kids that’s all I really have time for now. I’m fairly exhausted and need to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day. So have a good day and try to do something nice for someone.
