Alternate 3rd Thursdays

Urn says (5:39 PM):
It's a "framework" that runs scripts, that make web-type requests, to monitor the Xbox Live service.
Urn says (5:40 PM):
I feed scripts into it, and configure stuff. It's supposed to run the scripts, and report back the results of the test.
Urn says (5:41 PM):
Right now, I'm telling it where the server certificate is, and it's all like "oh, okay, I'll look over there anGFRLFGRLFLRLGLFRLF..... gack."
And I'm like "get up, you stupid bastard!" and LSM is all like "..." and I'm like "fuck!"

From: Urn
To: Kat
Subject: Relationships
I want to talk about our feelings.
RAARRAAWWRRRR!!!!!
http://mingle2.com/blog/view/dating-tyrannosaurus
-me

In the interest of going more green, Microsoft has replaced all the kitchenette foodware with compostable versions. Paper plates, cups, even flatware made of corn and sugarcane materials. There is a sign posted warning you that the spoons will basically melt if left in a hot beverage, and you should use the wooden stirring sticks. Um, so how do I eat my soup? I have to lick the spoon clean and set it down somewhere outside of my bowl anytime I want to eat a non-soup item. Hm. I'm all for greener stuff, but... come on.

At work I've started using John's Background Switcher, pointing it at my Flickr stream. The only problem I'm finding with it is I need to upload more photos so there's more variety in my wallpapers. :)

The bathroom is a place of horrors, I find. As you walk in, you just don't know what you're going to find. Will your nose be assaulted by the adventures of others? What terrible image will you see when you open that stall door? What sounds will you be confronted with during your time there? Oh, well. at least the paper towel dispenser works properly. OH, WAIT.

Last night Kat and I went to see Avenue Q with Tim and Richard at the Paramount. I don't think I've laughed that hard in a while! It was certainly miles above Zohan, which we saw for Father's Day with Kat's family.

During our post-show commentary, (oh, you do it, too) I was realizing that the special effects used in a stage production are more impressive to me than most anything they can do in a movie. I realize it's wholly unfair, but in comparison, watching a movie I just don't get the same feeling of raw creativity that I do when I see it in a live show.

Transformers fighting in the city streets is cool, but a 200 foot tall Kate Monster towering over Avenue Q, or bed rocket ships flying above the stage: cooler.

Driving in to work sometime last week, I saw something that I had intended to write about, but didn't make the time. On my way on HWY 520, (side note: this bridge will sink one of these days, while the state is fumbling around looking for funding to replace it) to Redmond, the road passes through (above) the Arboretum, right past a beaver lodge. (I think that's it, right there in the middle.) As I glanced over at it, I saw a white rectangle with black marks resting on the top of the lodge. My immediate thought was that someone had placed a sign on the lodge - perhaps warning visitors not to disturb the structure or something. (People canoe and kayak around the area all the time.) A second glance later, and I was able to see that the poor, confused beaver had gnawed down a bike trail sign somewhere nearby, and used the "log" for some further roof-building. :) Awesome.

From an email:

And hey, thanks on the adoption "good luck" thing. We know we'll have a baby within about a year or so (give or take 3), but there's just no way to predict how everything immediately surrounding that fact is going to go. I'm not sweating any of the homestudy stuff, or the money, the waiting, or any paperwork. The thing that freaks me out the most is meeting the birthparents for that first time. It's like being set up on a blind date, right? Except instead of it being one-on-one, it's both of us, meeting them. And it's not like you're just going out to dinner. You're not just going to be chatting about "what do you do, who do you read, where do you work?" And if things go well, the end possibility isn't a little kissy-time and the potential for another date. No, she's flippin' pregnant! And it's enough of a crisis for her that she's giving the child up for adoption. ADOPTION. Just a hop, skip, and a jump from [the top of the lineup of] freaky decisions one can make in life. And if things go well, there's no goodnight kiss. No "I had a great time, we should think about doing this again" convo on the front porch. If things go well, in the end, she has a baby. And we take it home. For keeps. And that's not even the end of it. If things go well, this is our child. But it's her child, too, right? We'll all be tied together for life. So, I'm a little freaked out about meeting her. It's a little scary to meet someone new with the hopes that maybe it'll go somewhere. With adoption, we're playing on a whole different planet of scary, here.

You'll have to forgive the temporary disappearance. My gracious host switched ISPs, and forgot to tell me the new IP address for the server. Clearly, if you're reading this, I got the DNS updated for the domains, and everything is back to abnormal.

Last weekend was Sasquatch! Woooooooo!! Teh mafs: (Shawn+Niki) * (Brian+Patsy) / (Kat+Urn) + 2 days(music festival) + alcohol = fun! The title of this post is a reference to our Rockband band name. There was a very mournful looking Sasquatch on the cover of the guide 'zine, and we thought he was a Sad Squatch. So, when faced with a Rockband competition in the Xbox 360 hut, we chose the band name Sadsquatch. Also, we totally didn't win anything. We did make it on the scoreboard, but I think that's just 'cause it was still early in the day.

I'm still sorting through the photos, and will be populating the Flickr set as soon as I'm done. Kat and I have been on a little ordering online streak, trying to grab all those miscellaneous items that fall under the "we should get..." category. Arriving on Friday, a few hours before we left for George, WA was a spare battery for the digicam. So camping over the weekend, we didn't have to worry too much about killing the battery in the camera. Between dual batteries, and 6 GB of memory, the last obstacle to overcome in documenting our life in photos is just remembering to bring the camera and pull it out every now and then.

Kat loves to take lots of pictures, and that's awesome. Unfortunately for Kat, everyone else has made it a bit of a game to try to figure out the best way to make them the worst pictures possible. Over the weekend, it was discovered that not only does "the shocker" effectively prevent a photo from surviving the delete button, but it's also fairly offensive in general, and turns any existing conversation immediately dirty.

If you're listed as a friend or family contact in Flickr, you'll probably see a much fuller set of photos. ;) (note: at the time of this post, there are just 2 photos, so the "fuller" hasn't happened yet.)

I'm sitting in my office with 3 coworkers that are attempting to write an email by committee. It's painful to witness, and I think it's time to go grab some lunch now.