Exhibit Opens

Well the Monkey King exhibit opened last night for the museum member preview. It was a great night for me to get the hang of how everything works, primarily because only a few people showed up--we're expecting many more people to show up today. Honestly I wasn't sure how the job would be, but I think that I'm really going to enjoy it. Plus the fringe benefit of being able to tour the rest of the museum free, and bring in family at times (when I request tickets ahead of time) is quite nice.

I think I need to take Ryan into band practice at NKU so I need to cut this short and get ready to go. *sigh* At times it is interesting being the other driver around here! ;-) Oh, and it snowed yesterday evening and last night...it appears somewhat thick (i.e. it has stuck) and looks great! :-) The roads look fine so I'm hoping that the snow sticks around for a while (at least a couple days). I'll enjoy looking at it and the kids and the dog will love playing in it.

Okay, I need to sign off for now, but I'll be back later, perhaps after work tonight. I've neglected this a tad in the last couple days.

~Matt

PS That is a random "exhibit" picture from Google, actually a Santa Clause display I think, nothing to do with Monkey King.

Fake Cheese

Yeah, these are the biggest joke in the food industry. They aren't real cheese, and they don't even taste all that much like real cheese, good cheese! Here, I'll list off the ingredients for real cheese, then a package of "Imitation Pasteurized Process Cheese Food." Cheese food!!

Cheese: Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Culture, salt, enzymes, annatto (for color). That is it! The main ingredient is milk.

American Cheese Singles: Water, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Modified Potato Starch, Casein (A Milk Derivative), Salt, Calcium Phosphate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Sodium Phosphate, Lactic Acid, Sodium Citrate, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Sorbic Acid (A Preservative), Natural Flavor, Xanthan Gum, Locust Bean Gum, Guar Gum, Artifical Color, Artificial Flavor. Now where in there do you see milk? All I see is a milk derivative, and there is less of that than potato starch!! This stuff was cooked up in a labratory somwhere, and companies are trying to convince kids across the country that this is what cheese tastes like. *sigh* It is just a huge scam. I don't dislike artifically enhanced foods a rule, but this stuff is just nasty...

~Matt

'Tis Snowing

Aye, I woke up this morning to find snow falling outside! :-) It isn't much, but perhaps it will stick this time instead of just coming down in a very thin layer and vanishing by afternoon. Yeah snow can be somewhat of a hassle, but it does make everything much nicer to look at.

Yesterday my mother sent me a CD of pictures that had been taken on her camera (by the two of us) when I was with my parents coming out to Kentucky. Included in these pictures were the snow shots I took while tramping with Chris through the wilds of the local cemetery. Of course looking at these pictures made me very eager to see snow again! It can be a hassle, yes, but it makes everything prettier to look at. I hope this snowfall deepens instead of just being a very thin layer that melts away by afternoon. *sigh*

In just a few minutes I have to drive my brother-in-law into the airport for his commute to New York. From there he'll start his trip to Rome! :-) He is taking his digital camera so I hope I'll get to see some good shots of the city.

More later, I promise (though I won't promise when that more will come! ;-) ). Today I'm going to continue to make sure I'm ready for work (studying up on the background material), and tomorrow I'll drive in to make sure I know how to get to the employee parking lot.

~Matt

Cinema Finale

Well we finished the movie, at least some of us did. My brother-in-law went up to bed just before the half-way point. He was really enjoying the movie, but he just couldn't stay awake.

I did enjoy the movie, but to some extent I think that I've been spoiled by modern movies. When I was in high school I really enjoyed Casablana and Citizen Kane. However I saw many modern movies while I was in college. The pace of Kwai was definately slower than a modern movie and that was something of a distraction as I've grown accustomed to a faster pace. However overall I think that the movie was still good, definately deserving its 7 Academy Awards. I did enjoy the time spent watching it.

~Matt

The Bridge

When my brother-in-law heard that I had checked out The Bridge on the River Kwai from the library he said that he really wanted to watch it. Last night, after watching half of Charlotte's Web with the kids we watched the last two Survivor episodes. Tonight after finishing the movie (as soon as the kids go down) we're going to watch Kwai. I think I've heard of the movie before, in fact I'm sure I have. But I've never seen it, and as a WWII history buff I'm really looking forward to it! :-)

Oh yeah, the training went really well. I have my ID badge and found out that I can go anywhere in the museum for free with the badge! :-) I can also at times procure free tickets for family! So I'll be able to help my sister take her home-schooled son on a field trip or something like that. I'm really looking forward to starting this position.

~Matt

Training

Yeah, that could be me with the yellow box around my head later today! Okay, so I have no idea why that yellow box is there, the image just came up in Google under "training."

In about thirty minutes I'll leave for my training. I'm not sure what all this will entail, but I'm looking forward to it. I'll be that much closer to my job! :-) I went to the first service with Christopher again, but not because he needed to be there early. Thankfully we didn't have to leave so early, I just wanted to go to first service so that I wouldn't be late for my training. Chris had intended to go to both services but he was so tired (he didn't get home until 01:00 this morning) that he ended up coming home with me.

I was just pulling down out of the parking lot (down the hill that is) when he told me to stop. As I backed up to drive over to where the family was just parking I unintentionally squealed the tires (earning a bemused reprimand from my sister ;-)).

Strangely when we got back to the house my brother-in-law's truck wasn't parked on the street, but it was there behind my van when I went upstairs to change. I assume that he must have let someone borrow it. I can't remember if it was there when we left for church this morning.

*sigh* There are several things I need to do on-line, I really just can't put them off any longer. I've made a promise to myself that I'll go get them done as soon as I have a chance, hopefully later today. Company is coming over, so my sister made apple and lemon meringue pies. Yum!! :-)

Well I'm going to go finish getting ready. I'd prefer to be sitting in the parking lot at the museum reading a book until it is time for me to go in. I'm sure the traffic will be fine on a Sunday noon, but it is much better to be safe than sorry!

~Matt

Monster

A couple days ago (or was it yesterday? I really can't remember... ;-) ) I drove out to the local Family Christian Bookstore and pre-ordered Monster, Frank Peretti's latest thriller, due out in mid-April. Normally I wouldn't pre-order a book, or buy a hard-cover at full price, but this deal I couldn't resist. I recieved a bonus DVD with a trailer for the book, some other book trailers and related Monster video files, and a file of Peretti reading the second chapter of the book--it was very interesting. Of course now I can't wait for the book to come out! Grrr...

On another note my brother-in-law offered to (for the $10.00 a month it would cost him) to add me to his cell phone plan. I'll have to get a phone, but this will be a better deal that any single plan would cost me, plus if I call either my sister, brother-in-law, or my mom the calls (being Sprint-to-Sprint) are free, as well as the nights and weekends. Furthermore if the daytime plan minutes are used up then 100 extra minutes only costs five dollars. :-) Hopefully I'll get set-up in a couple more days when my brother-in-law goes to switch his plan so it will be easier for him to call home from his European trips.

Tonight Chris is going to a concert, so I'll get to use the computer he is on a bit more, but there isn't really anything to do now so I don't care. I'm on my computer now, finally burning back-up CDs in case Fujitsu has to reformat my hard drive when I sent my computer in. Yes Chris (and Mom), I'll get it sent in very soon!

Okay, I would try to out-type Chris, but I don't really feel like it. I'll wrap this up for now and perhaps add more later.

~Matt

History

Yes, the wonderful History Channel. Some nights when nothing I normally watch is on and I don't feel like reading I've just switched to the History Channel. I did this on Thursday night and watched several Modern Marvels episodes, all on engineering disasters. If I can't get excellent history lectures from Dr. Greer, Dr. Frazer, Dr. Stead, and Prof Owen then at least I can ingest some history this way (though it isn't quite as good ;-) ).

I'm also really looking forward to starting my "history related" ;-) job in a few days... :-) UPS somehow left a message on my brother-in-law's cell phone, but it was only for a part-time position. So I'm still definately going with the museum position. Tomorrow I'll have to go to first service, but after I'll find out most of what I need to know about my job. Yeah, I'm excited. :-) Can you tell? :-) Okay, perhaps I overdid the smileys just a bit...but I am excited about the job.

~Matt

GPF Comics

I would like to take this opportunity to talk about one of the Web Comics that I read, namely GPF Comics. I don't remember why I started reading the strip, perhaps it was John Morey that got me hooked, but whatever the reason I've never looked back. I started with the very beginning (well I started later but went back into the archives and caught up) and kept going. Not only are there fun and detailed storylines but I really like the characters. The latest storyline, however, is what really has my interest at the moment.

Providence is the name of the latest chapter of GPF (it starts with this strip). The best thing to do would be to read from the start of the comic, but many of you may not have the time or the desire. Therefore I'll give you a brief primer necessary to understand this chapter. Trudy has been many things, a traitor, an evil spy, and general other less than "nice" occupations. She is being pursued by a secret agency of the "good guys," the UGA as this storyline opens.

The reason I reccoment this ongoing chapter so much is because of the massive amount of Scripture contained within. Trudy meets a man who ministers to her wounds, both physical and spiritual. I was really impressed by how much Scripture the author (Jeff Darlington) has included. If he isn't a Christian then he certainly has a very good understanding of the Christian faith. Furthermore he doesn't just throw disjointed Scripture out there--it really fits and is applicable to the situations. The story is on-going but I would recomend reading it. 'Tis great fun and quite enlightening! ;-)

~Matt

Numbers

Yeah, I've got Lost on the brain...but I can't help it! ;-) Okay, I promise just a couple things from last nights show then I'll move on to another topic... ;-)

4 8 15 16 23 42

Hmm...this could have something to do with the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything!!! :-)

Aye, well then, here are a couple of the FFX backgrounds I found yesterday.

Yuna is a great character...but of course I especially love playing as the Aeons. There isn't anything quite like calling in Anima to take care of a problem, ;-).


Tidus was a fun character, and I'll admit that the revelation about him caught me off guard, I wasn't expecting him to be what he was.


Ah yes, Lulu, everybody's favourite irrasible magicianess, she did mean well.


Rikku was definately a strange character, though I liked how we were introduced to her early on and then again later.


~Matt

Lost

Ah, yes, it was a good evening watching Lost and Alias with my nephews. Normally I've stuck with CBS for my non sci-fi shows (like the CSI shows, NCIS, Cold Case, JAG, The Agency, The District), but I've really latched onto Lost. Now while I'll keep watching Alias I don't enjoy it as much--in many ways it seems a bit over the top and unrealistic (for one all of the close family ties make for interesting stories but don't seem to be too stable).

Anyway I really enjoyed seeing Mira Furlen again tonight, go Delenn!! :-) (Thanks IMDB for the right spelling, I forgot that extra n at first) It was also cool to finally see something about Hurley. I'm not sure what it is about this show that attracts me, but it definately does. If I had to severely limit my TV watching Lost would definately be one of the very last shows I'd cut out of my schedule. Others I enjoy watching, but I can catch them anytime...I really want to see each new episode of Lost. Yeah, and I'm frustrated that we have yet another rerun next week!! :(

As long as Mark remembers that this is all his fault (he showed me my first show, the first one with Mira Furlen as the crazy Frenchwoman) I'll be happy to keep watching and thanking him. ;-)

Well I think I'll be on the computer for a bit longer, but probably not too long. I think that I want to see if I can get farther into my book tonight. The trilogy is nearing completion (well really a duology where the second book was split in two) and I can't wait to see how various clues and threads are brought together.

Oh yeah, I downloaded some very cool Final Fantasy X backgrounds earlier this evening. While I do like Google for some things I'll definately use Altavista's image search which allows me to specify the size of the pictures that I want. This is definately important when I'm searching for a background for a computer of higher resolution than the 800x600 that Google Image considers large.

~Matt

Buenas Noches

Goodnight all. Today was a good day. It was nice not to have to scour the classifieds or Monster.com this morning. I'm definately enjoying my truly free time until I start work, but by the same token I'm also really looking forward to working, I think it will be a good job.

I want to head upstairs to do some reading, then get to sleep as I've got some busy stuff lined up tomorrow, ;-). I have some threads to catch up on at the TrekBBS and some fiction to review. Yeah, I'm looking forward to the day tomorrow. I just have to start it off a bit earlier as I'll be driving the kids to school, but that really won't be so bad. They're mostly ready on time, mostly... ;-)

~Matt

Lazy Bum/Couch Potato

Yeah, that pretty much describes me. A friend (Mark) sent me a story nearly a month ago and asked me to read through it. I kept forgetting about it and putting it off until I promised to get it done by last Friday. That didn't happen. Mark finally reminded me again today so I'm going to go read and review it now. I'm sorry Mark, I shouldn't have let you down like that. [18:33 EST]

[18:46 EST] Okay I've now read the story and I'm going to e-mail a copy back to Mark. It was a good read, while he may not be the best judge of TV (thinking Babylon 5 is better than Star Trek) he certainly can write. :-) Thanks for letting me read this Mark, and I really am sorry about the delay.

~Matt

Life Moves On

Last night Ryan and I watched Signs, Chris had gone to bed early, right after dinner. Unfortunately though Ryan didn't remember his homework until after the movie. *sigh* I very definately don't want to aid the kids in diverting their attention to their homework, but I can't help it when they don't remember.

Anyway, I enjoyed the movie. After watching The Village and then procuring The Sixth Sense I thought that it was definately time to rewatch Signs. It had been long enough since I'd seen the movie for the first time that I'd forgotten some key scenes. Furthermore this time I had control of the remote so I was able to pause the movie at a couple points and catch some of the good scenes. Now I need to check the library site to reserve Unbreakable so that I can rewatch that. I remember thinking when I saw it that it was very strange, but now that I've seen more of Night's work I might appreciate it more.

This morning I was able to sleep in a bit (well until about eight I think), but tomorrow morning I'll have to get up early. My brother-in-law is flying to London tonight, so I'll be taking the kids to school in the morning. Fortunatly from what I understand of the details of my new job I'll be able to take the kids in even on days I'm working. I'm glad that I'll be able to be that much more of a help to my sister when my brother-in-law is on a trip.

Today I went to the library with my sister to drop off some DVDs and I picked up one of the Dune prequel trilogies, the soundtrack to Road to Perdition, and the DVD of The Bridge over the River Kwai. I also paid for the next month on my storage unit, not something that I look forward to, but something that is quite necessary. Nothing much more is going on, except that I'm almost done with my fantasy trilogy, so I'll have to put a review up on The Spectral Lounge soon.

~Matt