Take me out to the ball game... and don't forget the DS...

I went to an exciting (hardly) Mariners game on Wednesday. It was a heated battle between the Mariners and another worthy title contender, the Florida Marlins... oooooo sounds like an action packed game huh?! Anyways, I have read a couple of blogs about the fabled Nintendo Fan Network that is setup at Safeco Field that allows you to download software directly to your DS to add functionality and enhance your bat swing watching experience.

As I arrived to the stadium I started to feel a little weird about whipping out my DS like a dork and downloading some software. Luckily, the download was really quick and once complete, I could roam the stadium and still maintain a connection. There are several aspects to the application that I found very cool... The coolest feature, IMO, was the pitch monitor, which tells you where the last pitch was thrown and what the call was. If you are like me, the signs are so alien to me, that it’s good to have that information on your DS.


Another feature that was pretty neat, but lacked any real application to the game, was the live feed that displayed the game with 5-8 seconds delay. It was sort of a cross between an instant replay, and delayed TV. I would watch the pitch in real time, then turn my eyes to the DS screen only to see the same pitch happen again.







In addition to these features, there is also a pitch by pitch analysis of other games in progress, and some small minigames that you could play and compare scores with other fan network users. You could also send messages to other users, but I never got it to work. I was told I could send questions to "Pat" but after a quick message of "Are the Mariners going to win?" (They didn’t btw.) I never got a response back.



One feature I was eager to try, but didn’t want to spend the real money on, was the food ordering service. It was not working during the game that I was at, but in theory, you can order food/drinks and have it delivered directly to your seat. The prices were 50 cents to a dollar more than the stand price, but would be a neat feature if I was lazy enough. Along with this was a handy index of where to find certain food locations, handy mainly because I wanted to get my hands on some delicious garlic fries. YUMMY!

All that being said, the DS fan network application worked as advertised. I would never pay money to use it, but it being a free service really helped the viewing experience. I know it probably won’t happen, but if they reduce the video delay that would certainly be a killer feature. The functionality of the application is great, and I'll be sure to bring my DS to the ball game every time I go. (Which is once a season :P)

I work with cables.. miles and miles of cables...

I started my new job in Seattle two weeks ago. And what a crazy two weeks it has been. I currently work for a networking company who supplies the foundation for different WANs/LANs in the local area as well as other areas.
At first it was a pretty intimidating environment. When I first toured around the data rooms and saw all the wires, WOW, was I in shock. It's crazy how many wires and ports and power is used in these huge 24/7 data centers.
Servers, routers, switches, you name it, they have it in their data centers. And luckily, it is managed a lot better than the stock photo I attached. It's crazy to think how much time and planning was needed to ensure every wire is cabled correctly and neatly placed. That being said, I am a newcomer to the industry and I still have a lot to learn.

Things to accomplish during the first year:

CCNA certification- That's my #1 goal and hopefully it will lead on to eventual CCNP and ultimately CCIE! A lot of studying is in the future, but at least I'll have hands on real-world experience to back up my learning.

Become more familiar with Cisco equipment- There is so many different pieces of hardware on any given network that it is a daunting to learn everything. Luckily, Cisco has excellent documentation that will, hopefully, get me more knowledgeable of the equipment.

A lot to learn, but great place to start.

Halfway to 50...

25 years ago I was conceived in a tiny air base in the California desert. Crazy to think that it has been that long. I can remember anxiously awaiting other milestones in my life: First day of high school, graduation, turning 21. Sadly, 25 isn't one of those memorable milestone years. Sure, you can rent a car and it wont cost you an arm and a leg, but that's about it.

I don't feel any older and honestly, I think I act a little more childish and dorky as each year passes. I don't mind either. The way I think of it, if you cant have fun and joke around, you just ain't enjoying life. And that is what I intend to do for the 25th year of being alive. Moving back to Seattle, meeting up with old friends, missing friends in Spokane, getting familiar with my new job and learning a lot. Should be a ton of fun. Hopefully I will live long enough to live up to the message displayed on my cake this year:

This actually makes me NOT want the product...

This is the worse commercial I have seen. Ever.

Happy First of May

The song is by Jonathan Coulton

The peacekeeper trapped in a dog's body..

Most dogs protect their owners. That's not anything special. But to have a dog who hated violence regardless of who its against, now that's something special. And that was Spykey. He hated any roughhousing/poking/hitting. (It was Chris who was doing most of this) His high shrill bark would be his way of saying, "STOP! NO VIOLENCE IN THIS HOUSE!."
I never had a dog growing up, and while I have two now, I always thought of spykey as a first for pet for me, even though I only saw him on weekends and the occasional trip to Germany. He was my bunk buddy while I stayed in Spokane briefly before heading to UW. (Little did I know I would return to Spokomton later in life.) I didn't think a little dog could hog a blow up twin mattress, but Spike insisted that he lay right next to me and block any movement I may have wanted. He was the only dog that could rock a tiny bow like a champ... He was a good dog, and he will be missed.

Everything is better with drums...

Ever listen to something and think, "How can I make this better?" Well... add more drums... can never have too much drums.. EVER. Dont believe me? Check it:





No? You don't agree yet? Remember that soulja boy song all the kids are going crazy for? (ya, I know I am showing my age, but i don't have any idea what they are talking about in the song.) Barely listenable before, add some drums.....




I will end my my argument with this: Macguyver + Drums = WIN



Little side note, I know there are other drummers on youtube worthy of being mentioned/added the argument but Vadrum is awesome with his bass pedal.

Let's tour the gym before we get started....

Gold's Gym is running a special for "9 WEEKS FOR 19 DOLLARS! WOW WOW WOW" So I went in during some off-hours when some kid was the only one working. He tried to take my on the obligatory "gym tour" that I am well aware of from working at LA Fitness.
Little insider secret from an ex-sales counselor.
The purpose of this tour is to get the potential member to get a little more comfortable with their surroundings. More importantly, it is a chance for the sales person to learn more about the person and find ways to coax the reasons for not joining out of them. Now, pay attention, this is important.
The Sales person asks questions that they will use later when the potential member has reasons for NOT joining. Things like, "Is there anyone supporting you in your goal to lose weight?" "My wife and kids." Remember this answer... A simple question like that can take away a reason for not joining. When it comes down to deciding to join, that person cannot use the excuse that the significant other does not want to join. The statement was already made that the wife DOES support the weight loss goal. Simple questions like that take away every excuse not to join the gym, until you are left with no other choice! That may be a little harsh, but it certainly doesn't make it any easier.

Defender of the Universe!!!

Ahh.. sweet memories of days without worry. Sitting down to some spam and rice and watching the greatest cartoon. (Well at least it was in my eyes back in the day.)
What a delight to see that it was on the Xbox Live Video Marketplace and to top it off, the first episode is free. You know, first hit's free, the rest should and probably is a couple hundred "space bucks" (crazy 4:5 ratio Microsoft points). I have yet to rush home and check out the first episode, but it should be worth it to see that awesome intro...

"From days of long ago... From uncharted regions of the universe... comes a legend.. the legend of voltron, DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE!!!"

Brings chills just thinking about it. :P

Happy Easter!

Next week's Rock band songs!

Boston:
“More Than a Feeling” (Master)
“Peace of Mind” (Master)
“Smokin’” (Master)
“Rock & Roll Band” (Master)
“Something About You” (Master)
“Hitch a Ride” (Master)

I remember when i first got the original guitar hero. "More Than a Feeling" was the best song from all the guitar hero games and I am STOKED to hear that it will finally be on Rock Band.

It's official....

I got some cheap cards to commemorate the resurrection.

Guitar Hero: On tour (milk it...)

Dear god, please tell me this is not real....



I'll probably still buy it....

Toilet Paper V2.

This post is a rethinking of an event that happened two years ago. The original post can be found here.

Back when I lived in Everett, I used to frequent the local LA FITNESS to sustain my sexy figure. (ya right!) I would do my normal routine of a little strength training followed by an hour of cardio.
After the normal workout, I would hop in the sauna before showering and then going about the rest of my evening.
One day, I hop in the sauna and proceed to sweat out. (Technical term used by sauna enthusiasts...) I am followed shortly by two men, a little older in age. These two men had no relation to each other and sat at opposite ends of the 'sweat bench'. These two men started a conversation that proceeded as follows:

Man1: "Owww.. these bones get more and more stiff every day"
Man2: "Tell me about it, I remember when I used to jump out of bed everyday, now I'm lucky can do it without wincing in pain."
Man1: "Ya know kid, (points at me) enjoy your youth, before you know it you'll be an oldie like us."
At this point, the second man proceeds to explain how a life is like a roll of toilet paper.
Man2: " Ya know, life is sorta like toilet paper, when the roll is fresh and new, ya kinda use it haphazardly. But once you start getting low, you tend to slow down and appreciate every ply."
Later that night i thought about how wonderful an analogy that is for life.

The older you get, the more you appreciate things that you once took for granted. I am not that old that I think about the "good ol' days" BUT there are more things that I do appreciate that I once took for granted. Since that time two years ago, a lot has changed. I have moved across the state, found a new job, and learned to live with a GIRL! I have grown a lot and learned to appreciate the little things in life. I don't want to turn this post into a sappy emotional wawa. I just want to be reminded that, like the toilet paper, it all has to end somewhere.

So, enjoy your life, however far along in the roll you are...

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Made some delicious corned beef and cabbage with some tasty red potatoes. To make it even better, I washed it down with some THICK Guinness!

Then after the dinner, the dogs put on a fantastical fashion show!

Chiefs game!

Went to happy hour and then decided to go to the
last regular season game! They won 6-3 against Portland.