A Life in Boxes

今晩は、Greetings!  How's everyone doing?


I myself am doing rather fantastic.  Sitting in my new apartment's living room, devoid of the numerous boxes that had plagued it until just recently.  I'm also on my fast internet, no longer leeching it from the one unsecured connection in the area.  Work is going well, the middle of the weekend is a great time for work; today's busy-ness, or lack thereof, allowed me to watch two episodes of Bleach, and episode of House, and an episode of Dexter.  Now that's what I call productive.  ^_~


So, back to the apartment.  Finally unpacked my boxes.  And by that, I mean took everything out of my packed boxes, and reorganized them neatly into boxes.  I don't have anywhere to put hardly any of my things, and at least now I know what and where I have it.  Boxes stack nicely anyway, so I have no complaints.


Some things that I really like:

• My Bath.  It's great taking a bath 5 or 6 times a week.  It's not quite as big as the one at UR was, but it's my own and I love it.  I would love to get a hot tub in the future, or a bath like the ones in Japan.
• My Shower.  Not to be confused with bath.  The shower head that my apartment came with was kinda shitty, so I surprised myself with some tools and managed to successfully change it.  Now it's lovely.
• How close I am to work.  I know it was in my last post, but it's close.  Love it.
• The spaciousness of my living room.  It's huge.  It's bigger than any room I've ever had in any of the places I've ever lived in, parent's house included.
• Despite the laundry hours, I actually really like the washer and dryer we have downstairs.  It cost me $5 to do 2+ weeks of laundry, can't really complain with that.
• My internet.  For those that are interested, 

  

Well, I think it's around that time where I should be heading to bed.  It's almost 5:00 AM, and I'm starting to get a little tired.  I tend to fall asleep any time from 2:00 AM to 6:00 AM these days, although on Sunday I have work at 3:00 PM to Midnight, so it's very easy to not let it bother me on Saturday nights like tonight.  And honestly, even during the week, I can get up at 11:30 PM, so anytime I go to bed before 6:00 AM is fine.

As always, shoot questions at me; I'll answer.  Probably.  じゃまた！

Chapter 2 - New Apartment & Updated Job Status

Hello all!  Long time no see!


Sorry for the lack of updates in the past three months, but I am still alive and doing well!


First things first, my job.  In the last month my status changed officially from Contractor to Helpdesk Specialist I.  What does this meaaaan?!  Well, summary:

• Pay increase.  Not much, but some.  And of course the ability to get a raise / promotion.
• Paid Vacation Time and Extra Holiday Pay.
• Resume Material.  "Sungard Higher Education - Helpdesk Specialist I" looks better than "Sungard Higher Education - Contractor".
• Respect.  I guess.  I always thought that Full Time Employees were "higher up" than Contractors.  I don't feel better than all the Contractors persay, but I do feel like I'm more sure about what I'm doing now.

 Besides a couple people that I really enjoyed working with leaving and some people getting laid off (some getting rehired a week ago or so), all is going well.


And now, the reason why I am posting this entry.  Today I signed the lease for my new apartment!  It's literally a 5 minute walk to work from this apartment, meaning no more 25 minute drives one way to work.  Not that 25 minutes to drive is that far, but living within a 2 minute drive away is pretty sweet.  I can wake up later, and save my dear car some miles.


If anyone is interested, I have a Facebook album here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2129504&id=3708410&l=7038ebd840.  Visit it.  Comment on it.  Love it.  Hate it.  Your decision.  You're in the driver seat here, captain.


All in all of what I've seen of the place, I like it.  A lot.  Let's break it down.
Pros:

• Close to work.  It's a freakin' 5 minute walk.  Less to drive.
• It's my first place I've signed a lease of my own.  No subletting, no sharing a place.  Mine.
• It's in a good location.  Not in the city, but not too far from things I'm familiar with.
• It's on the very dead end side of East Ridge Road.  The other side leads to West Ridge Road, which collectively contains every fast food restaurant, shopping store (including a 5 minute drive from Wegman's), and tons of plazas and restaurants.  That said, the dead endness and not busy end of this road means nearly no traffic.
• Elderly people live here.  Which means that it's probably not a crazy place on weekends with drunk people and parties.  I don't party.  I don't drink.
• It's affordable.  More than what I pay now, but I'm pretty sure it's in a comfortable price range.
• My kitchen!  And bathroom!  No mess will be left, only cleanliness.  You have no idea how exciting this is.

Now some Cons:

• No laundry after 9:00 PM?  Not sure why.  Not a huge issue, I'll just have to do it on my time off or in the morning Sunday.  Or I guess get up one day to do it in the morning.  Not a morning person.
• Internet not included.  Nor is electricity (heat and hot water are).  Not a biggie, but going to add to the monthly bill.
• No package delivery.  To be honest, I ship all my stuff to my parent's house in Waverly now, but I was kinda hoping I wouldn't have to do that.  Not that I order that much.  And honestly... I don't foresee having to order anything anytime soon.
• And I don't think it's a problem for me persay, but the floor in my bedroom is a little squeaky.  Not overly squeaky, but I'm not sure how happy people below me will be at 4:00 AM.  To be honest though, at that time I'm normally just in bed or at a computer chair.

I'll let everyone know more when I move in.  My lease just started, in theory I could move in now, but my bed is coming from home, and that's coming up around Thanksgiving.  In the meantime I was going to move up all my stuff from Park Point, and on my days off, set some stuff up / unpack as well as look for:

• A small dining table.
• A small coffee table.
• A desk for my computer.
• Perhaps a futon.
• A GPS (not related really to my apartment, but I'm terrible with directions)
• An internet plan, possibly cable TV, but most likely just internet.

 Well, as always, comment away, let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!  Enjoy!

Three Months Later

Has it really been three months since my last post?  I suppose it has.  My, how the time goes.


A lot has happened in the last three months.  I think.  To be honest it sort of just meshes together after a while.  Not to say things aren't going well, because they certainly are.  I actually really like where I am in life right now.  My contract with SungardHE is going to turn into a full time job, and I'll probably be in Rochester for another year or so, until Marissa and I decide where to go from here.

Everything is going well in the relationship department as well.  I don't think I could love anyone more than I do Marissa, she's everything that I could have ever hoped for, and she just makes me happy.  It's her last year as an undergrad in college, with possible intent to go to grad school.  No matter what, I support anything she wants to do with her life.  I just know that I've personally had enough school for now, haha.  Not that an education isn't important, but I've never been more happy doing anything than actually working.  No homework, no tests, no bullshit.  


My job is going great.  Since my early postings I've since picked up a couple dozen schools, and with the restructuring of the SungardHE system, I'll be getting a dozen more in the following weeks.  It's gotten to a point where I'm familiar with most of my schools and it just becomes a matter of helping people out with little stress on my end.  Not to say it's not fast paced and crazy at times; it definitely is.  But every once and a while you get these calls from people that really make you feel good, like you've helped someone complete something that they had little confidence that they could do or were at the end of their proverbial rope.  It's these calls that push you on and keep the job rewarding.  The people there are great too.  My shifts have evolved into mostly evening / night shifts, and I feel more at home with these people than I ever thought I could have.  Sometimes I forget I've only known some of the people there for a few months, and some even a few weeks, but none of it matters when you can talk to them about anything.  My life seems to do that, every stage I go through I gather friends, and at the end of that stage, most of them seem to disappear with distance.  The ones that are left are the people worth talking to, in my opinion, and I know that when I leave SungardHE eventually there will be people I miss talking to.  But that is neither here nor now.

Lately I've been in a habit of getting up at 11:00 AM and going to bed at 4:00 AM / 5:00 AM.  It's what I've always been told I can't do when I grow up.  Guess what.  This past week I've watched the first two seasons of Dexter.  If you want to watch a good, reasonable number of episodes, and compelling show, I highly suggest it.  It's messed up, suspenseful, and probably the best series I've seen in terms of actual concept and quality.  I'm still a fan of Supernatural, but fighting demons and killing monsters is something comparable not on a level of something more realistic.  I've also been watching a lot of Digimon, an animated show that was around when I was a kid about Digital Monsters.  Never going to grow out of that either.  In fact, Pokemon Black and White version, the 5th generation of Pokemon games, bringing the total to at least 644 Pokemon in all, come out September 18th.  I'm going to play the Japanese one, at least try, until the English one comes out in 2011.


Let's see... what else.  Photography, I suppose.  I got 3rd Place in the Seneca Park Zoo Photo Competition, and my picture is going to be in their calendar.  That's exciting I suppose.  If I actually knew there was a photo competition days before the submissions were due I actually could have tried to get pictures of the animals that were valid submissions, instead I had to sift through the few that I had taken weeks prior to the discovery of said competition.  In either case, I was excited to win something for my Photography.

So comes the conclusion of this post.  I wish I could tell you when I'll next post, but honestly, I have no idea.  This is the part where I'd tell you I'll post on a regular schedule, but I'd rather just omit that and not let anyone down.  Just check back time to time, I'll write again.  In the mean time, think of things to ask me or anything you want to know and post it in the comment section.  Talk to you all later.


~ Damian

Vlog

Watch it.  Now.  Part I and Part II.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irU40GDbpUM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4a0x4RXMLow


And this sounds weird, but if they don't play, click the thing that says 360 and change it to 480.  It might play then.


Also, do like the last part of my 2nd Part says and sign up for a Youtube account, and leave comments for me and subscribe!  If you want.  ;)

Onigiri

Hey all, how the hell is everyone today?!  I'm in a rather type...ative mood, and since I haven't been updating nearly as much as I've wanted to, here goes!


This last week of work I've been added to schools left and right.  I think I'm already at 14 schools now.  5 full support and I think 9 Online Course Management.  And for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, smile and nod.  Short story short, it's more or less support for people who take online courses, like access to their course, account lock-outs, the like.  


So on Saturday I had the crazy notion, "Hey, I've been wanting to make Japanese food since I've came back (physically) from Japan, so why not make some Onigiri?!"  Onigiri is basically the rice balls that are wrapped with seaweed that are filled with anything of your choosing.  In Japan they had Tuna with Mayo, Salmon, Veggies, even some nasty ass beef and somethin' else.  Perhaps my dislike towards the beef stuff was not understanding what I was eating, and perhaps if I knew that it was really pygmy goat (or whatever other critter it could have been), maybe I would have liked it more.  Or perhaps it really was just beef and I didn't like the way it was made.


But I digress.  Or I digressed?  Not sure.  Either way.  I made onigiri today, and it turned out daaamn good.  Basically I made about 9 cups of Japanese sushi rice, the real deal, imported from Japan, sold at Wegmans, and folded it in with a homemade sushi vinegar (made of rice vinegar, some sugar, and a bit of salt).  There are less-messy ways to make the balls involving plastic wrap, and I was prepared to make it that way, but I wanted to just suck it up and shape it all with my hands.  It was at that point when I realized exactly how helpful immersing your hands in salt water between every onigiri was.  That rice is sticky as balls, figuratively, of course, but coating your hands in salt water makes it so you can form them and not have them all stuck to your hands.  Found that out the hard way when the first one I made started to fall apart because it was sticking to my hands as I was dickin' around trying to stuff it for a couple minutes.  Once your hands are no longer wet and salty you're done for.  The next 6 though were great, and even the first one looks alright.  Well, it did before I nom'd it.


Here are some pictures for you guys to look at, although you can see the full set on my Facebook.  Also, here's a chance to shamelessly promote my Twitter as well : http://twitter.com/sacredphoenix55.  You don't have to create an account there, but if you do you can tweet to me... and stuff.  I find that I update it a lot certain days because I can do it from my phone, even when I take a shit, so if you find that you want to know what I'm thinking as I'm droppin' a load, I suggest you check it.

If anyone wants me to make them some and send them some in the mail, I could do that, but I expect to be grossly overpaid in shipping fees and labor.  But really, they turned out damn good!


Also, these past 2 days off have had me watching a lot of Youtube, including almost the entire Equals Three webshow and also some other things by the host of that show and his friends, doing what is known as "vlogs".  Basically Web Log = Blog, and Video Log = Vlog.  So it's pretty much daily / weekly documentary from people.  Turns out the host of that show is a funny guy, as are his friends, but in either case, they've inspired me to consider Vlogging.  I don't know if I'll actually do it, but it could be fun.  Just sayin'.


Also, a friend of mine that goes by the name of Dylan, who if anyone who read my last Japanese blog remembers, actually spent a day with me in Tokyo, anywho, he told me about this animated film maker, Makoto Shinkai, who makes incredibly animated and deep stories.  I watched his short piece, Hoshi no Koe, translating to "Voices of Stars", and it was fantastic.  He has two other films, 5 Centimeters Per Second, and The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and both look fantastic.

Well, look at the time.  It looks like it's time for me to get to bed.  Bowling tomorrow, and my wrist doesn't feel like it's broken today!  For those of you not in the know, for whatever reason, my wrist felt like it was sprained the last week or so.  Last Tuesday at bowling I couldn't lift the ball with my right hand.  Way to be bowling, inorite?  Anyway, I did okay, oddly enough, I think about a 550 or so.  I think I average around a 180 now.  A little low, but given the circumstances, or me just blaming my wrist, you decide, I think that's not so bad.


So again, feel free to leave comments and I'll respond ASAP.  I've really been into the whole internet blogging / facebook the last couple days, so I'll probably get back to you real fast.


In the mean time, I leave you with a really disturbing video from a Uganda Pastor :



 
Definitely don't eat the poo poo.  Ridiculous, huh?  I almost didn't think this shit was real, but alas, it is.  Messed up, huh?


I'm kinda liking the idea of posting videos on my blog more regularly, so be on the lookout for that too.  So many good ideas, so little... well... there is sufficient time.  I don't really have a reason, haha.  


Until next time, see ya!

Lah-Dee-Dah

Hello faithful readers!

My apologies for not having written in a while!  I've just been so busy... eh... that is I suppose a lie.  Well, not that there isn't any truth to it, but I just haven't gotten around to writing in this blog.  But fret not, for I have not forgotten about everyone!

But... it is late and I am tired, so here is the run down on how things have been.

They've been good.  Simply put, all is well.  Basically, since I last wrote I have:

• Become more comfortable with my job.  I'm taking calls for 5 schools now, and I am pretty good with most of those.  Still taking a little too long to document the calls, but it'll come with practice.  Side funny story, my manager thought that I had learned a school one day and put me in the queue and I actually had never even so much as heard of the school and when I got that call, boy was I surprised =P  Let's just say I had to have a lot of help with that particular call.
• I've finally moved upstairs into the room I'll be staying in.  It's nice, great view, 5 windows, works great with my router set-up, and is all around good.
• Got a Seneca Park Zoo membership.  Now, my view on zoos are kinda mixed.  I really love animals but do not fully support putting them in exhibits.  However, as a whole, I do support research and preservation of nature, so while it does mean unfortunate news for the few animals in exhibits, the grand scale of things may improve the lives of other animals that might not be given a fair chance in life.  It is what it is.  It's also important I think for people to see what kind of animals they are hurting by things like cutting down forests, etc.  Perhaps if a few more people can see the beautiful animal's homes that they are destroying, perhaps they will think twice.
• Went to Philadelphia with Marissa for her birthday to see a concert.  Perhaps the best part (for me anyway) was the trip itself and being able to spend the whole weekend with Marissa, but the concert itself was pretty good too.  I really just like spending days with her, that's the most important thing to me.

Hmmm... and I'm sure there's more.  There are definitely more pictures to show.  About 500 from the zoo, 100 from elsewhere.  Perhaps I'll pick a dozen or so and upload them here.  But not tonight.  Now I must go to sleep.

Keep the comments and questions coming.  I feel more motivated to respond to things directed towards me than to do so on free will, so I might even dedicate a blog post to one of your questions if it can't be answered in one line!  Just think, a whole blog post!  Dedicated to my special viewer!  Yada, yada, etc, etc.  But really, anyone have any questions?


Peace out, until later!

Cause It's One, Two, Three Strikes... That's Pretty Good In a Bowling Game!

Hello everyone!  Couple things to update all my blog hungry readers!

First is the Bowling League that I joined tonight.  So I realized during practice time that I haven't thrown a bowling ball in about a year.  My first ball was a glorious gutterball.  It looked like it was going to be mostly downhill the whole night with that throw.  Until the next three balls were strikes.  Basically, short story short, I got a 617, which is a 206 average.  Not shabby at all for not having bowled in a very long time, yeah?  And another perk of joining a bowling league at Clover Lanes is a free 600 games.  I don't  know how I could possibly use them all, they are good until September, at which point I get 80 free games.  Basically... I'd have to bowl about 10 games a night for 2 months straight.  Not happening, haha.  It is neat though that they give you unlimited bowling for the summer at no extra cost other than the League dues.  Which aren't that bad at all.

Second are some more pictures!  Enjoy!  You can click them all for a larger size.  Ask me if you want the original.

Third, LOST is over!  Yep it ended.  SPOILERS : They all die.  Whoops.  Hope you didn't still want to watch it.  It was good though.  I feel that there are things that they didn't answer, actually many things, like why did they build up Walt and then never even mention him again and why some of the Islanders weren't in the afterlife reunion.  It doesn't really make sense in that aspect.  Maybe they'll wrap things up, I heard there was going to be some sort of additional answer thing.  It'll never really end, haha.


Fourth, well, there is no fourth.  Just bed.  Good night!


Keep the comments and questions coming by the way!  I'll try my best to answer all of them!  =)