This morning, I witnessed another shiny example of a neanderthal in traffic.
I was riding my bike towards work, when I stopped at a crossroads to give right of way. The car driving behind me had to stop as well.
There were three cars coming from the right-hand side road; two of them were able to pass without a problem, but before the third one could get on the intersection, the car behind me suddenly geared up, passed me by, and sped on to the intersection, forcing the other car to brake. Apparently, the 'mammal' didn't approve of me obeying traffic laws.
I swear, I had to firmly grip my stear to prevent giving him (or her, I don't know what it was) the finger.
From now on, I will vow to remember the license plate, car make, and color of any driver acting like a complete moron, and post their info on this blog for the whole world to see. I've had just about enough of people terrorrizing the streets, so I'm putting them out in the open, for everyone to flip a finger at. I'm probably not allowed to do this, but I care WAY more for safer streets than some dumb privacy law.
You're all warned.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
D&D 4E
It's been a week since the new 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons came out, and a lot of interesting reviews have already been written:
While at first I was very skeptical about the new edition, having read the reviews and skimmed a colleague's copy of the Core Rules books did convince me to at least try it out. Some of the stuff really got me interested.
Even though I don't plan on buying the books, I'm definitely willing to play the game. Perhaps I will get me a copy in the future (when they have their first, or maybe even second, revision published), but I got myself too much 3.5 material at the moment to be wanting to switch editions. Furthermore, Paizo announced that they will keep their Pathfinder products 3.5 compatible. I will probaby buy that Pathfinder RPG book.
While at first I was very skeptical about the new edition, having read the reviews and skimmed a colleague's copy of the Core Rules books did convince me to at least try it out. Some of the stuff really got me interested.
Even though I don't plan on buying the books, I'm definitely willing to play the game. Perhaps I will get me a copy in the future (when they have their first, or maybe even second, revision published), but I got myself too much 3.5 material at the moment to be wanting to switch editions. Furthermore, Paizo announced that they will keep their Pathfinder products 3.5 compatible. I will probaby buy that Pathfinder RPG book.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Bonded
So, the wedding was last saturday, and I have to say it was everything it should have been. Except for the weather, maybe (there was no sun, but that didn't bother us in the least), the entire day was as perfect as it could be. Everything appeared to be meticulously planned and executed, even though we just let ourselves go with the flow and just had a great time.
The civil wedding in the morning was quite okay. It took half an hour for the official to say his thing, have us sign the papers, and congratulate us.
During noon, we went to my wife's parents' house to relax and have lunch. It was really comfortable and enjoyable, having everyone close to us be there.
The service in the church was good (no hassle with rings not wanting to slide over fingers, or witnesses not showing up, or anything). Our son stole the show, though, running around and playing in front of the altar and doing his cute little dance whenever the fanfare played their music. I think the people attending the service payed more attention to him than to what the priest was saying.
Then we went on to the reception, the evening dinner and the dance party, all at the same place. The food was excellent, the staff was courteous, fast, friendly, and clean, the place was very cozy, and the DJ did his job very well (at any time during the dancing party, there were more people on the dance floor than sitting at their tables, which you don't see all that often at weddings).
What I liked most was seeing everyone at the evening feast honestly enjoying themselves. That really gave me a kick.
Too bad you can have this day only once in your life (at least, that's the point).
The civil wedding in the morning was quite okay. It took half an hour for the official to say his thing, have us sign the papers, and congratulate us.
During noon, we went to my wife's parents' house to relax and have lunch. It was really comfortable and enjoyable, having everyone close to us be there.
The service in the church was good (no hassle with rings not wanting to slide over fingers, or witnesses not showing up, or anything). Our son stole the show, though, running around and playing in front of the altar and doing his cute little dance whenever the fanfare played their music. I think the people attending the service payed more attention to him than to what the priest was saying.
Then we went on to the reception, the evening dinner and the dance party, all at the same place. The food was excellent, the staff was courteous, fast, friendly, and clean, the place was very cozy, and the DJ did his job very well (at any time during the dancing party, there were more people on the dance floor than sitting at their tables, which you don't see all that often at weddings).
What I liked most was seeing everyone at the evening feast honestly enjoying themselves. That really gave me a kick.
Too bad you can have this day only once in your life (at least, that's the point).
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Showtime... almost
One more day before the wedding, and we're both so amazingly relaxed you wouldn't believe it.
I wonder what effect this will have on the day itself? Stay tuned...
I wonder what effect this will have on the day itself? Stay tuned...
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Mastery
A friend's blog pointed me towards the book Mastery, by George Leonard, explaining the process we go through whenever we learn a new skill.
I've only just begun reading it, but it's already an interesting read, more so because I currently have some situations where it applies: I'm a 'fresh' parent (a year and a half parenting doesn't exactly make you an expert), I recently took up drawing, and I play go.
Other examples are easily thought of (improving Dungeon Master skills, learning to relax in any possible situation, trying to be forgiving to everyone, writing cleaner software, ...), but these three are the most apparent.
And from these examples, go is, if you ask me, the most perfect example in which to apply the Mastery theory. Go is a game which you will never in your life completely master (none of the 9-dan players claim they do; or at least, they shouldn't or otherwise they wouldn't even be dan-players), and the process of learning to master it, i.e. improving yourself, is way more satisfying than actually winning games.
And the funny thing is, reading this book actually makes me even more excited to continue learning to draw. I'd like to claim that I started this new hobby with the correct mindset, knowing that I will not achieve perfection in a small amount of time, but instead needing to find the proper tutors and tutorials, filtering them and deciding which ones are the next logical steps to take, and practicing, practicing, and practicing even more. This book actually endorses that decision, and gives a real confidence-boost.
So, to anyone who reads this blog, and is caught up in the modern downward spiral of consumerism and instant gratification: read the book and change your life for the better!
I've only just begun reading it, but it's already an interesting read, more so because I currently have some situations where it applies: I'm a 'fresh' parent (a year and a half parenting doesn't exactly make you an expert), I recently took up drawing, and I play go.
Other examples are easily thought of (improving Dungeon Master skills, learning to relax in any possible situation, trying to be forgiving to everyone, writing cleaner software, ...), but these three are the most apparent.
And from these examples, go is, if you ask me, the most perfect example in which to apply the Mastery theory. Go is a game which you will never in your life completely master (none of the 9-dan players claim they do; or at least, they shouldn't or otherwise they wouldn't even be dan-players), and the process of learning to master it, i.e. improving yourself, is way more satisfying than actually winning games.
And the funny thing is, reading this book actually makes me even more excited to continue learning to draw. I'd like to claim that I started this new hobby with the correct mindset, knowing that I will not achieve perfection in a small amount of time, but instead needing to find the proper tutors and tutorials, filtering them and deciding which ones are the next logical steps to take, and practicing, practicing, and practicing even more. This book actually endorses that decision, and gives a real confidence-boost.
So, to anyone who reads this blog, and is caught up in the modern downward spiral of consumerism and instant gratification: read the book and change your life for the better!
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