Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in James' LiveJournal:

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Sunday, June 10th, 2007
11:09 pm	Oh Virtual Reality, how I missed thee :) It's Sunday night, and I just got back from watching the Cavs drop game 2 to the Spurs in the NBA Finals. Man they sucked tonight. Not unlike on Thursday night. But damn the Spurs are good. At least we went down swinging tonight in the 4th quarter. In other news, I finally built my much-anticipated gaming PC. It's a beautiful thing, really. Playing newly-released games like Command & Conquer 3 and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. with the settings maxed out is something I've never been able to do before. At long last, I give you... ( the P35 Chakra ) Cross-posted to hardware Current Mood: pleased Current Music: Renaissance pres - This is Everybody Too - Mixed by Sander Kleinenberg - CD2 (D I G I T A L L Y - I (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, May 27th, 2007
1:16 pm	Reinventing the Wheel Came home a couple days ago and found a notice posted near the gate in my driveway. If you're from L.A., you know the sort: filming to take place nearby on such date and during such and such hours. But when I read further down the page, the notice mentioned loud noises, and in big, bold letters: AUTOMATIC WEAPONS FIRE Haha, it's too bad my neighbors took the notice down, because I wanted to take it to work and scan it. Turns out the filming is for Crossing Over, a movie starring Harrison Ford, Sean Penn, Ray Liotta, and Ashley Judd. And it's taking place, within, like, blocks of my house (or however far of a radius of notices the city requires when automatic weapons are being discharged). Hopefully I'll be at home during at least part of the filming, and hopefully, if I do decide to follow the sounds of gunfire to their source, local gangs will not decide to join the fray with live ammunition O_o The new PC is almost ready for assembly. I have everything but the motherboard, thanks to the pain in the ass that it can be to make payments through paypal (the limit on my credit card is only $250 :-/). But I restrained myself in paying the $28 (discounted) overnight shipping to get the mobo by Saturday (yesterday) so I could have the machine built for the weekend. Which means one thing is for sure: I will lose sleep during the coming week :) Current Mood: pleased Current Music: Deep Mariano & Somnus Corp - Inner Fields (D I G I T A L L Y - I M P O R T E D - Progressive - house (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, April 15th, 2007
3:02 pm	I'm going to need a bigger desk :) As of now, I am actively taking suggestions on new gaming PC components and/or bundles. While I'd love to save money by building my own PC, I would also like to avoid all the aches and pains that seem to come along with throwing a bunch of random parts into a system, and hoping that they all get along nicely. So I'm leaning toward a Tiger Direct sort of solution, whereby the system components have been tested together, but I still pay much less by assembling the computer myself. ( What I'm looking for in a gaming rig ) Ideal target date for procurement of new system: 06-15-2007 ABSOLUTE target date by which I must have a new PC: 08-15-07 2007 (at which time I'm going to be needing an X-Box 360 as well haha) cross-posted to hardware Current Music: Glenn Holmes - DI.fm Promo Set (February 2007) (D I G I T A L L Y - I M P O R T E D - Progressive - (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, April 8th, 2007
8:09 pm	taxes anyone? So does anyone know anywhere I can e-file my state taxes online for a decent price? I already filed my federal taxes for free with H&R Block; but their state tax filings were $29.95 per state (and I have to do 2 states). I wish I had known that most sites give deals only when you do your state and federal taxes through them. Thus far, I can't seem to find anywhere that will do my state taxes only without making me file federal stuff first. Current Mood: hopeful (4 Comments |Comment on this)
11:28 am	I just woke up from a nightmare in which I was back in college. Haha. Funny I don't remember having a similar dream about high school when I was in college. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, April 2nd, 2007
12:41 am	more tales from the hood A car flipped on my street tonight, about 500 feet down from my house. I remember hearing a *whoosh* of sorts, followed by a metallic crash, and looking out the window to ascertain the source of the downright unnatural noise. But a quick survey of my limited view revealed only the familiar sight of a party across the street. After a couple moments of looking around, I was perplexed, but willing to believe that it could have originated from some drunken revelry across the street, with a table being sent crashing into the ground. A giant, metallic, able-to-displace-a-ton-of-air-during-its-fall, table. I went back to reading. Confused, but not all that surprised. But around 20 minutes later, when red hazard lights began to paint their way through my curtains, I finally realized that some shit was up. Explosion, I was thinking. The only thing that could have explained the whoosh of air that I heard (aside from, of course, that huge table my neighbors must have). Certain of the uniqueness of the situation at this point, I put on some shoes and went outside. I was greeted by the arrival of two more fire trucks supported by the same number of police cruisers converging just a bit down the street. A mass of people had already gathered outside, as I walked quickly but hesistantly down the line of LAFD/LAPD vehicles now gathered so close to my house. I kept expecting to see flames, or a house that had spewed wood and glass onto the street in the aftermath of a natural gas explosion, but despite my getting closer to the end of the line of city vehicles, I couldn't seem to see what had spawned all of these people or this feeling of chaos. Until I saw the car. Or rather, the undercarriage of a car, lying on its side, dormant. I had only a moment to pause: as if on cue, firefighters began running toward the vehicle, a couple of them with a piece of equipment I could only imagine would be the so-called jaws of life. They immediately began trying to pry open the downed vehicle, which I realized was now a van. My obvious question, "Is someone still in there?" had its answer. But the disturbing thing is that the ambulance which had arrived on the far side of this capsized wreck just kind of loomed there. Its gurney motionless, and not an EMT anywhere nearby. Putting this together with the fact that the firefighters were no longer prying the van open, and the lack of fanfare that I would imagine would accompany the actual rescue of someone from a downed vehicle; I could only conclude that the driver and any passengers in the vehicle had suffered such severe trauma as to be declared dead on the spot. Of course, it is possible that one or more persons in the wrecked van had already been extracted from all of that twisted metal before I got close enough to figure out what had happened. I mean, the light from the emergency vehicles did have the effect of washing out my vision with flashes of red. But the somber professionalism and reservedness of the LAFD crews present seemed to tell a different story. That somebody, or some people; died tonight. Not 500 feet from where I sit right now. I was able to snap a couple of poor-quality pictures with my cell phone. You can't see much, but the gravity and surreality of the scene is unmistakeable. ( flipped car ) Current Mood: morose (Comment on this)
Sunday, April 1st, 2007
6:27 pm	Give Us Money. You know, being logged into both myspace and LiveJournal, this April fool's joke is especially hilarious. Current Mood: amused (Comment on this)
2:56 am	mime WHAT I'd have to say that this is very, very clever. I'd also have to say that Danny Howells is an amazing DJ. Every bit as kickass live as in his Global Underground mix that I reviewed a few posts back. I didn't stay for his whole six hour set at Vanguard (Giant), but IMO he's nearly in Tiesto's league at keeping a set fresh for a long, long time. Many props. Additional props go to my hot dance teacher acquaintance, who can turn amusing dancefloor incidents into a narrative of sorts via movement alone. EDIT: I feel really stupid having found out that G-mail paper was a farce. I pride myself on being good at catching April Fool's jokes, but in this case I still got swindled. Silly Google. Current Music: the LACK of ringing in my ears (thank you earplugs, for not allowing Giant to murder my ears) (Comment on this)
Sunday, March 18th, 2007
8:29 pm	As long as the man behind "Jeff Likes Movies" is on sabbatical... Eek. So I feel pretty drained right now. And kind of anhedonic (not wanting to do anything I normally do to pass the time). I suppose now would not be a bad time to pump out a few reviews... ( Movies (by twos) ) ( Music (by threes) ) Current Mood: okay (Comment on this)
Saturday, March 3rd, 2007
4:36 pm	Haha, so much for not getting re-addicted to EVE Online. Go CCP :) Current Mood: tired (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, March 2nd, 2007
8:48 pm	2007 will be a great year for strategy Not being broke or worrying about getting fired all the time is kind of awesome. I'm currently concerned about how to pay for my root canal, but my bank accounts are shaping up quite nicely, and pretty soon I'll be able to do some honest-to-god investing again. Just how far away is that new PC I've been waiting for... Liquid cooling...mind-blowing real-time strategy games...Half-Life 2: Episode Two as it was meant to be played. Can it be that I will actually be able to fund such a beast before the Christmas season hits again? Oh baby, I can dream. Current Mood: excited (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 28th, 2007
9:46 pm	silly mechanic So, you know that mechanic I was raving (not ranting) about two posts ago? Well, tonight when I went to have him install a part that he had ordered for me, he totally locked my keys in my car. Haha, he and his associate spent about 5 minutes trying to trip the locks with little tools that looked liked hacksaws. At which point I called triple A. God I am so bored. Current Mood: nauseated (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, February 26th, 2007
10:13 pm	I don't WANT a reason to buy a PS3... Aww, TGC, why'd you have to go and do that? Jacked from Penny Arcade news. Current Mood: melancholy (Comment on this)
Sunday, February 25th, 2007
6:29 pm	I need you like a hole in my vein Man I have spent so much money this weekend. Between the $350 for my car's new axle and brake rotors (it would have been way more if my mechanic wasn't awesome), and the nearly $40 I dropped going to Giant on Saturday night (a good time, but not $40 good; and certainly not so alone); I definitely ate up the better part of a week's pay. Oh and I strained my ankle a bit. But that's what I get for trying some experimental dacefloor shit. lol. At least I was able to spend some quality time with Lunar Knights (DS) (which rocks) at a coffee shop. Pity I couldn't get onto their wireless network for some Mario Kart DS action. In music news, I'm pleasantly surprised at the quality of my two latest CD's. ( music news ) Current Mood: decent Current Music: Basement Jaxx - "On the Train" (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, February 12th, 2007
11:01 pm	24. This was not the longest day of my life. Hmm, well that's another birthday on the books. Kind of quiet and uneventful, but that wasn't so bad. Had a good (productive) day at work, a nice dinner with the sis. Some phone calls. Can't complain, can't complain :) Oh, and I got a Best Buy gift card which I almost used to help fund the purchase of an X-Box 360 tonight, but I'm glad I didn't after I remembered hearing about this seemingly more-than-likely-true rumor. That's right, it appears there's a second version of the X-Box 360 coming out—codenamed "Zephyr"—complete with a 120 GB hard drive, built-in HD DVD drive, HDMI output port, and shrunken processor die (which reduces overheating and the accompanying loud fans). Now, if the part of the rumor about it coming out at $400 is also true, then man is that going to be one helluva deal. Don't I love almost getting new systems (or getting them and not opening them in the case of the Nintendo DS), and then finding out just in time that a new version of the hardware is on it's way? Patience pays. Though it will be a test to see how long I can hold onto this gift card burning a hole in my pocket. Must. Resist. Impulse. Buy. Electronics. Current Mood: good Current Music: Hybrid feat. Judy Tzuke - "Falling Down" (Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 7th, 2007
8:25 pm	damned cat My sister's cat is stuck on top of a telephone pole a good 30 to 50 feet in the air. He has been there since at least this morning, with no food or water. We have no idea how the HELL he got up there. My sister tried calling the power company, animal rescue, animal protective services, the fire department, etc. All of them explained that they cannot rescue cats from the tops of telephone poles, as it is too risky. Our only other idea is to call the local news in an attempt to highlight the incident and find someone willing to brave the clusterfuck of wires intersecting this telephone pole. So yeah, if you have any ideas, please leave a comment. Who knows how long Tommy will survive up there. UPDATE: Yeah, so remember how we were thinking about calling the news to try and draw attention to Tommy's plight? Well they came, and the plea for help worked, as Tommy is now safely inside our house. Essentially, after the story aired on KCAL 9 today, a couple of cat-loving women called KCAL 9, who got them in touch with my sister. The two women pledged that they would themselves climb the pole to rescue dear Tommy. Upon arriving, the middle-aged ladies balked at how high the pole was, but still threatened to ascend the dozens of feet to rescue the kittycat if LA DWP (Department of Water and Power) did not come and save Tommy themselves. Uneasy at the prospect of having one or two middle-aged women's deaths on their hands, DWP immediately agreed to come out and get my sister's cat down. And so less than an hour ago, a DWP employee—armed with a harness and a bucket—made the perilous climb to the kitty at the top of the pole, and brought him down to safety. It's ironic then, isn't it, that the same reason that probably prevented DWP from coming in the first place—the threat of a lawsuit—probably spurred them to action (I don't know about you, but I don't know of many successful businesses or companies that want a 50 year old woman's blood on their hands). And so I thank the KCAL 9 news team, the two women who responded to the story, and even LA DWP for finally being moved to act in the face of a frivolous lawsuit. Isn't our country great? :P (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, January 30th, 2007
9:37 pm	Thank God the dialogue can be skipped. Man Trauma Center for the Wii is so fucking hard. Trying to destroy a bomb core with a laser through a quickly rotating hexagonal pattern of touch-me-and-you-die panels? Holy shit. It's safe to say that, unlike my father, I will never be a surgeon :-[ And you know, for once, I actually feel like reading. Current Mood: tired (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, January 21st, 2007
1:41 pm	2 br backhouse (behind my house) for rent in Highland Park (i.e.- Los Angeles, CA) Hey everyone. So I just found out the people that live in the house right behind me are moving out in mid February, and my sister and I are both hoping to find nice, decent (read: not loud as fuck with a penchant to litter in our fucking driveway) people to occupy the house behind us. My sister posted a myspace bulletin advertising it, which I will syndicate, but I figured I would give LJ people first dibs if there is any interest. Here is the text of the ad stolen from my sister: - $1400/ month- Available mid to late February - 2 bedrooms, extra large living room, washer/dryer hook-ups - private (separated from my house by a large wooden fence) - lots of trees - green - extra storage unit in back - 4 blocks from Footsies (it's a popular bar on the East side) - super close to the 110 and 5 freeways and 2 blocks from the MTA Gold-Line - convenient location - really nice & responsible landlord - possibility of renting out the large garage for a studio/storage space (this is a picture of my house; backhouse looks about the same) I'd LOVE to find people I know to rent out the back house. Down the line we could consider renting out the garage together for a studio (right now landlord uses it for storage). They're cute little houses and I hope to stay here a while. Please pass on the word if you know of someone looking - preferably people more on the quiet side (previous tenants had loud parties almost every weekend - argh - but the occasional party is great) If interested, get in touch with me and I'll give you more info. :) (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, January 14th, 2007
11:23 pm	One giant leap toward Virtual Reality. God DAMN do I love my Wii (rofl. Insert phallus jokes here). While Zelda initially pissed me off with a confusing as hell fishing debacle, its incredibly-polished gameplay has grown on me so much that I'm completely in love with the game now. It is easily one of the finest gameplay experiences ever created, and I get the sense that Twilight Princess merely scratches the tip of the surface in terms of what the Wii control setup is capable of delivering (especially when you consider how Twilgiht Princess was initially designed with Gamecube controls in mind). ( VR goes pop. ) Current Mood: amazed Current Music: creepy Zelda music (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, January 10th, 2007
10:39 pm	initial thoughts Man is it fucking cool swinging the Wiimote and nunchuk around for Zelda. It just feels so...visceral. Seriously, I caught myself breathing heavily—not so much because I was winded, but more so because combat is so much more intense and even urgent when you have to actually, you know, move to kill stuff. Is it just me, though, or did anyone else get really damn frustrated trying to learn how to fish initially? Honestly, I must have wasted a good 3 to 4 hours trying to figure it out. Now it goes without saying that I'm a pretty hardcore gamer, so if it took me that long, I can only imagine all the kiddies and casual gamers getting turned off quickly by having a mandatory bottleneck like that so early in the game. Luckily for Nintendo, the rest of the game makes me want to skip work tomorrow :P Twilight Princess creeps me the hell out...in a good way :) Current Mood: excited (2 Comments |Comment on this)