Boats, India, BMWs, and the godhood of Brian May...
Friday, March 14, 2008
Even though my last post was just over a week ago, it feels like I've been "away" for some time, so here's a few updates:
Two weekends ago the temperature around here was hitting mid 70F's. It took all of my super powers to resist dewinterizing the boat then and there and hitting the lake straight away. But alas, The Weather Channel was telling us to prepare for more below freezing temperatures. That seemed impossible. Fast forward to last Friday evening, when the drive to Arkansas was derailed two hours in when we hadn't made it as far as we normally would in a half an hour due to the blizzard to end all blizzards. In March. In Memphis. Good thing the boat was still put up. And here we are, a mere week later, and it's currently 70F.
You Republicans out there still think there's no such thing as global climate change?
Anywho, we're heading back to the lake tonight so these guys can dewinterize the boat tomorrow. Hopefully in the next few weeks it will be warm enough to take it out. After that, you'll know where to find me every weekend till November. Snap.
And it appears I may be heading back to India in short order. I'm not sure of the timeframe or duration, or really even the location. I have a strong suspicion this client will be based in Gujarat, a fact that only makes me nervous because of it's proximity to the Pakistani border. From what I gather, Gujarat is more or less safe, but it is indeed quite close to a country that is currently flirting with turmoil. But I'll be cautiously optimistic. Besides, I love India. I'm down with another (moderately) short (meaning 3-4 weeks) trip. I just wish it was back in Delhi or Mumbai. C'est la vie.
Tim bought a BMW 328i on Wednesday. I haven't taken a picture of his yet, but the one above is pretty close. I won't spend much time on this topic except to say I made him buy it to mitigate his ever-growing obsession with having one. Many hours were spent looking at car-porn on the internet in the days leading up to the big jump. He is now free to drive his very own beemer to his heart's content. Or at least till he gets sick of paying sick amounts for gas and goes back to mostly driving my Prius. Then I get a beemer. Woot.
Finally, and most fantastically, I've been listening to alot of Queen lately. Lest anyone forget, Brian May is tied for the prize of best-fucking-guitar-tone-ever with David Gilmour, a prize that must be shared between the two for reasons understood by at least myself, and probably more than a few others out there. I would characterize my style of guitar playing as "a hack trying to play in the style of David Gilmour with the tone of Brian May and the badass delay addiction of The Edge". While I consider myself to be a decent enough guitar player for my needs, note that the operative word in that characterization is "hack", for in comparison to these legends, I am more like the completely non-musical video game nerd who thinks the ability to kick Slash's ass on Guitar Hero makes one a virtuouso.
Back to Brian May. He is a god. He is the reason I own a Vox. He laid down some crazy shit before studios could digitally quintuplicate one's guitar prowess. So dust off your old Innuendo record, and if you don't have one, get thee hence to iTunes and remedy that fault inmediatamente.
Currently in Memphis, Tennessee
Currently listening to Queen - Killer Queen
Labels: All Posts, Music, Toys, Travel
posted by Dustin @ 1:04 PM,
Random Tidbits of Oil Changes, Office Cleaning, Inconsistent Work-Out Schedules, and The United-Effing-Kingdom...
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
I'm sitting here in the lobby of Wolfchase Toyota, where skilled technicians are hard at work, carefully changing the oil and rotating the tires of my beloved Prius, and I'm reminded of how many plain-looking people live in this city. Not that this is a bad thing. Just an observation. A mundane task like this in cities like LA or New York would be different. There would be very few plain-looking people. There would be only ridiculously beautiful or heinously ugly people. No in-between. I think Memphis must be a city of in-between. Although I suppose people don't generally get all gussied up to get their oil changed or to buy a new car. Hell, I'm looking rather grungy myself today. Quite plain indeed.
I cleaned/rearranged my office a bit yesterday. It was more stale than dirty, and more cluttered than poorly-arranged. But still. Its amazing that I can spend two hours "cleaning" a room only to have it look basically like it did when I started. Only a little more tidy. And tidy is happy. I'm thinking about getting this chair, then painting the walls chocolate. Then I'll be content with the room till this time next year. Its cyclical.
I'm cyclical. In fact, those who know me well would attest that I'm pretty dadgum predictable. Another example: I've entered my annual narcissistic self-improvement phase. Every year, about this time, I get all amped up about exercizing and working out and other such things in an attempt to be more good-looking by the time I hit the lake in my cute little swimsuit. Generally this passion lasts for one or two weeks, or till my next business trip, whichever comes first. I've done really well on both cardio and weight training since I started (only last Saturday), but I'm going back to Detroit on Thursday, so we'll see how it goes. Perhaps this year will be different. Perhaps not. It is cyclical, after all.
Finally, speaking of business trips, I'm on deck for another new client. This one is based in the jolly old United Kingdom. This is badass, as I've been wanting to get back to Europe ASAP and have never been to London. I won't find out for sure for another couple of days, but its nice to see it in the cards.
Anywho, that's what's up here at approximately 9:30am on a Tuesday. It feels good to be doing something so mundane, cyclical, and in-between. Cheers.
Currently in Memphis, Tennessee
Currently listening to Avril Lavigne - The Best Damn thing
Labels: All Posts, General Bullshit, Toys, Travel
posted by Dustin @ 9:06 AM,
Short-Timer's Syndrome and Nice Distractions
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Well the clock is a-ticking on my last day at the current employer and the first day at the new one. I've never been more ready for a change. While my current employment relationship has been great and I value the experience, its definitely time for a step or two up the ladder. In the meantime, I'm finishing out my tenure with a week and a half of days that start at 4:00am. That's one of the challenges of global projects. If its 4:00am here, its 2:30pm in India :-)
I got to have lunch yesterday with the Artist and the Chef, and was reminded yet again why they are two of my absolute favorite people in the world to spend time with. Just a nice hour and a half on the patio....nothing crazy. But it was definitely what I needed.
Anyway, I'm about to jump on a conference call. Here's to a happy humpday.
P.S. Tim got an iPhone. I'm so jealous. Little does he know, that just means I'm going to play with his phone all the time.
Labels: All Posts, Friends and Family, General Bullshit, Toys
posted by Dustin @ 4:20 AM,
Upper Respiratory Nastiness and Lower Back Insanity
Friday, September 7, 2007
Tim and I are beginning to feel the positive effects of intensive antibiotics. The vile symptoms of upper respiratory infection are leaving, but tragically, my chronic lower back pain has returned with a vengeance. Poor Tim has suffered too, in that I can't walk the dog further than three feet or microwave a freakin' Lean Cuisine without doubling over with the most intense spasms I can imagine. I know, I know....bitch and moan. Anyway, Tim's taking me to the doctor this afternoon. Hopefully the doc will validate that its my back as opposed to renal failure :-).
Oh yeah, and I got a cute new phone. Anyone who needs the new number should have received it from me via SMS, but if you feel left out, email me and I'll hit you with my digits.
Labels: All Posts, General Bullshit, Toys
posted by Dustin @ 9:27 AM,
Dusting Off....
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Well, its certainly been awhile since I've posted anything here consistently. To be honest, its because life has been relatively routine for a couple of months. Not bad or even boring, just routine.
At the beginning of the summer, we went on a little bit of a spending spree (oops). A new boat, new RV, and new car were the biggies. So, we've been driving to Arkansas (in my new Prius) every weekend, staying the weekends (in the new camper), and playing on the lake all day (on the new boat). The Pink Lady and her new(est) and most fabulous roomie Heather joined us for a weekend, along with Amy's royal princess Ellie, and last weekend we took Ellie up and poodlesat while Amy was away in Orlando....or Atlanta....or something like that :-)
Anyway, other than that things have been pretty routine. Tim has been traveling to New York quite a bit for work, and I've been balancing long work weeks and coursework as best I can. We're both sick as dogs right now with upper respiratory infections, but the drugs are good, lol...
Oh yeah, and I quit my job yesterday. Well, not quit, exactly... Put in my notice. I accepted a position as a Managing Consultant at an industry best recruitment consulting firm, and I'll be leaving my current company on 21-September. Its bittersweet, as leaving a team of people you truly enjoy working with always is. But the new opportunity is super exciting and is a career move that I couldn't pass up. I'll still work from home and travel to client sites as needed. Travel may pick up a bit, but nothing too dramatic.
And that's what's up here... Since change is in the wind, I should have more to post here, so keep checking in with me if you're interested.
¡Hasta Luego!
-Dustin
Currently listening to Britney Spears - Gimme More
Labels: All Posts, General Bullshit, Relaxation, Toys
posted by Dustin @ 5:07 PM,
I'm a captain....
Monday, June 18, 2007
Got a new toy this weekend. Forgot the camera. Will post details and pictures next weekend :-)
posted by Dustin @ 9:52 AM,
Dear Blog,
Friday, February 2, 2007
I've not abandoned you. I'm just uninspired.
Actually, the only new and exciting (to me, anyway) thing this week is a new midi-controller for the studio. For those who are unfamiliar with midi controllers, I took a picture for your viewing pleasure:
Other than that, we're just working hard and being lazy when we can. More to come...
Labels: All Posts, General Bullshit, Toys
posted by Dustin @ 6:11 PM,
Getting a New Toy...
Thursday, January 4, 2007
After a REALLY long time of succumbing to an unnecessary societial demand for PC-use, I'm finally getting my first Mac since 1992. Its been a long time coming.
At any rate, since my three primary reasons for using a computer outside of work are web design, graphic design, and recording/producing music, its actually surprising that I didn't jump back to Macs a long time ago. They're built unbelievably creatively, and their Unix-based architecture opens up a whole new world of open source project, program and hack development opportunities. For any of you out there who aren't so geeky, that just means they're really nifty.
Now, to decide exactly what I want on it. More to come.
Currently listening to Skillet - Comatose.
posted by Dustin @ 7:32 PM,
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