Grenade Stick

Halo 3 is great when it comes to posting your matches on youtube. The game comes with a theater mode where you can view the last 20 or 30 matches. You don't have to view the match from your own perspective, either. Theater mode allows you to view from any other player's 3rd person view or with a a free floating camera.

In this match, I jumped off a man cannon and stuck a Banshee that was shooting at my teammates. I had seen it done before so I figured I'd try it out myself...

...actually...

My original intent was to skyjack the banshee (jump onto the Banshee, rip the enemy out of the driver's seat, then steal the Banshee for myself). The plasma grenade stick was my backup plan.

I was surprised that I was able to stick him. Since then, however, I've done it many times. It's actually not hard at all.

Cube

Halo3:ODST

This game was just released today. The video below does an ok job of convicing me to go get it. More than that, it has convinced me that a live action Halo movie is long overdue. Would someone please make one?

Video Game Music...

Prometheus is a game-mod to Unreal Tournament 3. Created by Rachel "AngelMapper" Cordone, it was entered into the $1,000,000 Make Something Unreal contest. After it won 1st place in phase 2 of 4, I joined the team as a music composer.

The video below shows some game footage featuring my music. I wrote eight songs for the game. The first five songs, for Prometheus levels, each have seven layers. The last three songs, for Epimetheus levels, each have five versions.

For the Prometheus levels, the player controls five "Quantum States" (QS) starting with #1 and ending with #5. During the first QS, the song plays with only a beat. Each QS after adds another layer to the song until the song is complete when the level is complete.

For the Epimetheus levels, the player controls three Quantum States in an order. In fact, the player can replay any QS over again as many times as he wants. Since the QS interaction is random, AngelMapper wanted the song system different than for Prometheus levels. Each QS gets a different remix of the same song.

What I really like about the music system for this game is how good of a job AngelMapper did on the programming end. If you notice, there are no trainwrecks (see definition below). Each version/layer of the song is seamlessly crossfaded into the next version/layer. This feature is not part of the original game. In fact, I hate writing music for the game because of the train wrecks that occur when trasitioning between different versions.

Prometheus can be downloaded here. You can find more information about the game at ModDB.com. You will need have Unreal Tournament 3 installed in order to play the game-mod.

train wreck [treyn rek] - noun
A sudden and disastrous [change of the beat or] halt in the music 'set' played by a DJ. Often associated with the music styles of House and Techno where a set can last for an hour or longer. This calamity results in the loss of rhythm and ‘flow’ in a club or rave, which in turn presents a certain negative attitude by the attendees toward the DJ. This is best defined as ‘boo’. This condition often throws the DJ into an extreme state of apprehension and a fevered determination to save his cred usually resulting in an increased chance of causing another train wreck. Technical problems associated with equipment do not qualify under this definition. Derived from the visual image of a train, traveling at high speed, smashing into an brick wall.
UrbanDictionary.com

Chula Vista!

I Prefer Margaritas...

"I don’t always drink beer, but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis."

Those are the words of the most interesting man in the world. You may ask yourself, if he doesn't always drink beer, why drink beer at all? I figured out why last night.

I went out to dinner with my family to a little Mexican Restaurant in Santa Barbara - Palapa Restaurant. They have, hands down, the worst Margaritas in the world.

I've had Margaritas on 6 of the 7 continents. I've tasted the watered down disasters of Tijuana, Mexico. I drank a warm, ice-less concoction in Pusan, South Korea. I make a serious effort to drink a Margarita everywhere I go.

I wish I had a Dos Equis at Palapa.

When I ordered the margarita, the waiter warned me that it would be weak; The tequila they use is only 40 proof. It tasted like dirty water with a twist of sweaty feet. I couldn't taste the tequila at all. The waiter brought me a shot just before we left. 40 proof tequila tastes just like 80 proof - so that's not the reason it tastes so bad. It's just a horrible mix. I almost didn't finish it.

On a side note: if you ever find yourself in an Asian country trying to teach a bartender how to make a margarita, be sure to list ice as one of the ingredients.

Brandon Sanderson

November 3rd, 2009 is the day the book 12 of the Wheel of Time series is scheduled to be released. This will be the first book of the series featuring Brandon Sanderson as a co-author.

As you know the original author, Robert Jordan, passed away on September 16th, 2007. Before he died, he had completed the ending and other parts of the final book. Since then, Brandon Sanderson has been selected to finish the series - AND - Tor Books has decided to split the last book into 3 separate books.

A lot of Wheel of Time fans were so excited that the series was going to be complete that they didn't care who was going to be the new author. I wasn't one of them. I wanted to know who this mysterious author that Tor Books chose.

So who is Brandon Sanderson? Is he a good author? We he be able to live up to the massive expectations that come with finishing this series? I wanted to know so I went out about and bought three of his books:

1. Elantris - Brandon's first book.
2. Warbreaker - Brandon's most recent novel.
3. Mistborn - Book 1 of Brandon's first series.

I read Elantris first. For a first novel, this book was great. I have some issues with the dialog; It seemed a little unrealistic, almost like a Quentin Tarantino movie. Despite the dialog, it was a great story with a simple but interesting magic system. Some people may think it's a little slow in certain areas. I think the pace is just fine. The ending is one of the best endings I've read in awhile.

Elantris is a stand-alone novel but it could easily be the first book of a series. Brandon has talked about someday writing a sequel. There are a couple of subtle story arcs that could easily be exploited to continue the story.

I read Warbreaker 2nd for two reasons. First, I didn't want to start a series (Mistborn) and follow it with a stand-alone. Second, I wanted to see how much Brandon had progressed between his first novel and his most recent.

I could see the difference right away. The diaglog was so much better - Smart, witty, real. The magic system, however, was a little cheesy; It uses breath and colors. The story more than made up for the magic system. The ending wasn't as good as Elantris but it still had the same tension and suspence.

One thing I really liked about this book was one of his main characters, Lightsong. He's a God who doesn't believe in his own religion. His bad attitude towards his extremely pampered life is a source for endless comedy.

Warbreaker and Elantris compliment each other well. Elantris is about an abandoned city that used to be home of the Gods. Warbreaker is about a city that is still home of the Gods.

Mistborn is the best book I've read in a long time. After finishing a chapter, I wanted to start another. The pace is perfect. Every single point of view was interesting. The magic system is the most creative I've ever seen. The story is great and the ending is spectacular.

Mistborn is book 1 of 3 of the Mistborn series but this book could easily be a stand alone. I haven't read book two or three but I plan to in the next couple of weeks. If book two and three are anywhere close to as good as the first one, this could end up being my favorite series of all time.

One thing I noticed about all three books... When I started geting close to the end, I had no idea if the "good guy" or the "bad guy" was going to win - and I'm not going to tell you who does. Just know that Sanderson ain't no Jordan. He has no problem killing off a character or two.

After reading these three books, I know Sanderson is up to the task regarding the Wheel of Time series. He's got a great voice and a knack for suspence and tension. My only hope is that he gets this Wheel of Time gig overwith quickly so he can get back to writing his own novels.

For -or- Against?

If you can't see the video above, it's likely that Obama's brown shirts have removed it, and every other copy, from the Internet in an attempt to silence any dissenting opinion (even if it's by the President himself).

Obama must think the general population is stupid. Maybe we are. I consider myself to be average in intelligence and education - High school graduate with some college with a 1400 on my SATs back in 12th grade. His argument for Government-run Health Insurance can be summed up this way:

When it comes to sending mail,
the Government-run Post Office is A.F.U.
Private enterprise (FedEx and UPS) are doing great and have great service.

If this is Obama's argument for Government-run Health Insurance, he does think America is stupid. As history has continually shown, Government-run anything is never a good idea.

The only way our founding fathers were able to convince 13 Colonies to band together into a union was to promise them to keep the Federal Government limited. The Colonies back then didn't want to give up their governance to an all powerful central entity. The Constitution was written to allow the States sovereignty - the ability to govern themselves. The Federal Government, however, was limited to specific areas.

The Constitutional requirement of smaller government is one of my arguments against Government-run and mandated Health Insurance. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that the Federal Government is supposed to put their grubby mittens on health insurance, deposit insurance, retirement insurance, education, etc.

When you look at the things that Government is involved in, on the Federal, State, and local level, you won't find much success. Obama is talking trash about the Post Office in the video above. Think about it for a second and ask yourself these questions.

1. Would you rather send a gift with the Post Office or with FedEx, DHL, or UPS?
2. Would you rather send your kid to Public School or Private School?
3. Can you count on Social Security to be there when you retire?

When you honestly answer these questions, how can you not be against Government-run anything? In my opinion, the Government is too large. It's time to roll back all of these inflated government programs and start putting things where they belong... in the private sector.

It's time to do your country a favor; Write your Congressman or Senator and tell them to say NO to Socialism.

Got Balls...

This is a picture of some balls. Nothing much. Didn't take long to model. Didn't take long to apply materials. This was an excercise in depth of field. I wanted the object to be in focus and everything else to progressivly blur. I think it worked alright.

Vacation: Approved...

San Diego, here I come. The only question is if my wife's vacation will be approved. Then we'll be heading down the week of August 17th.

My parents strong armed someone and now they have free use of a beach side condo. This is going to be great!

Another interesting opportunity has arisen. It seems that all three golfers who either hold or have held the Anchor Cup will be in San Diego at the same time. If you consider there are 90+ golf courses in the general area, this could end up being an epic battle for the Anchor Cup.

Tee time will be early Monday morning at a yet to be determined golf course.

The contestants:

Erick "Buster Douglas" Wales - Defending Champion and current holder of the Anchor Cup. What's with the nickname? Well, let's face it. It was complete luck that he ended up with the trophy to begin with. And like James "Buster" Douglas, it's likely he won't hold on to it for long.

Bill "George Foreman" Wales - His claim to fame is he started this whole tradition. He has been Sans-trophy for almost a year. It was last August (2008) when he was annihilated by me. What's with the nickname? Well, let's face it. He's a little too old for this game. And just like "George Foreman", he may have had a good run but his time is up. If he's lucky, I'll let him see his reflection in the Anchor Cup as I take it from Erick's hands.

Danny "Floyd Mayweather" Saiz - (Excuse me as I Ricky Henderson this part. It sounds better if I go 3rd person) One time Champion who lost the Cup on rented clubs and a hangover. Now he's got a killer driver and his own clubs. Can anyone stop him? I think not. What's with the nickname? Before he retired (stopped playing golf due to Daughter), he was considered the best pound for pound golfer in the world. Now he's coming back out of retirement to claim what is rightfully his. The Amateurs have had their fun.

Now that we have established that I am good at talking trash, we can get down to some real talk. In reality, the Anchor Cup can go home with just about any of us. Bill Wales has got the experience and consistency. Erick Wales has the youth, the ever-developing talent and nerves of steel (he sank a 10 foot putt to take the Cup from me). And myself? I've got waning distance and terrible inaccuracy with my irons. That should make it fair for the rest of them.

Disclaimer - of the three golfers in the promotional flyer, only Danny Saiz actually has a mustache. Bill Wales shaved his mustache in 1991 and Erick Wales can't grow any facial hair whatsoever to save his life. The mustaches appearing on their faces were photoshopped from material taken from the band "the Silent Comedy", used without permission. To make up for my complete lack of respect for trademarks and copyrights, I ask that anyone who reads this should immediately download all songs posted on iTunes written/performed by "the Silent Comedy".

Cobra - Speed LD-F Drivers 2008

I GOT A NEW DRIVER!!!

I used this driver when I rented it at Riverwalk in San Diego. I sliced every single shot about 90 degrees. So why did I buy it? Because I'm crazy!! Or not.

There are some important differences. The biggest is the flex. The San Diego driver, which was a 10.5 degree, had a regular flex. I'm used to driving with my tiny little Orlimar 9 degree. A regular flex is ok with the smaller driver head. This driver head is the full 460. The regular flex opens up the club face with my normal swing.

The driver I got, a 9.5 degree, came with a stiff shaft... uh... let's call it a stiff flex. With my normal grip (closed face) and a medium to fast downswing, the extra firmness of the shaft will keep the club face perpendicular to my target line.

I hit a couple of balls and so far, so good. The contact sounds a little different but it feels nice a solid. I'm guessing that I'm getting about 15 to 20 yards of extra distance against my old, beat up Orlimar. There is a little bit of a fade in the shot but it's definitely straighter than that rental I used at Riverwalk. I can't wait to play a full round with this. I'm hoping to shave at least 5 strokes off my game.

Working Vacation...

Considering all of my responsiblities (work, family, ect.), I have always thought of sleeping as a vacation. If you think about it, it's probably a vacation for you as well. It's a time to relax, stretch out, close your eyes, forget the world, and dream. When I wake up, I'm refreshed, I feel great, and I'm ready to face the real world with a little bit more energy and enthusiasm.

Sometimes my dreams are demanding. If I stay up too late playing a video game and I can't get past a certain level, I'll have a demanding dream; I'll dream about figuring a way out of the level. When I have a demanding dream, it's like taking a working vacation. I get a little less relaxed. My energy is only slighty recharged.

On a completely unrelated note (which is my sarcastic way of saying "related note"), I made this render today after dreaming of it last night. Two questions...

1 - What is it?
2 - What does it do?

BTW, this is exactly how I visualize this in my demanding dreams.

How Is This Fun?

Why?!?! I just cleaned up her toys when I received a call from my golf buddy. No golf tomorrow because of a surprise visit from his family. I immediately called the golf course to cancel my tee time. I was about to call my wife so she could celebrate when I noticed that Malia had just undone my cleanup. It probably took her 5 minutes because I know I wasn't on the phone that long. I can't wait until she's old enough to do chores.

SHARE WITH A SHIPMATE

The Navy is great! I know they make you work a crap-ton of hours. I know you hardly get any sleep, standing watch most of the night. I know they like to send you out to sea for months at a time, sometimes evading ports like the plague. All that aside, they have these book racks throughout the ship. Free Books!!! That more than makes up for everything else.

I guess I should incorporate the title of this blog post... each free book had a stamp on the side that said "SHARE WITH A SHIPMATE". Now that that's out of the way, here are a couple of books I found on the USS John C. Stennis.

This Alien Shore - C. S. Friedman

There are no aliens in this book unless you consider the hundreds of genetic mutations/mutilations that occurred to Mankind during the 1st space age.

In an attempt to relieve the strains of an overpopulated system, Earth sent out hundreds of ships to colonize far away systems. The ships used a brand new propulsion technology which allowed fast travel over great distances. The use of this technology caused disturbing transformations resulting in human "Variations". These Variants were not only drastically different that the Terrans of Earth, they were also different from each other - you might call them Alien.

The fear that resulted from these events forced Earth to cease all interstellar travel. A period of Isolation immediately followed. Earth did not attempt to contact the Variant colonies. The Variant colonies did not contact each other. Colonies that had just begun and still required assistance from Earth fell into dark ages.

Fast forward a bit into the future, a Variant race known as Guerans has discovered a new method of travel. This launches the 2nd space age. Contact is made and interstellar travels resumes. The Guerans protect the secret of this new method of space travel and form a Spacing Guild which is very similar to the Spacing Guild of the Dune universe.

Believe it or not, this marks the beginning of the story. The beginning of two story arcs.

1 - A virus surfaces which threatens this new method of space travel. The virus has the capability to send the Humans into a new era of Isolation. An extraordinary programmer is hired to hunt the creator and attempt to deactivate the virus before permanent damage results. The programmer fights his own fears of unfamiliar environments and enlists the help of a couple of hackers to get the job done.

2 - A beautiful 20 somethings woman flees an Earth space station after it comes under attack. She leaves Earth space and travels to Variant space, not knowing who is chasing her... or why.

Are the story arcs related or not? I'll leave that for you. It's a great story that explores some of the details that SciFi fans loves: Space travel, Alien races (Variants), Cyberspace battles, and an super inflated, out of control OuterNet.


A Deepness in the Sky - Vernor Vinge

This is the future of humanity. Well established colonies though out the galaxy rise and fall in a cycle of around 500 years. Fleets of trading vessels travels between these colonies, immune from the static conditions that would lead to a collapse of civilization. The human universe is large, but defined.

The primary motivation of these trading fleets is to trade technological advancements between the colonies. The secondary, and less profitable motivation is to search for Alien races. The search for Alien races has yet to yield anything.

Until now.

The story begins with the discovery of an anomaly. A star in some far off system that turns on and off over a 250 year cycle. The star is aptly named OnOff Star. Interest in the star is amplified with the discovery of radio frequency communications. The communications are alien. The world is not known to be human colonized. It must be another race.

Two fleets converge on the star system. The Queng Ho, a fleet of traders that have been around of 1000 years, and the Emergents, a strange civilization based on human slavery and dominance.

This book is my favorite of the two. It features a vast and believable universe with technological wonders that make you think, that could really exist. What really blows my mind is the authors achievement in making the Alien race feel real. About half of the book is written in their POVs.

Too be honest, I think both books are definitely worth picking up. After finishing them, I found myself wanting more from these universes. Fortunately, Vernor Vinge does have another title, "A Fire Upon the Deep", which takes place about 20,000 years in the future. There isn't anything is the works yet for a sequel to "The Alien Shore". Doesn't matter. These books are great. If you're a SciFi fan, pick them up.

The Gathering Storm...

Tor books has released the cover art for book 12 of the Wheel of Time series. Just like all previous cover art, this was done by Darryl K. Sweet. Just like all previous cover art, it sucks. But that's just my opinion.

What do you think?

My guess is if you're a fan, you are pretty disappointed with this highly anticipated book's cover art. But at the same time, you're not going to care much. Who cares what the cover looks like. All that's important to the average fan is how good the story is.

There is a good chance that if you are not a fan, you're probably not going to buy this book without reading the first 11 installments. However, if you're at the book store and you see this hardcover next to the paperback versions of all the previous books, I'm thinking you'll be put off from picking up book 1.

If I had never heard of the Wheel of Time and I saw this at Border's Books, I definitely wouldn't buy it. Who wants to read a story about a cross-dressing Bret Michaels who travels back in time to Little House on the Prairie and spends time with some firefighter with dragon tattoos who just lost his hand in a fire?

It's Very Cold In Space...

The other day, I decided to take a trip around the world utilizing a Low Earth Orbiting Vehicle. I took a couple of photographs. Enjoy...




Ok... I wasn't really in space. These are actually 3D renders that I made using 3DS Max and some earth images I found online. Believe it or not, these were rendered with Scanline instead of Mental Ray.

She's 1/4 Mexican...

Let me say right off the bat, Malia ate everything on her plate. This isn't necessarily proof that I'm a great cook. After all, she is just a baby. Have you ever tasted the puree peas in a jar?

Here's the lineup. Batting first is a hearty helping of home-made Spanish Rice. I didn't make a whole batch just for her. This is actually leftover rice from Mama and Dada's build-your-own tacos.

Second up is some home-heated up, canned pinto beans. Canned pinto beans are sooooo much easier and less time consuming than the home-made version. They are still a little time consuming because I have to cut each individual bean in half with some kid scissors we bought at Target.

In the hole... home-made quesadilla. This one is super simple to make. Pan on Medium. Tortilla, cheese, fold, flip... done. Of course, I also have a little more work to do there. I'm required by my wife to cut the quesadilla into 1/2 cm. x 1/2 cm. bite-size morsels. Fortunately, I'm a pro with the knife, drawing on my extensive experience in Veg-Prep on board the USS California (shout out to Addis, Shun & Jason).

Honestly, this is a pretty simple meal to prepare... and Malia absolutely loves it. Again, not a testament to my cooking ability. I just think that she feels the whole Mexican food experience is fun.

BTW, the drink container does not contain a Margarita. It is just water. She's a lot like me as far as the way she looks and acts but she's not addicted to Margaritas yet.

Three Dee Ess Max...

I just "Purchased" 3DS Max 2010.

It's weird. When I first started it up, I thought for just a second it was a cruel joke. The user interface was a big blob of gray shading. Fortunately, I was able to clean it up a little. After about 5 minutes messing with a custom UI, I made it somewhat visually appealing... at least enough to start working on something simple.


The good news is the lighting seems a little easier to figure out. The bad news? Nothing yet. More to come...

Loodacris Intro...

This was made back in 2006 for a fellow gamer. When she starts her game up, this is the intro that plays. Her talent was in defending the flag - by constantly spamming the flag base or anyone she sees, including her own team - so I thought it was fitting to have her defending the flag in her video.

Again, I made this with UT2004. The map I used was a custom map that I had made earlier the previous year. The music was taken from "Belgian Resistance" by Sharpside, which is the track that I use in the map.

Milk Math...

When I was in High School and Middle School, I drank a lot of milk. My Dad said when I moved out, he went from buying 1 gallon every two days to 1 gallon a week. I didn't believe him when he said it. Now that Malia's drinking whole milk, I could easily see how my Dad could be right.


Malia's Pediatrician told us to give her Whole Milk instead of formula after her first birthday. Before, I would buy a 1/2 gallon every five days. Now I buy a gallon every 3 or 4 days. She's only 19 lbs. and she's already drinking a bunch. If she's anything like her dad, I'll be buying a gallon a day by the time she's in elementary school.

Propellerhead Reason...

It's really hard for me to come up with something to design with 3DS Max. It's easier for me to just pick a logo and make a 3D version of it. Yesterday I decided to do a render of Propellerhead Reason's logo shown here:

This is what I came up with:

The orange boxes are just chamber boxes booleaned with a cylinder. The orange colored material is a high gloss ceramic and the black material is a two tone car paint. I used two white self-illuminated boxes to stimulate the center sphere. The stage material is a polished cement. All materials except for the self-illuminated white are standard mental ray materials.

The lighting was a little tough for me. I still haven't mastered lighting with 3DS Max 2009. I used two photometric target lights at 110K lm from each side to simulate relfected light. I also used a standard omni, with shadows enabled, from above and behind. Most of the ambient light was generated from a standard skylight directly above center.

More logos to come...

Big Smiles...

I work graveyard shift so I am by myself a lot of the time. The other day I was doing a Cold Check and I thought no one else was in the room. I was startled when, out of nowhere, one of my co-workers asked me why I was smiling so big. I didn't realize I was smiling but I knew why I was.

I was thinking of Malia.

My answer to my co-worker was that I told myself a joke I've never heard before. I learned almost right away that my co-workers are a little less appreciative of baby stories than most co-workers. I've learned to keep most of them to myself.

Part of it is my lack of story telling talent. I have a hard time expressing my experiences verbally. But, thanks to modern home video technology, if I have a story to tell, I can just film it.

So here's what I was smiling about...

Spades...

Here is a header design I made for my brother's poker blog. I actually made a lot of different styles but this is the one my brother likes the best.

The 4 suits were modeled with 3DS Max 2007. I used a chrome material for the edges and a checkered car paint material for the center. The surface is also a car paint material but I lower the reflectivity to lower it's presence.

My goal was to make it look as real as possible. After I finished, I felt it looked real but not real enough. I changed my goal to make it look a little abstract. I opened the file in Adobe Photoshop CS3 and added a plastic wrap filter.

Here are some other examples...

Hahaha... Remember This Video?

This first time I saw this video, I was crying laughing. I had just finished forklift training and got my forklift license when the instructor showed us this video. Don't watch if you're squimish. Starts slow but then gets gory/funny.

What makes this film great is that it's 100% accurate. This is exactly what they talk about during forklift safety. Also, the music is pretty hip.

Stupid M.F. P.O.S. Internet Filters

My work just decided to block all "social networking" websites. This includes Facebok, MySpace, and aparently Blogspot.com.. I feel like I'm living in China except for the oversite regarding YouTube. For some weird reason, YouTube is stil accessable. I can almost understand the logic. I am not allowed to update facebook during working hours because that could help me find a better job. However, I am alowed to watch countless hours of Jackass episodes on YouTube because that doesn't interfere with work.

On a related note, it is really hard to write a blog post using my phone.

Remember that one time you started a blog...

I suck. I never commit to anything (like a paragraph or a thought). I've always thought that I was a little bit good at a whole lot of stuff; I'm not really good at any one thing. I think that has a lot to do with why I don't finish things.

Also... I'm a perfectionist.

So here I am, writing an entry in my blog. Why? Because I created a blog so the least I can do is update it every so often. I missed the entire month of March without a post. Time to make up for it by spamming my blog with a bunch of crap. Again, I'm a perfectionist so you can probably understand how hard this is for me.

What make it a little easier (posting crap) is drilling through this big, egotistical head of mine and driving home a point of fact that I choose to ignore because... well... I have an ego. The point of fact? Nobody reads my freaking blog anyway. So post away, crap master. You won't be receiving any hate email or losing any followers - by the way, the preceding was self talk in case you didn't notice.

Back to the crap...

What's going on in my boring life? I have a beautiful daughter (and wife). I just moved from a 2x2 to a 3x3. I haven't golfed in a long time (way too long, more crying later), I'm working graveyard. I'm writing music again (at least what passes for music for the average E-tarded teenager). I'm learning about 3D art/animation. I'm reading a new fantasy series - A Song of Ice and Fire.

OK, so my life isn't so boring to me. Actually, I happen to love my life. With exception to the golf neglect, I've been getting enough sleep and I feel really fulfilled with my family and my hobbies. There is a little thing in my head that has been driving me crazy. I can't really point it out but it goes a little something like this...

I think I want to create something. I create things all the time, like this crappy blog post or some amateur 3D render. Those creations are kind of small and insignificant. I want to create something big. For those who are super familiar with my work (all two of you, one of them being me), you might raise you hand and say I have already done that either with my photography stint with the Longs Drugs Challenge or with Jenny Rosales' official website. I admit; at the time, I felt those were big accomplishments. The problem is I feel they were off the back of talent from another source... like the LPGA or Jenny.

I want to create something big and important and meaningful and well known to a lot of people (not a nuclear explosion). Like a novel or a 3D animated short film. The problem is that I suck. I never commit to anything. Novels and films take a lot of work. I have some great ideas floating round my head but I never get around to letting them out. Also, I'm only a little bit good and a whole lot of stuff.

So now I'm back where I started. I'm thankful for my life: great family, fun hobbies, tolerable job. I'm just going to suck it up and learn to live without that great important creation. Seriously, how many people actually get to do those kinds of things? I created Malia (with a little bit of help from the wife). She's small, but she's important and meaningful and well known to at least my family. She's pretty freaking cute, too.

Back to the golf...

Seriously, I shoot a 90 for the best score of my life and then spend the next 6 months golfing only once (and losing the family trophy in the process). If I go golfing today, I'll be lucky to break 110. Is it too much to ask for 1 round every 2 weeks? I need to keep up my game.

FYI, I just did my first spell check and every word is spelled correctly... except for E-tarded. But I invented that word. It's short for Retarded on Exstasy. And I just spelled Ecstasy wrong.

It's not the money. Golf here in the Bay Area is relatively cheap. It's the time and energy required. Golf takes about 5.5 hours out of my life. I spend 9 hours with work, 6 hours sleeping and the rest of the time, I spend with my girls. I suppose I could golf when I get off work but then I have the energy factor to consider.

If I golf in the morning then work that night, I find it really hard to stay awake past 1am. Then around 3am, I get the most painful cramps in my calves - OK, I admit I don't really have anything worth calling calves. I normally call them chicken legs but I call them calves here so you can have a good anatomical point of reference regarding the source of my pain. I can't just say cramps without the anatomical reference or you may think I am having Pre Menstrual Symptoms... which I am not because I am a dude - and in my triceps. I can't work very well half asleep and in too much pain to walk.

So I guess the only day I can golf would be Thursday morning. My father-in-law is here Thursday mornings to watch Malia while Mama is working and Dada is sleeping. If I skip out on the sleep and golf instead, I'll be tired. But that's OK because I won't have to work that night. That is my best option.

Sleep... or Golf. See how good my life is? This is about how tough my decissions get. I guess I truly am a blessed dude... a little lucky, too.

Until next time...

long time...

Since I haven't made a post in awhile, here's a quick little render.

Tweaking...

I recently "purchased" 3D Studio Max 2009. The previous version I had was 2007. This is so much better. It took awhile for me to get through a lot of the changes but I think I'm finally figuring it out. Below is my blog header plus the re-rendered version using the new version of Mental Ray and also using some great mental ray materials that came with the software.

3ds max 2007

3ds max 2009

Geeking...

Here's another logo. BSL stands for Bath Scientific, Ltd. That's the company that built the machine that I run at work. I made this to use as a desktop wallpaper on the machines control computer. I know... I need to get over the whole chrome thing. I promise I'll start working on other types of materials.

J.Ro Logo

The 2009 season is about to start for the LGPA. I decided to make a 3D logo for my favorite golfer, Jenny Rosales. I used ornament material for the blue outline. I used a checkered carpaint Raytrace for the pink and a chrome material for the... chrome looking part. I'll probably make a desktop wallpaper available for download on her website.

San Diego Super Chargers...

What a great season it would have been if they went all the way. Oh well, maybe next year.
Those Steelers looked really good Sunday. The Chargers? Not so good.

Phillip Rivers was great when he actually got the chance to play. He had two plays that I think really messed up the Chargers chances. The first was in the 2nd quarter, I think. Vincent Jackson broke free on a stop and go but Rivers put a little too much on the ball. Jackson laid out and almost made a great play. If Rivers hits him in stride, he may have gone all the way.

The 2nd play was that dreadful interception after mini-me's great kickoff return. The thing is, it wasn't River's fault. That ball was deflected at the line of scrimmage and made like a punt with the ensuing hang time. Bad luck.

Rivers finished 21 for 35, 308 yards, 3 touchdowns and that lamer interception. Those stats look pretty good except that 62 of those yards came on Darren Sproles 62 yard "mercy" touchdown (if the game was close, Palomalu would have rocked him).

Darren Sproles, the hero of last week's upset of the NFL MVP was significantly less stellar. He only had 270 all purpose yards. You might think 270 is a lot... and it is. You have to remember that the Steelers scored 5 times and therefore had to kick off 6 times. Darren got 5 of those kick offs and 2 punts, racking up 164 return yards. The biggest return was the 63 yarder that was capped off by a crappy interception. There was also one punt he didn't get to return because Weddle thought he was playing soccer and tried to header the football. And don't forget the 62 yards gained on the "Mercy" touchdown.

The part of the game that really made me mad was the Charger's defense. Everyone knows the basics of the 3-4 defense. For those that don't, here's a quick explanation... the 3 stands for three down linemen. The 4 stands for four linebackers. The three linemen generally rush the quarterback or try and stop the run. The four linebackers are supposed to defend the short to intermediate pass and also plug gaps in the case of a run. Also, coaches sometimes blitz one of the linebackers so that there are four defenders to contain the quarterback. The trick of this scheme is to disguise which linebacker is going to blitz.

I guess that sounds crafty but it really isn't. Any high school offense line can defend against a basic 3-4 pass rush, even if one of the linebackers blitzs. If you really want an effective pass rush, you need to send more than just one linebacker. The Chargers, for some reason, don't do this. They only sent one linebacker on pretty much every single play.

I understand that the Steelers had established the run. I also understand that sending two or three linebackers on a pass rush when the offense decides to run can be really bad. But you at least have to guess and blitz the crap out of them every once in awhile... like on 3rd and 11 or 3rd and 6 or any of the other 3rd and long situations that the Steelers converted on with great ease because Ben had a ton of time in the pocket.

Maybe I'm on crack. Maybe I have this all wrong. After all, I'm not the football coach in the family... that's my brother Brandon. But it seems to me that the defense that did such a great job making Peyton Manning cry last week was a completly different set of guys for this game against the Steelers.

Maybe next year.