Last minute
But still just in time. Happy Solstice!

Nice OS X article
Earlier this week on OS News, an article by Scot Hacker called MacOSX Week: Tales of a BeOS Refugee came out. I just got around to reading the whole thing and it is pretty good. He compares it a lot to BeOS and shows off some of the cooler features of OS X, while giving some ideas on things that could be done better. More and more, OS X is becoming the OS to watch, much moreso then XP IMHO.

Friday Five
1. What is the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten? I really haven’t eaten anything that I’d consider that weird. I think the weirdest would be like octopus sushi (which I couldn’t stand), but that isn’t even really that weird.

2. Name one (material) thing you can’t live without. Hmm, if it was one set of something it would be my DJ setup. If it had to be one individual thing, my TiBook. I bring it with me everywhere. I’m all set for when I go into the hospital for my transplant. I plan on having my laptop bag set for someone to bring me as soon as I can sit up on my own. It’ll be filled with a bunch of DVDs that I can watch while stuck in the hospital.

3. Name something you’ve always wanted to do but didn’t have time for.Tai-Chi. I’ve got a few friends who do it and they really like it. It’s something I’ve always thought sounded kind of cool, and could help me given my screwed up lungs.

4. What outrageous thing do you wish you had the nerve to do? Skydiving. (One of these days…)

5. How do you plan to spend your weekend? Relaxing (see below). Maybe finishing up some christmas shopping. I’ve got a bunch of anime I’ve downloaded that I want to watch. In general, nothing productive. 🙂

(– Survey from fridayfive.org –)

Relaxing
I bopped down to my parent’s place (pictured to the left) this morning. I figured I didn’t have anything better to do (besides play FFX), and that it would do me good to get out of the apartment for a bit. I feel like I’m starting to relax a bit finally. Though I know it will hit more over the weekend. I really am not used to taking time off, though I’m learning.

Today I hung out at this tea bar down the street from my parent’s. I’d been meaning to sink a few hours into this book I’ve been reading and today proved to be the perfect time. I wish I’d taken a picture of the tea bar, but I felt kind of weird pulling my camera out and just snapping away pictures in the middle of this place I’d only been once before. It’s really nice inside, and is pretty relaxing. I put on the Cowboy Bebop movie soundtrack and read the first third of naked by David Sedaris. I wondered how many people had read the book who hadn’t heard him on This American Life because as I read I can hear his voice, and almost can’t imagine it any other way. I highly recommend the book though, so far I’m loving it.

More on relaxing tomorrow.

Not an Addict!
So far I am successfully resisting the urge to bring my PS2 down to my parent’s this weekend. I can be away from FF X for a few days, can’t I? Though, it wouldn’t hurt to bring it down, would it? I could just play it a little bit. I’m just getting to what feels to be a major part of the story and I’m going to have to put the damn thing down till after christmas.

The other thing is, things tend to be fairly slow down at my parent’s. I will certainly have a fair amount of downtime when I COULD be playing. (Though I think my mom would kill me if I brought it into the house :))

Scorpio – Week of December 20, 2001
Here are a few of the gifts I’d love to get you this holiday season: a hand-loomed Turkish shower curtain trimmed with precious stones; a mud-cloth journal crafted from Ghanaian textiles and Italian paper; ceramic and silver spice jars from Peru; and a wool patchwork ottoman made from the traditional ground covering used by shepherds in Kyrgyzstan. By offering you these domestic yet exotic gifts, Scorpio, I’d hope to inspire you to expand your sense of home in 2002; to relax as you extend your reach; to travel far and wide whether or not you ever leave your natural habitat.

(– Courtesy of Free Will Astrology –)

Voices from the Past
I just got off the phone with my old friend Michelle Nagy. I mentioned her site once a few months ago, but want to again because she always makes me smile when I talk to her. We first met back when I was at CMU (I had a mad crush on her back then). We bumped into each other about a year or two ago at Club Passim during a Cutting Edge of Campfire and have been keeping in touch ever since. Though I think she needs to send more email, and maybe take a roadtrip up to Boston sometime.

Definitely give her site a look, and check out some of her stuff over on at mp3.com.

FFX Update
So the game is reporting 15 hours of playtime already. Augh.

The game is pretty cool though. I’m sure I’m only in the first little part of it. I’m not sure how big the game is supposed to be, but I still get the feeling I’m only in the very first bit of it. So far I dig it, the graphics are good, the storyline is okay (I still don’t fully know what is going on yet), and it’s sucked away a bunch of my time already.

Gregory’s Vacation Antics
Once again, time off, and work calls. This time at least it was something important, but it is still kind of annoying. I have determined that the only time I will end up getting a real vacation is when I have my lung transplant. But that will end up being work of its own kind.

Final Fantasy X
Wow. I just picked this up today and have been playing for the last hour. It’s amazing. One of the most beautiful games I’ve seen yet for the PS 2. I haven’t even read much about the game so wasn’t sure what to expect. But, I’m now on vacation till next year (I love saying that) and I figured I might as well spend all my time playing this silly thing.