Coffee and Code

My girlfriend and I have been seeing these mantis-creatures clinging to the warm stucco on our back wall in the evening. The guy pictured above just hung out and let me take a bunch of really close pictures! Apparently, these guys can change color to blend in with the environment: Another mantis-creature we saw had changed its color to match the stucco perfectly.

Santa Fe has been wintery lately; the nights are much colder, the days are crisp, and hot tea has become my new favorite beverage. (Whiskey in the wintertime is another favorite, of course!) Now that it’s cold, I forsee a lot of hot stew and oven-roasted dishes in my future... mmmmmm...

I’m in the midst of rearranging my office to make room for a weight bench and my other exercise equipment. My plans for the cold months are to spend a little time each morning and evening at home, so I only have to go to the gym for the cardio equipment. Winter is also a great time to work on programming projects, so I plan a lot of that: New blog with .Net 3.5, new version of the I-Ching application, and a website redesign. Too ambitious? Maybe. We’ll see.

Until next time, reader, stay warm and have fun!

Does it seem as if, as you grow older, time seems to pass more and more quickly?

That’s how I've been feeling these days... But enough. The month of July has been a lot of fun: fair weather, outdoor adventures, good booze and great friends. It has also been insanely busy month, as far as my occupation is concerned. I’ve recently taken the tactic of trying to convince myself that I enjoy stressful, high-pressure situations. Seems to be working out, but if I've lost all of my hair by Christmas then I might have to take that back.

As I write this, a Bowflex commercial is playing on TV: "I gave all my fat clothes to my fat friends!". What an a-hole, huh? I’ll bet his "fat friends" were like, "Oh, thanks" but peed on his car door handles afterward or something.

Uh-oh, looks like I’m hitting the bottom of my blog-worth thought barrel. I’d better go for now - that whiskey’s not going to drink itself, now is it?

Sunday: Accosted by a fake Scottish hobo outside Smith's. Says he: 'I'm from Scotland and I'm here to kick your a**! He ends up bumming a cigarette, mumbling at me for a while, and is finally shooed away by a manager for drinking beer. But not before telling me, 'You're a very pretty man.'

Wednesday: Co-worker plays Linkin Park loudly. Co-worker also defiantly refuses to lower volume. Jeff becomes annoyed and begins plotting digital revenge... BWAHAHAHAHA!

Thursday: Statewide meeting, and my first trip to Rio Rancho! (Ugly). Emergency lunchtime trip to Albertson's for deodorant. Motivational speaker somehow makes me feel WORSE about myself. Whiskey, the very same evening.

Friday: Dinner at Masa Sushi. The heart attack rolls live up to their namesake (Well, technically, acid reflux. Don't want to worry any relatives here.) Nonetheless, the delicious food leaves me with the 'warm fuzzies' and a distended stomach. Lisa buys the third installment of Hellsing. I smoothly talk her into buying the copy that comes in a metal case and with a vacuum-molded Father Alexander Anderson Super-Creepy plaque (For the collector's value, of course). We play the DVD and revel in the scary vampire freaky monster-ness.

Saturday: I defer self-hygiene tasks until Moment of Clarity arrives. Cartoons, and many, many Calories are consumed. Mildly freakish behavior - all in fun.

Today: All is well in the land of the lost... Snow is falling early in Santa Fe, and it's a fine day to stay inside, drink hot tea and bask in free movie channel previews with Lisa. I'm left only with one nagging decision:

Whiskey or Wine with dinner?

It's a fine St. Patty's day in Santa Fe! The skies are a little overcast, which tends to bring out the green in the environment, IMHO. The weather is warm enough that I don't have to wear a jacket, which is unusual for this time of year. After I post this entry, I'm going to go out back and make another lame attempt at dancing a jig, mostly for the amusement of my girlfriend. Let's hope I don't hurt myself.

Ya know, my brother and sister are hardcore Guiness people. I imagine right now that both of them are either drinking Guiness or out buying it to drink it later. More power to 'em. I'll personally be enjoying some Irish coffee for now, and some dark beer later. (I don't have to go ANYWHERE!) Andy and Claudia, me glass is up to ye. Cheers!

Okay, I guess an explaniation/apology to my audience is in order for my last weblog entry. So here goes:

I, Jeff Woodman, do humbly apologize to my readers for irresponsibly authoring website content whilst under the influence of intoxicants, i.e. irish whiskey. I understand that, as a website operator, I am expected to adhere to a high standard of behavior that naturally excludes the consumption of alcohol-based products while operating my super-high-tech computer thingies. I realize that failure to comply with said standard may result in confusion on the part of readers of this weblog, which breeds contempt toward the content author.

I do solemnly swear to never again indulge in this type of unprofessional behavior, hic, so long as I soberly operate thish webshite. Hic.

I got a wild idea on Sunday to do a Flash version of my portfolio. It's not done yet, but take a look. I think it's got potential.

Other than that, t's been quiet on the home front, and busy at work . Finished this online survey thingie, then churned out yet another conference registration website... now it's on to another big project.

. . . L A T E R . . .

Just finished a kick-ass steak with homemade potato salad, and now I'm going to eat some mint chocolate chip ice cream and have a shot of whiskey.... Happy Friday!

I returned from Las Cruces on Friday... I was down there for a week to help out with the NMDOT Engineering Conference. A lot of work, but a lot of fun too.

Shout-outs to Conce Fresquez III, Larry Pacheco, Robert Herrera, Jason Elliott, and of course Brian Gutierrez, who didn't even have to help us but did anyway cuz he's just that kind of guy.

Hope you all enjoy the new design! Let me know what you think with the comment form below (sorry I don't have a place for your web address there yet....)

PEACE!

I have re-kindled my love affair with firearms.

We flirted in high school, and even had a few secret liasons. Over the years, though, we grew apart . The memory of the fun we had grew dim - the sweet scent of gunpowder no longer graced my nostrils.

Now, like old flames, we find one another again. Pass the bullets. And the whiskey.

Well, if anything, it has been an interesting holiday season.

I have been dog-sitting for a friend in Galisteo, NM, for the past week. Said friend as two gigantic white dogs that slobber often. His place is a former cantina that, if memory serves, is one of the oldest structures in NM... at least 300 years old, anyway. It is nice to be away from the city for a while, but I miss my girlfriend and have been drinking way too much whiskey.

If I am thankful for anything this season, it is The Internet. I was able to completely avoid all retail stores, including the dreaded cesspool of frantic consumerism that is the Villa Linda Mall at Christmastime. (Imagine 1,500 anthropomorphic Poodles on methamphetamines converging simultaneously on 200 fire hydrants. Got it? Keep it.)

I must give a shout-out to Claudia and Don for the excellent Happy Winter Whatever cookbook. It was definitely the coolest thing I got for Christmas. Claudia also sent me my very own glow-in-the-dark St. Isidore statue, the patron saint of the internet... and a copy of Everything You Know is Wrong, a publication of Disinformation.com. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. Thanks also to Mom and Dad for a book about becoming mature. I'm not too sure if I should read it, you guys... I would sure hate to grow up! But rest assured, I will be a good boy down here. Promise!

As usual, I am extremely late at getting presents sent out to my people. My apologies, and you guys will get some loot soon.

Well, okay. I'll probably spend a little time at the computer.

Okay, OKAY! I'm going to pull another all-night programming bender! Who needs sleep anyway?!?!?