Another one to add to the track record of geekery

We recently attended the NVISION 2008 LAN party @ the San Jose Convention Center. It was what you expected of a LAN party. A LAN is a LAN is a LAN. What more is there to say. And for those under a rock, LAN parties are a congregation of geeks and their PCs in which they use to play PC games together in the same room. I know, I know. It defeats the purpose of a lot of things. But in defense of people who do attend LAN parties, particularly the NVIDIA hosted ones, you can play with professional gamers and win prizes. This is the second one I have been to so far and I really enjoyed it. Last year, we went to Oakland for the same event. I was really stoked this year to learn that it was conveniently close to my work, so naturally I took my lunch break to play video games. I've had the honor to meet some highly respected gamers and some not-so-highly respected gamers that I've played with on public servers whom have yet to reach the caliber of the highly respected ones. One of the gamer dudes I've met, I absolutely adore. But I would have to save that one for a later post. For now, I'm enjoying the fact I can play video games at the comfort of my own home...naked.

Here's a video clip someone created of the LAN party. I sit among the sea of gamers.

New Moon

Last night, I finished the first book (Twilight) and ran to my computer afterwards to watch the movie trailer. I also found out on Twilight's YouTube channel that the movie will release in November and not December. A 4 second clip of the actual date appears on the clip. This truly made my weekend.

Today, I'm starting New Moon, saga 2 of Twilight. I can't wait! But first we have to go to SF to take my sister dorm supply shopping. The end of Twilight took me by surprise. I actually had to do a double take and read the last sentence over and over again. I couldn't believe what had just happened. Can you tell I'm hooked?

Twilight

So I've started reading the first book of The Twilight saga and I really can't get enough of it. It is my new guilty pleasure, right next to looking through gossip magazines while standing in line at Target. Why do I care about celebrity news? I don't. I honestly just like to see what they're wearing and how they managed to lose all that weight. Anyhow, the story makes me feel like I'm 14. And if anyone said the word "penis" I would probably giggle behind my book like a damn pansy. I won't spoil it for you, so I will avoid going into detail. It's a good read to follow if you're into romance trilogies. Most of you probably won't read it and that's okay. I totally understand. I find that most of my readership are males between the ages 23-42. I know that for a fact. I don't give beauty tips or parenting advice or recipes on how to bake a fucking pie on this blog very often. Which says a lot about the readers I attract. And perhaps it's the fact that I'm horrible at all of the above, so I have not much to offer. But what I can tell you is that Shawne Merriman not only has a torn PCL, but now has a SECOND torn knee ligament which can only mean he will be sitting out longer than expected this season. I'm sorry, but this news makes me sad, so I had to think about where I could mesh this topic to this post without having to do multiple entries. But do feel free to talk football to me.

So anyhow, about reading. I made a deal with Leo that if he finishes a few books that I've recommended, I will read all his Harry Potter books. *GASP*. Yes, it's true. I have yet to pick up a Harry Potter book. I just don't find wizards, magical kids, and shit all that appealing. But now that I've watched the movies, I think wizards are AIIGHT. For now, I'm all about teenage romance novels. Chh-yeah!

Mary Anne = FAIL

Objective: Climb to the top of rope ladder without touching ground. Press red button at the end of ladder to win prize.



It's not as easy as it looks.

At least you get a nice view of my unflattering butt.

Home Movies

It was just this evening that I realized we've accumilated a good amount of home movies (Not those kinds, you silly goose. Get your mind out of the gutter. And if you were seriously interested, we do accept Visa, MasterCard, or American Express via PayPal. LOL. No, I'm seriously kidding). Most of the videos are pretty candid which makes it even funnier because I don't recollect a damn thing. From now on, or when I feel like it, I will start posting snippets of our home movies. Such as this random one I totally forgot about while I was in New York. I shot the New York City skyline from the Google building. I'm in it for about a second.

**UPDATE: Fixed the sound problem on the video by adding background music. It was staticky.



It's called "vlogging" (video-blogging). Or "too-damn-lazy-to-blog-heres-a-video-instead-sucka."

Totally drained

But so glad to be back home.

Hi Guys,

I'm going to make this brief because I am tired as hell. Just got home from the islands and I am exhausted beyond words. All I have to say is that I am ready to go back to work. I feel rested and anxious to get stuff done. I have a busy week ahead of me. My mother and my sis will be in town on Tuesday (tomorrow), meaning I won't have very much time to blog this week. We are helping her move into her dorm in SFSU. Oh god, it is soooooo refreshing to be home. And it is so refreshing to be with family. What a crazy few days this will be. Eek!

Mary Anne

Out of the office

I'm leaving you again, but this time for Maui.
New York wasn't as nearly as fun as this will be.
Will be back to post on the 21st.

Aloha!

Guess who's on Facebook?

ME!

Actually, Leo and I both have Facebook accounts now.

Hell hath frozen over.

A couple of photos of Monterey, CA

Last weekend, Leo and I went to Monterey to check out the town. The weather was gorgeous. Fresh air. Nice views. It was simple and sweet. Too bad for us everyone and their moms decided to go the same day.


Leo and I ate at The Whole Enchilada off Hwy 1 in Moss Landing.


I know. I take a lot of photos of our food. But this was a really good seafood enchilada Leo ordered.


My dish, the chamachon es muy excellente.


Leo's dessert. Chocolate mousse.


My dessert. Creme brule.


If you've read the Steinbeck novel "Cannery Row" this is the famous place. Lots of tourist.









Monterey is beautiful. But I'm really looking forward to Maui this weekend. :)

One Year Anniversary in the Bay Area

It's been a whole year! This is a big deal for me. I left a good job in San Diego where I was promoted shortly after I told my employer the possibilities of leaving. We left our cute home that we had just recently bought. I left my family, friends, pretty much everyone I knew. But in the end, it all worked out for the better. And honestly, I wanted to leave San Diego for a long time. All I needed was someone (in this case my husband) to say "pack your shit."

In the course of 5 years, I've moved several times in the same city, but in a different house and area. I really didn't like where I was at. Didn't understand why I was never content. And it was only a matter of time that I realized that no matter where I was in San Diego, It was the same ol' San Diego. Sadly, most of my friends stayed in the same place after graduation. Even cousins of mine were repeating this cycle. It's comforting to know that they will always be there. But from an unselfish point of view, it would be awesome if they realized how nice it is just to get away for awhile and start a completely new life from everything they knew. Because San Diego will always be here no matter where the fuck you are in Egypt. I can promise you that. Living hundreds of miles away from my hometown made such a big difference. And although I'm still in the same damn state, there is so much of a contrast between the regions of the north and south. So many new roads to explore. So much more food to be eaten. So much more culture to be had.

It wasn't till recently that Leo and I decided that we will be moving to Europe in a year or two. Once the opportunity presents itself with his current employer (Google), he is going to jump on it. And then we will be on our merry way to Zurich, Switzerland. How fucking cool will that be? Seriously. When does one have an opportunity to say, "Yeah, I lived in Switzerland for a couple of years. Went skiing in the Swiss Alps on the weekends. And when we were bored, we took a one hour train ride to France or Italy to go shopping." Seriously, folks. How often does that shit happen? Like 1 out of RARELY.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying the Bay Area. I love San Francisco more than any big city that I've ever been to. I've worked in downtown LA and that place is garbage. New York is garbage, but has more to offer. The bay area in general is awesome. There are tons of job opportunities in Silicon Valley. I mean TONS. Lots of good colleges, such as UC Berkeley, Stanford, UCSF, USF, SJSU, CSUH, Carnegie Mellon, SCU, SFSU, etc. If you're feeling beach, there's tons of beaches. If you're feeling snow, there's Tahoe. If you're feeling wilderness, there's Yosemite. If you're feeling Vegas, it's a short flight. If you're feeling Hawaii, it's closer than any state. I already flew there from here and it was painless. And yes, home (San Diego) is only a hour flight away. The weather is just right. The people are so diverse. Food is superb. It's amazing. I would not mind settling down here after Europe.

I love you, Bay Area. You can keep me for another year.