Sean St James

Quick hit to clarify....

2010-03-28T12:24:00.002-05:00

Ok, so it's been over 6 months since I've put anything here. Sorry, I've been busy with that "life" thing. :-)

Just felt compelled to throw out this clarification. When I say I am a "Star Wars" fan I am referring to the works of George Lucas that were in theatrical release prior to 1985. Anything after that just doesn't "feel right" to me.

I share this because I have a tendency to wear Star Wars t-shirts and such when I am out an about. Check out Marc Ecko for some really cool (and some lame....) Star Wars apparel! Anyhow, just last night we were checking out at a store and the clerk noticed my shirt.

This leads to "Are you a Star Wars fan?" Now, if the person asking is over 30 I generally get a pretty good discourse going. Lately I've been getting parents with their children pointing and saying "Look, he has a Star Wars shirt on!" and then I have a 9 year old asking me whether I think Asajj Ventress is really dead.

I haven't watched the Clone Wars. To quote Dr Sheldon Cooper (see my previous posts on The Big Bang Theory)"I am not going to watch the Clone Wars TV series until I've seen the Clone Wars movie. I prefer to let George Lucas disappoint me in the order he intended."

I am told by several (even some reliable) sources that the TV series has gotten pretty good (and dark). Maybe I'll get around to it someday...but for now George killed it for me with the Ewoks. Oh, and Han shot first.

I think that about covers it. :-)

Collecting

2009-07-20T18:20:00.002-05:00

It is apparently in my nature to collect things. I have a tendency to see something neat, realize it has a companion...and then seek to "complete the set". I have a LOT of little collections that I've started over the years. Comic books, 1:18 die cast cars, action figures, Star Wars toys...etc etc. One of the oldest collections I started didn't actually start as a collection. Growing up, as did many in my generation, I read the "Hardy Boys" series. Now, as a collector by nature...I don't throw things out. That said...this is the view directly to my right as I type this:

Yes, fast approaching 40 and I still have my Hardy Boys collection. And yes, that is a little stuffed Mystery Machine.

Why bring this up? Well...during a recent trip to Half Price Books I happened to spot the familiar blue spine of one of these books on a shelf. A few days later I was up in our guestroom/library/"book storage room" and was reminded of this little find by the site of my collection. Being the completionist that I am I had no choice but to whip on my iPhone and create a note with the books that I do NOT have so that I can compare the list the next time I am in Half Price.

That was a month or so ago. I've made it a habit to stop into various Half Price locations when I am in the area and have found a few. My goal is to complete the "original 58". As of today I'm missing 14.

Eventually I'm hoping one (or both) of my nephews, or should I be so blessed a son will share my interest and I can let them enjoy a childhood classic. If not...at least I'll have a set! :-)

Why "St James"?

2009-07-05T14:32:00.002-05:00

So it's been awhile since I put anything here. That's generally how it runs on these things isn't it? Spurt of activity....then nothing. Repeat. Heh. Thought I'd just go basic this time.

One of the more common questions I get is why I use "SeanStJames" online. Nothing mystical about it..."St James" is literally my last name....translated into English that is.

During a recent job hunt I opted to go for a more "normal" sounding email address. None of my existing "handles" really comes off as "mature" and I figured if I wanted responses to a resume I should go with something plain.

Unfortunately every variation of "Sean" I tried was taken....and my last name is the capital city of a country so every variation I came up with was also registered. Then I turned to Google, which led me to the Wikipedia entry for Santiago. If you scroll down past the list of cities you eventually find the entry for James, son of Zebedee, A.K.A. "St James". I read a bit, followed some of the links (particularly entertaining to me was the "Order of Santiago") I got an interesting history of the origin of my family name.

Anyhow, that's all there really is to it. :-) Any bets as to how long it takes me to put another entry up?

Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock

2009-02-25T11:02:00.002-06:00

I've mentioned my appreciation for the CBS comedy The Big Bang Theory in the past. Today while shopping for a birthday present for someone I ran into something that has me back here spreading the word so the show stays around. :-)

During an episode of the show Sheldon shares that anecdotal evidence suggests that in a game of rock paper scissors players familiar with each other will tie 75 to 80 percent of the time due to the limited number of outcomes. The result? Better to see it yourself:

I am seeing more and more people throw the "Spock" sign out now and I'm loving it. ANYHOW, what brings this up today is I am shopping for a present for my brother-in-law and that led tme to Think Geek. Like many web sites they list some of their warez on the front page to highlight them. Well, what do I see today? A Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock T-Shirt! After I stopped laughing I read the description and learned that this was NOT a game invented for the show but rather the work of Sam Kass. Credit where credit is due.....GENIUS Mr. Kass!

Anyhow, watch the show. It's hilarious. :-)

Lovesacs, recycling and you

2009-01-17T15:32:00.003-06:00

Everyone is familiar with the plastic bags that grocery stores use these days. You either throw them away (boooo) or jam them into a corner somewhere to "save" for later. We did the latter. The pantry under our stairs isn't where our nephew sleeps but rather where we stored a couple of plastic bags full of plastic bags. Today I got got a creative impulse and thought I would share. First, I went in and found our bags of bags.

Doesn't look like much does it? Well, apparently over time I've taken to squishing them bags down into each other. When I emptied the bags to get a pile of individuals I ended up with this

First thing, yes...we shop at Target a lot. My wife is a pharmacist for them. The discounts you can get as an employee rock. :-) Anyhow, the crazy idea? Have you heard of a LoveSac? It's essentially a big bean bag. I have one of the little ottoman ones in my office that used be where I rest my feet until my dog "adopted" it as her bed. Since we've established I'm a pack rat (duh, see that pile of bags up there?!?) I have the original cover that the LovSac shipped with. SO...take cover and jam it full of plastic sacks and what do you get?

A little "bean bag" that is just about the right size for a dog. And a little squishier than the actual LoveSac. Not to mention quite a bit lighter. But would she like it? Well, I finished a couple of hours ago and she's still asleep on it. Looks like I get my foot rest back!

And as a last parting commentary...those plastic bags are bad. Consider picking up some of the reusable bags stores offer. They fold up nice and can live in the car for whenever you need them. And it's fun to bring a Target bag into Central Market or Tom Thumb to pick up stuff occasionally. :-)

What the heck?

2009-01-05T18:07:00.003-06:00

So living in Texas has it's perks. One of my personal favorites is the ability to call my parents in Minnesota during the months of January and February while out on the patio wearing shorts. Generally I am sitting here:

That was essentially the view YESTERDAY. I went out at halftime of the Vikings game wearing shorts to let the dog take a quick walk around the yard. Well TODAY I am greeted by this:

As one in the military might say: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?!? 24 hours from shorts to icicles.

*sigh* When I first got here someone told me "If you don't like the weather in Texas just hang around a few minutes". Apparently they spoke the truth. Hopefully this means I can ride my motorcycle to work in the morning.....

Ringing in the New Year

2009-01-04T12:44:00.003-06:00

As many do I will often look back at the past year as I enter January. This year I find myself look WAAY back. The annual "New Years Eve Party" tradition goes back a ways for us. We got married on 12/30 and our first New Years as a married couple was spent with friends in a "lock-in" at our apartment complex cabana. Highlights include the blackout and Scott passing out in the sauna.

As we entered the age of digital cameras we started capturing the memories and storing them. Unfortunately with the digital age we not only learned the ease of recording memories...but how easy a drive failure will lose them. Scouring my drives I managed to get back to 2002 with one little gap...2003 is missing. So, care to join me in a waltz down memory lane?

2002

The obvious tradition...shots. This year is the first party in our current home. We had a garage full of motorcycles as the invite list included many riding friends. Here we have young David (uh, as far as I know he was 21 at the time....) being cheered on as he downs a shot.

2004

This is the last year we opted to go out and bring in the new year. I've honestly forgotten the name of the bar but we met a group and basically rocked the night away. The hats were a nice touch....LOL This is Kendal, Ken and I while we were still able to stand.

2005

2005 brought us back home and introduced something new. Jello shots. At the time this was a GREAT idea. Looking back...well, I really can't safely post many of the photos and some of the aftermath...well, I think this next photo pretty much sums it up:

2006

As we said goodbye to 2006 we said goodbye to Jello shots (though I *STILL* don't know who was doing shots, and left the containers, in our guest room closet) and came back to the old fashioned variety. The debauchery continued if not toned down a little. And this year introduced a whole new element to parties, WII!

To this day I can't put my finger on WHY the darn thing is so fun...but add a little alcohol to the mix and Wii bowling is freaking hilarious. And don't even get me started on boxing.

2007

Saying goodbye to 2007 had us slowly saying goodbye to shots. As time passed us by we started having more parents at the party that had to actually leave to get home. Still a load of fun going on but this is the first year wine made a big appearance. The photo above is the girls (yes, most holding a shot...LOL) as they share a toast. Where are the guys you ask? Well, last year was the Wii....this year the gaming gods gave us Rock Band!

2008

Same pose as last year, isn't it? And notice that the same brand of cream puffs are sitting on the table! And wine. saying goodbye to 2008 had us saying goodbye to people passing out under the pool table. We moved to Guitar Hero:World Tour and mad very few rounds of shots but it was still a blast. Goes to show...it really doesn't matter what you do as long as you are with those close to you. I miss my family dearly as we are spread out across the country...but I am comforted by my closest friends.

The interesting thing will be to see how many people that are in these photos see themselves online and email frantically. :-)

With that, have a glass of champagne and bring on 2009!

-=>Sean

Geek TV Trivia

2008-12-30T12:19:00.005-06:00

I stumbled on this little trivia tidbit today and had to share. If you ever play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon (a topic for another time) here is some material for you!

The once mighty, now not-so-much TV show Heroes includes a character named Nathan Petrelli played by Adrian Pasdar. If you click on his name there to follow the IMDB link and scroll all the way to his first credit you will see the movie "Top Gun". That's right, young Adrian starred alongside Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer in our favorite 1986 classic as the aviator with the call sign "Chipper".

A quick flash back to my last post will note my appreciation of "The Big Bang Theory" on CBS. Any fans of BBT recognize this young fellow?

That's Rusty Griswold from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Played by one Johnny Galecki currently playing Leonard on BBT. (also well known as David from Rosanne...)

Just some randomness from Sean as he passes his vacation time away. :-)

Geek TV

2008-12-24T08:28:00.005-06:00

Being one with slightly geeky tendencies I have come to appreciate a couple of geek-centric shows that have appeared on network TV recently. These are The Big Bang Theory and Chuck.

The Big Bang Theory takes a couple of scientist roommates and puts them across the hall from a cute blonde. Aside from the predictable plotlines there are a number of great geek references (do you recognize the object they are playing with in the image above?) that are both flagrant and subtle. I find myself relating to each of the characters as well as seeing a number of friends in every episode. And did I mention it's just plain hilarious?
Chuck takes a little more sci-fi / action approach to the geek thing and puts a "Nerd Herd" employee at the local "Buy More" into the CIA.....sort of. If anything it's fun to watch all the blatant picking on Best Buy and the Geek Squad. As with the BBT there are a bunch of subtle references to geekiness (where else does an attractive female deadpan a reference to the pains of listening to Vogon poetry?) as well as general pop culture ("Sgt. Al Powell, LAPD").

While these are not the only two shows I watch they are two that I refuse to miss and really really hope continue on. In this age of premature cancellation (speaking of which..Firefly cast member currently on "Chuck") who can tell what numbers TV executives are looking at when they make decisions?

So, I really recommend you check these two out. Yes, they are on at the same time. DVR people! Or watch the episodes online, they are worth it. Honest.

The Three F's

2008-11-19T09:01:00.000-06:00

What are the Thee F's you ask? Why Family, Friends and Food of course! And that's basically what we crammed into a too-short visit to California this past week.

The primary purpose of the visit was to meet my new nephew Aki (short for Kiyoaki...but if you've ever read my brother & sister-in-law's blog you know that). Here's the little guy listening intently. I can imagine the voice ala' Bruce Willis in Look Who's Talking: "Cute, huh? Just wait till you see what's in the diaper!"

The trip also gave us a chance to catch up with the West Coast Branch of the family which included a big dinner meeting at Max's of Manila. That's something you don't find much of in Texas: Filipino eateries. I know of one and it's more of a "hole in the wall". After gorging on a host of traditional favorites (and some things I didn't recognize but tried anyway) we finished off with a nice halo-halo...which is a favorite dessert of mine from childhood. Here's a view of 1/2 the table...the other portion is to the right of this image and engaged in a food fight. That is, a fight for the food!

In addition to seeing cousins, aunts and uncles I hadn't seen in years I also caught up with my college roommate who just happened to have his first son just a week before Aki was born. Ok, his WIFE had the baby...but you knew what I meant. Did I mention they were born at the same hospital? Delivered by the same doctor? The coincidence was scary but it was great to be able to meet Logan and introduce him to Aki. Here's my roomie Brian with Logan and Connie with Aki

In addition to all the reunions we took the opportunity to play "tourist" a little while we were in LA. Through my apparently genetic knack for finding a good deal we got an EXCELLENT rate at the former Ritz Carlton, now the Langham at Pasadena. Here's a shot of the fam during our unofficial tour of the grounds:

Chris showed his family ability to find a great deal and pointed us in the direction to get tickets to see Wicked. The show was awesome, as were the seats. Center mezzanine! I took the liberty of snapping a covert photo when the usher wasn't looking. A little dark since I couldn't use the flash and my silly point-and-shoot won't let me mess with aperture settings but you get the idea. We were like 3 rows back with a great view of everything.

We also had the opportunity to wander around the Huntington Garden which was totally awesome. Having recently taken the plunge and stepping into the world of "photography hobbyist" I had tons of fun trying out shots and settings. Some of the shots I took:

Connie and I are anxious to go back and spend more time both outside in the gardens and inside the museum. Well worth the visit.

As a parting thought, I mentioned Chris, Yuri & Aki's Blog above. As soon as I took this shot I mentally labled it "Blogging the Blogger". You see, Chris and Yuri (like Connie and I) love to eat. They take it up a notch though. If you read their blog you will catch a number of reviews and comments on the different places they've been. There are also lots of pictures of food. You don't think about this until you've dined with them and witness the quick "posing" of the plates when food arrives and then the shoot....captured here while dining in one of the many eateries we were treated to but whose names I sadly cannot remember (there were that many!!!)

:-) Ta ta for now, here ends what I believe is the longest entry to date! Heh, I'm learning!

Yeah, still suck at this blogging thing...

2008-10-27T17:09:00.000-05:00

...but I had a random thought today that I have to put down SOMEWHERE while I figure out the logistics of how to do this.

So a long time ago I chose to Opt Out and remove my name from all the lists of "pre screened" offers (you know, JUNK MAIL). Worked wonders. The junk mail immediately slowed down and eventually stopped entirely!

Then I bought a new car. Unfortunately I do not have the financial resources to just write a check for a new automobile. So I had to finance it. Which mean opening a new account. Which put my name on a new companies "list" which was promptly sold.

Ya see, when you "opt out" you are telling the major credit bureaus not to sell your info. They are the source of a large percentage of the crap you get in the mail. But, individual creditors also sell lists to each other. So if you use credit at all you open yourself up to junk mail. Or subscribe to a magazine, newspaper, or buy something from your kids school (who hires a company to run the "fund raiser")

Where is this all going? Today I received more junk mail. I would LOVE to know who sold my name to these people so I could stop whatever dealings I have with them entirely. So my idea:

What about a requirement that says any "mass mailing" require that they detail who they got your name/address from?

That way I can walk into my bank and close my accounts and tell them it's because they put my name on a list of new car loan applicants that they sold to the car wash in town to mail me coupons.

Or something like that. I have no idea how to start...but I wanted to get it out there. At the very least it'd save a tree or two. :-)

Ok, so I'm a sucky blogger

2008-08-25T20:43:00.000-05:00

I'm not exactly one of those post-a-day types, obviously. But I did get a new toy that might get me online more. After a bit of saving (thanks to my poker playing friends for donating!) I finally made the move to a digital SLR. Now I'm trying to figure out what the heck all the knobs and buttons do! :-) I have gone so far as to sign up for a photography class at the local community college so we'll see what comes of it.

In the mean time, the only model I've managed to get to agree (I use the term loosely) to pose is Misha. As you can see from the expression below, she's getting sort of tired of my following her around waiting for her to do something "cute".

Somebody loves/hates me...

2008-06-22T16:08:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if this was meant as helpful or mean spirited....heh.

So Connie comes in with the mail and asks "are you expecting anything from Dallas?" Not sure what she means I look over and she hands me a large manila envelope addressed to me. The return address is slightly familiar but there isn't a name listed.

Naturally I opened it. And what was inside? 2008 Porsche 911 information. And when I say "information" I'm not talking the cheesy 10-12 page brochure with pretty pictures. This thing is a book....literally. 180+ pages listing every possible color combination, option and feature you can order in the car I've wanted for as long as I can remember.

Unsolicited, unannounced. The "familiar" address was the dealership I have purchased other makes of vehicle from and have occasionally test driven a 911 from. Best guess, gas prices are up and sales are down so they are digging down deep into sales leads.

Or I have a mean-spirited friend that is taunting me. If it's you I hope the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits. ;-)

Just to prove I haven't gotten THAT old...

2008-05-11T15:33:00.000-05:00

While the new fence is nice...I'm really still a kid at heart. Recently Connie was out shopping with her Mom and saw that The Sharper Image in our area was closing (the company is shuttering most of their stores) and noticed that the Force FX Lightsabers that I had long been eyeballing were on clearance. Now, at their original MSRP of up to $199 I wasn't willing to pull the trigger. But I had been watching the prices fall over time....and now at 40% off?

Those that know me realize that once the seal is broken...well., it's all downhill from there. THEN I found out that Master Replicas (the company that makes them) lost their LucasFilm license and there would be NO MORE MADE. What does an overgrown Star Wars Geek do in this case? Scour EBay, Craigslist, and any other online forum he can find of course!

Much to Connie's chagrin I am up to seven. There's really only one left, though the rumor is that Hasbro has picked up the license and will be making more. Who knows? Anyhow, I just recently solved my little display dilemma and decided to post some pics here. (That's a pool cue rack...LOL). And no, I never once paid MSRP. My compulsiveness is outweighed by my cheapness and tendency to hunt for clearance items!

First a closeup. Left to right, the lightsabers of Luke Skywalker (Blue from Ep 4 & 5), 1/2 of Darth Maul (storing as 2 pieces...can be joined for a 7 ft, double-bladed saber!), Mace Windu, Luke's green Ep 6 saber, Darth Vader, Yoda, The other 1/2 of Darth Maul, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

If you aren't familiar with the Force FX line, they are essentially strings of LED's in a polycarbonate "blade". They light up in sequence so it looks like a lightsaber igniting. And there are sound effects from the movies. The hilt has a motion sensor (thing Wii-mote) that sense movement and plays sounds from the movie. And you can duel with them...they make clashing noises when they hit! :-) Yes, I'm a geek, I know. Anyhow.....I end with a pic of them ON. Heh. May the Force Be With You!

Aging is annoying

2008-04-29T22:33:00.000-05:00

So when you're older there are different, more "responsible" purchases for you to get excited about. You kids just shut it, you'll get to this point eventually. :-)

So the time came for us to replace our fence. I won't get into the specifics....but being on a corner lot equals MORE $$$. *sigh*

Anyhow, I give you before and after photos!

More photos here:

New Fence!

Random thought for the day

2008-01-24T20:32:00.000-06:00

So a music CD is what....call it 15 tracks of audio that generally sells for about a buck a track. It's roughly ~700 meg of media.....maybe 45 minutes of "entertainment". New releases are usually $15-$20.

A movie on DVD runs 90 - 150 minutes....audio and video. Dual layer media is like 8 gig. So twice the "entertainment" of a CD.....new releases are usually $15-$20.

What about music is so "special" that the cost of a CD hasn't dropped since they came out in the 80's? There are HD-DVD and BluRay movies out that cost less than a CD!

Honest, I'm curious. Anyone?

With apologies to Abba

2008-01-20T13:22:00.000-06:00

If you watch the video below at a tic past the 3 minute mark you hear the words "If this shows up on YouTube I'm going to kick your ass" , or something to that effect.

I'm counting on that being the booze talking. Failing that, well, I guess I'm just going to have to take my chances. Personally I think it's worth it....:-)

This is what happens when you have a Bachelor Party with a groom that refuses to participate in the "traditional" activities associated with a bachelor party. Drunken karaoke.

Let this be a lesson to you kids out there. Keep with tradition, go to a strip club. The bouncer will confiscate any cameras and your secrets will remain secret.

The world of automation...

2008-01-20T12:07:00.000-06:00

There was a time when creating your own website was a lot more involved than this. Sadly, I remember that time.

Anyhow, this is the first entry of what might be many....or not.

Think of it as the Scene of Sporadic Scribbling of a Sagacious Soul Seeking Serenity in this Serendipitous Society.

Or not. Then again, this isn't the blog you are looking for. Move along, move along.

-=>S