Posted On Friday, November 20th, 2009 By Zen Render
I got nothing for ya today folks, so I’ll just say a couple really quick things: My half brother in law is back in hospital – think happy thoughts. My dad’s in Mexico so I ended up doing a long distance support call Last month, I did the same thing (remote connect) for my mom, in Juba So then I had to try to troubleshoot the video camera of my half-sister in-law, too. While THAT was happening, the emergency number called me, Vancouver studio was “off the map” Had to zip into the office tonight to apply the technician proximity effect Worked like a charm. Everything was running again by the time I sat down at my desk. Disaster averted. Fire fought. Action taken? None. Looks like my buddy Nilo might be heading home to LA in the near future. I’m going to miss him a lot, he’s been a good friend, and I don’t have many. Not sure if that’s because I lose them, or just don’t make them very quickly. Ghost Whisperer is officially my guilty pleasure. Stupid show, but entertaining, and Jay Mohr cracks me up. Jonny Vancouver called tonight with a “humline” request, and I had Continue Reading
Posted On Monday, November 9th, 2009 By Zen Render
“Seek the Yay. Avoid the Woo. Be Brave. Don’t Burn Yourself.” – The We Trip (1995 I think?) Some of you are joining our program already in progress, while coming in from NaBloPoMo or Movember, so I thought I’d cop out on plot today and go for a little character development instead. I work in IT for a film special effects company on Pender near Bute (after seven years of working for gaming companies), and generally try not to use any business-speak in anything I do, but it’s a proactive (not “reactive”) engagement of my skillsets going forward. *FUCK* I’m married (6 yrs?) to Arwen (you might know her: she used to hang at the Passion from time to time when she wasn’t working graveyards at Blenz on Robson or Blenz on Davie. We’ve got two kids (boys: Ripley is 7 and Tate is 4) and Arwen’s working on her 2nd novel (no, not a NaNoWriMo, but she’s editing her latest, so she calling it NaNoEdMo). We moved this summer form Mole Hil (right behind St. Paul’s) to Marpole (waaaaaaaay out at 67th & Oak), and I’ve been ramping up to cycling to/from work (25km, round trip) since we moved. Continue Reading
Posted On Sunday, November 8th, 2009 By Zen Render
I’m tired today, even though I slept through most of Spy Kids 2 this afternoon. Spent two hours doing groceries, watched a movie, and then we went to Ikea for wandering (whoops, $100) and dinner before coming back, putting the kids to bed, and hanging with the beautiful and talented MoxieSnacks. Today blew by. Pweroom. Zorp. Flurm. Ka-done. Oh, and I’m starting to get the moustache that I’m going to be coping with for the next three and a bit weeks. (See photo, attached). (Right now, Arwen and Moxie are talking about holding their breath while underwater, and so they’re closing the backs of their throats and talking, leaving them sounding like Edith Anne from Saturday Night Live, or perhaps the Professor from the Simpsons, who’s actually Jerry Lewis. So, to recap: the two women in my living room right now are doing Jerry Lewis impressions.) Oh holy shit. My blog. The main page blog (I should probably pull that, since I’m not looking for work from the outside world), and the Podcast site were all GONE for the last 15 minutes. The blogs were still there, but they were all asking me to enter the name of the blog, Continue Reading
Posted On Saturday, November 7th, 2009 By Zen Render
Went out for dinner tonight with Arwen’s mom & faux pa, and since Fridays are kinda special for us, we chose sushi at Downtown Sushi in our old stomping grounds. They’ve got a little upscale on some of the fancier rolls, bucking the standard Vancouver “sushi places almost outnumber Starbucks” pricing of $3-$4 for your normal California roll, and maybe $5-$6 for the “fancy” rolls. Well these guys have gotten all fancy and done some really interesting and tasty rolls, but um… $12? Srsly? Ripley (who’s seven, and yet can do some serious damage in an all-you-can-eat sushi place) got a fancy “Ocean” roll, and an order of gyoza, and I think his portion of the bill was probably around $18. Woof. But thankfully, Arwen’s mom was picking up the bill tonight, so Ripley didn’t have to make good on his offer to pay for himself (I think, if he’s lucky, he’s got about $4 in the whole world.) It was interesting for me though, ’cause Ripley often offers to pay for something if he thinks he’s not going to get it otherwise, but tonight, I think he was honestly noticing that $12 was a lot for a single roll Continue Reading
Posted On Monday, November 2nd, 2009 By Zen Render
Long post warning: You has it. November 2nd. No point in posting the picture of my alleged moustache, ’cause there’s hardly anything there unless I have *just* finished shaving with a Bic, and I don’t have a camera or the patience to even bother getting anything approaching a macro setting for some hairs on my lip. Also, even though I initially thought I was going to go for some sorta triple-threat thing and blog every day AND grow a stache for Movember AND ALSO PLUS cycle to work every day, I can’t, ’cause my back tire has a slow(ish?) leak and is currently flat. Yes, the back time with the kevlar tube guard thing that’ll stop anything sharp from getting anywhere near it unless that sharp thing happens to be on the road, I guess. Oh! Story about the crazy who jumped my bike last week. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow okay? Okay. Coffee? What coffee, YOU shut up. Ahem. Starting now. [Monty Python Man At Desk]: Good evening. I like to think I type gibberish like that because it’s witty, somehow, but mostly it’s just that I’ve found that typing damned near anything will get me going Continue Reading
Posted On Sunday, November 1st, 2009 By Zen Render
Hi, I have decided to join a global movement that is bringing much needed attention to prostate cancer. I’m doing this by growing a Moustache this Movember, the month formerly known as November. My commitment is to grow a moustache all November and I am hoping that you will support my efforts by making a donation. The funds raised go directly to Prostate Cancer Canada. What many people don’t know is that 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer to afflict Canadian men with 25,500 diagnosed and 4,400 dying from the disease each year. Facts like these have convinced me I should get involved. To make a donation, you can either: • Click this link http://ca.movember.com/mospace/273776/ and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account , or • Write a cheque payable to ‘Prostate Cancer Canada’, referencing my Registration Number 273776 and mailing it to: Prostate Cancer Canada, 145 Front Street East, Ste. 306, Toronto, ON M5A 1E3, Canada. All donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Prostate Cancer Canada will use the money raised by Movember for the development of Continue Reading
Posted On Saturday, September 26th, 2009 By Zen Render
We had 8 kids here today. Two of them were ours, and while there were a few tears, and lots of screaming, I think most of it was happy screaming. I may have to steal the Nerf gun Tate got, though, or at least modify it so he can pull the pump on it. The place is NOT a total shambles, and there’s only a little bit of Oreo cake on the carpet. Pin the tail on the donkey is still fun for the kids under the age of 10. Arwen (on her third trip through being 10) did pretty well, too. I decorated (not my forte) and generally stayed outta the way when kids played, and tried to not get the same headache I had yesterday. Mission accomplished. Best moment: Tate rushing into the house announcing “I hafta poo!” and jumping onto the toilet. Okay, he made it. Great. I stuck my head around the door, and asked if he’d need any help when he’s done, and he said “Nah… Because I’m four now.” Wish more of life was that obvious.
Posted On Monday, February 16th, 2009 By Zen Render
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Posted On Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 By Zen Render
“Boom, headshot!” {Something the gang at EAC IT used to yell out whenever someone was terminated that we didn’t particularly care for. Something I was tempted to yell out when I was laid off last year. Given what’s been going on in the gaming industry of late, you’ll forgive me a little gallows humour.}
Posted On Friday, November 21st, 2008 By Zen Render
Rick and I went to the newly-renovated (but still slightly odd) Denny’s, where we talked about an idea he has for a game. There’s two major chunks to it, and I think he’s got the action bit figured out, but the lead-up to the action needed a little something. Not sure what, but something. I think it’d work. As an actual game, in the real world, which would be fun, and kinda hectic, like when you were playing in the basement with the expensive stuff your parents owned, and they’d yell at you for “having fun wrong.” Those were awesome games to play, until one of you broke a window, popped out a ceiling panel, bounced that switchblade off the wall back at you, or you (and I actually did this) lost a throwing star somewhere in the ceiling. I bet that happens to real ninjas all the time, just like normal people lose socks in the wash. I’ve always thought the best games are normal games (no learning curve for how to play) but messed with in some way. Normal pinball is kida dull after you’ve played on a table that has multi-ball. Foosball is just not the same Continue Reading