lindsay

Today Linds and I ran around trying to get things simplified around the house. Downsizing is never easy, but it seems like its always the right thing to do. I'm not sure what it is, but we just seem to acquire things. I dont know if it's an americana trait, or what. All I know is that lindsay is down to 2 (out of 3) closets and at the moment you couldn't add a shot glass to our kitchen. The main topic on conversation is how to situate the surfboards in the new closet so that we can jam the most crap in there. Actually how we deal with closet space is a lot like how we deal with money. Whenever there is an extra inch/dollar we have it filled/spent with at least 5 MUST HAPPEN ways.

The current list of home items: Elfa closet organizer, new carpeting upstairs, sliding patio door, (should we do a french door because they are WAY cheeper than sliding?), new windows, is that water damage along that baseboard?, do we need a second car?, frame and hang art. SAVE MONEY.

it's no wonder nothing gets done around here.

I'm watching the newly released Winnie the Pooh (a netflix error, but i've made more serious queue mistakes). Anyway, about the new movie. I'm on the fence. There are some nice additions and the new voice work is ok. I think mainly the new songs bother me the most...I want my kids to see the version I loved. I'm glad I still have my VCR. Did they release a blueray of the orginal film? I'd love an HD wide screen version of the move I grew up with. I wouldn't even mind my kids watching this version, but I dont see why they would need to know a different pooh than I do. Which I guess gets more complicated because I plan to read them all the books (with my best impressions)

They also broke the character models for a "dream sequence" I am almost never a fan of that. Also while a bunch of scence are familiar, they are slightly altered. Did George Lucus work on this? If its going to be close, why not leave it the same?

old school first, new school second.

I'm not sure what to do here... Anyone else notice any other changed classics that I've missed?

-kpb

It's like after our 2nd year anniversary even the clouds are smiling. Here's the spot where it all went down. Our plan much like last year was to sit under our tree and have a little picnic. It's been almost all sunshine and roses since. I'm just really happy to be happy about being where I am at the moment.

Maybe that's the key to this whole thing.

This is from a few years ago. I guess my life has been in a holding pattern since, becuase it's all still applicable. I think i'm missing the peices where i can take some of the ideas below and turn them into a life. Anyway here goes:

I am interested in a mix of:

-Political Science (Social capital) (Winners and Losers)

-Political Philosophy (The study of the nature of public society and how its structure effects its operation)

-Philosophy (study of culture, and the evolution of thought)

-Cultural anthropology (How cultures of different structures differ how that impacts the people in society)

-Sociology (How people interact with one another)

-Architecture (How buildings and physical structures affect social/political relationships)

-Environmental Science (How natural land/urban effects people and the environment) What the stewardship of nature says about a society i.e. How cultures that care for their surroundings differ from those that see nature only as raw material.

-Urban Development (How best to structure cities, town’s ect. for private life/public life and the environment) Also, green building techniques and renewable resource materials.

 I would like to explore how much humans are: more a mirror of their situation vs. the expression of self. The little things surrounding people may have more affect on us than we acknowledge. Although, individuals may have any number of reactions to a given event that occurs around them. I want to know more.

I would like to use these programs to understand the world and society more fully and work toward a future that nurtures both private and public life, while working toward a better balance with nature. 

The common thread in my interests are systems. Artificial constructs that impede or help people thrive… this can apply to web/database design, government policy, the structure of government agencies, or the structure of the office an agency resides in. It could even be applied to how the office building relates to the buildings around it in the city and how that city affects the environment around it. 

I'm feeling lost today.

-Kpb

So that means I've been sneezing and having trouble breathing. It's always an excellent way to reframe ones perspective. I live in a city that's supposed to be a marsh....without us it would likely turn back into one.

should I move to the moon where plant life will no longer torment me?

I'm guessing of I left the hydroponics pod to others I could lead a very happy life on the moon. I would lose the weight I've been trying to get off as soon as I arrive and there are already golf clubs up there just waiting for me.

Considering how to sign my goodbye letter to the earth...

Take care, don't be a stranger.
It's not you it's me.
Thanks for all the fish!
-kpb

for my desk at work. $4.99 at Trader Joes!

my latest crafting adventure. stay tuned for the final product. Hoping it looks like this:

Today I advanced two full chapters in a video game. It took at least as many hours. It's a battlefield strategy game so there's a fair amount of trial and error. So in the real world I didn't do much, but in my own little one I put my issues aside and helped save the world, cutting off one supply line at a time. the game is Japanese so the dialogue is a little off, but I'm enjoying it. The game is Valkyria Chronicles and I've started thinking of it as the little tank that could.

I wish actual progress was so clearly defined. i'm feeling a but lost these days, it will pass, but in the mean time I feel like I'm walking around in the dark.

On Saturday, December 3, Kevin and I went to his work holiday part at the National Building Museum and just like previous years, it’s was beautiful! All of the free food, booze and desserts! you could want. And the night wouldn’t be complete without a prom-style photo. Here’s my iPhone photo-overload from the night

November was a busy month. Normally i don't do anything (just ask around its true), but November this year I successfully completed my 3rd NaBloPoMo and failed my second attempt at No Shave November, and actually I wasnt thinking about it, but we had a No Heat November too. I was told by management today (lindsay) that November is more than over and the heat is coming on.

more later.

-kb

So the National Christmas Tree Lighting was a barrel of laughs, who would have thought that? Did you know the U.S. parks department oversees nearly 400 parks?....me either.

Also and you might want to sit down for this one kids. Santa's real name is Brad. We were shocked too. Carson Daly found his way out of the 90's to host the event...it was a blast.

I have to say this. Kermit stole the show, but my highlight was Kermit and Michelle Obama reading 'twas the night before Christmas.

The we went to dinner to warm up, and a good night was had by all. We spent a lot of time whistling and singing what more could you ask for?

Tomorrow is December 2nd the countdown to Christmas has begun. I haven't started shopping, or really seriously thinking about gifts....why do i do this to myself every year. I've been that jackass on Christmas eve, I've given people pictures is stuff that's in the mail or back ordered....I hope to start this Saturday and be done by Sunday.

-kb

No Shave November. Kevin (almost!) made it.

By encouraging men to go to the doctor, No Shave November/Movember aims to increase early cancer detection, diagnosis and effective treatments, and ultimately reduce the number of preventable deaths. Besides getting an annual check-up, the Movember Foundation encourages men to be aware of any family history of cancer, and to adopt a more healthy lifestyle

Today is the last day of noblopomo! That marks three years of successful posts for me I'll have to get this years badge, (or make one) for some reason darth was my all time favorite.

So as always I'll promise to post to the blog more, but I think I'm coming to a crux. If I don't post... why do I have this outlet? I'm sure when we have kids it's going to be an easy place for everyone to get bianco family news, but until then it's just a hackneyed story of us. I assure you 4 minutes with us would tell the story better.

I'm a head in the clouds fool, whose best day on the earth is when I caught Lindsay's attention. She is pure joy, after almost ten years I'm starting to suspect that she runs on Christmas cheer.

There are some days I'm beside myself. A year and a half ago we were married, I feel like I've been put in charge of overseeing a gift.

I promise to post more often.
-Kb

Peace and love to all.

Linds and I have events every night this week one of which is the national Christmas tree lighting! I think I'm most excited to see Kermit. When pressured I will sing a bit of rainbow connection. It's been so many years I don't know any other things he says, so I can't really practice doing his voice...which is kind of funny but I remember the song from the movie, so I default to that. I didn't know this was going to become a post about lackluster impressions but I can do a convincing ernie if your not paying too much attention, but again I just haven't seen the show recently enough to have a vocabulary beyond a catch phrase or two.

Anyway, Kermit will be at the lighting and so will we!

Someday we'll find it
That Rainbow Connection
The lovers the dreamers and me

-kb

by a 41 cent fuse! we will see if it makes it all the way to Christmas. I have this feeling that I'm going to have to doctor this tree up to get it through the big show. when I was growing up we had these lights he big old glass ones. I swear there were 30 strands and my dad and I would put them up along the roofline of the whole house. No matter how carefully he would cool and drop them into separate bags and twist tie them shut, these lights upon hitting the cold (almost always night air) turned into square and sheep knots. it would take forever to finally get them unraveled. Omg we had them in he bushes too. To look like the cheaters have now where all the lights are on a net and you just toss it over a shrub we stood there and placed lights so it looked nice from the street. We lived on a block of two circled roads with two entrance points on opposite ends...not many people saw these lights. Anyway, as the years went on and the lights got into their early 20's they started to get a little wonky. Certain strands would blow the fuses of anything connected to them.

The last year I can remember us putting them on the roof I was finally old enough to go on the ladder for the low section of the roof 8 feet or so and my dad did the upper section like 20 feet. When we got to the final strand of lights. Literally the house is covered and they are all clipped in place, to ensure that none droop down. We are talking clean painstaking lines here...and the fuses kept blowing out. I remember my dad telling me to go get some tinfoil. He had to say it like 3 times, but here was the solution. He rolled some tin foil and shoved it in the contacts for the fuse and it didn't give us any trouble the rest of that year.

So our tree goes out the other day and I had to ask myself am I the type of person that would know that putting tinfoil in the place of a fuse wasn't going to instantly set the house on fire?

I quickly concluded that I'm not.

-kb

So I've been trying to get my sega and super Nintendo hooked up to our new tv to see how it handles them. As part of my putting it through its paces. It hasn't been going well. I've masterminded two or three potential ways to hook together the odds and ends I happen to have on hand. None of them work. So I started to doubt that my consoles were in working order. It took all of two minutes to get everything put together on our CRT. My guess is that the new tv is too smart for its own good. Modern composite video is 3 wires red white and yellow(2 sound one video), but pre late 90's composite was 2 wires (One video one sound). So my first guess is the tv doesn't like the free wire...I could look for my splitter, but I'm pretty sure it goes in the other direction. So that's what I think the dead problem is the Nintendo is more of a pain. I only have the rf switch to hook that up. I normally hooked everything up using composites, rf in my mind...involved switching the signal, where if I had it connected through my VCR I felt more confident leaving it on while paused for hours a part of gaming that I do not miss. Not to mention coaxial connections are not sturdy. Just break or bend badly enough that single pin and my dad would have to be called in to fix it. So don't have a lot of experience with it. Apparently it can be set on channel 3 or 4 what difference would it make? anyway the super Nintendo has uni task trademarked connections that now means id have to search amazon, craigslist or eBay in order to get something new.

So they are hooked up to the CRT. I've got a pretty sweet setup. Here are a few quick observations
1.The music of skitchin is still awesome, it looks horrible...worse that I could have guessed.
2 Super Mario world still draws me in (what a fun game)
3 if final fight must the grandfather to streets of rage cant believe i didnt notice that before. I will add that I remembered final fight very fondly, and I'm now wondering why. The Streets of Rage games are way way better games.

I haven't given up on the HDTV yet...but I might running out of ideas.

Kb

Linds has done up the whole house. Sort of amazing really, since we are still 4 days away from December.

Anyway here's a few shots of the place..

So I've been trying to get my sega and super Nintendo hooked up to our new tv to see how it handles them. It hasn't been going well. I've masterminded two or three potential ways to hook together the odds and ends I happen to have on hand. So I started to doubt that they were in working order. It took all of two minutes to get everything put together on our CRT. My guess is that the new tv is too smart for its own good. Modern composite video is 3 wires red white and yellow(2 sound one video), but pre late 90's composite was 2 wires(One video one sound).

Lindsay has christmas in her heart, there's no other way to explain it. Here's our tree, we decided to get a real one every other year for a while. Up until two months ago it was very possible to step on a needle in the living room. We must have vacuumed it a 39 times, but one would always slip through the system and after we stepped on one it's now tradition to angrily frustratedly grumble "merry christmas".

Anyway we aren't finished yet but here's the progress of day one.

I had a rough day today.
1 I fell off a ladder
2 I broke the ladder
3 I spilled water on a power strip
4 I dropped a whole container of blue berries
5 I tripped over the laptop cord
6 while catching my fall I shattered a glass Christmas ornament.

It's time for bed before someone gets hurt.