My brain feels like Jello.

I’ve spent all day emailing back and forth with Linux users groups in an effort to get more readers for our magazine. I’ve gotten quite a few positive responses from people, one or two questions, and (as usual), there’s one snarky person.

It’s all pretty much par for the course, really. At least I feel like I’ve made some headway =]

I do, however, want to send Tylenol a few hundred bucks in order to deal with the headache resulting from being in the zone for so long. *chuckles*

Current mood: tired
Current music: The Cure – Just Like Heaven

It was nice and warm today. In Ohio, at the end of December, this is pretty rare. It had to be at least in the 50’s, so I decided to get out of the house for a little while and go for a walk around the park before getting back to work again. (the upside/downside of working at home. You can nip off for an hour or so to take a break, but sometimes it feels like you never leave work)

Walking to the car, I noticed that it was a little dark, so I figured that there might be a shower. Not a big deal, I have the umbrella in the car.

Fast forward a bit.

Walking around the park, I feel a raindrop, so I start to pull out the umbrella.

Drip.

Drip.

DELUGE!

Queue the high winds, lightning ripping through the sky, parts of the trees around me crashing to the ground (nothing other than the rain hit me, thankfully) and the rest of the Gods Are Angry ™ stuff. I’m a good 5-10 minutes from the car thanks to the now muddy ground, the wind, and my newfound parasail (formerly known as an umbrella).

I finally get back to the car, completely soaked and a bit less than happy. Let’s put it this way – the jeans I wore were fairly baggy and I had to peel them off of me.

This has to be the first time I’ve seen a thunderstorm at the end of December for quite a while.

I got home and the cat looked at me like “what are you doing back? You just left…” But, at least I’m relatively dry now.

Oh, one more thing – Wilson’s Leather leather protector is a wonderful thing. It has saved my nice suede jacket from several storms and even a bit of blood. I highly recommend it.

Current mood: damp
Current music: Coheed and Cambrian – the suffering

Update time

Issue 2 of o3 Magazine came out one the 19th. Issue one saw over 500,000 readers in more than 140 countries. Hopefully the success continues.

If you have a company and are interested in advertising in a magazine with global distribution, please contact our sales people at sales@o3magazine.com. Advertising costs are very reasonable and advertisers in issue one saw dramatically increased traffic and sales (one company sold more product in the two weeks after the release of issue one than they did the rest of the year put together).

In other news, the holiday thing went pretty smoothly. The cat seems to like his new toys (as evidenced by his insistence that he play with them at 4am). Parental type people liked the movies and Karyl seemed to like the black pearls (I think the squeeing was a good indication).

Apparently Karyl was the center of attention at the office when she wore the necklace there for the first time. However, I have to admit to being mildly insulted when one of the people told her she might have to keep me because I have good taste. I am worth more than the presents I give, thank you very much.

I’m not sure which my mother liked more - her present or the cheesecake that I made for dessert. For some reason, everyone seems to want me to make those insanely simple no-bake cheesecakes now. Good grief, people, they take 15 minutes to whip up. Why the obsession? They’ve got to be the simplest dessert that I make, but people go nuts over them…

Now I get to concentrate on expanding our reader base and putting together a media kit in order to help sell advertising. What can I say? I like to get paid =]

Current mood: tired
Current music: Toby Keith and Willie Nelson – Whiskey for my Men, Beer for my Horses

I got a holiday card from one of my clients, and it was signed by most of the office staff there.

It feels nice to be valued. I thought that was rather cool of them. =]

Current mood: tired
Current music: Reel Big Fish - Kiss me Deadly

No, the image above this post is not an indication of my mood. It happens to be the latest thing I’ve picked up. Yes, it’s a large Rackham flag (in silver foil no less) – and I do mean *big*. The bloody thing is 27" x 40".

Why have I picked this up?

It’s decoration for the office when I move. It will be framed and hung up on the wall.

I think I made my girlfriend's head explode last night. I mentioned recursion in passing and she asked what it was. *smirks*

Quizishness stolen from Bryian's blog

Android or Hologram You scored 53 % Aggressivness, 53 % Technology, and 66 % Social Enlightenment!

Homeworld: n/a Hmmm, interesting. You have a high level of technological development, you're aggressive and yet you're still extremely socially progressive. How is this possible? It's not! At least not naturally, anyway (and not in the Star Trek universe). This suggests that you are either an android or a hologram, meaning you're are capable of just about anything. You can be aggressive, but also peaceful. By your very nature, you have a high level technology yet many androids or holograms seek to enhance their humanity. You defy categorisation and have superceded mere organic life to become a totally different breed of lifeform... OTHER CATEGORIES Ferengi Vulcan Romulan Human Klingon Cardassian Borg Android/Hologram Like this test? Then don't forget to rate it!! Want more? How about some shameless self-promotion? I've also written other tests - check them out! You know you want to... The Trekkie Test The Do *YOU* Remember The 90's Test The Capitals of the World Test The Australian Trivia Test

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 54% on Aggressivness You scored higher than 41% on Technology You scored higher than 72% on So.Enlightenmet

Link: The Which Star Trek Species R U Test written by MadameBoffin on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

I keep finding out that I’m not a big fan of the holiday season. It always seems that I have way too much to do, no real time to do it in, and never get to see the people that I really want to see anymore.

Part of it is negative associations because of things in the past, part of it is being so busy, being expected to be all happy, etc. Toss in the assorted and miscellaneous stresses of the day and you have a recipe for an unhappy, moderately irritable swordsman.

To top it off, I’m going stir crazy. The world is working on dropping a metric buttload of snow in the area and cooped up in the house is really not somewhere I need to be at the moment.

Hopefully I’ll be able to get out for a little bit tomorrow. I need the break from the stress even if I do just go for a walk around town.

In other news, it seems that one of my favorite instructors from my alma mater has retired. I wondered how long it was going to take him after his heart attack a couple of years ago. Vic, when I move back there, you and I are going to have to go out for a drink. Here’s to hoping that you don’t go crazy now that you don’t have to worry about all of us bratty undergrads =]

Current mood: blah
Current music: Genesis – tonight tonight tonight

Make that aprox 1/2 million. Just got the updated stats a few hours ago.

I've also been asked to speak at my first con :P