I just went to Costco with my Daddy-o today and I’d forgotten how wonderful of a place it was. It had actually been a few years since I’d been inside one, though as a child I would go with my family all the time. Usually you remember things being bigger and better as a kid but when you revisit them later on they seem much less grandiose. Not so with Costco! There were more free sample booths than I ever remember before (that strawberry shortcake was scrumptulescent) and the whole place was just as big as it had been in my memories with just as many wonderful things to buy in stock at a discounted price. Of course, most of them are things I’d never need, like a giant, 2 story tall, blow up waterside, but a guy can always dream can’t he? There must be some kind of magical spell surrounding the perimeter, because we even managed to get the best possible parking spot on a very busy day. Of course, there were way more people shopping than I remember last time and you’ve got to be some kind of shopping cart maneuvering master to wheel that over-sized thing around without bumping into someone or something (I only managed to smash in one ankle today, better luck next time) and the shoppers themselves are quite the obstacle, constantly changing their direction and stopping for no apparent reason. But that only added a sense of challenge and fun to the whole experience. I really need to get myself a membership card one of these days, if only for the free samples alone.

On another note, I’m returning my laptop in order to get the newest version, so I probably won’t be writing very much for a week or two. This blog isn’t even in official release state yet and there’s only about 7 people who know of its existence anyways, but just so you know things will be quiet around here for a bit.

Happy Flag Day everybody!

Wave your banners high with dignity, honor, and great acclamation.

Flag Day reminds me of a Simpsons episode where Homer writes in a fortune cookie, “you will find love on Flag Day.” Mr. Burns ends up the recipient of the fortune and feels that he must, at all costs, find love before the day is through. With moments left until midnight he finds himself roaming the streets in a desperate panic until, finally, he meets a girl outside a bar just before the clock strikes twelve.

I considered wondering the streets of downtown LA in just such a manner, but then immediately thought better of it. Such an action would be neither safe nor wise. I think I’d rather just throw such crazy fortunes to the wind and let love do the finding.

Today was a very hot day at work. It’s the first day that I’ve really thought, “man, it’s hot.” The AC being broken may have been a factor in that. Either way, Summer is upon us and I’m not looking forward to the heat. Although I am not a fan of either extreme, I much prefer cold weather over hot. It’s mostly because you can do a lot more to stay comfortable when it’s very cold than you can when it’s very hot. Besides, cold just feels nicer to me. Being cold tends to make you feel awake while being hot makes you lethargic and sleepy. I have a very hard time feeling motivated when I’m melting. And when the temperature rises to sweltering I get all sticky and sweaty. Sweat is something that should happen when you’re exercising, not when you’re just sitting there, thinking about how you should be doing something right now if only you could actually get your body to agree.

Well, that’s enough complaining from me. I realize that I could have it a lot worse. And if it weren’t for the heat I’d never fully appreciate the cold. It’d just be nice if the heat was a little…less.

On a mostly unrelated note, have you ever heard the old Pease Porridge Hot nursery rhyme? It goes like this:

Pease-porridge hot,

Pease-porridge cold,

Pease-porridge in the pot,

Nine days old;

Some like it hot,

Some like it cold,

Some like it in the pot,

Nine days old.

I’m seriously wondering who in their right mind likes 9 day old pease porridge. Do people even eat pease porridge anymore? Such things I wonder about while sitting in the debilitating heat.

I shall call him Lappy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Lappy

So, finally (after much consideration, contemplation, deliberation, evaluation, persuasion, reconsideration, reevaluation, and other such mental hesitations) I got a laptop. It’s a 15 inch MacBook Pro with a 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2 gigs of RAM, and a 160 gig hard drive amongst other things. I found out that soon after I bought it they released a new version that now comes with my upgraded customizations as the standard options, has a more powerful processor, a different graphics card, a better airport, and a more energy efficient display system. Figures. I was more than just a tad peeved when I found out about it and I’m still trying to find out if I can return mine. I’ll write more about that whole ball of wax later.

Truth be told, I’m happy with the Lappy and it hasn’t really disappointed me (though it has done a few strange things here and there). I haven’t owned a mac before, so there’s a lot for me to learn. I think I’ve got the basics down but there’s still plenty of programs and features on it that I haven’t yet touched. I’m still looking for the one that generates freshly baked cookies at a moment’s notice while also keeping my priorities straight. It’s definitely fun though and I’ve already taken part in a three way video chat with a couple of friends. Now if that isn’t embracing technology with loving arms then I don’t know what is.

More importantly (for you anyways) the new laptop will allow me to contribute to my blog from darn near anywhere (with the possible exception of the deepest parts of the ocean and the farthest reaches of outer space). In fact, that’s one of the main reasons I got a laptop in the first place. I want it to be more than just a big expensive iPod and DVD player. It shall be my key to the door of increased writing experience and more expressive living as I know it. And goodness, that is quite a door to be entering.

Hello Future, here I come.

Oh, and did I mention that I think the icon and window animations as well as the illuminated keyboard are a nice touch? Well, it’s true. But don’t take my word for it…