Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:48:20 EDT Dedicated to open source web development, poker, Macs, and life. http://www.htmlsamurai.org/ htmlsamurai@htmlsamurai.org en-us http://www.htmlsamurai.org/story.php?ID=596 The latest "McCain for President" ad features pictures of Britney and Paris while talking about the "Biggest Celebrity In The World" - Barack Obama, implying that he is a celebrity not a politician. Yeah, I believe Britney and Paris live California where the Governor is Arnold freaking Schwarzenegger!

Now, I hope it is well known that I am not voting for either of these tools, but what is wrong with a celebrity politician (or celebitician)? Ronald Reagan. Jesse Vantura. Arnold Schwarzenegger. These elected officials were/are loved by their constituents. I really don't know if I consider Obama a celebitician though. Hmm... I tend to think of him more as an icon of the current Pop Culture/Democratic Party (which Pop Culture dictates that it is hip to be a Democrat).

A personal message to Senator McCain:
Really, is that the best you can do? I mean, come on, Hilary came up with better dirt than that and now she's his running mate! John, if that is your best shot, Obama might make you his campaign mascot by the time this is all over... Have you ever heard the expression "You're the best player on our team!"? http://www.htmlsamurai.org/story.php?ID=595 The more I read the more I realize that I need an English (UK) to English (US) translator. Mostly for slang words, but it is needed nonetheless. http://www.htmlsamurai.org/story.php?ID=594 I must admit that I have been very hesitant to post this. I have been having issues (at first, unbeknownst to me) with certain friends - the worst part is that I thought the were good friends and would have spoke up and told me to my face if they had a problem with me. I guess this was not the case. After hounding them I finally got one of them to tell me what the problems were. Unfortunately, a month later, all I could do was apologize.

I'm not a teenager. Sure, I may act like one from time to time... but it is by choice - usually depending on who I am around and what we are doing. What I refuse to do is play silly high school games because I "have to" to remain friends with certain people. I love my friends unconditionally, but I refuse to "live up" to the conditions of others just to remain their friend. Once maybe, but I have outgrown that.

The other friend, whom was a friend of the other friend first, I can only assume is not speaking to me out of some form of solidarity - even thought I was friends with this person first as well. This person is not usually known to be a player of these types of games and usually doesn't condone them.

Losing these friends would render me practically friendless at work -- good thing I am working on a proposal that will get me out of the office quite frequently.

This is all very confusing. I keep floating between anger and guilt on these issues and hope that all will be well in the near future as I am officially swearing off worrying about them. Sorry, guys, the ball is in your court now. I have apologized for any hurt feelings I may have caused but I will not torture myself while I await the verdict of my future friend status -- too many games, not enough time. "The only way to win is not to play the game." (War Games, 1983) http://www.htmlsamurai.org/story.php?ID=593 Not movies that "bombed," but bombs in movies. Why do they have timers? If you were a truly ruthless bad guy, why in the world would you want to tell people how long they have before the bomb goes off? I mean without the timer would it even look like a bomb? Talk about causing some chaos! Now, I'm realistic and I know that some bombs need to have timers to active the detonator so that it will explode - but does it have to be visible? Does the visible one have to be accurate instead of offering a false sense of hope? Maybe I should be a bad guy... but there is one of my best ideas, so it probably wouldn't work now. :-( http://www.htmlsamurai.org/story.php?ID=592 "Religiousness" and "Spirituality" are two different things. Most religions are based on spiritual beliefs. However, you do not have to belong to a religion to be spiritual. Further, religiousness does not require spirituality even though religion often teaches about spirituality - just not as much as it teaches about religion. No wonder I'm so confused! http://www.htmlsamurai.org/story.php?ID=591 I set up an account at GoodReads.com a couple of days ago and am really enjoying it. I am getting a bit of a look into what some of my friends are reading and I'm getting a few ideas of what else I'd like to read. Check it out. Add me if you join, my username is html_samurai. http://www.htmlsamurai.org/story.php?ID=590 I have been playing poker online, as you may already know, and have been winning when I play the games I can win. I can beat the Sit & Go's regularly, but not the heads-up tables. I have also had no luck whatsoever with cash games. I WAS spending all of my S&G profits on cash games. This weekend I spent my profits on a couple of heads-up S&Gs and came in second on both, I played a six-handed S&G and got third, and finally won a six-handed S&G and was a few cents up for the day. Weird.

Last night I played again. I played three six-handed S&Gs (not at the same time). In the first I went out early. In the next two I bubbled (out in third place - no money). I lost almost all of my profit over these three tournaments. Frustrated (which was a mistake) I played in a heads-up S&G (another mistake), but I won it... now I am up enough to play in another six-handed tourney - which I will do at a later date. (I'm currently up $4+.)

I have been playing around with Plurk and and I'm not sure I really like it. It is very Twitter-like with the exception of seeing the entries on a timeline and it does have commenting. I have yet to even look a client for my Mac for it, however, pending that, I might grow to like it. I just don't get the whole "Karma" points thing. I think you have to get points to do things that you can inherently do with Twitter - plus nanners... Wha-huh?

No, I'm done with Plurk. Even though my current "Karma" is 10.76 (which is down .16 since my last post which was "html_samurai thinks he is going to stop using Plurk").

My pants are still loose and I hope that train does not start going in reverse as it easily could with the way I ate this weekend. Luckily the little exercise I have been getting has been helping in that regard. I really need to get more disciplined about that. http://www.htmlsamurai.org/story.php?ID=589 I whine a lot. I complain a lot. I have a bad attitude. I tend to take things too personally.

I need to change this about myself. I think this might be why one of my close friends has stopped speaking to me (either that or he really is as busy as he says he is). I am reading yet another book that I hope will help me identify these behaviors and (again, hopefully) modify them. This one is another very simple, down to Earth, self-help(ish) book, but not as new-agey as some that I have read recently.

I'd love to become more assertive and proactive rather than my typical passive-aggressive/reactive self. Environment does play a key role in this, I have found. Let's say it's any typical day at work everyone is positively negative about... well... everything. Negativity is an infectious disease that plagues anyone who is unfortunate enough to be within a mile of it. I am trying to keep myself in check, but it is so darn easy to join the venting sessions. It gives us a sense of belonging, of knowing that there are others that feel the same way we do. (And it's fun, too!)

It would be better, in my opinion, to be a shining beacon of joy and happiness, getting things done and blazing a path for others to follow. However, that, in itself, is a very rough transition. It's not just a switch that can be... umm... switched.

It doesn't help that I have been given problems lately that are not to my liking or what I am really even supposed to be working on. "Branding" or "skinning" third-party applications is rough, especially when the documentation and the application are not the same version - oi!

Dang! There I go again. This is not going to be easy, but I will overcome it. http://www.htmlsamurai.org/story.php?ID=588 Why do employers insist on giving employees work to do that has nothing to do with what they are supposed to be doing? I am a Web Developer. How that translates to "Skinner of Third Party Applications" I'll never know. I am happiest writing code. Not creating graphics in PhotoShop. Not "Skinning" or "Branding" the miracle application of the week. Not (definitely not) editing someone else's code. When will they learn to let me do what I am good at? Seriously, its better for them (I'm more productive) and its better for me (I stay happier at work - which is also better for them). Maybe its just Monday... http://www.htmlsamurai.org/story.php?ID=587 Is it odd that I seem to enjoy Jim Carrey's movies more after I have seen them a few times? Take, for instance, The Cable Guy - I saw it in the theater and hated it! A few years later I saw it on cable TV and laughed a few times. Now if I see it on cable I watch it and LMAO the entire time.