Well, it's officially happened. After over 4000 pictures, a couple thousand miles of roads traveled, being dropped (more than a few times) and factory repaired, and being whored out to many many people - my camera has died. For no apparent reason, when turned on - it simply turns itself back off. I think it wants to go into retirement. So lets have a moment of peace for the little camera that could - my Nikon Coolpix 2100.


Of course, this leaves me wanting a newer, better camera. Especially since for her birthday, Mandy's parents sent her a beautiful new Nikon SLR. Nice. I'm very jealous. But I'm thinking of blowing my spending money on a Wii or XBox 360 to help entertain my new Little Brother - so I'll wait for Christmas before thinking about cameras. Until then, I'm absolving myself of any photographic responsibility - you people can take your own pictures!

Sweet. I know I have a lot on my plate right now - but I'm thinking about volunteering or something this election. I feel like the nation had a collective "well duh, we're going to win this year" feeling in 2004; and look where that got us. So, this year I say bah to complacency - it's time for action, damn it.




Also, if you're in the mood for some salacious reading, check out this article on wired news. It reminds me heavily of the MC Lars song: "Internet Relationship". Except in this version, someone gets shot.

As always, the whole Danger Room crew has been posting awesome and weirddefense stories. Love it. Radar array network supported by a hive of UAVs tracking every vehicle on the ground and rewinding the tape to find out where terrorists hide? Genius.

Work has been getting really interesting lately. Interesting and hectic. For those of you interested in where my project is located, check out this neat thing I figured out how to use:


View Larger Map


Also, I got started on my clock project (I hope it turns out this well). Using that scroll saw is both fun and a little frightening. It's very quiet (relative to any other power tool), so I'm not afraid of disturbing the neighbors. But man, watching it tear through plywood just gives me visions of it tearing through my fingers. Some of the mechanical parts are kinda small, so I'm taking my time to cut them slowly and keep the fingers away..... I took a cool picture but my camera suddenly forgot how to talk to my computer. So maybe I'll post that later.

In other news: I just finished reading The Fountainhead. The book as a whole is good (not great), except for the last 5 chapters, which are mind-blowingly good. Aspiring Engineers: if you want a great read, just plow through the last tenth of this (!700 page!) book. It provides a neat summary of her interesting philosophy.

Updates. Wow. A ton has happened in the past month or so since I've successfully landed in KC. I'll just start with some sweet pics:

Firstly, here's Stace & I in scenic Spokane, WA at the Glover Mansion (no, not the Glover pictured...). Notice the bide & groom in the background... almost as happy as the two of us. Sarah did look stunning and we had a great time there!


Next: check out my Dad's new wheels. That's right, Professor Gerondale is now running a course for the University of Houston's College of Optometry where he drives this sweet RV to correctional facilities around the Houston area to let students test their chops. He is officially a full-time employee, and no longer working in the private sector! Go Dad! Ask him about ocular parasites sometime...


I was bored one evening here in KC, so I decided to try my hand at my graduation present: a handmade Stave puzzle. Titled: "School's Out", it took me about 2 hours to finish - it's roughly 6" X 6", beautifully hand painted and hand cut. Notice the gaps in between the pieces, and random color changes.... very tricky and interesting to figure out. Thanks, Mom & Dad:


Friday night I went out with Mandy & Nate to hit Westport - to see the Pitch's Music Extravaganza! We started out by having dinner at this Japanese restaurant - and I got my sashimi fix. Wow - their salmon was out of this world. We started out at this Irish bar, then made our way to the Hurricane. Mandy was DD, so Nate & I traded rounds of Newcastle. Mmm. My two favorite bands of the evening: the Rich Boys and the Republic Tigers. I'll keep my eyes peeled for any upcoming local shows featuring either of the two. I spent Saturday morning nursing a hangover - but wow we had a great time!

I spent last night with from guys guys from work doing a "poker night" event. I actually suck ass at Texas 'Hold'em, but out of 8 players in the tourney, I got third place... which means I didn't get any of my damn money back, but I did knock out two people over the course of the evening - a first for Joey. Gambling is way more fun when you actually win once in a while. Also, I beat Sherm at guitar hero on my first time playing the game. It was fun!

Also: I'm making some progress on one of my long-term goals. I applied to BBBS of KC; the chief caseworker is visiting my apartment next Monday to make sure it's a suitable environment for children. Also: I'm sure many of my friends, family members, and co-workers will be getting phone calls soon to make sure I'm a generally swell guy. Wish me luck! I'm excited to see the sights of KC with a new friend!

Finally: work is really getting interesting! I'm being given a lot of new and challenging opportunities - so I really need to t.c.b. these next few weeks to finish of the first bit, and show them I'm ready for whatever they want to throw my way!