So, I got the Star Wars Trilogy yesterday morning, just about right after I got up–Wal-Mart is almost right across the street from me. I started watching Episode IV yesterday. Aside from some audio and perhaps some lightsaber tweaks, things seemed to be very much the same. I also went through all the discs and looked for all of the changes that people were talking about–Anakin indeed was replaced in Return of the Jedi with Hayden Christensen, Naboo is added to the celebration scenes at the end, Ian McDiarmid was placed in as Emperor in ESB, and Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett in ATOC) replaced the voice-over Boba Fett. It’ll be pretty kewl to watch the movies completely, but the changes were good; they add to the continuity of all six movies, I think. And, as much as it may take my geek card away, I think the Hayden as Anakin idea was a good one. lol. The bonus disc has a pretty good Episode III featurette that shows parts of the duel and Hayden in the big black suit *drool* Been frickin waiting to see that since I found out about the prequels.

I upped the RAM in my computer to 1GB of DDR3200. Right now it’s running in single channel mode, but I’m going to see what I can do to get it into dual channel–I have 2 sticks of 256MB DDR3200 dual channel and one 512MB DDR3200 dual channel. I don’t think three will work, but I will definitely research it a bit–it doesn’t seem like I have much control in the BIOS over whether or not the RAM runs in dual channel (but I’m definitely going to check it out again when I have time). Perhaps I can only have two sticks of RAM in there for dual channel to be possible. The user manual is actually quite non-helpful in this case :\ and the online support for the motherboard. Either way, 512MB of dual channel would most likely be far quicker than 1GB single channel. Extra address space is nothing over the speed at which that address space is accessed. Alright, enough geekspeak 🙂

I had a really uber odd dream last night. For some reason, I was visiting Arizona–I think it was Mesa or Tuscon. The really strange part is that there was a huge storm while I was there with many, many tornadoes–one of which I barely survived. After the storms passed, while I was chilling at a resturant of some kind, my car was stolen! I drove around, frantically searching for it. I went far and wide into places that were most defintiely not Arizona-like. I ended up at some really ritzy yuppie subdivision of some kind where there were lots of mansions. I headed back to town. Eventually, I stole a police car–which, ironically enough, was a flying car. I hovered around town for a while and finally tracked my car down to a house. After actually floating into that house, I finally found my Ion parked outside. I got in and locked the doors (the culprit was right outside). Being a dream, of course, the guy could still get in the car. So, while fighting with him while I drove to a mall, I called 911. When I finally got through to a human, we arrived at the mall–which looked suspiciously like the one next to the Marriott in Atlanta. When we got to a parking space, I actually folded the car up and put it in a bookbag (don’t ask me). I was fighting with the guy, beating him up because he seemed more concerned about spending time in the Big House than with the fact that he stole my car. I was beating him senseless with the bookbag that contained my folded-up Ion when I woke up.

Man, I have a trippy un-conscious mind 🙂

Yeah, I think summer is definitely starting to die. It’s currently 55F (12.8C for all those Europeans that I’m sure are reading this) out there. I really need to become more weather-conscious.. I had the A/C on last nite and woke up with icicles everywhere 🙂

I saw Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow last night with the bro. It was a really awesome flick. It really did remind me of Flash Gordon. The ending was absolutely hillarious. If you haven’t seen it, you definitely must. It is certainly a Conrad-approved movie.

Well another week, another class. I’m continuing it tomorrow, but fortunately, it’s the last week. It’s been good getting away from regular old work for a little while, though. Still, lectures are boring 😛 All the Dr. Pepper in the world just barely keeps me in zombie mode.

I knew Alabama had to be good for something; the Miss America winner was apparently Miss Alabama. While I’m fairly ignorant of most Alabama news, I really don’t know anything about her. She is pretty, though.

Happy “Talk Like a Pirate Day” 🙂

Took a test today in that class. There are two that you have to take to get certification. Thankfully, I passed 🙂 From the looks of things, though, it looks like about half the class failed :\ Definitely no fun, but they do get to have one do-over. Hopefully, I won’t have to do that the next time around, either. I’m definitely relieved. Maybe now I’ll get a lil sleep. Between the tropical storm and this frickin test, I need to get some Zs.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow came out today. I think this will most likely be the final gasp of summer cinema for this year. The only thing I’m really looking forward to beyond that is Episode III. There might be other kewl lil flicks in-between, but dang it.. I wanna see Vader!! lol. Anyhoo, I’ll hopefully see Sky Captain this weekend.

The storms are gone–I actually saw very large patches of blue sky this morning. It’s clouding up again, but at least I won’t be constantly wet now 🙂 Between coming back from class last nite and going out to get food after the power went out, I was a wet dog for at least an hour. I don’t like tropical storms.

So, it looks like Ivan is going to sweep across the greater portion of the surface area of Alabama. This most certainly disturbs me greatly; hurrcanes die without their fuel very quickly (e.g. the warmth and moisture from an unsuspecting ocean). Nevertheless, it will be dying while directly overhead :-\ Mind you, by the time it gets to us it’ll more than likely be category 1 or a tropical storm. Still, it might get kinda hairy with flooding and tornadoes. To all of my Bama peeps, be very very damn careful. If you’re not, then I know you have an ass and you know that I know how to kick it 😀

On the plus side, Ivan brought a very very pretty medium rare sunset last nite:

I’m taking a class for work that is absolutely exhausting. I have to take a frickin 30 hour (or seems like it) nap every time I get home. Maybe I’m gettin’ too old to get my learn on in lectures 😉 lol. Actually, strangely enough, it’s kinda kewl to be studying again *pokes head in the sand* The class itself is only mundane because people in there aren’t of comparable saaviness that I am–unlike the way it was with all my CS courses back in college. It definitely makes things very mundane and unsatisfying.. Although, I must say I’m re-learning some very awesome things about RSA and PKI. Encryption is one of my favorite subjects 🙂 I’m also learning some kewl things about the router that I never knew before, specifically about Cisco routers.

Big Spring Jam looks as though it will be alright. As usual, most of the bands are has-beens or never-was. About the only bands I might be remotely interested in seeing would be Live, Jewel, and maybe some Switchfoot. George Clinton might be interesting, too 😀 If any of you have heard his music, lemme know what calibur he is. I think I heard a little in mwshook‘s big bubba truck while we were going somewhere.

Now, I don’t really mind the fact that Lucas is spiffying up the original trilogy a bit for its DVD release, but DANG…

This has been a nice and relaxing weekend, so far. I’ve started playing Final Fantasy XI; it’s pretty much like the predacessors, except that it’s online. More than anything, this makes it a little more like EverQuest–especially in that you frickin have to pay for it every month. Still, it seems like a very nice game, so far. I have a month of free play so, if it really turns out to be a drag, it’ll be no real biggie. Right now, I’m a Level 5 Red Mage Hume (a hume is a race pretty much identical to the human race). Anyhoo, there are a few people I know on there, so that makes it a bit more worth it. Like EverCrack, though, I really don’t think I’ll become so addicted that you’ll need to put an IV in me to make sure i eat 🙂

I’m caught up on sleep, I think. I just woke up minutes ago, so I guess it’s really hard to tell. I did have a very well-rested sleep, though, the best I think I’ve had in a while.

They already have a guest list for DragonCon 2005 =-o I’m sure it will change drastically before then, though; people will be added and removed. So far, though, it looks like a good list of people.

I’m starting to save hardcore for a house. I’m figuring a nice little three bedroom job that I can really stretch into. I don’t know if it’ll be in Madison or not, yet. I’m just in the preliminary stages, saving for a good lil down payment. Still, it’d be nice to have a little pad to call my very own and not have to chunk my moola into that bottomless pit sinkhole known as rent.

I feel like I’m jet lagged, but I know it’s just that I didn’t sleep all that much at DragonCon 🙂 I’m still making up for it a bit, but I think I’m almost there. Perhaps I’ll go to bed early tonight.

I bowled with mwshook last night. For once, I won 3/3. Usually, we tend beat each other 2/3–we never really shut each other out. I averaged about 142, which was actually kind of high considering that I haven’t been bowling in a while.

I, for some insane reason, decided to watch Episode I this evening. I’m getting kinda antsy about Episode III, for some reason. I’ve had dreams about it; Anakin’s final transformation to Vader is quite uber sweet in my dreams. I only hope George Lucas’ imagination is as great as mine. haha.

Well, off to catch up on more of that sleep.

Alas, another year of DragonCon has come to an abrupt end *sigh* It was quite the blast this year; I think it was way more fun than last year, which is saying a whole bunch because I thought it was just stellar last year–but, then again, last year was my n00b year.

I’m already suffering from D*C deprivation. I went to sleep a little early on the last evening there but after everyone came back from their last round in the Hyatt we all stayed up until about 4:30 or so. It was definitely quite awesome. I’ll have to buy my membership for next year the second they become available online.

The panels were awesome this year, although I only really went to two last year. This year I hit a Farscape panel, the “Space” panel (which included scientists/engineers from NASA and the like), and I also went to the Klingon Beauty Pageant. There was this one Klingon whose name was Phoenix (perhaps spelled differently) who should have been the winner–she sang a song called “Bat’leth”, a really kewl variation on “Time Warp” (Rocky Horror Picture Show).

I hung out in the gaming room a little while on the last night–perhaps it’s something I might be interested in for next year *shrugs* Perhaps Pete could teach me the jist of Heroclix or other such kewl games.

Anyhoo, I’m so very very sad that D*C is done for the year. It was very uber kewl seeing everyone again. Some of them, I’m sure I’ll see in Colorado when I go out there for New Years. Still, there’s something just awesome about hanging out with all of them in the costumes 🙂

Pics on the site:

DragonCon 2004 – Day 1 (9/3/2004)
DragonCon 2004 – Day 2 (9/4/2004)
DragonCon 2004 – Day 3 (9/5/2004)

Yesterday was a fairly light day. I only really saw one panel which was about Farscape. I think, after coming to D*C last year and this year, that I really don’t find the panels with the stars all that interesting; you just have all of the same nerd-types asking the same old questions–most of which I’m sure are quite old to the stars being asked.

Before that panel, Joe and I wandered around downtown a bit. We went to scary Underground Atlanta. It really has gotten quite rundown since the first time I went there almost a decade ago. I think the problem was that they really dressed the place up for the Olympics in 1996 and the place has just been left to go to pot since.

The evening was fairly rocking. Joe is part of the 501st, a Stormtrooper costume group. They had a mixer at a local bar that was really kewl. Mostly we just sat around talking, playing pool–they gave out awards later in the evening, but we left halfway through as they became more and more dull.

After that, it was to the floors; we took uber numbers of pix of all of the very saweet costumes. I have Day 1 and Day 2 up there now. Supposedly, the most interesting costumes come out on the night of the Masquerade Ball–which just happens to be tonite. If there are any more interesting costumes, I’ll definitely put them up.

Well, night one of DragonCon was quite sniffty. I’ll have some pics up sometime, but not sure when. I forgot the cable for my camera *sigh* I knew I had to forget something kewl and useful like that 🙂 It looks like Joe has quite a similar camera to mine–Kodak EasyShare series–so, perhaps all is not so dire.

The most interesting costume I saw last night was a girl dressed up in halter-top stormtrooper armor. I also so many of the usual suspects that I saw last year: The Buddy Christ, Gandalf, Beetelgeuse. There was a really kewl R/C R2D2 cruisin around the floor in the Hyatt, though. Lots of X-Wing pilots are around these parts, as well. There was also a girl dressed up in a funky lil lingerie stormtrooper outfit.

Friday nights are usually the slowest nights of the convention; things are just starting to wind up, and people are just on their way in. Still, there were some pretty nice costumes. Got into atlanta around 9:45 or so (10:45 their time), so I didn’t really get to see any panels. Seeing the costumes, though, was quite the kick for the evening.

Everyone else woke up before Joe and I, so I guess we might go cruise the panels a little bit later this morning. Let the nerdfest begin 🙂