Ten Tentacles - So many arms, so little time.

Today, I made plans to go try out the new pho place in town. Ok, ok, so it’s still pho, but the place is new! Anyway, since it was a little further out of my way than my usual place, I decided to make a trip of it and hit Best Buy on the way back. Best laid plans, and all that …

I ended up going to Best Buy first, because the new pho place was closed. I don’t think they’re closed permanently, but despite all signs pointing to them usually being open around the time I was there, the door was locked, the lights were out, there were no people inside, and there was a hand written sign, with phone numbers and text I couldn’t read, taped to the inside of the door.

It’s a shame too, because from what I could see through the tinted glass door, and in the gloom of the unlit room, it looks like pho is their specialty and they had all the necessary gear on all the tables. I might give them a second chance on Wednesday, but I’m definitely calling first.

The trip was not a waste, though, as I swung by Best Buy as planned and picked up Guitar Hero II. Both The Boy and I have wanted this game for a while (we actually started out wanting Guitar Hero for our PS2 months and months ago), and spend a lot of time playing it in Wal-Mart while Corrie Ann does the shopping. I expect there will be much jamming in the house over the next week. I also went to my usual pho place and had my lunch.

So, yeah, see? I try new stuff!

I have been using Pownce now for about three weeks, and I’ve actually decided I really like it. For those of you familiar with Twitter, it’s a lot like that only you can also post files, links, and events. Pownce also seems to have slightly more granular control over who can see your notes, but honestly I post every thing public so I don’t have much experience playing around with those settings.

For those of you also unfamiliar with Twitter, and thus having no point of reference to understand what Pownce is, here’s the description on Pownce’s own About page:

Pownce is a way to send stuff to your friends. What kind of stuff? You can send just about anything: music, photos, messages, links, events, and more.

Essentially, it’s like a mini blog you can post short things to without having to do a whole big post. Anyway, it [Pownce] is currently in closed beta and I have seven shiny new invites. Anyone wanting one should send me email, or find me on GTalk, or just comment here and I’ll happily toss you one.

Update: 2 invites sent; 5 left.

Andy asked me to pronounce this quote for him. I think it’s a really cool quote, and so I decided to publish it here. It’s not the best recording (I did it over the phone) but it works. Translated, it means:

To live with fear is to only half live.

The more hair I have, due to certain inevitable declines mostly associated with my mother’s gene pool, the more it looks like I have less. The less I have, the less it looks like I’m missing any. I’m not sure about the exact science of this, but suffice it to say that I have settled on keeping shorter hair, and that’s just the way it’s going to be. Sorry, ladies; lament the lovely lost locks. Don’t sit shiva too long, though. It’s only hair.

I posted a picture of it here. This is just after the cut. I think I want to color it, though. I’m vain enough that the grey bothers me. Don’t even bother with the whole ‘distinguished‘ argument. That’s just another word for old.

I re-simpsonized myself to commemorate the occasion and also because it seems that, for once, Burger King is doing something better than other people.

It should be noted that my hairdresser has the patience of a saint. Thank you, Lori!

It has occurred to me recently that I have far more interests, or hobbies if you will, than I have time. Further examination of this revelation, though, is making it clear that it’s not so much a lack of time as it is a lack of managed time.

The things that I manage to actually do, and with some measure of consistency, are those things that are scheduled or have specific time slots that are recurring and known to me: work, fencing, bi-annual teeth cleanings, and my annual physical.

With this in mind it has occurred to me, further, that I need to schedule my interests, actually blocking out and setting aside time during which my attention is to be focused on one single interest/hobby or another, even if it’s only for one hour a week. I also think it’s important that I cut back on some of the things I’ve been burning time with: television, WoW, and generally sitting on my big, fat ass. I won’t be stopping those things; just hopefully gleaning some valuable time from those worthy endeavors which will then be channeled into newer, equally worthy endeavors.

What will I spend this gleaned time on? Hmm, a good question. I think I need to make a list of my interests/hobbies, and then prioritize that list. There are a lot of things I’m interested in, some of them more than others. Anyone who knows me well knows I go through periods where I’m gung-ho on one thing or another, making it the only thing in my life, and then I sort of peter out. It’s not that I lose interest, it’s more that I either hit a wall, or something else comes along, or I just get over stimulated and need a change. I think scheduling things on a weekly, or maybe even monthly basis, will keep little fires of interest stoked and burning, instead of consuming it all in one roaring, but brief, conflagration.

The short list, in the order that occur to me as I write this, but otherwise no meaningful order, right now consists of illustration, photography (still and video), web design (and other programming), fitness, gaming (WoW and others), knitting, and fencing. There might be other things, but that’s what springs to mind right now. I of course must also consider things like family time, work, and chores and honey-dos; I also would love to work it out so that some of these interests were mixed with family time. I think it’s going to take some thought and planning.

I’ll get back to you all shortly.

In other news, I got a new watch band. I think I hate it, or maybe it’s just that I miss my old, musky, supple, leather one; I did have it for ten years.