Awful Monkey

For those of you that don't know, I recently got into a car accident. That is to say, I was involved in one. I was stopped in traffic and rear ended by truck going about 30 MPH and shoved into the car in front of me. I can't really go into detail because of pending legal proceedings, so I will just say the Mini Cooper is a total loss and I was forced into buying a new car(out of pocket).

Due to my affinity for small cars, and fuel efficiency, I decided on the 2007 Toyota Yaris. A friend of mine recently purchased one and really liked theirs. So I did some research about comparable models, and read many reviews about the Yaris. After a test drive and further research, I made my decision, and I am now a proud owner of a 2007 Yaris Liftback(not sure why they don't just call it a hatchback...).

This is the look of car purchasing

Scenic beach shot of my Yaris

Me and my tiny new car

Posted by xKinetiCx at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, I finally got off my lazy behind and figured out how to add new modules to the side menus on the right. I don't know why it took me so long. It's actually quite easy once I looked at the format for it. I even started using plugins! Nothing too spectacular, just the addition of a links section where I can link to some of my regular websites.

The other new addition is my Movie Watch List. For those that know me, you know that I'm a huge movie fanatic. I have an extensive DVD collection, and regularly go to the theatre for any of the big blockbuster movies. I'm also quite a nut when it comes to movie trivia. As Tom can vouch for, I am nearly undefeated in the board game Scene It? and can usually rattle off casts to most major films. Thank God I have this very marketable skill! Suuuuure.... Well, to share my little movie afficianado passion, I'm going to compile a regular list of newer movies and post them on the Movie Watch List with links to their respective pages on the Internet Movie Database. These movies will either be coming soon to theatres, currently in theatres, or recently released on DVD. I will try to update this regularly and attempt to weed out poor films as I see them.

Disclaimer: Do not blame me if the movie sucks! If they're new releases to theatres, I'm merely basing my opinion off the trailers and hype they're receiving. Also it's a matter of opinion. I still fervently debate the great merit of the movie The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy despite frequent derision.

Also, please take note of the Reading List I have posted under the links. This is a list of favorite books, and others that I am planning on reading utilizing Amazon.com's Listmania. I wil begin working on a Listmania list for my favorite films(not to coincide with my Movie Watch List).

In reference to inquiries about the quote in the banner, "Brought to you by a thousand typewriters," I'd like to direct you to the Wikipedia entry Infinite Monkey Theorem

Posted by xKinetiCx at 09:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've had it with my cell phone. I have the Verizon XV6700. It has every feature under the sun and cost enough to boot. But, I have too many gripes with it, so it's time to finally change to a new phone(maybe I'll just never be satisfied with my gadgets). I think this phone just has TOO MANY features. It's large and heavy, it's slow to respond to certain commands. The battery drains too quickly(especially onboard the ship because of reception). The ringer is very quiet, so half the time I miss calls. The WORST part about this phone is trying to dial! You have to use the touch screen, so you have to be very precise when dialing. You can't fat finger it at all, I almost have to get the stylus out every time just to dial because even when I try to be precise with my index finger, I still misdial quite a bit. This can be very frustrating when I'm trying to navigate some automated phone tree.

So what am I going to do? I can't just toss the thing. It cost too much money. Instead, I've decided to finally take the leap into SELLING on Ebay. I've purchased plenty of items on there, but now it's time to try the other side. I'm selling it quite cheap, and below the standard going rate on there. So, it shouldn't be too difficult. Even my Buy It Now price is well below the common rate. If they choose the Buy It Now I actually won't lose very much money because I got a huge discount for being military, and because I signed a 3 year contract. So wish me luck on my first auction! (Wow! In the middle of typing this, someone just used the Buy It Now!.....let's just hope the sales process goes smoothly now)

I had promised to post these pictures a long time ago. I just now finally got around to pulling a bunch of the photos off my camera because I left the charger on the boat and keep forgetting to bring it home. I was also waiting for a friend to share his photos because we visited all these sites together, and I wanted to compile one big gallery. But, he's been procrastinating just as badly as I have. So I figured I'd post what I have on hand for now.

These photos are from our second visit to Japan when we pulled into Yokosuka Harbor and were given three days of liberty. Of course Matt and I immediately got as far away from the ship as possible. Matt had been in contact with a friend of his from high school that was from Japan, and she agreed to be a tour guide for us. This definitely made the trip so much better. Being able to ask questions and see sites we never would have been able to see. It was a real treat. That was the first day. The next two days, Matt and I being the electronic gadget geeks we are, went straight to Tokyo for Akihabara(a.k.a. Electric City). It was unbelievable. For about half a mile, store after store after store selling any electronics you could possibly think of. Each store was at least 6 to 8 stories high, packed wall to wall with items. We spent our fair share of money there and had a really good time exploring around Tokyo after our shopping was satiated.

Most famous Buddhist shrine	A nice close-up of Buddha	Nice tranquil pond at the shrine
I really wish I knew what this said	Literally hundreds of these	I found this cool statue hidden away
Statue from the same shrine	This one was very popular	Very ornate buildings throughout the grounds
Very cool warrior statue(I think)	We were told these are prayer scrolls	Sake drums!
Downtown Tokyo train station	Daytime shot of Akihabara	Night time shot of Akihabara

Posted by xKinetiCx at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I had recently updated my new workout routine and supplements. Well, after doing a bit more reading and research, I've decided I was going about things a bit wrong. Mainly what has changed my routine was when I picked up a magazine in the checkout line at the supermarket. I picked up the October issue of Muscle and Fitness(I felt like a complete tool buying it). But the reason I got it, was because they had a section with reviews and explanations of all the different supplements, along with a chart for you to determine the best "stack" to use for your workout routine and goals. Well, I was actually due for another run to GNC since I had about depeleted my previous supply, so I decided to modify the stack I was using. I've chosen several new products to add or replace what I was previously doing.

Hydroxycut Hardcore: Used primarily for burning excess fat in hard target areas and to assist with weight loss in addition to exercise and diet.

Mega Men Sport: Daily vitamin specifically targeted for weight training and sports. Increased amounts of B-Vitamin complex to aid in protein and fat metabolism.

HMB Dietary Supplement: Apparently this is one of the most important supplements when starting out because it increases muscle growth and prevents breakdown which is most important when beginning due to the possibility of overworking muscles to the point of failure.

Pump Tech: This is actually a dated link because they've upgraded the product since then. The important active ingredient in this is Arginine which increases blood flow to muscles for better delivery of protein and nutrients during work outs.

SuperPump 250: This is from my old stack because I hate working out without this stuff. It helps with lean mass building and burning of fat. But, I love it because of the boost of prolonged energy that it gives me when I take it before my work outs. It definitely helps me pump out a few extra reps.

Nitro Tech: Of course no stack is complete without Whey Protein. From beginner to expert, every good stack includes some form of whey protein because you can't build muscle without enough protein. This is a fast digesting form that you take before, and after workouts.

Well, that's what I'm taking now. It's a much better rounded stack than just the couple of basic items I was using before. Unfortunately, I had to substitute Hydroxycut Hardcore in for Lipo-6 because the active ingredient is Synephrine, which I'm still unsure if it is on the list of banned substances for use by military members. I'm going to have the Doc do some research for me and see if I'll be able to use it. I'll post back here on how this works out for me, and any undesirable side effects.

By the way....this stuff gets expensive! Good thing I signed up for a gold membership on my first visit.

Oh yeah, and here's some pictures that people have been requesting. Sorry about the poor quality.

My new Mini Cooper

Playing with my newest bass

Posted by xKinetiCx at 03:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)