January 2012
2 posts
3 tags
WatchThis is a Call
3 tags
WatchMonkey Wrench; the “screaming part”
December 2011
6 posts
3 tags
WatchMonkey Wrench; custom riffs just before the “screaming part”
3 tags
WatchMonkey Wrench; intro
3 tags
WatchBreakout
3 tags
WatchBridges Burning
3 tags
WatchBreakout
1 tag
Foo Fighters
It’s been a month since the awesome show at the Verizon Center. I’m just now getting around to uploading my photos and videos. Enjoy!
August 2011
3 posts
1 tag
1 tag
2 tags
GenCon
My first GenCon has come and gone and I must say it was fantastic! I met and games with awesome folks from across the country and discovered great new games that I would never have been exposed to otherwise. I’ll be posting more info and pictures in the next couple days.
July 2011
2 posts
2 tags
Getting Ready for GenCon
In two days, Debra and I leave for Indianapolis and our very first GenCon! I hear it’s an experience every gamer should behold at least once. Long lines, smelly nerds, and tons of gaming of every kind in every corner available.
While I’m in Indy, I’m planning on posting information about my experiences to both this blog and my twitter account, so check back often to see what...
Vinographic
Be sure to check out my newest blog, Vinographic, which pictorially chronicles the wines I find worthy of remembering, for better or worse! There’s a ton of work remaining to get my current catalog of wines loaded into the site, so check back later for more delicious fermentations!
June 2011
3 posts
Wine Weekend, Part II
While Saturday was spent indoors, Sunday we went to Sunset Hills Vineyards in Purcellville. It was our first time there and we were impressed by the quality of the wines, helpfulness of the staff, and decor of the tasting room. When we inquired about rates for using the winery as a wedding venue, they comp’ed our wine tasting fee. As an aside, I wonder how much fees are necessary to cover...
1 tag
Wine Weekend
Debra and I spent time this weekend at a few of the local wineries, two of which we have never visited before. Lost Creek has some really easy drinking reds and have a nice location in the area north of Leesburg. We are considering them as a venue for our wedding next year, and so far they seem affordable and very accommodating. We were fortunate to show up while a local musician named Doug Bell...
New Website Design
Pacmime.com has been redesigned with a more newspaper-ish, fluid layout. The twitpic images are not being shown due to an issue with the JavaScript badge, but everything else is functional. In addition to the new style, I’ve added a search box under “Miscellaneous” to allow for finding specific Tumblr posts.
May 2011
2 posts
It's all groovy, baby!
Ever since the No Fluff Just Stuff conference at the end of last month, I’ve been tinkering around with Groovy. I rewrote a couple of small programs I originally created after starting at my company to use Groovy as much as possible instead of plain Java. So far so good! It’s taking a little head scratching and Googlefu to figure out some of the finer points of the language but...
Late spring
That means several things, one of which is the start of the wine festival season! This coming weekend is the Warrenton Wine Festival. The following weekend is the Spring Wine Festival at the Plains. And the first weekend in June is the massive Vintage Virginia festival.
I’ve also been working on a mobile version of the site based on jQuery Mobile. I’ll upload it soon and wire up the...
March 2011
1 post
A Post of Many Things
It’s been a little while since I last posted to my blog and much has happened since then.
Debra and I are heading to Myrtle Beach in a week for a conference at which I’ll be demonstrating one of the tools my company developed for the US Dept of Fish and Wildlife Services. I’ll be working most of the week and Debra will be lounging at the beach soaking up the sunshine.
In a...
January 2011
1 post
Let It Snow
The mid-Atlantic region is getting hammered right now by a large weather system packing rain, sleet, and snow. It’s been snowing outside for about 4 hours, but it had been sleeting for about 4 hours before that. At my home, we’ve already gotten about a half-foot of accumulation and we’re predicted to get more before it ends around midnight.
I left work early to run by the...
December 2010
2 posts
A Return to Normalcy
Good to see Tumblr back running again!
November 2010
1 post
Visit from Family
This past week, my mother and aunt flew here from Louisiana to spend some time with Debra and I as well as to experience some of the fun things to do in the area. They visited with our relatives in PA for a couple days and then, based on our recommendations, spent a couple nights at a great little bed & breakfast in central Virginia. While they were there, they took the “wine scavenger...
October 2010
1 post
Back from Vacation
We returned from our cruise to Bermuda and are slowly getting back into the local grind. I’ll be uploading pictures to my gallery in the next few days, so check back soon!
[Updated 11/21/10] Pictures are online! Check out my gallery here.
August 2010
3 posts
Being Sick Sucks
After more than a year without a cold or flu, I have been struck down hard by a bug. Not sure what it is, but I have been forced to do half-days at work tis week to help flush it out of my system. I’m unbelievably ready for this thing to be done. Thankfully I think I’m past the midway point, so in a day or two I should be 100% again.
iPad and D&D
Ever since the iPad came out, I was curious as to how well it works for D&D. Not just playing it, but also running it as a DM. Since getting my iPad a month ago, I’ve played a couple games using iAnnotate as the PDF character sheet viewer. All in all, iAnnotate works well, letting me bookmark, highlight and markup my character sheet to track hit points, status effects, and power usage....
Revenge of the Zhentarim
This weekend, I am debuting my latest 4e adventure for LFR entitled “Revenge of the Zhentarim”. It’s a two-part paragon-level My Realms module that pits the party against an organization furious from constant meddling from adventurers. Players who have played any of the existing LFR modules which featured the Zhentarim will have a much more interesting time, although I...
July 2010
2 posts
Call Me A Sheep
I broke down and purchased an iPad recently. I’m planning on using the device for playing and judging D&D games at local game stores and over at friends’ houses. I played with one at a friend’s home while we gamed and it worked really well.
I’m thinking I can also make use of it when traveling and when Debra and I are at jewelry shows.
Overall, it’s a very...
D&D: Old School vs New School
An excellent primer on the differences on how the rules drive D&D in the original edition, referred to a 0e, and modern editions (3e/4e) can be found here [pdf]. While I have never played 0e or 1e, it’s been such a long while since I played 2e that I had forgotten how much the way the game is run has changed.
Modern editions of the system don’t restrict players and dungeon...
June 2010
2 posts
WatchLayla visits the vet and paces around the office
New Ride
Over the memorial day weekend, girlfriend and I went down to visit her folks in North Carolina. Her mother also managed to find a helluva deal on a new SUV with all the options I’ve been looking for and more. So in addition to celebrating her birthday and the start of summer, we came back in my new vehicle:
May 2010
2 posts
New Computer
With a new employee coming on board soon at work, my company gave me the go ahead to get a new laptop so that my current - which is only 5 or so months old - can go to the new guy. Given the move by our lead developer following several snafus with Dell’s XPS line and tech support, I went with a Sony VAIO Z-series laptop. It’s incredibly sleek and lightweight and still packs a helluva...
D&D Battle Interactive
Playing in Woodbridge VA and connected with a similar group in Philidelphia. We’ve got 6 tables locally all working to push back the spellplague and it’s effects in Elturgarde.
March 2010
1 post
Home for a Funeral
I flew back home for the funeral for my stepfather yesterday. It is sad to have to visit family under such circumstances, but life is an unpredictable and cruel mistress sometimes.
The service was good - the weather complied - and many tears were shed. My mom will take some time to get past this but she is doing well overall. Thankfully she has plenty of family and friends to rely upon nearby....
February 2010
1 post
The Never-ending Snow
Within the last week, we’ve gotten over 40” of snow. Today’s snow is combined with blizzard winds up to 40mph in places. Over the weekend, we received 34.5” here in Leesburg. And a week before that, we received a couple of inches. It’s unbelievable and quite frustrating. Cabin fever has fully set in!
Here’s to hoping for a couple weeks without snow so we...
January 2010
1 post
Happy New Year!
Here’s to a great year to come!
I’ve spent the first day of 2010 playing Dragon Age Chronicles and skiing with friends. Hopefully the rest of the year will be as fun as the first!
December 2009
7 posts
Photo Albums Online (Again)
Since I’m stuck inside, I decided to finally get my gallery populated again after everything was wiped out earlier this year. Check it out at http://www.pacmime.com/gallery/main.php
Blizzard '09
They’ve officially called it a blizzard due to sustained winds. Snowfall for Leesburg is up to 9” as of 9am, according to NOAA. It seems that we’re a little higher than that now, since the snowfall on my back deck is almost halfway up the railing. One thing is for sure, I’m not going anywhere today.
Winter Storm '09 (update)
It’s 9am and we’ve gotten at least 8 inches where I am. The snow continues to fall at a good pace. They are predicting the heaviest snowfall between now and 6pm, so we might crack the top 10 snow records for the area before it’s all over.
Winter Storm '09
Northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland (as well as the surrounding states) are being swamped with snow for the next 30+ hours. Forecasts are predicting up to 20” in areas and blizzard-strength winds. The grocery stores and hardware stores have been picked clean from everyone stocking up throughout the day.
Pictures forthcoming as the snow builds…
Transiberian Orchestra
Going to see them at the Verizon Center tonight with Debra. We saw them last year and they were awesome. I highly recommend checking them out!
We’re currently waiting for our food at Matchbox, a nice trendy pizza place in Chinatown. Always a line out the door, but the food is worth it.
October 2009
2 posts
AC/DC
Last Friday, my girlfriend took me to see the “Thunder from Down Under” in DC. Absolutely amazing show! It had it all: Ear-deafening performances and gigantic inflatable women straddling locomotive engines. And of course Angus strutting around in a schoolboy suit -and later much less- while burning up the guitar! A definite must-see for any rock fan.
Leaving on a Jet Plane
Debra and I are in the Ft. Lauderdale airport waiting for the transfer shuttle to the Port of Miami where our 4-day cruise to Nassau begins. This is her first cruise and my second. Here’s to hoping for clear skies and fun times!
September 2009
2 posts
Fall is here
That wonderful time where the leaves begin to change color and cover the ground. When temperatures begin falling and sweaters get pulled out and dusted off. When your favorite TV shows return and new ones arrive with potential. I love fall. No tears lost over summer’s leaving.
30
At 7:55pm, I will finally joined the next echelon in the game of life. Gone are the wild fun-loving days of being a twenty-something. Now, it is time to enjoy the wild, fun-loving days of being a thirty-something.
August 2009
1 post
Dance Lessons
Debra finally convinced me a few weeks ago to take her for some dance lessons nearby in Ashburn. She loves to dance but hasn’t been able to, for various reasons, the last few years. The Arthur Murray studio is offering a “bring someone with you and get a free private lesson” so we took advantage. We’re both having fun with it, learning to foxtrot, triple swing, waltz,...
July 2009
2 posts
2009 Ennies
If you’re a roleplayer, make sure you vote in the Ennies before August 1st! There are some great products out there in roleplaying games, supplements, and accessories. Go vote now!
MIA
I just realized the other day that it’s been a month since my last update. What’s been going on since then?
Saw Harry Potter and Ice Age 3. Both were good. At the Potter showing on Friday (opening weekend), the line waiting to get let in (after buying tickets) was so long it wrapped around itself two times over and kept on going. Definitely the longest line at a movie...