Horatio Hornblower and Alan Lewrie

Ah, what a wonderful thing sleep can be sometimes. For the most part, I sometimes tend to think upon it as a hinderance in the middle of a really good day. When you’re involved or wish to be involved in something fun, and fatigue sets in, I always get angry at my lack of stamina. While this whole moving experience isn’t exactly what I would call fun, it’s not so much about the task as it is the people who help you complete it. I’m fortunately in my current job to have a wonderful group of co-workers, who’re just as keen in maintaining levity as I am.

I got home last night and climbed into bed, and I put one of my DVDs in the player and put it on repeat. The DVD is Horatio Hornblower: The Examination for Lieutenant (Known simply as ‘The Fire Ships’ in the US). In truth, I’ve actually had this on repeat over the past week, while I sleep. I like having the TV on while I sleep, because it just gives me a little comfort. Some nights, I just need peace and quiet, but others, I’ll leave something playing or music going. Anyway, I could let all of the Hornblower movies run all day and all night and I wouldn’t grow tired of them in the slightest. I’ve read the books up Lord Hornblower, and now, thanks to a really good friend of mine, I am now reading into the Alan Lewrie series by Dewey Lambdin.

Where Hornblower is about a rather unassuming young man growing up in a fish-out-of-water story, funding himself to be more courageous than he thought and earning the respect of those around him, Lewrie is like the antithesis. Lewrie is a rascal, a cad… but he’s got a great sense of humor. Where Hornblower would be gallant, Lewrie is more likely to turn tail and run. In this, Lewrie just has more depth and characterization. Hornblower is a predictable bore next to Lewrie… but I would still read both books a thousand times over. If you’ve got the chance to buy or read these books, I highly recommend you do so.

I Don’t Need Drugs… I Have a Tech Job!

I’ve re-entered college this quarter, trying to pursue my degree in Japanese with all the enthusiam that I can muster. I’m already into the third week, now, and with fifteen units I’m beginning to really feel the burn, so to speak. It’s been kind of hectic to keep up with all the homework and even more so it’s just damned complex on top of doing my job.

I’m not talking about what I do on WNOHGB, either. It’s called trying to pay the bills and make life somewhat comfortable for myself. Have you ever tried to balance the need for new anime versus the need for sustanance? For a mature person, it’s no question. For me, admittedly a rather illogical person, it’s difficult. Hell, I want the latest and greatest, but reality bogs me down. So, my job pays for the ability to spend money on the stuff I want. That’s reasonable. Problem is, now I’m working 14 hour work days and going to school, and doing all my extracirricular crap, too.

As I write this, I’ll have been up for going on 40 hours. We’re moving facilities from Palo Alto to Mountain View, and I’ve sort of already grown attached to my new cube. I love it. It’s clean, it’s new, it’s just really really cool. I was the first to move into the department’s area, and I set up all the monitoring stuff for the group. Working weekends primarily, I’ve got most of the week off, but this week, I’m putting in massive amounts of overtime. So, I’m on my sixth wind, but it’s not quite as impressive to me as my second wind was. My t’gallants are still and I am feeling very becalmed.

Earlier, though, I was giddy as all hell. I was lauging, joking around with some of the other night-owls. I played a round of foozball in the new gaming room. We moved all our video and physical games into a designated room. At the old building, we just stuffed everything in one room… food, drinks, games, supplies. It was kind of cramped in there, y’know? And right now, as I’m feeling the effects of massive sleep-deprivation, I was also driven to actually get a livejournal. I’m sure tomorrow I’m going to wonder what the fuck I was thinking…

First Message

I don’t actually have much to say, but this seemed like a good idea for right now. For some reason, writing journal entries in MS Word just doesn’t seem to have the same feel as it would in a diary. Yes, I did used to keep one of those things when I was a lot younger. I’m sure I’ll have more to say here at a later time.