Good Bye Blogger

For various reasons, I'm in the process of migrating this blog over to Word Press.

Shortly all of the posts currently on this site will be locked for comments, etc... and it will probably sit and languish until Google decides to delete it for being abandoned.

I've enjoyed having a blog hosted here, and my decision has nothing to do with Blogger, just a personal choice is all. thanks, and I hope to see anyone left over at the new site!


http://se7ensamurai.wordpress.com

Kinda self explanitory

Misc leftovers from Stresstember...

-Se7en/GTD

-Se7en/GTD

Secret New WMD

I found a pen on my desk that turned out to be a Pilot G-2 (10)... which I did not know existed. Btw, LOVE the G-2s. Can't get enough of them.

I used to draw and write only with a Pilot Precise 5, which is a damned good pen. But as I've aged, I found a new love for the wider rollers and gel pens, not to mention the entire Sharpie® lineup. I wonder if its because I don't have the same control as when I was in Jr High? No, looking back I couldn't draw a straight line to save my life!
-Se7en/GTD

This Jolly Rodger

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

-Se7en/GTD

Happy Birthday Dude

Two events that changed my life forever.

May 25th, 1977: Star Wars open in theaters in the US.

Sept. 18th, 1977: Raphael David is born in Sedona, AZ

Coincidence? I think not...

-Se7en/GTD

At random

-Se7en/GTD

09-15-2010

-Se7en/GTD

-Se7en/GTD

Untitled Chicken-Robot

-Se7en/GTD

Mas Robatos

-Se7en/GTD

Rotational Anomalies

:-)
-Se7en/GTD

Happy Rosh Hashanah Everybody!

-Se7en/GTD

Robot has lost his baloons

-Se7en/GTD

Oh Futurama, how I've missed thee...

Oh, how I missed Bender Bending Rodriguez, Phillip Fry and Turanga Leela... Not to mention Zoidberg, the Professor, Hermes and Scruffy. The years when there was no Futurama seem like the dark ages of television. They held nothing for us to slake our thirsts on (besides Family Guy, The Simpsons, Robot Chicken, South Park, etc), and we were left to squander our time watching re-runs on Adult Swim and trying to convince ourselves that Futurama was never canceled by the Evil Suits at Fox networks. (BAD FOX, BAD)

(Click through the JUMP)

u, Robot

Another, slightly different version.

A robot, throwing up screws

watched The Simpson's on Hulu last night while folding laundry... at one point Bart asked a girl he liked if he could draw "a robot throwing up screws" On her arm with his sharpie.I present: an homage if you will.

And THAT was August...

Meant to send this out last week. My final pic of the aug desk calendar... now it can get garbagged.

Kinda, Sorta How I Feel Today

-se7en

Friday, 9-3

9-3 WiP

Work in progress... but you know I'll never finnish

-se7en/GTD

Yesterday I wanted to "start the month off right" but other stuff got in the way. Since there was no 1st for me, I drew this as a What-If...

Se7en/GTD

Personal Update #37; August 2010 Recap

So, its been quite a month. The Boy is back in school, The Girl is crawling (hopping diagonally) all over the house. The Wife and I have been muy busy, just with work and trying to get some sleep.

Since I really haven't had a lot of 'ME' time, and they took my FRIGGININTERNET away at work I haven't been able to post as many real blog posts as i'd like. I tried something at the start of the month where i'd doodle something on today's date on my desk calendar at work and then try to post it using my G1. And it worked... mostly.

This week didn't really work out as I had some actual work to do Sunday, and had to leave tues and stay home wed. Since we're in a new month, I'll try it again.

I do have about a half dozen 'real' posts waiting in the wings for me to finnish them up, add links, etc. Should be able to have some out this weekend. All a part of my Grand Commitment to actually use the blog for its intended purpose.

Thanks!

Se7en/GTD

Sent from my G1, far from home.

From Mas Art

Today's DOTD is an attempt at greater controll over concentric lines (straight) and slightly shifted circles. Sharpie pen, gel pen and a little highlighter on 8/30...

R-W-B 'Splosion (DOTD 8/26/10)

So, at first I thought that maybe this would have been my 'homage to the Union Jack' however, its not even close to the right symmetry. Therefore, its a simple rwb explosion... And thats the DOTD for 8/26, because my phone refused to send the post.

SERIOUSLY!!

posted-without-comment

Ghengis-Wrath-of-Kahn-Cornholio-Number-One??

DOTD 08/29/2010

Offset spheres, hash marks,

Self Portrait 8/19/2010

Self Portrait. August 2010

DOTD step 3 (finished!)

DOTD step 2

DOTD step 1

What I'm drinking 8/29/10

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Yesterdays fun time...

Another day another conference call, another calendar doodle...

Sent from my G1, far from home.

Total Perspective Vortex? I don't thinks so. Hey, I'm Zaphod Beeblebrox baby!

Sent from my G1, far from home.

From Empty Lighter

Todays 'doodle' is kinda lame, but I called it x-mas in August.
My wife says I'm hi-larious!

Doodle of the Day

From Empty Lighter

I know, it's drawn in the wrong day, but I just got this calendar today. Give me a break.

Pen and highlighter on cheap note pad

Sent from my G1, far from home.

From Empty Lighter

Pen and highlighter on desk calendar, oct.2009

Sent from my G1, far from home.

Hold it steady R2!

Sent from my G1, far from home.

Thinking about Irony

There was a link to a Guardian article in my last post, but I wanted to just share my favorite part of that article:

Irony and America

There are a few reasons why we think the Americans have no sense of irony. First, theirs is rather an optimistic culture, full of love of country and dewy-eyed self-belief and all the things that Europe's lost going through the war spindryer for the thousandth time. This is all faith-based - faith in God, faith in the goodness of humanity, etc - and irony can never coexist with faith, since the mere act of questioning causes the faith fairy to disappear. Second, they have a very giving register that, with a sense of irony, would be unsustainable (how can you wish a stranger a nice day with a straight face?). Third, because we think Canadian Alanis Morissette is American, and she proved some time ago, with her song Ironic, that she didn't know what irony meant (this is so ironic - first, because we think we're the more sophisticated and yet don't know the difference between America and Canada, second because America sees Canada as such a tedious sleeping partner, and yet Canada is subversively sending idiots into the global marketplace with American accents. Of course, I'm being ironic. Canadian accents are not the same as American ones!) [Emphasis Mine]

I was thinking about the whole Alanis Morissette thing the other day humming the tune and seriously thinking about the lyrics and realized (for the thousandth time), it's not Irony she is singing about. NOTHING in that song is ironic. Most of it is just coincidental. I tried to tell my wife, and she kept staring at me like I was telling her the most idiotic thing, like they all figured it out LONG ago and I'm just now getting it. **Shakes Head Slowly; sigh**

I know I use ironic and irony wrong all the time, but I don't let it bother me. Mostly because I've tried correcting others on the use of irony, and they slap me down for being too anal about language...


--

Until this Morning, I Had no Idea That I Liked 'Flight of the Concords'

There is some thing seriously wrong with the Music folder on my G1, and I just haven't had time to fix it. The only things showing up on my play lists are recently added tracks, even though I can see a bunch of older stuff on the SD card. Big deal though, at least it got me from Primary Phase to Quintessential Phase. So, because I didn't feel like listening to the White Stripes again (ironic, I think. But more on that later... ) I decided to test out Pandora on the EDGE. [Yes, T-Mobile still doesn't have 3G out here, one reason we're switching back to F*N Verizon in the spring] I'd installed it a while back and completely forgot it was even there, so all my stations, etc. were already set up for me.

I am pleasantly surprised.

Pandora actually works pretty well. I randomly selected a station as I pulled out of the garage and playback started immediately (Was still connected to my homes WiFi). The one I picked was an oldie [hadn't used Pandora for almost 2 years] "NERDCORE/Misc..." which, from what I can remember, tried to start with either mc chris, or the Front. Can't quite remember, except that whoever it was at the time wasn't listed, so a replacement was used to start it, and I probably added some random stuff at one point to spice it up. In this case, mc chris' Pizza Butt started my commute. Hit Thumbs UP! Next, They Might Be Giants, Istanbul (Not Constantinople). Awesome. One of my all time favorite songs in the known universe.

Then it got better, and weirder.

Up until this morning, I had no idea that I liked Flight of the Concords. Also, there was an MC Lars song that I'd never heard before (ridiculous you say), GirlTalk, and some other stuff I, can't remember. However, the tone of the 'station' changed as I drove. For some reason it started going more and more into mid-90s-Early 2ks style alternative stuff, like Cake (who I love) and other rock songs. Have to dome tweaking with my ups/downs. The Final Irony though, was that it gave me The White Stripes after all, in the form of Seven Nation Army. That bassline just kills me every time.

Overall, good experience. Only issue I really had was going through a 2+ mile stretch where the cell reception always sucks and being cut off in the middle of a good song, then jumped into another song which cut off again into yet a 3rd song... You'd think there would be more buffering for that kind of thing. I did try to 'share' a song to myself when I pulled into the parking lot, but it just crashed the program. Also, the damned thing takes AGES to load up. The splash screen is there for at least 45 seconds, sometimes longer, and you tend to get the feeling that it's taunting you and your patience. (I'm sure that these minor glitches are worked out on the newer phones, with super-awesome 1Ghz+ procs, not to mention a better network!)

I give Pandora on Android a thumbs up.

--

Oct 31st through Nov 6th, 2009

This is the first post in a series. I've found that my memories are starting to slip a little, and I want to make sure that I always have a record. Right now is probably the best time to do it, as I've noticed that as some memories are fading, others are sharper than they were a couple of months ago. Probably because I've had the time to organize my head, and recap to myself, make sure its in the right order. Not to say that it's complete yet, there will be some pick-up posts I'm sure that will fit into the timeline, but be posted out of order. Whenever possible I will try to provide a link to either my Twitter feed, Face Book status, or a post on http://www.getwellgabe.com.

11/06/2009

The last thing I remember, Natalie is sitting next to me at VVMC in Cottonwood. I've just been shown an x-ray of my chest (photo-copied for some reason), and there's a fuzzy area that someone tells me is fluid, filling one lung. A doctor comes in and talks about a tube down my throat, a ventilator (for some reason, my memories of this conversation are duplicated 2-3 times, like deja-vu in a prism). I have oxygen already, but they must have put something else in it and i sort of doze off halfway through the doctor's little speech. This is probably the last thing I saw:

From Empty Lighter

For some reason, whenever I'm just waiting some where, I take a picture of my foot.


          6 days earlier, I had gotten really sick. A couple of days before Halloween we sent one of my employees home because she was REALLY sick, and we didn't want to get what she had. I don't really know if that's where I got sick, but it's worth noting.

Halloween night, 2009.
          We went out and trick-or-treated. I think Dylan had a really good time, or at least he was happy that he got a bunch of candy :) Either way, it was a good night.

This is my last 'tweet' before I got sick:

"http://phodroid.com/09/11/rakag7 and no one had any idea who I was!" 


link

I ended up driving over to my mom's house to help Raph out. He was moving out of his appt, and he put some things in our garage. When I came home, I drank one beer, watched some tv and was asleep by 11:30.

When I woke up Sunday morning, I felt hung over. Dehydrated, as if I'd been out all night partying. I would have just called in sick, but since it was a payroll weekend, I had to go in. People MUST be paid. I worked about 8 hours, got done as much as I possibly could, and went straight home and to bed. Had to work 1/2 day Monday to finalize everything, then went straight back to bed. Natalie was awesome, she went out and bought me some cold medicine and stuff. The Alkaseltzer made me feel a bit better, and I just stayed in bed for the next 2 days. By the 4th of November my fever wasn't any better, in fact it kept going up no matter what we did. So I dragged myself out of bed that night and drove to the ER.

You know, I'd been to hospitals and the ER especially several times (2 just in the previous year), and for some reason I always practice what I'm going to say to the check-in lady, always thinking they will turn me away at the window. I need to justify to myself, why I'm in the ER if I'm not bleeding profusely.

The triage nurse noticed my "Storm Trooper Pirate Flag" shirt and tested me by asking what the Kessel Run was. Luckily, I had just finished reading the Han Solo Trilogy. Any way, triage went alright and I ended up half naked in a large room with glass doors.

They did some tests and nasal swabs, and blood tests. After about an hour they came back and said "Nope, you're fine. Just a mild lung infection." they gave me a prescription for Motrin 80 and sent me home.

Well, I felt a bit better the next day, but still didn't go to work. I think this was Wednesday, but can't remember for sure. I was in bed all week, and it felt like a month. I laid on my stomach and spit our whatever I coughed up, which I didn't realize at the time was blood. After a day or two the Alkaseltzer wasn't working any more, and I could hardly eat, so I drove myself back to the ER at around 10 (I think) on Nov. 6th.

Failing Memory

Trying to figure out if my memory is failing faster than normal. Is my mind the same as it was before November, or did something happen to me? For the most part, I think I'm still the same, or back to about 90% of what I was before.

Part of it is this morning: I was driving in, and I had probably 5 good ideas for a blog post today. By the time I actually got to the office, I couldn't remember one of them. I think one actually had to do with driving.

But, I seriously had whole sentences made out in my head. meh. As much as I loathe the sound of my own voice, maybe a voice recorder would help. Should probably test with my old iRiver, if can find it. you know, before going out and buying a new one.

Beyond this specific circumstance, though, I think that I'm having more memory problems than I had before. I know there is some kind of disconnect between my brain and my mouth.

STFU pt2

No, you're singing over the Beatles isn't annoying... It's FRAKIN' ANNOYING!

please stop :(

Forced Positive Reinforcement

This is probably the most Frakked up thing I've ever been asked to do for work. Last Friday, on my day off, a memo and email was sent round our department asking (TELLING) us all to write a handwritten note to the Leader Guy of our company. It went something like this [Paraphrasing to Protect The Innocent]:

From: Boss Lady

To: All Managers etc...

RE: A Massive, Overwhelming Amount of Optimistic, Supportive Affirmation

Everyone-

Over the next few days have your staff members write (handwritten) a short note to [Corporate Leader Dude].

This note will thank him for all the great things he has done for the company since [Hostile, but-in-a-good-way, Take Over of Our Company] and then why they like their jobs what their job has done for them personally and professionally.

I don't want them asking for anything just a note of gratitude and an short expression of [Lame Corporate Philosophical BS]!

If they want to compliment you, an admin person, each other, or [Whichever Money-Making Department Who's A$$ We're Kissing This Week], that's good too.

If they have any notes from Clients thanking them for a great job pls include those as well.

Pls have these done by Wednesday and [yadda yadda yadda]

Really.
I can only think of 2 reasons why our Boss Lady would demand something so demeaning. 1) The Leader Dude of our company is so insecure and heartrendingly childish that he needs constant reassurance that he is a good person. Or 2) My Boss Lady is seriously trying to kiss ass for some reason.
Either way... UGH. It still makes me feel dirty just thinking abut it. To basically be ordered to write something like this. So, I threw the idea around my head, and decided that I wanted NO part of this. At all. a couple days go by and we get the THIS from my supervisor:

[Boss Lady] told me yesterday that no one is following the guidelines below for their letters.

Please try to do your best and at least show her that Marketing can do what she asks.

And the "Guide Lines," which are basically a bullet list of points we're supposed to make on this 'assignment.'

• Thanking [Ultra-Supreme-Company-Leader Dude] for being Super Leader Dude.
  

• For providing you all with jobs
  

• Why YOU like Your job
  

• What Your job has done for You
  

• Compliment a person in another dept.
  

• Attach one note of thanks from a client.
  

Seriously. So, my own direct supervisor kept after me to do this, and I talked with some other folks who actually did it. Some people went WAY overboard and some people disregarded the guidelines altogether and asked for all kinds of shit. It came down to the deadline (Past it actually) when I decided to go ahead and write something at least. What I came up with was as horrific as it was funny and intelligent (at least I think so, as does my wife). All I needed was a starting place, which I couldn't find until supervisor lady just said: introduce yourself. So, here it is in it's entirety. the Yellow highlighted parts are what ended up in the final draft, handwritten on 2 sheets of copy paper. The gray parts are all the other junk I jotted down, which was then distilled for its essence and spit out as the yellow stuff. the cross-outs are parts that shouldn't have even been written, or just errors in both accuracy and judgment.

So here it is, the worst sellout in my life so far:

Dear Mr. [Name of CEO Type Dude],

My name is [Name of Depraved Employee] and I am the [Extraordinarily long job title] at the [less than vague location]. I’ve held this position for the last [Relatively Long Time]. Prior to this I was the [Previous Position(s) held] for the [Location] Region. I’ve been with the company for a total of [Excessively LONG period of Time].

MEH

We are all doing fine, except for the scurvy. Who, as you know is quite the Rapacious Villain!! Lol, not unlike the vehemently acquisitive and avaricious company we all work for, right? Am I right? Yeah, you know it… Much like the Mandelorian Armor of Boba (and his ‘father’ Jango) Fett, you cradle and protect each one of us, and fend off invaders with your flame thrower….

WTF?

First, I’d like to personally thank you for the stirring and inspirational leadership that has come to us these last few years. I’ve seen this company go through many changes over the years, and can honestly say that the last few years have definitely been the best. It is truly great to see executives that care about not only the Owners and Guests, but the employees as well. In particular the Employee Recognition Program looks nice, and I can’t wait to see some of the collateral and use it in our office.

I’ve seen this company go through many changes, and can honestly say that the last few years have definitely been the best. Both As an employee and a fan of TIMESHARE (sic) I mean, Vacation Ownership and a human being,  of this company, I have a job that …

Something. Fraking formatting screw up threw me off. Goddamnit.

snark

It’s been requested of me to divulge the following: Your awesome leadership through these dark and mortally terrifying times has been quite tenacious! You have pulled us through the black depths of the ‘recession’ to a bright gleaming future. A future lighted with rainbows and unicorns.

 I also wanted to mention that I think it was great the way the company handled the recession which started 2 years ago. Of course, I was not worried about our company. From the first signs of looming depression I had no doubt that we would pull through it together. And here we are, still going strong! Thank you for that, sir.

I’ve also been ordered to tell you how insanely grateful I am that you are the Leader of this Great Company, and that it, in fact, exists at all. Because, obviously, I would not be able to feed my family if it wasn’t for you. Yes, without first a) the concept of timeshare [sic] I mean Vacation OwnershipJ, and then b) you, my Lord and Master. No matter that Fear no longer guides me, and I’m sure that if this company did not exist I would not have a problem with selling my everlasting soul (what’s left of it after the gang rape of timeshare) to another systematic plague ridden ass factory.

            The best thing about a job like this, in a place like this, in this industry, is the people I get to work with. Always professional, competent and just plain good people. Obviously, working with [Name Of My PHB] is a pleasure and a blessing. She is more like a mentor to me than a boss. But others in our organization, out side the specific scope of Marketing have been influential and helpful. Such as [Misc Emploee #1] in accounting, and [Misc. Employee #2] at Corporate Payroll. These are folks who will do their best day in and day out and help out a fellow co-worker in any way they can.

Frankly, if it weren’t for  in spite of the people I work with, I would have gone crazy a long [Fraking] time ago!

The best thing I like about my job is going home to my family each night; knowing that I have left behind me a job well done; and cannibalizing my own clockwork orange. Or at the very least another dead tree.  It also amuses me the way that Corporate Announcements FAIL SUCCEED on every level. What is the [Lame Corporate Philosophical BS]? I have no idea. It seems like a redundant and Machiavellian treatise on the Art of War. What I like best, I suppose, is the incredible opportunity to offer the tenants of [Different Lame Corporate Motto] (©®™ǽ₤№ª¤) to an amazing number of people, whom I will never see.

Again, I cannot be more explicit with why I love my job. This position has treated me very well. Without this job, I would be lost. Both morally and financially. This job has changed me on so many levels; it’s difficult to know where to start. Suffice to say that I would not be in this position if it weren’t in fact, FOR this position!! Lol

In closing, I just want to reiterate that without this job, the position I am in within this company, I would not be the person I am today. Thank you, thank you very much.

God, I need a shower after just reading it...

--

A myth is a religion in which no one any longer believes.

  - James Feibleman

SB 1070

Just to be entertaining and informative, I posted something to Twitter (and of course FB as well):

Glad Arpaio isn't Sheriff of my county... http://trunc.it/a08kx How long until they ask for YOUR citizenship status? #SB1070

Some one I know basically wrote back asking why I should worry about it, unless I was an illegal alien myself. Well, that's not really the point is it? This is just another step in the erosion of our freedoms. This was my response (via Facebook): 

 'lol, no. But seriously, why should you have to prove to anyone that you are actually here legally? Say I don't have a birth certificate? Can I still prove I belong here?

If a cop stopped *you* on the street (for whatever minimal reason) and asked for proof of citizenship, could you provide it?

Isn't it one of our basic freedoms to be able to walk down the street unmolested by our own government? How much freedom are you prepared to have stripped away? Do you think a Driver's License is enough? Will THEY eventually? Too many questions??????

"THEY CAME FIRST for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

THEN THEY CAME for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

THEN THEY CAME for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

THEN THEY CAME for me and by that time no one was left to speak up."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came... '

And that's basically how I feel about it. Along with most parts of the Patriot Act and other legislation, we are growing more and more like what we fought off during WWII and the Cold War.

-- End Transmission -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oops

Apologies for the duplicate kittens...

Please, For the Kittens...

--
Prayer has no place in the public schools, just like facts have no place in organized religion.
- Superintendent Chalmers (The Simpsons)

Creative Commons License Information

Because of a bunch of stuff I've been reading about the 'ambiguity' of "Non-Commercial," I've decided to change the Creative Commons License for my writing, and probably pictures in the future. I just think that it makes more sense to get things out there so they can be read/seen/experienced, etc. without people getting concerned about using the material in what some could define as 'commercial.'

Like always, please attribute the work to me, so I can get some credit for it! I may be putting all my work online for free current;y, but wouldn't it be awesome if someone followed the Attribution and decided to pay me to do some cool stuff like this? yeah, totally!

(I haven't changed the info to the right yet, since I'm in a place that actually blocks my logging into Blogger. meh. so I'll do it when I get home tonight.)

You have selected the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. You should include a
reference to this license on the web page that includes the work in question.

Empty Lighter by Gabriel David is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at emptylighter.blogspot.com

--
I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them.
  - E. V. Lucas

The Boarding (Part I)

The cruiser came up behind the small craft, slowing to match speed. Hailing frequencies were already on, and data transmitted back and forth between the vessels, although no one from either ship had actually spoken to the other. Captain Kino walked down the gantry, towards the huge view screens.

Regional Commander Shuth stood staring into the screen showing only the void of space. Apparently he had ordered the screens set to a one-x-displacement. The small craft they were overtaking was a small blur towards the center of one screen. There was absolutely no detail, and only a simple red marker picked it out. Still, the commander stared at the tiny smudge, as if looking directly at the real thing. Kino’s experience told him to leave the commander alone, but he had to report.

“Commander, we are closing fast on the rebel ship. Sensors report that we are within small weapons range.”
Shuth’s low growl replied, “Good. Fire a warning shot, and begin boarding procedures as soon as possible, Captain.”

The command was relayed, energy weapons powered up, and then fired.

and Worse yet...

Started an account on Ficly the other day, and wrote something... fairly quickly. But then, 1kb goes faster than I thought it would. I was kinda bored this morning and threw what I wrote into the I Write Like blender. Um, yeah. Very surprised to find that those 2 paragraphs were similar in style to Stephanie Meyer... that of Twilight fame. Crap. I gotta watch my style, I suppose. Next thing you know is I'll have a fraking book deal for 6 volumes of teenage vampire lust. I don't think I could handle that.

Of course, it could just be some BS...

Maybe when I get home I'll run it through this one, and see if I can do better.


In the mean time, check out story #2.

[UPDATE: Apparently I Actually write like:

I actually write like
a moonstruck lunatic possibly actually wearing a straightjacket

I Actually Write Like Analyze your writing!

Which is a load off of my mind, let me tell you...]