Paying for and Planning a wedding? I have no good advice.

    Ok so recently I got enguaged to a wonderful woman. We are now getting married in june. 

   Now comes the hard part. I always heard of all the fun things about weddings. Especially the wedding night! Wink Wink. But I have not ever seen in any of the wedding movies the part where you feel like your pockets are empty and your sanity dropping like a rock. I know what is going threw my head. So I feel Sorry for my fiancee Cassie, Because she has the hard end of the deal. Traditionally the Man just has to show up to where the soon to be bride tells him to. She Gets all the inital stress I guess you would say.

   

But now where my pockets begin to feel empty. I did not realize that everyone else in this country that gets married was so rich. I mean honestly after a ring and a honneymoon. I figure I will have to mortgage my house that I have not bought yet.  People throw the word thousands out there, like it is nothing. "Oh how much is this?" says I. To which they reply "Oh only a few thousand." I usually turn pale and have to catch myself before I faint. I hope that is how most guys feel, so that I can say that I am not that big of a dork. Also I hope that I hide it well. I know cassie is trying to keep things resonable. 

Sitting by the kitchen dreaming of food.

So I have been at my new office for a few weeks now. I have really been slacking on updating my blog and I am sorry to those 2 readers. So here is an update hopefully a very long and interesting one.

My new office is very nice I like all my bosses depending on the day and the job I can have up to 5 but usually it is just one or two. As you can see my desk is right by the break room. So I am getting up and drinking alot more water these days. A good thing but also the bathroom is a little further away and I am taking more of those breaks also. Ha it's funny how life evens out.
Also as you can see my life as a draftsman is full of clutter. paper paper everywhere comming at random times and coming in bulk. Maybe I have no choice but to be cluttered like this or maybe I just learned it from family. Either way I feel like a complete slob 5 days of the week.
But one of the best things of all is the fact that I am able to have money in the bank. I am not spending it on gas or snacks. or half as much soda "Water Breaks!!!" they are great.
I am still doing some projects in Revit. Possibly I will be taking some revit classes sometime soon and also I will be looking into taking some classes for a program called Microstation. I have not heard wonderful things about the program. But many govermenet entities require it. You know... To make things more difficult and less cost efficent. I love how my tax dollars are spent.
So then other news on the office front was the loss of the Junior Engineer at my office. I guess things were not working for either side and he was let go after around 2 months. So that added alot of pressure onto everyone in the company. Well atleast the draftsman that would be needing to pick up the slack and get to know his project that includes me. I think I am safe for atleast another two weeks. Actually out of what I heard I am safe for alot longer than that unless I really screw up. But you never know. I am hourly so that means first to be let go if things go badly.
On a good note. They have unofficially that this is the year that they take the entire company to Disneyland for a weekend. I don't have much more innfomation except for the fact that it will be sometime in early December. Also I am allowed and encouraged to bring one person along with me. As of two weeks ago I don't know who that is anymore. But that is another story I am still trying to cope with myself and would completly negate how I started this paragraph.
So I guess that just about covers it. I am doing well. I am making money and if I do well I will make more. and I have no other life to speak of still. Getting up and trying to get to work by 7am everyday is still a pain but I think I am getting better.

A new way and a new life

So I have already told most if not all of my family and most of my friends. But soon I will be drafting for a much bigger company a little more money and I will be alot closer to home. I could even take the option to go home for lunch. Something I cant justify now because driving home and back would take me an hour already.
I am excited that i will not be spending hours and hours on small house additions that should only take me a hour total on the job but then takes longer because of the 50,000 changes that come over the next few days and months. People, It's only a garage addition!!!!
I am excited because I will have the option to go to lunch with my dad more often since he will be working what will now seem like just around the corner. We will be by the food mecca of Draper. So variety will be nice.
I am excited because I will have to pay way less money on Gas to get to work on a daily basis. I spend currently $60 a week on gas if not more. Somthing that even 5 years ago I would have passed out and nearly died after seeing.
I am not excited because it means no more shorts to work and I might even have to wear a collared shirt. I think the Devil came up with the idea of a collared shirt so that we could waste material and have it rub the skin on our necks raw and possibly even give us horrible rashes. Or maybe it was the skin care people that got togeather with the clothing designers and they both decided it was a good way to make a buck. Eitherway I am going to have to find a way around wearing a collar without quitting or loseing my new job.
I am excited because my current boss will still be my boss. I won't have to total change in how I see redlines and how things are communicated to me right away.
I am excited because instead of half my medical being paid it will all be paid. So I can be a happy camper.
I am excited because I will have a way to move up in this company if I work hard. I will be able to earn more money and I will be able to pay off bills and life a better life.

Rooting for the underdog.

I have an issue and most people are starting to get on my nerves with this. But why does everyone have to root for the underdog? is it they desire change because thier life is crap? Is it just some stupid human desire to see someone who has not trained as hard or as long to win? is it that we want to be able to say that everyone we don't like is evil and the underdog is fighting for us? Then also who really is the underdog anyway? Do you cheer for Lex Luthor to defeat Superman? No we do not! Maybe that is self preservation though.
But why do we cheer on the guy that only got to where he is not because he was able to back stab everyone else that was better than him in the first place?
Examples of these things are mostly seen in sports. Like most recently the Superbowl. I wanted to see history happen by the Patriots making history by finishing off a tuff but otherwise undefeated season. But many people only wanted to see the Giant win soley for the fact to see the Patriots lose. Not that they were Giant fans all year, or that ultimatly the Giants were a better team. They just wanted the Giant to win just to see the Patriots loose. The Patriots who had worked hard all Season long to win every game. To do everything right on the field, and proved they were one of the best teams ever in football history.
Other examples of this I have seen have been in most every sporting event. Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, and even in the Olympics. But Sports is not the only place it is seen. Buisness is also a place where we cheer on the underdog. Not because the ultimatly bring us a much better product. But because we feel the Big corperation has done well for too long and needs to be de-throned.
I see this mostly in Game forums myself. Most notably recently is many game geeks that Bash Sony, then Microsoft, But all praise Nintendo. Now I will admit that Nintendo is not an evil company. But they are not a saint company by any means. You might read my review on Nintendo. Mainly the Nintendo Wii. Although it is a ok system. I still see why it should be the underdog. It is a bad console compared to the the PS3 and the Xbox 360. They gave you a reboxed gamecube with another crapy controller. But people defend the Wii as if it was thier own child. saying things like Nintendo did not want to compete with Microsoft or Sony, Or Nintendo does not care about graphics. This is all a lie in my opinion for Nintendo because they tanked with the Gamecube and the N64 was not much better. Nintendo did not want to compete with Sony or Microsoft because the cannot compete with them. Nintendo only success has been in the handheld market for the past 10 years. Thier Consoles have been lacking. and so have thier games with those consoles. That is why you see a new Mario Kart and Mario game each time. Those are the only games they can do right each time. But We in the end see them as the underdog and so we cheer them on. Praise them for thier short commings and buy and promote thier underdone & underworked console.
So why do we Root for the underdog? They don't really do anything for us. They don't give us pride in our country, or the ability to see history in the making. They don't give us anyting consistant. I will root for someone to finish a race but not to win it. But they only give us a moment that in the end is not always the best.

Printing Printing Printing.

For anyone that Does not know. I own a small Print Buisness on the side. I wish it was a little smaller though in the fact that I have a very large Large format printer. 54" to be exact. But For the Past two days I have come across a snag. I am able to print The color just fine and the rip send it to the printer in good time.

But for the Past two days I have been trying to print a double sided banner. I don't think that my printer likes the material or me right now it keeps bunching up and printing big black marks on the banner media. Why? because it does not like me and the banner media is too soft and is getting pushed in. Also there must be an issue with the banner media. it just wrinkles up even more in certin areas. some tape was in one area. and I am not sure of the others. But either way. I am not happy and I am done with printing it. I might just have to farm it out to someone else and take the hit because I am just burning money now.

I never want to print a double sided banner ever again. Of course I said that before and I should have ment it then.

Console Comparison part 3: Sony Playstation 3

Ok Finally the Playstation 3. This is my personal console of choise. There are still some issues and challenges with this console but also some great benefits.

Hardware: The playstation 3 utilizes not only the most powerful CPU for a console but also one of the most powerful CPU's compared to any computer out there. The playstations CPU is most notably known as the Cell Processor. It uses a completly diffrent architecture from any computer out there. It is a number crunching monster of a chip. The Cell was Developed by IBM and so has a similar core to that of the Xbox360's tri core processor. But where the Cell differs is that it only has one main core and then 8 mini cores called SPE's. These processors do not have the same ability as the main core, but are much faster at crunching numbers compared to a normal core. This in turn makes the Cell much faster and makes it run much cooler and power effective. The PS3 also has the RSX processor. I will admit I do not know much about this GPU. But it also has a slightly diffrent architecture. With the Cell and the RSX combined you have a very fast console that can push alot of high end graphics. The PS3 also comes with a slot loading Blu-ray player that is now being pushed as the next disk format to follow DVD. Bluray being able to hold 6 times the data on a single layer compared to a single DVD layer. and righ now they have 50 gig disks and are working on a 4 layer 100 gig disk. In comparison a dual layer DVD is 9 gig. The PS3 also comes in two SKU's and so I will only cover the high end version. All PS3's come with blutooth and wireless as standared. The ps3 also comes with a card reader and 4 usb slots. for transfering data and the USB is used for charging your controller. The controller it's self is connected by blutooth. the controller layout is the same compared to previos playstation consoles. Although the have impemented the Sixaxis tilt controls into the controller it's self. Currently controllers being sold now do not have the rumble feature. But Sony has now started making the Dual shock 3 controller with the rumble back in it, and will be launching stateside in the next few months. Also every PS3 comes with a hard drive. Varing on size depending on what SKU you bought. All of this comes at a premium price. But compared to other products and what you are getting. It is a very good deal.

Software: This is one of the diffrences between the PS3 and other consoles. You are able to install a few diffrent types of Linux on your PS3. This makes it very close to a full blown computer. I have not installed Linux on my PS3 although I have looked into it. The Ps3 like the other 2 consoles can play movies and music directly from the hard drive. But the Ps3 has one of the best Visulizers of anything out there. if you not familiar with what a visializer is. you may haveseen it on the windows media player any time you turn on a song and see the picture react to the music. The Ps3 also like the other consoles recieves free firmware updates either by internet or if you so want to can have a disk shipped to you for a small cost. This adds the ability for more fun options to be added to your PS3 at a later date. One of these is the Program called HOME. This is the Playstation version of nintendos Mii's and Microsofts Xbox live. It gives you stunning graphics and the ability to communicate with others around the world.

Games: Sony is another Company like Nintendo that is well known for it's games. Sony has also just recently passed Nintendo for overall game Quality. Where they get those numbers is they gather all the rateings for every game a company makes or produces and gathers the average score. This does not just include Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. But also includes companys like EA, Atari, Ubiosoft, Take Two, ect. Sony is not known for one type of game format either. They are known from raceing games to First Person shooters to Platformers and so on. It's most popular franchises show this. with games like Metal Gear Solid. Final Fantasy, Grand turismo, and Ratchet and Clank. All diffrent types of games but all that have set the standared in gameing. Sony also has some more great looking games comming to the console. Those like Little big planet and echochrome. 2008 and 2009 look to be good years for games for the playstation brand of games.

Upgrades and other: I put upgrades in this that I did not in the Other because of the Ability to change out the Hard drive in the Ps3 with a larger Laptop hard drive with out voiding the warrenty. Why would you want a larger hard drive? Media. Not only is Sony selling games online for download. But they will soon be selling the ability to download some of your favorite games and possibly movies right to the hard drive. This can take up space quickly. So if you decided that you were going to take advantage of this a larger hard drive would be a benefit.

Conclusion: For just games the PS3 is an expensive console. But if you like the playstation brand of games it is the way to go. If your looking for a blu-ray player. The PS3 is your best option in the market right now, and one of your cheaper options as it will always be updated and current to keep up witht the newer systems. The Biggest drawback to the PS3 right now is the Price being the most expensive of the consoles. Andother benefit/drawback is the web browser. The web browser is nice to have but is very limited on what sites it is compatible with. The PS3 is the console that gives you the most for your money. But if you don't have the money and don't want to wait for another price drop. You might be better off getting one of the other consoles if you know you will play some games. But I have played the other consoles and they have some great games, but I am still more satified with my PS3

Game Consoles comparison. Nintendo Wii

This is something that I have come to think allot about. What console is the best console. All of them have their strengths and weaknesses. We have the Nintendo Wii that is great for non gamers. Then the Xbox 360 that currently have the most next gen games and is much more powerful than the Wii. Then you have the Playstation 3 with the most powerful processor and the most recent domination on the Market with it's predecessor the Playstation 2. But I want to go into more detail on each console as I see them and who should buy them. I will Go over a new console everyday

First we will start out with the Nintendo Wii.

Hardware: This is the weakest of the current Generation of consoles. By weakest I mean the processor speed and graphics abilities. Some people have compared it to taking 2 Nintendo Gamecubes and strapping them together. Nintendo has admitted that they were not going for a more powerful console this time around. You have with it the Wii mote and the nun-chuck. You can sync 4 of them up to the system. You also have multiple accessories to connect with the Wii mote if you so desire. Nintendo has also moved up to a DVD player in this system although the console will not play DVD movies. The Wii also has a slot card reader for memory cards like in you Digital camera. All this gets you a small system that is innovative in it's controls but not what anyone would be able to call a powerful little system.

Games: Nintendo is know for it's quality control and family friendly games. Some Games of note are Zelda, Metroid, and Most any game with Mario in it. Nintendo has been called the family friendly console and also the kiddy console as many of it's more popular games are more simple and cartoonish. Not a bad thing but keeps out some of the crowd. Along with that is your Mii character that you create to play on some games. Nintendo has tried to spread it's wings a little bit with games like the Resident Evil series. But Nintendo this time around is very well know for it's mini games following the success of the Nintendo DS handheld system. The Wii does not have many games out at the moment though being that it is a New Console. But some fan favorites have come out or will be out soon for the console. Like Mario Galaxy, Zelda, And soon to come Smash Brothers and the Newest Mario Kart game. Great games for a first year console. The Wii is also Backwards Compatible with the Gamecube and has the connections for 4 gamecube controllers. So you can pull out Mario Kart DD or Super smash brothers and have a blast with the friends and family.

Internet: The Wii has a basic web browser. But it does now have a 1 time cost for you to have the ability to use it. You also have the Ability to download old Nintendo, Sega, and other older consoles games. This library of games is still currently growing. You can share your Mii with others and also participate in other online activities.

Other: Other basic things with the Wii is the Photo Manager. Allowing you to show pictures on your T.V. you can use a CD,DVD or memory card to view your photo's.

Conclusion:

Although I do think the Wii is a fun Console. I think it lacks in longevity. The Wii is the console version of Tickle Me Elmo. It is selling really big right now, But that is to a crowd that does not normally play Video games. Nintendo did a smart thing by Setting the Price they have because they are below the competition but they are still making money. But I think Nintendo has also done a great disservice to all those that have stayed with them and have enjoyed games in the Past. I think Nintendo should have gone for a more powerful CPU and GPU in the Wii. Not to keep up with Microsoft or Sony. But to make the Wii something that will be worth owning after two years on the market. The games are fun but I find that sometimes I want more. They are dumbed down versions of what we have already played in the past, but with a new face on it and graphics that are only a slight upgrade to what we were getting last Gen. I can Recommend the Wii, but not to everyone. If you are 15 or over you are better off with the other two consoles. if you like technology you are better off with the other two consoles. But if you like big Party games or have allot of kids, The Wii is for you.

Next Up is the Xbox360

Innovation

It has been a few days since I last posted anything not that I don't have alot of half finished thoughts. I have a few things for Reviews on The Current Next Gen Consoles, and I have some thoughts on Movies. Particuarally the ones in the 80's that I love. and I am thinking on doing some remanesing of some old 80's movies in later posts. But Today what has been on my mind is Innovation, Creation, and expansion for things to come.
I have always liked the idea of inventing things. But Not something tried and true and adding a thing-a-who onto it and calling it new. And I don't want to create the Next Google, Yahoo, Aol, MSN, ask.com, Search page. or Myspace, or Facebook Personale web page. I don't want to be the one to create the Next high def format on t.v.'s or something that is short term. Too many people just Regurgitate an idea and add new art to it and call it better lately. I do not agree that facebook is better or worse than myspace. it's just got a diffrent face with the same insides. It's all that internet rave that say's if you build it they will come. But I believe that it is a limited market if you create just another Myspace website. Also people will only use so many Search engins. Those markets are saturated and the big hitters have already come out swinging.
So what is one to do? We don't have to come up with something new. We just have to come up with something usefull. Myspace is usefull because it lets you express yourself and keep in contact with your friends. Google as a search engine is usefull because it let you find what you are looking for. Creating the newest T.V. would be fun but takes alot of time and money. and I don't want to be the one that just one up's the other. I want to change the Market. I want to make the world better. I don't want to create a product that makes us more lazy. Yes they might be fun but it is pointless to have a beer can thrown to you so you don't have to go to the fridge.
But I have also found you don't have to listen to the negativity of those around you. Examples of this are my dad and he is very similar to how the world reacts to these things. I had the idea almost 15 years ago to put a Hard Drive into a car and put MP3's on it. So you could take all your music with you on one disk and not carry and swap out 500 CD's. We see this hitting big time now. Hard drives are truly now in Cars and Everyone knows the Ipod craze that has hit the market. And what did my dad along with the world say to me 15 years ago? Thats a bad idea. it will never work. Get a real job where you can make money get married and make babies. I regret now that I did not go after that idea. Sure someone might have already patented the idea before that. But Who knows. I could have been the one that got in and changed the world. People might not ever remember my name but my legacy would have been started. I want to change the world. I don't care if every one knows my name and people flock to me just to catch a glimpse. I just to feel I have done something with my life. I want to know I have created something that people will use to make this world a better one.
I know I am able to do some great things. I have many talents and skills because of how I have lived my life. I am a Great Draftsman. I have come to that conlusion and I am worth what My boss pay's me and more. I am good at specking out computers. I have built computers that can still outrun computers much younger and run smoother and cleaner. I can learn about things around me faster than most. I know my learning style. I know my health and how to stay healthy. Although I know I can do better and I need to not listen to others about what I can and can't do. I just need to apply myself and come up with that Idea that I know is out there somewhere.
What I see comming in big time over the Next Few years are Touchscreens. Possibly to come take over for the Mouse someday. Also UPC or ultra portable computers and Tablet PC. This goes along with the touch screens Because most of them have a touch screen of some sort. They will replace the Laptop computer someday. Video on demand or dowloadable content. I don't know if it will ever replace full ownership. But I do think that the Rental community will be taken by storm once americans update to faster internet connections. I also think you will start to see high def. Television sales start to rapidly pick up over the next few years. You will also see alot of previously 2D programs turn into 3D, especially art Programs. There is so much that can and will happen over even the next year in technology. That if you think about it first but don't do anything about it someone else will take advantage of it.
So find what you love to do and make it even better.

Egg and a Car do not work well

Ok so as I was getting Ready to head off to work today I got all my things ready and walked out the door to find that some jerk(that is the kind name) had thrown an egg at my car. That is not the best thing for paint or so I hear. So I decided to go wash my car and try to get the partially dried on egg goup off. Well the first car wash only took quarters and anyone that knows me knows that I usually only use my debit card. So I did not have much change. But I did have enuph quarters to start the wash. So I turned it on and proceeded to spray off my car. and in my genious I found that spraying down on the car not only helped take off some of the egg but also soaked my pants. So now I had a car with egg on it and wet pants. What a wonderful morning. I can't tell you all the wonderful and glorious things that went through my mind if I ever found the kid that had the rest of the eggs in the carton.
So now it took me so long to wash my car at the car wash that my money ran out and there was still alot of soap on my car and me with no quarters or even a dollar bill. So I hoped in my car and drove to another car wash that I knew took Debit cards. So I tried calling my boss letting him know that I was running a bit late. Finally got ahold of him on his Cell phone. Good news is that he understood and told me to take my time. He was not in the office either haveing left for a meeting early that morning and was not back at the office yet. So I siged a little bit of relief and finished washing my car.

Raise at work.

Ok A should have wrote about this yesterday. But I finally got that much needed raise at work. Although it is a good raise I was hopeing for a little bit more. I know I am worth it. But it will help me be able to start saving alot more or at all. and I have hopefully learned a valuable lesson. Ask for the raise or you will never get it. I kept hopeing that I would get the raise for months and months and I was confident to tell others what I thought about the situatioon but not my boss. I don't know why. He's not the type to rip your head off. So Now I have my raise and I will be talking to my boss again soon to get another one.

Ever Evolving

I have been playing around with diffrent things on my blog. Just incase people were wondering. But hopefully some of it will give people an insight into what I like to read and what I enjoy.
I think the RSS feed will be the best. I like technology and there are so many things being invented and updated on a daily basis. Maybe one day we will be able to fly to china in less than an hour and get to see the world from space while doing it. Or maybe our cell phones Will have a battery the size of a pinky nail but have 100x the power output and charge it's self. All this can possibly lead to a beautiful future. But we have to keep up to take advantage.

Dowrys

Ok so my girlfriends father Just offered her and her sister $1000 for the first one that gets married. Upsetting the both of them. He also offered a nice bathroom scale back in December.

Q. Why offer money to your daughters to get married?

A. Because your desperate to get them out of the house and you don't think they are whole without a wedding ring.

Q. Why only $1000? is your daughter not worth more?

A. Hey my parents would offer alot more just to marry me off.

Q. Why a bathroom scale? I have know too many girls that freak when they get on the scale. "Oh my heck I am 3 lbs overweight!!!!!"

A. No understanding of the general reactions of people. Especuially a woman.

Why the bribes? Why the desperation? Why the setting up of a competition?

Tax Refunds

I just finished all my Tax work today and realized how small of a refund I am getting. and it makes me sick. Because I know atleast 20% or more of it goes to illigal immigration and then another 20% to corrupt polliticians and yet again another 30% goes to a Greatly Flawed Scocial Security system. my my 3% that I got back will go to something I can use other than fattening some burricrats wallet. But in the end it will anyway because of sales tax.
What a wonderful system for those on the recieveing end. Don't forget that they are the ones that make the rest of the world hate us. Because when they make a big decision it's because someone else offered them more money than the other guy. Not because it's always in the best interest of the country or the world.