Hat’s off to Captain Picard’s Journal for posting this question!

Either from birth, or somehow genetically imprinted on all of humanity, people are inexorably driven to mindless consumerism. We just can’t seem to resist going into the latest or greatest shops, even if just to browse and graze like so many sheep. You can’t even say that one sex is more susceptible than the other; men and women are equally guilty, if only for different reasons and tastes.

With that in mind, I’ll give you fellow readers the lowdown on my favorite shops. I think the emphasis here is only on the brick-and-mortar kind and not the online kind. (Maybe I’ll talk about my favorite online shops in a separate post…)

First, I love any “gadget” stores. Electronic stores, like Best Buy and the now-defunct Comp USA (oh how I miss thee), are awesome for getting the latest and greatest grown-up toys. For other gadgets and accessorizing, I’ll take a trip to an Apple Store or some other Apple-authorized seller (like MacMedia in Peoria, AZ.). In the Apple Stores, it’s a bonus to play with the newest computers they have to offer! Like my wife when it comes to her love for Hot Topic stores, I’m content to spend a couple of hours just browsing. Especially if the store, like Best Buy, had a decent music selection! Also, gadget stores can include those specialty “edu-tainment” stores like Zany Brainey or similar stores. Those places sometimes have good puzzle selections!

Second, I enjoy going to bookstores. Barnes & Noble and Borders are two of the best ones that come to mind. (I think I overheard that they merged!) I don’t get to visit these as often; I usually go alone because Christine automatically falls asleep as soon as she puts one foot in a bookstore. One time, I almost got kicked out of one because I was reading for several hours without buying anything yet. I don’t read like I used to… Online reading is slowly taking the place of the printed word, but I loves me a good piece of sci-fi book, nonetheless.

Lastly, since I sometimes still play around with a guitar (and keyboards), I love to browse around an instrument shop. If only to keep up with some of the advancements in guitars and sound effects and other related gadgets. That reminds me… I’d like to save up next for a new keyboard. Time to start shopping around, eh? (With tech being what it is, I might just settle for something inexpensive like this thingie here!).

So, if any of you are interested in commenting, please do so and tell me what YOUR favorite shops are! C’mon, don’t be shy…

Cheers!

An animated short by Dony Permedi.

I saw this on YouTube while on a search for animated short films. It seems cute at first, but towards the end you get to realize that the character is doing something monumental in scope. I say monumental, but it’s not what one would typically think.

It was also a very thought-provoking film. What would you sacrifice in order to achieve a lifelong dream? If there is a goal that is worth so much to you, on such a personal level, would you be willing to give your life?

Definitely something to think about.

Yesterday was Sunday, of course. We did the usual Sunday things that we have been doing for awhile. I went to work early in the morning. Christine got up sometime later and uncovered the birds and started laundry. I got home from work and lounged around a bit with her before the both of us succumbed to a nap. An hour later, the birds got their playtime in with us. An hour after that, the birds went to bed and we were left wondering what to do next.

However, this wasn’t exactly a normal day. Hint: I gave her a card after I got home from work.

Yesterday marked our sixth wedding anniversary. For a couple of days beforehand, I thought about what would be a good thing to do for her. Well, she always likes fish… and she has tastes for some things that would drain the wallets of lesser mortals! So I thought I’d just go ahead, bite the dollar-bullet, and take her to a sushi restaurant. (After shopping for groceries of course, since we do that on Sundays as well.) It turns out that she didn’t really want to go out! I asked her if she was sure of that; it’s our day after all and I was willing to spring for (almost (let’s not be stupid about this)) anything she wanted. Even if it meant Red Lobster, even though I easily tire of the food there, not just because of the bill afterwards.

She finally told me what she really wanted. She really had a taste for my homemade chili. Think about it. I certainly did. I thought about the implications of what was truly being said there. I then realized that, at that moment, I was one of a lucky few individuals that had a spouse that wanted their home cooking instead of any restaurant or eatery. I don’t think many people can really say that. At that moment I felt truly blessed, needed and loved.

Well, we went shopping after settling that discussion. We got the usual staples along with the extra goods for me to make this chili that Christine raves to everyone about. We ended up eating pretty late, but it was worth it if I could make her happy on our special day.

I guess if there’s a moral to the story, it’s this: Sometimes, in a relationship, taking the road less traveled can say a lot about the state of the relationship. When your significant other prefers what you do instead of any alternative, it says volumes about you and how they feel about you.

Happy 6th anniversary…. to us!

As you all may know, I’ve become somewhat of a fixture in the YouTube community. I became a member back in July of 2006, simply to comment on the videos I liked. That same day, I decided to put Emily’s Music Video on my userpage. I thought since I had it around, and my site only gives it limited exposure, why not post it for that community to appreciate.

Since then, I have 24 videos on my account, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. I also favorite-tagged 61 of other’s vids, I’ve subscribed to 18 user’s channels (and I have 11 subscribers) and I’ve commented on countless videos and learned a lot about various things both useful and utterly useless!

Today, I thought it would be fun to look at the stats on my most-viewed videos and calculate just how many views-per-day they get. I believe it’s more telling of a popular video rather than simply how many views it’s gotten, period. It’s actually very interesting to look at the result. I’m NOT going to embed them here; no need to have people’s browsers going nutzo. I’ll list the top five, one by one, and give my thoughts on why each one may have been popular.

Solving A Square-1 Puzzle — 8.5 views/day

I think many viewers who like the Rubik-type puzzles are interested in either solving a Square-1 or learning different techniques. The 3×3 Rubik’s Cube? So what! A Square-1 cube? Now THAT’s interesting!

Esoterik Video Blog: Debt Collectors part 1 — 8.3 views/day

With the economy being what it is at present and so many people in bad credit situations, I think some people are looking for other’s opinions and advice on the matter.

Esoterik Video Blog 5/16/08 — 8 views/day

Any new video is going to generate lots of hits when it’s still fresh-off-the-cam. But, hey… maybe I’m getting more noticed! Ya never know…

Solving A Megaminx — 4 views/day

Yet another example of something unusual trumping the normal equivalent. Even if the solve time isn’t spectacular, it still may be a bit noteworthy.

Re: An Open Letter To God — 3.7 views/day

This was done in response to a video someone made, questioning why should we have a belief in God. This person wanted to believe, but didn’t see much reason to do so. I wonder if I, or anyone else for that matter, helped him on his journey to understanding? I’d like to think so…

Now I have a question for anyone who should read this entry. If you look back on what I’ve done on YouTube (or this blog), would you say I’ve gotten better in some way when it comes to making these videos? In what way have I gotten better? What can I do better in my presentation, speaking, subjects or whatever? Your comments are welcome and appreciated!

Cheers!

I didn’t mention this over the last several months, but my trusty Fuji A350 camera hasn’t been what it should be. Specifically, the video function acquired some nasty recording malfunction. You may recall that I recorded some videos of the house before and shortly after moving into our home. That was probably the last time it was working properly. When recording, it skips frames every couple of seconds. Sure, it still takes great photos and I have been using it mainly for that purpose, but I also like to do videos of the birds and other neat things.

As per the title, this isn’t the first time I’ve had camera trouble. Back in 2005, I had an older model Fuji A303 that crapped out on me right before a vacation. When I took it to Best Buy for an exchange, they said their policy was to try and get it repaired first. Result: I had to endure a two-month wait before the “unrepairable” verdict was made and I could get my exchange, resulting in the A350.

Today, I finally took it to Best Buy to go through the whole process again. I figured that I should have a fully functional camera, especially for our upcoming Germany trip. This time though, the clerk who handled my trouble ticket said the turnaround time from the repair center is now much faster. I’ll be getting a call in about a week or so. Now I’m hoping that I’ll get it back within a good time frame. Better yet, I wouldn’t mind getting something like one of these jems. Although the Casio cameras seem like a win, I might stay with Fuji since I’m so used to the way those cameras handle. If you’ve been clicking on the links in the post, you’ll see what I mean; they get lots of good user reviews, and they’re well-deserved IMHO because I’ve been very happy with the picture and video quality. Anyways, we’ll see what comes of this.

At least I have my cellphone’s camera, which still takes halfway decent pictures, for what it’s worth. Comes in handy when the need arises!

Cheers!