Nice day to get my credit on!

So I've been freaking out about my near-future details, like credit and school. I ignorantly applied for a few credit cards online with sites like PayPal, since I use those sites occasionally. I was never approved, so I found my credit score. I realize I probably should've reversed those steps, but I have a bad habit of leaping before looking. "Let's give this a try! If they reject me then I know what my credit is..." Yea... silly I know. Anyway, my sister suggested the obvious and told me to try at their bank, Navy Federal Credit Union. The idea made me nervous. I'm okay with being rejected by an online credit algorithm, but being rejected in person seems embarrassing.

Turns out I don't have horrible credit (thanks to Quizzle. Really easy, thorough, and actually free.) But I do have some demerits thanks to some past mixups. Still, I was a bit nervous.

When I went in, I had to fib a little about my living situation, income, and employment... Not the best idea, but I know I can pay off my purchases. It paid off! I was approved about an hour later and I should see my card in the mail soon. My first purchase will be a new laptop! A touchscreen windows 8, probably. I've gone to a few places and messed around with Windows 8 and the touchscreen and was pleasantly surprised. It was really responsive and easy to learn. I realize there is a ton of negative review against Windows 8, but what I read always seems like more nitpick complains rather than legitimate detriments. "I've been doing it this way for so long, change is r bad." ALSO! Their releasing an update that fixes a ton of the complaints. Lets me know the company is willing to admit they have room to improve. The price isn't bad either.

Convoy Street Festival

So Via brought me to a festival on convoy street, a street primarily known for it's Asian cuisine and goods. I wasn't sure what to expect because in her email she said there would be "lion dancing". I wondered if she meant "line" so I brought comfortable shoes just in case.

This was the atmosphere. And by atmosphere I mean lines for the food. They weren't serving anything special from what I could tell, but the prices were waaay cheaper than what you'd normally find. Via and I shared Lua Mee Lao Noodles, 2 lobster roll sticks, 1 fish stick, a veggie roll, and two bottled waters for 13$. For Cali, that is CHEAP! And it didn't taste that bad.

There was hawaiian themed dancing! Really fun to watch. Via was wanting to see the "Dancing Lions", a dance group, but their show was too late for us to stay. When she brought it up first, she didn't clarify and I though we were going to see Lion Dancing. I didn't know what expect. This was fun either way.

They had a projector and old-school Dragon Ball-Z game tournaments! That was pretty sweet. I didn't play but it was still neat to see an old favorite anime game in a crowd. Plus I think they'd have kicked my ass.

The night was really fun. It was great to get out of the house with someone other than Megan and Andrew. Their fun, but I need to make my own friends and my own way around.

Being productive I hope?

I haven't kept up with this lately but things are still happening.

The main thing on my mind right now is my credit. I need to improve it if only for the sake of it being improved. It isn't shit, but it isn't great either. I'm going to talk to the bank out here, Navy Fed (just joined through my sister) and ask them if I can take out a loan for a computer for school, while explaining my primary goal is improving my credit. I don't know if being so up-front will work but it's the best I have. That's my short term goal at the moment - getting dat credit up.

Next goal is getting into UNCA. My GPA is high enough, I think, and with some classes in the spring to help, I think I can get in. That means I'll be moving back to Asheville fall of next year! Which I like the idea of. I don't miss it too much, but the familiarity will be nice. And maybe some of my friends will still be around. Anyway, I need a degree. I think I'm just going to shoot for a Bachelors in English that I can carry into teaching.... out of the country. That'll take some work, but I want it. I want to travel, and for me that's probably my closest bet.

My nephew, Levi, is being so good! We tried out his sling the other day... it's a tad too small for him. He seemed comfy but I think he was cramped. If we did get another one it'll be bigger. We'll see. He's the cutest babeh I've ever seen! And I don't care for babies.

Running and whatnot

Can't believe I forgot to post this earlier! I took 1.5 minutes off my mile today!

My mile earlier this month was 10 minutes. Nothing special, especially for my size (5'11'', 140lbs... i'm scrawny). Our housing complex has a swimming pool and gym that i've decided to take advantage of during my stay. I try to run once or twice a week, but slacked off while company was in town. But today I pushed my time down to 8.5 minutes. I'm pretty sure what that means is I wasn't really pushing myself before and that should be my standard time... maybe lower? I'd like to get down to 7 minutes.

There's a valley trail about a mile from the house that I walk the dogs to. After we get there I can take off the leashes and start running. The trail races up and down the valley so it helps keep my feet fast, heart rate up, and working my legs a ton.

There are also cool trees and creeks!

Swimming has been really fun. The water is around 70degrees and feels great once you start swimming. I need to strengthen my shoulders and chest and I figure that's a good way to warm up at least. I'm working my way up to a mile on that. We'll see!

Sending off and Slacking off

Blargh! It's been 3 days since my last post. I'm worse than +Joshua Cole at this point, haha. It's been a busy couple of days. My dad, Andrew's parent's, and our old house mate Tim Daugh all left on Wednesday/Thursday. The house has been so quiet since then! I can finally collect my thoughts and hang out in my room again. Don't get me wrong, it was nice having them here, but I was going through solitude withdrawal. I get pretty grumpy and disagreeable if I don't get some alone time.

I managed to find my way into our housing complex's common's room late one night. Couches and lounge chairs are placed everywhere, a full kitchen off to the side and a television on the focus wall... AND ARCADE MACHINES! Oh man, I have to go back and blow some quarters on those things. One of them is like 50 games crammed into one machine you choose from, and I think the other was mrs. pacman. That was there I drew my hand studies posted earlier.

We ate out every other night while company was in town. I'm a larger fan of stay-at-home cooking. Partially because it tastes just as good, partially because my wallet was getting pretty slim. They payed for a lot of our meals, and I didn't argue with their offer. The final night they were here we took them to The Cheesecake Factory. I thought the main course was cheesecake, but it turns out they're actually a full fine-dining restaurant. It's an okay place I guess. I find I can get food just as delicious elsewhere without my wallet hurting at the end of the week.

I also thought their ceiling decorations were silly looking. I don't care for airbrushed pastels.

This also made me chuckle. I'm assuming this is when they're open... Or closed? WHICH IS IT?! does it open at 11am and close at 11am? These doors are unclear.

Old Town, Neat Pipes, and Interesting Beer.

Yesterday we went to Old Town, San Diego. Kind of an "old west" feel, only cheapened by obvious props and choice merchandise advertising. It still had some pretty neat things to see. This was a fountain in a restaurant we stayed in. The goblets you see in the fountain are what they server margaritas in. 58oz I think? Dericious!

This is a shot from the courtyard of La Casa De Estudillo (Es-too-dee-yo), a house that started as probably 2 rooms and then added onto later. It was started in 1827 and built by Captain José Maria Estudillo, a military commandant of the San Diego Presidio. He died before it was completed and his son, Lieutenant José Antonio completed it.

                            

About 18 years after the Estudillos abandoned the house, John D. Spreckels of the San Diego Electric Railway Company bought and rebuilt the house to be a tourist attraction.

Here is a shot of a room for prayer. They tried to keep the old feel and authentic feel by keeping as much of the original furniture as they could. Donations help keep it kept.

The majority of old town were shops selling overpriced merchandise from Mexico. 1$ for a tiny plastic dinosaur. Please. Try a quarter. I might've considered the 40$ poncho if I wasn't so close to the boarder. My favorite shop was Racine & Lamarie, a tobacco and pipe shop.

Talking about overpriced, their clay pipes were 20$ and not the best quality. I could buy 4 or 5 for that price. Tourist traps, what can ya do? Even so, they had a magnificent display of 1800 pipes and knives.

The pipe below was my favorite. I didn't ask or look for a price, but imagine its 4 digits.

These were pretty cute. I'd feel like an asshole smoking one.

I ended up buying a cherry blend. Their tobacco was the only thing reasonably priced, 6$ for 2oz. I'll report on how it smokes later. I wish you could upload smells through the internet.

After Old Town, we stopped by the Coranado Brewing Company for drinks. They had a draft named Señor Jefe (He-fe) that was "infused" with jalapeño and sage. A smooth tang explodes in your mouth left by a light sting. If you find a beer similar, try it. Just watch your stomach the next morning and try to drink water before bed. It doesn't sit well over night.

iOS7

Apple recently released iOS7 with their iPhone 5C/5S and the update is compatible with my iPhone 4S.

I'm fairly pleased with the new look. The gloss was becoming dated and the new crisp pastels are very easy on the eyes. 

This new display is super nice and something I missed when I jailbroke my phone. You find it by dragging your finger up from the bottom of the screen. Being able to turn wireless and do not disturb on/off without wading into settings is really nice. The brightness and music controls are especially neat.

They also added dynamic wallpapers (moving) that change depending on how you hold the phone. I'm a sucker for things like that. It's all very charming.

There are a few updates to apps like Safari and Music that make them easier to navigate or include new options. One example is private browsing in safari and having your favorites appear in an immediate display, making browsing much easier. These updates are more than welcome.

After singing my praises, I need to note that this update seems to be apple's means of playing catch-up with other OS's. Dynamic wallpaper isn't really new for android, nor are the wireless/Bluetooth/brightness controls found in the swipe-up display. The update was needed, but not "innovative" or "new" for a lot of smartphone owners.

I have no loyalty to apple and will probably switch phones when my update is due. Not anything against my phone, it's great, but I'm curious about other phones and have a feeling I won't miss the iPhone.

Browns fans with Elbowroom

So my brother-in-law comes from a family of Cleveland Browns fans... (American Football). I'm a Virginia Tech Hokies fan by exposure, thanks to my friend Zach, but I've never pulled for a pro league team. The Browns were playing the Vikings and they decided we should watch the game in a sports bar somewhere. Sure, they have a 50" television, but where's the fun in that when you can't share the game with other fans?

We started off towards a place in La Jolla (lə-HOY-ə) beach that I didn't catch the name of. My sister checked it's hours on her iPhone and discovered it was closed, so we took a gamble and pulled into a local place called the ElbowRoom. When we walked in, we were greeted by 2-dozen excited Browns fans, all wearing their favorite player's jersey and a beer in hand. I wasn't expecting such a warm greeting. They employees were more like friends that could run drinks for you and the manager was always walking around checking if you needed a stool, napkins, or different seating so you could see the screen. Even though the abundance of energy exhausted me, I felt welcome.

Trying to be sociable and vicariously enthusiastic, I put on my "game face" and cheered when 'we' stopped 'their' (Browns were playing the Michigan Vikings) offense or we made a 1st down. Then we made a touchdown and our crowd exploded. I suggest turning your volume down a tad, especially if you have headphones on.



That really got me in the spirit. Sure, I'm not much for crowds or organized sports, but I can be caught up in a group's enthusiastic energy and jubilation. After that touchdown, I was hooked. Crossing my fingers, pleading under my breathe for us to catch the ball or make the play. I even joined in on a bit of superstition. My brother-in-law's (Andrew) mother was in the bathroom each time we landed a touchdown. So we started requesting she hang in there at crucial moments. Rationally I know it had 0 affect on the outcome of the game but on the surface it "worked" and we pulled ahead at the very end for the win. All thanks to his mother being in the bathroom.

I'm glad I had a good time. I try to be a part of the group and have fun, even if it isn't an activity that sounds fun to me. I just need more time to recharge after that much excitement.

Turns out I'm bad at taking panoramic pictures and they aren't the best for rooms of cheering fans after their favorite team won a game. Deformities aside, I still dig the picture.

We came home and watched a few episodes of The League, a show about 6 people in a fantasy football league. I know, I know. It looks/sounds super dumb. And while I know little about football, I know even less about fantasy football. Though, it does make me feel better knowing grown men have fantasies similar to me playing D&D. Anyway, the character interactions are what make the show for me.

Hand studies

Posting a few graphite studies I'm doing before starting a painting.

I haven't seriously drawn in a while. I feel I need to do it or lose something in me. It'll really work on my confidence, something I think is paramount in producing work and becoming an artist.

I also don't call myself an artist. It feels so cheap to say that when I don't produce. I might look at things differently or be able to draw/sketch a thing or three, but that doesn't make me an artist. An artist dedicates themselves to their craft and has material to show for it.

Anyway, more to come as I progress and practice.

Front hand. Nothing spectacular, yet.

More interesting and im using the space around the subject to my advantage while exploring deeper shading scales. I'll probably work on this more and use it for the painting. Subject to change, of course.

Lazy day with sushi

Played a ton of Terraria with my friend Kyl last night. We collected enough materials to make some neat additions to our fort and make it more homey. I forget how hooked I get on those games, especially when I have someone to play with. Here's a picture of the beginnings of my alchemy lab and part of our inner fort. I made more progress, but the server crashed before I had a chance to save it. Soon!

I started listening to Metric today. They've been suggested to me many times in the past but I never gained interest. It's how I work with most subjects or media. I like to feel I'm discovering it for myself for some reason. I'm not sure. I just like finding things on my own time. If you ever suggest something to me and I don't latch on to it immediately, that's why.

Went to lunch today with +Monte at a Vietnamese place called Chiba. Their main entree is sushi. Pretty good, and reasonably priced. Dad noticed a soda was only .95$ instead of the usual 1.75$ or so. He started a 10 minute conversation with our server, Via, over the topic and they carried on for some time. She's really nice and approachable. Even though her primary language is Vietnamese and her English is broken, she's very eager to start conversation. She asked if I had many friends in the area as I only moved here a month or so ago, and offered to take me around San Diego sometime and gave me her email. That'll be pretty neat, I need to see more of the city and meet new people.

Becoming the designated driver

The night started at 2pm in the Rock Bottom Brewery, Gaslamp District, CA; The lively-bar-featured part of town. We started with 2 flights of beer to sample what they had.

The head brewer had won 5 awards for his beer. Well deserved, I'd say. Most American beer I taste doesn't hold up to Belgian recipes, but these were nice.

I elected to be the designated driver as I was done at 1 beer... I wasn't aware we had agreed to bar hop for the rest of the evening. I wouldn't have been so generous had I known that. Hell, I wanted to go home and catch up with a friend over Skype. But before me were three adults wanting a good time. My blood boiled as I grit my teeth and gave the ok to start bar hopping.

Do to get me wrong. I don't mind DDing if I know what's planned for the evening. It also helps if I don't have plans of my own to be washed aside. Oh well.

We stopped at The Beer Co. A sports bar with no personality and even blander beer. I sat next to a pair of friends discussing quarterback stats. One of them was yelling his side of the debate so the entire bar could hear. I think they all disagreed, I spied unanymous eyerolls across the bar.

We found The Yard House next. Nothing special there. On our way to the car, they convinced me to stop once more in Rock Bottom Brewery. The bartender, Katrina, made the night better. Despite having an awful night and being in the doghouse with her husband, she managed to make anyone at the bar laugh. She picked up on my low mood and when I asked for a water, she brought me this:

A "Rocktoberfest" Rock Bottom Brewery beer mug. Her sarcasm and the notion of such a silly water glass made my night better. And the water was nice. She also let me take it home! A fine souvenir and reward for a grumpy but flexible DD.

Our bounty at the end of the night. Most were free.

I wish I didn't get so sour over things like that, but I don't like my priorities being undermined. I'll know next time to get an update before acting so generously. Still, it was good night.

Being the Manny

This is my nephew, Levi Harris. He's a few days old in this photo. He's pretty cool, even for a baby. I can already tell he has a personality and I'm excited to see how it develops. I hope to be a positive influence in the future.

I'm learning about babies. How to take care of them, change their diapers, what the crying means, etc. It isn't too hard if you don't mind getting your hands dirty, and his poop has no stentch yet...yet.

I liked the idea of having kids in high school. I've learned from different people and studies to question having kids. Why did I want them? I think at the time I wanted only what I knew life offered. It's the path that's implied while growing up and learning. School > Job > Marry > Kid(s) > Send them to school > Retire. Now that I know there are more paths and I don't have to follow that, I'm excited to explore other options. I like kids. I just don't think I want any of my own... Subject to change? Possibly.

Anyway. Taking care of him is my part time job for now. I'm searching for work elsewhere so I can capitalize on my living situation, but it's pretty difficult. I'm only available in the evenings part time and I need to be up early enough to watch Levi. Still, my situation now is pretty sweet. I'm enjoying California. More on that later.

Lunch in Hillcrest

+Monte +Megan McCraw and I went to Local Habit today in Hillcrest, San Diego. Had I known I was starting a blog when I went, I'd have taken more pictures. This one works though!

This was outside. It did catch my attention, so mission accomplished! Although they weren't specific about the falsified nudes they didn't have. Could've been dudes. Nothing wrong with that, but not something I'd walk into a place to see. Good thing it was a pretty diverse neighborhood! And good thing I was in the mood for beer and food anyways.

The food was ridiculous. We had two pizza's.

• Andouille with Marinated Chicken, Bell Pepper, Caramelized Onion Garlic Oil and Aged Gouda
• So good. The gluten-free crust was sweet, but not too sweet. It really played off the gouda and chicken.
• Toasted Coriander and Oregano Chicken Sausage with Mortar Pesto, Marinated Zucchini, and Spring Hill Goat Cheddar
• The pesto made this for me. I LOVE Pesto. The Zucchini was nice too. Both were great.
• Mexican White Shrimp with Tomato, Butter Lettuce, and House Tartar Sauce
• My dad ordered this and we all sampled. It was pretty good. I've never had a shrimp sammich, but I'd eat it again. I never thought about adding tomato to shrimp. Good stuff.

I ordered a Lightning Elemental Pilsner. Pretty hoppy but not like an IPA. for 3$? A+

Hillcrest is a neat place. I'd like to hang out there more. It has a real downtown Asheville feel and I miss that. Lots of public art and designs that put a human flare to what would otherwise be a boring concrete jungle.