Thankyou Blue Snaggletooth for pushing me past the barrier that holds me back

My Fitness is coming along, I have not really pushed myself to hard, but I have managed to regularly exercise and I think as well I am eating a bit better. We have had some spring snow storms lately so that has prevented me from getting out and walking as much as I would like, but hopefully those are behind now and I can get back to those walks. With the weather getting a bit warmer, hopefully I don’t need to wear such a heavy coat. I am hopeful at some point I might even be able to jog a bit as well as I build up the strength in my legs. For now I will try and to increase the intensity of my bike rides.

I have started back on my reading, and I think I have made some good progress on that. I have already read one book cover to cover, and about 2/3rds the way through the next. I had been trying a Star Trek book but was having a tough time getting through it, so I put it down and picked up some others. I want to get on a roll on my reading, and then I will go back to that Trek book I was having some trouble with. But I am hoping I can get through 2 books a month, so will be pushing myself to keep at my reading.

I was able to get a working computer in the basement, so now I can start on my models again. So I am going to start on them again this weekend. I have some Star Wars droid fighters sitting on my desk right now, it is a small snap together model that I will paint up. After that I think I will take on a Tie Fighter. Really looking forward to building models again, and happy I got my desk setup the way I want to do that.

I have said to myself that I would really like to get one of the more pricier figures. I recently got my bonus at work, so want to treat myself. I Had a few figures in mind, and got close on an auction for one of them, but got out bid in the end. I have my eye on a few others right now, and a bid on an auction, so will see how that goes and if I win it or not. I wanted to get something in the week I was off, but decided to I will take a bit more time. I had my mind stuck on a few different figures, so really wanted to wait and see if some more come up in the next little while, as I might not be able to revisit them for awhile.

The other really important thing, is that I got a good idea of what different figures go for. I think I have pretty much collected all the lesser cost figures, so going forward, the ones I am looking for will be a bit more. I was getting a bit scared off on the price on some, which in the end were not that much. I think I was more chased off as I was not sure what the actual going rate was, but now I do, so I should be more confident in what I am bidding on.

It was nice to just be able to put in some time, looking at auctions, and reading up on figures. I was even able to research some things. I had a small vintage Jawa blaster from when I was a kid. It looked a little different then the ones I saw in auctions but was able to determine it was a variant, and I saw a picture online of the one I had. A bit amazing that I was able to hang onto this small piece of plastic all these years, when I have lost all the others. I also found a missing part for a one of my other figures, so I was happy about that.

The other bonus for the week for me, was I able to get a internet working computer in my basement. I finally worked through what my plans were and came to the conclusion for now, I will you an old computer in the basement. I bought a USB wireless network adapter, which I was able to get working on my older PC. I am happy as now I should be able to use that computer to reference pictures when I work on models and other collecting things. I also bought a chair, which I needed for the basement. I guess I was being cheap, as I had a chair in mind, but did not want to spend much, so was able to find one that suited my needs at the price I wanted to pay. Slowly but surely my basement is coming along.

My exercising has been coming along alright after the original set back from earlier in the year. I have been able to do this more regularly the past few weeks, and starting to mix a few things more into it. For the most part I have been riding the exercise bike, but I have added some walking into my routine as well. The exercise bike I feel I have slowly been pushing the intensity up on it, so I am hoping if I keep riding the bike on a regular schedule that I can start to see some more results. I have started longer walks as well, I did a lunch time walk on Friday, and then I have done two early morning walks. I am hoping the weather stays mild as I think if I can keep these regular, I can also push up the speed that I am walking. I feel that I am walking a good distance, as my morning walks take me 35 minutes or so, and I cover a lot of ground. If I keep at them for the next few months, maybe by spring I might be able to jog or run for part of it. I want to build up the strength in my legs, so that I would be able to handle it. The walks must be doing something as my body aches a bit today, so I have hit some muscles that I haven’t used for a bit, so I am happy about that. I also planning to add some more stretching into my routine as well.

some resolutions that still need more of my attention.

I did clean out a lot in my office, when I was off for a few days a few weeks back. I still have more to do, notable the basement. I am hoping that when I take some time off in a few weeks, I can tackle that a bit more of the basement and get some more things cleaned up.

My Podcasting is still not there yet, I did figure out some issues with my mixer, so I am hoping I am close to recording again. I sold my Mac Mini a few weeks back, and I have found another program that will allow me to enhance my Podcast on the PC.  So I need to get focused again on my collecting podcast, pick a topic, and start going on it. The Mixer really did take the wind out of my sails, if I was in a better position financially, I would sell it and get something else, and still might do that, but will see.

My Model building is still out there as well. I got the idea to build up my workspace down stairs so that it will have everything I need. Slowly I am building that up, the big thing right now is getting a new computer for the basement. I had my eye on laptop, but after looking for awhile, just nothing really impressed me in the price range I wanted to spend. I am now thinking that since I sold my Mac Mini, I will replace that with a newer one that is wireless. But I have been holding off, as I am not certain when they will be releasing a new version. I still have memory from the last Mac Mini I bought, and how a month or two after they came out with a wireless one. I don’t want the same thing to happen again, so I am taking a bit of a wait and see attitude to see if something new gets released in the next few months.

My reading is not going anywhere right now, I am thinking I might have to either set some time for myself each day to read, or pick a new book that will really grab me. I find I still spend a lot of wasted time each day, that I could be reading. So I am going to have to figure out where I can fit it in, as I know I have time, just pushing myself to do so.

So hopefully if I keep myself more accountable through these updates, that when I get to the end of the year, I will have more successes then failures in the terms of resolutions.

I was able to go and see Star Wars Episode 1 the Phantom Menace on opening day. This time around, it was in 3D. When it originally came out, I could not go opening day, as at the time I was busy at work, and a few other things happening that did not allow me to go first day. Being a big Star Wars fan, that always ate at me a little bit, so I have corrected that

I went with my Dad and two nephews, and had a good time. Epsiode 1 is what it is, and I know that a lot of people really dislike this movie. I will admit, that if I rank all the Star Wars movies, this one would be at the bottom of my list, as it can get a bit slow at times, and doesn’t have the best pacing. But to me, the movie does really setup what the Star Wars universe was, on a greater scale then the Original Trilogy ever did. I am a big Star Wars fan as stated, so I like to do the “Deep Dive” so to say into the who Star Wars universe. This movie gives a person plenty to get into, like myself, who wants to be immersed into that universe. I am really looking forward to the other movies coming out. The 3D in the movie was alright, I don’t think it will ever be a showcase 3D, but it was well applied in my opinion, and added some depth to the scenes. I guess maybe in the end, the 3D was more just a vehicle to get Star Wars back onto the big screen. I am amazed, that a movie that a lot of people pan, that 13 years after the fact, it still can get released into the theatre again. There are plenty of Academy Award winning movies that would not be able to be released 13 years after the fact, even some of the big blockbusters from the past few years, could not even get released again.

In the evening, I watched a great documentary on CTV/TSN hosted by Michael Lansberg. In the documentary he shared about his own struggles with depression, which I felt took a lot of courage to do so. There was one scene near the end of the documentary, that really resonated with me, not many words were spoken, but I could feel it, as I have felt it. Michael was talking with Mick Foley and Roddy Piper on his show, and at a break, he got up to take a break and walk away, just that little moment is one that I have had many times, and could sense what he felt at that time.

The documentary also really hit home with me as they talked to Stephane Richer former NHLer, Darryl Strawberry former MLBer and Clara Hughes a Gold Medal winning Olympic Athlete. It really did show to me, that people could look to have everything, but still depression is there, and they have struggles. They talked about an emptiness inside that cannot be filled, and I have felt that, they talked about being on top after winning and still cannot feel joy of the success, I felt that as well. It was a real powerful documentary, and meant a lot to me to see people struggling with the same things I do. I commend all those brave people for having the courage to be on the documentary and share with everyone else. I encourage people to watch this show, I think it is well worth it. It is called Darkness and Hope .

I have to admit, I am a bit nervous to write this post, as it is hard to admit to others my depression. I was talking with a friend during the day, there is still a stigma about depression, where a person is viewed of as weak, so why I was so inspired by the people who shared about theirs. To see people talking about it, and having the same feelings as I did, really did show me that this is a disease. This is something I have struggled with for years, it has flared to near intolerable levels 3 or 4 times in my life. Once in my teens where I actually did think of suicide, but a well timed call from a friend was able to draw me back. Another time in my first year of a new job, where it led to me breaking down in my managers office as the pressures of work overwhelmed me. Then the most recent time, which was a few years ago, where a difficult software upgrade at work pushed me to the brink, when it was done I went through months of post traumatic stress, and not really sure if I ever fully recovered from it.

But I think what is the most maddening for me, is that daily depression, the one that lays in the weeds, not enough to send you totally over board into despair, but enough that it holds you back from doing what you want in life. The type where by the time you get home from work, you don’t have energy or desire to really pursue what you want in life. The depression that always acts as a wall between myself and the life I want, causes me to doubt and second guess. Even this blog post took me a few days to write after the fact. But inspired by the brave people I saw on Bell Lets Talk day, I decided to write this. To beat this stigma of depression, I think more people like myself need to share and not be so afraid of what other might think. The day has shown me there are more people out there who go through depression and can help.

I have to say, I usually feel uneasy about days off, as I tend to have all these ideas, and when it does not pan out, I get feeling down. I guess I don’t like the idea of wasting a day off, but then that is usually what happens.

The first thing I did, was started to clean out my office. I had this on my 2012 resolutions, and I think I made some good progress on it. There is still some more I need to do, but I think I did a good job of getting rid of the clutter. I have to say it was harder then I was expecting, especially when I got to a bunch of old computer games. It took a bit of me to toss them in the trash, but I did. I guess the tough part is that I have some memories of those games, and playing them, and it was tough to part with. But I am not going to go back and play them, and they were taking up space. I don’t believe that I am hoarder, but at times I do see some of the same tendencies in me, like the one that something has a use, or like I stated, I have memory attached to it. I also cleaned out a bunch of other items, as well, keeping in my mind, that I will not be using this again, and it needs to go. I really could not believe how many boxes I have kept around. As well I threw out some old books that I will not be reading again, and also a bunch of cables that are not of use. Again, had to say to myself I am not going to be needing these, but it was hard. My next step is to paint the office and put up some shelves. That will come down the road, as now that I got some of the clutter out of the room, I might be able to get a vision of what I want.

It was near the end of the month, and my registration on my cars were due, so I headed to the registry place. It was busy as I suspect a lot of other people were doing the same thing. I was finally able to get the cars registered, with a day to spare. Truthfully, I had pretty much forgotten this, so it is a good thing I remembered or I could have been inline for a ticket if caught driving with an over due registration. Like anything, the cost of the registration has gone up. I don’t really fault the government, as things cost what they cost, but I will blame myself and the place I work for, for not keeping my salary more current. After that I headed to get some gas and a car wash. Not sure why I washed the car, as it was warm out, and pretty much dirty by the time I got home. I stopped off and got some spicy chicken wings for lunch and headed home.

Another thing I needed to do, was get my gas bill figured out. I had not received a bill in quite sometime and I had the gas company calling me. I had called them a few times, and they never knew anything. I would ask who is providing my gas, and they would not be able to tell me. Finally I got to the bottom of the issue, and it turned out that they had been sending the bills to the wrong address. I got that corrected, and fortunately the bill was not to high. I am going back to a shared services contract next month, so glad I got the loose ends tied up.

After that I packed up my Wii, and listed it on a for sale site. My Wife and I no longer use it, and I decided we may as well sell it and get something out of it. I asked what I felt was a fair price, and looks like I might possibly already have a buyer. I could have probably parted it out and sold it for much more, but did not really want to have multiple listings, and might take some time to sell that way. My guess who ever is buying it might be doing that, as they might have the means to do that. Maybe I watch to much Storage Wars/ Pawn Stars, but I could see where someone could double their money at least by parting it out. So I am hoping that by the end of the day, I have the Wii moved.

My next order of business is to list my Mac Mini, I am in the process of cleaning it up and then I will reinstall the OS on it, and then list it as well for sale. My plan is to buy a new Mac Mini, and will no longer need this one, so if I can get a bit of money for it, it will help goes towards the new one. I also have a bunch of change I am going to take to the bank, and see what I can get out of it.

So onto Tuesday, and I have the day off, so I am hoping I can have another productive day.

No further updates, but my other goals are still on my mind constantly, so hopefully in the next month I can start making those more of a reality.

It came down to I had the wrong driver selected in the recording program, and that I am limited to using this Mixer with a recording program that supports an ASIO driver. I am sort of up in the air about what I am going to do with the mixer. I don’t really like using the Cubase software that has come with the mixer, it is much more then I really need, as there is so many settings to configure. I might play around with it a bit over the next few months, record a few podcasts, and see how I feel. I sent the tech support a question as well if there is some other recording programs that would work with this mixer that I could try. I might just sell it as well , and use the money towards a different, less advanced mixer.

At least this is off my mind now, and I am grateful for that.  It has been a bit of a journey of frustration and doubt. So I am hoping now I can get my collecting podcast back on track, even if I have to use software I would not normally use. Hopefully this is the start of some good things coming for 2012.

One of the reasons why I like Sci-Fi so much, is for the Ships. There is something about them that really grab me, so I was thinking, why not talk about some of my favorites.

Original Series Cylon Raider

When I was a kid, a friend down the road from me, had a toy Cylon Raider, and I would remember going over and always gravitating to that toy. The Cylons in side were pretty small, and it shot little missiles, but I thought it was real cool. I am not really sure why I never asked for one from my parents, it might have been there were other Star Wars toys that I wanted more. But I had a lot of good times playing with my friends Raider.

When the updated Battlestar Galactica came out, I was interested to see what the new Cylon Raider would look like, and to be honest, I really did not like it, and still dont. I get the idea that in the new series that the Cylon and Ship are one, but I guess the design of it really did not grab me. They did come out with some larger Cylon ships that were bombers, that were more reminiscent of the original, but they never got a lot of screen time.

Jupiter 2

I think what I like about this ship, is it simplicity, as it really is just a saucer, almost like what one would imagine of a flying saucer from that era. It spun when it flew, landing and take off. It had a big front wind shield so to say, where they could look out to help navigate. But since it’s mission was to take the Robinson’s to different planets as they found a new place for the people of Earth, it was sort of a futuristic Motorhome.  There was two floors to it as we saw on the show, with the upper level for navigation, and the lower level for living.

It did seem for the size for the Ship, that they were able to pack a lot into it, as they had a Land Chariot, a bunch of equipments, and a crew of 7 plus a robot. The sets looked quite large compared to the scale of the ship when we saw it on the outside. I suspect back in the 60′s, they did not put as much thought into the scale like they would now. Also it was Lost in Space, so a very Cheesy show. But still, I really liked this ship, and some day I hope that I can get some sort of model of it.

Blackbird BSG

I chose the Blackbird out of all the Vipers as the one to put on my list as I found it different from the rest, but still very familiar to the over all design. They don’t really consider it a Viper, but part of me still does. It is cool as it is black, and made for stealth. Built from carbon fiber they use it to go on secret type missions when they want to do surveillance, since it cannot be detected like the standard Viper.

It was named Laura after president Roslyn on BSG, and it is a pretty simple design. There is not a lot to it, and it is pretty sleek. I think part of the reason why I like this ship so much, was that it was in some of my favorite BSG episodes. I always liked more of the space and ship based episodes compared to all the dramatic and arc based episodes. So anytime they got out in the ships and did battles or missions, I really liked the episodes.

Phoenix

This was a real cool ship in my opinion, it was a pretty basic design, and was blue and red. But what the Phoenix could do made it so special. 4 of the members had their own vehicles which would be located in different parts of the ship. It was always cool, when they would show clips of the Phoenix picking them up. Jason had a race car that would fit into the nose of the ship, Keyop had a buggy of some sort that was in one of the wings, Princess had a cool looking motorcycle that went in the other wing, and Mark had a jet that would be docked in a hangar in the back of the Phoenix. All their vehicles could transform from standard type vehicles to the special vehicles they used to protect Earth. Another thing that made this ship so cool, was that they could transform it into what was called the fiery Phoenix, which was that the ship turned into a flaming bird.

Original Series Basestar

Again, like the Cylon Raiders, I really liked these ships, especially when they traveled in numbers, as they looked like a formidable opponent. Basically they look like two disks which tapered down and connected to each other. They had a much different look to them then the Galactica did, since they did not have a real traditional ship look to them. I guess they are a Basestar, so in a sense probably more of a Spacestation then a ship. I guess another argument could be made that they come off a bit similar to the Deathstar, since both are sort of round, and a ship or station that does not have a lot of detailing to it.

So that is my list of top 5 Sci-Fi ships that are not in Star Trek or Star Wars. I was going to add honorable mentions, but to be honest, there are probably quite a few ships I could add, so I think I will leave it at this list. Also, I only included shows that I watched a lot of, as I am sure there are plenty more cool shows with cool ship I have not seen. Maybe this list is a bit of a reminder to me that I need to watch some more Sci-Fi . My Followup posts for Star Trek and Star Wars I will add Honorable Mentions.