Where Is My Life's Story?

One thing I've been thinking about lately is the fact that I originally opened this blog back in August of 2003 with the idea that I would write my life's story. Well, I wrote a few posts like that, but eventually just stuck with the day to day stuff.

Well, a friend of mine and the former youth minister at our church, Nikomas Perez, has recently done something closer to what I had wanted to do.

• My Life: Preface
• My Life: Part 1
• My Life: Part 2
• My Life: Part 3
• My Life: Part 4
• My Life: Part 5
• My Life: Part 6
• My Life: Part 7
• My Life: Part 8
• My Life: Part 9
• My Life: Part 11
• My Life: Part 12
• My Life: Part 13
• My Life: Part 14

Coming right on the heels of his father's tragic death, this depth of digging into one's life and sharing it from beginning to end today was very inspiring. I'm ashamed that I strayed a little bit off my original goal with starting with my birth and early childhood and bringing it up to today. Instead, I post about my lunch and pictures of my dog. It's not like these aren't important, but I feel I am missing my mark. It's time to type less about the present and delve more deeply into my past. Wanna come along for the ride?

My Blogger Profile

I'm about to change the "About Me" section of my Blogger profile. The current one is just lame and conceited. I archive it here just for historical data.

About Me

I could write a small book about myself (okay, I could write a BIG book about myself), but instead I thought I'd post a modest blog... or two. Okay, make that about five.

I have written a rather largish glob of stuff about me, but also about other things that I cared about. The above is kinda funny, but it could really make me sound like a jerk as a first impression.

300 - The Movie

I saw "300" over the weekend. Very good film. I recommend anyone and everyone (okay, mostly just the guys) to go see this movie right now. Find out where it's available at Movie Showtimes - Google Search. Find out more about 300 - The Movie.

Seen it already? What did you think?

Today's Lunch

There are a variety of things written about on any random blog. Just spin the random blog wheel if you don't believe me. The topics vary from the very important to the mundane. I usually write about what's important to me, but that might not be that important to anyone else. The point is that I write for myself and all the clichés about whether anyone else cares apply.

But right now, I'm gonna spend a post talking about something completely mundane, even to me. I want to post pictures of what I had for lunch today at the Chinese buffet.

Photo from Popug.com User Jer86gn^*

Photo from Popug.com User Jer86gn^*

Aren't you impressed with my presentation? The first plate there inspired the need to photograph these morsels. Note the way that the chilled shrimp are arranged so nicely on my plate? Yeah, that was completely random. I grabbed the first shrimp and threw it on my plate and then after grabbing a second one, I noted how completely symmetrical they were right next to each other. It looked like a commercial. So I wondered (aloud, and in earshot of strangers) if I could get the third one to line up the same way and without another thought I put a third one on my plate. My coworker, Jeremy G., was impressed enough (and goofy enough) that he decided to snap a shot with his camera phone at my urging. Minutes later, he did the same thing with my bowl of ice cream. Little did I know that moments after he snapped the pictures that they would automatically be sent to a website and shared with unknown strangers across the internet. These folks could post comments and these would be sent back instantly to Jeremy's phone via text message. Apparently, someone watching the pictures even complained to Jeremy, I'd guess because they were getting hungry. It all happened so smoothly and quickly and seemed almost normal.

And I guess the interesting part of this uninteresting story is the technological angle, weak as it is. I mean, I do find it interesting how the communication on the web is so tightly woven in everyday life. Something so small and so revolutionary and yet stupid at the same time is happening every day. Cameras, phones, ice cream, web sites, online world wide communities and chinese food all consumed in one lunch hour.

Lisa's and my new cell phones that we got each other for Christmas do take digital pictures, but I've not really used it much. Perhaps it's time that I started. I do post the occasional photo on my Flickr page from my digital camera, and I could do that from my cell phone.

Note: I do want to apologize ahead of time because the Popug.com website mentioned above is rife with pop-up ads and other flashy annoyances. Thankfully, I just blocked them all one at a time in Firefox, and it's not a problem.

Luke, I Am Your Father

So over the last few days, Lisa and I have been considering other names for our son to be born in April or more likely May of this year. For a back story, we have always talked about "Lucas" as if it were the first choice, even back when we had our first child. However, we both started to reconsider over the last week for various reasons. So we came up with a few others to consider in addition to Lucas.

• Dylan James Arconati
• Lucas James Arconati
• Samuel James Arconati

Well, after talking about it, praying about it and debating it, we've come back around to Lucas again. Lisa's small still-lingering primary objection to this name is that the nickname "Luke" sounds wrong, and not just because of the obvious Star Wars reference. The name is short and sounds like a burp or something, not a name.

But she really likes "Lucas" as a name and she has resigned herself to getting used to the nickname everyone will likely call him. I've had my own reasons for considering other options, such as the fact that I wasn't sure I wanted to embrace my geekiness that much, but I am going to dive right into it and accept it.

There are two important things to note just for the record. Firstly, we are NOT -- I REPEAT NOT -- naming him for the Star Wars Character. Lisa originally suggested it years ago without thinking of my favorite movie, and I liked it without making the connection either. It wasn't until months later that I jokingly said it would be funny because I could hold my son and say Luke, I am your father! We had a sideways laugh about that one.

The second thing to note is that it was my wife who pointed out during our conversations today, that never in the movies does Darth Vader say the words "Luke-I-am-your-father" in actuality. His exact words in the famous scene are in response to Luke's assertion that Vader killed his father.

No, Vader proclaimed. I am your father.

I'm so proud of her, but she's completely right (not like I didn't know that). So anyway, our son's name will be Lucas and he's not named after Star Wars and he's not named after George Lucas, though no one who knows me at all will ever believe this. And phooey on them all anyhow.

Rain's Odor

Yesterday, a Spring rain hit the area most likely for the first time this year. Rain in Spring has a different feel and smell than a cold Winter rain. Perhaps the weather is coming from a different direction globally, or it's just the temperature of the air and water mixing that causes it. But there is definitely a different quality to it. It started raining before I left work and the smell of it, the full feel of it hit me softly in the face as I walked out the front door.

I like Spring. Spring is newness, freshness and change. It's much better than how I feel about Fall, though I should say that I like Fall a lot for it's scrunchy leaves and it's sweatshirts and Halloween. But there is something involving closure with Fall and Winter.

Of course, in a few months I'll be bragging about how much I like Summer, but for now Spring will do.

A Son By Any Other Name

Lisa and I are considering other names besides Lucas. Actually, I should say we have almost entirely dropped it as a choice. The baby just doesn't seem like a "Lucas" to Lisa, and I have to admit that I was having second thoughts about the name.

Luke, I am your father. That was something that I was kind of looking forward to saying as a Star Wars fan. But I feel silly and self concious about it. I mean, it will be cute now, but what about when the kid is 10? Or what about 20? Or 30? I'm just not sure it would be a good idea.

So we are gathering other options between the two of us. We will most likely make a decision some time in the next week or two. I want to apologize to any family member that might have bought a humongous set of monogrammed towels or something but I'm pretty sure that hasn't happened yet.