If We Could Freeze Moments In Time, We All Would

So.

This thing turns a year old today, and I guess it's time for some reintroductions.

My name is Jon Ray (Jon as in Arbuckle, and Ray as in Sugar, both names spelled in their much cooler version, in my opinion), and I'm a software developer by title. Well, hopefully I'm a lot more than that but the way things are going...Never mind.

I've been back working for five months now which I guess is the biggest difference between the guy writing this now and the guy who wrote the first entry. I'll save the retrospective for the year-end special, but for now all I'll say is that it's been a year of...growing up. Hmmm. That isn't apparent from my writing and I guess you'll have to take my word for it. Or not. Never mind.

Well what do you know? Turns out I'm even worse at second impressions.

Another post later. If I feel like it.

Thank U

Seeing as its Thanksgiving, and I've recently been accused of being bitter (again), I've decided I take a cue from UGO.com and make a list of things I'm thankful for. In no particular order, and in no way a complete list:

• Jack TV.
• Scarlett Johannson.
• The gain switch on my Peavey amp.
• Deeetroit basketball.
• Ice cream.
• Girls who like ice cream.
• Girls who laugh when I compare Goblet of Fire to The Empire Strikes Back ("To the Carbonite chamber with you, young man!").
• Foxsports.com, Wikipedia and UGO.com, for keeping me sane as the only cool sites that make it past the company Websense.
• Paramita's Tala and Brownman Revival's Steady Lang.
• Myxilog
  
• Yellowcab pizza. Heck, any pizza.
• A job heading into the holidays.
• My car, despite being sickly from being subjected to the obstacle course that is Metro Manila every week.
• Comic books.
• Casual fridays.
• The three minute walk from the parked car through the call-center-folk-infested parking lot to the office.
• Smart blogs with pretty pictures.
• Chocolate.
  

Crawling Back To Start

And just like that I'm alone at work. Well, not really alone, but I'm not exactly living it up with a crowd either. Everyone around me is getting up and leaving. Boy that sounded familiar.

I didn't think it would depress me as much, but it did. And especially after the company meeting to talk about the upcoming Christmas party in Puerto Galera, I realized how alone this feels. For a while I actually missed going home drunk in an attempt to forget, but then I also realized I don't have the luxury to do that anymore.

Speaking of growing up, Ian and Elaine became proud parents today. Exclamation point.

Watched Goblet of Fire, barely got to the 6:30 PM Friday screening. I'm not really equipped to give a decent review of the thing (not that anyone asked) since I'm no Potthead, but I will say I've started to enjoy the HP universe after watching, and after it was explained to me over dinner. But I'm left thinking: where do people find the time to read all 7 (?) books, the 3 LOTR parts and two Dan Browns, and still keep a long-hours job? And why are half of them still inarticulate as hell?

Aside from the movie, I did absolutely nothing of interest this weekend because I was too broke and I was required by law to do uninteresting things while broke. And since I've been mostly home I've noticed the air's gotten colder. You know what that means: My depression is not going away.

Harry Stoner And The Sorcerer's Pot

So I won't get to see it on opening day, that's ok. Apparently every seat in every movie theater in the metropolis is accounted for. Amazing.

Looked around DeviantArt lately and I'm jealous of all the people who have the time and opportunity to do their art. I really miscued on this t-shirt thing, if not the consulting thing. It's not like I've lacked inspiration of late; I've been blessed with seeing things that need to be photographed, drawn, inked, colored, written. It's just that I can't seem to put it down on paper. Blogging doesn't count, I'm afraid.

Anyway.

My car is siphoning what little money is left with me after eating Cold Rock. I've barely been paid for the period and it's already gone to my windshield wipers and my suspension, not to mention to fixing the weird leak I talked about earlier. There goes new books and records.

I realized recently that I don't just count my chickens. I count my chickens' eggs' future chickens' future eggs' future chickens.

None of these songs speak to me so that I can put a lyric there up in the title. But maybe that's because I'm listening to dance music.

It's a Saturday night and once again I'm stuck here at home while everyone else is having a much more interesting evening. I actually came home early last night as well, and spent the day doing errands and taking a rest so I can do more errands tomorrow. How freaking adult, I hate it.

My reign at the top of our Fantasy NBA league lasted all of two days. I'm disappointed in you, Luke Ridnour (SEA-PG)!

The carpets on the right side (passenger side) of my car are wet. But the mats on the carpets are not, meaning something is leaking from the bottom. WTF? It's not gasoline as far as I can tell, and all sources of water (the ones I know of, at least) are intact. Can someone tell me what's going on? I smell another errand. Arrrgh.

I realize that Marvel got to reinvent its universe with its Ultimate line of comic books to introduce the decades-old heroes to new readers with new storylines. I'm thinking maybe I can extend it to people: Ultimate Jon Ray it will be called. A new history and a new persona to introduce to new readers! And God willing, this new Jon Ray's life will be more interesting than this post.

Super Underrated Freestyle Analog

I have no idea what that means, but I freaking love that song. LSS for the evening.

Some random thoughts over the week:

Cold Rock rocks. Yes, I'm willing to overlook how it's got 'yuppie fad' written all over it because eating ice cream with a mutilated Caramello Koala is that good. Disney is playing on the wall-mounted TVs, cute bartenders, cuter company and if I recall, nothing heard in the vein of B.E.P. All is indeed beautiful here.

Did I mention mutilated Caramello Koala?

Ecomm semi-reunion at the NSG. I don't get how everyone can get freaking sick on the same freaking day. I'm seriously beginning to think all the "Miss ko na kayo's" is nothing but lip service, and it pisses me off. I've got lots more to say about this but it's draining just thinking about it. This is the last time I set this shit up.

Them telephones they work both ways.

Made a quick buck making this. Not bad for a couple of nights' work.

Sort of an overdue thought, but Kitchie Nadal is the image model for Twister Fries, complete with song, TV spot and poster. I smell sellout...However, I also smell Twister Fries. And Kitchie Nadal. So who the hell cares?

Caulfield

So I'm sitting alone in Jollibee at a table for four. The kid of about five from the family at the next table sits at the seat diagonally from me and is oblivious to the fact that I'm there. He's alternating between looking at his wristband-watch (what do you call those things that are part wrist-worn sweatband and part watch?), talking to his mother from the other table and reading the Jollibee ads on the wall out loud.

And it just kills me. I can't remember a time when I was near that affectionate and innocent. I'm sure I was, but for some reason I can't remember it and since I can't remember I can't recall it and just maybe I can inject a little of that affection into my day. And it just depresses the hell out of me.

Apparently, unless I am a rich, healthy, white, 5'10" doctor with no family history of heart and blood problems, I am pretty much useless. Unfortunately, unless we advance genetics by 50 years and get rid of all ethical concerns regarding designer children, you're pretty much STUCK WITH ME.