Jim Roepcke's weblog have browser, will travel (est. 1999)

And Cricket too

Not the kind with the bat and wicket though... the kind with darts and a computer-monitored dartboard and scoreboard.

After the hockey game last night I played darts with Chuck. Chuck plays in a league and tournaments, so he's pretty darn good. He has a very cool coin-op pub-style darts system. It can score a number of games, singles or teams, handicaps, and provides detailed statistics.

First we played 301. Well, that's kinda fun but all it requires you to do is hit the dart board and get lucky a couple times. Then we played Cricket. Now THAT is a cool game! I found a page that explains it reasonably well. I was confused until part way through the first game. There's lots of strategy involved, and it actually requires you to be able to hit particular segments of the dartboard, meaning the score is much less random.

My arm is a little sore today, as I expected last night. I throw the dart harder than Chuck and any other decent dart player does. I've tried in the past to throw properly, but it just doesn't work at all, while I can get decent accuracy (albiet with a lot of wasted energy) the way I throw.

I went into Big 5 Sports today to buy new shoes and some sports shorts, and I saw a computerized (cricket compatible) dart board. $269. Sweeeet. Not a standup coin-op dealie like Chuck has, but a dart board with a computerized scoring board underneath. Plenty good enough for me though, I imagine!

Cool, a Cricket scoring app for the Newton!

Exercise!

I went Rollerblading this afternoon. Okay, so I was only gone for 17 minutes and I was sitting on a park bench for 5 of those letting my aching back rest, but it was the most exercise I've had standing up all year!

Dragging around my huge gut sure makes my back hurt while I'm skating. And my knee brace reduces the mobility and agility of my right leg, making it hard for my right leg to keep up with my left. Sometimes I find my right leg isn't swinging forward far enough after a stride to get itself where it needs to go to keep the effort symmetrical. I also find crossovers hard. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the loss of muscle in my leg after more than 7 months of inactivity.

This area is so flat, it's perfect for biking and rollerblading. I'm living in a nice lake-community in Irvine, so I can skate around their lake and parks on some pretty nice paved paths. I just wish there were more benches along the way!

I also went grocery shopping at Albertsons, and almost everything I bought was healthy. I can't continue to eat take-out food every night. When I first arrived in Orange County I bought a 32oz hot-pot and a small kettle. So I'll be able to heat up soups, noodles, and other healthier-than-cheap-chinese-takeout meals.

I don't know if I'll manage to lose weight between now and when I permanently move back to Canada, but I'll at least improve my cardiovascular and muscle conditioning.

Waterlogged Camera Turns Magic

via MacKay's Musings... Wired: Waterlogged Camera Turns Magic

What a lucky so-and-so. He drops his camera in water and now it's making these incredible pictures. I wonder if anyone else is trying to reproduce the "problem" with their camera.

Oh, and let me say it's a joy to be able to link to a story I found on a weblog of a long-time personal friend of mine that has started weblogging!!! Brian started a few weeks ago and he's really kicking ass, I think.

Ducks 2, Oilers 0

I went to the Ducks vs. Oilers game last night at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim last night, with Chuck and two of his young kids. It was the first hockey game for the kids, and they loved it.

We had a great time at the game but unfortunately the Ducks beat the Oilers... or should I Paul Kariya beat the Oilers... or should I say the Oilers beat the Oilers. ARGH! That was a must-win game. (Whine)

Tonight the Oilers play in LA at the Staples Center. I think I'm better off attempting to listen to the game online tonight.

BTW, since the last time I complained about Microsoft's NHL broadcast I've listened to two broadcasts without issue and not been able to listen to two others because MS was still playing the previous game rather than the live game.

Back in 4 pieces

I arrived in Orange County yesterday afternoon. Johnie came to pick me up, and watched with me as we saw every other piece of luggage but my own move past us on the carousel. At least I had my laptop bag. (Never ever check your laptop bag!)

Long story short, the people past U.S. customs in Seattle who transferred my bags sent them to San Diego (SAN), not Orange County (SNA). They were tagged for SNA, of course.

Note to airlines: Dyslexic baggage handlers scuk.

I finally got my bags about half an hour ago. Everything appears to be in the bags, which is a big relief. I brought my knee brace, tennis racquet and rollerblades down with me, and thinking those might be lost was pretty horrible.