Goodbye Buyer's Remorse

Despite the good price i got on the PS3, there was still a part of me that regretted the purchase.  Sure, it can play DVDs and Blu-ray, do Netlifx, play games i've been salivating over for years, stream media from my PC, and even browse the Internet, but it still felt like a white elephant.  Where was the "killer app" that would make it indispensable?

Well i'd been checking out the PS3 Move for the better part of the past two weeks, trying to decide if it was just a Wii clone (we already have a Wii, and i didn't want to be redundantly redundant) and slightly repelled by its price tag.  Then we went to Costco and found it for $10 cheaper,so i decided to take the plunge.  After all, with Costco's generous return policy - i could always take it back.  And since it was on the same shelf, also picked up a copy of Start the Party.

It's a decision i haven't regretted since Adrian played with it.

Although the Wii looks and feels as though it might be idiot-proof, there is still a steep learning curve for a three year old who's never played video games before.  Making the connection between gestures (and button-mashing) and what happens on-screen is not a given.  I had high hopes for the Wii as a kid's console back when we bought it (Gianina was pregnant at the time and i had an eye on the future), but i guess "kid" is a relative term.  Or maybe i'm just too impatient.

Whichever the case, the Move + Start the Party combo takes care of that.  The Eye camera takes real-time video and "replaces" the motion controller with the hand-held implement appropriate to the particular game you are playing.  The feedback is immediate and the learning curve is almost non-existent.  The games are super-simple too. 

Adrian has taken a liking to "Bug Bash," and given the game's simplicity married with its frantic pace, it's not hard to figure out why. 



The Move hardware also shows promise for me.  I like the Table Tennis game in Sports Champions, and the Gladiator game isn't bad either.  My sore right deltoid testifies to how much i liked playing it.  Looks like this one's a keeper.

Christmas Joy

Much has been said about the commercialization of Christmas.  Certainly, we need to move away from its current materialism and back towards its religious (i.e. a celebration of the birth of the Christ) and altruistic (i.e. peace on earth and good will to all men) significance.  But something also has to be said for the sheer joy of a child when he wakes up on Christmas morning, looks under the Christmas tree, and finds a toy that he's been pining for.  In Adrian's case, it's a pillow pet that he's requested for weeks.  Whenever Gianina and i said "we can't buy that," he always put it back on the shelf without complaint.  And when he got it for Christmas, the happiness was spontaneous and genuine; when i put him to bed last night he hugged me tight and said "Thank you."  When i asked him why, he gestured to the "comfy panda" and said, "'Cause you bili (bought) this."  This from a kid who has to be reminded to say please and thank you all the time. 

Happy holidays to one and all! 

A Winter Getaway

Snow is nice and all, but it can get old fast.  Especially when it starts to melt, it just makes everything - especially driving - sloppy.  At least that's how we've thought about it for the past six years.

This year we decided to embrace our Michigan-ness and take up skiing as a family.  Aside from tubing (Gianina and Adrian) and a fairly disastrous attempt at snowboarding (myself) last year, we have zero snowsport experience... so we thought it'd be fun.

We went to a place a little over two hours north of GR called Crystal Mountain.  It came well recommended, so we thought than even if we completely hated the skiing experience, we'd at least get a nice mini-vacation. 

The place itself was great.  I have no complaints except for the price tag, which was partly my fault because i booked a package that included lift tickets (which only i got to use once because we almost exclusively spent our ski time on the learning slope) and a bunch of "inclusions" that all houseguests get anyway.  All-in-all however, the service was impeccable and the accommodations were nice and cozy.  Still, next time i'm just booking the room itself.

Adrian showing off the fireplace.

We attempted to toast some marshmallows... not feasible when the fireplace is covered.

Enjoying a hearty dinner with our friends Randell and Manuel.

Anyway, i honestly had a blast doing the assorted winter activities available.  Downhill skiing was of course the centerpiece, but we also got to try cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

The happy couple. 

I don't care much for my bruised hips or sore legs, and even less for the unpleasant sensation of having my foot go in one direction and knee go in the other (thankfully, the ski came off), but i must admit that going downhill - albeit at a snail's pace - is exhilarating.  I can see why people fall in love with this (i didn't really get it last year, maybe because i spent 90% of the time lying horizontal on the ground).

Here's a few pics of me... umm, enjoying myself, punctuated by a video of me finally able to ski and turn downhill.  I looked like a complete idiot, but at least i could maneuver.

Getting ready to hit the slopes. 

Going up the "magic carpet." 

What's green outside and black and blue inside? 

We signed Adrian up for a few lessons.  He had a grand time in the first few hours falling down and skiing into snowbanks.

Wipeout (well, not quite). 

After another wipeout.

Ultimately, he did get the hang of it and could ski downhill without incident.  Yes, you and i know that zombies put their hands out in front.  Not so for three-year-old boys.

Gianina also enjoyed herself thoroughly, although she did come home with a fair amount of bruising as well.

At least one of us was happy! 

Maybe we'll get to like the snow yet.  We have five more months to find out.  We'll probably go out again in the next few weeks (perhaps someplace closer) and try to "conquer" some green slopes.  

El Cheapo Chronicles, 2

I've been hemming and hawing about purchasing a Playstation 3 since it came out, but could never justify the expense.  Despite the ad campaign maintaining that it "does everything," i never felt that it did enough to justify the $299 price tag.  Plus, we already had a Wii - which we had bought at a premium of $249 + tax when it first hit the shelves (we have friend who used to work at Meijer who helped us snag one) that we don't use all that much.   

The "magic" price point to me was somewhere in the vicinity of $200 - which, for a sweet Blu-ray player, media streamer (albeit hobbled), and HD Netflix box that also happens to play God of War and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 would be a fair price to pay. 

Not wanting any particular "bundles," i let the Black Friday deals pass me by.  But when Amazon threw in a $75 credit with the PS3 Slim 160GB this past week (effectively a price of $224), i knew i couldn't let it pass.  And so i pulled the trigger and at last became the proud owner of a PS3. 

However i was hit with a severe case of Buyer's Remorse.  Should i keep it or sell it for around $270 - a $46 dollar profit? 

Well today, one of the deal sites i peruse, Slickdeals (Fatwallet being the other) had a flurry of activity in the afternoon when Amazon upped the ante by offering a $100 credit.  This had the effect of exacerbating my Buyer's Remorse - if only i had waited another two days, i would have saved another $25!  Fortunately, after the initial paralysis that comes with major disappointment, i followed the message boards' advice and called Amazon to see if they would credit me the difference.  In the end, although the guy on the phone couldn't give me $25, he did agree to "refund" $20 (better than what most people were able to do, from what i gather). 

So now i am the proud owner of a PS3 that cost $204 (tax-free, courtesy of Amazon).  YEAH! 

But should i sell it for around $270 - a $66 dollar profit?  AAARRRRGGGHHH! 

...it only makes the Chong boys crazy.

Sit and Spin!

I went to my very first spin class at East Hills Athletic Club tonight.  Consider my butt kicked. 

I actually thought that i had achieved a decent level of fitness with my running efforts.  Tonight's experience was a stark reminder that i have little or no athletic ability.  I could keep up with maybe only 50% of what was going on.  The only thing that kept my legs pumping was the determination to at least finish and not slink away with my tail between my legs, especially since Mark (our instructor for the night) was nice enough to point out to everyone that it was my first time.  In perspective, it was actually a good thing that he did that - otherwise i would have walked out halfway into the workout with no one the wiser. 

Maybe it wasn't all that bad.  It felt like one of the weekly speedwork sessions i had to go through while i was training for the marathon, with my legs turning to jelly and my heart racing at a mile a minute.  Honestly, i did like it enough that i want to do another one.  Maybe if i get the hang of it i'll buy a real bike and start training for a duathlon.  Anything's possible. 

In other news, after a week of not running (i only did a grand total of 2 miles last week), my right shin no longer hurts.  I think i'll go for an easy run tomorrow. 

Taken from http://ehac.com.  That's Mark in the middle.  Quoting Wayne and Garth: "WE'RE NOT WORTHY!"

Pretentious Fool, 2

One cold Sunday afternoon, i pulled into one of the "prime" parking spots at the gym.  I got out of the car, walked around the back toward the rear passenger side, opened the door, and undid Adrian's restraints.  

A white Toyota Prius rolled to a stop behind me.  The passenger window came down, and an elderly man yelled out, "You don't look over 65!  And you don't look like an expectant mother!"

Cheerily, i replied: "Yes, but i do have a little child with me."  On cue, Adrian hopped out onto the pavement.

You missed one... A-hole!

 "Oh yeah, that's perfect," he said, and drove away.  

Take that, you cranky b@$#@rd!  


POSTSCRIPT: Somewhat to his credit, the idiot came up to me while i was working out on one of the machines and said "Hey, I didn't mean to harass you in the parking lot there."  Yeah, right.  Not much of an apology, but i'll take it.

Injurious Behavior

Since the marathon, it's been one setback after another.  At first it was an intermittent popping ache behind my left knee: patellofemoral syndrome or "runner's knee."  So i stopped running for a few days.  After that got better, i came down with a pain on the lateral side of the same joint: iliotibial band (ITB) syndrome.  So i stopped running for almost a week.  After a lot of rest, stretching, and Ibuprofen, the knee feels better - but now i'm getting a really bad case of shin splints - a deep ache right behind my right shin bone, much worse than i've ever had it before.

I've never really had a legitimate injury.  Everything i've injured through the years has been through an embarrassing mishap.  I've sprained my right foot at least twice: the first time after jumping down a flight of stairs and the second after doing "The Running Man" at my Freshmen-Sophomore (dance) Night.  I have a dislocatable shoulder, but it wasn't so much a sports act that displaced it as a freak swimming accident during a party back in High School.  All the other assorted odds and ends i've hurt through the years have been the result of similar innocent stupidities.  The reason is simple: i've never been athletic enough to sustain a true injury.

Surprisingly, aside from a minor case of shin splints at the beginning, in the three years leading up to the marathon i never hurt anything in any major way. So it makes no sense to me why the little injuries should start creeping up on me now.  The only thing that's really changed is that i'm pushing myself more.  Keeping in mind that i finished in 4:10 plus change (an average 9:34 pace), it stands to reason that i can realistically train at somewhere between 9:00 and 9:30 for all runs (including the easy ones) from now on.  In fact, before the unceremonious onset of my ITBS, i had just finished a 10-miler at a comfortable 9:24 pace.  And yes, i did take a week off after the marathon. 

My sneaking suspicion is that this is reality's way of putting me in my place.  While i've never really considered myself a "runner," but rather just a random dugyot who happens to run (a big difference), finishing the marathon somehow made me believe that yes, maybe there is a runner somewhere in this body.  

But what if 4:10:25 isn't a jumping-off point for future endeavors?  What if it isn't the new "floor" for my abilities, but rather the same old ceiling?  And what if finishing the marathon wasn't my great coming-out party leading to bigger and better feats of athleticism but rather my one bright shining moment of glory before i bow my head, slink into anonymity, accept my lot in life, and park myself on the couch to watch TV and eat Doritos (mmmm) 24/7?  Maybe i have no right to claim the mantle of "runner."  What a depressing thought. 

Bah, enough self-pity.  There's only one way to find out  Run! 

The walking/running wounded...

Screw Shoes!

(I don't remember if i previously posted this in my now-defunct Vox blog.  It doesn't really matter; i still think it's relevant enough to post regardless.) 

With snowfall in the forecast for the next few days, it's time to "winterize" my running shoes.  Since i'm too cheap to spring for Yaktrax or a similar product, i'm relegated to a DIY solution.

The first time i heard about the "screw shoe" concept was in Runner's World magazine from over a year ago (i read it in the physical magazine, but the same article can be found online).  The idea is simple: screw on some sheet metal screws (they essentially function as studs) to the soles of your regular running shoes to increase traction in the snow and ice.  I don't know about other running shoes, but the bottom of my Mizuno Wave Inspire 6s aren't really suited for running in those conditions.

The bald sole.

I used "screw shoes" through the winter and early spring from 2009-2010.  While i've been fortunate enough to never have fallen even without the screws, i do think they enhance the "grip" when the sidewalks turns slick. 

The most essential parts of the project are the actual sheet metal screws, sized 1/2" and 3/8".  I got these from the local Menard's for $0.99 per packet.  

There might be a "manual" way to put the screws in; fortunately i have an electric drill laying around (received as a gift from a friend 5 years ago) and an appropriate bit holder in my generic toolbox.

The screws are a perfect fit!

It then only takes 5-10 minutes to screw them on, and voila!  Screw shoes!

The finished product.

I put in a total of 20 screws per shoe.  Of course the number varies according to personal preference but in this case i think more is better.  I already saved money on the project itself; no point scrimping on pennies just to save a few screws.  

I used the half-inchers for the heel and the periphery of the forefoot and used the shorter ones for the rest.  As thick as the soles on the Mizunos are, i don't think it'd be a problem to use half-inchers for everything, but why take the chance of puncturing my feet?

El Cheapo Strikes Again

Yesterday there was a deal going on at Meijer where a body could get $5 off a gift card worth $50 or more.

Since our family does most of our grocery shopping at Meijer anyway, i decided to purchase ten gift cards, all worth $50, essentially pre-paying our groceries for the next few weeks at a 10% discount.   

All well and good, except for the fact that the coupon used is only good for one transaction.  So i had to stand at the counter for a number of minutes while the guy at the cash register:

1. Swiped the gift card, 
2. Inputted the amount ($50),
3. Scanned the coupon,
4. Waited for me to swipe my credit card,
5. Waited for me to sign on the electronic keypad and click "done."

A process taking no more than a minute, but rinse and repeat nine more times, and it gets old fast.  The woman waiting in line behind me actually covered her face with her palm and shook her head at around card number six.  I certainly didn't mean to inconvenience anyone.  I mean, how was i to know that she'd be doing her weekly grocery shopping at 11:30 at night?  I thought i'd be alone in the store doing my shady transactions that close to midnight. 

What was equal parts funny and slightly intimidating was that the Asian cash register guy was visibly annoyed at my money-saving tactics.  Each time he swiped the card through the machine, he did it with so much force that i thought he'd rip the device off its stand.  When i asked him if he needed a separate coupon for each transaction and showed him the stack that i had grabbed when i walked in, he said "No, don't do that," roughly pulled them from my hand, and threw them on the unmanned counter behind him.  I don't know what ticked him off so much...  Hadn't i just spent a chunk of money in his store?  What terrible customer service.  Maybe it was my choice of gift card? 

For some reason, i grabbed a wedding card. 

At least i saved a bunch of money on groceries...

nvlddmkm (aka My Gateway Misadventure)

Late last year, i managed to get an excellent deal on a budget gaming laptop, the Gateway 7805U FX Edition.  Unfortunately, despite the "bang-for-buck," i ended up with more than i bargained for... constant crashes (aka "hanging") when doing basic tasks, but mostly when running flash video.

While i do consider myself slightly more computer-literate than the average joe, i am not completely comfortable tinkering around with my computer's innards (especially on a laptop).  I can update drivers and firmware with the best of them - but when it comes down to actually decoding and reprogramming code, i am useless.  So i looked up how to contact Gateway technical support and relayed my issues.  After some back-and-forth over email, and using a diagnostic tool called GWSCAN provided by the company, it was determined that my hard drive was defective, so i sent my computer in (at my expense) to have the offending part replaced.

Three weeks later, i got my new laptop back.  Eagerly, with visions of endless nights of pleasure (playing Crysis, natch) dancing in my head, i ripped the box open and looked at the piece of paper taped to the lid.

"Repair Comments: Reloaded OS."

Wait, what?

After two months of dealing with unpredictable crashes, a week of exchanging emails with technical support in India (never the same person twice, btw) ending with being told the HDD needed to be repaired, and three weeks of being computer-less, i get the laptop back... with a new copy of the presently-being-phased-out Windows Vista?! 

(I had been running Windows 7 Home Premium using the Upgrade Disc that Gateway sent me.  The crashes had been occurring even prior to the upgrade, and i was hoping Windows 7 would fix the issue.)

Furious but ever polite to the powers-that-be (as has been ingrained into me by years of living, studying, and working in the Philippines), i contacted technical support again and clarified that the promised repairs had not been done.  Slightly apologetic, the technical support person requested that i send the unit back (now at Gateway's expense) and have the repairs done properly.  I complied.

Another three weeks pass.  They ship it back, i open the box excitedly, and read the piece of paper with slowly mounting dismay and frustration.

"Repair Comments: HDD tested OK, Gwscan giving false failure.  Reloaded Windows Vista software."

W... T... F...?!?

AFTER YOU A-HOLES GIVE ME THE RUNAROUND FOR WEEKS AND TELL ME MY HARD DRIVE WAS THE EFFING REASON MY EFFING LAPTOP IS EFFING CRASHING ALL THE TIME USING YOUR OWN EFFING DIAGNOSTIC PROGRAM YOU TELL ME THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG AND THAT MY TROUBLES WILL ALL MAGICALLY GO AWAY WHEN I USE AN OBSOLETE OPERATING SYSTEM?!?!?!?  WHAT'S UP WITH THAT SH*T?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

After lots of hyperventilating and angry fist shaking i came to the conclusion that thousands before me have come to already: that technical support for computers is mostly useless and designed to give end-users the runaround until the warranty runs out.  

Unable to get Gateway to help me, and unable to help myself, i did the next best thing... and Googled my problem.

Well - it turns out that crashing is a known issue with the 7805U and the problem has been pinpointed by the community-at-large to be the graphics card.  It's referred to as the nvlddmkm error and presumably is caused by the card running too hot.  I soon found a quick and easy fix - disable the Aero effects in Windows 7 which should (in my understanding) offload the graphics card a bit.  I did just that and BAM - like magic, the laptop worked like it was supposed to.

Except it didn't.  The crashes became less frequent, but didn't go away completely.  Random crashes would still happen a few times a week, and only when a flash video was playing.  In a world where Hulu is rapidly becoming a viable way to consume media, this was completely unacceptable.  I updated the flash player and even disabled graphics acceleration, to no avail. 

After even more research, i stumbled on this page, which described many of the symptoms i was experiencing.  After suffering through eleven months of spotty computer performance, i finally decided to take the plunge and flash (overwrite) my graphics card BIOS (basic input/output system) like the poster recommended.

Now?  Bliss.  I have the Aero eye-candy on again, am running Hulu and Boxee with nary a hiccup, and can play Starcraft 2 with all the settings on high (no Crysis yet, but i am going to install within the next week or so).  Ahhh.  I only wonder why i didn't do it before.  Fear of bricking my laptop?  For all the trouble it was giving me, i could have just about thrown it away anyway. 

These are the sort of issues that make me want to ditch PCs for good.  A favorable price:power ratio is cold comfort when you're staring at a screen that's frozen on Youtube or a BSOD (blue screen of death).  I tried Ubuntu once and really never had any issues - except that i had a a semi-difficult time finding drivers for my stuff AND (deal-breaker here) i couldn't get on battle.net.  Being the cheapskate that i am, i probably won't give up on PCs, just on Gateway.  And i'm seriously considering getting a Mac for my next computer (i did in fact get Gianina a Mac for school, but really that's hers and not mine).  They have Steam now. 

The moral of the story: don't buy from Gateway.  Ever.

New Shoes!

I admit that they're bit expensive, but after running the GR Marathon, i thought that i deserved to splurge just a little bit.  I've also been curious for some time now about improving my form by "barefoot running" (inspired in part by Christopher McDougall's Born to Run), so what they hey - i decided to get a pair of Terra Plana Vivobarefoot Evos.

Despite the fact that i like to wear what a friend has dubbed "Frodo socks" (toe socks), there's just something about Vibrams that makes me cringe.  By most account, the Evos are the next best thing.  I'm not sure if using them as an adjunct to training (i still plan on using my Mizunos for most of my mileage) will impact - pun intended - my performance, but only time will tell. 

Nice packaging.

A very striking look.  Yellow isn't normally my color, but this time ill make an exception.

The "ultra thin puncture resistant sole."

The sole is significantly thinner than my current shoes.  Apparently there's little to no support, allowing your feet to function as nature intended.

Wow, talk about flexible.

I don't think this is a good look for me. Or anyone.

4:10:25

So after three years of running (or, more accurately - "trying to be a real runner"), i completed my first marathon - the 2010 Grand Rapids Marathon - on October 17, 2010 with a finishing time of 4:10:25.

I'll be completely honest - i wasn't ecstatic with my performance.  On one hand, as Gianina keeps reminding me, i ought to be happy with the fact that i actually finished 26.2.  I actually am a bit, but on the other hand, i'm disappointed because i wasn't able to hit my goal time of somewhere below 4:00.  While i've consoled myself with the fact that my time is at least faster than two prominent celebrities: Oprah (4:29:20) and P Diddy (4:14:54), it smarts that i'm still slower than Will Ferrell (3:56:12).

In the end, it's still a PR.  I also suppose that it doesn't really make sense to compare one's performance to others unless you're an elite runner (such the venerable Meb Keflezighi, who won the NYC Marathon in 2:09:15 - just a smidge longer than my half-marathon time!).  Still, comparing oneself to celebs does endow a certain sense of accomplishment - if misplaced.  (Actually around mile 22, while i was trailing two guys, i heard one remark, "Beat Oprah - that's all i ask!").  

Despite the fact that i was practically unable to walk for five days after the race, i can safely say that i am excited to do the whole thing again.   I think I can understand why people get hooked on this.  Aside from the "runner's high," there were some true pleasures that i derived from the whole experience.  The cold air on my face and in my lungs in the predawn morning as we trudged towards the starting line.  The rumble underfoot of hundreds of runners finding their pace.  The gentle tap-tap-tapping of the soles of my shoes hitting the pavement when my legs followed the rhythm i trained them to hit. The rise of adrenaline powered by the crowd shouting encouragement and the volunteers giving support.

Even the not-so-pleasant moments are memorable.  The quickening of my breath at mile 22 signaling that i'd finally pushed myself to exhaustion.  The slow buildup of soreness in my right knee with the repetitive movement.  The cramping of my quads at mile 25 as i tried to push myself further.  The swell of despair when someone doing a 12-minute-mile passed me close to the end because i could hardly run anymore.  But the bad comes with the good.  Sort of like mixing salt in your cookie dough to bring out the sweetness.  And in the end - despite the hell that i semi-walked/limped through after mile 22 - i was still able to run the final 0.2.

In analyzing my performance, i can pinpoint exactly why i didn't hit my target time: i simply did not train enough.  The first eight weeks of training were doable, as i hit all my benchmark times, but it was the final month that separated the men from - well, me.  My legs were in a constant state of soreness, i was only infrequently able to hit my target pace with the hard/long workouts, and i had to just flat out rest on some days because of fatigue. Hopefully all of that is money in a bank and at least increased my level of fitness to such an extent that i'll be able to do a sub-4 next year.  Just another thing to look forward to and work towards. 

Right now, i guess it won't hurt to bask a little bit in a sense of accomplishment.

Before the run - a little apprehensive and wanting badly to use the portajohn. 

Despite my disappointment with myself, my family (especially my son, who is excited to start running his own races) provided avid support.