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Tuesday, May 31, 2005
 
A Long Time Forgotten

While working at DSL.net this WONDERFUL piece of brilliance made it's way to the web. Since then it's been duplicated and annoying, entertaining, people. Ahh. It's just brought a smile to my face which I needed BADLY! Have fun with it.

OPEN/SAVE

The reason it was brought back into the light is due to some frog re-mix (Axel Frog - http://www.axelfrog.com/) over in the U.K. Well done chaps.
- posted by garyploski @ 5/31/2005 04:13:00 PM 0 comments

 
ARGH!

I have no idea why, still, but I'm in ARGH mode. It's really starting to get to me too so after a brief thought and a slight nudge from emma I decided to head home.

Where is this pent up frustration coming from? I do have one thought but it seems silly that it'd cause this much ARGH within. Time will tell I think. Is 11o1 stressing me out because we're going to move in earlier? Hmm... Time ,time, time.
- posted by garyploski @ 5/31/2005 11:49:00 AM 1 comments

 
$36.99 - Billingagent.com?

BILLINGAGENT COM = ?

What?! I noticed on my most recent Amazon credit card statement a charge from Billingagent.com. Who the hell is that I thought?! Since I've been living with emma for the past 2 months I haven't gone through my bills. Well, when I went through 3 months of credit card statements I found 3 charges from this place. While speaking with a customer service rep (csr) I learned of a 4th! WTF!

According to the following post (linked below) on another site this company is "a Netherlands-based credit-card agent for porn sites." Well that's great. HUH?!

http://www.happybeagle.com/kevin/blog/archives/000924.html

I cancelled my card and will have a new one within 7-10 days. I was advised by the csr that I should be able to logon to my account info the day I activate my card. The charges are now in dispute and I'm posting this to alert anyone else about such a charge. I have no clue how it got there. Was a site's db cracked? I don't know how my card number got into someone's possession. If/when I find out I'll post an update.
- posted by garyploski @ 5/31/2005 12:10:00 AM 0 comments

 
Bully Boys

I'm sitting on the deck at the lake house while people are jumping on large tubes, reading, chatting, smacking a ball back and forth, and various other tinz. It's been a calm quit... er, except for the damn'd lawnmower (from next door) and the air compressor for the tube. Like I said, it's been gorram quiet!

Well, as soon as the compressor is turned off again it'll be so, so, nice.

It's been about 10 minutes of air compressing noise now... Like everything else does it's stopped. Thank god.

My head is still swelled with pain due to some neck pain and so that noise. Argh.

Wasn't the lake nice and peaceful Gar?
Oh yea. It was great. Ya know, after the leaf blower, air compressor, lawnmower, the singing, the t.v., the pressure washer, and all those other noise things were turned off.
brief pause
Yea, it was nice up there wasn't it.
Insert blank dumbfounded glare here.

Berman has found a way to look painfully cute while helping the fam. She's wearing my patagonia top, my socks, a VERY large pair of gloves and her skirt... to help with the leaves. Wait-a-minute - Meg has on my sneakers too. Yep, I'm as much a part of this clean-up as I can be now. 0= )

Thinking back...

The ride up felt like a blip on the radar due to the company - Ev and Meg. I don't normally get to hang out with them for longer than 10 minutes or so due to this, that, AND the other thing. Hopefully there will be more opportunities to connect with them this summer either here at the lake, at 1101, or en route to the lake. Meg mentioned something of interest to me just before heading out to Sunday Mass 'I'm not sure where I stand now. I don't know what to believe.'

More than 2 hours later Tree, Gram, Ev, and Meg returned from Mass. 2 HOURS. WTF. The breakdown was: 40 minutes of music, mass, and approximately 55 minutes of lecture, er sermon from some dude. He had his 12" PowerBook with him and told everyone about the most helpful books he found to aide with the search for one's destiny. Ya know. It's THAT easy. Read some books and VOILA! You'll find your destiny is in the prologue. If it isn't you better read the next book..

Sigh.

Nobody enjoyed the lecture so it was fully enjoyable poking fun at the whole situation. Meg had a few more thoughts to throw emma and my way before we were slated to head back to CT. Sadly I was nearly immobile due to my head pain. Emma kneaded my neck and it HURT, hurt, hurt! Happily it did ease the pressure from my head. I digress...

Very few children want to disappoint their parents. It's just the way it is. During the conversation Meg expressed a worry that because she was confused about what to believe her rents might be disappointed in her. = \ We tried to tell her that she can believe whatever she like and her rents will be proud of her. It frustrates me because I was roped into the church when I was young but found my way out almost as fast as I found my way in. She's searching for her truth. Her system and so she's begun with a great method - Asking questions. Rock on keepah.

It was a great chat and I hope she, and the other cuzs, take me up on the offer to visit 11o1. It'd be great to sit, chat, and just connect. I really want to be able to talk to them again, and as adults. They're pretty much there. It's time. Thump time that is.
- posted by garyploski @ 5/31/2005 12:09:00 AM 0 comments

Thursday, May 26, 2005
 
AniMAZING! Gris Grimly! Fuzzy Wuzzy!

And so there it was. Hanging. Motionless. Tagless. Nobody had claimed it. Oh my wow. Surrounding it were rows of other intensely incredible killer work by a soon to be household name within the comic and children's book world - Gris Grimly. Of course we all know that his real name is... Shoot, I promised I wouldn't tell. 0= o.

And so the The Art of Gris Gimly Show went on with the amazing (pun, yea I know) MAD HARE watching over all the pretty EYELESS people. And what was I doing through all of this? Why, I was making a friend, or rather, as Emma put it - Gris was making a friend. = ) It was SO UTTERLY VERY COOL! Utterly!

He's a quite guy... Well, in that environment he was. He was quiet until I mentioned Sam Keith. At that point the night changed. He knew he wasn't talking to some money kind-a guy. Hell no! He was talking to a down and out comic book junkie that just needed a fix of the newest street drug. Hoooooooooooooooooooooo! I got a fixin that evening. After we met Gris and I started parrying names back and forth only to have a friggin autograph get in the way. WTF autographee! Grr! We're talking here! A few minutes later, he was pulled into more than an autograph, Gris returned and thanked me for not mentioning the name Tim Burton.

Tim who? = o Of course I know Tim Burton but they have completely different techniques and style. Damn you 'the masses' needing a name to attach to utterly, say wha wha? - utterly rockin artwork. He's got his own thing going on and people are noticing. Why... a Mr. Neil Gaiman will be producing a book with him in 2006 or 2007 - whenever Gris is able to sit and pen the art. Yup, yup, yup.

Oh yea. We chatted some more and more and more. It really was like Emma described - Gris did make a friend. How? We share similar interests and passion. While I'm not an artist I can see where he was influenced because I was influenced by the same people. Hell, he's 26, I'm 29, we grew up watching the same T.V. hearing the same news, etc. We're a part of the same generation. What else could be better? Why... He wants to get into the comic world. Well, with his name growing in strength I'm sure he'll see a book of his own soon. If a book like a David Mack's Kabuki can rope in an audience the way it does I'm certain Gris's storytelling and art would do the same thing.

It was such a great night.

Such a great night.

Thank you Heidi and thank you Emma for a... you know the rest.

That pic at the top of the page? It's called "Fuzzy Wuzzy". The famous Fuzzy Wuzzy from the children's song:

Fuzzy Wuzzy was a bear
Fuzzy Wuzzy had no hair
Fuzzy Wuzzy wasn't fuzzy, was he?
Was he bare?

Well, the famous Fuzzy Wuzzy was signed by Gris for for my birthday. Thanks Emma! Wink wink nudge nudge.
- posted by garyploski @ 5/26/2005 03:06:00 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, May 25, 2005
 
A Quick Entry

Seeing as how I'm going to be in CT until at least 0030 tomorrow I'm going to be quick and to the point in this post.

Things have been so fantastically happy with life. Of course, as many of my painful earlier posts also speak of, my back is tense. Very tense. Probably the most tense it's ever been. I actually feel old moving around sometimes because it's so tight. BUT! After the past couple days, lets say one and a half weeks for fun, everything is loosening up. Phew. Had it continued on much longer I think I would have taken some sort of drug to ease the tension.

ARGH!

It's so damn'd early but 'my girl' and I will be venturing to CT after work to support BT in New Haven and then to scurry up to Hartford for an inspirational speech by Josh Whedon. Oh yea, and Serenity! =D SCORE!

I'm a gee dee happy friggin y chromosome. Hot damn. My dad was trying to be kind and fatherly when he said to me recently that I should enjoy it while it lasts cause it doesn't last. I let him know I'd been conscious of such things but already found myself enjoying the eff out of my life right now. Things can get worse. Of course. But the thing most people seem to forget is the other side of the coin... I can get better too.

And I think it's just gonna keep on keepin on.

How so? How's about jump number 3 for my 30th on 8/20? The list has already begun. Let er rip!
- posted by garyploski @ 5/25/2005 10:43:00 PM 0 comments

 
Complete! Next...
I did it! I managed to move ALL of my digital posts into ONE place. My, my, my - What a task it proved to be. One helluva site though...
This summer I WILL enter in my written journals from Greece and France - after the move and when I find them.

Next up? I'll finally get to write about meeting Gris Grimly and his artwork - Fuzzy Wuzzy - that will be hanging in 11o1!

Speaking of 1101 I'll be posting on http://11o1.us going forward now as well.
- posted by garyploski @ 5/25/2005 01:50:00 AM 0 comments
Saturday, May 21, 2005
 
1997-2001 - Voila!
I finally finished compiling all of my online posts from 1997 to 2001. Happy friggin times! My god I'm stoked to be done with it all. Now what? Well, there's about 250 posts that need to be added to the mix from 2002-2005. I also hope to add my written journals from Greece, France, and any other excursion to the mix. Tonight I'm happy to know my houghts from 1997-2001 are now archived. Yahoo Blogger! Er, I mean yea Blogger. 0= )
- posted by garyploski @ 5/21/2005 10:30:00 PM 0 comments
Sunday, May 08, 2005
 
Gohan

Somehow my dinner last night was jail like... bread and milk. I did have a special topping though - margarine a grape jelly!

Yup, ***** star dining! Yum!

Mudda just arrived to it's off to Friendly's with Mudda and Gram. More yum time ahead and then Honey visiting time.

05-08-2005 09:26 am
- posted by garyploski @ 5/08/2005 09:26:00 AM 0 comments

 
Looking Forward

I'm very much ready to write about my evening out last, er, Friday night. Being 400 AM Sunday I'm a bit off the mentally stable boat. I've begun the process of migrating ALL my journal entries into one place. Presently all my entries from August 1997-March 1998 are online. Once I've got all my Japan etries up I'll start moving my entires from 22 Waterbury Road. After that, everything that is here. There's going to be a lot in one place. = D

Now... bed. Well, after I watch the new trailer for Harry Potter.

05-08-2005 03:01 am
- posted by garyploski @ 5/08/2005 03:01:00 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, May 04, 2005
 
TV... Er, PC Adict!

For the past three days or so I've been addicted to Battlestar Galactica. Damn you Jacek for feeding my addiction! = D

I've actually fallen into two shows that have held me at bay. One was canceled a year or so back and the other, mentioned above, is flying high. Happily the canceled show will soon be on the big screen so WEEE!

Firefly and Battlestar Galactica... Space! Stories about us flesh bags and our silly problems... in space! It's so happy happy joy joy that a fly DID marry a bumble bee!

The contrast between the two is profound. Firefly has humor - check, witty dialog - check, a feeling of hope - check. Battlstar takes it the other way with tension - check, desperation - check,

Both have something in common - unpredictability. At times you'll know what is going to happen but the something comes along and THWAPS you in the grey matter leaving you stunned and ready for more.

It's so nice having the opportunity to watch the shows on a PC, oh yea and a DVD player. Of course the files aren't high quality like a DVD would be but it sure is nice not having commercials to interupt the flow of the show. Yea bittorrent! Er, Jacek! = )

Ahh. TV shows haven't been this much fun since... well, Oz, West Wing, B5, Buffy. Hmm, I guess it's been a while. Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. 05-04-2005 11:34 pm
- posted by garyploski @ 5/04/2005 11:34:00 PM 0 comments

 
4 + 19 in 48 = ???

The Last Shot!

Not too ago I found myself wobbling around like a weeble in a bar. My eyes were wandering around on their own as if someone else were controlling them and my mind felt like it was going to fall out the back of my head.

It was my first worthwhlie, albeit highly time sensitive, movie shoot. The added bonus was that Marty, the writer/director, had asked me to look as tired as I could. Mission ACCOMPLISH in font size 72. I stayed up untill 3 AM reading the script I received at 12 AM and browsing the web trying to stay up as long as possible for m'boy. Bright and early me mudda, emma, and I got ready to head down to Naugatuck for Dziadz's wake. It was one helluva morning.

Note - I had managed 4 hours of sleep. Hey, hey, hey!

The wake was very welcoming. Everyone in the family was... dare I say... Chipper. It was a peaceful, warm, comforting wake. And hot damn it was nice to see the entire Ploski fam standing in the same room again.

The most annoying thing I found out about after emma and I left the wake regarded a comment someone made about me. "Is he hung over?" Granted, that made me smile because I wanted to look tired and I know I was mentally, well, lalala-ing, but come on... Hung over?! WTF mate!

Anyone that KNOWS me is aware of my drinking habits... Milk - check. Water - check. Alcohol - ENNNH! Not on the board. = P to you mr./ms./mrs. asker of such a silly question. Grumble, grumble.

I imagined a long day. My expectations fit within the 12-14 hours time frame. I was, simply, wrong. Wrong in the way that a bird has flown into the window Wrong. BAM! Ow, where'd that come from kinda wrong. It was 4:30 AM - the next day kiddies - when I finally heard Marty say "That's a wrap." Er... yea, something like that. It may have been more profound or even less profound or jargony or something. All I knew was that my job was done. My part in the "fun" was over. It was time to sleep.

What a wonderful sound it was - Mr. Thump. Hello Mr. Pillow. Oh, hello there Mr. Head. Let's meditate for a while. What do you think? Suuuuure... thump.

Many hours later I awoke and began to wonder about the movie. How would it be? Would it be completed in time? Would it... gasp... win?!

Well, many weeks later all the questions have been answered. It's damn good. Especially considering the time frame to write, film, and edit the sucka - 48 hours. Yes! It was completed and submitted to the judges in Boston by 700 PM on Sunday. Win?! No, sadly it did not win the audience award or the best in group award. Interestingly though, it will be showing at the The Greenwich Arts Center located on 299 Greenwich Ave, Greenwich, CT on May 14th at 700 PM. If you're in the area and would like to see it, as well as many other short films, stop by. Here's the web addy: http://www.greenwichmicrocinema.com

Now that I've had some time to reflect on the film and have shown it to many a pair of eyes I feel comfortable writing about my impressions and experience. Ahhh...

Film. What an odd medium. Having just finished a run of Chehkov's 'A Marriage Proposal' I can say, at the present time, that my primary interest is live theater. It's a wonderful having a performance at the tip of my fingers but it lacks... participation. It lacks the energy that an audience has during a live show. I'm running on about live theater... Blah.

Film... Well, this project was every bit a learning experience as it was a mind trip. I've been playing so many drunkards lately I'm a bit aghast really. Hell, even in the Chehkov piece. Maybe I should start drinking, apparently everyone else thinks I am. = O

I don't like watching myself on screen. I feel like nearly everything I did or said was overacted or bland. Note I said nearly everything. There were some moments that I enjoyed. Honestly the editing near the end was my favorite part of the film. Heh, when death watches you, you better be cautious.

Performing each bit of dialog was frustrating for both BT and I. Because of the filming process there was no momentum in our opinion. Why? Well, we're both accustomed to... you got it, live theater. Yea, yea, yea. We jumped from section to section of dialog only to return to a previous section only to go to the end and then back to somewhere in the middle. Brain eff. Ahhhhh! Remember, I was working on 4 hours sleep and this was happening at about 11 or 12 in the evening. Brain eff!

Side note thought. A few people praised me for my drunkenness which was... nice? Mmm, t'was good. I've wondered if I'd ever be able to manage something I've never known - being drunk. After hearing that I "do a good drunk" from people that know the feeling, I smile a bit more. Neat!

All in all, I know I enjoyed the process. Would I like to do it again... Yes. But, not under the time constraints we worked with during this shoot. A 6 hour shoot I can handle EASILY now. Hell, even 12 hours. When you hit 19+ hours you're brain kinda goes kooky.

So, if you haven't seen it yet, check out "The Last Shot" online still (I hope) at: http://jacobib.com/uploads/thelastshot.zip It's a BIG file - 108 MB

Special notes:
Windows users upgrade to WMP 10
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/mp10/default.aspx
Apple users install VLC
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

Now, at 134 AM. Heh, 134, I must post this and find my way to bed. Five classes left. The countdown continues.

05-04-2005 12:50 am
- posted by garyploski @ 5/04/2005 12:50:00 AM 0 comments


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