Suck It, monkeys! I've gone corporate! (reposted from the Lucas Letters)

"So yeah. We've been back, and as the title suggests, I am no longer a spanner in the works. I am now a cog in the machine. In English? I am now the team leader of the mighty juggernaut that is 42. It's the team I came from and it's the team I know best. I also know it's thanks to their glowing feedback and stunning performance when I was ATLing that I got the job. I find that now that I'm an official team leader and not just a long term ATL or a fill-in, my view of the centre where I work has changed. People that were the bane of my existence are now either on the same level or a step below, and so I no longer have to take their crap or leave them unchallenged. Not that I'm in it only for the revenge, of course. There's also a slightly better chair.

Bought a new pillow day before last. It's due to my 20-days-of-headache that I had throughout the honeymoon, and the fewer, but still noticeable times I've had since I came back. Tanja and I each have a moulded neck-support pillow that, while looking like a university-lounge couch cushion, provides the support so our spines aren't ripping themselves to bits while we sleep. However, it does take some getting used to. Night before last when I tried it for the first time was awful. Waking up every hour or so and then a giant massive migraine in the morning. Last night was way easier, so I think it's just my body reacting.

Speaking of my body reacting, the first two times you go to the gym after a near 3-week absence? Expect to hurt the next day. Yeah.

Tanja's been hopping back and forth to the mountains lately, to help out with her mum. I've been going up too, but I always feel like the proverbial fifth wheel, just sitting there until someone asks me to do something. I'm giving support, though, so that's the important part. Overseas Christmas presents have been sent, and most of the local ones have been picked up. Even though it's 2 weeks to Xmas, I don't feel particularly holiday-like.

-Lucas"

Bzzzap.

I was at the gym yesterday and I saw on one of the monitors part of an episode of the latest Spider-Man cartoon, The Spectacular Spider-Man. I watched it without sound for a little bit, seeing Spidey hop around dodging energy blasts from a guy in a green suit that looks similar to Ultimate Scorpion, but without the tail. His mask was opened up partway through the fight and he seemed to have a sort of green Ghost-Rider-style flames around his head. I then plugged my headphones into the jack to see who the hell this guy was supposed to be. The audio came up just in time for me to hear this villian go "They're gone! Gone! My only chance at a cure!" as some bystanders run away. "It's your fault!" he ranted at Spidey, "and I'll make you pay!" Blast. Dodge. Blast-blast. Dodge. Then the villian stole some electricity from a nearby machine.

Then it hit me.

This is meant to be Electro.

What the fuck?

First off, don't draw electricity like flames. Draw it like lightning. Lighting is cool. Green flames are not. It used to bug me when Transformers would draw metal crumbling and falling apart like rock, so this is not a new pet peeve of mine.

Secondly, I hate Spider-Man fights where he's hopping around like a jumping bean avoiding hits and allowing tons of collateral damage when he should be fighting proactively, like, say when a civilian or two is nearby. The fact that they based the climax of the episode around a fight like this bores me.

Thirdly, Electro! He's an electrified goon! A mercenary! He enjoys his powers because he's basically a big bully. Picture Nelson Muntz if he could electrify things. The guys on iFanboy had this discussion where basically Spider-Man villians fall into three categories: those that are misunderstood out-of-their-control monsters (like The Hulk, or to some extent, Venom), pure evil (either homicidal or world-domination style, such as Carnage, Doctor Octopus, and the Green Goblin), and there are the powered bank robbers (such as Scorpion, Vulture, and Electro). All they want is money. Putting a tortured, "oh, I'm a freak, all I want to do is be normal"-Mr-Freeze-style-backstory on Electro is like putting an elevator in an outhouse. It don't belong.

I know it's a kids-oriented show, and they think by giving him this backstory, it'll make people sympathise. They might, it's true, but then having Spidey whomp this guy into oblivion kind of stops you from enjoying that sympathy.

But I digress.

Unreliably Immune

So it's now 7 full days that I've been sick. Not just "I feel a bit off" sick but more like "waking up at 3am coughing and chowing down on Strepsils like candy so I can go back to sleep" sick. In that time I've taken three days off work. Two more were taken by annual leave. Damnit, body, this is unacceptable. Sort your shit out! This is the longest time I've been sick since high school. Usually, I get a bit sniffly on day 1, am sick for day 2, then am fine by day 3 (although I've usually passed it to Tanja at this point, who stays sick for 2 weeks). It's the benefit of a good immune system. But that's seemingly not WORKing now!

Also, in that 7 days, I haven't gone to the gym at all in 6 days. I went the first day, but found I couldn't breathe right because of my throat. And as of today I feel like I've gone right back to as fat-feeling as I was 5 weeks ago. 5 weeks to get fitter, 1 week to ruin it. Go me.

Nerd Alert!

So I was awoken this morning by anger from Tanja. You see, we've been going to the gym for two weeks as of today, and instead of losing piles and piles of weight as she expected, she's actually gained a fifth of a kilo. I tried to explain that I to hadn't lost much, but we've just started.... then gave up and went back to sleep. When I woke up again, it was still going on. I got up, had my coffee and joined in the debate. After a while, I made a passing comment about Tanja taking on a Godzilla vibe. This was met with a deadly silence. Then:

T: "So I'm a big, fat, green, scaly LIZARD?"
L: "No, come on! Godzilla's all muscle!... Except the tail."
*beat*
T: "Oh, come on, the tail would be the most muscular bit!"
L: "And city-stomping burns lots of calories. Full body workout."
T: "Yeah, it would be..."
L: "And fire-breath is fuelled by fat."
T: "Hmmm...."

Tanja was then interrupted when I launched myself at her, hugging her and laughing.

T: "What?"
L: "I'M SO PROUD! We're having a discussion about Godzilla's body-make-up and exercise routine. YOU NERD! I'm so proud!"

Heh.

Feel the Burn!

So I rode my bike into work today. Was great. Shaved about 35 minutes off my travel time. Legs hurting a little bit (damned gentle incline up Cleveland st!) but not too bad.

One thing I realised, though.... Here in Australia, the rear brake is on the left. The front brake is on the right. In Canada, it's the opposite. This caused some confusion, but not the comically catastrophic crash I was dreading.

And then I got to work and someone had pulled out my desk drawers, spilling things onto the floor. Nothing was taken, that I can see, but it still made me grumpy.

Not a LOLcat. Promise.

For all of the complaints (well, ok, two), that lolcat was my most-commented blog post in, well, months. It did it's duty.

The new iPod Touch commercials are using CSS's "Music Is My Hot Hot Sex" as their theme. It's a fun song. I read a review of the band in Mojo and bought that song on iTunes. Now it's in an ad. People are going to think I have the song because of the ad. So, like all those people who actually like "Jerk It Out" by the Caesars (which was also on an iPod ad, which I also have but admittedly, I first heard it from SSX3 on PS2), that was, I must screen what comes out of my speaks for fear of being a trendwhore.

Tanja and I joined a gym. Happily, it doesn't open until late January, early February. The need for it was intensified by Kommi at work, who, after seeing me with a piece of cake from someone's farewell, tactfully asked if I had gained weight. I spent the rest of the evening feeling like I had a bowling ball hanging off my gut. I even contemplated going out and buying a looser shirt on my lunch break. Of course, she DID rectify the situation by saying that I was "a cuddly guy" and that she liked her fiance with his lovehandles. Yeah right.

Running! Sort of.

Man, making today the first day to attempt to Cecil-style run to work was not a good idea. First, it's fucking hot. Second, since I had changed into board shorts and a t-shirt, I was carrying work clothes in my bag. Which made my bag heavy. Too heavy, in fact, to run. So I walked quickly. And then I forgot to lock the front door. So I went back, dug my keys out of my very-full bag (damn board shorts having no pockets!) and locked the door. And left again. Then had to come back because I forgot the passport paperwork I had promised Tanja I'd bring. Then had to dig out my keys to UNlock the door. And then on the way to work I saw my Dad outside of where he's staying. He waves at me, and I cross the street. "Hey." "Hey Dad. Can't talk, I'm going to work." "This late?" "I start at 11 today, Dad. I've gotta go." "Why?" My father, ladies and gents. So Despite being all late to the point of ridiculousness, I only arrived like 5 minutes late for work. Whew.