January 2, 2009
happy new year!
Posting has been light over the Christmas period. Me and my girlfriend went up to North Carolina for a few days and vegged out on food and movies. I finally watched the Godfather Trilogy in its entirety and we also caught the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. We spent New Year's Eve in Sarasota with friends and yesterday we drove up to Orlando for the Capital One Bowl. It was cool to see the Dawgs play even if the season has been a disappointment. Now that the holidays are out of the way I'll get back to posting more often.
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October 13, 2008
saturday skydiving
On Saturday I had the wonderful opportunity to go skydiving. It was an unbelievable experience. I went with six friends and my girlfriend and it was awesome. The group was fun and the tandem jumpers made the experience as smooth as possible. We had to drive an hour to get to Mulberry where Skydive Tampa is located. We arrived at the hanger at noon and it took us five hours to get everyone up. The plane could only hold four people at a time so it was a process getting everyone up. Me and my girlfriend Erin jumped together (with our two tandem divers). I didn't know exactly how I would react. I'm not especially afraid of heights, but according to the certified jumpers fear of heights doesn't really come into play with skydiving. I think the most shocking thing about the experience was that I didn't get very nervous about it. The freefall was something I'll never forget. I went right through a cloud and after a minute the chute opened and we glided down to the ground.
I'm so glad I was able to do this over the weekend and that I was able to experience with such a fun group. Now that I've done it I can't wait to do it again. It's an amazing experience.
Posted by nemov at 12:24 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
September 3, 2008
re: labor day road trip
A funny thing happened on the way to North Carolina. Hertz completely screwed up my car rental reservation. The pleasant person who I talked to on three occasions assured me that a Prius would be available. Unfortunately stupidity prevailed and they didn't hold the reservation. It reminds me a lot of the following Seinfeld moment.
Hertz wasn't about to lose my business. Instead of a Prius they offered me a Ford Mustang. Fuel efficient meets fuel inefficient. Hertz then asked me to wait a few hours and they "fix the situation." I waited three hours and never even received a courtesy call. That's "not exactly" the type of customer service I was hoping to get. So I wasted half of a vacation day hoping they'd solve the problem. I should bill the Bradenton, FL Hertz location for my time.
The rest of the trip was fantastic. It was great to see the beautiful state of North Carolina. Me and the family spent one day at the VFW Hillsville, VA Flea Market, Gun Show. I've never been to one of these things but it was a lot of fun.
Monday me, my brother, and my girlfriend scaled Stone Mountain, NC. It was great, I haven't been to the park in over a decade. On the way home we encountered a very aggressive driver. Tailgating, speeding, and driving erratically. Road rage I can certainly believe in.
The driver also had bumper stickers on the front of the car... just in case you missed the back of the car. It seems like the link between bumper stickers and road rage really exists. All in all, it was a great trip. 22 hours of driving, a day of football, 250+ steps, family, and friends.
Posted by nemov at 9:45 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
August 5, 2008
back from the northwest
I've been out of commission the past few days. Being at Priest Lake is always a welcome break from civilization. I had a very relaxing week. I finished reading Thomas Sowell's Economic Facts and Fallacies, read Mark Steyn's America Alone, and I started Randal O'Toole's Best-Laid Plans. It's a lot of information to digest and I'll be writing some reviews later this week when I have some more time.
Nothing super eventful has happened since I went west. My beloved Georgia Bulldogs are ranked #1 in the pre-season Coaches Poll. It doesn't really amount to much, but it's the first time that's happened that I can remember. The presidential campaign is waiting for the announcement of the VPs. I thought that would happen either last week or this week with the Olympics coming up, but so far it hasn't happened yet. Right now the race is deadlocked, McCain probably has a slight lead. I'm kind of surprised actually. I thought Obama would have a huge lead at this stage, especially after the trip abroad. The fact that he hasn't run away with this race is a good sign for McCain. I have a ton of smoke smelling laundry to do. It's good to be back, but I miss the lake.
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July 25, 2008
going to priest lake
I'm flying out to the state of Washington tomorrow morning and on Sunday I'm headed to Priest Lake, Idaho for my annual camping trip. This will mark the third straight year I've gone to the lake and I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing week. I've brought a couple of books and the last two copies of the economist to keep me busy. No internet, email, or electricity for a week. I return on Tuesday August, 5th. Until then Club Soda will be proving the content. By the time I get back we might have VP candidates, Obama may become President of the Universe, and John McCain may have alienated his base once again. November can't get here soon enough.
Posted by nemov at 10:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 8, 2008
the first week in april
Whoa, is me... I haven't written anything for over two weeks. Things have been very busy in the world of nemov and with the lapses in the primaries things are a bit slow with politics. However, there are some interesting things going on in the world. For example, the weather. World temperatures haven't risen in ten years, but we're still hearing how terrible things are going to be in the future. The fact that Al Gore won a Nobel Peace Prize for a documentary about the climate is a perfect example of how stupid people are in the twenty-first century. How else can you explain giving a "world peace" prize to someone for a movie about the weather? Meanwhile the world's temperature doesn't increase for a decade.
In other news, the Sarasota Film Festival is in full swing. Saturday afternoon I went to see the movie Numb and tonight I watched Special People. Numb played before a sold out theater and starred Matthew Perry. The movie had a great soundtrack, but it lacked some creativity when it came to the dialogue. The f-bomb seemed to be used for every period and explanation point. It had its moments though.
Special People was a great little indie flick out of the UK. The director stuck around after the screening and answered a couple of questions. I had an observation about the film (about humor of course) that I thought was very interesting. Evidently Europeans find humor about the handicapped much more hilarious than Americans. I'll have to side with the Europeans on this one, I laughed out loud on several occasions. Anyway it was a great little movie and probably my favorite of this year's festival.
Posted by nemov at 7:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 8, 2008
when experts rule the world
What is it about our form of government that upsets so many people? Jonah Goldberg has a new blog called Liberal Fascism that's an offshoot of his book. Goldberg's New York Times Bestselling book is collecting a lot ire from the Left, but it's difficult to overlook classic moments like this op-ed. It's a fabulous example of utopian nonsense.
Liberal democracy is sweet and addictive and indeed in the most extreme case, the USA, unbridled individual liberty overwhelms many of the collective needs of the citizens. . . There must be open minds to look critically at liberal democracy. Reform must involve the adoption of structures to act quickly regardless of some perceived liberties. . .You seriously can't make this stuff up.
We are going to have to look how authoritarian decisions based on consensus science can be implemented to contain greenhouse emissions.
Posted by nemov at 7:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 23, 2008
twenty-nine
Seriously, a year has passed since I wrote twenty-eight? It really was a great year. I have probably changed more in the past twelve months than any time in my life. Moving into a place by myself was a great change. Nemov.net became more of a political blog and Club Soda joined as a writer, even though he hasn't written much lately.
I was in the paper, in some magazines, there was eFest, cornhole, dodgeball, kickball, bowling, St. Patricks Day, beer fest, RVs, football games, Braves, and Bulldogs. I got to see the Tar Heels win the ACC Tournament from a luxury suite. At home I wrote tons of songs, read lots of books, and bought a Wii. In Sarasota I made a home. Who knows what tomorrow will bring but I'll remember last year as the year I made a ton of great friends. We camped, we planned, we partied, and we enjoyed every minute of it.
Plus I made it to Priest Lake for the second straight year and I can't wait to go again. I'll be thirty next year... what an amazing time to be alive.
Posted by nemov at 6:43 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 13, 2008
the fruits of my labor
Here's the outcome of my film project from last month. With the help of my friend we co-wrote this piece and I filmed it over the course of a few days. Here's the final product.
Part One:
Part Two:
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December 20, 2007
no spare time in december
Things have definitely slowed down here at nemov.net the past few weeks. Things should start heading up once the primaries start next month. Due to work projects Club Soda and I have been extremely busy. We recently co-wrote a script that's a parody of the Office. It's for our company's annual banquet in January. It took a couple of weeks to write the script and I just spent a week shooting it at the office.
A friend of mine was very helpful and let us borrow a super nice Sony camera to film the scenes. I shot most of the scenes/interviews over the course of the past week during lunch breaks, early in the morning, and after work. Tuesday we completed the last scenes and it's in th editing process now. Someone else is editing it all, but I'll likely have a large part in that process as well when I return for NC next week. Saturday morning I'm flying up the Tar Heel state for five days. While I'm spending time with my family, shopping, and eating Bojangles I think I'll find some time to write.
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November 18, 2007
the day after efest
Efest was a tremendous success. The weather was perfect yesterday and the turnout had to be around 10,000 people. My parking crew got to the grounds around 8am. We plugged in our two way radios and started directing traffic. For the event I rented 15 two way radio for the Efest coordinators and the parking crew. I can't thank my friends enough for volunteering to help yesterday. They dealt with annoying/angry people, sunburns, and no breaks for eight hours.
I took that shot in the morning from my golf cart. I had my volunteers stationed at various points along the road to direct traffic. Unfortunately over half the people that signed up to help didn't show up so a lot of people worked a lot longer than they were told going into the day. I spent most of the morning riding around in a golf cart making sure everyone had what they needed. Around 1pm things got crazy and all of us were directing traffic. Traffic was backed all the way to I-75, which is over two miles away. Fortunately we had a lot of help from police officers that directed traffic and supplied us with orange parking cones. Around 3:30pm the traffic died down enough to release all the volunteers.
After we got back to the grounds (and I almost took out the merchandise tent out with the golf cart) we stopped by the music stage to have a couple of beers. My only regret for the day is that we didn't really get a chance to walk around the event very much. We were just too busy to enjoy the show. Regardless we had a great time and working on this project was a lot of fun. Next year Efest will be a two day event, and I believe I'll bring sunblock.
Posted by nemov at 10:49 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 12, 2007
getting back into the swing of things
I haven't been writing much the past two weeks. Things have been really busy at work and I haven't really seen much that I've felt like writing about. That should change this week. The kickball playoffs are coming up on Thursday. I haven't written a synopsis on every game this season. We're 7-2 going into the playoffs and I'm confident we'll win again. Win or lose I'll write a short summary of the games.
I just returned from a short trip to North Carolina. Thanksgiving is coming up in a couple of weeks and I decided to save some money and visit the family early. It was fun, yesterday I went to the Panthers vs. Falcons game. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to bring my camera bag into the stadium so I was force to throw it away, even worse, my keys were in the bag. Thanks to the stupid stadium policy I'm out around $200.
This Saturday I am coordinating the parking for Efest. Efest is an environmental festival to help promote the issue of sustainability and conservation. I volunteered for the even a couple of months ago and I'm responsible for coordinating all the parking for around 5000 cars. Obviously I have a lot of problems with the whole issue of Global Warming. I think it is an absurd, contrived, and over exaggerated issue. Despite my reservations on that issue there are a myriad of other environmental issues that I believe are important. A few of the issues that I care about include safe drinking water, alternative energy, red tide, and conservation. The one positive effect of the climate change hysteria is that people are recognizing the importance of some of these issues.
Efest takes place between 9:30a-6p at the Lakewood Ranch Polo Grounds. Information can be found at the website or in the November issue of Positive Change magazine. There's a brief write up on all of the main coordinators (there's around 15 of us in all). I have four friends who have volunteered to help me carry out this project. It's going to be a huge task, but I'm looking forward to the challange.
Posted by nemov at 7:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 18, 2007
something precious in georgia
My trip to Georgia was a success. The Georgia game was awesome. It's been a long time since I've been to Sanford Stadium. The atmosphere in Athens is great and the town is blast. We rented an RV so we could tailgate before the game. Our parking spot was kind of in a bad area of town, but we managed stay out of trouble. Last night I finally got to see a Braves game at Turner Field. Our seats were 15 rows behind home plate. It's a great place to see a baseball game. We walked all over the park before the game, watched batting practice, and took a ton of pictures. Overall the trip was great. A big thanks to all of my friends who came down for the weekend.
There's too much stuff that happened over the four days to go into much detail, but here's my favorite story. We got to Athens after dark and we couldn't find our parking spot. After driving around for about 15 minutes we decided to pull the RV into a store and ask for directions. Turns out it was a liquor store. At this point we're rolling six deep in the RV. My friend jumps out and runs inside while I'm turning the beast around in the parking lot. While I'm doing this someone knocks on my window and immediately roll the window down thinking it was my friend. It wasn't my friend, it was some sketchy looking guy holding something under a towel. Here's the exchange.
Sketchy Guy: You want to see something precious?
Me: No, I'm good, I'm fine.
Sketchy Guy: Really, you want to see something precious?
I should add that at this point my boys in the RV are going into crisis mode. I turned to my brother who was riding shotgun and it was a look of disbelief. This guy wasn't going to take no for an answer. In my mind I was going through the nightmare scenarios. Most of these scenarios involved a glock being under the towel, especially the way he was holding it. He finally pulls the towel out and reveals a puppy. I didn't know what to say other than, "Aww, how cute." What do you say in that situation? It was just a random bizarre moment. After we saw the puppy he walked away. He was going around showing other people in a similar fashion. Oh Athens, we love you!
Posted by nemov at 7:32 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
August 27, 2007
long baseball weekend
I spent the weekend at the friendly confines of Tropicana field in Saint Petersburg. My friend came down from Brooklyn. She's a huge Oakland A's fan. Unfortunately, the A's lost all three games. Despite the bad play by the A's we had a great time. Friday night was College Night and we managed to pass ourselves off as college students for the $1 beers, cheap seats, and the chance for a $500 scholarship. It was a competition and we almost won. We got to go to the field level behind the A's bullpen and we lost, but that just saved us the embarrassing post-win conversation with the event organizers. The Devil Rays are always awful, but it's a great place to see Major League Baseball. The stadium is always empty and for the price of cheap tickets you can sit a few rows from the field. The best part is that Saturday night was African American nights so there was a Delmon Young figurine giveaway. Couldn't they have picked someone a little more respectable? For those that don't remember, here's Young's defining moment.
Posted by nemov at 10:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 6, 2007
favorite places
On my way home from Washington last week I started thinking about my favorite places. I've been fortunate to travel around most of the United States. Here is a list of my favorite place in no specific order.
Charlotte, NC: My favorite city in North Carolina, and home to my alma mater. I have a lot of great memories while I was going to school there. In many ways my heart still resides in North Carolina and in Charlotte. The Queen City is a yuppie paradise. There's so many young professionals in Bank City. The competitive atmosphere is contagious.
New York, NY: I'll never forget seeing New York for the first time. I was twenty and I took a sixteen hour greyhound bus ride to arrive in the city at 6am. Since then I've made additional trips. I've spent a couple of months in the city when I add it all up. I haven't been back for two years. There's always been something about the city that breaks my heart.
Priest Lake, ID: The past two trips to Priest Lake have been amazing. The beauty of the area can only be experienced in person. The summer of 2006 when I saw the beach at Lionhead for the first time I was changed forever. I'll always associate Priest Lake with starting over. It's a great place for me to regroup. So many good memories. I can't wait to go back.
Charleston, SC: My favorite town in America. It's the heart of the South and is the prefect balance between the old and new world. There are so many stories around every corner. Like New York something about the town makes me sad, but at the same time it feels me with an energy I don't get anywhere else.
Sarasota, FL: After three years this town has finally become part of me. I love the little shops and great restaurants. Seista Key is one of the best beaches on the planet. There's a never ending list of things to do. I hate the reason I moved here and the memories of my first year and a half; however, I don't remember those things anymore. Sarasota fills my heart with hope and endless opportunities. Every time I drive over Ringling Bridge I'm reminded of the promise this town brings. It's why I stayed here. To replace the worst event of my life with something else. Thanks to Sarasota and the wonderful friends I've made here I've been able to do that.
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July 30, 2007
priest lake 2007 wrapup
I have over 200 pictures from the past week. I'll probably take me a few days to sort them all out. Friday June 21st I flew out to Seattle. My cousin Matt picked me up at the airport for the first of two nights of rainy excitement. Despite the rain we managed to have a fantastic time traveling around Seattle and the surrounding area. Friday I got a lovely tour of the Microsoft Campus. As a self proclaimed geek I have to admit I really enjoyed seeing the campus. It was also cool to see the employee store. Fortunately for my wallet I was able to refrain from purchasing the ridiculously low priced items on display.
On Saturday we stayed in the downtown area and the weather cooperated enough to let us enjoy the day. We visited the Experience the Music Project. It serves as a wonderful music and science fiction museum. The Bite of Seattle was going on at the same time so there were plenty of food vendors available. Unfortunately I was a bit lame and didn't try anything (not hungry at the time). We wandered down to Pike Place Market and enjoyed the atmosphere. Here's one particular picture I took that I enjoy. This girl was playing the accordion and singing just outside the market.
We ended our downtown experience at the Triple Door for Happy Hour. We feasted on appetizers and cocktails. The day finished at the Purple Cafe and Wine Bar in Kirkland. I had the meatloaf and some red wine. It was a great ending to my short stay in Seattle. Matt and Jen were gracious hosts and they paid $45 (or was it $50) in parking fees and fines for my day trip into the heart of downtown.
On Sunday we drove over to Spokane. We had dinner with Jen's Mom. The drive takes a while and we stayed at my Uncle's house. Monday started the Priest Lake experience. I could really write an entire novel about the week at the lake. There's so much to digest. The loud neighbor (Mr. Beef and Mrs. Loud), then the flame loving Russians (Vladamir Kubrik, Andre 3000, Skiniski, Olga 1-4, Pina Corona, Borris Boobs, among others). We had a moose stomp through our campsite (see the video below) one night. I was able to check various activities off my list that I didn't do last year including huckleberry picking, climbing Lookout Mountain, traveling through the thoroughfare, and defeating Jen at Cribbage. Seeing the lake from Lookout Mountain was probably the highlight for me. It was a crazy climb, but it was worth it. My family is awesome and I miss everyone already. Priest Lake has become part of me after my second visit and I plan on going again next year. I love the place and the relationships I've been able to build on the past year. The water was warm, the weather was perfect, and the yellow jackets were thick, but Priest Lake was as beautiful as ever. I can't wait to go back. Thanks to everyone that helped make my trip unforgettable, especially Matt and Jen.
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in denver at the airport
I'm currently at the Denver airport at a little internet kiosk. Kiosks are a very friendly form of modern innovation. That's what I think, so personal, and again friendly. Today is my first day back in the modern world. I had no cell phone, tv, or newspaper access for a week. It's great to get away from everything. The world hasn't change that much this week it seems. Over the past week I've been reading The Forgotten Man, a terrific insight into the Great Depression. I'll write a full review in the coming days. I love Priest Lake. My family in the Northwest is very dear to me and I'm especially grateful to Matt and Jen for everything. Seattle was rainy, but I still had a wonderful time. I'll write more about the trip later (the friendly kiosk just spoke to me, it said I have 3 minutes remaining). One more plane flight and I'll be in Tampa. Time to get back to work. I feel like writing a song.
Posted by nemov at 12:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 19, 2007
priest lake 2.0
Tomorrow morning I'm leaving bright and early for Seattle. I'll arrive on the west coast around noon pacific time. I'm gonna spend a couple of days there until going east to Spokane. Around Monday I'll arrive at Priest Lake, Idaho. We'll be camped out at the Lionhead campground on the eastern shore of the lake. I return to the Sunshine State late on Monday July 30. This is a much needed vacation for me and my first real break of the year. I have some other trips planned for later in the year. The next six months will be a blast.
Posted by nemov at 7:11 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 8, 2007
the end of 4th fest week
The past week was simply awesome. July 4th fell on a Wednesday which is kind of annoying, but I still managed to have a great time. I spent the 4th at Siesta Key with some friends at the beach. After playing bocce ball and laying out in the sun all day we watched the fireworks. Last year I watched them from Marina Jacks, but this year had a little twist. At the grand finale it started raining hard. I mean sideways downpour. It was like a scene from War of the Worlds. Thousands of beach goers running for dry ground. It was easily one of the funniest things I have ever seen.
Yesterday I spent the day on my friend's boat. It was my first opportunity to do that since moving down here and it was awesome. We docked on a small island close to Venice. There was a group of six of us and we all had a good time. The day ended not far of the Siesta Key coast watching the sunset. I can't get over how beautiful Sarasota is and it doesn't get old. I really do miss the rolling hills of North Carolina, and I know I'll eventually go back someday, but this is a pretty good place to be right now. Good times, good friends, good week.
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June 28, 2007
brokenhearted? try songwriting
Well there I am, in a very sad looking photograph. Just for the record I wasn't sad when that picture was taken, but it fits the headline on today's splash page in the weekend section. Love Stinks is the title of the podcast. I have to admit I was a little frightened about how the podcast would turn out, but I'm happy with the results. The article in the newspaper today is short and sweet. I share some page space the White Stripes and Ryan Adams which is pretty cool even if it's completely unrelated. All in all it was a very cool experience.
Posted by nemov at 5:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 16, 2007
cornhole champion
The first annual cornhole tournament was a resounding success. We were able to field sixteen two person teams. Each team paid a $10 entry fee giving the champions $160. I didn't think we'd be able to field that many teams, but everyone showed up. Plus we got a few people at the beach to play as well. My buddy is the person that introduced most of the group to the game. He organized most of the tournament and he was my partner today. He chose our team name as well.
Team Tony Danza won all five games and the championship. We were never challenged today and now I'm $75 richer. Not bad for a day at the beach. The tournament was a blast. Having 32 people out on the beach playing was great. Everyone seemed to have a good time. I'm sure we'll be holding another tournament soon. We printed out a huge banner at work with the brackets. It was a double elimination tournament. I'm exhausted tonight. We finally left the beach around 8pm. I'm sunburned again, but it was worth it.
Posted by nemov at 11:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
pictures, flickr, and cornhole
Thursday night I drove towards Arcadia to see my Uncle, Aunt, and cousins who were visiting from LA. I haven't seen them since last June. They moved there last summer shortly after I saw them last. During that trip I got this adorable picture of Hayden. He's changed a lot in a year. I brought my new camera and took a ton of shots and got a great one of Sabra and Hayden together (see below).
To make my life easier I've started putting pictures up on Flickr. Uploading pictures to my website has become a time consuming process. Flickr makes it a lot easier. I figure over the next few months I'll be taking a lot of pictures. Today at Siesta Key I'm participating in a Cornhole tournament that my friends are organizing. We're trying to get sixteen teams involved, but also trying to get a feel for how difficult it will be to organize a real event. This summer is shaping up to be a lot of fun.
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June 10, 2007
soaking up the sunshine state
Despite not having any plans for this weekend I ended up staying very busy. I spent all day at Siesta Key with friends playing cornhole and soaking up the sun. We stayed until the sunset and headed over to the Daiquiri Deck to eat dinner. The weather is perfect this time of year to spend at the beach. In a few more weeks it will get too hot to stay out in the sun. The next few weekend we'll likely spend at the beach in some capacity.
This morning I hopped in a Jeep with a couple of my friends and headed down to Boca Grande to watch a tarpon tournament. I've never been to anything like before but it was a lot of fun. Everyone lays out on the beach waiting for the boats to come in to weigh the catch. Each boat is allowed one tarpon to weigh (if they're fortunate enough to catch one). The winning tarpon weighed 163 lbs. Unlike other fishing tournaments all the boats stay in the same area not far offshore. All and all it was a fun filled weekend. I have some sun burn spots, but nothing extreme. There's so much to do here in Florida and I've really enjoyed going out and doing all the things I haven't had a chance to see and do. I don't know how long I'll enjoy this kind of freedom so I'm gonna enjoy it while it lasts.
Posted by nemov at 5:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 3, 2007
more things to learn
This past week I purchased a Canon XTi digital SLR camera. Since I moved to Florida almost three years ago photography is something that has been in the forefront of my mind. The landscapes here are incredible and there's all kinds of phone opportunities. The company I work for deals with a lot of professional photographers and digital photography is an area I'd like to learn more about. Plus, we've started a camera club at work. We're learning all the basics about fstops, aperture, and shutter speeds plus doing assignments. Also, we're reading John Hedgecoe's New Introductory Photography Course. We're going to meet every couple of weeks. It's a great way to learn about photography. In the meantime I have some projects to complete before we meet again in three weeks. I'll spend a couple evenings wandering around downtown looking for photo opportunities. Below is a shot I took a few minutes ago of my front door looking west towards the house next door.
Posted by nemov at 12:09 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 27, 2007
the children of húrin
Memorial Day weekend has given me a little more time to catch up on my reading. Today I finished J.R.R. Tolkien's last work the Children of Húrin. I knew nothing about this book before it was published so I didn't have very high expetations. The story takes place in the Middle-Earth's First Age, thousands of years before the events in th Lord of the Rings. To my surprise the narrative is much easier to follow that Tolkien's the Silmarillion. Those looking for an uplifting and rosy Middle-Earth will be disappoint. This story is one long tragedy. There is a lot of action, Elves, Dwarves, and Dragons, plus tons of despair. The story follows the curse of Húrin who dared to defy Morgoth the first Dark Lord. I enjoyed the story and the history surrounding the Elves involved. The Children of Húrin is an epic tragedy and a quick read. This book will be well received by Tolkien fans, and is a satisfying last look at a world that Tolkien spent his entire life creating.
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May 24, 2007
the year of the rat
According to the Chinese, the Year of the Rat takes place next year; however, it appears to have come early at el Casa Naranja. Since I've moved in four weeks ago we have pulled three dead rats out of my attic. This rat nation (if you will) isn't a threat to my living quarters, but it's difficult to sleep with the rat hoard racing around like the Indianapolis time trials. My landlords have been very good about the problem. Coming home to the smell of dead rat isn't exactly the best thing in the world.
I talked to the previous tenet and this wasn't a problem before. The landlord capped up the hole and sealed up the attic. After the death of the third rat I thought my problems were over. I had a silence for a week. Then it happened, Caligula the Rat started his late night foray into sprinting. I have never heard noise like this before. It sounded like he was riding a skateboard in the attic, while screaming. It was 1am and I couldn't help but laugh. Are pestilence, locusts, and famine next? It's already love bug season and they're somehow getting into the house. I keep waiting for an old man with a staff to knock on the door and demand that I let his people go. Meanwhile the pest guy has put two new traps up in the attic and I await the sore stench of dead rat. I come home for lunch just to make sure the smell of death hasn't started yet. Hopefully I'm reaching the end of this scourge.
Posted by nemov at 2:50 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
May 14, 2007
touring sarasota
After the triumphent Kickball game Friday night I picked my Cousin Matt up from the airport. We've spent the past three days traveling all over Sarasota and in the process even found time for me to beat classic Super Mario Brothers. Saturday we walked all over the Main Street area, spent time at Bayfront Park and walk around Saint Armands Circle. Sunday we spent a few hours laying on the beach at Sieista Key. Despite a little haze from the brush fires in north Florida, the weather was perfect. I got a chance to sink my teeth into the new JRR Tolkien book the Children of Húrin. So far I really like the story. It falls somewhere in between the Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion in terms of the storytelling. The story is a must for all Tolkien fans.
Today we spent most of the day at the Ringling Museum. Monday's the museum is open to the public. We walked all over the grounds and spent most of our time looking at artwork. It's been awhile since I visited the museum and they've added quite a bit to the grounds. I had a great time the past few days and it was fun showing Matt around town. It helps that my residence is right in the middle of everything. We didn't have to spent a lot of time in a car, and I'm within walking distance to Main Street. I'm so happy about the new place. I just need to get some more food.
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May 8, 2007
not so conspicuous consumption
Now that I'm getting settled in to my new house I'm indulging myself in a couple of luxuries. The first was a gaming system. I have to admit I haven't played many video games the past year. Really, ever since college the only thing I've played very much is Tiger Woods golf. However, I was over at a friend's house a couple of weeks ago and we were all playing on his new Nintendo Wii. Everyone was having fun with the new console, and especially the wireless remote control. The Wii is considerably cheaper than its two rivals (PS3 and XBOX 360), but its graphics aren't as good. I don't really play enough games to care about the graphic side of things, it's just nice to sit down and play something fun every once in a awhile. Unfortunately the Wii are in a shortage right now and it's very difficult to find them. Every Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, and Circuit City in my area was sold out, but I found one by accident at a game store over the weekend.
I bought the new Mario game and set it all up. So far so good, the game is a lot of fun and it doesn't require hours of my time. I can sit down a play for 30 minutes and be done with it. There are plenty of places to save the game, so that's not an issue. It's a wireless device and picks up my wireless connection. I used the online Wii store to purchase the original Super Mario Brothers ($5) and there's a huge catalog of old Nintendo games available for download.
My other purchase is related to the Atlanta Braves. I've seen almost every game so far and for whatever reason this year's team really excites me. We've got an exciting core group of young players and we've been playing very well so far this season. Unfortunately, due to my location here in Florida I can't see all the games. Last night I purchased the MLB.TV package so I can watch the Braves' games online. I'm trying it out for a month to see if I like it and the way my house is setup is perfect. My desk sits close to my TV and I can see the monitor from my couch. So I've been watching TV and the game the past two night and I'm pleased so far. Now it's time for me to stop spending money. It's been an expensive few weeks moving into this place, but it's been well worth it. This weekend my cousin is flying down to spend a few days and my sisters are coming in July. Everyone wants a piece of el casa naranja. Now if I could just convince Hercules the Giant Cockroach to leave.
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April 30, 2007
bowling finally ends
After thirty-three long weeks the bowling season finally came to a close tonight. I cannot believe it lasted so long. Every Monday night since August. I'm so happy it's over; however, I know I'm gonna miss it in a few weeks. It's been a great bowling with my friends, but Monday is just a bad night. The first day of the week is always super busy at work, so by the time bowling starts Monday night I'm just burned out. My team (Labowski) finished in the middle of the league and we got a team payout of $450. I might consider playing in the fall if we play on a different day. Next Monday I won't have to bowl, what will I do with myself?
Posted by nemov at 10:30 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
April 22, 2007
welcome to el casa naranja
I spent the past few days preparing for my new place. Yesterday with the help of a friend we moved the necessities over and I spent the rest of the afternoon gathering up all the small things. I got up this morning and went to Bed Bath and Beyond and Wal-Mart and there's still a lot to do, but I've comfortably settled into the new house. Despite the small size there's still plenty of room. I purchased a futon for the TV area and got some small tables at Goodwill. After a year of living with a roommate in a house this is great opportunity to start over. So far so good, I absolutely love this place.
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April 6, 2007
a change of scenery
After a year of living in a house with a roommate from work I'm moving out and into a small one bedroom house (the one on the left in the google maps pic). Located in the heart of the artist district in downtown Sarasota, the house is part of the old Ringling Tiny Town row. Depending on who you ask the houses were build for the "tiny people" that were in the circus. The window have a bit of a Bag End vibe going on and the house is super small. Despite the size it's perfectly located for me. I'm much closer to work, I might get a bike to ride over in the morning. The house is called Casa Naranja (Orange House), named for the color obviously. I submitted the deposit this week and in two weeks I move in. It'll be nice to have a place to myself, and I can finally open the door on the Casa Naranja music sessions. I'll post some pictures of the house in the coming weeks.
Posted by nemov at 10:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 31, 2007
what is nemov and how to stalk a famous tennis player 101
One of the most frequent questions I get is about the origin of nemov. What does it mean? Is it my alias? Is it my other identity? A simple search for nemov in google yields my site number 1, which is part of the reason I like the name. It's unique and not used very often. When I was 19 years old I was looking for a new AOL screen name and a friend of mine at the time suggested "nemov" and it stuck. I didn't know at the time but my friend was quite fond of the famous Russian gymnast Alexei Nemov.
To me the name means nothing, there's no special meaning. It's easy to remember, difficult to forget, and the letters can be mixed up to spell venom. Although maybe I should spice up the meaning a little bit. 
I live in the same town that Maria Sharapova calls home. I bowl in the same bowling alley she bowls at, maybe this is my big chance. Perhaps I'm distantly related to Alexei Nemov, I have the pale red haired Russian features. Not only that (Tom Harkin), but I had a love affair with a Russian Natalia already, so I have some experience. There has to be some reason I live in a glorified retirement metropolis, down the street from a Mennonite community, and participate in a 33 week bowling league that never seems to end. This entry started to answer the origins of nemov, but it appears crystal clear that all the signs point to Maria Sharapova. It's only a matter of time before the two of us meet. I imagine the conversation now..
Her: Hi
Me: What do you want?
Her: To talk to you.
Me: Why would anyone want to do that (to appear mysterious)?
Her: I'm drawn to you and I don't know why (famous clichéd girl line).
Me: Let's discuss this over tea (more mystery).
There you have it, we have all makings of a beautiful friendship. Who knows, maybe things will lead to coffee, it's impossible to tell. My complete lack of interest (in perception) and my inability to convey any emotion will likely be the building blocks to success. Now I just have to work on my Russian accent and the day will be mine.
Posted by nemov at 11:04 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
March 26, 2007
back from the southwest
My whirlwind trip to Arizona disappeared in a blur. I flew in on Friday and got back home last night around 1am. Today was a bit of a struggle with short rest, but I managed to survive. It was completely worth the lack of sleep. The weather was perfect Saturday and we spent the day traveling all over southwest Arizona. We spent most of the day a few miles outside of Parker, Arizona. Most of the roads were gravel. This was my first experience in a true desert environment. There was nothing for miles around. It was an exhausting trip all over the countryside. The day ended at the Parker Dam as we crossed into California. I took tons of pictures of area and I'm trying to settle on which one to print out for my desk at work. It was great to see all my Uncles, Cousins, and my Grandpa on his 80th birthday. It's crazy how much time I've got to spend with my cousin Matt over this past year, it's been awesome. My flight home coincided with UNC's regional final with Georgetown which was agony. I landed in Houston as the game went into OT, but by the time I ran off the plane the game was already over. After watching piratically all the games this year it's disappointing that I missed the game, but not really surprising they lost. The team displayed a lot of immaturity throughout the season, but that's an attribute of youth and I'd expect us to be the team to beat next season, besides we won the ACC and beat Duke twice. Did I mention I hate Duke?
Posted by nemov at 9:42 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 21, 2007
pre-trip babbling
I spent tonight shopping, listening to music, playing guitar, and doing laundry. Tomorrow is the last day of work before the trip out west to Arizona. Before I leave there's another installment of the Sarasota Kickball beatdown getting ready to happen tomorrow night. That should be fun as always. This trip is going to be a blur. Everyone is excited about going to a spring training game on Saturday, except for me because I've already been to two games this month. Perhaps the fact I live in a Spring Training town has taken some of the excitement away. Either way I'll have a good time.
The first quarter is winding down. In some ways these have been the wildest three months I have ever experienced. Every weekend there has been some new party, camping trip, paint ball, or sporting event that's occupied my time. I'm definitely going through a lot of changes, who knows where this will end up. There's a lot more to do this year, but so far this year has been fantastic.
Posted by nemov at 10:43 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 18, 2007
green weekend
Saint Patrick's Day was a blast. The group had a great time and everyone made it home safe and sound. I didn't get to see much of the UNC game because we were on the move, but the tournament is shaping up nicely for us. Today I caught a Braves game against the Reds here in Sarasota. It was a split squad affair so only Frenchie played. He hit a homer in his first at bat and threw out a runner trying to stretch a single into a double. Overall this was a fabulous weekend. I have four days of work this week and I'm off to Arizona on Friday.
Posted by nemov at 6:53 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 14, 2007
a loss for words?
Work and worklife is taking more and more time out of my life. I spend all day in front of a computer at work and it's becoming more difficult to dedicate myself to keeping up with the news and writing clever articles about Tom Harkin. The past two months I have also been spending a lot of time with friends out a night, especially on the weekends. Most of my free time at home has been spent playing my guitar or reading. Next weekend I'm flying out to Arizona for a family thing. I leave on Friday and come back Sunday. It's going to be a super short trip. This Saturday is Saint Patrick's Day. Me and a group of 27 friends and friends of friends have rented a trolley for the evening to drive us around Siesta Key. Most of us aren't from this area and we all continue to live here because of our jobs. It's bound us together as a tight knit group of friends. It's kind of like going back to college. Saturday night should be crazy and I think me and my buddy are going to the thrift store to find the ugliest green clothing we can find to wear. I'll be sure to take pictures.
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March 4, 2007
reds vs. twins: spring training
The rain held off yesterday and my company's baseball game outing was a success. We had our own little section to watch the Reds play the Twins. There were a couple of homers in an entertaining slugfest. The Reds won 14-1, but the final score didn't really matter. A group of us arrived outside the stadium a couple of hours before the game to tailgate. Of course we were the only people tailgating, but we got a lot of looks from people over the age of 50. A few pictures from yesterday can be found here. Sometimes I feel like we're the youth of the city. Baseball season is finally here, that's a good reason to tailgate.
Posted by nemov at 8:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 25, 2007
a trip to ybor city
The whole camping trip fell through on Friday afternoon. We didn't reserve a camp space in time which was a mistake on our part. The weather is absolutely gorgeous so it's not surprising there was a rush to the park. Instead of camping we went to Ybor City in Tampa and experienced BeerFest. It was a casual affair that lasted from 2pm to 6pm which cut down on a lot of ill behavior that plagues events like beer festivals. For $25 I got a small glass that could be filled up by any of the participating vendors. I tried a lot of beers and smoked my first ever cigar. It's as gross as I imagined, but not too bad. Afterward the group ate at a Sushi bar and I had crab cakes. I also tried a little bit of Sushi and I must admit it was pretty good, so maybe I'll finally start being able to eat it.
Posted by nemov at 5:06 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 20, 2007
camping gear and camping plans
Looks like I'm camping again this weekend on the island of Cayo Costa. The island is only accessible by boat so I expect things to escalate into a Lord of the Flies type of situation quickly. This weekend is supposed to be beautiful. To prepare for my expedition I went to the local Target and purchased a tent, sleeping bag, and a LED flashlight. The former Boy Scout (fascist organization booed by delegates at the 96' Democrat convention) in me just goes giddy at camping gear. The LED flashlight is cool and hardly uses any power.
I haven't had as much time to write the past couple of weeks. Most of this is due to how busy I am at work right now, and the fact I've been using more spare time to play my guitar. This Thursday I have my preseason kickball captain meeting. Next week the title defense begins. Where is the time going?
Posted by nemov at 10:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 11, 2007
camp ocklawaha, we hold you in our heart...
Over two months ago I started planning a camping/kayaking trip with some friends from work. I put the whole trip together and it was quite a task working with everyone's schedule. We ended up with a group of ten people including myself leaving Friday night after work. It's a two and a half hour drive north to the Ocklawaha Resort.
Evidently we were a bit too loud for the people who run the resort. After Friday night, the owners told us they'd kick us out if we made noise the second night. I wouldn't recommend anyone to go to the resort. We managed to have a great time, but the owners (especially the wife) were obnoxious.
(The owners weren't as young as Ug from Salute Your Shorts; however, just picture an older, smoking, toothless caretaker and all of the sudden we're getting close)
Due to the poor management and an oversight on my part we missed the kayaking on Saturday. The last tour left at 11am. By the time everyone rolled out of bed and I made breakfast (delicious waffles), it was too late. Despite that lack of kayaking we had a blast sitting around the campfire all day. A group of us also had a fun hiking trip that ate up a couple of hours. I spent the rest of the day on Saturday playing Bocce Ball, which will definitely have to happen on my next trip to Priest Lake.
This morning we got up, checked out, and went over to the local Bob Evans for breakfast. I'm super tired, but I had a great time this weekend. We've been talking about this trip for months and we're probably going to be doing more camping related activities around Sarasota. We might go camping on an island this weekend if we can get everyone together again. Below is a video tour of one of the cabins we had, and I have updated the photo gallery.
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February 3, 2007
send in the clowns
Sarasota installed 50 clown statues throughout the Main Street area back in October. I'm not a big fan of clowns, they're not funny, they're ugly, and they can be scary. I work in the middle of town so I've grown accustomed to seeing the statures every day the past few months. They're going to be up until April. Coulrophobes (people afraid of clowns) are not happy with the statues, and there have been a few instances of vandalism; however the project continues. I decided to walk down Main Street today and take some pictures of the clowns. I started at the Sarasota Courthouse. I took the panoramic black and white above at a place I 'll never forget. The clown pictures can be seen at the new Sarasota Clown Gallery.
Posted by nemov at 8:34 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 27, 2007
devils vs. lightning
Last night I had the pleasure of watching the New Jersey Devils play against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the St. Pete Times Forum. Me and my brother picked the Devils as our team in 1988 and we have followed them ever since. They've won three Stanley Cups in that time and I've always wanted to see them play in person.
I have a contact with the group seating office because of my job and I got a group of 12 people together to go to the game. It was a blast, it was my also my first NHL game. The Devils played well behind the greatness that is Martin Brodeur. Brodeur recorded his 89th career shut out in the 2-0 win. The atmosphere outside of the forum was awesome. The Tampa Bay Lightning do a great job making the sport appealing to fans.
In other news this weekend is the Gasparilla Pirate festival in Tampa Bay. Due to bad planning on my part I am not going to the greatest festival in the world. It's a cool pirate invasion that the city holds every year, and somehow I wasn't there. For more information about the festival visit the wikipedia entry.
Posted by nemov at 4:44 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 22, 2007
twenty-eight
Year twenty-seven was one for the books. I should have known it was going to be bleak by the way it started, watching a pointless football game alone while I wanted to be somewhere else. It got progressively worse after that; however, things did turn around. I'd like to remember the year on what I gained and not what I lost.
The trip to Priest Lake was the turning point and I made some great friends here in Florida, rekindled a few old friendships, and got closer to my family. Ultimately, what I gained was a lot more than what I lost. Not only will I'll remember twenty-seven for Tom Harkin (Tom Harkin), but I'll remember cribbage, demon signs at baseball, kickball, AmSouth, Tom Harkin, talk to the hand, bowling, Stephen Pastis, the Office, cool clocks, HTML, CSS, Lentils, World Cup, SNAP!, pirates, Natalia, the winking guy at Starbucks, club soda, Charleston and of course, this blog (and Tom Harkin).
It does seem fitting though that researchers have declared today the most depressing day of the year, or more affectionally known as Blue Monday. It seems that somewhere someone hasn't lost their sense of humor, and I always appreciate a good laugh. Here's to you universe!
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January 13, 2007
later that afternoon...
I just got finished doing a four hour bingefest of the new season of 24. Without giving too much away, Jack returns from China to be sacrificed to a terrorist group. Bauer looks terrible, he's been tortured for two years and his mind has taken a terrible toll. Things get rolling quick and the four episodes are an excellent jump start. Like last season's unbelievable death of David Palmer, this season starts off throwing the TV drama rulebook out the window.
I think I'm in shock after watching episode four. If the first four episodes are any indication, this will be the best season so far. Only twenty episodes to go before the season finale in May. Jack Bauer owns Monday night.
Posted by nemov at 8:30 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
we all shall fall
It's been almost eight months since Jack Bauer occupied my Monday nights. At last check our hero was on a slow boat to China after saving the United States yet again. Tomorrow night kicks off the two night, four hour premier of 24. A little birdy gave me the first two hours already and I'll watch them tonight. Without a doubt 24 is one of the best televisions shows on TV. The season runs non-stop until May.
Sunday night also starts the second season of Rome on HBO. Rome got off to a slow start in its initial season, but finished strong. While I'm on the topic of TV I would be remiss not to mention the Office. Last Thursday's show was one of my favorites of all time. The writing continues to amaze me. Dwight Schrute is a legend.I do not fear the unknown, I will meet my new challenges head on and I will succeed and I will laugh in the faces of those who doubt me. It's been a pleasure working with some of you and I will not forget those of you soon, but remember, while today it is me, we all shall fall.
Posted by nemov at 3:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 8, 2007
starbucks hates me
A few months ago I wrote about my trials and tribulations at my local Starbucks location. This morning I decided to try it again. I reached the Starbucks bright and early at 7am. There was no line, no annoying winking barista, and no coffee. Unfortunately, on this particular day, this particular Starbucks was having difficulties boiling water of all things. They were able to offer a wide assortment of pastries; however, I wasn't looking for overpriced sugar flavored bread. This is me being facetious, deal with it.
Nothing can bring a coffee shop to its knees quicker than cold water. This meant I had to drive downtown to get my coffee. Which isn't as convenient, plus the barista has memorized my name as well as a portion of my debit card. Evidently I was born to either by abandoned or stalked, there's no happy medium. Fortunately though she wasn't there today and my coffee buying experience was routine. My Monday capped off with noon downpour that caught me at a locked back entrance to a sandwich deli. Who knew lunch could be so fun? As I was running through the rain I couldn't help but laugh. Life is humorous.
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January 7, 2007
a few minor notes
One casualty during my New Year's festivities last week was my digital camera. I dropped it and it broke, unfortunately that's about all there is to that story. It could probably be fixed, but I had been thinking about getting another camera. I bought the 6 mega pixel Canon A540 which is a lighter and smaller than the model I bought two years ago. I found it online for around $170. I bought a 1gb secure digital card that I should get any day now. I can't say enough great things about Canon, they make the best cameras hands down. This camera will be much easier to deal with on trips and takes slightly better pictures than my old camera. I have also added a feature to this site that is really cool. It's called Snap (oh, snap!). It shows a preview of the hyper links embedded in my site. I found this over at Techcruch, which is a site I just started reading. It's a great source for news about the internet. That's enough writing for a Sunday night, here comes the work week.
Posted by nemov at 9:42 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
December 26, 2006
back in the sunshine state
I made the long drive home today fairly quickly. I left Statesville at 5am and got into Sarasota around 2:30pm. Traffic was fairly light except for a couple of areas. That ends my vacation and I go back to work tomorrow. Getting back home I realized how much I miss everyone; the trip to Charleston was a lot of fun. I have the pictures up in my photo gallery. I have captions for all the pictures; however, in IE7 the captions are off to the side. The gallery displays correctly in Firefox. One of the most important parts of the Charleston trip was the renewed cribbage rivalry between Me and Jen. I am proud to state that I won four out of five games. For now I'm the undisputed champion when it comes to cribbage.
I learned a lot about Charleston over the past week. There's always something new to learn about the historic town. I've been to the town numerous times, and every time I leave I'm more convinced it's my favorite town in America. Perhaps that's just the southerner in me.
Posted by nemov at 8:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 25, 2006
the end of the year
Tomorrow morning I make the long trek back down to Florida. The weather has been great this week. It's been raining today, but that okay. I'll likely get up around 5am tomorrow to drive back to Sarasota. I can't believe this year is almost over. I told myself all year that I would