Fiancee Head 2.0

Is she a mime trapped in a box? Has she lost her head? It's Fiancee Head 2.0! Developing a little game and on the way to doing so, I did this



Testing this out on the blog, you may have to refresh your browser a couple of times for the start button to appear. The start button is in the lower righthand corner and the program app screen is bigger than the post window parameters.



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Testing

Walking and blinking



Casting a fireball

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My Buddy and Me

So, I created the first sprite for the first game I ever started to develop. He's a knight. This is only one frame of one character. And he's small, but I'm going to stretch him out a little bit once I have some more pieces. I feel like I'm creating a chess set piece by piece. Yay, fun times.



So, he's a small lil fella, but it's the same size the characters were in the final fantasy games. That's what I'm going for. I have to draw sprites in all the positions and moves they'll make. i.e. walking, swinging a sword, sleeping, etc. I found a neat open source photo editor that actually works as a pretty good pixel editor. For those of you not in the know, a sprite is made up of pixels, so I had to go dot by dot to create that knight. Now, multiplay that by, let's say 8 frames (that's conservative), then multiply that by how many animated characters you want in your game (in my case, somewhere between 16 and 20) and you have a lot of damn pixels to draw. Luckily, I think I can cheat a little. I don't have to draw the whole thing to simulate walking, so I can copy and paste the top half then redraw the lower half. All's fun, though. Trying to decide if I'm going to create the game for the Apple iPhone platform, or delve into the Android and Windows mobile markets. Maybe I can just do all three. All it takes is a little coding knowhow and the ability to follow directions. Then your imagination is the limit.

My imagination - limitless imagination in an unimaginative world. (Thanks, Michael Scott). Click Here to Read More..

Funnins with Buttons

Having fun with buttons and things they can do. This is basic HTML stuff. It'll get more complicated as I go along.


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First Project: A flex app that searches Flickr

I learned how to do this via a tutorial with Flex. It's a simple app that allows you to search the public images in Flickr by keyword (note: There is no "safe" mode for this, so if you find questionable content, it ain't my fault). It isn't complicated, but it shows that I'm learning. I'll post more things as I learn how to do them.

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Figured out how to do this in a tutorial. It isn't incredibly complicated, but it shows that I'm learning. I'll post more stuff as I learn how to do it.

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The Curious Mind of Joe Von White-Musk

My obsession at the moment is technology. I've been opening a whole new fascinating world in my heart (could you ask for a cheesier line?).

Actually, here's what I've been learning:

- C++ programming
- Objective C Programming
- Flex programming

Here's what I want to do:

- Make my own MP3 player. Instructions are here:
http://www.teuthis.com/daisy/index.html

- Develop iPhone apps. Information is here:
http://developer.apple.com/iphone/

- Develop programs using Flex. Info is here:
http://www.adobe.com/products/flex/

I really am feeling a lot more curious about the technological world I live in. Katie wants me to go to school, which I want to do. Every year as new enrollment becomes available, I find some (often legitimate) excuse why I can't do it. Well, I want to be able to provide for a family one day and making hourly wages isn't going to cut it. I thoroughly enjoy working with computers. I love playing games, reading news blogs, and learning how things work, so how about I do something about it and get me some learnin'? Easier said than done. While I could skip fall and start a class in the spring, I think it would be best if I just took the plunge and got one class out of the way in the fall. I'll try to get up to the college soon and talk with a counselor about the possibility of missing a week early on for the wedding and honeymoon. If that just isn't possible, I guess I'll wait another six months. Yet another excuse, though this one is my most legitimate yet. Click Here to Read More..

Short Story: Obsession

She saw him from across the room and knew immediately. The bar was dark and the music pulsed in her ears, but she could see and hear with perfect clarity. Her attention was focused on the man who could only be described as a cowboy. He wore dark, tight blue jeans, a cream-colored Stetson, a checkered red flannel shirt, and large black cowboy boots. He had one leg hoisted up on the bar stool and was partially bent over trying to talk up one of the many bar floozies populating the joint at this time of night.

Melissa locked her gaze on the man who seemed oblivious towards her. She started to slowly strut towards him, oozing her feminine wiles. Many a head turned her way, but they were nothing to her. The crowd innately knew when to part to let her pass and then flow back together in her wake. In less than thirty high-heeled steps, she was in front of him and gazing upwards into his piercing blue eyes. He stopped talking to the woman in front of him and took Melissa in with his gaze. She did the same to him, but her eyes rested upon the belt buckle with the name in script. It said "Stewart". This was the one, she thought. After four previous "Stewart"s and a "Milton" who snuck in there somewhere, she finally found the one "Stewart" she could love forever and ever. It would work this time. So many years had gone by after the first one convinced her to tattoo his name into her hindquarters. So many failed relationships with men of similar moniker. They were losers, but this one, this lone cowboy, would be the one. The "One".

"Hello," she said. "My name is Velma" She never gave a man her real name in first meeting. He had to earn it.

"My name is Stew," he replied. Her expression quickly became one of sadness as she turned and walked away. Damn, she thought. He could have been the one... Click Here to Read More..

Why my fiancee is the kind of woman every man wishes he had

Long title, but the payoff is worth it. Let me start by saying that Katie is the most wonderful woman in the world. I am really happy to be marrying her in September. Then we can start our long, wonderful life together in marital bliss.

But, why is she the kind of woman that every man fantasizes about? Well, let me explain:

First, she is funny and sarcastic. Guys, think about it. Whenever there is a new romantic comedy out there that is trying to appeal to guys, what kind of woman do you see? In There's Something About Mary, Along Came Polly, and The 40 Year Old Virgin, the main dude character ends up falling for the funny, sarcastic hottie. She is always witty and has a snappy comeback for everything the dude says. They laugh together and fall in love, all the while, keeping a biting sense of humor.

Second, she can cook really well. I feel like there was a big backlash in this generation of women where they were either too busy and never found time to learn, or they didn't want to fall into the trap of being stay-at-home moms. And there is nothing wrong with this. I end up cooking for Katie as often as she cooks for me. But what she cooks is delicious. When we cook for each other, we try different recipes and take our time and just have fun with it. To me, that's just incredibly sexy.

Third, she's a geek. Yeah, it's cool when a chick is into fashion, clothes, and girly stuff, but its fucking awesome when she's into Star Trek: The Next Generation, Chuck, video games, and Scrabble. These were the things that I grew up on and that she's into them too makes her even more perfect in my eyes.

Fourth, she has a family that I get along with. This is a big one. While most dudes want to be all alone in their BatCave, and come out every now and then to be with their lovely woman, it's a known fact that they also wish they had an extended family to be a part of. Well, okay, maybe that isn't true. They just really wish their mother-in-law wasn't a heinous psycho hosebeast. Katie's family is awesome. I love going to her family's house to play games with her siblings and to laugh and share good times. I've even played kickball with them. Fuckin' awesome!

There are lots of other reasons, but in the interest of keeping the list somewhat short, I'll end here. Point is, Katie is the woman every man wishes he had, but I was the one lucky enough to capture her heart. Eat that, Wil Wheaton! Click Here to Read More..

Arrington Vineyard: A Valentine's Dinner

Ah, Valentine's Day. This is the first Valentine's Day that I have had the honor of spending with Katie. I wanted this day to be extra special as we've both never had a successful one. I had also planned to propose to my love on this night. Here's what happened:

First, I want to preface this by saying that Arrington Vineyards was recommended to me by a coworker. The website pictures made the winery look very nice and for the price, I was really expecting that we would not be let down. I called them to set up a reservation. Luckily, they had three tables left, though they were under the tent, which they assured would be heated. They asked me specifically what time we were going to arrive so they could have the food READY and HOT. Also, since I am a vegetarian, I asked what meals they could do for me. They said they could give me the pasta plate without the chicken. The day of the dinner came and we drove out there. We showed up a half an hour before the meal was supposed to be served to do a wine tasting (all this was confirmed on the schedule). It was a cold night as we walked up. The tent we were supposed to be under (that was supposed to be heated) was freezing cold. It was clear, too, that we were quite overdressed. I believe I was the only person there wearing a tie, much less dress slacks while Katie (who looked ravishing) was the best-dressed gal. Our food was already at the table in a little picnic pack cooler. We put our things down and went to do the wine tasting. All the types of wine we tried were great. As we picked one out, we headed back to our table. Though it wasn't 6 pm yet, we decided to go ahead and serve ourselves dinner. It was ice-cold. I dished out our salads while I had to wait for a hostess to come by so we could have our food warmed up. She brought it back and I dished out our food. The one marked "No meat" was pretty clear and straightforward, so I put Katie's on her plate first and then served myself. While the larger chunks of chicken that were on Katie's plate were missing from mine, there were still quite a few chicken bits in the rather bland, tastless food. Disgusted, we kind of halfway got through the meal before throwing it aside. Our desert was a pair of little chocolate truffles. That, sadly, was probably the best part of the meal.

I did propose to Katie in a romantic way, getting down on one knee proper-like. That is the one saving of the night. She accepted my proposal and cried. We left and she proceeded to call everyone she knew. That made me really happy.

Arrington Vineyards was an epic fail. For the price that I paid, I expected so much more. Comparitively, our meal at Taco Bell the next day was much better and more cost efficient.

At the winery, we received:
- a wine tasting
- a $20 bottle of wine
- cold food that we had to serve to ourselves that, even warmed, was sub-mediocre at best
- a dismal dessert
- a freezing cold tent
- live music limited to a saxaphonist and a keyboardist who stopped frequently
- a picnic table in the mud

Folks, if you happen to have the opportunity to go to the Arrington Vineyards for a romantic meal, DO NOT GO - unless you just want to be disappointed. Click Here to Read More..

So, duh!

In my never-ending quest to be less of a fatass, I have been trying to eat a little better. Sometimes I am "fail", sometimes I am "for the win!"

Yesterday, while Katie and I were out house hunting, we came across The Turnip Truck. The Turnip Truck is a place for trendy fuckers who like to trend their trendy trendiness in a trendy environment. Basically, it's a whole food store. We entered to look around, but decided to get some food for lunch. I got a tofu curry wheat sandwich, buffalo bleu chips, and a lavender soda. That's right, a lavender soda. I think I grew a goatee and holes appeared in my jeans just looking at that soda. Katie had a veggie hummus wrap, New York cheddar chips, and a lemongrass soda. This meal was "fail" except for a couple of things. The tofu curry sandwich was completely tasteless. Lavender soda? What the fuck was I thinking?!?! Blech. Just blech. The chips were okay. Katie's wrap was delicious. Roasted red pepper hummus, alfalfa sprouts, and veggies. Her chips were good, too. However, her lemonsgrass soda was VILE. Put it this way.. I held my nose and finished off my lavender soda. I couldn't get past a couple of sips of hers.

Tonight was "for the win!" FTW! We took what Katie had yesterday that was good and expanded on the idea. Hummus wraps. Yum. Now, I'm a fatass and typically stick to foods that only reinforce this, but listen to these ingredients: soft flour tortillas, hummus, guacamole, sliced cucumber, diced tomato, shredded cheese (on mine), and alfalfa sprouts - nature's pubes. Delicious! We had a couple each. When we were done (they were small), we both looked at each other and said "I want more!!" And the short of it is, we did.

So, what did we learn? Probably nothing... Except, don't ever fucking get soda from a Natural/Whole Foods Store. Click Here to Read More..

A Nobler Spirit Embiggensers an Even Smaller Man

It's really amazing when an event can put things in perspective...

My grandfather passed away last Friday. He really wasn't someone that I knew well. Really, one of my only memories of spending time with him was watching the California Raisins on television around Christmas time. That, however, isn't the point of this post. Last night, I got a call from my grandmother. See, I had called and left a message last Friday. I gave her my condolences and sent my love. In return, she gave me some advice: "If you ever get married, Joe, love her. Don't fight, just love her, because your time together goes by so fast." This was right before she broke down crying.

There's a girl that I'm madly in love with. I love her with all my heart. Unfortunately, I make an ass of myself from time to time. Maybe it's because I'm having some kind of unofficial man-period and I'm just a bitchy hormonal mess. Maybe it's because I need strife and struggle - after which, I feel better and I'm addicted to the healing process. Maybe there's no rhyme or reason to it and I yearn for the chaotic ups and downs of a relationship. Regardless of the reason, I can't help but think "love her, don't fight, because your time together goes by so fast." I really do hope that Katie is the one that I get to be with forever. We'll have our ups and downs over the years, but we'll rely on love for one another to get us through. Perhaps that's just the idealistic dreaming of a hopeless romantic, but it's still something that I cling to.

One last thing about relationships. I heard somewhere that when Nancy Reagan was being asked about her marriage to Ronald before he got Alzheimer's, was it 50/50 relationship. She laughed and said that it was never a 50/50 relationship, but sometimes it was 10/90 or 70/30. No matter what happened, though, they were always there for one another. They were always there to pick the other one up. I think that's the best view of a marriage I've heard in a long time. Click Here to Read More..