Kopaka's Ice Engineering

In case any of you were wondering what happened to me & my blog... In the tiny sliver of free time between work, gym, time with Amanda, sleep, and prepping for BrickFair, I've been eating a sandvich. -KIE (nom nom nom)

You should see the stars tonight How they shimmered, shined so bright Against the black they look so white Coming down from such a height To reach me now Reach me now You should see the moon in flight Cuttin' cross the misty night Softly dancing in sunshine Reflections of its light Reach me now You reach me now And how could such a thing Shine its light on me And make everything Beautiful again And you should feel the sun in spring Comin' out after a rain Suddenly all is green Sunshine on everything I can feel it now I feel You now. And how could such a thing Shine its light on me And make everything Beautiful And you should hear the angels sing All gathered 'round their King More beautiful than you could dream I've been quietly listening And can hear 'em now I hear 'em now...yeah <beautiful 8 bar guitar, viola, & cello interlude> How could such a King Shine His light on me And make everything Beautiful and I wanna shine I wanna be light I wanna tell you it'll be all right and I wanna shine and I wanna fly Just to tell ya now it'll be all right it'll be all right oh it'll be all right 'Cause I got nothing on my own to give to you But this light that shines on me shines on you And makes everything Beautiful again Be all right It'll be all right

Observation: It's an odd place to be, on the precipice of doing a comparatively great deed, and know that in the grand scope, it is merely a bandage over a gaping wound. Makes one wonder what good doing the deed at all will accomplish. I take solace in that the commission of the great-yet-insufficient deed is not mine to dictate: I am merely the instrument. Or, will be the instrument. </necessarily cryptic> Back to the grind. Perhaps a new recipe, er, a borrowed recipe, later this week. -KIE

The Particle Zoo Win. -KIE

Wrong hand, cher. Try again. -KIE

This is the inaugural BrickFair. The last Washington, DC, area LEGO convention-of-sorts was BrickFest 2006. -KIE

Heh. Heh heh. NOT HARDLY. Imagine taking a test 6 times as difficult as the FE, only half a decade after your last #2 pencil test. Rob, one of my bosses at Digital, told me that the application is the easy part. -KIE

*heaves a sigh of relief* -KIE

*clink* To making the time next summer. -KIE

I'm a son of a good man I'm the child of an angel I'm the brother of a wild one And I'm looking for direction I'm the lover of a beauty (not quite yet) I'm the father of blessings (not just yet) I'm a singer of a love song But is that all I'm good for This is who I am Oh, this is who I am So take me and make me something so much more This is who I am Oh, this is who I am So change me and make me someone better than before I'm a saint and a sinner I'm a lover and a fighter I'm a true believer with great desire I'm a preacher of grace - prophet of love - teacher of truth I've fallen down so many times But here I stand in front of you, yeah This is who I am Oh, this is who I am So take me and make me something so much more This is who I am Oh, this is who I am So change me and make me someone better than before Take me as I am But please don't leave me that way 'Cause I know that you can make me better than I am today <6 bars of guitar solo> This is who I am Oh, this is who I am So take me and make me something so much more This is who I am Oh, this is who I am So change me and make me someone better than before

I have to: I'm the coordinator for BIONICLE. -KIE, the forgotten Moderator.

For those of you that didn't know, there's a minor league baseball team in the New Orleans area: the New Orleans Zephyrs (though they actually play in Metairie). Amanda & I like to go out for dates sometimes. Every Friday night, they've got fireworks, and we can also make a slight killing in pulling discarded (er, left unattended) MyCokeRewards bottle caps. This past Saturday, we watched them play the Albuquerque Isotopes, on a pair of complimentary tickets Amanda won back in April when her name was pulled for a ball-toss sponsored by the New Orleans Voodoo (the AFL team that plays at the New Orleans Arena). In hopes of getting another pair of complimentary tickets, we both signed up for the cheesy mid-inning entertainments they have at all minor league baseball games. And wouldn't you know it, both our names got pulled. Amanda was a pancake chef. She pulled out her Epps High School speed, and the IHOP pancake relay race was over as soon as it had begun. For her and her teammate's efforts, a promotional t-shirt detailing the cross-country tour the Great American pancakes are taking this summer. Yours truly, however, did not get pulled for so glorious a draw. Instead of an 80 foot shuttle run, I got to be the lower bun for a Wendy's "Build a Burger" challenge. (My partner was apparently a student at Shaw High School, and I was in sandals.) For my trouble, I got a Wendy's gift card. ...and innuendo-laden jokes from our inebriated neighbors in the stands for the balance of the evening. It's a good thing I don't have an ego or anything. -KIE

I guess now (headache-insomnia) is as good a time as any for an update. I can't help but shake this sense of dread, or of something bad about to happen. I'm not a pessimist per se. It's like I know that something dreadful is waiting around the corner, like when I knew the NL was going to lose the All Star game last night because Dan Uggla is an AL spy Brad Lidge can't help but go Brad Lidge I was rooting for the NL. Anyway, on with the update: the state board is reviewing my application to take the PE exam right now. I should hear something in two weeks. I have a hotel booked for BrickFair, but I haven't had time to go plane ticket hunting. Amanda & I are growing closer together, and I'm enjoying it immensely. I'm still left wondering, though, why the emotional/psychological malaise. I could go to the gym, work up a sweat and tire myself out to get to sleep, but inside I know that's not going to solve anything. I swear I'm not a pessimist, and I'm not trying to feed myself negative energy or what not. (While I do motivate myself with that often enough, this is a different brand.) I'm going to go take some Excedrin and hope the acetaminophen out-does the caffeine and catch a 6-hour nap. Maybe that's what I need: a full day off of not being needed to be anywhere. Too bad I don't have that luxury at the moment. -KIE

Oh, and I haven't even brought my cards to the table yet. Prepare for amazement, ye masses. -KIE

Is it just me, or does SCC songs from now sound the same as SCC songs from 2002, and everything in between? -KIE

*got a 33 his junior year* *not showing off or anything, well, maybe* -KIE

KIE is happy, both that Smeag & Niki are both happy, but also for other reasons not directly related to either Smeag or Niki. So much happiness. -KIE, who thinks he talks in the third person a bit much

I'm the one with the facial hair. Does that make me Ringo? Oh, and That Up There is what I like to see. -KIE

Greetings from parts south and west of Monroe, LA! Now that it's the weekend and with softball over, I have time to recap as I should. But first, the drop off of Cherry Coke Zero versus Cherry Coke is greater than that between Coke Zero & Coke. *tries to spit out the aspartame aftertaste* Anyway, it would appear I don't have any lasting effects from last weekend's apparent concussion. Still a little sore to rub the point where the ball conked me, but the headache and mental fog have cleared. This past week marked a handful of milestones, two of which I will share with you. (Neither of these milestones are my survival of a Fury Swipe or three from Boots, Amanda's cat, on the way up here to Monroe.) First, Tuesday was Amanda's birthday. To celebrate, we skipped out on the gym and went down to the French Quarter. We took a dinner cruise on the Natchez. Weather was perfect. Food was good, but not extraordinary. Jazz was great. Company was lovely. I recommend the dinner cruise if you ever get to visit New Orleans. Second, since we skipped out on the gym Tuesday, I had my weekly (when it can be scheduled) workout with a personal trainer. This was rescheduled for Thursday, which is normally Amanda's day with the same personal trainer. Thus, I got someone new. We worked on my chest muscles, and I got to bench press for the first time in my 28¾ years. It wasn't pretty. These muscle groups have never, ever gotten worked. Ever. It showed. I successfully benched all of 65 pounds (29 kg) Thursday night. It was both hilarious and pathetic at the same time. And my arms are still sore. -KIE P.S. If you've followed my blog at all, you should know that I don't haphazardly pull titles for blog entries. Any of you sharp enough to gather what the title means, I'll tell you that the answer is "yes". The rest of you will have to mull over the enigma for a bit longer. No hints, no confirmations.

The 2008 FBC-Kenner season is over. It's been over for, about 30 hours, actually, but I've been busy playing TF2 with my brother to actually post about the events of the playoffs. For starters, "softball" is a misnomer. We had a game against a team that blew us out 13-2 in the regular season on Friday night. We didn't fare much better this time, falling by a score of 16-3. The worst part, however, was that before the game got out of hand, I had the opportunity to make a play at the plate. Unfortunately, the throw in from center field took a bad hop on the T-ball rubber (This field is used by the elementary school next door.), and instead of coming down on the ground where I was set up, it came high and clocked me in the forehead. I didn't lose consciousness, but I did black out for about a second. I played on adrenaline (a wonderful hormone let me tell you...if I could harness it more effectively....) for the rest of the game, and, at the post-game prayer, it really started to kick in. Took about a day for the fog to lift and the headache persists even 48 hours later. It's waning, but it still hurts. I may have had a concussion, may not. I think Neil would have pulled me if my eyes had dilated or whatnot, so I guess I'll be okay. I just don't like flinching, and I don't have another weekend to redeem myself, because we lost the Saturday morning game by a count of 11-0. But it's okay, because I need the time to heal up. Amanda's birthday is Tuesday. Wish her a happy birthday if you see her, digitally or otherwise. -KIE

I really should get around to posting more often. In the past couple of weeks, I ran out of checks, had a failed attempt at booking a room for BrickFair, and was informed by LaPELS that my application was incomplete. (Kohaku, can you help describe the job of a cartpusher in a minimum of 6-8 sentences?) Oh, and work has gotten stupid busy. Busy that I'm going to be busy on up until BrickFair itself. Busy enough that my boss at the parish may still call me WHILE I'm at BrickFair. Paul, if you read this, please, don't. I'm not kidding. Now that you're all caught up, the current news: I miss my girlfriend. :\ Amanda left Friday after work to go home for Father's Day. Since my dad is offshore this weekend & next (He's worked 14-14 for nearly 30 years.), I'd already wished him a happy Father's Day over the phone, and was planning on going with Amanda to her parents' place this weekend. That was, until, I was reminded I would have a performance tonight: The Baptist Church Music Conference opened tonight in New Orleans, and I was called to help sing in the choir for opening night: a semi-personal favor for the music minister at church/director of said choir. To top it off, my piecemeal "concert black" from college doesn't really fit (The jacket's too tight, and the pants...oooh, the pants would've exploded if I sat down with them on.), and I couldn't find the silk clip-on bow tie that finished the ensemble. Anyway, Amanda will be home tomorrow evening, and I can hardly wait. Certainly beats having just my computer to keep me company. -KIE

Sittin' in the rain Water on your brain Got a hole in your boat Trying to stay afloat Has got you down I've got a wind in my sail Rubber boots and a pail I'll throw you a line Rest assured that I Won't ever let you drown 'Cause when you're up against the wall You know I'll be here for you, for you When you rise and when you fall I'll always be here for you, for you When the plans you make Fall through and take you For a loop Or some bird has flown the coop And left you stranded Just lean on me And together you see We'll carry the load Even if we don't Quite understand it 'Cause when you're up against the wall You know I'll be here for you, for you When you rise and when you fall I'll always be here for you, for you <guitar solo> <trombone solo> 'Cause when you're up against the wall You know I'll be here for you, for you When you rise and when you fall I'll always be here for you, for you 'Cause when you're up against the wall You know I'll be here for you, for you When you rise and when you fall I'll always be here for you, for you

I was disappointed in the entire premise: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade all centered around the quest for a centerpiece element of a major and/or historically significant religion. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull went all obscure-South American and I'm left thinking "what?" They went to the well one too many times. If they make a 5th, they really should change the major plotline. Please. -KIE

I plan to celebrate at a quarter to 24 past 1 in the afternoon. -KIE

It was as if the Pens needed to be on the PP for it to be at even strength. Fleury won that game for them, and had Gonchar not actually taken the ice, Fleury probably would have had to score the goal himself. -KIE