Entering the high-tech world a little later than never

I'm typing this entry from bed, with Ralph happily laying across my feet. I guess I get it now why people like this whole wireless thing. It's pretty neat.

What's not neat is having to recreate all of my bookmarks, download all of my applications, and burn and port over all of my music/pictures/whatever. Oh well, I guess I have a project for the next century.

But my Jennifer is the bestest ever ever ever for agreeing to pay the extra money so that I could get out of Windows hell! It's so nice.

~//~

Yesterday was a trip to the mall followed by an impromptu dinner at Coworker Gina's house. Good times, except that I couldn't stop yawning and they kept offering me coffee and stuff. I dig me some Coworker Gina.

New AIM Name

I'd been meaning to post about this for, like, 6 months, oops.

I'm trying to move everything over from my old AIM name (TaterTard) to my new AIM name (judecorp). I guess I'm going for some sort of internet presence or something.

Anyway, I know I'm not great about having AIM on, but add judecorp anyway and if you see me there, drop me a message! (I'm going through LJ adding everyone that has an AIM name listed in their userinfos, but I know that won't reach everyone.

Thanks!

Dorian Blues

This afternoon, folkyboy and I went to see Dorian Blues at the Kendall Square theatre. It was a pretty cute gay coming-of-age movie that neither of us had heard of. We were originally looking for somewhere to see Capote but that didn't work out. Actually, we were /really/ originally going to go to BC to see "Bat Boy: The Musical" but it was all sold out. Good thing we called first!

Anyway, Dorian Blues was the story of a high school misfit with a "perfect" quarterback younger brother and a pretty crappy home life. It kind of traces his coming out process and then he goes off to college and continues his development for a little while longer. The characters were pretty believable, even if the "misfit" was actually good looking, but hey, this is the movies after all.

What was interesting was that this kid's dad was a major jerk about pretty much everything his whole life, and Dorian finally stands up to him and comes to terms with the way his dad is. And then his dad dies (which is actually how the movie starts).

It's funny, because my dad was not the greatest guy by a long shot when I was growing up but I don't even really think about that much anymore. It was like we came to some sort of understanding when I graduated from high school and was going off to college and we somehow decided to wipe the slate clean. (Well, I did. I can't say he had much to wipe from me.) The only time it ever came up was when he would wax nostalgically about what a great dad he was and how he was the greatest guy ever. I'm all for forgiveness but I'd like a little reality in there, too, you know?

I definitely carry around little quirks and personality traits that come from how I grew up and all of that, but I don't usually think about them that way. I mean, when they pop up I can certainly acknowledge where they came from, and how they affect me, but I don't sit around thinking about my childhood and how I wish I was treated or anything like that. Usually I just think about how I can make sure I don't do the same things to my own kids.

I'm glad that my dad and I had a chance to have conversations that directly referenced the way he treated my brother and me when we were growing up. I'm glad that I was able to get it all out in the open and make my father see that he /wasn't/ the greatest dad, and that it didn't really matter in the long run because things turned out as okay as they could. I'm glad that my father didn't die when things were still horrible and awkward between us, when I was still so angry and he was still so in denial.

I can't imagine if my father had died without ever apologizing, without ever saying he was wrong about the things he'd said and that I really was probably one of the greatest kids any parent could have asked for. I can't imagine going through life believing all of the terrible things he told me when I was younger. I still struggle with them from time to time, but if it had been an all-the-time thing? Eesh.

Yeah, not exactly the "feel good" movie I was looking for, but hey, we can't win them all!