Oopsie

Man, being unmindful is scary. All day I've been having a hard time concentrating and keeping focused. I went to pick The Misses up at work for lunch... and backed into a Porcshe.

Nothing too bad, I was going really slow. I just wasn't paying attention. Plus that thing was like super low to the ground and a lot smaller than my truck, so there you go. Now he has a rectangular depression in his bumper from mine, there's not even any paint missing. I think my bumper where the two hitch goes is a little bent.

The Misses went in and found the guy and we exchanged info and called our insurance. They're gonna cover anything over $500. He seemed like a nice guy. His name is Dave too.

So let this be a lesson! Zoning out is bad news and sometimes literal costs you!

- BuddhaDave

New Look, Same Great Flavor

This blog is moving. The Metatokyo.com domain was an accident when I was trying to visit the Megatokyo webcomic and spelled it wrong one time. Then I said to myself, "Hey, that's a cool name."

But no more. The new URL is... BuddhaDave.com. Seems to fit a lot better and its not a copy of another popular website. So look for that change right after this post.

Also, I've commissioned a professional web designer to create a new site for me where I will have a CafePress store and (eventually) a webcomic in addition to my blog. So that's exciting. :)

See ya there.

- BuddhaDave

Yo Soy Sick

I sick as a dog. All my muscles hurt. My throat has some alien blobby things in it. Sneezing and coughing starts a fire in my lungs and chest. My head hates movement.

Damnit, I hate being sick.

- BuddhaDave

Welcome To Da Family

So last night we got the newest member of our family. Her name is Riley and she's a three year old pug. Our friend Jeremy and his clan are moving and asked us to take care of her. When we went to Hawaii they watched her for us and they seemed to be a good influence on eachother.

They even brought over her favorite armchair!





- BuddhaDave

Would You Like Some Pineapple?

No? Well how about all of the pics from our Hawaii Trip instead?

- BuddhaDave

We Have Ourselves Some Wieners!

Yes, the contest has ended. The winners are (in order):

My brother the hero, Thadius!
Not just Jon, iJon!
Short and sweet Sami!
She's naughty, she's nice, The Misses!
The coolest cat in town, Douglas!

Congrats! Now here's what you've won!

...

I'm not sure yet. I have some funny ideas but I want to let them stew for a bit. They'll be good, I promise. And quick in delivery. Just like me! Wait, that came out wrong.

- BuddhaDave

Will there be prizes? Yes. Can you show them to your mother? ...Probably not.

Tee Hee & 50th Post

I just saw this in the news and had to post it:



<_<
>_>
^_^

I hope somebody else gets it.

So I came up with something fun to do for my 50th Blog Post.

The first five people to comment on this entry will get a special prize!

I'll post the winners and their prizes as soon as they're all given out.

Adios!

- BuddhaDave

Mmmm, BreakFast

Aaaaaaaaand I can eat again! The fast is over.

We went shopping last night and got all kinds of good (and healthy) stuff. We had a small dinner of tomato soup and crackers. A Ritz never tasted so good.

I'm going to try and keep my portions smaller from now on. My pappy says when you're not constantly filling your stomach it can shrink down to the size of your fist and it takes less food to fill full. I imagine my stomach is a lot smaller than it used to be, and intend to keep it that way.

Hopefully I can stay on a good diet.

That hardest part was taking those shakes. They were gross and having to remember taking them was a pain. Every three hours makes it hard to go out and do stuff. You can't just carry a big ol' jug of apple juice with you.

Not eating wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be. The only pain was fighting off those voices that tried to trick me into quitting. "Its only another day. Go ahead and eat. One small meal won't matter." And keeping The Misses on track. Every day I had to be moral support. But where's my moral support!

Oh, also, this is my 50th Post! Whoo hoo! I'll try to think of something fun to do to celebrate. Maybe prizes or something.

Well, I better head out to work. Have a nice morning.

- BuddhaDave

"Mmmmmm, Ritz."
"They taste good don't they?"
"I think I'm gonna cry."

I Should Not Be Left Alone

I guess The Misses is right when she says "Rules are meant to be broken."


Nerf Gun + Large Sewing Needles + Alone Dave =










- BuddhaDave

You talkin' to me?

No Break Fast - Day Five

w00ts! Last day, I made it! Benihana is the worst temptation I could have gone through. I love that food like no other. But I resisted. You can bet your sweet bottom I will be going there soon, though. Oh yeah.

So today is it. I'm going to go through our new vegan cookbook and find some things that sound particularly tasty and make up a grocery list. I'll be focusing primarily on breakfast as that's the first meal I can have. It will have to be really small, but that's okay. You have to come off a fast slow or else you'll hurt yourself. The kit recommends only an apple, but we'll see.

I don't know if we'll go fully vegan or not. The hard part for me will be the meat. I likey eat da steaky. And the brauts. And the meatballs. And all that. No dairy will be okay as I'm lactose intolerant anyways. Cutting back/out refined sugars will be hard too. I think mostly we just need a system for eating healthier and vegan seems to be the best idea. Wish me luck, diet changes are hard!

Adios!

- BuddhaDave

"We really wish you could come to dinner with us Dave."
"Yeah, *sigh* me too."
*munches on cookie* "But we're proud of you staying so strong!"

This Aint No Arcade, Its A Gym!

Yesterday was my friend Sami's birthday! She's a big ol' twenty-two years of age. Yesterday I went and hung out with her and some other friends. First it was Johnny Rockets (read previous post for how that went) and then onto Game Works. I always enjoy hanging out with those guys.

I went through twenty bucks of play in a good amount of time. I swear, arcades are turning into gyms. I tried to find the Penny-Arcade comic about the exact same thing, but I couldn't. Their archive search thing is kind of hard to wield.

I played the horse race game where you have to pump the horse as hard as you can to win. Then I played a skateboarding game which was also physically intensive. I was sweating. It was crazy. I guess arcades have to have games like that because kids can play the regular kind at home.

Sami has a hidden talent for the oozy. She beat House of the Dead Four last night. True, they had to put something like $25 in there, but have you seen that game? Zombies come at you thicker than an oatmeal blizzard. The kind of oatmeal without any milk. Sure you have that oozy, but they just throw so many zombies at you.

The Misses and my awesome-o friend Heather took a break from their scrapbooking obsession, I mean session, and joined us for a bit. We all gathered around one of those mechanical arm machines watching people take turns trying to grab a kitty keychain dealy. We had a bunch of tickets and we used them to get a deck of cards for Sam's birthday, a cheapy chinese fan for me, and one of those rubber pop-up things. I dropped it once and I think Heather grabbed my butt when I bent down to pick it up, but it might have been Rob. He'd been doing that all night.

I also did pretty good. On Time Crisis II (I love the Time Crisis games so much) I got a ninth place ranking. Then on this NAMCO quickdraw game where you use a light gun to shoot actual targets, I got Number One baby! w00t When I got my promotion and my raise, I wasn't as happy or proud as when I got first place on this game. I even got pics!





If no one has seen this game (its not new or anything) there are four rounds. You start out with the gun in its holster. The timer starts when you take the gun out of the holster for each round, and each one has a different set of targets. Some moving, some not. So your ranking is based on how long it takes you to shoot all targets over all rounds. And I got 3.7 seconds. :)

Well, I have some cleaning duties to attend to. Have a great Sunday and try to relax. Be lazy if you want to; sometimes you just gotta lay around.

- BuddhaDave

"You have a hidden talent."
"Yeah, I should be like... an animal tranquilizer."

No Break Fast - Day Four

Faster's Log, Day Four of Five

I'm nearing the end of this mission and today I've already been tempted to an extreme degree. Another ship, the SS Grandmother, has invited our crew to a most fantabulous feast on the planet Benihana. There is mutiny within. Some want to go, while others urge to press on.

End of Log

Yesterday was a pretty good day for fasting. I did miss one of my shake thingies (oops!) but its not a big deal. I was able to sit through dinner at Johnny Rockets while my friends munched on heavenly fries and delicious burgers. I stayed strong! I didn't have a single fry or sip of shake. But man, it smelled so good.

I drank a fair amount of water, but no where near as much as before. I think it helped; my stomach didn't feel weird all night. Just hungry sometimes.

Well, guess I better hail the SS Grandmother and tell her we'll have to pass on planet Benihana. See ya tomorrow for the last day of the fast!

- BuddhaDave

"Okay guys, here's your appetizer sample platter. Where do you want it?"
"Right in front of those guys."
"Meanie!"

No Break Fast - Day Three

Day three and still trucking. Still no cheating! w00ters. I did buy some V8 though last night just to get a change once in a while. A special treat, as it were.

I think I've been drinking too much apple juice and water. My belly feels too full at the end of the day. I'm going to cut way back today and see if that helps. I think I'm trying to fast without feeling any hunger! haha

I feel pretty good. A tiny bit off, but that's expected. My sense of smell has augmented like crazy, though. Walking through my office building yesterday I could smell everyone's food. Its strange to think the smells have always been the same but now I'm just more sensitive. Its not just food though, everything.

Overall I'm enjoying this. The constant energy level is very nice and its kind of fun to see if I'll make it. Five days without food...it just sounds crazy like no one could do it. I think I can I think I can I think I can whoo whoo!

I'm hungry once in a while but it fades quickly. How often is anyone every really physically hungry anymore? I think when most of us say we're hungry its the head, not the belly. Its a good experience I feel to see that you don't *have* to have food at you first craving and that if you just wait it out it goes away. Eat to live, don't live to eat and all that.

Have a great weekend! Catch ya tomorrow!

- BuddhaDave

Do Dave's dream of electric donuts?

No Break Fast - Day Two

Captain's Log, Day Two:

So, I made it through day one with no cheating or breaking down crying because I just wanted a frickin' sammich. I was only physically hungry a couple of times and for no more than thirty minutes. I think the hardest part is that I'm so used to snacking and eating at certain times that it just becomes a hard habit to break.

I was laying around a couple times yesterday not particularly thinking about anything and my mind would suddenly show me movies of hot delicious pizza being cut into perfect wedges by a table saw. Or a close up view of a grilled cheese sandwich getting flipped over. Not really tempting, just funny. I never randomly see food movies in my head.

I don't really feel all that different yet. I can tell little things, like yesterday I went for a walk during lunch and walking up a little hill made my legs burn a tiny bit. Also, my energy level is much more even and level. I don't have the ups and downs I normally get snacking and eating. Its nice to not get hyper because I had some sugar and then sleepy because I ate something else.

According to my Pappy, these are the hardest days of the whole thing. By day three it gets easier and by day five (supposedly) you don't really want to stop. We'll see!

- BuddhaDave

*shakes bag of Chick-a-Fila*
"I don't want your dirty chicken!"
"It just has garbage in it anyway, I just wanted to tease you."

The Life AquaticWith Dave Buchta

I saw this movie in the theatres and I loved it. Its quirky and retro and weird and Bill Murray is a big favorite of mine. To tell the truth I didn't really understand it until last night. We were watching it at home and about 30 minutes in it hit me.

Now I'm no movie genius or anything like that, but I think this movie is about being in a sad, lonely, strange, and run-down part of life. Where everything seems off somehow and you don't know what you can do to set it right. The old things aren't doing what they used to. So you fumble along confused, trying to make things feel right. Its a long, drawn out kind of sadness. A kind that's been growing for a long time and you don't know when it happened. All the things you try only seem to cover up these feelings for a short time, but all too soon you realize its still there.

Bill Murray's characters plays this part so well. He's always seeming so out of energy and just lost. Just kind of on autopilot, bumping into things.

Well, I better get to work. Have a good day, its a gift.

- BuddhaDave

Takes one to know one.

There Is No Break Fast Here

Welcome to day one of five of my fast. Last night for dinner I had a salad and a small bit of leftover spaghetti. Well... and some chocolate as well. I didn't want them to go bad! Chocolate goes bad at the drop of a hat you know.

From here on until Tuesday morning its nothing but apple juice and water. I can do eet! Every three hours I'll drink this strange concoction that tastes spicy like chewing on a dandelion would. It will supposedly help get all the toxins out of my body, which is the point. It doesn't taste that bad, just strange.

Am I hungry yet? Nope. I've only been up for like two hours. Ask me around 1:00pm, haha. I'll try to post every day of the fast and write out a status report. Just in case you ever want to try it and wonder what its like. I know you want to, Mr. Gable.

This is it, men! Time to show what we're made of!

- BuddhaDave

"That steak looks good, how is it?"
"Oh man, its the best. So juicy and flavorful. How's uh, how's that apple juice?"
"Go to hell."

Dave Tired

In Hawaii I purchased a necklace made from prehistoric walrus ivory with an old whaling ship scrimshawed onto it. Its pretty small and I don't wear it out of my shirt usually. I use it as a reminder of a very good saying I heard from the Cowboy Bebop animated movie:

"A ship that goes out to sea has no choice but to keep sailing, or sink."

When I get tired of trying it helps remind me to keep going. Being sad is very tiring. Being sad and trying not to be is even more so.

I've been getting tired a lot lately. Everyday is a hard exercise in patience, anger management, and keeping that screaming unruly child called the mind from running me into the ground. It always surprises me how something with no mass can gain so much momentum.

Certain comments or jokes have been getting me sad at the drop of a hat. A weird complete kind of sadness. Not like the kind of sad one gets that can be cured easily with a hug or some attention. A deep and total depression which seems to be at the cellular level. However this has been balanced with a level of self control I haven't ever had before. So it doesn't take out my whole day, just about an hour. Not my whole day, but my whole energy tank!

The last two months of the year I learned something very important: Life is too unpredictable and uncontrollable to be forecast with any kind of accuracy. Just accept each day as a gift, because there is no guarantee anywhere that you will see another. Wasting energy being upset when things don't go how you wanted them too is destructive and totally unnecessary. Life goes how it goes. Go from there.

Tomorrow I'm starting a five day fast to try and get healthier. Plus, I've always wanted to do it. My dad bought me this kit that helps get all the toxins out. It will be a good lesson in self control and an interesting week. The first three days are just stepping down the food intake, then five days with no food. Just apple juice and water. Wish me luck!

I hope all your weekends were good and this week goes even better. My sincerest wishes go out to those in uncertain territories with uncertain traveling companions. It will work out, don't worry. You are your own best guide. Adios, partners.

- BuddhaDave

I want to be what you need but can't you be mine too?

Batman's Dad Was Right

Batman's Dad: "Why do we fall down Bruce? So that we learn to pick ourselves back up."

Hello 2006. I was thinking in the shower today (like ya do) about people who are cynical and bitter about New Year's resolutions. Why? Just cuz people break them a lot of the time? That isn't the resolution's fault! Its the resoluter's. Yes, I am creating the word resoluter.

I'm of the mind that any situation people can use to give them a tiny bit of extra oomph when trying to better their lives (going to the gym, reading more, quitting smoking, etc) is a good thing. If it helps, it helps.

So go on, all you kings and queens of the world, and make a resolution or two. Its never too late. Just think: This way, it will be easier to mark your progress like so:

"How long you been going to the gym now?"
"Its September now right? Then nine months."

Your humble blogger has only one: To be more dedicated in his chosen spiritual path. I feel its very encompassing of any other resolution I could make and I've needed an excuse for a good jumping off point anyway.

No more slacking for me! No more dodging out of daily meditation! No more spiritually lazy days! No more bending the precepts until they're damn near broke off! (Hopefully!)

I went to a New Year's Eve party last night/early this morning. It was lots of fun. I'm proud of myself, I barely drank. I didn't even get buzzed, although I was acting a fool a lot of the night. There is a picture of my ass somewhere on the Internet by now I'm sure.

I'm reading this awesome book right now. Well, at least half a dozen at the moment but let me tell you about this one in particular. It's called "Cinema Nirvana" (thanks Pam!) and its dharma lessons from popular movies. I do the same exact thing to movies I watch (The Misses calls it "Buddhisting it up") and its cool to have a book dedicated to that. The writer is funny and I love the concept.

I think that's good. Talk to you laters. Good luck this year and keep strong on any resolutions you make!

- BuddhaDave