joe randel's art dump

Not many things stress me out.  I’m pretty good with things over all.  Moving and change stresses me out like crazy.  I’ve moved so many times in my life that I hate it with a passion.  Over the next month or so, we’re having renovations done to the house.  Nothing major, just new hardwood floors through out the house and carpet in the basement, oh and a quick touch up to the downstairs bathroom.  The house will pretty much be up to date after all that and it will look fantastic.  I’m very excited.  But in order to have all this work done, we pretty much have to move everything out of the house for this to happen and I feel very over whelmed by all of this.  The process of change drives me so crazy I can barely handle it.  I like order and control and change disrupts that.  Ugh, it’ll be a week or two probably until everything is done and I’m not looking forward to it.  I’m am looking forward to the other side of all of this when the house looks great, but not the moving and changing parts.

What things stress you out?

The other day I was talking with a friend about cartoons we grew up with.  He mentions RugRats and I was like… that show was on when I was in college.  We found out that what I was seeing was the final seasons of the show near the end of the 90’s but still, it’s not a show I grew up with.  Funny thing is, I didn’t feel old, I just felt that he was young.

Shows/cartoons I did grow up with he never watched or only heard of.  Shows like Battle of the Planets, The Little Prince (I loved that cartoon), Fraggle Rock, Muppet Babies, Dungeons and Dragons, Pole Position, Donkey Kong, Pac Man, The Get Along Gang, Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, Commander Marc and the Secret City, Snorks, Duck Tails, Tail Spin, Rescue Rangers, The Real Ghostbusters, and for some reason I remember watching a Jackson 5 cartoon.  Watching any of these shows now would be horrible I’m sure so I’m quite happy to just remember them in my head.

What cartoons or shows did you watch as a kid?

We all have moments in our lives that have helped to sculpt us to be the people we are now.  Maybe it was opportunity that you took that changed your life, or maybe something you missed.  Maybe it was an accomplishment that you achieved for yourself.  I always find it interesting to look back and see those defining moments in our lives.  We don’t always see them at the exact moment they happen, but they’re there.  I think it’s important to reflect on these and see where we’ve been and maybe understand who we are.

Some moments in my life where meeting my wife back in high school.  Little did I know I would spend the rest of my life with her and that she’d help me become a more rounded and confident person.  Being a father showed me a new out look on life that I never could have imagined.  Taking a job with a small time game studio right out of college started the ground work for my entire career.  The passing of my first dog helped me understand life and death and my place in the world.  If any of those things didn’t happen, who knows where I’d be or who I’d be today.

What do you think are some of the defining moments in your life thus far?

Has there ever been a game that you where so excited to play and couldn’t wait to play when you got it home, but didn’t or it took a long time before you did?

A few years ago I was very excited to get Monster Hunter Tri for Wii.  My friends told me how they play the PSP ones and loved them and they where excited to get the Wii version as well.  They talked it up pretty damn good, so good that I too was very excited to try it out.  The day came, I bought it, took it home and tried it out and thought it was pretty cool.  I was already playing another game and I didn’t want to abandon it before I finished it.  I did finish that game eventually but I never got back to Monster Hunter.  It’s not a game that I want to play with my kids so I only would play it in the evenings, something that can be hard to do.  It still sits there in my game cabinet waiting for the day that I pick it up again.  Not sure when that will be as I’m sure I’ve missed out on all the multiplayer and online aspects of game.

I have others that are waiting too, but that one is one I was super jazzed to get and I kick myself everyday for not starting it up.  Some day…

Tonight wife and I went out for sushi with friends.  We don’t go out a lot but when we do, we usually go out for sushi at our usual place.  What makes this place sort of interesting is that the first time we went there, I ate myself stupid.  The food there is great, and I’m very glad that it’s all you can eat other wise it would cost me a god damn fortune because of how much I eat when I’m there.  But that first time… well, I can honestly say I’ve never eaten so much at one sitting in my life.  I ate so much that the next day at lunch, I was still feeling full and ill.  It was painful to think about eating more (I even had a  super light breakfast).  I’m sure I could have fed a small village with what I put in my body.  Since then I’ve learned to better gauge how much I should eat and I leave feeling full, but not gross.

Have you ever eaten to the point where you feel ill?  What was it that you ate?

This one commission sure was tuff.  Who was it of?

Okay people, I’ve asked about computers for a future purchase, but now I ask you this.  My wife and I just might buy a new camera in the next few weeks as our current one is getting on in years.  I’d like a fancy one, but my wife wants one that’s not overly complicated and still good for point and shoot moments.  Our past cameras have all been Cannons and we seem to do well with them, but are there other brands that are better or just as good?  Which ones should we stay away from?

Update: I’m willing to spend $250 – $300 but would like to spent less.  The camera needs to suit a simple point and click style of photography for my wife but have options I can mess with so I can take more fancy shots.