Obi-J

It’s been years since I’ve spent the holidays at home back in Michigan. And this year will be no different. I’d love to be back home with my mom and sister enjoying the smell of pine, relaxing by the fire, and wondering why on earth we’re watching a parade on TV. I don’t have any grand reason why I’m not going home, but I do like to avoid the holiday travel rush, and there are some family issues which have lowered my desire to make the journey. So while I am sad that I won’t be with my family, I am quite thankful to have so many wonderful friends to pass the time of the season. For me, it’s not about tradition or ritual. It’s about sharing a smile, a casual conversation, laughing at each other, and just being happy together. Cheers!

Here are a few pics from Jen, Jayeesha, and Jen’s holiday party from last saturday…

And when we got back from Tahoe last Sunday we got a suprise phone call from our old friends Amy and Finn who had just seen Charlie Hunter at Yoshi’s. Both Amy and I were rather beat from our trip and had settled down to watch a movie, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hang with friends. We had a drink down at Barclay’s in Jack London Square, then invited them and their friends Jodi and Sean back to our place to watch a little Zeppelin on the big screen. We were up much later than we had planned, but it was well worth being exhausted Monday morning. Good times…

A couple words about commenting. First, I’m in the process of editing the popup comments to better reflect teh overall style. Actully, I’m not really sure why I’m doing it as I’m probably going to scrap the whole design in the next few weeks. Ahhh, what to do. In the meantime, please ignore the comment form mess.

Second, it seems that Spam Karma is banning a few people it shouldn’t, so if you’re one of the unfortunate ones, drop me an email at “jay AT jayober.com” and I’ll get you off the banned list.

For those of you who’ve gotten blocked while trying to comment, you should be all set now. It was a problem with using popup comments, and so a little code addition from the plugin author got things working.

I’m feeling like quite the shmuck today. After going through the handful of pictures we took this weekend I now realize I shouldn’t have been such bastard on the mountain like I was. Amy and I took a quick trip up to Tahoe, as she had high hopes for nice, quiet stroll through the snow. Both of us were snowshoe virgins, and like many activities done for the first time, it didn’t go as smooth as we wanted. I guess I just wasn’t in the mood to haul my ass up a mountain. And when we got to hiking through the snow at 8,400 feet, the lack of oxygen and my general grumpiness lead to my far too usual, “what the fuck am I doing here? I hate this shit!” Hey, I know it doesn’t make sense, were in Tahoe for crying out loud, but the lack of oxygen and a bad attitue sure does make a man feel whacked in the head.

You see, I love going to Tahoe, and this weekend was no exception. The thing is, there are certain activities that I tend to not enjoy as much as others. I’ve never really like hiking. I don’t know why, but I just don’t really like to walk around aimlessly looking at stuff. Sure, it’s cool to peak a mountain, or hike into the backcountry, but for whatever reason I’m not terribly impressed with it, or myself, for accomplishing the feat. I suppose I’d rather torture myself pedaling my bike up a mountain knowing that I’ll get to rocket back down. I gravitate towards those activities which I perceive to be a challenge, require a certain level of skill and concentration. I like adrenaline. Of course, hiking and snowshoeing don’t offer that same level of challenge and excitement, but does that mean they’re lame?

Honestly, I don’ t why I’m such a freaking grinch about it, and I really don’t want to be anymore. I want to be able to go on a trek and not feel bored within a 100 feet of the trailhead. I’m not sure what it’ll take…well, it’s probably some sort of attitude adjustment. I don’t know how to make it happen, but then again, just seeing the pictures helps me put things in perspective. Sometimes, I just need to stop thinking, and just enjoy the experience…

For all you wordpress users out there who are still plagued with comment spam, I believe this gentleman has come up with the best solution thus far. It includes a variety of filters to determine whether it’s a person commenting or a bot, and even includes a CAPTCHA test to allow those who shouldn’t be blocked to post their comments. I’ve only had it set up for a short time, but so far, no spam. So get yourself some Spam Karma.

And if you’re running one of those other programs (not that they’re bad or anything), maybe it’s time to switch.