i can't recall the last stretch of days where work was more exhausting than it has been recently. there's a number of reasons for this which i will not waste time going into here. next week is the big SES conference in San Jose, the granddaddy event of our industry, so there's been a lot of ramping up towards it. everything i've been doing in the office centers around the presentation for one of my supervisors next week at the trade show. it has been quite a strain on my mental fortitude to say the least. i'm actually looking forward to the week in San Jose just to get the hell out of the office and get a break from the deluge of meetings and grinding hours in front of a PC screen performing the same inane tasks over and over until 7 or 8PM every night.

my workload and extended hours has taken a toll on just about everything else outside of work -- fortunately i haven't run my car into any more concrete pillars lately. despite this i have been motivated to complete my Karza repaint. i finished the final touch-ups tonight and applied the last clear coat. i look forward to assembling the damn thing tomorrow (i'll post photos, natch). other than that i'm way behind on everything else.

tomorrow i have to return a couple of graphic novels i never managed to cracked once even tho i renewed them for an extra month. i'm not even going to bother renewing them again. i have another pile of graphic novels due in a couple of weeks that i need to make a decision as to whether or not i plan to read them. i want to. however, as always, things get in the way.

RE: Pokemon Silver. i've reached a crossroads of sorts in the game so my playing time has been reduced dramatically. that and the aforementioned factors have slowed down my progress. this is probably a good thing. i have decisions to make as to how i proceed now that i have all 8 badges (which i've had since last week). and honestly none of the choices appeal to me at this stage. i suppose i'll get thru it all but i'm not as compelled these days.

my torrent viewing has come to an almost complete standstill. this annoys me greatly yet i'm stretched, exhausted and overworked that it never takes precedent over most other things going on. i need to work torrent viewing back into the schedule somehow some way, esp. considering i'm still downloading new episodes at a decent clip. from the Japanese mags i've been paging thru lately it appears there's a lot of buzz around Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger (Special Police Dekaranger), yet another Power Ranger spin-off. i watched the 1st ep some time ago; it was okay. but i went ahead an picked up the remaining 8 eps available and will attempt a re-watch to see what all the hype is about.

with Wizard World looming i have to pull back from my aggressive eBay behavior as of late. i've already paid for 8 auctions this week and have another 10 potential bids hanging out there as i'm watching another 30 or so auctions go down. i really need to pay closer attention to my spend otherwise i won't have any money to buy more needless junk at WW (as a matter o'fact i almost dried out my checking acct this week!). i only wish Takara was planning to booth at WW as they did @SDCC last weekend. not only did they have an exclusive Microman figure available for a paltry $5 (which completely soldout by 4pm Saturday) but Takara also had a grand display of much of their past and current offerings (see photo). i'd really enjoy seeing all that up close.

i've been watching the Kill Bill Vol 2 DVD as i pen this (the Elle Driver/Bride fight scene just finished) and i must say that this flick, much like the first, gets better and better w/every repeat viewing!

hrmph, if work doesn't kill me this week, the paint fumes will. i really need a frickin' workspace at home!

i want this CD: Twelve Girls Band. as if it isn't obvious. ;)

day 40: wt.179lb(!!)