Journal – Oddball Update

Chrysalis

June 18, 2016June 18, 2016 Chief Oddball

Halfway through 2016, I've finally decided what this year represents for me: transition. But not just one. Indeed; the first few months could be looked back upon as nothing other than a transition to hell, a waking nightmare that I always feared -- or even knew with certainty -- would one day come true. Since hitting that rock bottom, I've found a new transition underway: a transition to a new phase of life, a new and hopefully healthier outlook. But God has it been a hard road getting here.

The Lift Factor

August 4, 2014August 4, 2014 Chief Oddball

Lately, my son Connor likes to spend bedtime with me playing "the elevator game". It started one day when I slid a stuffed animal up and down the side of his crib while making elevator noises. Now it's morphed into a full-blown soap opera, where each night we visit One Harvie Plaza, the posh corporate convention center and apartment tower that's filled with elevators.

Splice & Dice: Wiring the House for Ethernet

June 1, 2014June 1, 2014 Chief Oddball 3 Comments

As we were talking about our plans for the house this year, we decided to mount a new big-screen LED TV on the wall back in the bedroom. Of course, with the wireless Internet connectivity being as choked and spotty as it is back there, adding a whole media center with Smart TV apps and game consoles seemed like a pretty dumb idea. So I decided to run a new Ethernet drop back there.

My Next-Gen Game Plan (Or: How GameStop Bought Me an Xbox One)

September 15, 2013September 15, 2013 Chief Oddball

Since video games are my #1 hobby, I naturally spend the better part of my spare hours dedicated to making sure I get more of them. That statement carries more weight now than it has in some time, because 2013 is the year both the Xbox and PlayStation platforms introduce their next-generation console hardware.

Full Stop

June 5, 2013June 6, 2013 Chief Oddball 3 Comments

The sidebar of this site proclaims that Oddball Update is home to “rants”, though precious few have appeared here in recent years. (As it happens, my last post — in which I complained about the direction Microsoft is taking with the Xbox One — may be the closest thing in a while.)

The Hunt Concludes: Charger Three Joins Our Family

February 3, 2013February 3, 2013 Chief Oddball 2 Comments

For the three days preceding January 30th, I didn't get to sleep until 2 a.m. and was barely able to concentrate on anything except Car Matters. So when that day finally dawned and I got up ready to spend the entire day car shopping, I was bound and determined to get a right proper deal for the perfect car. All I had to do was select that car. In the end, that car was Charger Three.

The Great Dodge Hunt: Money In Hand

January 28, 2013January 28, 2013 Chief Oddball

Today I completed what has to have been the easiest vehicle sale I have ever undergone. Okay, okay: let me temper that by admitting that it’s only the second car that I’ve ever sold on the private market. But you could hardly ask for a more ideal situation: a buyer who dropped virtually into my lap, paid close to my asking price and was great to work with throughout the entire transaction.

Welcome to Chief Oddball’s Great Dodge Hunt

January 27, 2013January 27, 2013 Chief Oddball 1 Comment

Well, that came together sooner than I expected. Just days after posting that we might have a buyer for Mrs. Oddball’s Mazda6, I now have a verbal agreement and will probably have the money in hand come Monday. As I mentioned in my last post, the buyer is a coworker of mine who recently moved here from outside the U.S.

The Catch-Up Brain Dump

January 23, 2013January 23, 2013 Chief Oddball

This entry doesn’t have a central topic. It doesn’t even have a featured image, as you probably noticed. It’s simply a big, massive wall of text onto which I spew everything that’s been clogging up my mind for the past month while I haven’t been posting here.

2012: Chief Oddball’s Retrospective

December 31, 2012January 1, 2013 Chief Oddball 2 Comments

As the final minutes of Gregorian year 2012 prepare to expire here in the U.S. Central time zone, let’s take a look back at the year from Chief Oddball’s vantage point. (That’s me, in case you’re new here.) Was it a year of success or failure?

Category: Journal