Python Class

I just finished the final project for an online Python class at www.coursera.org. It was really fun. The final project is a remake of the old arcade game Asteroids. I had to make some sprites for the game. Take a look:

Blogging is tough

As much as I try I cannot seem to stay consistent with my blogging. Well I am almost totally moved into my new condo. Soon after I closed escrow and got the keys I had a furious two weeks of boxing everything at my old place and transporting a few boxes every night after work. In the first week of April I had all my boxes in my new place and then I began unpacking. Needless to say I'm pretty slow at that as well. I have a lot of things I could write about but I don't have the time as I need to get some sleep. In the upcoming blog entries I hope to:
1) Show some initial pictures of my condo
2) Show post some current pictures
3) Maybe talk a little more about my home shopping experience

Signing Weekend

This was a pretty stressful weekend. On Friday I went to First American Title and signed papers for my first condominium. If all goes well then next Friday I will be the owner of a bubble of space, which for some reason qualifies as real estate. At the signing appointment there were a lot of forms to read and sign. I was very impressed by the notary who went over all the papers with me. He was very patient and waited for me to read everything before I signed any papers. Even more impressive though, was his ability to read upside down. We sat on opposite sides of a table and whenever I had a question he was able to scan the document and find the answer without taking back the form. If you were to ask me anything specific about the forms I signed I would not be able to remember, but I'm still glad I read everything because I found a couple things that puzzled me and I am glad I had my question answered there. Overall the experience was not too unpleasant. It will definitely feel worth it when I am officially a homeowner.

Game Night

This weekend Erica and I went to Tom and Amanda's apartment for a game night. We started out playing Scategories and Blogger, which are quickly becoming some of my favorite board games. BTW, Tom and Amanda are excellent at both games, and I realize I need to improve my command of the English language to stand a chance at beating them.

The highlight of the night, however, was playing Mario Party 8 on the Nintendo Wii. To be honest, it could have been any of the Mario Party series. When it come to group party gaming, Mario Party is the best. I just want to defend Mario Party 8 because it is the first MP game to be ported over to the Wii, and the reviews for it were not very good. Yes, the motion controls can feel unresponsive or inacurate at times, but it puts everyone on the same level. Anyway, the game was very close and the bonus stars put me in the lead at the very last second. I love game nights.

Picking a first home

Soon I will officially be a home owner. I know the real estate market is down right now but hopefully I will be able to stay in my new condominium until the market picks back up and it gains a lot of value. Today I will start the first of many blog entries which recap my home shopping process and maybe help other perspective home buyers with their decisions. First I'm a college-educated, single engineer in Northern California. For this reason my home needs are very simple, however I decided that I would be aggressive with my purchasing choices and hope to get a roommate to defer some of my costs. With this in mind I decided to get a two-bedroom and two-bathroom unit. Also, given the size of the apartments I had lived in before, I wanted something at least 1,000 sq. ft. to ensure that it would be comfortable for a roommate and myself. I also wanted at least two assigned parking spots (hopefully in a garage). With these requirements in mind I would be able to let a real estate agent find some properties for me.

Return of the (Green) Ring

I just received my refurbished XBox360 back from Microsoft. According to them,about 4% of XBox consoles need to be re-serviced. The company that sells the warranties on the console, SquareTrade, says it's more likely around 16%. I think it's higher. Well, it took my XBox (purchased in November 2006) just over one year to succumb to the Red Ring of Death (after a month of fighting it stopped working in the first few days of February). Well, the refurbished unit is up and working. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that I never need to ship my XBox back for repairs.

Post Trip Report - Colorado

I made my first trip to Colorado this weekend. I went with my girlfriend, Erica, to visit her friends, Mario and Jaime, in Dillon, CO. We stayed there Friday to Saturday so that we could go snowboarding at Keystone Ski Resort. The snowboarding at this resort was awesome! The runs were nice and long and well-groomed. Also, the weather wasn't too cold and it was snowing hard enough to ensure that you were always on a layer of powder.
Sunday we packed up our things and went to Mario and Jaime's house in Colorado Springs. Their house was really nice and puts my new condo to shame. Thanks to Mario and Jaime for hosting us. It was a great trip. I hope to get some pictures of the trip up later this week.

Rocky Mountain High

I still don't have that much time to write but I'm excited because I'm flying to Colorado to go snowboarding this weekend. Not quite sure which resort I'm going to... maybe Vale. I'll be staying at a friend's ski condo. I hope to have some pictures to post on Monday night.