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I used to be a hardcore geek. Nowadays, not so much. Why? I’m not sure why. I think it has a lot to do with the now defunct i/o Computers.

Before we opened i/o Computers back in February of 2005, I worked on computers all the time because I enjoyed it. It was my passion in life. I would come home from work and literally spend all my free time on my computer, fixing computers, building computers, modding computers, or making them do things they weren’t originally designed to do. Either way, I was surrounded by computers. They were my life so much in fact, that I had decided to open up i/o Computers with JP, someone who also shared my passion for computers.

Things started out slow like any other new business, but after about a year, things really started picking up. They picked up so much in fact that my vacations from my full time job were almost entirely used to work for i/o Computers to clear backlogs or work on new projects for the company. We did enough business to not have any free time, but ironically, not enough to hire anyone. So, I would put in 40 hours at my regular job, and then put in another 30-40 hours a week working for i/o Computers.

It was after a good 16 months of this that I really started to get burned out. So much in fact that I took a 2 month leave back in the summer of 2007 to find some sanity from it all. When I came back from that break, my passion for computers just wasn’t there. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I was now being forced, though the success of i/o Computers, to do what was a hobby, on a semi-full time basis without the rewards of a paycheck.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that. We didn’t make a dime off the company. All of our profits went right back into the company to promote its growth.

It was finally in December of 2007, that we decided that neither one of us could do it anymore, and we shuttered the business. To this day, I still get calls asking me to do work. But honestly, I don’t have it in me anymore. Those days are gone. Hell, a little over a month after we shuttered i/o Computers, I was so fed up with PC and their flawed Windows operating system, I went out and bought a Macintosh for my main computer. To this day, when I hear about viruses, spyware, malware, and root kits, I get a knot in my stomach.

So for me, I now look at myself as a reformed geek. I enjoy using a computer, but it’s not my life anymore. I still get excited about tech, but I’ve also broadened my interests to now include culinary arts, working with audio, and believe it or not, having some personal down time.

Maybe one day I’ll go back to the way I was. But for now, I’m happy with my Macintosh and my tech-headache free lifestyle.

Tonight was a perfect night. Jess and I went to see ‘The X-Files: I Want To Believe’ tonight after we both got out of work. It wasn’t until I was at work this morning that I realized how perfect tonight really would be. See, back in the 90s when I watched The X-Files every week, it was on Friday nights. So, it’s very sitting that we were going to see the new movie on Friday night — my old X-Files night. Back in the day, I would look forward to every Friday night. The X-Files was the end of my school week and the beginning of my weekend. Since I have this weekend off, it was like old times again.

Now, about the movie.

LOVED IT!!!

I’m not going to ruin it for anyone, but let’s just say I was ear-to-ear smiles the entire movie. In fact, I wanted to go see it again right after we left.

In fact, I’m watching season 5 of The X-Files on DVD right now.

I am a very happy geek.

They are giving away free teaser Star Trek posters at this year’s Comic-Con. However, each person only gets 1 out of 4 posters.

Luckily, by coming here, you can see all four. Here they are!

Kirk

Spock

Uhura

Nero

And the coolest thing, is that when you put all 4 posters together, you get this!

Starfleet Arrowhead

I was watching a video online from the premiere of ‘The Dark Knight’, and in said video, they were interviewing the actors on the red carpet and showing various clips. It wasn’t until they showed those clips that it finally happened.

I wanted to see ‘The Dark Knight’ again. But, it was like the feeling I had after ‘Batman Begins’. I wanted to see the movie again because I was excited about it.

So, I think I am officially of the fence. I loved ‘The Dark Knight’.

However, it was not my favorite movie of the summer. That honor still lies with ‘Ironman’.

Although I am counting the hours until I get to go see ‘The X-Files’ this Friday. In fact, even as I write this, I am watching the first X-Files movie.

Seeing the new movie in the theater will be therapeutic for me in a way. I have always been a huge X-Files fan. I can say that from the heart since I saw the original pilot on the night it first aired. Then when the movie was coming out at the height of it’s success, I wanted nothing more than to see it. Well, the bitch I was dating at the time ended up going to see it without me on opening day, and then when I wanted to see it later on, kinda spoiled the movie for me and then told me she didn’t want to see it again. So, needless to say I was robbed of my theatrical X-Files experience. My amazing wife, not only knowing this story, but hearing me talk about this movie like a lovesick teenager for months, is taking me to see it this Friday night — opening day. Damn I love her!

I’m on the fence.

I can say with a clear conscience that Heath Ledger’s Joker was brilliant. I can also say that Aaron Eckhart’a Harvey Dent/Two Face was also brilliant. There were also a few scenes that were not only perfect, but awe-inspiring.

But on the whole, yes, it was over-hyped.

I’m not sure what it is about the movie, but I wasn’t blown away like I was with ‘Batman Begins’. When I left the theater after seeing ‘Batman Begins’, I was so blown away that I wanted to go right back in and see it again.

However, with ‘The Dark Knight’, I wasn’t blown away at all. I may need some more time to process everything, and I’m pretty sure I’ll need to see it again.

Once again, hype wins.

If you asked my 6 months ago about ‘The Dark Knight’, I would have told you that I was chomping at the bit to see the movie. Now that were are mere hours away from the premiere…I could care less.

It’s not that I that don’t to see the film. It’s just the fact that I am sick and tired hearing about it. Thanks to the media, I know pretty much the entire storyline (and that with staying clear of spoiler and review sites) and I’m not sure what else there could be to really hook me that I haven’t already seen.

To be perfectly honest, I am more excited about the new ‘X-Files’ movie than I am about ‘The Dark Knight’ right now. ‘The X-Files’ has little to live up to. It hasn’t gotten that much media coverage, and let’s face facts — the last movie was pretty terrible.

Now ‘The Dark Knight’ is being touted as a masterpiece and much better than ‘Batman Begins’. To me, that’s a hell of a reputation to live up to. While watching ‘The Dark Knight’, I have the feeling that in the back of my brain I’m going to asking, “okay, when is the moment that I will realize that this is a masterpiece” rather than just enjoying the film for what it is. I know for a fact the first time I hear Mulder and Scully talk I will be ear to ear grin.

What does this all boil down to?

Much like ‘The Phantom Menace’, I think ‘The Dark Knight’ is going to really suffer from it’s own pre-release ‘success’.

Today was a great day with my wife.

The day was started around 9:00am after getting about 14 hours of sleep. I ended up falling asleep on the couch watching ‘Star Trek Enterprise’ at about 6:30pm. I woke up around 9:00pm, and then went directly to bed. I was beat, didn’t need to be anywhere, and was off the next day. A perfect opportunity to catch up on some sleep.

So, I woke up and my beautiful wife, laying next to me, woke up about 10 minutes later. Being lazy, and not needing to be anywhere, we layed in bed together for the next 2 hours talking, cuddling, and…well…never mind about that.

After getting out of bed, we were hungry and Jess offered to buy us Waffle House since she wanted to go back to Guitar Center and pick up some accessories for her keyboard (musical, not input). So, we shower, get dressed, and head north via interstate 81.

We arrive at Waffle House and have what we have come to expect — damn good food! After that, it was off to Guitar Center on Montage Mountain. Once there, she picked up a sustain pedal and a keyboard bag (ended up being too small once we got it home), and I once again drooled over their nice selection of mics. After we acquired her good, Jess didn’t want to go home. I could hardly blame her since it was a most beautiful day out. Trying to figure out where to go, we suggested the Steamtown Mall. So, off we went!

Arriving at the Steamtown Mall, we walked around for about 20 minutes. Not seeing much to our liking, Jess suggested walking out onto the bridge that overlooks a good deal of the Steamtown National Park. While were out there, we saw a train pass by. Her eyes lit up and we walked all the way down the bridge and to the information center. We looked at the schedule and there was a train ride in about 30 minutes. Once again, my wife’s eyes lit up and we decided to take a ride. I mean hell, we didn’t have anywhere to be. So, we went over to the ticket center, bought a set of passes for the day and tickets for the train ride.

The train ride lasted about 20 minutes and was quite fun. To be honest, I would have cared less about the ride itself — I was having more fun checking out the vintage passenger car we were riding in. Once the ride was done, we killed the next hour or so walking through the museums.

Now, here is something you may not know about me. I am a complete and total nerd when it comes to museums. I absolutely LOVE museums. I had to laugh because when we went to the new Gettysburg museum in the new visitor’s center, I walked in, stopped, and said, “Ahh, the smell of a new museum.” Funny thing, is that later one we got a brochure on the visitor’s center, there was a quote on the front that said. “There’s nothing like that new museum smell.” See, I’m a museum nerd.

Anyway, we walked though the museums and had a blast. This wasn’t our first trip there, and like the Smithsonian, we knew what we wanted to look at again. We were getting ready to hit the bookshop, when they announced that they were going to demo the turntable. Since we had never seen this before. Let’s just say for something so simple, it was amazing to see a diesel locomotive spun around. After the spectacle, we headed to the bookshop, and then walked back to the mall.

Once to the mall, we realized we were both getting hungry, so we headed back to the car and the ride home. Once home, we divided duties — I did the dishes that had piled up, and Jess went to the store for dinner goods. Jess left for the store, and I turned on this week’s TWiT via the TiVo and started the dishes.

Our timing was great since right when I was finishing up the dishes, she came home with the food. I cooked up the beef for the tacos, while Jess cut up the condiments. Even better on the timing front, we got done with cooking dinner at 6:00pm, just in time for Stargate SG-1 on Sci-Fi. We sat down, watched Stargate, and enjoyed some tacos.

After dinner, I threw in a load of laundry, and we both relaxed in the living room. That is, until Jess got a craving for Rita’s Italian Ice. So, being a good husband, I drove my wife over to Kingston for an fix. Now we are both home, and about to watch Ghost Hunters International on TiVo. After that, who knows. Probably some Good Eats and then maybe bed.

All in all, it was a great day off with my wife!!!