On coil florescent bulbs

Replaced one in Rachel's room. Wonder if, and when, she'll notice?

The problem with these compact florescents, for me, has always been one of sound. Before I left for Japan, the ones I could find all gave off a high-pitched whine. Without researching this phenomenon at all, I believe it's in the power regulator-thingy at the base of the bulb rather than the coiled florescent. Maybe? I should look into it.

Funny thing, though. The ones I bought after coming back to Seattle didn't make such a sound, and they were the cheapest ones I could find. (Funny story - the florescent I installed into the kitchen light at home only burned out some time after I returned. Given how long it'd lasted, I was eventually able to convince my mom that they were appropriate for the living room lamps as well.)

I like them. Given the chance and choice, I think I'll buy florescent bulbs over incandescent ones.

Book Review: MGS 2

Book review time! Read Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons Of Liberty (Raymond Benson, Del Ray, 2009) on the trip to Canada. I'm amazed it got printed. Either a) Mr. Benson isn't a terribly good writer or b) he was heavily constrained in his plotting - seeing as how he's apparently written other books, I'm guessing it's b). It definitely conveys the incredibly repetitive nature of the game and is about as good a novelization as it deserves. He left out a bit (I was hoping to see Snake's "Infinite ammo" line), and either altered or left out the references to it being a video game ("Turn off the simulator right now!", for example, and no "Fission Mailed" bit). I think the references could have been left in - given how Raiden's Codec contacts work, Fission Mailed could be explained as him seeing himself from Arsenal's security cameras, or something. My main problem is that it's written as a novelization of a game, rather than that of a movie. I'd love to see it entirely from Snake's POV too. Now I need to hunt down the MGS1 novelization, to see how he did Psycho Mantis.

On eventful weekends

Went to a wedding reception for Rachel's cousin on Saturday, up in Surrey, BC. Nice place. Reminds me of Edmonds. Got a brochure and postcard from the hotel, so if I ever make it big somehow, I'd like to stay there a weekend.

Went to Rachel's neighbors' Fourth of July shindig on Sunday. Played pool. Ate food. Watched fireworks go off over the lake for an hour or so.

Spent yesterday and a sizable fraction of today sick from food poisoning (pretty sure it's the potato salad I had on Sunday). I really don't remember my stomach clenching quite that much last time I threw up (when I was 12, in Japan, likely due to not taking jet lag into account before eating dinner). Mostly liquid. Drank some Canadian ginger ale (not Canada Dry, oddly) before vomiting, so the taste wasn't that bad. According to Rachel, it looked like I had a fire hose attached to the side of my mouth.