I'm up at 6:00 on the second morning, packing up my bags and getting ready to leave. I'm checked out and downstairs with all my stuff by 7:00 - ready to leave to head to the office for another day of training. The rest of the crew is a little late but we still get there just as the trainers are arriving.
The training is less relevant to what I need to learn, but I took plenty of notes and tried my best. I checked my email a few times since we were online and we took a short break early on for some breakfast. The rest of the morning went slowly and we broke for lunch a little after noon. The trainers drove us over in two cars and our car got a little lost. Lunch was burgers - served outdoors right on the bay. It was really beautiful there - but my table spent most of the time talking shop. I finally said, "Look! The ocean!" - but they didn't really get it.
Lunch dragged on a bit and though I didn't really want to go back into the training room - I also thought we had wasted a bit of time. My co-worker and I had to leave to catch a flight at 6:41 and we got ready to go a little after 4:00. The driver was supposed to pick us up at the training center, but we got word that they were at our hotel - ironic considering we had to drag our bags from there at 7:00 AM that morning. One of the trainers agreed to drive us and our bags back to the hotel - but when we arrived, no driver. The trainer made some calls and a driver finally arrived - in a stretch limo. Calling himself 'the rescuer', the driver loaded up our bags and we got into the back of this well appointed, but not terribly well maintained, limo.
The delay got us on the road a bit later, and we were in traffic in a residential neighborhood. Suddenly, a gate at a house was opened and a dog ran out into traffic - right in front of the limo. We heard a thump and when I looked back, the dog was running in traffic and ran back to the house and the gate. The driver stopped the car and one of the residents came up. The driver apologized and said he would come back, but that he had to drop us off. The resident started yelling about the driver getting out or the cops would be called. The driver decided that the situation would only get worse and drove off. We managed to get to the airport in time, but it was a little close. I took my bag with me on the plane and we got assigned new seats as we boarded - giving us more room on the undersold flight.
In Atlanta we ate near the re-assigned gate - fortunately, since they started boarding early. We were packed in there for the final leg of the flight and got a bit delayed in leaving. The plane was small and there was only one flight attendant. She did a good job, but I could tell she was tired. Finally arrived at Akron/Canton airport and got our stuff together. My co-worker dropped me off at home and I took a quick shower and went to bed. Long freaking couple of days. I liked the weather - what I saw of it down there - but I was still glad to be home.
I'll have some more notes later - but it's time to get back to work...
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
the trip - day one.
So, I'm up at about 4:45 AM on Monday morning - on the internet, checking on my flight. It's still on, so I wake up my room-mate to drive me to the airport. I get there without any trouble, then get checked in. I also check my bag - which turned out to be a mistake - but head on down to the security checkpoint. I'd also like to point out that the clerk at the counter told me that I would have to recheck my bag in Atlanta as I was on standby there. While in line, but still not that far along, I realize that I have my co-workers boarding pass as well as my own. Not sure if that will be a problem for him, I head back to the check-in area, find a phone, and leave a message for him. And wait for him until too much time passed and I got nervous. Back to security and through the checkpoint - then waiting at the gate area. My co-worker arrives and we chat for a bit before boarding.
The plane at the akron canton airport was kind small and we were packed in there pretty well. Everyone was trying to make the best of the situation - but then we found out that we couldn't move - the ground was too slippery and the buggy couldn't pull us to the de-icing station. Plan B was to bring the de-icing truck to us, but that didn't work either. So, eventually, the captain decided on Plan C - pull the gates away from the plane and use the engines to make the plan do essentially a 180 at the gate area and power on down to the de-icing station. Which was a little weird, but it worked. Plan de-iced and finally on the runway - 3rd in line. Finally in the air - and my co-worker and I are pretty sure we're going to miss our connecting flight.
I couldn't get to my paper stash - so I re-folded my 14 piece emergency stash over and over until we landed.
When we land in Atlanta, I go to claim my bag while my co-worker checks on the next flight - since there's no way we'll make ours. He comes back to me at the baggage area in a hurry and says the clerk will get us on a plane - but that my bag has already gone on to Miami. Great.
We get some over-priced Arby's and get to the plane on time. I'm better prepared on paper and give leave a complex module behind for the flight attendants. We meet our driver and go to pick up my bag. My baggage claim ticket is ignored and they lady tells me to just pick up my bag if I see it. Which I do and we're on the road.
In route to the hotel, we get a call from the company and ask the driver to re-route and take us to the office instead. We finally arrive and head right into training for 3 hours. Finally take a break at 6 and walk to the hotel. Our directions are bad, but we finally get there - to find that the rest of the crew that was flying in for the second part of the training has just arrived at the hotel. I'm reminded of the Home Alone scene where the mother drives cross country with a polka band to get to her son - and the rest of the family arrives moments later from a standby plane trip.
A quick change of clothes and we head out to dinner. I'm dressed to try and blend in - everyone else still looks like they are from Ohio. Dinner was at Los Rancheos and it was good - I had the red snapper, beans and rice, and plantains. As expected with a bunch of geeky guys on a trip - the humor warped and the stories are un-repeatable.
After dinner we walk around for a bit until we quickly get to a bad section of town and turn around. One co-worker stops to buy a sandwich for a homeless guy so we wait for that to be prepared. It's after 10 before we get to the hotel and I call it a night while the rest of the crew heads to the bar. The shower is hot, the bed is king-sized, the pillows inviting. I set a wake up call for an early morning of more training and go to bed.
The plane at the akron canton airport was kind small and we were packed in there pretty well. Everyone was trying to make the best of the situation - but then we found out that we couldn't move - the ground was too slippery and the buggy couldn't pull us to the de-icing station. Plan B was to bring the de-icing truck to us, but that didn't work either. So, eventually, the captain decided on Plan C - pull the gates away from the plane and use the engines to make the plan do essentially a 180 at the gate area and power on down to the de-icing station. Which was a little weird, but it worked. Plan de-iced and finally on the runway - 3rd in line. Finally in the air - and my co-worker and I are pretty sure we're going to miss our connecting flight.
I couldn't get to my paper stash - so I re-folded my 14 piece emergency stash over and over until we landed.
When we land in Atlanta, I go to claim my bag while my co-worker checks on the next flight - since there's no way we'll make ours. He comes back to me at the baggage area in a hurry and says the clerk will get us on a plane - but that my bag has already gone on to Miami. Great.
We get some over-priced Arby's and get to the plane on time. I'm better prepared on paper and give leave a complex module behind for the flight attendants. We meet our driver and go to pick up my bag. My baggage claim ticket is ignored and they lady tells me to just pick up my bag if I see it. Which I do and we're on the road.
In route to the hotel, we get a call from the company and ask the driver to re-route and take us to the office instead. We finally arrive and head right into training for 3 hours. Finally take a break at 6 and walk to the hotel. Our directions are bad, but we finally get there - to find that the rest of the crew that was flying in for the second part of the training has just arrived at the hotel. I'm reminded of the Home Alone scene where the mother drives cross country with a polka band to get to her son - and the rest of the family arrives moments later from a standby plane trip.
A quick change of clothes and we head out to dinner. I'm dressed to try and blend in - everyone else still looks like they are from Ohio. Dinner was at Los Rancheos and it was good - I had the red snapper, beans and rice, and plantains. As expected with a bunch of geeky guys on a trip - the humor warped and the stories are un-repeatable.
After dinner we walk around for a bit until we quickly get to a bad section of town and turn around. One co-worker stops to buy a sandwich for a homeless guy so we wait for that to be prepared. It's after 10 before we get to the hotel and I call it a night while the rest of the crew heads to the bar. The shower is hot, the bed is king-sized, the pillows inviting. I set a wake up call for an early morning of more training and go to bed.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
plan-effing-B
Gotta go out of town on some training with one of my co-workers - heading to Miami. We've been planning this for a few weeks and while I don't really mind flying, there's a lot of variables to consider. My room-mate has been trying to help, but he sorta ended up making me feel a bit more apprehensive. Plus, the 20/20 story on lost/stolen luggage didn't help.
So, this morning at about 10 minutes to 10 o'clock, I'm in the bathroom taking care of some last minute business when my room-mate knocks on the door and says my boss is on the phone. A few moments later I'm on the phone and the news is not good.
The flight, supposed to leave at 12:00 today - has been canceled.
So, he and I shared some intel with my co-worker about the next step. My co-worker has talked to Delta and managed to get us rescheduled. The soonest flight is tomorrow morning at 7:15 AM - meaning that even if everything goes exactly right - we'll still be at minimum 4 hours late to the training. Which sucks since we are only going to be there through noon on Tuesday anyway.
Strangely enough, the airport website listed the flight as on-time. Apparently, they suck.
I've got all my stuff re-printed out and I guess I'm ready to go for tomorrow. So, I'll be up at 4:00 AM - on the computer, checking the airline website to see if my flight is still on.
later...
So, this morning at about 10 minutes to 10 o'clock, I'm in the bathroom taking care of some last minute business when my room-mate knocks on the door and says my boss is on the phone. A few moments later I'm on the phone and the news is not good.
The flight, supposed to leave at 12:00 today - has been canceled.
So, he and I shared some intel with my co-worker about the next step. My co-worker has talked to Delta and managed to get us rescheduled. The soonest flight is tomorrow morning at 7:15 AM - meaning that even if everything goes exactly right - we'll still be at minimum 4 hours late to the training. Which sucks since we are only going to be there through noon on Tuesday anyway.
Strangely enough, the airport website listed the flight as on-time. Apparently, they suck.
I've got all my stuff re-printed out and I guess I'm ready to go for tomorrow. So, I'll be up at 4:00 AM - on the computer, checking the airline website to see if my flight is still on.
later...
Friday, December 14, 2007
address labels, computer part, traffic cop, reaping
My room-mate wanted some address labels printed up and he had several sheets of unmarked blank labels. So, I measured the labels, fired up the internet and figured out the size/style - Avery 5160. I next fired up word and looked for a template. Ummm... there weren't any. So, I checked the help area and tried to find a place to download the correct set up. Poorly organized and missing, you know, the standard ones. Everything was holiday or jelly jar labels. I finally downloaded a christmas one that I figured I could hack to make functional and plain - but then I noticed a label setting in word 2007. In a few minutes I had selected the correct size and added in the address. Hit the print button and it asked me to save the file in an .xps format. Which isn't one I was familiar with, but oh well. And then nothing happened. I closed word and then tried to reopen the file I just created. It wasn't recognized. Wait, what? Word forces me to save a file in a format that even it doesn't recognize? That hardly seems fair. And it had also set up an .xps printer for me that wouldn't work either.
I ended up using delete and then copy and paste to turn the holiday one into something more plain. It works, but the formatting is messed up on the first label in the batch. So, the best we can get from one sheet is 29 labels. So, a sort of success, but more work than it needed to be.
In other news... I checked a local computer parts/cable store at lunch yesterday for the part I needed. Once I finally got someone's attention, they didn't have a clue. They checked with someone better stocked in clues and determined they didn't have anything even close to what I needed.
In a way, I feel a little better that the "experts" are clueless - I was thinking I was behind the times on my tech stuff. I did find the part on-line and got it ordered - though even that was weird. After I got my order confirmation, they suggested I could avoid delays by giving them the last four digits of my social security number in order to verify. Instead, I gave them some harsh comments on their feedback form.
My drive back from Chipotle yesterday at lunch time was interrupted by a traffic cop. He was in the middle of the street and I was unfortunately the first car in the group he stopped. Accident? Construction? Visiting dignitary? Nope. He stopped a bunch of cars on Market street (one of the busiest in all of akron) so that people could leave a restaurant parking lot.
Now, your first thought may be - "are you shitting me?" And I can reply that no, I'm not. It really happened. I'm sitting there in my car, my burrito slowly cooling in the seat next to me - full of crankiness.
Based on what I could see in the opposing lanes, they must have been around 40-50 cars stopped so that the lunchtime restaurant crowd could leave their parking lot. Ummm... nobody stopped traffic so I could pull out of Chipotle. Or the parking lot at work. Or my driveway at home. Or the gas station. Or the bank. It felt like I was there for 600 years, but eventually the cop let the rest of the traffic go. If memory serves, my car was home to some harsh language on my way back to work.
Watched a movie last night - The Reaping. The premise wasn't bad - but the movie was full of plot holes and sub-par acting. The "big twist" was amazingly obvious and trite - but even with all that against it, the movie was kinda fun. And the special effects really ramped up at the end, as though they knew it was bad and were trying to make up for it.
That's it for now... later...
I ended up using delete and then copy and paste to turn the holiday one into something more plain. It works, but the formatting is messed up on the first label in the batch. So, the best we can get from one sheet is 29 labels. So, a sort of success, but more work than it needed to be.
In other news... I checked a local computer parts/cable store at lunch yesterday for the part I needed. Once I finally got someone's attention, they didn't have a clue. They checked with someone better stocked in clues and determined they didn't have anything even close to what I needed.
In a way, I feel a little better that the "experts" are clueless - I was thinking I was behind the times on my tech stuff. I did find the part on-line and got it ordered - though even that was weird. After I got my order confirmation, they suggested I could avoid delays by giving them the last four digits of my social security number in order to verify. Instead, I gave them some harsh comments on their feedback form.
My drive back from Chipotle yesterday at lunch time was interrupted by a traffic cop. He was in the middle of the street and I was unfortunately the first car in the group he stopped. Accident? Construction? Visiting dignitary? Nope. He stopped a bunch of cars on Market street (one of the busiest in all of akron) so that people could leave a restaurant parking lot.
Now, your first thought may be - "are you shitting me?" And I can reply that no, I'm not. It really happened. I'm sitting there in my car, my burrito slowly cooling in the seat next to me - full of crankiness.
Based on what I could see in the opposing lanes, they must have been around 40-50 cars stopped so that the lunchtime restaurant crowd could leave their parking lot. Ummm... nobody stopped traffic so I could pull out of Chipotle. Or the parking lot at work. Or my driveway at home. Or the gas station. Or the bank. It felt like I was there for 600 years, but eventually the cop let the rest of the traffic go. If memory serves, my car was home to some harsh language on my way back to work.
Watched a movie last night - The Reaping. The premise wasn't bad - but the movie was full of plot holes and sub-par acting. The "big twist" was amazingly obvious and trite - but even with all that against it, the movie was kinda fun. And the special effects really ramped up at the end, as though they knew it was bad and were trying to make up for it.
That's it for now... later...
Thursday, December 13, 2007
jaw, radio shack, babies, work
My jaw is still bothering me this morning. I'm still thinking it's stress and it will get better once things settle down a bit. Of course, I've got some traveling to do in a few days - so, I'm guessing that I'm not quite done with the stress. Fortunatly, most of the whole process is out of my control so that should help a bit.
In my travels last evening, I went into Radio Shack - looking for a computer cable. The sales dude looked at me liked a grown a second head when I described what I was looking for. Needless to say, they didn't have it - but at least he was able to recommend another place to try.
Also went to target and Babies R Us for the baby showers coming up. I'm glad there were gift registry's for both events as I was totally out of my element. Target's was better - the aisles were labeled and the item codes were clearly marked. I got everything wrapped and I'm going to make some origami ducks for the packages. Might even be able to skip the cards as the origami will make it very clear who they are from.
The computer issues yesterday slowed me down a bit and the afternoon was a mess. Oh, and I'd like to go on the record about something. We've been trying to hire a student assistant for our group and had a discussion yesterday in out meeting about the two candidates. My colleagues? Totally worthless in this area. I could not believe some of the comments - and I started to get a little cranky with them. I'd be better off rolling some dice. Not that I'm going to do that - I'm going to do this the right way. But still, for the record, totally worthless.
Guess that's about it for now... time to get moving... later
In my travels last evening, I went into Radio Shack - looking for a computer cable. The sales dude looked at me liked a grown a second head when I described what I was looking for. Needless to say, they didn't have it - but at least he was able to recommend another place to try.
Also went to target and Babies R Us for the baby showers coming up. I'm glad there were gift registry's for both events as I was totally out of my element. Target's was better - the aisles were labeled and the item codes were clearly marked. I got everything wrapped and I'm going to make some origami ducks for the packages. Might even be able to skip the cards as the origami will make it very clear who they are from.
The computer issues yesterday slowed me down a bit and the afternoon was a mess. Oh, and I'd like to go on the record about something. We've been trying to hire a student assistant for our group and had a discussion yesterday in out meeting about the two candidates. My colleagues? Totally worthless in this area. I could not believe some of the comments - and I started to get a little cranky with them. I'd be better off rolling some dice. Not that I'm going to do that - I'm going to do this the right way. But still, for the record, totally worthless.
Guess that's about it for now... time to get moving... later
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
computer, tech support, game, baby, jaw
Computer woes. I'm only going to write this to down to preserve it for the ages. And the biggest problem was that I was trying to be clever - which has never, EVER, worked for me.
1. Remove hard-drive from non-working home Gateway
2. Remove HD from old working work Dell
3. Install HD from home to work Dell.
4. Boot
5. Error - you must activate windows. Which didn't work. Apparently, microsoft locks the software to the hardware configuration - which totally sucks. I even tried calling them and got nowhere.
6. Can't add the home HD as a slave since I've only got one port in the machine.
So, I'm going to try and use a SATA/IDE cable to connect the old hard-drive to my new work machine as a drive, the get the data off of there. And then I'm going to delete everything else on there and melt it down with the sheer force of my burning will. Should be fun.
My uncle called last night - he asked for the help desk. Apparently my cousin was working on a paper for school and the computer didn't have enough memory to print the pictures. I gave him some suggestions and they said they would call back if they had trouble. They didn't call back so I guess my status as a first level geek is still okay.
Played Final Fantasy again last night - took on two more big-ass monsters. The dinosaur I set on fire a bunch of times until he killed off some of my characters - them I took him out with some specialized super cool partially automated combat moves that drained all the characters magic - but did the job. The big winged dragon was tougher and I had to follow the stragety I found on-line - which was this:
1. Hide behind a rock so he can't reach you
2. Reflect his magic back at you
3. Throw lighting bolts at him until he dies.
Which was fine until my characters ran out of magic. They were reduced to throwing money at the dragon - which seems kinda lame, but worked.
In other news... I've got two baby showers to buy for. Not that I'm going to attend as I think those things are almost painfully boring, but babies need stuff and I'm happy to help out with that part.
And lastly - my jaw hurts. Like a TMJ kinda hurt. Must be stress.
Well, busy day - gotta get back to it... later...
1. Remove hard-drive from non-working home Gateway
2. Remove HD from old working work Dell
3. Install HD from home to work Dell.
4. Boot
5. Error - you must activate windows. Which didn't work. Apparently, microsoft locks the software to the hardware configuration - which totally sucks. I even tried calling them and got nowhere.
6. Can't add the home HD as a slave since I've only got one port in the machine.
So, I'm going to try and use a SATA/IDE cable to connect the old hard-drive to my new work machine as a drive, the get the data off of there. And then I'm going to delete everything else on there and melt it down with the sheer force of my burning will. Should be fun.
My uncle called last night - he asked for the help desk. Apparently my cousin was working on a paper for school and the computer didn't have enough memory to print the pictures. I gave him some suggestions and they said they would call back if they had trouble. They didn't call back so I guess my status as a first level geek is still okay.
Played Final Fantasy again last night - took on two more big-ass monsters. The dinosaur I set on fire a bunch of times until he killed off some of my characters - them I took him out with some specialized super cool partially automated combat moves that drained all the characters magic - but did the job. The big winged dragon was tougher and I had to follow the stragety I found on-line - which was this:
1. Hide behind a rock so he can't reach you
2. Reflect his magic back at you
3. Throw lighting bolts at him until he dies.
Which was fine until my characters ran out of magic. They were reduced to throwing money at the dragon - which seems kinda lame, but worked.
In other news... I've got two baby showers to buy for. Not that I'm going to attend as I think those things are almost painfully boring, but babies need stuff and I'm happy to help out with that part.
And lastly - my jaw hurts. Like a TMJ kinda hurt. Must be stress.
Well, busy day - gotta get back to it... later...
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
computer, mask, throw "gil"
Got my new computer yesterday - a kick ass Dell. It came with Vista, which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Had a little trouble with the internet connection until I finally found the right tool to convince it to go fix the problem. Turns out I needed to set it to "public" - and Hello, firewall.
Step 2 will be to install the old hard-drive and get the information off there that we need. Maybe I'll work on that this evening.
My attempts at mask-making have failed again. I tried much hotter water for a much longer time - still no luck. I think the piece of leather that I have is just too think. Gotta come up with a Plan B for that one.
Finally, I fired up Final Fantasy again and tried to take on the the "attack-limiting" monster. Here's how it went down.
1. I cast berserk on one character to see if he would mindlessly attack - and then I cast decoy on him to draw the monster's fire and reverse so it would heal him. Well, he just stood there until the reverse wore off and then died in a few moments.
2. I brought him back and tried some area effect spells to hit the monster and his minions. It was working, but slowly. And the bad dudes kept casting Silence on my group so that we couldn't do magic. I'd just barely get them talking again and another silence wave would hit.
3. Finally killed all the minions, but the main one wasn't going down quickly enough. So, I took a look at the Techniques - other options that aren't attacks or magic, sorta "something else". One of those was "throw Gil", with Gil being the coin money in this game. And I've got a pile of it from selling loot. So, I had one of the silenced characters use the "throw Gil" technique and got this message:
"A pile of gil flies through the air. 9999 damage"
And the big monster's health takes a huge hit. So, for the next couple of minutes, I used that skill over and over until he was defeated.
So, let's sum this up:
1. Gil = money
2. Throw Gil is a skill that throws money
3. The monster was a problem
4. I used the Throw Gil technique to defeat the monster
5. I threw money at a problem until it went away.
HA!
later...
Step 2 will be to install the old hard-drive and get the information off there that we need. Maybe I'll work on that this evening.
My attempts at mask-making have failed again. I tried much hotter water for a much longer time - still no luck. I think the piece of leather that I have is just too think. Gotta come up with a Plan B for that one.
Finally, I fired up Final Fantasy again and tried to take on the the "attack-limiting" monster. Here's how it went down.
1. I cast berserk on one character to see if he would mindlessly attack - and then I cast decoy on him to draw the monster's fire and reverse so it would heal him. Well, he just stood there until the reverse wore off and then died in a few moments.
2. I brought him back and tried some area effect spells to hit the monster and his minions. It was working, but slowly. And the bad dudes kept casting Silence on my group so that we couldn't do magic. I'd just barely get them talking again and another silence wave would hit.
3. Finally killed all the minions, but the main one wasn't going down quickly enough. So, I took a look at the Techniques - other options that aren't attacks or magic, sorta "something else". One of those was "throw Gil", with Gil being the coin money in this game. And I've got a pile of it from selling loot. So, I had one of the silenced characters use the "throw Gil" technique and got this message:
"A pile of gil flies through the air. 9999 damage"
And the big monster's health takes a huge hit. So, for the next couple of minutes, I used that skill over and over until he was defeated.
So, let's sum this up:
1. Gil = money
2. Throw Gil is a skill that throws money
3. The monster was a problem
4. I used the Throw Gil technique to defeat the monster
5. I threw money at a problem until it went away.
HA!
later...
Monday, December 10, 2007
games, toys, mask
Did a little running around on Saturday, brought some used games.
1. Shifters - a strange little game that lets the main character shapeshift. Which should be fun, only there are some problems with it. a) No map - well, there's a simplified map, but it's worthless. b) Long load times - especially when going from one unmarked area to another. c) Poor camera controls - i.e. The vomit Cam d) No checkpoints - which I discovered after playing for a couple hours and then dieing - and having to start over from the beginning.
I really wanted to like the game - but it's just so bad.
2. Dragon Quarter - a turn based game. A little odd, but not too bad except - no way to heal. Other than spending "zennys" to buy healing potions. No healing spells, no healing fountains, no little old wise women. "Sure, it's great that you're trying to save all of us from the monsters, but you really need to cough up some zennys if you get hurt," Frustrating - and hard to learn the game when mistakes are so costly.
3. Soul Caliber 2 - or is that Soul Caliber 3? The box was labeled 2, but the disk inside was 3. I think they grabbed the wrong one. In any case, I got my ass kicked. From full life to an 1/8 of a bar in one cheap, unblockable kick. Nice.
Overall, disappointing -but I didn't spend much money on any of them and I got what I paid for.
I also went to a toy store - not to buy anything, but just for the experience. It was pretty crazy in there, but people were not as rude as I expected. They were deeply clueless, but that just meant they got in - and stayed in - each others way. But they weren't mad about it.
Not long ago, I found a website that teaches how to build or create things. Kinda random, but one of the items is a leather mardi-gras mask. Which sounded pretty cool to me. So, I bought a square of leather, followed the directions - and got nothing. It didn't work. I'm guessing the leather I got was too thick and the water wasn't hot enough. I'm going to try again this evening and see how it goes.
That's about it for now - later....
1. Shifters - a strange little game that lets the main character shapeshift. Which should be fun, only there are some problems with it. a) No map - well, there's a simplified map, but it's worthless. b) Long load times - especially when going from one unmarked area to another. c) Poor camera controls - i.e. The vomit Cam d) No checkpoints - which I discovered after playing for a couple hours and then dieing - and having to start over from the beginning.
I really wanted to like the game - but it's just so bad.
2. Dragon Quarter - a turn based game. A little odd, but not too bad except - no way to heal. Other than spending "zennys" to buy healing potions. No healing spells, no healing fountains, no little old wise women. "Sure, it's great that you're trying to save all of us from the monsters, but you really need to cough up some zennys if you get hurt," Frustrating - and hard to learn the game when mistakes are so costly.
3. Soul Caliber 2 - or is that Soul Caliber 3? The box was labeled 2, but the disk inside was 3. I think they grabbed the wrong one. In any case, I got my ass kicked. From full life to an 1/8 of a bar in one cheap, unblockable kick. Nice.
Overall, disappointing -but I didn't spend much money on any of them and I got what I paid for.
I also went to a toy store - not to buy anything, but just for the experience. It was pretty crazy in there, but people were not as rude as I expected. They were deeply clueless, but that just meant they got in - and stayed in - each others way. But they weren't mad about it.
Not long ago, I found a website that teaches how to build or create things. Kinda random, but one of the items is a leather mardi-gras mask. Which sounded pretty cool to me. So, I bought a square of leather, followed the directions - and got nothing. It didn't work. I'm guessing the leather I got was too thick and the water wasn't hot enough. I'm going to try again this evening and see how it goes.
That's about it for now - later....
Friday, December 07, 2007
signs, elliptical, dinosaur
The locker room at the pool has some new signs posted.
1. Sharing is not caring. This one talks about the dangers of sharing towels, brushes, tweezers, razors, etc.
Wait, what? Are you kidding? We have to have signs up to explain this to people? I can't come up with any situation where I would share anything in the locker-room.
"Hey, buddy, can I borrow your razor? I forgot mine,"
"No problem,"
"Hey, is this rust on the blade?"
"Nah, it's just dried blood,"
"Cool, I wouldn't want to get tetanus or something?"
"Ha ha,"
2. Don't spread infections - with a picture of a guys hand wrapped up in gauze. This one is about keeping wounds covered.
"Why is the water around you red?"
"Oh, I accidentally cut my face when I borrowed my buddy's razor,"
"You should cover that up - here, I found this band-aid on the bottom of the pool - that should work,"
"Great! Thanks, I feel better already,"
In other news... I used the elliptical trainer again last night for 15 minutes. Not bad, but kinda boring. I think I need a new CD in the player or maybe figure out how to tie it into the playstation.
Finally, played a little more Final Fantasy 12 last night - trying to level up a bit before I head to the last area of the game again. I had tried some side quests before and one of those was to track down a monster - except no one knew where it was. Well, last night I found it - it's a big freaking dinosaur. And it hits really hard. And it's got something like 30 billion hit points or something. I was getting close to killing it when it wiped out all my characters. I brought in the reserves and they died too. I think there's a way to destroy it, but I need a new plan. Something with Decoy and Reverse maybe. Anyway, I may try again this evening.
That's it for now... it's been a really busy week and I'm glad it's almost done...
1. Sharing is not caring. This one talks about the dangers of sharing towels, brushes, tweezers, razors, etc.
Wait, what? Are you kidding? We have to have signs up to explain this to people? I can't come up with any situation where I would share anything in the locker-room.
"Hey, buddy, can I borrow your razor? I forgot mine,"
"No problem,"
"Hey, is this rust on the blade?"
"Nah, it's just dried blood,"
"Cool, I wouldn't want to get tetanus or something?"
"Ha ha,"
2. Don't spread infections - with a picture of a guys hand wrapped up in gauze. This one is about keeping wounds covered.
"Why is the water around you red?"
"Oh, I accidentally cut my face when I borrowed my buddy's razor,"
"You should cover that up - here, I found this band-aid on the bottom of the pool - that should work,"
"Great! Thanks, I feel better already,"
In other news... I used the elliptical trainer again last night for 15 minutes. Not bad, but kinda boring. I think I need a new CD in the player or maybe figure out how to tie it into the playstation.
Finally, played a little more Final Fantasy 12 last night - trying to level up a bit before I head to the last area of the game again. I had tried some side quests before and one of those was to track down a monster - except no one knew where it was. Well, last night I found it - it's a big freaking dinosaur. And it hits really hard. And it's got something like 30 billion hit points or something. I was getting close to killing it when it wiped out all my characters. I brought in the reserves and they died too. I think there's a way to destroy it, but I need a new plan. Something with Decoy and Reverse maybe. Anyway, I may try again this evening.
That's it for now... it's been a really busy week and I'm glad it's almost done...
Thursday, December 06, 2007
3 to a swim lane, 4 in a car lane
I worked through my lunch yesterday, so I left work early and headed to the pool. Sort of a weird compulsion to go - which I guess is good. The pool in the afternoon was busy - some kind of swim meet or something. The lifeguard was talking to someone and it took me a few minutes to get his attention to find out which lane I could use. He indicated the one at the far end, a sort of not-quite-double lane at the shallow end.
So, I hopped in the pool and got started. At about 5 laps in, a woman sits down on the edge of the pool in "my" lane. When I got to where she was, I asked if she wanted to split the lane or do a rotation. Neither of which I'd done before and I was sort of hoping she'd choose rotation since I'd read about it and sounded "advanced". She picked split and we swam parallel to each other for a while. And since she was much faster than me - it worked out okay, except that I keep overcompensating and bumping into the wall on my side.
And then a guy showed up, sat down at the edge of the pool in "our" lane, and proceeded to swim with us. And that was awkward. I don't think anyone got kicked in the head, but it was a near thing a few times. After a few laps of this, the lane next to ours opened up and he moved over. I did my 30 laps and got out - tired and somewhat glad it was over.
It's funny how I think we come to rely on those floating lane dividers. We get some space defined and it creates a comfort zone. Even with three people we should have had more than enough room, but without those dividers, we were all over the place. Good fences make good neighbors and all that.
After my swim, I got in my car headed home - later than I usually would so traffic was a bit worse. And of course there was a stalled car in the middle lane, not too far away from the entrance ramp. In the lane was the car, a tow truck in front of it and 2 police cars behind it. Seemed like a waste to me. I did a lot of swearing as I tried to get around it and finally got on my way.
Did some reading last night and did a little planning on a scupley project I'd like to try. It was a busy day and I expect today will be more of the same.
later...
So, I hopped in the pool and got started. At about 5 laps in, a woman sits down on the edge of the pool in "my" lane. When I got to where she was, I asked if she wanted to split the lane or do a rotation. Neither of which I'd done before and I was sort of hoping she'd choose rotation since I'd read about it and sounded "advanced". She picked split and we swam parallel to each other for a while. And since she was much faster than me - it worked out okay, except that I keep overcompensating and bumping into the wall on my side.
And then a guy showed up, sat down at the edge of the pool in "our" lane, and proceeded to swim with us. And that was awkward. I don't think anyone got kicked in the head, but it was a near thing a few times. After a few laps of this, the lane next to ours opened up and he moved over. I did my 30 laps and got out - tired and somewhat glad it was over.
It's funny how I think we come to rely on those floating lane dividers. We get some space defined and it creates a comfort zone. Even with three people we should have had more than enough room, but without those dividers, we were all over the place. Good fences make good neighbors and all that.
After my swim, I got in my car headed home - later than I usually would so traffic was a bit worse. And of course there was a stalled car in the middle lane, not too far away from the entrance ramp. In the lane was the car, a tow truck in front of it and 2 police cars behind it. Seemed like a waste to me. I did a lot of swearing as I tried to get around it and finally got on my way.
Did some reading last night and did a little planning on a scupley project I'd like to try. It was a busy day and I expect today will be more of the same.
later...
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
computer, presents, meetings, elliptical
Well, I put in an order for a new Dell yesterday. Should be pretty kick ass - hoping to get it in soon and fire it up. I'm going to try and add the memory and hard-drive from the old computer to boost performance and get the old data off of there.
Got some more packages in the mail - and got everything wrapped. I've even been wrapping the presents my room-mate is getting for his family since I'm way better at that than he is. It's an origami thing.
I've got a total of 11 meetings this week - I think that may be a new record for me. And that's not a good thing. Having trouble finding time to actually get work done.
Worked out on the elliptical again last night - another 15 minutes. Not quite as far as on monday, but I'm trying. I may use it again tonight, we'll see how the knee is doing after the swim today.
Guess that's about it for now... time to get back to work...
Got some more packages in the mail - and got everything wrapped. I've even been wrapping the presents my room-mate is getting for his family since I'm way better at that than he is. It's an origami thing.
I've got a total of 11 meetings this week - I think that may be a new record for me. And that's not a good thing. Having trouble finding time to actually get work done.
Worked out on the elliptical again last night - another 15 minutes. Not quite as far as on monday, but I'm trying. I may use it again tonight, we'll see how the knee is doing after the swim today.
Guess that's about it for now... time to get back to work...
Saturday, December 01, 2007
elliptical trainer, shopping, computer, vain, drive
Bought an elliptical trainer over the weekend - a sort of an early gift. The sales guy at Dick's was sorta crazy - he suggested the extended warranty in case I was working out and a piece "just flies off" - and suggesting that with the warranty, I wouldn't have to pay for repairs. I politely declined.
The assembly went fairly smoothly - though there was one tricky step. No parts left over and the only thing missing was one of the screws to hold the water bottle in place. I'm going to have to position it carefully in the basement - the ceiling is a little low.
The home computer bought the farm again - this time, I think it's history. So much for the free and somewhat suspicious repairs. Ah, well, maybe I can get a good deal with a christmas sale.
Had a bit of a vain moment this weekend. I cleaned out my closets and drawers to donate some clothes to goodwill and in the organizing and re-arranging, I found an old tank top. I put that on after my shower and noticed that it no longer fit me well. I had, somehow, developed a chest. I actually checked myself out in the mirror for a few minutes until I felt silly. Still, the swimming is paying off. And that's cool.
The drive into work... (sigh). I live in Northeast Ohio. It snows here. If it snowed in July - no one should be surprised since we get all the weather types that exist. And it changes every 20 minutes or so. There were flurries in the air this morning as I pulled onto the highway - and immediately had to slam on my brakes since the cars in front of me were going - no lie - less than 25 miles per hour. Everyone else went past us at 60+ and it took a while to find a safe opening to switch lanes - since I had to not only change lanes but double my speed. When I got past those three cars I saw that the lead one was poking along for no good reason. They'll have a cold ride into work today since I blew their doors off- by going the speed limit for the highway!
So, a somewhat cranky start to the morning - but I made it here safely and it's time to get back to it. later...
The assembly went fairly smoothly - though there was one tricky step. No parts left over and the only thing missing was one of the screws to hold the water bottle in place. I'm going to have to position it carefully in the basement - the ceiling is a little low.
The home computer bought the farm again - this time, I think it's history. So much for the free and somewhat suspicious repairs. Ah, well, maybe I can get a good deal with a christmas sale.
Had a bit of a vain moment this weekend. I cleaned out my closets and drawers to donate some clothes to goodwill and in the organizing and re-arranging, I found an old tank top. I put that on after my shower and noticed that it no longer fit me well. I had, somehow, developed a chest. I actually checked myself out in the mirror for a few minutes until I felt silly. Still, the swimming is paying off. And that's cool.
The drive into work... (sigh). I live in Northeast Ohio. It snows here. If it snowed in July - no one should be surprised since we get all the weather types that exist. And it changes every 20 minutes or so. There were flurries in the air this morning as I pulled onto the highway - and immediately had to slam on my brakes since the cars in front of me were going - no lie - less than 25 miles per hour. Everyone else went past us at 60+ and it took a while to find a safe opening to switch lanes - since I had to not only change lanes but double my speed. When I got past those three cars I saw that the lead one was poking along for no good reason. They'll have a cold ride into work today since I blew their doors off- by going the speed limit for the highway!
So, a somewhat cranky start to the morning - but I made it here safely and it's time to get back to it. later...
Friday, November 30, 2007
computer, training, work
Well, I got the speakers working on the home computer. After running through the diagnostics and opening up the box, I finally gave up and tried plugging in the headphones. Those worked fine. I unplugged them and suddenly, the speakers were working. Good, but also annoying.
Day two of the in-house training. Went pretty well, though it was a little too simplistic and at the same time, a little beyond the scope of what it was supposed to cover. I learned some new things and was also a little "pre-daunted" at what is facing the team as far as work-load goes.
Finally, I've been putting out fires for the past two days with work issues. I thought I had them all put out - and then I checked my email this evening. Mistake. There was another fire and I can almost smell the gasoline. Makes me cranky. I've got a couple of solutions - neither of them good - but at least I'm trying. We'll see how it goes.
Time for dinner... later...
Day two of the in-house training. Went pretty well, though it was a little too simplistic and at the same time, a little beyond the scope of what it was supposed to cover. I learned some new things and was also a little "pre-daunted" at what is facing the team as far as work-load goes.
Finally, I've been putting out fires for the past two days with work issues. I thought I had them all put out - and then I checked my email this evening. Mistake. There was another fire and I can almost smell the gasoline. Makes me cranky. I've got a couple of solutions - neither of them good - but at least I'm trying. We'll see how it goes.
Time for dinner... later...
Thursday, November 29, 2007
training, computer, shopping
I'm in training all day today - and I had a pile of work this morning to rush through. Fun, in a non-fun sense of the term.
I picked up the computer yesterday and it booted up normally last evening. Only thing not working is the soundcard - so, gotta dig it in tonight and fix it.
Did a lot of Christmas shopping last night made progress and didn't kill anyone - so, that was good.
Well, gotta run...
I picked up the computer yesterday and it booted up normally last evening. Only thing not working is the soundcard - so, gotta dig it in tonight and fix it.
Did a lot of Christmas shopping last night made progress and didn't kill anyone - so, that was good.
Well, gotta run...
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
1 year, computer
Well, today marked my 1 year in the pool - I did a mile. Which is quite an improvement from my 1/8 of a mile last year. So, that was kinda cool.
I got the word that the home computer is fixed. The tech explained that the memory was in the wrong slots - although how it spontaneously failed is still a mystery. Sorting out the slots made it magically all better. I'm picking it up today after work, but I'm still thinking about getting a new machine.
Two days of training coming up - which would be fine if the web pixies did my work for me while I'm gone. Alas, I suspect they won't show and I'll have a pile waiting for me. At least I'll have a computer at home again so I can log in and try and get caught up.
That's it for now - later...
I got the word that the home computer is fixed. The tech explained that the memory was in the wrong slots - although how it spontaneously failed is still a mystery. Sorting out the slots made it magically all better. I'm picking it up today after work, but I'm still thinking about getting a new machine.
Two days of training coming up - which would be fine if the web pixies did my work for me while I'm gone. Alas, I suspect they won't show and I'll have a pile waiting for me. At least I'll have a computer at home again so I can log in and try and get caught up.
That's it for now - later...
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
holidays, power, computer
I'm not a big fan of the holidays anymore. Christmas gets stressful with the present buying and travel and New Year's seems arbitrary and wildly anti-climatic. I dunno, maybe I'm just getting old and cynical. And Christmas music? Ugh. Most of what I've heard recently is either ancient and dated - or it's more modern but cloying.
I used to enjoy it. Used to be the "bees knees". Now, it just makes me tired. Or it could be that I've got some kind of SAD or something.
In other news... my room-mate was trying to hang up Christmas lights yesterday evening - in the dark and in the rain. Suddenly, all the outlets in the garage where he had these plugged in went out. Lights, radio, etc. We checked the breakers and didn't see any correctly marked or blown. I suggested it might be related to the fact that he was standing a puddle of water and the cords were wet -but my suggestions were dismissed.
Note to self - you should get current on your CPR training again.
Not sure why that comes to mind. Maybe seeing someone standing in a puddle of water trying to hang up very fragile lights - with an extension cord in the water as well. Eh, guess I'm just being silly.
I called about the broken computer yesterday. This is the 5th working day that they've had it - I'm hoping to get a real answer today. It also irks me just a wee little bit that I didn't get bumped up in the workflow. We are in the same division and I would have done the same for them.
Eh, not really fair I guess. Student computer issues should rightly come first over staff. Still, I'd really like to get moving toward some kind of solution.
Label this post as Cranky... guess that's all I've got for now...
I used to enjoy it. Used to be the "bees knees". Now, it just makes me tired. Or it could be that I've got some kind of SAD or something.
In other news... my room-mate was trying to hang up Christmas lights yesterday evening - in the dark and in the rain. Suddenly, all the outlets in the garage where he had these plugged in went out. Lights, radio, etc. We checked the breakers and didn't see any correctly marked or blown. I suggested it might be related to the fact that he was standing a puddle of water and the cords were wet -but my suggestions were dismissed.
Note to self - you should get current on your CPR training again.
Not sure why that comes to mind. Maybe seeing someone standing in a puddle of water trying to hang up very fragile lights - with an extension cord in the water as well. Eh, guess I'm just being silly.
I called about the broken computer yesterday. This is the 5th working day that they've had it - I'm hoping to get a real answer today. It also irks me just a wee little bit that I didn't get bumped up in the workflow. We are in the same division and I would have done the same for them.
Eh, not really fair I guess. Student computer issues should rightly come first over staff. Still, I'd really like to get moving toward some kind of solution.
Label this post as Cranky... guess that's all I've got for now...
Monday, November 26, 2007
visit, dog, list, water
I visited my parents over the Thanksgiving weekend. Had a pretty good time and ate a lot of food. I helped a little with the lights and the yard work. We tried to go to an Italian restaurant on saturday as a change of pace, but it was closed for a special event. We ended up going to Bob Evans where the food was okay, but the service was really bad.
While I was there, I hung out with the dog, Chloe. I spent a good long time rubbing her belly - which she loves - then sat up and lifted my shirt. "Okay," I told her, "My turn,"
She hopped up and came over, lifting her paw to my bare stomach. She was trying to rub my belly! I thanked her for the effort, but quickly lowered my shirt before her claws tore me up.
I gave my folks my Christmas list - seems a little silly, but we still do those. And since I had to do one, I insisted that I get one from them as well. Only seems fair. So, I've got a bit of shopping to do.
Looking back over my swimming log - I realized that my Year of Water actually began on November 29th. So, this week will mark a year that I've been hitting the pool. Kinda cool.
That's about it for now... back to work...
While I was there, I hung out with the dog, Chloe. I spent a good long time rubbing her belly - which she loves - then sat up and lifted my shirt. "Okay," I told her, "My turn,"
She hopped up and came over, lifting her paw to my bare stomach. She was trying to rub my belly! I thanked her for the effort, but quickly lowered my shirt before her claws tore me up.
I gave my folks my Christmas list - seems a little silly, but we still do those. And since I had to do one, I insisted that I get one from them as well. Only seems fair. So, I've got a bit of shopping to do.
Looking back over my swimming log - I realized that my Year of Water actually began on November 29th. So, this week will mark a year that I've been hitting the pool. Kinda cool.
That's about it for now... back to work...
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
400, 45, cramp, sick
This is post 400 for me. I think the phrase I'm looking for is woop-dee-freaking-doo - not as exciting as I would have liked. Anyway, here it is.
Swam 45 laps today - that's 1.25 miles. And I paid for it - got a massive leg cramp at lap 42. Had to stop partway into lap 43 and struggle to get back to the edge. Spent the next few minutes trying to work out the cramp with grimace on my face. I was spared any potential embarrassment since the lifeguard was totally ignoring me so I was lucky there. Seriously, you have one job - watch the people swimming. A "hey, buddy, you okay?" would have been great - I got zilch. Anyway, I got past it and finished my laps.
Talked to my room-mate a few minutes ago. He was sick again this morning, called into work and slept the rest of the day. FYI - he recommends throwing up into garbage cans that have dryer sheets in them - a much more pleasant experience. He also coined the phrase - "puke and Bounce".
That's it for me... got a few things to wrap up before I head out.
later...
Swam 45 laps today - that's 1.25 miles. And I paid for it - got a massive leg cramp at lap 42. Had to stop partway into lap 43 and struggle to get back to the edge. Spent the next few minutes trying to work out the cramp with grimace on my face. I was spared any potential embarrassment since the lifeguard was totally ignoring me so I was lucky there. Seriously, you have one job - watch the people swimming. A "hey, buddy, you okay?" would have been great - I got zilch. Anyway, I got past it and finished my laps.
Talked to my room-mate a few minutes ago. He was sick again this morning, called into work and slept the rest of the day. FYI - he recommends throwing up into garbage cans that have dryer sheets in them - a much more pleasant experience. He also coined the phrase - "puke and Bounce".
That's it for me... got a few things to wrap up before I head out.
later...
rilo, sick, light, lost things
I heard the Rilo Kiley song "silver lining" last night on the cable music and found it today on YouTube. Really sweet and sad song with a good beat. Listening to it today on repeat.
My room-mate woke me up last night around midnight - he was "horking" into the toilet. Actually both of them - he started downstairs, then thought he was done and went upstairs, where he was proved wrong. He said he's been this way for about 3 weeks - throwing up 1-2 times per day, but has been both keeping it from me and not doing anything about it.
Once he was as stable as can be, I went and cleaned up the downstairs bathroom (he had better "aim" upstairs) and since he didn't want to go to the hospital, I went back to bed. I could have been more compassionate, but I was really not at my best. I pretty much ordered him to go to the doctor since my Q&A session didn't yield any patterns. We'll see how that goes.
The light under my cabinet in the "cube" here at work had partly fallen down overnight. My attempts to fix it made things slightly worse. We had to have one of the maintenance dudes stop over and use some hammer-based "persuasion" to get it back into place. Weird that it would just fall like that.
Reading a new book called - "The Book of Lost Things". It's started out as a sad story, but with adventure right around the corner. Looking pretty cool. Plus, Saint Anthony is the patron saint of Lost Things - so, it should be right up my alley.
Guess that's it for now. This is entry 399 for this blog, I may write again after my swim today.
later...
My room-mate woke me up last night around midnight - he was "horking" into the toilet. Actually both of them - he started downstairs, then thought he was done and went upstairs, where he was proved wrong. He said he's been this way for about 3 weeks - throwing up 1-2 times per day, but has been both keeping it from me and not doing anything about it.
Once he was as stable as can be, I went and cleaned up the downstairs bathroom (he had better "aim" upstairs) and since he didn't want to go to the hospital, I went back to bed. I could have been more compassionate, but I was really not at my best. I pretty much ordered him to go to the doctor since my Q&A session didn't yield any patterns. We'll see how that goes.
The light under my cabinet in the "cube" here at work had partly fallen down overnight. My attempts to fix it made things slightly worse. We had to have one of the maintenance dudes stop over and use some hammer-based "persuasion" to get it back into place. Weird that it would just fall like that.
Reading a new book called - "The Book of Lost Things". It's started out as a sad story, but with adventure right around the corner. Looking pretty cool. Plus, Saint Anthony is the patron saint of Lost Things - so, it should be right up my alley.
Guess that's it for now. This is entry 399 for this blog, I may write again after my swim today.
later...
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
queue, impaired, fuel, computer, route
In the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy, there's a scene where the characters are confronted with a buruacratic line and the hero says, "Leave this to me. I'm British. I know how to queue,"
Well, yesterday I was confronted with an American that didn't know how to queue. A line was forming at the snack area and both the non-queue person and I were moving into position. I followed the previous pattern of people and the pathway approaching the checkout. He was ahead of me coming from the side and stood at a right angle to the rest of the line. Everyone else in the store formed up behind me - making it clear that he was doing it wrong. I left him enough room to step over in front of me into the line, but he simply stood there, oblivious. Holding his pack of gum.
Now, some would argue that he was looking at things from a different perspective and marching to the beat of his own drum. People that argue that are wrong, sorry.
Once I got nearer the front of the checkout line, I noticed that things were not moving as efficiently as they could be. There were two areas open, but both had issues. The guy at the far checkout was in a massive neck-brace - the kind of thing a Klingon would wear if they had an injured neck. He could barely move in that thing and was becoming dangerous with his quick turn-arounds to see things. The woman that ended up helping me had apparently forgotten her glasses that day since she could barely see and had to bring all the items up to her nose to see them. I noticed one customer use a coupon and then pay with cash and needed change. Might has well have tossed a wooden shoe into the machinery.
I finally escaped after making my purchase - but it was really a summary of how my day went. People in my way, actively opposed to letting me get on with my life. And me trying to stay out of everyone else's way.
In other news... I filled up my gas tank this morning - almost thirty bucks. And this was with a 1/4 tank left and after the price had "gone down" - whatever that means.
Also this morning, I took a different route to work. It went better and more smoothly than the way I usually go - so, that went well.
Finally, I took my room-mate's computer to the repair shop here at work. They created a work over for me and said they would take a look. Felt a little funny that I didn't get a receipt or something, but they did send me an email - so, we'll see how it goes.
Guess that's it for now... back to work...
Well, yesterday I was confronted with an American that didn't know how to queue. A line was forming at the snack area and both the non-queue person and I were moving into position. I followed the previous pattern of people and the pathway approaching the checkout. He was ahead of me coming from the side and stood at a right angle to the rest of the line. Everyone else in the store formed up behind me - making it clear that he was doing it wrong. I left him enough room to step over in front of me into the line, but he simply stood there, oblivious. Holding his pack of gum.
Now, some would argue that he was looking at things from a different perspective and marching to the beat of his own drum. People that argue that are wrong, sorry.
Once I got nearer the front of the checkout line, I noticed that things were not moving as efficiently as they could be. There were two areas open, but both had issues. The guy at the far checkout was in a massive neck-brace - the kind of thing a Klingon would wear if they had an injured neck. He could barely move in that thing and was becoming dangerous with his quick turn-arounds to see things. The woman that ended up helping me had apparently forgotten her glasses that day since she could barely see and had to bring all the items up to her nose to see them. I noticed one customer use a coupon and then pay with cash and needed change. Might has well have tossed a wooden shoe into the machinery.
I finally escaped after making my purchase - but it was really a summary of how my day went. People in my way, actively opposed to letting me get on with my life. And me trying to stay out of everyone else's way.
In other news... I filled up my gas tank this morning - almost thirty bucks. And this was with a 1/4 tank left and after the price had "gone down" - whatever that means.
Also this morning, I took a different route to work. It went better and more smoothly than the way I usually go - so, that went well.
Finally, I took my room-mate's computer to the repair shop here at work. They created a work over for me and said they would take a look. Felt a little funny that I didn't get a receipt or something, but they did send me an email - so, we'll see how it goes.
Guess that's it for now... back to work...
Monday, November 19, 2007
weekend, computer, work
Had a good weekend - a visit from my sister and brother in law. They were in town to meet up with some friends from Cleveland for dinner and stayed with us for the weekend. Had a nice time and played a lot of UNO. They are OSU fans and my room-mate is a Michigan fan - so the game was fairly intense on Saturday. I played my PSP and just kinda hung out since I'm only marginally an Akron Zips fan if that.
It was good to see them and I'm glad they could stay with us.
My room-mate's computer bought the farm on Friday evening. We took it over to the Best Buy Geek squad and they couldn't even get it to stay turned on. So, based on previous issues, I suspect it's the motherboard that is toast. I'm going to see if the crew here can take a look - but I think a new computer is in the future.
Work this morning, on what could only be a Monday morning - has sucked. Glad we've got a short week - I suspect there will be at least two more Mondays this week.
It was good to see them and I'm glad they could stay with us.
My room-mate's computer bought the farm on Friday evening. We took it over to the Best Buy Geek squad and they couldn't even get it to stay turned on. So, based on previous issues, I suspect it's the motherboard that is toast. I'm going to see if the crew here can take a look - but I think a new computer is in the future.
Work this morning, on what could only be a Monday morning - has sucked. Glad we've got a short week - I suspect there will be at least two more Mondays this week.
Friday, November 16, 2007
snow & timing, sneeze, rss, game
This morning, as I was pulling out of my driveway, I realized it was snowing. Just a little snow in the air, but it was kinda pretty. I know that as the winter goes on I'll be dreading the snow - but today I kinda liked it. And though I was running late, the traffic wasn't too bad - must have had good timing today.
Went to Rudy Tuesday's recently and got my usual excellent tasting turkey burger. I also got fries with that, but to balance things out, I also got the salad bar. And then the problems began. I'm 6 foot tall - a reasonable height for a guy - and the "sneeze shield" on the salad bar was clearly designed for someone around 4 foot tall with unnaturally long arms. It hovered over the food items like an over-protective mother and to get to anything I had to bend at the knees and waist, move my arms below the shield, then up and over to reach the tongs. Getting the food to end up my plate was another matter and the impatient 4 foot tall woman behind me used her unnaturally long arms to try and reach in front of me - a clear breach of etiquette.
I got most of what I wanted for my salad, but totally gave up on the mushrooms - no way I would be able to reach those in the back row. The salad was good and I'm sure good for me, but I didn't go back for seconds since it didn't seem worth the hassle. While I appreciate the value of un-sneezed-upon food, it didn't seem like the barrier was well thought out.
In the news of the silly, I subscribed to my own blog with Google Reader. Now the RSS feed will show up along with all the other blogs I read. Pointless, yes, but not a bad exercise.
Played Final Fantasy 12 again last night - getting close to the end. In fact, I could just board the final ship and finish the game, but I'm working on some side quests before it ends.
One of those quests involves gathering a bunch of items from all over the planet in order to acquire three medallions - which in turn open three doors. The first of these doors - the Door Of Loathing - put me face to face with a gigantic monster with a huge freaking ax. I mentally braced myself and got ready when he suddenly fell over and died. His attacker revealed itself and hopped up to confront me. Literally hopped, it was a bunny. With feathers on its ears for some reason. The bunny cast a spell on itself and went totally berserk and started smacking my characters around. I rallied the troops and eventually took it down. The second door had another big monster that went down without too much trouble - no bunny this time. The third door had a monster that set up a field making it impossible to use the attack command. No swords this time - only magic. Well, I like games where you get to hit things - so, I may skip that battle.
Guess that's about it for now - time to get back to work...
Went to Rudy Tuesday's recently and got my usual excellent tasting turkey burger. I also got fries with that, but to balance things out, I also got the salad bar. And then the problems began. I'm 6 foot tall - a reasonable height for a guy - and the "sneeze shield" on the salad bar was clearly designed for someone around 4 foot tall with unnaturally long arms. It hovered over the food items like an over-protective mother and to get to anything I had to bend at the knees and waist, move my arms below the shield, then up and over to reach the tongs. Getting the food to end up my plate was another matter and the impatient 4 foot tall woman behind me used her unnaturally long arms to try and reach in front of me - a clear breach of etiquette.
I got most of what I wanted for my salad, but totally gave up on the mushrooms - no way I would be able to reach those in the back row. The salad was good and I'm sure good for me, but I didn't go back for seconds since it didn't seem worth the hassle. While I appreciate the value of un-sneezed-upon food, it didn't seem like the barrier was well thought out.
In the news of the silly, I subscribed to my own blog with Google Reader. Now the RSS feed will show up along with all the other blogs I read. Pointless, yes, but not a bad exercise.
Played Final Fantasy 12 again last night - getting close to the end. In fact, I could just board the final ship and finish the game, but I'm working on some side quests before it ends.
One of those quests involves gathering a bunch of items from all over the planet in order to acquire three medallions - which in turn open three doors. The first of these doors - the Door Of Loathing - put me face to face with a gigantic monster with a huge freaking ax. I mentally braced myself and got ready when he suddenly fell over and died. His attacker revealed itself and hopped up to confront me. Literally hopped, it was a bunny. With feathers on its ears for some reason. The bunny cast a spell on itself and went totally berserk and started smacking my characters around. I rallied the troops and eventually took it down. The second door had another big monster that went down without too much trouble - no bunny this time. The third door had a monster that set up a field making it impossible to use the attack command. No swords this time - only magic. Well, I like games where you get to hit things - so, I may skip that battle.
Guess that's about it for now - time to get back to work...
Friday, November 09, 2007
donation and leak
I gave blood on Monday of this week - slightly notable experience. The process was mostly efficient, though there was a bit of a slow down in getting started with the actual donation. While I was waiting, I folded a crane one handed - to the amazement of the people around me. The women taking the donation was singing with the guy that was processing the blood donations - a diana ross / lional richie duet, My First Love - so, that was kinda weird. And she left the blood pressure cuff pumped up the entire time. I was uncomfortable at first and then I got used to it. I just figured it was a new procedure but it didn't really seem to have an impact on the speed. She was quite embarrassed when she realized, but I really didn't think it was a big deal.
I also got a sweatshirt out of the deal that I'm giving to my Mom.
Yesterday, I lost a bit of blood as well, though this was my own damn fault. Went to Chipotle for lunch and as I was hurrying to get in my car and close the door before the car next to met took off, my door swung shut on the side of my head and hit my ear. Hard. I rubbed it a bit, swore quietly, and went about my day. Last evening, I reached up to scratch my ear and I must have broken up a scab - blood started pouring out of the side of my ear. Once I got it cleaned up I realized it was a small cut, but it must have been deep. I kept pressure on it for a while and covered it with a band-aid when I went to sleep. Seems to be okay, but it was pretty intense for a bit.
Gotta stay late tonight for another training session.
Guess that's it for now... later
I also got a sweatshirt out of the deal that I'm giving to my Mom.
Yesterday, I lost a bit of blood as well, though this was my own damn fault. Went to Chipotle for lunch and as I was hurrying to get in my car and close the door before the car next to met took off, my door swung shut on the side of my head and hit my ear. Hard. I rubbed it a bit, swore quietly, and went about my day. Last evening, I reached up to scratch my ear and I must have broken up a scab - blood started pouring out of the side of my ear. Once I got it cleaned up I realized it was a small cut, but it must have been deep. I kept pressure on it for a while and covered it with a band-aid when I went to sleep. Seems to be okay, but it was pretty intense for a bit.
Gotta stay late tonight for another training session.
Guess that's it for now... later
Monday, November 05, 2007
meeting, swim, blood, weekend
Had to give a presentation this morning on some work stuff for the division. It went okay, but it was not the most fun thing I've done today. I don't normally mind that sort of thing, but the topic was a little boring even to me, so I'm not sure how well I "sold it". A few people said I did well, so i guess that's something.
I swam again today - back down to 3o laps from last Friday's personal record of 45. Felt pretty good, just ran out of time.
I'm headed out to give blood in a few minutes. I was going to decline the sweatshirt since I've already got a red cross jacket - but Mom wants the sweatshirt, so, I guess I'll go ahead and get that.
I visited my folks over the weekend. We took the dog hiking and played a bunch of UNO when my sister and brother in law came over. Pretty nice time - quiet and peaceful.
Guess I should head out - I'll need to eat something before I donate.
later...
I swam again today - back down to 3o laps from last Friday's personal record of 45. Felt pretty good, just ran out of time.
I'm headed out to give blood in a few minutes. I was going to decline the sweatshirt since I've already got a red cross jacket - but Mom wants the sweatshirt, so, I guess I'll go ahead and get that.
I visited my folks over the weekend. We took the dog hiking and played a bunch of UNO when my sister and brother in law came over. Pretty nice time - quiet and peaceful.
Guess I should head out - I'll need to eat something before I donate.
later...
Friday, November 02, 2007
17.28 revisited, washer/dryer, sore
So, I finally got around to getting a picture of the 17.28 mb origami piece I did way back in May. I also got some shots of more recent projects.
http://gozips.uakron.edu/~aws/evenMoreOrigami.html
The washer and dryer got delivered yesterday - though it was a near thing. We set up the time for "after 5:00" - but they called my room-mate at 7:44 yesterday morning to confirm the delivery of the washer in the morning and the dryer in the evening. He got them corrected and both were delivered at around 5:30 in the evening. We got them hooked up, but since the crew tested them on-site, we didn't bother with any laundry last evening. I'll report on the first run when we get around to it.
I'm still a little sore from my walk around on campus - but it was worth it. I'm hoping the swim today will loosen me up.
Well, I'm hoping for a quiet day today, but I'd better get back to it.
later...
http://gozips.uakron.edu/~aws/evenMoreOrigami.html
The washer and dryer got delivered yesterday - though it was a near thing. We set up the time for "after 5:00" - but they called my room-mate at 7:44 yesterday morning to confirm the delivery of the washer in the morning and the dryer in the evening. He got them corrected and both were delivered at around 5:30 in the evening. We got them hooked up, but since the crew tested them on-site, we didn't bother with any laundry last evening. I'll report on the first run when we get around to it.
I'm still a little sore from my walk around on campus - but it was worth it. I'm hoping the swim today will loosen me up.
Well, I'm hoping for a quiet day today, but I'd better get back to it.
later...
Thursday, November 01, 2007
halloween 2007
The day off yesterday for my annual campus walk around has put me behind schedule - so, this will have to be quick.
http://gozips.uakron.edu/~aws/costume.html
This year I was Sobek, one of the gods of the dead from ancient Egypt. People really enjoyed it and I had a lot of fun with the building of the costume and getting to share it with people.
Gotta get back to work - enjoy the photos...
http://gozips.uakron.edu/~aws/costume.html
This year I was Sobek, one of the gods of the dead from ancient Egypt. People really enjoyed it and I had a lot of fun with the building of the costume and getting to share it with people.
Gotta get back to work - enjoy the photos...
Monday, October 29, 2007
party, portal, suit, grandma, trips
Went to a halloween party on Friday - had a lot of fun. My costume was more "party friendly" than last year, but it was still a bit awkward to move around in. There were some really great costumes there and a few store bought ones as well. My room-mate won a prize for his "mrs. doubtfire" costume and I won one as well for mine. I also scared the crap out of one of the kids that was there - which I felt bad about publicly, but was secretly pleased about.
Tried to play Portal over the weekend, but the servers were always down. Took me two days to download the content of the game, but you can't play it unless you are connected. It bites. I'm going to try again today if it fails, I'm going to fire off an angry email.
Got a new swim suit over the weekend as well - ordered it from SwimOutlet. It's a speedo variant - square cut with extra material for more drag in the water. Feels "more official" - if I'm serious about swimming, I should have the gear for it. The goggles I got are called "vanquisher" - so, I've got that going for me as well.
Talked to my grandmother yesterday - she's recovering from back surgery. She seemed to be in pretty good spirits and we had a good conversation. She's still hurting, but on the slow mend.
I'm going to visit my folks and my sister and brother-in-law this coming weekend for my mom's birthday - then not long after that my sister and brother-in-law will coming up my way and will stay overnight at my place. So, should be fun. I can show them all the sites of Akron - and then after we've spent 10 minutes with that, we can find something fun to do.
Well, that's it for now. I'll have photos after Wednesday when I do my walk-around.
later...
Tried to play Portal over the weekend, but the servers were always down. Took me two days to download the content of the game, but you can't play it unless you are connected. It bites. I'm going to try again today if it fails, I'm going to fire off an angry email.
Got a new swim suit over the weekend as well - ordered it from SwimOutlet. It's a speedo variant - square cut with extra material for more drag in the water. Feels "more official" - if I'm serious about swimming, I should have the gear for it. The goggles I got are called "vanquisher" - so, I've got that going for me as well.
Talked to my grandmother yesterday - she's recovering from back surgery. She seemed to be in pretty good spirits and we had a good conversation. She's still hurting, but on the slow mend.
I'm going to visit my folks and my sister and brother-in-law this coming weekend for my mom's birthday - then not long after that my sister and brother-in-law will coming up my way and will stay overnight at my place. So, should be fun. I can show them all the sites of Akron - and then after we've spent 10 minutes with that, we can find something fun to do.
Well, that's it for now. I'll have photos after Wednesday when I do my walk-around.
later...
Friday, October 26, 2007
smell
The bathrooms here at work are right off of the kitchen area. I would like to take this opportunity to describe the smells.
1. Imagine that someone made macaroni and cheese with one of those stinky cheeses, then mixed in cooked and rotted onions. Next, they heated this up with not a microwave, but a flaming bag of cow-poo. This was the smell in the kitchen.
2. Pine scented urinal cake. This would be the smell in the men's restroom.
Is it time to go home yet? Please?
Okay, how about now? Maybe?
(sigh) - fine, be that way. But if those smells contain some kind of mutagen and I grow an extra eye in the middle of my forehead - you're paying for the custom glasses.
later...
1. Imagine that someone made macaroni and cheese with one of those stinky cheeses, then mixed in cooked and rotted onions. Next, they heated this up with not a microwave, but a flaming bag of cow-poo. This was the smell in the kitchen.
2. Pine scented urinal cake. This would be the smell in the men's restroom.
Is it time to go home yet? Please?
Okay, how about now? Maybe?
(sigh) - fine, be that way. But if those smells contain some kind of mutagen and I grow an extra eye in the middle of my forehead - you're paying for the custom glasses.
later...
pool + TV
Went for my swim today and noted a few things they have done as improvements to the pool area.
1. Retiled/painted one of the walls near the locker room. The chemical stench was astonishing.
2. Replaced the main entrance doors - the new ones have bigger windows that let someone see the current pool lane configuration, which is handy.
3. They installed a big screen tv (like one panel of a jumbotron).
I'm guessing this is for swim meets - but I can't figure why they would have it on during a regular day. There are two groups of people in the pool area when I swim.
a) those in the pool - generally preoccupied with swimming and/or not drowning
b) Lifeguards, who generally should be watching group A
Seems like a waste to me and potentially dangerous, but I don't recall getting a survey about this so I suspect my opinion on things is not exactly welcome.
later...
1. Retiled/painted one of the walls near the locker room. The chemical stench was astonishing.
2. Replaced the main entrance doors - the new ones have bigger windows that let someone see the current pool lane configuration, which is handy.
3. They installed a big screen tv (like one panel of a jumbotron).
I'm guessing this is for swim meets - but I can't figure why they would have it on during a regular day. There are two groups of people in the pool area when I swim.
a) those in the pool - generally preoccupied with swimming and/or not drowning
b) Lifeguards, who generally should be watching group A
Seems like a waste to me and potentially dangerous, but I don't recall getting a survey about this so I suspect my opinion on things is not exactly welcome.
later...
crazy, lights, costume, washer/dryer, TGI Fridays
Those bluetooth cellphone ear pieces annoy me. It used to be that you could tell which people were crazy by the way they walked around talking to themselves in public. Now, you have to be at the correct angle to see this thing in their ear and make a determination. Doesn't seem fair. I think they should wear some kind of sign or t-shirt. "I'm not crazy, I'm on the phone"
They physical plant sent a crew over to begin replacing the lights in our cube farm. They gotten the ones above my desk (leaving little snippets of wire all over the place) and now the lights are exceptionally bright and - for some reason - slightly pink. I'm not a fan of bright lights, as I may have already mentioned. It's like I'm being interrogated back here or something. I'm really hoping this are super high efficiency bulbs or something, or I'm going to be very cross. And I'm thinking about rigging up some kind of filter or something.
Had a minor technical difficult with my costume last night, but got it resolved. It's now sturdier than it had been - so, that's good. I'm going to a costume party tonight - should be fun. My costume is more "party friendly" than last year. :)
The washer and dryer that my former room-mate and I bought at the old apartment are on their last legs, so my new room-mate and I went to Lowe's last night to get a new set.
(FYI - the old dryer has a broken start button that I had to replace with a make-shift switch and no longer stops the heat, rotation, or - most annoyingly - the buzzer when the timer expires. The washer is pitted on the inside and tends to unbalance frequently)
After a great deal of discussion and consultation with the store clerks, we decided on the high-efficiency washer dry combo. Pricey, but using less water and energy seemed like the responsible thing to do. Then there was an issue of in stock vs. floor model. It took the clerk a long time to find one at another store and then arrange for delivery. Annoyed me a bit - there's a point where "just-in-time" starts to impact the customer and that's where we were. The last step was to pay for the set and we did that at the register up front. I also bought a push room - mostly for the irony of the purchases. We'll end up with some gift cards and rebates out of the deal, but it was still a lot of money.
So, with that set, we headed over to TGI Friday's for some serious gorging. I got a turkey burger, fries, fried green beans, and some kind of chocolate dessert. The staff had to roll me out of there.
That's pretty much it for now... back to work... later.
They physical plant sent a crew over to begin replacing the lights in our cube farm. They gotten the ones above my desk (leaving little snippets of wire all over the place) and now the lights are exceptionally bright and - for some reason - slightly pink. I'm not a fan of bright lights, as I may have already mentioned. It's like I'm being interrogated back here or something. I'm really hoping this are super high efficiency bulbs or something, or I'm going to be very cross. And I'm thinking about rigging up some kind of filter or something.
Had a minor technical difficult with my costume last night, but got it resolved. It's now sturdier than it had been - so, that's good. I'm going to a costume party tonight - should be fun. My costume is more "party friendly" than last year. :)
The washer and dryer that my former room-mate and I bought at the old apartment are on their last legs, so my new room-mate and I went to Lowe's last night to get a new set.
(FYI - the old dryer has a broken start button that I had to replace with a make-shift switch and no longer stops the heat, rotation, or - most annoyingly - the buzzer when the timer expires. The washer is pitted on the inside and tends to unbalance frequently)
After a great deal of discussion and consultation with the store clerks, we decided on the high-efficiency washer dry combo. Pricey, but using less water and energy seemed like the responsible thing to do. Then there was an issue of in stock vs. floor model. It took the clerk a long time to find one at another store and then arrange for delivery. Annoyed me a bit - there's a point where "just-in-time" starts to impact the customer and that's where we were. The last step was to pay for the set and we did that at the register up front. I also bought a push room - mostly for the irony of the purchases. We'll end up with some gift cards and rebates out of the deal, but it was still a lot of money.
So, with that set, we headed over to TGI Friday's for some serious gorging. I got a turkey burger, fries, fried green beans, and some kind of chocolate dessert. The staff had to roll me out of there.
That's pretty much it for now... back to work... later.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
40 laps, a bit of humor
Since I'm working late this evening (got a late meeting) - I decided to swim a bit longer at lunch today to balance it out. I had a massive leg cramp at lap 26 - had to stop and work it out. Once I got going again, I cruised right to lap 30 - then decided to go ahead and do a mile (36 laps) - and I was still feeling pretty good so I did 4 more laps - taking me up to a new personal record of 40 laps. I think I could have done 5 more, giving me a mile and 1/4, but I had a meeting that meant I was running out of time.
So, I'm very tired, but doing ok otherwise. Also, the lifeguard blew his whistle early on and we all stopped and looked at him. He said, 'You're okay, I was just kidding'
Ummm... boy who cried wolf?
Anyway, this afternoon I got an email from a user saying:
"I have heard from several people that you are quite helpful and knowledgeable."
to which I replied:
"Helpful and knowledgeable? Yes, but not at the same time. "
:)
So, that's it for now - gotta run. later...
So, I'm very tired, but doing ok otherwise. Also, the lifeguard blew his whistle early on and we all stopped and looked at him. He said, 'You're okay, I was just kidding'
Ummm... boy who cried wolf?
Anyway, this afternoon I got an email from a user saying:
"I have heard from several people that you are quite helpful and knowledgeable."
to which I replied:
"Helpful and knowledgeable? Yes, but not at the same time. "
:)
So, that's it for now - gotta run. later...
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
swearing, battery, swim
I ran out of swear words last night.
Now, much like the father in A Christmas Story, I know how to swear. I'm good at it, I practice, and I'm always careful to stretch first.
But last night, I exhausted my lexicon. I was reduced to a repetitive and stammering mess.
The reason? My car. It wouldn't start when I tried to leave work yesterday - so I called my room-mate to come and jumpstart it. That was enough to get me home - it needed to be re-jumped to get me to AutoZone. I left my car running and locked and with an extra key in my pocket I headed in to get a new battery.
I had to wait in line at the counter why a young mother explained to the clerk how she would have been in the demolition derby last year, only she got pregnant. Her husband went instead and lost a tooth - the clerk suggested that he should have played hockey instead and saved the car.
Such wit!
In my mind, their heads both exploded but in reality, I just waited quietly until it was my turn and made my very heavy purchase.
Back home, my room-mate and I removed the old battery - and faced off against some intense corrosion and increasingly stripped bolts. Hence the swearing.
We finally got the old battery out of there and easily installed the new one. My car started up like a charm and today I'm going to take the old battery back to AutoZone and maybe see about getting the alternator checked - just to be sure.
In other news... I swam 28 laps yesterday. I think I'm getting a little faster again.
Got to go to a meeting now... later...
Now, much like the father in A Christmas Story, I know how to swear. I'm good at it, I practice, and I'm always careful to stretch first.
But last night, I exhausted my lexicon. I was reduced to a repetitive and stammering mess.
The reason? My car. It wouldn't start when I tried to leave work yesterday - so I called my room-mate to come and jumpstart it. That was enough to get me home - it needed to be re-jumped to get me to AutoZone. I left my car running and locked and with an extra key in my pocket I headed in to get a new battery.
I had to wait in line at the counter why a young mother explained to the clerk how she would have been in the demolition derby last year, only she got pregnant. Her husband went instead and lost a tooth - the clerk suggested that he should have played hockey instead and saved the car.
Such wit!
In my mind, their heads both exploded but in reality, I just waited quietly until it was my turn and made my very heavy purchase.
Back home, my room-mate and I removed the old battery - and faced off against some intense corrosion and increasingly stripped bolts. Hence the swearing.
We finally got the old battery out of there and easily installed the new one. My car started up like a charm and today I'm going to take the old battery back to AutoZone and maybe see about getting the alternator checked - just to be sure.
In other news... I swam 28 laps yesterday. I think I'm getting a little faster again.
Got to go to a meeting now... later...
Monday, October 15, 2007
psp, timbaland, truck, dreams, costume
I went to the new Target that just opened up near my apartment over the weekend to buy a PSP. The store was extra shiny and I'm hoping they stay there for a long time.
Anyway, the PSP is pretty cool - but the power cord seems to be, well, loose. I'm going to see if it settles in for a few days or so - otherwise, I guess I have to ship it back to Japan or something.
I also bought the new Timbaland CD. It had already passed my 'two good known songs' test - and one of those is just amazing (apologize..timbaland ft one republic). The downside, though, is that he used... well, the "N" word in a lot of his songs. I just skip past them - but it's annoying. I had a black room-mate for a while that declared me "honorary black" a few years ago - but that's not enough to make me comfortable with that particular word. I don't get why anyone, no matter the circumstances, would use a word like that. Seems that no good could come of it.
In other news... another truck tailgated me again this morning. Time to get out the mirror.
I had some odd dreams last night, but at least I know where they came from.
1. I dreamed that I was on a walk and stopped under an apple tree. I picked an apple and took a bite, and spit it out immediately since there was a huge worm in it. I dropped the apple, and looked down to see there were worms all over the ground. And then a few maggots fell out of the tree onto and I ran away screaming like a little girl while trying to brush them off.
Later in the dream I ended up in a house with a pet dog. A maggot that I'd missed fell off my shirt into the food dish where it promptly started eating a scrape of meat. The dog tried to eat the maggot and the meat and I wasn't sure if that was a good idea. I tried to stop the dog and then woke up because I had to use the bathroom.
Source - I watched "the fly" over the weekend.
2. In another dream, I was trying to play a Nintendo video game (with the cartridges) and each of the levels had an old tv show episode recorded over it. Apparently, my room-mate had gotten some wires crossed and recorded the tv onto the Nintendo. Pretty sure that's impossible, but there you go.
Source - I was trying to help him burn some CD's from Napster - plus, I think the new media format for the PHP was in there as well.
Finally, worked more on the costume this weekend. It's going really well, just a few more minor things to wrap up. I've even cleaned up my work area in the basement.
Well, that's about it for now... busy week ahead, including a couple of late evenings.
later...
Anyway, the PSP is pretty cool - but the power cord seems to be, well, loose. I'm going to see if it settles in for a few days or so - otherwise, I guess I have to ship it back to Japan or something.
I also bought the new Timbaland CD. It had already passed my 'two good known songs' test - and one of those is just amazing (apologize..timbaland ft one republic). The downside, though, is that he used... well, the "N" word in a lot of his songs. I just skip past them - but it's annoying. I had a black room-mate for a while that declared me "honorary black" a few years ago - but that's not enough to make me comfortable with that particular word. I don't get why anyone, no matter the circumstances, would use a word like that. Seems that no good could come of it.
In other news... another truck tailgated me again this morning. Time to get out the mirror.
I had some odd dreams last night, but at least I know where they came from.
1. I dreamed that I was on a walk and stopped under an apple tree. I picked an apple and took a bite, and spit it out immediately since there was a huge worm in it. I dropped the apple, and looked down to see there were worms all over the ground. And then a few maggots fell out of the tree onto and I ran away screaming like a little girl while trying to brush them off.
Later in the dream I ended up in a house with a pet dog. A maggot that I'd missed fell off my shirt into the food dish where it promptly started eating a scrape of meat. The dog tried to eat the maggot and the meat and I wasn't sure if that was a good idea. I tried to stop the dog and then woke up because I had to use the bathroom.
Source - I watched "the fly" over the weekend.
2. In another dream, I was trying to play a Nintendo video game (with the cartridges) and each of the levels had an old tv show episode recorded over it. Apparently, my room-mate had gotten some wires crossed and recorded the tv onto the Nintendo. Pretty sure that's impossible, but there you go.
Source - I was trying to help him burn some CD's from Napster - plus, I think the new media format for the PHP was in there as well.
Finally, worked more on the costume this weekend. It's going really well, just a few more minor things to wrap up. I've even cleaned up my work area in the basement.
Well, that's about it for now... busy week ahead, including a couple of late evenings.
later...
Friday, October 12, 2007
lights, game
My drive into work in the mornings - if I'm on-time - is generally pretty dark. And while I don't exactly enjoy driving in the dark, I don't really mind it so much. Except for one thing: when some complete wanker in an overisized-I'm-over-compensating-for-something-really-really-small truck pulls up close behind my car. And that happened again this morning. My first thought was, if you need 7 passenger seating in your truck, just go buy a freaking mini-van. My second, and the more important thought to this topic, was "man, that's really bright".
It's those damn headlights. Since the truck sits so much higher on the road, the headlights are also higher and tend to shine directly into my car. Filling it with light. I think this particular wanker was using his highbeams as well, 'cause that can't have been the normal headlights.
It was nearly blinding and I do not like bright lights- especially since my eyes were used to a dark.
To make matters worse, he pulled up behind me at a stop light. So, I'm trapped and blinded.
Nice.
Fortunately, I turned left and the truck turned right. I managed to get away once the light changed.
It was still annoying and, well, rude.
a. If you must have a truck that big - well, you really don't need one that big. It's silly and a waste of resources.
b. Stop freaking tailgating the cars on the road.
c. If you keep doing it, I'm going to get a big-ass mirror and shine that light right back at you.
All of this rant may have been sponsored by Final Fantasy XII - since I stayed up way too late last night playing. My characters took on a huge freaking dragon and totally kicked it's ass - then had to walk a few miles back to a save point. Good game.
That's about it for now - other than I'm glad it's Friday. Later...
It's those damn headlights. Since the truck sits so much higher on the road, the headlights are also higher and tend to shine directly into my car. Filling it with light. I think this particular wanker was using his highbeams as well, 'cause that can't have been the normal headlights.
It was nearly blinding and I do not like bright lights- especially since my eyes were used to a dark.
To make matters worse, he pulled up behind me at a stop light. So, I'm trapped and blinded.
Nice.
Fortunately, I turned left and the truck turned right. I managed to get away once the light changed.
It was still annoying and, well, rude.
a. If you must have a truck that big - well, you really don't need one that big. It's silly and a waste of resources.
b. Stop freaking tailgating the cars on the road.
c. If you keep doing it, I'm going to get a big-ass mirror and shine that light right back at you.
All of this rant may have been sponsored by Final Fantasy XII - since I stayed up way too late last night playing. My characters took on a huge freaking dragon and totally kicked it's ass - then had to walk a few miles back to a save point. Good game.
That's about it for now - other than I'm glad it's Friday. Later...
Monday, October 08, 2007
costume, wiring
I went to a few stores looking for an item for my costume and finally ended up at a Halloween USA. This is one of those seasonal places and while the selection wasn't as good as I expected, I still found something that will work.
Paying for my purchase, though, was a little tricky. The cashier rang it up as $2.37 instead of the correct price of $24.37 - ummmm, oops? So, the manager needed to come over and void it out, then re-run it. Took a long time.
The next day I was in Wal-mart and bought some speaker wire and a case of water. I picked the "10 items or less" lane - thinking it would be faster. Especially since there was only one person in front of me.
Mistake. Her purchases came to $5.64 - she tossed a $5 on the counter and spent the next 5 minutes rooting through her duffel-bag sized purse for the exact change. Meanwhile, I'm standing behind her holding a case of water and wondering if she'll ever be done. At one point, I started to shift my weight to see if I could get to my wallet and throw a dollar into the mix - since it would have been worth it to get moving.
She finally counted out the last penny and moved on. I paid with a debit card.
Also over the weekend, my room-mate (who's working on a case of bronchitis) decided to get a new receiver and dvd player/recorder. He spent several hours on the set-up with a lot of swearing and finally got it working - except that the video from the dvd player wouldn't get to the tv.
I tried a few combinations, then unplugged everything and started over. Took a little bit until I gave up on the instructions and just winged it. The DVD player has a weird sleep mode, but once we got past that, we were good to go. I'm going to try and tackle the speakers this afternoon.
Also had a request to fix an antique fan that some friends of mine own. Not really my area of expertise, but I do know how to take things apart and poke at them - and then usually put them back together. I stopped by their place, but they weren't home. I'll try again today, perhaps.
I guess that's it for now, time to get to work...
Paying for my purchase, though, was a little tricky. The cashier rang it up as $2.37 instead of the correct price of $24.37 - ummmm, oops? So, the manager needed to come over and void it out, then re-run it. Took a long time.
The next day I was in Wal-mart and bought some speaker wire and a case of water. I picked the "10 items or less" lane - thinking it would be faster. Especially since there was only one person in front of me.
Mistake. Her purchases came to $5.64 - she tossed a $5 on the counter and spent the next 5 minutes rooting through her duffel-bag sized purse for the exact change. Meanwhile, I'm standing behind her holding a case of water and wondering if she'll ever be done. At one point, I started to shift my weight to see if I could get to my wallet and throw a dollar into the mix - since it would have been worth it to get moving.
She finally counted out the last penny and moved on. I paid with a debit card.
Also over the weekend, my room-mate (who's working on a case of bronchitis) decided to get a new receiver and dvd player/recorder. He spent several hours on the set-up with a lot of swearing and finally got it working - except that the video from the dvd player wouldn't get to the tv.
I tried a few combinations, then unplugged everything and started over. Took a little bit until I gave up on the instructions and just winged it. The DVD player has a weird sleep mode, but once we got past that, we were good to go. I'm going to try and tackle the speakers this afternoon.
Also had a request to fix an antique fan that some friends of mine own. Not really my area of expertise, but I do know how to take things apart and poke at them - and then usually put them back together. I stopped by their place, but they weren't home. I'll try again today, perhaps.
I guess that's it for now, time to get to work...
Friday, October 05, 2007
forgetten id, annoyed
I forgot my ID this morning - didn't realize until I was in the parking lot at work that the card was at home in my shirt pocket from the day before.
To get in the building, I had to use the buzzer and since it was so early, only the custodian was here - he let me in without a problem.
The day has been pretty ordinary and the forgotten ID hasn't been an issue. Until I got to the pool.
I recognized the attendant and explained that I had forgotten my ID - could they use my driver's license to look me up?
No, in fact, they couldn't. Instead, he had to get on the walkie-talkie and call for assistance. We waited a few minutes until that assistance came - and it turned out to be someone I knew and that knew me. He thanked me for the work I'd done on this website and commented on how well things were working. Then he handed me a paper form to fill out.
Now, I'm pretty sure the guy at the desk knew me. And the manger knew me as well. And hell, he owed me for the work I'd done. With that in mind, there's also about 1/2 dozen different ways that I could have verified my identity for them as well.
But, no, I had to fill out the paper form. And then handed it to manager. He didn't verify any of the information on the form - didn't even ask for my license. He just took the form and sent me on my way. I went ahead and had my swim, then stopped at the student union and paid cash for my lunch.
Under normal circumstances, I hand my card to the desk attendant and they swipe it and hand it back. But it's only marginally about verifying that I'm allowed in there. More importantly, apparently, is getting that card swipe and adding to their stats for the day.
In every way except that card, I had or could verify who I am. Instead, I was "punished" by having to fill out a stupid and pointless form that will be shoved in a file cabinet and never seen again.
It was stupid. Pointless and stupid. Everyone was very friendly - but they were trapped by a system.
So, chalk it up to a lesson well learned and try and get over being annoyed.
back to work...
To get in the building, I had to use the buzzer and since it was so early, only the custodian was here - he let me in without a problem.
The day has been pretty ordinary and the forgotten ID hasn't been an issue. Until I got to the pool.
I recognized the attendant and explained that I had forgotten my ID - could they use my driver's license to look me up?
No, in fact, they couldn't. Instead, he had to get on the walkie-talkie and call for assistance. We waited a few minutes until that assistance came - and it turned out to be someone I knew and that knew me. He thanked me for the work I'd done on this website and commented on how well things were working. Then he handed me a paper form to fill out.
Now, I'm pretty sure the guy at the desk knew me. And the manger knew me as well. And hell, he owed me for the work I'd done. With that in mind, there's also about 1/2 dozen different ways that I could have verified my identity for them as well.
But, no, I had to fill out the paper form. And then handed it to manager. He didn't verify any of the information on the form - didn't even ask for my license. He just took the form and sent me on my way. I went ahead and had my swim, then stopped at the student union and paid cash for my lunch.
Under normal circumstances, I hand my card to the desk attendant and they swipe it and hand it back. But it's only marginally about verifying that I'm allowed in there. More importantly, apparently, is getting that card swipe and adding to their stats for the day.
In every way except that card, I had or could verify who I am. Instead, I was "punished" by having to fill out a stupid and pointless form that will be shoved in a file cabinet and never seen again.
It was stupid. Pointless and stupid. Everyone was very friendly - but they were trapped by a system.
So, chalk it up to a lesson well learned and try and get over being annoyed.
back to work...
Thursday, October 04, 2007
dream of toilets and dorm rooms
Last night - or rather earlier this morning - I dreamed that I was back in college, sharing a gigantic dorm room with a former co-worker. The room was so big, we had two toilets - except one wasn't hooked up and functioned more has a heavy ceramic bedpan. My room-mate had filled it with water and then used it - and then left it behind when he left the room. I was about to dump it into the other toilet when a neighbor walked in and poured the contents of the toilet on the floor. I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and - displaying more violence than I actually get to do in real life - I shoved him out the door while swearing profusely.
In the seconds it took to get him outside the dorm room, two things happened. One, he managed to tear my shirt and scratch me - resulting me being literally covered in my own blood from an injury I couldn't even feel. And two, the police showed up along with the hall manager who then prompted arrested the toilet spiller and from their tone - sent him straight away to a gas chamber somewhere.
As a result - I'm suddenly a hero with a bloody shirt and my stupid former co-worker room-mate and I get a room upgrade. A crowd of well-wishers were called in to move all our stuff to an even bigger room with windows and two working toilets. Apparently, the room had been set up as a reality show, but it was decided that it would be a poor idea to actually turn them on. Or so we were told. The hall manger presented me with a new shirt, filled out all the room-change paper work and bought my books for the semester - and sent for a doctor to take care of that nasty scratch that was finally pointed out to me.
All in all - a good dream, I guess, other than the odd focus on toilets.
that's it for now... later....
In the seconds it took to get him outside the dorm room, two things happened. One, he managed to tear my shirt and scratch me - resulting me being literally covered in my own blood from an injury I couldn't even feel. And two, the police showed up along with the hall manager who then prompted arrested the toilet spiller and from their tone - sent him straight away to a gas chamber somewhere.
As a result - I'm suddenly a hero with a bloody shirt and my stupid former co-worker room-mate and I get a room upgrade. A crowd of well-wishers were called in to move all our stuff to an even bigger room with windows and two working toilets. Apparently, the room had been set up as a reality show, but it was decided that it would be a poor idea to actually turn them on. Or so we were told. The hall manger presented me with a new shirt, filled out all the room-change paper work and bought my books for the semester - and sent for a doctor to take care of that nasty scratch that was finally pointed out to me.
All in all - a good dream, I guess, other than the odd focus on toilets.
that's it for now... later....
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
credit card fury
So, I head over to BP yesterday to get some gas and decided to use my new BP Credit Card. I pull up to the pump, insert my card but instead of the "select fuel type" option - I get a terse message suggesting I "see the attendant".
Great.
So, I head inside and wait for the guy in front of me to finish getting his fritos and his beef jerky sticks, then talk to the attendant. He asks how much gas I'm getting - I reply that I don't know yet. We estimate $20 and I try my card again at the register. And he tells me that my card has been declined and that I'll need to call the company.
Great.
So, I thank him and tell him I'll use my debit card. Which I do and which works fine.
I head on home and try to make the call - but the digital phone isn't working just then.
Great.
Now I'm pretty well steamed up with both the card and the phone - so, I'm not captain happy-pants when I finally call them again and get through this time.
I put in the last four digits of my card when instructed and a woman comes on the line with a thick accent from Somewhere Else. She proceeds to ask me a series of multiple choice questions to verify my identity.
Which is dumb - if I really wasn't who I said I was - would I really be calling the credit card company?
From her tone, I'm pretty sure that if I'd gotten any of them wrong - homeland security would have been at my door in 5 minutes.
The accent makes it very difficult to understand the questions and on one of them I simply couldn't figure out what she was saying. She started to loss her temper with me, but I finally figured out she was asking if I had my card with me. Which is also dumb since she'd just asked me my card number 30 seconds before that.
Finally, with the questions done, she "clears my account". I tell her that I'd just activated my card the day before - and asked if it was really activated. She says yes, but tells me that sometimes they put a hold on the card so that they can get more information from me.
Wait, what?
So, it was activated - but locked. I ask try to ask her about that, but she tells me to have a nice day (which I know she didn't mean) and hangs up on me.
End result? I'm still not sure if my card even works. I had half a mind to call them back and just cancel the damn thing - but the lure of fuel discounts still has me in it's grip and I'm eager for savings. If it fails me again, I'm going to cancel it in a heartbeat.
So, I did some dishes and had some tea - both things that help calm me down a bit and I got on with the rest of my day.
I'm still, obviously, cranky about the whole situation - mainly because I did everything right and still got treated like a bad-credit criminal or something. Annoying.
That's it for now - busy day ahead of me. later...
Great.
So, I head inside and wait for the guy in front of me to finish getting his fritos and his beef jerky sticks, then talk to the attendant. He asks how much gas I'm getting - I reply that I don't know yet. We estimate $20 and I try my card again at the register. And he tells me that my card has been declined and that I'll need to call the company.
Great.
So, I thank him and tell him I'll use my debit card. Which I do and which works fine.
I head on home and try to make the call - but the digital phone isn't working just then.
Great.
Now I'm pretty well steamed up with both the card and the phone - so, I'm not captain happy-pants when I finally call them again and get through this time.
I put in the last four digits of my card when instructed and a woman comes on the line with a thick accent from Somewhere Else. She proceeds to ask me a series of multiple choice questions to verify my identity.
Which is dumb - if I really wasn't who I said I was - would I really be calling the credit card company?
From her tone, I'm pretty sure that if I'd gotten any of them wrong - homeland security would have been at my door in 5 minutes.
The accent makes it very difficult to understand the questions and on one of them I simply couldn't figure out what she was saying. She started to loss her temper with me, but I finally figured out she was asking if I had my card with me. Which is also dumb since she'd just asked me my card number 30 seconds before that.
Finally, with the questions done, she "clears my account". I tell her that I'd just activated my card the day before - and asked if it was really activated. She says yes, but tells me that sometimes they put a hold on the card so that they can get more information from me.
Wait, what?
So, it was activated - but locked. I ask try to ask her about that, but she tells me to have a nice day (which I know she didn't mean) and hangs up on me.
End result? I'm still not sure if my card even works. I had half a mind to call them back and just cancel the damn thing - but the lure of fuel discounts still has me in it's grip and I'm eager for savings. If it fails me again, I'm going to cancel it in a heartbeat.
So, I did some dishes and had some tea - both things that help calm me down a bit and I got on with the rest of my day.
I'm still, obviously, cranky about the whole situation - mainly because I did everything right and still got treated like a bad-credit criminal or something. Annoying.
That's it for now - busy day ahead of me. later...
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
36 laps, costume, parents
I swam a mile yesterday - 36 laps in the pool. Took me a little longer than my usual swim, but I got it done and felt okay afterwards. Slept really well last night too.
Worked on my costume yesterday - section two is coming along nicely.
Talked to my parents a bit last night - shared a few good laughs about work. I'll be headed to see them for my mom's birthday in about a month.
I got my BP credit card in the mail yesterday. I had to call to activate it - and instead of just doing that, they had to put me on the phone with someone trying to sell me a credit protection plan. By the end of the conversation I was running short of patience - but I got through it.
Otherwise, pretty quiet for me - time to get back to work...
Worked on my costume yesterday - section two is coming along nicely.
Talked to my parents a bit last night - shared a few good laughs about work. I'll be headed to see them for my mom's birthday in about a month.
I got my BP credit card in the mail yesterday. I had to call to activate it - and instead of just doing that, they had to put me on the phone with someone trying to sell me a credit protection plan. By the end of the conversation I was running short of patience - but I got through it.
Otherwise, pretty quiet for me - time to get back to work...
Monday, October 01, 2007
runescape vs. diablo, alone in the dark
At the recommendation of my cousin, I recently fired up the game "Runescape".
I didn't care for it.
For one thing - too crowded. As I logged in, people were "fountaining" into existance in the same spot. The game was also kinda clunky and hard to control - which is a little typical of a java-based platform.
And it was... mundane. One of the first quests once I got off of tutorial island was to pick some wheat to grind at the mill to make flour so that the baker could bake a cake.
Wait, what? Where are the orcs? Or rock trolls? Or demon zombie wizards?
So, I logged off and headed back to the solo adventure of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. I've played countless hours with all the characters and I still enjoy the game - but why?
For one thing, in the real world, if I was to bake a cake - I'd go to the store and buy some damn flour. If I'm playing a game, I want to get in there and play, not do a half-assed life simulation in the guise of a dungeron crawler.
Two, other people annoy me. I hate to say it and I'm really trying to work on it, but unless the doses are small, people get on my nerves. And strangers are worse. I was only in Runescape for a few minutes when someone started following me around. They finally got my attention in the endlessly scrolling chat window and asked if I was new. I said I was and they asked if I knew about the "wild lands" - which I'm pretty sure is a player-vs-player area. I said yes, but that I was still just checking things out and get the feel of the game.
They then said "wome!" and wandered off.
Were they trying to lure me to the PVP area so they could kill me? Did they want me to join them in a quest? Hello? I'm at the lowest level and no good to anyone in any kind of non-baking quest.
A solo game of diablo is heart pounding. Me vs. evil. I might have a minion or two backing me up, but it's essentially one guy against the forces of darkness. No baking or farming - just big swords and chain lightning. As nature intended it.
In other news... I watched "alone in the dark" last night - a movie based off of a video game. Umm... it was pretty lame. The fire fight against the monsters was kinda cool, and the song in the ending credits was good - but the rest was a mess.
that's it for now... later....
I didn't care for it.
For one thing - too crowded. As I logged in, people were "fountaining" into existance in the same spot. The game was also kinda clunky and hard to control - which is a little typical of a java-based platform.
And it was... mundane. One of the first quests once I got off of tutorial island was to pick some wheat to grind at the mill to make flour so that the baker could bake a cake.
Wait, what? Where are the orcs? Or rock trolls? Or demon zombie wizards?
So, I logged off and headed back to the solo adventure of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction. I've played countless hours with all the characters and I still enjoy the game - but why?
For one thing, in the real world, if I was to bake a cake - I'd go to the store and buy some damn flour. If I'm playing a game, I want to get in there and play, not do a half-assed life simulation in the guise of a dungeron crawler.
Two, other people annoy me. I hate to say it and I'm really trying to work on it, but unless the doses are small, people get on my nerves. And strangers are worse. I was only in Runescape for a few minutes when someone started following me around. They finally got my attention in the endlessly scrolling chat window and asked if I was new. I said I was and they asked if I knew about the "wild lands" - which I'm pretty sure is a player-vs-player area. I said yes, but that I was still just checking things out and get the feel of the game.
They then said "wome!" and wandered off.
Were they trying to lure me to the PVP area so they could kill me? Did they want me to join them in a quest? Hello? I'm at the lowest level and no good to anyone in any kind of non-baking quest.
A solo game of diablo is heart pounding. Me vs. evil. I might have a minion or two backing me up, but it's essentially one guy against the forces of darkness. No baking or farming - just big swords and chain lightning. As nature intended it.
In other news... I watched "alone in the dark" last night - a movie based off of a video game. Umm... it was pretty lame. The fire fight against the monsters was kinda cool, and the song in the ending credits was good - but the rest was a mess.
that's it for now... later....
Sunday, September 30, 2007
tea + keyboard - mixed nuts
First, I have to set the scene a bit:
1. I'm at the computer at home. In front of me on the desk are a cup of tea on the left and an open can of mixed nuts on the right.
2. It's my habit to either:
a. Pick up the cup of tea with my right hand (thus reaching across the desk) and take a drink - or
b. Pick up the can of nuts with my right hand and shake a few into my left hand - then toss the mixed nuts into my mouth.
Now that's set up, we'll begin...
I'm playing a computer game and have been doing so for a while. Every so often, I'll take a drink or get a snack. And then, for some strange reason and clearly without paying close attention, I picked up the cup of warm tea and poured most of it into my left hand.
Pause for a moment for the swearing.
Once that was done, I began the clean up. The desk and keyboard tray were easy to clean up - but the throughly drenched keyboard was a loss. I shut everything down quickly and then unplugged the keyboard and tried to rinse it out. I then let it dry in the sun - but I don't fully trust it. So, I went to best buy and bought a keyboard and mouse set. They're pretty cool and have more buttons, but it was still a waste.
I can laugh about it now, but it was pretty bad when it happened.
New rule... Either drink or snack at the computer - but never both.
later...
1. I'm at the computer at home. In front of me on the desk are a cup of tea on the left and an open can of mixed nuts on the right.
2. It's my habit to either:
a. Pick up the cup of tea with my right hand (thus reaching across the desk) and take a drink - or
b. Pick up the can of nuts with my right hand and shake a few into my left hand - then toss the mixed nuts into my mouth.
Now that's set up, we'll begin...
I'm playing a computer game and have been doing so for a while. Every so often, I'll take a drink or get a snack. And then, for some strange reason and clearly without paying close attention, I picked up the cup of warm tea and poured most of it into my left hand.
Pause for a moment for the swearing.
Once that was done, I began the clean up. The desk and keyboard tray were easy to clean up - but the throughly drenched keyboard was a loss. I shut everything down quickly and then unplugged the keyboard and tried to rinse it out. I then let it dry in the sun - but I don't fully trust it. So, I went to best buy and bought a keyboard and mouse set. They're pretty cool and have more buttons, but it was still a waste.
I can laugh about it now, but it was pretty bad when it happened.
New rule... Either drink or snack at the computer - but never both.
later...
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
30, bomb, cola, costume, game, nails
I swam 30 laps today, despite being a bit tired and getting a late start. Felt pretty good and could have gone further, but ran out of time.
Had another bomb threat today on campus - someone wrote a warning on the wall of a bathroom stall. How lame can you get? I hope the bomb sniffing dogs are getting some good treats out of all of this - they'd be the only ones who might benefit from it.
It's been a few weeks since I had my last coca-cola - I think I've finally gotten the addiction beat. Drinking a lot of water to make up for it, but that's better anyway.
My Halloween costume is coming along nicely - had a make or break moment last evening and things went better than expected. No hints, so don't even bother asking.
Played a little Final Fantasy again last night - and got my ass handed to me. I literally ran away screaming like a little girl. It was sad and pathetic.
Finally, I've been working on not biting my nails anymore. I'm making some progress, but it's taking a lot of concentration.
6 random topics and I'm outta here. Later...
Had another bomb threat today on campus - someone wrote a warning on the wall of a bathroom stall. How lame can you get? I hope the bomb sniffing dogs are getting some good treats out of all of this - they'd be the only ones who might benefit from it.
It's been a few weeks since I had my last coca-cola - I think I've finally gotten the addiction beat. Drinking a lot of water to make up for it, but that's better anyway.
My Halloween costume is coming along nicely - had a make or break moment last evening and things went better than expected. No hints, so don't even bother asking.
Played a little Final Fantasy again last night - and got my ass handed to me. I literally ran away screaming like a little girl. It was sad and pathetic.
Finally, I've been working on not biting my nails anymore. I'm making some progress, but it's taking a lot of concentration.
6 random topics and I'm outta here. Later...
Monday, September 24, 2007
football game, sunburn, time
Went to a football game with my room-mate over the weekend - WVU in morgantown. The drive down was boring on Friday, as was much of the evening. I did a bit of folding and read a book.
On gameday, we head out early and then had some issues with the optimum route. My room-mate and his sister had different ideas on how to proceed and I sat in the back and wondered if we would ever get there.
Finally arrived and found a parking space - and waited for his other sister and her family to show up. They finally did, and we set out to find them in the lot where they said they had parked. He and his sister started out, I told them that I would catch up after visiting the port-o-let. They were long gone when I emerged, but I figured they wouldn't be hard to find. I went to the correct lot and with a little logic, found his other sister and her family. A number of cell phone conversations and my room-mate and his now deeply cranky sister finally arrived. Apparently, they thought I had gone back to our car for some reason. Anyway, we split up once in the stadium and found our seats.
My room-mate's niece had what they called "a meltdown" and the rest of his family left the game just before half-time. My room-mate started to overheat and needed to borrow my hat - though it was only a stop gap measure as he had to leave before the 4th quarter.
Ironically, I wasn't really in favor of going to the game at all, but ended up being the only one who could have stuck it out - though I left with my room-mate since he was driving.
Once back at their homestead, his niece threw up due to her migraine and my room-mate pretty much passed out from the heat exhaustion. I ended up with a sunburn.
Oh, and WVU won the game. (we heard it on the radio as we left)
I had a headache most of the day and went to bed early. The next day I was ready to leave at 8:30 but we didn't get on the road until around 12:30. I went into a low-power mode to help get though the intense boredom - it helped a little. And despite a relatively innocuous visit - there was a comment made right at the end that burned me up. I kept quiet about it, but I have to wonder what holding all this stuff back is going to do to me. Nothing good, I'm sure.
In other news... our university President did it again and gave a commencement speech that I enjoyed reading as I posted it on the web for him. This one was about Time and he quotes Penelope Corfield as she describes time as:
“one long never-ending Now.”
I like that - fits in well with my own personal philosophy.
On the flip side is a quote by Ariel from the video game Legacy of Kain - one of my personal favorites. I played through that section several times so I could write it down word for word:
'All I can do is watch and remember.
Ceaselessly conscious as this wretched world's history unfolds.
Ghastly past, insufferable future - Are they one in the same?
Am I always here?"
At the point in the game where she says this, she's a prophetic ghost. So, it pretty much sucks to be her.
I can identify with that to an extent - in a way, she reminds me of cassandra from ancient greek myths. Blessed with visions of the future, cursed so that no one will ever believe her.
Man, I feel like that all the time. Things would work out so much better if everyone around me would just listen to me and then do exactly what I tell them to do. I'm seriously going to have to break out the mind control drugs one of these days.
Well, that's it for now. Gotta get back to the grind.
later...
On gameday, we head out early and then had some issues with the optimum route. My room-mate and his sister had different ideas on how to proceed and I sat in the back and wondered if we would ever get there.
Finally arrived and found a parking space - and waited for his other sister and her family to show up. They finally did, and we set out to find them in the lot where they said they had parked. He and his sister started out, I told them that I would catch up after visiting the port-o-let. They were long gone when I emerged, but I figured they wouldn't be hard to find. I went to the correct lot and with a little logic, found his other sister and her family. A number of cell phone conversations and my room-mate and his now deeply cranky sister finally arrived. Apparently, they thought I had gone back to our car for some reason. Anyway, we split up once in the stadium and found our seats.
My room-mate's niece had what they called "a meltdown" and the rest of his family left the game just before half-time. My room-mate started to overheat and needed to borrow my hat - though it was only a stop gap measure as he had to leave before the 4th quarter.
Ironically, I wasn't really in favor of going to the game at all, but ended up being the only one who could have stuck it out - though I left with my room-mate since he was driving.
Once back at their homestead, his niece threw up due to her migraine and my room-mate pretty much passed out from the heat exhaustion. I ended up with a sunburn.
Oh, and WVU won the game. (we heard it on the radio as we left)
I had a headache most of the day and went to bed early. The next day I was ready to leave at 8:30 but we didn't get on the road until around 12:30. I went into a low-power mode to help get though the intense boredom - it helped a little. And despite a relatively innocuous visit - there was a comment made right at the end that burned me up. I kept quiet about it, but I have to wonder what holding all this stuff back is going to do to me. Nothing good, I'm sure.
In other news... our university President did it again and gave a commencement speech that I enjoyed reading as I posted it on the web for him. This one was about Time and he quotes Penelope Corfield as she describes time as:
“one long never-ending Now.”
I like that - fits in well with my own personal philosophy.
On the flip side is a quote by Ariel from the video game Legacy of Kain - one of my personal favorites. I played through that section several times so I could write it down word for word:
'All I can do is watch and remember.
Ceaselessly conscious as this wretched world's history unfolds.
Ghastly past, insufferable future - Are they one in the same?
Am I always here?"
At the point in the game where she says this, she's a prophetic ghost. So, it pretty much sucks to be her.
I can identify with that to an extent - in a way, she reminds me of cassandra from ancient greek myths. Blessed with visions of the future, cursed so that no one will ever believe her.
Man, I feel like that all the time. Things would work out so much better if everyone around me would just listen to me and then do exactly what I tell them to do. I'm seriously going to have to break out the mind control drugs one of these days.
Well, that's it for now. Gotta get back to the grind.
later...
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
credit card, hospital bill, red cross, cola
I got a bill a couple days ago for my credit card - the one that I'd thought I'd paid off and canceled. Apparently, I'm being charged interest on the amount before my check got to them. $2.83 cents. Wankers.
I also got a bill from the hospital for my stay back in February. For $50. Not bad. I suspect they'll be more, but it looks like my insurance paid about $4000+, so I'm not complaining.
Got a call from the red cross, encouraging me to give blood. Which I'm not allowed to do anyway since I just gave within the past couple of weeks. Not sure what's up with their records.
The strep throat has had one good side effect - I think I've broken my coca-cola addiction. It hurt far too much to swallow the carbonated soda, so I found myself not drinking it at all. It was rough going for a bit there, but I think I've gotten stopped at this point and I'm drinking a lot of water and a little bit of tea. We'll see how it goes.
that's it for now... later...
I also got a bill from the hospital for my stay back in February. For $50. Not bad. I suspect they'll be more, but it looks like my insurance paid about $4000+, so I'm not complaining.
Got a call from the red cross, encouraging me to give blood. Which I'm not allowed to do anyway since I just gave within the past couple of weeks. Not sure what's up with their records.
The strep throat has had one good side effect - I think I've broken my coca-cola addiction. It hurt far too much to swallow the carbonated soda, so I found myself not drinking it at all. It was rough going for a bit there, but I think I've gotten stopped at this point and I'm drinking a lot of water and a little bit of tea. We'll see how it goes.
that's it for now... later...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
grape
While still fighting my sore throat, I bought some grape flavored cloroceptic (sp?). It was the children's strength, but still did the job and tasted better than the cherry flavored adult stuff I'd been chugging.
This is important to note since I have also gotten into the habit of using a spray cleaner that I got from my eye doctor for cleaning my glasses.
While in Illinois I grabbed the spray bottle and the lens cloth and hit my glasses, once per lens on each side. And even though the bottles are nothing alike other than that they spray liquid, I managed to grab the wrong one and doused my glasses with grape cough medicine. I even started to use the lens cloth to wipe off the grape liquid before the color and smell stopped me.
I got the lenses washed off with water and tried again. I also shared this incident with my family, who got a good laugh over this.
And I am very glad they didn't get mixed up the other direction - otherwise, I might have poisoned myself.
That's it for now... later...
This is important to note since I have also gotten into the habit of using a spray cleaner that I got from my eye doctor for cleaning my glasses.
While in Illinois I grabbed the spray bottle and the lens cloth and hit my glasses, once per lens on each side. And even though the bottles are nothing alike other than that they spray liquid, I managed to grab the wrong one and doused my glasses with grape cough medicine. I even started to use the lens cloth to wipe off the grape liquid before the color and smell stopped me.
I got the lenses washed off with water and tried again. I also shared this incident with my family, who got a good laugh over this.
And I am very glad they didn't get mixed up the other direction - otherwise, I might have poisoned myself.
That's it for now... later...
Monday, September 17, 2007
donation, christening, block party, wedding, strep, old friend, chipolte
Well, time to catch up a bit.
1. Went and gave blood recently. Went pretty smooth, except the woman that took the donation kept talking about how she wouldn't take blood from another employee as they would be too critical of her work. Well, turns out there would be good reason to be critical - she didn't do a very good job. Not the end of the world, but not really precise.
2. Went to a christening for the couple that stayed with us while waiting for their surrogate twins to be born. It was a nice service and the church would make a great place to hide from vampires as it was covered in crucifixes and had holy water on tap. Handy. The service made mention of an exorcism, but it was not as interesting as it would have seemed. I got to hold one of the twins afterwards and told her she was my buddy until she pooped. Instead, she spit up on me.
3. That same weekend, went to a pretty cool block party. Stayed late, talked to a lot of people, ate some good food and did a little dancing. Also participated in the potato race - which involved holding a potato between one's legs and attempting to run. I wasn't very good at that.
4. Went to a wedding late weekend for my cousin. She looked radiate, her groom was in a kilt and there were bagpipes playing. The service was outside and only lasted about 10 minutes - justice of the peace running the show. The food consisted of snacks and I hung out with some my extended family. Had a nice time - though the drive to Illinois and back was really long.
5. In and around all of this, I'd been fighting a sore throat. A bad one. I finally went to the doctor and got a prescription - which seems to have finally done the trick. I thought I was going to OD on menthol for a while there.
6. The middle son of my former room-mate contacted me recently - he's college age and starting at UA. Which is pretty cool - I'm hoping we can get together for lunch one of these days.
7. I finally went to a chipolte recently - and that was some of the best food I've ever eaten. I ate a burrito that was the size and shape of a brick like it was nothing. Man, that was good stuff.
Guess that's about it for now... back to the video games.
1. Went and gave blood recently. Went pretty smooth, except the woman that took the donation kept talking about how she wouldn't take blood from another employee as they would be too critical of her work. Well, turns out there would be good reason to be critical - she didn't do a very good job. Not the end of the world, but not really precise.
2. Went to a christening for the couple that stayed with us while waiting for their surrogate twins to be born. It was a nice service and the church would make a great place to hide from vampires as it was covered in crucifixes and had holy water on tap. Handy. The service made mention of an exorcism, but it was not as interesting as it would have seemed. I got to hold one of the twins afterwards and told her she was my buddy until she pooped. Instead, she spit up on me.
3. That same weekend, went to a pretty cool block party. Stayed late, talked to a lot of people, ate some good food and did a little dancing. Also participated in the potato race - which involved holding a potato between one's legs and attempting to run. I wasn't very good at that.
4. Went to a wedding late weekend for my cousin. She looked radiate, her groom was in a kilt and there were bagpipes playing. The service was outside and only lasted about 10 minutes - justice of the peace running the show. The food consisted of snacks and I hung out with some my extended family. Had a nice time - though the drive to Illinois and back was really long.
5. In and around all of this, I'd been fighting a sore throat. A bad one. I finally went to the doctor and got a prescription - which seems to have finally done the trick. I thought I was going to OD on menthol for a while there.
6. The middle son of my former room-mate contacted me recently - he's college age and starting at UA. Which is pretty cool - I'm hoping we can get together for lunch one of these days.
7. I finally went to a chipolte recently - and that was some of the best food I've ever eaten. I ate a burrito that was the size and shape of a brick like it was nothing. Man, that was good stuff.
Guess that's about it for now... back to the video games.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
aeros, bats, bugs, baby, blood, busy
Went to an Aeros game last night with my friends - had a good time. We got half off for the tickets and I used my campus parking pass, so we save a little money and then blew it all on food and snacks.
The Aeros made three errors and ended up losing the game, but we still had a good time. I continue to be puzzled at the coaches that argue with the umpires. Like, has that ever worked? And the endless conferences on the mound that serve only to delay the game. We left with 1/2 an inning to go and it was still pretty late for me.
We also saw some wildlife. After the sun went down, the bats came out. They were flying high above the ballpark hunting insects and apparently interested in the pop-ups that occasionally went into their area. Pretty cool.
We were also joined by a preying mantis that landed on top of the first base dugout. The mantis apparently watched the game with us for a bit, then stared at the baby sitting in front of us. I think it was trying to decided if it could take the baby, but ultimately decided to risk the bats and fly off.
In other news, the red cross is after me again to give blood. I've gotten several letters and phone calls - I think the next step is a house visit and a non voluntary "donation". Better call to make an appointment.
Classes started this week and we've been pretty busy - better get back to it. Later....
The Aeros made three errors and ended up losing the game, but we still had a good time. I continue to be puzzled at the coaches that argue with the umpires. Like, has that ever worked? And the endless conferences on the mound that serve only to delay the game. We left with 1/2 an inning to go and it was still pretty late for me.
We also saw some wildlife. After the sun went down, the bats came out. They were flying high above the ballpark hunting insects and apparently interested in the pop-ups that occasionally went into their area. Pretty cool.
We were also joined by a preying mantis that landed on top of the first base dugout. The mantis apparently watched the game with us for a bit, then stared at the baby sitting in front of us. I think it was trying to decided if it could take the baby, but ultimately decided to risk the bats and fly off.
In other news, the red cross is after me again to give blood. I've gotten several letters and phone calls - I think the next step is a house visit and a non voluntary "donation". Better call to make an appointment.
Classes started this week and we've been pretty busy - better get back to it. Later....
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
glasses, swim, game
Got my new glasses yesterday, they are really nice. And I got magnetic clip on sunglasses, which are extra super cool. I'll get a pick one of these days once my zit goes away and I can get my hair under control. Getting both of those things to happen at same time might be a challenge, but I'll do my best.
Went for my swim today - half the pool was closed off for a water polo practice. I was in the "dangerous" part of the pool where only 2 days ago the lifeguards were concerned that the ceiling would collapse. Apparently, that's no longer a concern and I was free to pick my lane.
More Final Fantasy last evening. I reached a new area and the local chief vouched for me and said I must be very brave to get there. Umm... not really. I mostly ran around like a crazy person trying to find a save point, but hey, if the chief wants to vouch for my bravery, who am I to argue?
Got a meeting in a few... later...
Went for my swim today - half the pool was closed off for a water polo practice. I was in the "dangerous" part of the pool where only 2 days ago the lifeguards were concerned that the ceiling would collapse. Apparently, that's no longer a concern and I was free to pick my lane.
More Final Fantasy last evening. I reached a new area and the local chief vouched for me and said I must be very brave to get there. Umm... not really. I mostly ran around like a crazy person trying to find a save point, but hey, if the chief wants to vouch for my bravery, who am I to argue?
Got a meeting in a few... later...
Monday, August 20, 2007
game, swim, headache
So, playing final fantasy xii this weekend - here's how it went down.
1. Found myself at a village by the river, can't cross because the barge is on the other side.
2. Need to cross to complete a quest and take out an evil chicken-thing.
3. Look for alternate route, find one (I think) but blocked by a sandstorm.
A little later on in the game, I go to the entrance to the dessert and meet a dude who is studying sandstorms (!) He suggests that I talk to man sitting at the fountain. Man at fountain says he used to stop sandstorms all the time with a device, but his buddy has half of it. Buddy is in the sewers.
I head to the sewers and find his buddy, who says he hid his half of the device out in the dessert under a giant cactus. He is a little vague as to where. I head out to the dessert and look under dozens of cacti until I find it. Back to the sewers - the buddy is gone. Back to the fountain - that guy is gone too. Find them both at the entrance to the dessert where the fountain dude does "something" to whatever it was I found under the cactus and tells me it will now work - whatever that means. The dude studying sandstorms says he can't go because his funding was cut. He suggests that I go there on my own - if that's what I really want to do.
After all that? Hell yeah I want to go. Dumbass....
So, I make my way back through the dessert to the sandstorm area. The device is working, apparently, since the sands open up and....
There's a big freaking DINOSAUR! waiting for me. He's apparently deeply pissed off and hungry. My characters swing into action and in a few moments, the three main characters are dead. I call up the reserves and they don't last any longer. In less than 2 minutes, everyone is dead and the dinosaur is almost entirely unhurt. Game Over.
I then turned off the playstation and went to read a book.
In other news... went swimming today. I headed for the nearest open lane from the locker room and got in. I was about to put my goggles on when one of the life guards started talking to me. I couldn't hear and got out to talk to them. Apparently, the two entirely unmarked lanes were closed since they were afraid that the ceiling would collapse.
Ummm... what?
So, I switched lanes to the deep end and started my swim. I was going along pretty well until guys got into lanes on either side of me and proceeded to lap the hell out of me. I felt... slow. Still, I comforted myself with the notion that I had already done 16 laps by the time they started, but it was still unpleasant. I nearly gave up at 18 since I was so tired, but struggled on to 27 somehow - putting me at 3/4 of a mile for the day. The ceiling never did collapse while I was there, may be interesting to see when I go back on Wednesday.
Finally, I've had a headache most of the day. And staring at a computer screen for 8 hours really hasn't helped. I'm going home in a few and I think I may actually try to nap - which I'm not very good at.
that's it for now... later....
1. Found myself at a village by the river, can't cross because the barge is on the other side.
2. Need to cross to complete a quest and take out an evil chicken-thing.
3. Look for alternate route, find one (I think) but blocked by a sandstorm.
A little later on in the game, I go to the entrance to the dessert and meet a dude who is studying sandstorms (!) He suggests that I talk to man sitting at the fountain. Man at fountain says he used to stop sandstorms all the time with a device, but his buddy has half of it. Buddy is in the sewers.
I head to the sewers and find his buddy, who says he hid his half of the device out in the dessert under a giant cactus. He is a little vague as to where. I head out to the dessert and look under dozens of cacti until I find it. Back to the sewers - the buddy is gone. Back to the fountain - that guy is gone too. Find them both at the entrance to the dessert where the fountain dude does "something" to whatever it was I found under the cactus and tells me it will now work - whatever that means. The dude studying sandstorms says he can't go because his funding was cut. He suggests that I go there on my own - if that's what I really want to do.
After all that? Hell yeah I want to go. Dumbass....
So, I make my way back through the dessert to the sandstorm area. The device is working, apparently, since the sands open up and....
There's a big freaking DINOSAUR! waiting for me. He's apparently deeply pissed off and hungry. My characters swing into action and in a few moments, the three main characters are dead. I call up the reserves and they don't last any longer. In less than 2 minutes, everyone is dead and the dinosaur is almost entirely unhurt. Game Over.
I then turned off the playstation and went to read a book.
In other news... went swimming today. I headed for the nearest open lane from the locker room and got in. I was about to put my goggles on when one of the life guards started talking to me. I couldn't hear and got out to talk to them. Apparently, the two entirely unmarked lanes were closed since they were afraid that the ceiling would collapse.
Ummm... what?
So, I switched lanes to the deep end and started my swim. I was going along pretty well until guys got into lanes on either side of me and proceeded to lap the hell out of me. I felt... slow. Still, I comforted myself with the notion that I had already done 16 laps by the time they started, but it was still unpleasant. I nearly gave up at 18 since I was so tired, but struggled on to 27 somehow - putting me at 3/4 of a mile for the day. The ceiling never did collapse while I was there, may be interesting to see when I go back on Wednesday.
Finally, I've had a headache most of the day. And staring at a computer screen for 8 hours really hasn't helped. I'm going home in a few and I think I may actually try to nap - which I'm not very good at.
that's it for now... later....
Friday, August 17, 2007
haircut, eye exam, credit card
I got my haircut on Wednesday. The stylist did a good job, but she was "too meticulous" - in a way that made me nervous. So much attention to detail and I felt like she was going to miss something anyway. The conversation was a bit strained - but the end result was a good hair cut.
Yesterday, I went to get my eyes checked and to order a new pair of glasses. The doctors assistant was excellent and very professional. The doctor was even better and was very through and professional - and made me feel at ease. The lady that helped me pick out my glasses was a hoot and a half. She really enjoyed her job and helped me pick some excellent frames - and worked the insurance to save me several hundred dollars. The girl that did the checkout, however, was flighty. She had to run my card twice since she didn't include the glasses with my eye exam. And then she joked about using my card for online shopping. Eh, not really funny.
My new glasses should be here in about a week or so. I'm quite excited. After that, dentist and then investments. Not a good idea to have too many irons in the fire if I can avoid it.
I paid off a credit card last night and canceled the card. They sent me to a different department to do the process the cancellation and try and persuade me to keep the card. Suddenly, I was a valued customer. They could refund my interest for the past three months! They could lower my rate to 15%! And the more they offered me, the more resolute and pissed off I became. Where were they in the 8 years I've had the card? They resold my account several times, jacked up my interest rate to loan-shark territory, and sent me crap nearly constantly that I never needed. My room-mate told me that I could call my credit card company to get my rate lowered at any time. Great. Except that's not the point. If I'm really a valued customer, waiting until I was pissed off enough to cancel the card is too late.
I may get a card later on - maintain a zero balance and use it just for emergencies. But it sure felt good to make that call and get out from under that chunk of debt.
that's it for now... later
Yesterday, I went to get my eyes checked and to order a new pair of glasses. The doctors assistant was excellent and very professional. The doctor was even better and was very through and professional - and made me feel at ease. The lady that helped me pick out my glasses was a hoot and a half. She really enjoyed her job and helped me pick some excellent frames - and worked the insurance to save me several hundred dollars. The girl that did the checkout, however, was flighty. She had to run my card twice since she didn't include the glasses with my eye exam. And then she joked about using my card for online shopping. Eh, not really funny.
My new glasses should be here in about a week or so. I'm quite excited. After that, dentist and then investments. Not a good idea to have too many irons in the fire if I can avoid it.
I paid off a credit card last night and canceled the card. They sent me to a different department to do the process the cancellation and try and persuade me to keep the card. Suddenly, I was a valued customer. They could refund my interest for the past three months! They could lower my rate to 15%! And the more they offered me, the more resolute and pissed off I became. Where were they in the 8 years I've had the card? They resold my account several times, jacked up my interest rate to loan-shark territory, and sent me crap nearly constantly that I never needed. My room-mate told me that I could call my credit card company to get my rate lowered at any time. Great. Except that's not the point. If I'm really a valued customer, waiting until I was pissed off enough to cancel the card is too late.
I may get a card later on - maintain a zero balance and use it just for emergencies. But it sure felt good to make that call and get out from under that chunk of debt.
that's it for now... later
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
the incident
My usual swim trunks are in the wash, so I had to use an older pair that I have. They have the following properties:
1. Smooth material
2. A Velcro fly
3. A drawstring that closed, but does not tighten at the waist band.
4. Strings that do not hold a knot well.
5. Finally, it also does not fit me as well as it used to since I've been exercising.
Walking around does not present any problems when wearing the suit - and even the minor issues with relieving oneself are trivial and easily dismissed.
In the pool, however, the problems become substantial.
Things started out okay, though there was an increased bit of drag in the water and some looseness to the trunks even with everything securely fastened. As I progressed, however, the looseness increased and I began to get concerned.
Then suddenly, in the middle of the pool, disaster. The string, which had been loosening on it's own without my knowledge, gave way entirely. Without that support the Velcro didn't stand a chance against the forward motion through the water.
I was, in a word, exposed.
There were several factors that prevented a total FCC meltdown wardrobe malfunction.
1. I was in the middle of the pool
2. The lifeguards were not, thankfully, paying that close attention
3. The only other person in the pool was swimming in the opposite direction.
4. I have quick reflexes.
I quickly realized the problem, tucked everything back in where it needed to be, and refastened the Velcro. I modified my stroke to get me back to the side of the pool and reconfigured once there. I was worried that a double knot would lead to problems later, so I went with a single know again - though this time I monitored it more carefully.
I finished out my swim, certain that I was partially "mooning" the rest of the pool, but since no one said anything, I think it was okay.
The ironic bit? If given the opportunity, I would have gladly doffed my suit and gone without out. However, I'm fairly certain it's against the rules...
Hmmm... maybe I should check that out.... hang on...
Well, technically there are no rules about that posted on the pools website.
However, I think I know what they would be and I'm certain to get into trouble - and perhaps even make the school paper, though not in a good way.
And as for the suit? Never again. I'd burn it if I was sure the fabric wouldn't create a toxic cloud. So, it's headed for the trash.
later...
1. Smooth material
2. A Velcro fly
3. A drawstring that closed, but does not tighten at the waist band.
4. Strings that do not hold a knot well.
5. Finally, it also does not fit me as well as it used to since I've been exercising.
Walking around does not present any problems when wearing the suit - and even the minor issues with relieving oneself are trivial and easily dismissed.
In the pool, however, the problems become substantial.
Things started out okay, though there was an increased bit of drag in the water and some looseness to the trunks even with everything securely fastened. As I progressed, however, the looseness increased and I began to get concerned.
Then suddenly, in the middle of the pool, disaster. The string, which had been loosening on it's own without my knowledge, gave way entirely. Without that support the Velcro didn't stand a chance against the forward motion through the water.
I was, in a word, exposed.
There were several factors that prevented a total FCC meltdown wardrobe malfunction.
1. I was in the middle of the pool
2. The lifeguards were not, thankfully, paying that close attention
3. The only other person in the pool was swimming in the opposite direction.
4. I have quick reflexes.
I quickly realized the problem, tucked everything back in where it needed to be, and refastened the Velcro. I modified my stroke to get me back to the side of the pool and reconfigured once there. I was worried that a double knot would lead to problems later, so I went with a single know again - though this time I monitored it more carefully.
I finished out my swim, certain that I was partially "mooning" the rest of the pool, but since no one said anything, I think it was okay.
The ironic bit? If given the opportunity, I would have gladly doffed my suit and gone without out. However, I'm fairly certain it's against the rules...
Hmmm... maybe I should check that out.... hang on...
Well, technically there are no rules about that posted on the pools website.
However, I think I know what they would be and I'm certain to get into trouble - and perhaps even make the school paper, though not in a good way.
And as for the suit? Never again. I'd burn it if I was sure the fabric wouldn't create a toxic cloud. So, it's headed for the trash.
later...
sign, watch
On the drive to work in the morning there is a large sign that I pass that displays various messages - usually related to the businesses below it. Sometimes, though, it has other kinds of messages and today it said:
"Litter is a pain in the grass"
Cute. But who, exactly, are they talking to? People that don't litter and wouldn't even consider it - like myself. I've cleaned up a lot of litter in my day and I couldn't imagine adding to it.
Or is it targeted to those that throw stuff outside their cars as they drive along? Would a "too cute" message really get the point across? Would they even notice and/or care? Doubtful.
What would be more effective is a radar system and laser cannon, controlled by a low-level AI. If you toss something out the window, your car is targeted and a laser shines into your window and burns out your cell phone. Two birds... one stone.
In other news... in the past week I've discovered - on two separate days - that I've put my watch on upside down. Now, to my defense, the clasp is easy to do in either direction and the watch face looks pretty much the same either way, except for the brand name in "gray on silver" at the top. Still, kinda odd for the master of space and time.
That's it for now...
"Litter is a pain in the grass"
Cute. But who, exactly, are they talking to? People that don't litter and wouldn't even consider it - like myself. I've cleaned up a lot of litter in my day and I couldn't imagine adding to it.
Or is it targeted to those that throw stuff outside their cars as they drive along? Would a "too cute" message really get the point across? Would they even notice and/or care? Doubtful.
What would be more effective is a radar system and laser cannon, controlled by a low-level AI. If you toss something out the window, your car is targeted and a laser shines into your window and burns out your cell phone. Two birds... one stone.
In other news... in the past week I've discovered - on two separate days - that I've put my watch on upside down. Now, to my defense, the clasp is easy to do in either direction and the watch face looks pretty much the same either way, except for the brand name in "gray on silver" at the top. Still, kinda odd for the master of space and time.
That's it for now...
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Premonition, video game, eye doctor, parents
I watched "Premonition" last night - pretty good flick. I was pretty much 2 steps ahead of the plot the whole time and figured out the "big twist" way early, but it was still well acted. At one point I said to my room-mate, "Now, that's why you don't f--k with time travel," He got a good laugh out of that one.
I've been playing Final Fantasy 12 on PS2 - good game with amazing graphics. However, it keeps sneeking up on me. I've walked into an area pretty sure of myself and then some horrible monster walks up and kills everyone in my group. Even when I was prepared, a giant snake thing took out my three toughest characters and then when the reserves came up, they got killed too. I was pretty close to taking that monster out, though, so I think I need to level up a bit and try again. Not real comfortable with all the systems yet, but I'm working on it.
I made an appointment to see an eye doctor on Thursday after work - though I may need to leave a little early to get there on time. However, the sequence of events is worth noting.
When I lived in Cuyahoga Falls, I had a great eye doctor. She and her staff were excellent and got me back into contacts and even hooked me up with the costume lenses for halloween. It was during this time that I started to develop massive headaches and my family doctor sent me to Novus clinic to get checked out - making sure there was nothing wrong with my eyes since that's where the pain was. I got a stern note from my insurance saying they weren't covered and I'd better have a damn good reason for going there.
Then my insurance changed and my really good doctor wasn't covered anymore. So, I found a new one in my area that was recommended - though I wasn't as pleased with the staff or the facilities. The doctor knew his stuff, but wasn't generally as helpful as my last one.
Then that doctor moved his practice and he was no longer covered by my insurance. So, back to the insurance site to find a new provider. I found that Novus had a location about 5 miles from my house and was now covered by my insurance. Hence, the Thursday appointment.
My parent's anniversary was on Sunday and I tried to call my Dad's cell - got his voicemail. I tried calling Mom yesterday, voicemail again. It's possible I got my timing very wrong and "this" is the week they are on a vacation. Still, a cell phone is supposed to negate the communications issues with travel. I think they were easier to get a hold of when all they had was a landline. I'm thinking of a Happy Anniversary email, but it seems impersonal. Eh, guess I'll think about that one today.
Time to get back to work...
I've been playing Final Fantasy 12 on PS2 - good game with amazing graphics. However, it keeps sneeking up on me. I've walked into an area pretty sure of myself and then some horrible monster walks up and kills everyone in my group. Even when I was prepared, a giant snake thing took out my three toughest characters and then when the reserves came up, they got killed too. I was pretty close to taking that monster out, though, so I think I need to level up a bit and try again. Not real comfortable with all the systems yet, but I'm working on it.
I made an appointment to see an eye doctor on Thursday after work - though I may need to leave a little early to get there on time. However, the sequence of events is worth noting.
When I lived in Cuyahoga Falls, I had a great eye doctor. She and her staff were excellent and got me back into contacts and even hooked me up with the costume lenses for halloween. It was during this time that I started to develop massive headaches and my family doctor sent me to Novus clinic to get checked out - making sure there was nothing wrong with my eyes since that's where the pain was. I got a stern note from my insurance saying they weren't covered and I'd better have a damn good reason for going there.
Then my insurance changed and my really good doctor wasn't covered anymore. So, I found a new one in my area that was recommended - though I wasn't as pleased with the staff or the facilities. The doctor knew his stuff, but wasn't generally as helpful as my last one.
Then that doctor moved his practice and he was no longer covered by my insurance. So, back to the insurance site to find a new provider. I found that Novus had a location about 5 miles from my house and was now covered by my insurance. Hence, the Thursday appointment.
My parent's anniversary was on Sunday and I tried to call my Dad's cell - got his voicemail. I tried calling Mom yesterday, voicemail again. It's possible I got my timing very wrong and "this" is the week they are on a vacation. Still, a cell phone is supposed to negate the communications issues with travel. I think they were easier to get a hold of when all they had was a landline. I'm thinking of a Happy Anniversary email, but it seems impersonal. Eh, guess I'll think about that one today.
Time to get back to work...
Sunday, August 12, 2007
blimp, 23, appliciances, patty, target, 3/4
The blimp was flying over the apartment not too long ago. Which is not really much of a big deal when one has lived in Akron over a decade. They are still cool, don't get me wrong, but nothing that would warrant staring at them for hours on end anymore.
Still, it made enough of an impression that I dreamed about a blimp that night. In the dream, it was double-bag blimp (side by side) and had these gigantic get engines at the back. Looked a bit like the blockade runner from Star Wars - except it flew just above the tops of the tress. And the pilots decided to do a loop-de-loop over my grandparents house - where we were watching them.
Back to reality - such as it is - I bought some appliances yesterday. Well, I bought the microwave and my room-mate bought the cordless phones. I had some coupons from the Best Buy reward zone and saved us both some money. Worked out pretty well - and the new microwave is very shiny.
Watched the movie "The number 23" last night. Jim Carrey, to my surprise, did a good job. He was dramatic, scary, and intense - as well as a slightly bored, but caring family man. The numerology reminded me a little of the math that has been done with the Koran and with the hidden information in the mathematical formula to calculate Pi in the movie contact. The ending was a little weak, maybe, but the movie over all was good.
When I walked out to get the mail yesterday, I noticed some newspaper near the end of the driveway. It wasn't moving around in the breeze, and when I investigated I realized it was wrapping up something. More careful examination indicated that it was neatly wrapped around a cow patty. So, I gloved up and bagged the mess for trash night. It was:
1. almost certainly random
2. poorly done - since it was well wrapped, there was no mess, unless they expected it to be run over
3. possibly meant for the neighbors, but still more likely stupid kids being random.
4. annoying.
We'll see if there's a repeat.
Finally, went to target recently to do a little wedding shopping for my cousin. I went to the kiosk to print out the list, but the machine wasn't working. As I waited, I heard the customer service person try to help a lady with her refund. Apparently, the lady had paid for something with a check and then returned it before the check cleared. She got a gift card, then used that to make a purchase which she also returned. She wanted cash for that return and swore she would never shop there again if she didn't get it. I finally found a machine that worked and printed out the list and made my selection. While I was standing in the line, the lady from watches and jewelry came over and asked if I wanted to check out at her station. So, no waiting, friendly service, speedy checkout. I thanked her for keeping an eye on the lines and exited.
Finally, I think I've stabilized on 3/4 of a mile on my swim. Seems like a good number and one that I can accomplish without too much trouble in the time I have for my lunch. Based on my total laps swum since I started in December, my dad reports that I'm only a few miles away from an English Channel swim - but he jokes that it won't count since I didn't register with them first.
That's about it for now... time to play some video games... later...
Still, it made enough of an impression that I dreamed about a blimp that night. In the dream, it was double-bag blimp (side by side) and had these gigantic get engines at the back. Looked a bit like the blockade runner from Star Wars - except it flew just above the tops of the tress. And the pilots decided to do a loop-de-loop over my grandparents house - where we were watching them.
Back to reality - such as it is - I bought some appliances yesterday. Well, I bought the microwave and my room-mate bought the cordless phones. I had some coupons from the Best Buy reward zone and saved us both some money. Worked out pretty well - and the new microwave is very shiny.
Watched the movie "The number 23" last night. Jim Carrey, to my surprise, did a good job. He was dramatic, scary, and intense - as well as a slightly bored, but caring family man. The numerology reminded me a little of the math that has been done with the Koran and with the hidden information in the mathematical formula to calculate Pi in the movie contact. The ending was a little weak, maybe, but the movie over all was good.
When I walked out to get the mail yesterday, I noticed some newspaper near the end of the driveway. It wasn't moving around in the breeze, and when I investigated I realized it was wrapping up something. More careful examination indicated that it was neatly wrapped around a cow patty. So, I gloved up and bagged the mess for trash night. It was:
1. almost certainly random
2. poorly done - since it was well wrapped, there was no mess, unless they expected it to be run over
3. possibly meant for the neighbors, but still more likely stupid kids being random.
4. annoying.
We'll see if there's a repeat.
Finally, went to target recently to do a little wedding shopping for my cousin. I went to the kiosk to print out the list, but the machine wasn't working. As I waited, I heard the customer service person try to help a lady with her refund. Apparently, the lady had paid for something with a check and then returned it before the check cleared. She got a gift card, then used that to make a purchase which she also returned. She wanted cash for that return and swore she would never shop there again if she didn't get it. I finally found a machine that worked and printed out the list and made my selection. While I was standing in the line, the lady from watches and jewelry came over and asked if I wanted to check out at her station. So, no waiting, friendly service, speedy checkout. I thanked her for keeping an eye on the lines and exited.
Finally, I think I've stabilized on 3/4 of a mile on my swim. Seems like a good number and one that I can accomplish without too much trouble in the time I have for my lunch. Based on my total laps swum since I started in December, my dad reports that I'm only a few miles away from an English Channel swim - but he jokes that it won't count since I didn't register with them first.
That's about it for now... time to play some video games... later...
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