v3.5

Last Post -- Fer Realz

2006-07-06T09:04:00.000-05:00

There's only two songs in me and I just wrote the third
Don't know where I got the inspiration or how I wrote the words
Spent my whole life just digging up my music's shallow grave
For the two songs in me and the third one I just made
-- They Might Be Giants "Number Three"

Yup, you read that right, this is my last post. Version 3.5 will be taken off the shelf. This blogging thing hasn't really grown cold on me as much as the amount of crap I've been throwing up here. I was recently informed by a good friend that my writing is of such a higher quality than what I display here. So I am putting this one to bed. If there is to be a Version 4, hopefully it will be a forum of quality rather than quantity. Don't hold your breath.

To both of my faithless readers...

Thanks
John

Don't Hassel The Hoff

2006-07-03T14:14:00.000-05:00

My knife it's sharp and chrome
Come see inside my bones
All of the fiends are on the block
I'm the new king
-- Deftones "Knife Party"

Saw Click last night. I really enjoy watching Adam Sandler's films and this was no different. He even had the O'Doyles in it as the obnoxious red-headed neighbors. Good show.

Don't Hassel The Hoff

I'm back

2006-06-26T15:54:00.000-05:00

That day, that day
When I sat in the sun
And I thought and I cried
’cause I’m sad, scared, small
Alone, strong
And I’m nothing
And I’m true
Only a brave man
Can break through
And it’s all okay
Yeah, it’s okay
-- Natalie Imbruglia "That Day"

Back from vacation. Back from recovering from vacation. Back from recovering from the work that overflowed because I not only went on vacation but had to recover from it. Anyway, I'm back.

Went to NC for a week and played in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Cherokee Indian Reservation, hiked on Grandfather Mountain, and rode horses on Sugar Mountain. Took lots of pictures and still didn't get much sleep. We had a good time though.

This past weekend I was in a very good friend of mine's wedding and everything went very well. It was an excellent ceremony and there were a couple of places where there just wasn't a dry eye in the place. You see, his new bride's father was diagnosed with some form of cancer and was given six months to live. This was something like four months ago and he wasn't in very good shape. She really wanted him to be able to give her away so they moved up the date and he was in good enough shape to do it. When she and her father danced it was a very heart wrenching scene, knowing that she will probably never dance with her daddy again.

Say it!

2006-06-04T14:42:00.000-05:00

Im The Juggernaut Bitch!

Growing up and down

2006-05-15T08:49:00.000-05:00

At home
I still sit alone
I can't live a lie
I'm still a kid inside
I will grow up in time
Let me go
I won't grow apart
-- Larger Than Life "Growing Apart"

Today is the pentultimate day of Thing Warehousing and they are both very excited. I let Thing Two in a secret present for Thing One's graduation from elementary school. I needed to get him involved so he wouldn't feel left out tomorrow night when M and I give it to Thing One over dinner. Its difficult having two minions with an age difference. When the older one gets more priviledges, the younger one thinks he should get them as well.

You know, when I was a kid, I got left out of a lot of stuff because I was too young and that's just the way it was. You got over it, or you didn't. Today they say that's how rapists and murderers are formed (bullshit if you ask me) and they give losers trophies for suckage. When The Things were in sports (soccar) we pulled Thing Two early because he just didn't want to participate and Thing One put 100% in to every game. So yeah, for struggling and doing his best at not falling over his big feet I wanted Thing One to have a trophy, but the other parents thought I was an ass for not wanting the other one to receive his. Fucking hell people, you cannot reward quitters!

So here I am, proud of Thing One for making it through elementary school (not a superhuman feat mind you but its a start) and wanting to promote the continuation of his education so I bought him a gift; and I didn't buy one for Thing Two. Critics will identify this as a mistake, that Thing Two's achievement is just as good and Thing One's. But I say, "Go to hell, no its not." This is a point in his life that he will never see again. A part of him was lost forever during his transition from rug rat to snot nosed brat. Poor kid is going from being the big fish back to being the little fish in a new school on the other side of town. He's growing up.

And I'm regressing. I've gone back to my roots, back to my comic books. I read Uncanny X-Men #1 this weekend. OMG!!! It was so lame. hehehe. I find Silver Age comics so difficult to read.

Life Lessons

2006-05-04T20:46:00.000-05:00

Bury the present and squeeze out the past
The ones you endear to never last
Chemical burns and the animalistic
I'm just anohter hardline psuedo-statistic
-- Slipknot "The Blister Exists"

Every day we learn something, some days its something new, other days its a relearning of things we already knew. What I take with me tonight is something new and something old but quickly forgotten. People change and Icy Hot is a diuretic. I talked for a while this evening with "my brother of a different mother" Mike and about our crew from "the good 'ol days." There were a good bunch of us and we were always there for each other. But there was always that one guy, every group of teens had one, the Screech of the bunch. Ours just happened to look like him too. And then there was the guy at the other end, the responsible one that you just knew would go on to be something so much more with potential to spare.

Well, we all have kids now and we've all screwed up along the way in one form or another; and most of us have recovered from our mistakes. You know, people do change and in ways you'd never expect. That all-together guy with a future is, at present, a total and complete failure. Why sugar coat it? Call it like it is, he has totally screwed up his life with one bad choice after another. This is totally unexpected and absolutely predictable in every after school special. Why him? It hardly seems fair really.

Reflecting on this I lubed up my shoulder and immediately had to pee. As I type these words there is a fire growing in my pants. Yes, I washed before I water'd the lillies but still managed to get a nice coating on the ol' twig-n-berries.

Bottom line, people change and relieve yourself before applying liberal amounts of linament. Lessons learned.

Tongues

2006-05-02T21:02:00.000-05:00

A fatal attraction holding me fast, how
Can I escape this irresistible grasp?
Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted Just an earth-bound misfit, I
-- Pink Floyd "Learning To Fly"

You'd think being born in Cuba with my first words in Spanish, living in Miami, and taking 3 or 4 years of Spanish in High School I'd be able to speak the damn language.

¿Hola, cómo esta usted? ¿Mi llamo Juan, y tu? ¿Dónde está el cuarto de baño? Gracias por el pan, él es delicioso puede yo tener una virgen fresca, ésta está quebrado.

And that's it for my conversational Spanish. Now, I think knowing Japanese would be great for all the anime and manga I enjoy. Or Chinese to be able to read some of the manuscripts I've come across in my favorite martial art forms. But Spanish, for all practical purposes, would be the best language for me to know. But of course, I just couldn't be bothered with it. Maybe French (or are we calling it Freedom?) would be a good language to take up. I could mutter sweet romance in my love's ear while she's batting me away.

Who really cares? Well, seeing as how all the "immigrants" took Monday off, I did too. Actually, Thing Two was sick but I don't want my homies thinking I wouldn't have taken the day anyway. B-Rice was telling me that this walk out seriously hampered him, he was deeply craving some Mexican food for lunch and the local restaurant was closed. Damn good thing Taco Bell was open. You know, I can't wait till us white-folk can get up the courage to walk off our jobs.

Best Laid Plans

2006-04-27T12:20:00.000-05:00

Felt too much, did she feel a thing?
Long, dark hair, never saw her cry
In two halves I was torn
My maybe love who wouldn't even try
-- She Wants Revenge "She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not"

Today marks another milestone in my life, it is my 10-Year Anniversary being ~~owned by~~ ~~shackled to~~ married to M. We were just a couple of dumb kids bumping into life and each other trying to figure out who we were when we tied the knot. And look at us, now we're just a couple of dumb adults doing the same thing.

We'd planned a long time ago that if we made it to 10 years (our biological parents didn't) we would renew our vows in numerous locations (it was different place every time we discussed it). And there were talks of cruises, trips around the world, and last year we landed on going to Mexico and that was final. Then our plans fell through a few months ago and we decided we'd take a cruise. Then that fell apart. The day before yesterday we planned to go to Orlando for the weekend and that ended poorly. And then today, I dropped by her office to surprise her with flowers and to take her out to lunch but she'd already left with her crew.

Tonight she's going out with her sisters and undoubtedly I am working all weekend, and neither of us are really broken up about it. Seems like there should be something more though. Something to celebrate that two kids from broken homes crash in to each other as teens and decide to take a stab at being a family. Maybe a cookie, or a badge (as M commented this morning), something that says "Hey, I can still tollerate the ass I married ten years ago!"

Little to say

2006-04-24T06:59:00.000-05:00

I wanna have the same last dream again,
the one where I wake up and I'm alive.
Just as the four walls close me within,
my eyes are opened up with pure sunlight.
-- Angels And Airwaves "The Adventure"

I just got the new Angles And Airwaves album We Don't Need To Whisper and, and at first blush (I listened to it in the car on the way in to work this morning), like Tool's 10,000 Days, it is very reminiscent of earlier work (in this case, Blink 182's latest untitled album). And as for DeLonge's claims of this being "the best music made in decades", I don't think so. I am going to spend more time with it however and see what else I can make of it, but the anticipated "emotional power" just isn't there. More later.

Why don't they fly?

2006-04-20T11:23:00.000-05:00

While the mother holds her child
Watches him die
Hands to the sky crying,
"Why, oh why?"
-- Tool "Vicarious"

I was just browsing through the Yahoo Widget Gallery when I happened upon this movie hub widget for the new live action Transformers movie due out summer '07. I had no idea there was a new Transformers movie coming out much less that it would be live action. Yeah, LIVE ACTION as in with real people and undoubtedly CGI'ed all to hell. First off, its the Transformers, they just can't be live anything. They're freakin robots! And here's something that bothers me (and I was astounded when Thing One brought this up), why don't they just fly?! The Autobots can fly in robot mode but not in car mode. Yet, when the Earth opens up beneath them they fall? The same thing happens in Dragon Ball Z. Well, looking at the rummored cast it looks like it aught to be interesting at least.

I've been listening to the new Tool album (W) 10,000 Days and while I think it is very good, it is very reminiscent of their earlier works. It rocks pretty hard but doesn't seem to take the chances the band is known for. 10,000 days does not feel nearly as progressive as previous albums but I suspect it will be spinning in my player for quite some time.

Figity Fitness

2006-04-18T08:05:00.000-05:00

All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?
-- Beatles "Elanor Rigby"

M and I bought an elliptical this weekend. It's a neat thing right there, easily assembled in about an hour or two (with distraction) and looks easy enough to use. I watched last night as M gave it its inaugural spin; forward and back she moved with grace and poise. Each step flowed into the next as she trotted her way toward leandom. Then it was my turn. The first dozen or so steps were disjointed, forced, and sloppy but I got the hang of it. Eventually I decided to try slipping into reverse as M had done so gracefully. I slowed the machine down and attempted to step in the most unnatural way possible - backwards. The machine learched forward then back and hopped to the side as I tried one after the next in reverse. After nearly flipping the death machine I decided my father's advice was best heeded "forward never straight, never look back". The next thing I knew five minutes had passed, my legs were like jelly and I was fumbling my way off The Stepper From Hell. I'll stick with flailing about on the treadmill for now.

In Rememberance of...

2006-04-17T08:13:00.000-05:00

You can't see tits on the radio
I'll give you five fingers for a one man show
Fasten those pants for the lap dance
Take a shot now this may be your last chance
-- Scissor Sisters "Tits on the Radio"

Besides being Easter Eve and Tax day, this past Saturday was the anniversary of the Titanic's fateful day. 94 years ago, April 15, the RMS Titanic sank on its way to New York. How did you celebrate this tragic anniversary? We performed the cerimonial rending, torching and sinking of a miniature cruise liner in the bath tub; filled with ice of course. Thing Two thought it pertinent to point out how silly it was for the men (here represented by green army men) to give up their seats to the women and children (represented by brown indians and jelly beans with smilies on them respectively) because of the equality they now have. I reminded him that this reinactment was not only from a different era but one with family values and morals. Not like now. He understood and moved on with his rendition of "The Cries of The Damned."

I feel it is important to teach The Things that just because it was so in the past, does not make it right in the present. African-Americans are no longer enslaved, women are no longer subserviant in the household, and men are no longer held to the ideals of chivalry or even gentlemanly behavior. This is truely an amazing time for us. We are no longer required to hold the door, pull out the chair, or even use polite language in the presense of or for a woman. They hate that stuff now. They want to be treated as equals so by ~~God~~ (sorry, we don't have to have God anymore either) King and Country, if some bitch pisses you off, pop her in the mouth just like you would if she had balls. After all, she might.

I can't think of a title right now

2006-04-06T07:44:00.000-05:00

Waking up good morning to you my dear
I'm waking up enduring my biggest fears of
Distance away (a weight) distance away
-- 10 Years "Waking Up"

Two weeks ago I talked about how much weight I've gained and how hell bent I am on getting it off. Well, being that that was two weeks ago and this is two weeks later, I can say that I haven't been trying as hard. Sure, I dropped five pounds that first week. I gained six that weekend. Then I lost seven during the week and gained seven on the weekend. I see a pattern, and that pattern points directly to the stretching seems in my britches.

I like to eat, eating is fun. Its like a carnival in my mouth. I like to eat take-out a lot too. I love all kinds of food from the illustrious Bacon Egg and Cheese McGriddle's at Mc Donald's to the Passport Breakfasts (mmm, lingen berry crepes) at IHOP; from the Jr. Bacon Cheese Burgers at Wendy's to Chalupas and Gorditas from Taco Bell; General T'sao's Chicken from China Star and Shanghi Express and holy hell, anything else that will entertain my taste buds like the Chesse Cake Delight at The Cold Stone Creamery.

So I've come to terms with all that and have decided to stop eating for entertainment all the damn time and start eating for fuel. And this week I've done really well, I've been flailing about on the treadmill as much as possible and expect to lift weights on Saturday. I am down to about 205 (25% bf) now from 214.8(27% bf) Monday morning and will not be gorging this weekend. Man, this is tough to do especially when it seems everyone around you is eating crap (chips, cake, cookies, brownies, and candies of all kinds) but I will manage. Here's to it.

Milestones

2006-03-29T12:18:00.000-05:00

The I.V. and your hospital bed
This was no accident
This was a therapeutic chain of events
-- Panic! At The Disco "Camisado"

Our lives are a culmination milestones, first times if you will. These first times are what prepare us for the next steps in our lives. We are who we are because of these. As parents we unwittingly embed our children with these milestones and the need to collect more by cataloging first coos, first teeth, first steps, etc... Looking back on our lives we recount our firsts and major achievements as being milestones to establish ourselves as adults. When I look back on my life I see several different categories ranging from personal to professional with many markers in each. On the professional side, I see that I have been working in one form or another since I was 14 and from Taco Bell to today I have tried dilligently to move forward and I think I have done a decent job at it.

On that note, two years ago today I offically started working for my current employer and have been very happy. While the pay is not phenomenal (though better than my last) the team I am on is great. Our work is not necessarily revolutionary but it is groundbreaking in our industry nonetheless. And even though I am no longer working on tracking systems or automatic identification systems anymore (watch for an open source version, I'm getting the itch and my NDA is up), I am still able to work on some exciting technology.

I have been branching out into web apps on the side for the past year (nothing that has hit the web, very soon, I promise) so I can't help but wonder if this is merely a diversion or if it will become the next milestone that I will look back on. Hindesight.

Last night, Thing One hit a milestone. For the first time he told me I didn't have to tuck him in. What a friggin kick in the nutts! There I am, standing in front of his room like I've done for the past eleven years and he says, "night dad, you don't have to tuck me in tonight." He might as well have kicked me in the nutts and said, "oh damn bitch, I missed!" A knot formed in my throat and I played it off but it really kinda made me sad. Little bastard gettin tucked in tomorrow night. Fer realz. Anyway, my little Thing is growing up [shyuddup pervert] and there's nothing I can do about it. 'bout friggin time!

Mental Stability

2006-03-28T17:02:00.000-05:00

Some will learn; many do.
Cover up or spread it out.
Turn around, had enough,
Pick and choose or pass it on.
Buying in, heading for
Suffer now or suffer then.
It's bad enough
I want the fear... need the fear
-- Chevelle "Vitamin R"

It was incredibly difficult to get on the treadmill this morning. This past week has been difficult as far as training goes. I just can't seen to get the drive I had a year ago. Managing both a restrictive eating plan as well as an exercise routine seems daunting to say the least. Absolutely everything seems to get in the way and for the past three weeks now I have had an insatiable appetite. I just can't seem to get full. My stomach will, at times, physically feel like it is going to burst and I will still be famished. Its bizaar, I can't remember ever being this hungry. And this only weakens my willpower. But I've lost 5 pounds since last Monday so that isn't too bad I guess.

Talks have started again regarding medicating Thing Two. My argument against it is simple, he should be taught that a pill will not solve his problems. My mother insists that he is the spitting image of me and the way I acted as a child and I've learned to control the impulsive behavior, loud out bursts, hypertensive behavior, and emotional state a good 90% of the time. No, I am not where I think I should be in life but you know what, humility is a gift.

M's argument is manifold and envolves me getting medicated as well. She believes that it will only help him (and me). This is a tough one for me, I loath the thought of dependance and it kills me to think that I may be making a choice for Thing Two that will adversely shape his ability to stand on his own. But then, if I don't do it, will he turn out like me?

Narcoleptic Dog
Poor Rusty, he fell asleep again...

State Theatre

2006-03-24T13:30:00.000-05:00

If you're afraid to say
But you'd like to try
Just give me the safe word and take your hand
And smack me in the mouth, my love
-- SWR "Monologue"

Well I made it. I went to see She Wants Revenge and a couple other crappy bands last night at the State Theatre. SWR took the stage at about 10:30 and that's when the night got good. Their music is just damn sexy. Yeah, I said it, sexy. If only I could get M to see that. Oh think of the possibilities...

The opening act Anal Shunt, Astral Pike, Austin Tight, Astra Heights? Who ever the hell they were they need a new sound man. The lead vocalist had a very strong voice and a strong resemblence to Lou Diamond Philips. Watching their 50's circa leather jacketted performance I kept wanting shout "Play La Bamba!"

Mike preluded the next act with "hey, I know these guys, Nightmare of You, they get played a lot on Sirius." And then halfway through their set, "Does this guy just make you want to go beat the crap out of him or what?" Nightmare of You needs a better sound man also. I like Anal Heights (whatever) better though both were craptastic.

[edit: Mike would like me to let you know the reasons he wanted (still wants) to beat the crap out of that guy. "He's pouty and from New York." Or something. AskOxford.com has this definition of pouty: "push one’s lips forward as an expression of petulant annoyance or in order to make oneself look sexually attractive." Yeah, that was him. I will agree with Mike that the Nightmare of You front man was not very enthusiastic and, as he insists, appeared to be wearing mascara. That is all.]

SWR's Adam 12 had moves a kin to Mik Jagger and Jim Morrison and totally ruled the crowd while Warfield did his thing on the synths and guitar. There were only a couple minor flubs, easily over looked. A truely outstanding performance.

C# Reversioned

2006-03-22T13:55:00.000-05:00

She says she likes my face
She says she owns the place
Forget about it, 'cause she's a
Hotel detective
-- They Might be Giants "(She was a) Hotel Detective"

See Sharp Dot Net Two Point Oh has only recently been released officially and there are already talks about the features to be in Three Point Oh. Even though I have not been able to dig into the lastest virgin, err... I mean, version, I do have some beefs about what I've heard has been added. Using the MSDN and ONDotNet articles regarding C# 2.0 I am going to lay out my own opinions below. But before we get into that let me preface my opinions by stating: I fully realize these language additions are not required. I don't have to use them. I can ignore them. Unfortunately though, other people can and will use them, so I am required to learn and understand them.

Why am I so opinionated about these changes? Because some of them just don't make sense. There are three factors of performance when considering any developmental task: Development, Runtime, Maintenance. Will speeding up any of those three hurt any of the others. I feel some of the additions will seriously hurt in the maintenance area. YMMV.

I am not describing what these functions do, I am sharing my opinion about them. For more information I would suggest the previously linked articles and personal experience. I feel that even though I have no experience with 2.0, my extensive 1.1 and a decade plus of software development experience is enough to allow for the following interpretations. I fully expect my opinions to change as my experience with these additions increases. You can skip to the bottom to see what I think should be added to the language, framework, and IDE.

Partial Types
Basically, you can define a class or structure across multiple pages. You could do this in C++ and I've collaborated on a couple projects in the past with a guy that loved doing this and I've always hated it. I just hate the thought of having to manage multiple files for one class (forms and their associated resources excluded). Really, to each his own and I do feel you really shouldn't rely on the IDE too much so I see this as an acceptable addition to the overall .Net development experience. People have different organizational requirements and goals so I have no real problem with this. And I should note, having dealt with classes automatically generated by the IDE based on WSDL files, I see a very crucial need for this feature.

Static Classes
To me, this where the onus of responsibility gets obscured. One of the many things I learned from the illustrious Chief Software Architect (L-3 AR) and all around incredible guy, Bill Hertz, was that the compiler should not be relied upon to detect coding mistakes. It seems to me, that's all this feature does. If you can't keep your own developers from adding non static methods to a properly documented class intended for it, what makes you think you can stop them from removing the static clause and doing it anyway? This hardly seems like a useful addition to the language.

Global Namespace Qualifier
Well, its definitely a good thing, but I don't care for the syntax. I can deal with that though. On the up side, I have never encountered a need for it as I have never had to deal with a class written at the global level.


namespace MyApp
{
class MyClass
{
   public void MyMethod()
   {
      ::MyClass obj = new ::MyClass();
      obj.MyMethod(); // Traces "Hello" instead of recursion
   }
}
}

public class MyClass
{
public void MyMethod()
{
   Trace.WriteLine("Hello"); 
}
}

It just doesn't feel like good programming to do something like this without a good reason. I just can't find that reason.

Property and Index Visibility
Yeah, I really like this one. This one is a good one and one that I wish I had access to now. I can see many uses for a public get or set and a protected opposite. Sure, the property can be readonly publicly, but I should be able to write to it internally. This is a good one.

Anonymous Methods
I am going to hold off on my evaluation of this until I can actually see it in action. At first I had a knee-jerk reaction to it. I didn't like the idea of it. I still don't, but I want to give it a chance before I slam it. For now I will just say, I don't see what I gain from this addition.

Generics
This is probably the best feature in the next version. Excellent.

Iterators
I don't know enough about this yet and will be spending more time to figure out how to best implement it, but at first glance, it looks promising.

And now on to the Three Point Oh language additions.

MSDN and CodePost have pretty good descriptions of the pending feature additions.

Implicit Type Declarations
Even though (thankfully) these are to be local only, it is assinine letting the compiler decide the appropriate datatype for a particular variable. I just can't believe this is a proposed "feature". Take this for instance:


 // x is not local and is defined outside
 // the scope of the mthod calling this loop
 for(var i = 0; i < x; i++) { // do stuff }
 for(var i = 0; i > x; i--) { // do stuff }

Will the compiler be smart enough to match the datatype of 'x'? I hope so, if x is a long and it types i as an integer, this is going to have some serious implications. And before you say "but this will help with database access where you don't always know... blah blah blah". Go to hell. Try doing your damn job.

Object Initializers
This one isn't too bad really, it is a kind of shorthand that will allow a little less redundant coding, provided you have properties defined for the fields you want to assign:


 public class Point
 {
     int x, y;
     public Point(int x, int y)
     {
         this.x = x;
         this.y = y;
     }

     public int X { set { this.x = value; } }
     public int Y { set { this.y = value; } }
 }

 Point p = new Point { X = 1, Y = 1 };
 Point q = new Point(1, 1);

I don't know yet, I can see where this can be handy, but you have to know the class. If the property is readonly, this won't work. What happens if I want to require that both x and y are initialized by the caller? This feature will allow me to ignore this requirement.

Anonymous Types
Another brain dead concept, only this time, we're combining Implicit Types with Object Initializers and this is what the children look like:


 var x = new { Name: "Jim Bob", Number: -1 };

I see nothing but chaos coming from this mess.

Extension Methods
To me, this just defeats the purpose of subclassing. And how does this inherit anyway?

Lambda Expressions
To me, I think these will only confuse the code further but I want to understand it better before I slam it too hard.

LINQ
Now, this one I do like. And I do understand that many of the previous features that I see as boneheaded are used to make this possible.

And now for what I would like to see in the language.

foreach Indexing
In PHP you can iterate through a collection like


 foreach(items as value)

Which will return each value in the items collection. C# does this and it works just fine.


 foreach(items as index=>value)

Now this will not only give you the value, but also the index or key of that value in the items collection. This would be very useful.

Unfortunately, I've run out of time. I will add to this though; count on it!

Lard Ass

2006-03-20T08:22:00.000-05:00

I've watched you change
Into a fly
I looked away
You were on fire
-- Deftones "Change (In The House of Flies)"

Holy crap! I've become a fat lazy bitch! Last summer I weighed, at my smallest, 168 pounds and I worked out like mad. I weighed this morning at 214. 45 pounds in eight months, that can't be healthy. In my waist-line's defense, I've been under a great deal of stress, haven't been sleeping, and gorge myself with all kinds of garbage. After getting winded moving a single peice of furniture less than 100 feet last night I decided it was time to get back in shape.

I'm not so embarrased about my clothing being tighter or being less attractive naked; I was out of breath and on the verge of another asthma attack moving less than 100 pounds. That's embarrassing. Last summer I repacked my 100 pound canvas heavy bag to just over 200 pounds (after restitching some of the seams to reinforce it), tossed it on my shoulder and navigated the living room, dinning room, and office into my weight room. Yeah, it was a little clumsy, but I did it and didn't even break a sweat. I took a look at that bag last night and the dust it has gathered and decided to make a change.

I've been working out almost regularly all along but the intensity has become nonexsistant and my diet has gone to hell. The plan was to get up this morning and work out for an hour, take The Things to The Pit and then run for an hour. Not getting up with the alarm killed that plan. I've gotta do something, summer is coming and I want to have the energy to not only make it to the beach but also enjoy being there. So let's call this week a trial week and fine tune a good system. At lunch I am going to run hard for an hour then tonight I'll work out and run. Hopefully I can get back into the morning wokout routine so I don't feel compelled to do it half-assed at lunchtime anymore. We'll see how it pans out.

The dark hole to China

2006-03-19T01:15:00.000-05:00

I’ll let it show that
I’m not always hiding
Come all the way down
And watch me burn
-- Three Days Grace "Burn"

Fucking Tree Huggers! John Laumer wrote this supposed response to an obviously contrived question. "Rajesh" asks, "why people in the US are not taught to turn off the lights when they leave the room." You know what Mr. Laumer, you're an idiot, and "Rajesh", if you're a real person, you're an idiot too. Mr. Laumer, you either have no concept of the world we live in or are a narrow sighted tree hugging extremist moron.

America's public spaces and commercial centers are purposely lit all night: rationalized as a weapon in the "war on crime", but showing, really, a rigid child-like fear of darkness.

I can't believe you would consider the safety of a young woman walking from the bus stop home or of a pedestrian returning from the corner store after dark as child-like fear. You're an idiot.

I just finished the very powerful final episode of Full Metal Alchemist. Damn that was good. They alluded to the possibility of the series continuing but it would be a difficult story to pick up. Then that nagging question returned, "where would I have poked my head up at had I finished that hole?" As it turns out, I would have drowned. See for yourself.

Time to breath

2006-03-16T08:54:00.000-05:00

Sick of trying to find a way inside
Sick and tired of all the after
Sick of trying ot find a way to slide
Even though it always ends in laughter
-- She Wants Revenge "Red Flags and Long Nights"

I am finally in a good QA cycle and can take a breath. She Wants Revenge is back in town next week and I really want to go, we'll see what happens. Yesterday afternoon Mike mentioned something about a headline on CNN ("Woman takes sleeping pills, cooked and ate") and how misleading it was. Apparently, she was not the victim of cannabilism but sleep eating. Very disappointing.

Mike mentioned another headline and I completely misunderstood it until I read the article last night. Drug trial goes terribly wrong, six men in intensive care. I thought it meant that during a drug trial (as in, some dealer being prosecuted) six men got sick in the court room. Figuring either a poison/anthrax/delay tactic I looked it up when I got home. Very disappointing.

I have an opportunity this summer to spend a week at a friend's ranch in Washington (the state not the capitol or Denzel), a week in North Carolina with my inlaws (whom I like and are on good terms with), or work on purchasing a new house for $350k. The idea of the house is quickly fading so I am left with the first two options and not going to NC is out of the question. I wonder what will happen this summer.

Time to Panic

2006-03-01T09:06:00.000-05:00

No reason to get excited
The thief he kindly spoke
There are many here among us
Who feel that life is but a joke
-- Jimi Hendrix "All Along the Watchtower"

I suppose it is getting to be time to start running around screaming and waving our hands in the air. Nope, its not even Friday night. We've got the Bird Flu (now showing in a cat near you) [Future Crisis], AQ Khan, Retarded kids are getting kicked out of movie theaters, and Assault Drones in Arkansas.[via The Raw Feed]. I don't know about you but I am thinking The End Times™ are Here.

This Is Where The Title Goes

2006-02-28T08:04:00.000-05:00

Now fighting rages on and on
to challenge me you must be strong
I walk your land but don't belong
two million soldiers can't be wrong
-- Avenged Sevenfold "M.I.A."

So there I was, on my way home at lunch yesterday when I see this white car spin through an intersection I am rapidly approaching. After they bounce off a reinforced light pole and shoot back into the intersection (apparently the driver had buried their foot into the accelerator rather than the brake) I see the blue car with the rumpled front end wobble through. Somebody ran the light and I begin plotting a better path home. There were a good thirty people around the intersection and ajacent parking lots that got a better vantage point than I had so I could focus on avoiding this mess when I head back to work in an hour. And believe it or not, you would have never known an accident had occurred about an hour later.

My buddy B-Rice sent me a link (here's another link 'cause I'm generous) to YouTube (does Google own them yet?) showing a couple videos of a New Wave Trent Reznor [Answers.com; Everything2.com] and his band Option 30. What a different way to look at the man of pain and misery. What's really funny is that in one of these videos they are covering one of Billy Idol's hits "Eyes Without A Face" and for the past week or two I have been listening to Idol's albums on Y!ME.

Woomba
I cannot put into words how hard I laughed while watching this.

What could possibly go wrong?

2006-02-22T09:22:00.000-05:00

Denied love in the age of ruin
Suicide toxins of my own demise
In cyberspace, you know how much
The earth ain't learning
Smoking out the man, inside the child--yeah
-- Billy Idol "Neuromancer"

According to these pictures on Flickr, KFC and Taco Bell (divisions of YUM! Brands Inc. [Hoovers]) have started down the path of automation. What exactly does this mean? It seems to me that by doing this you are reducing even further the level of customer service training our youth are receiving. When I worked at Taco Bell a very long time ago customer service was stressed by management. I mean it was a BIG deal. And at 14, that experience made for an excellent foundation. These days however, it hardly seems as though customer service is as emphasized as it was. Sure, the onus of responsibility would lie with management and enforcing higher levels of service as well as with the clerk. There's no denying that.

So what happens when they add these ATM-esque human replacements? It is just one more excuse to not practice higher standards of service. But still, I don't see how even supplementing the face-to-face experience with a non-human interface is going to help. If it takes 90 seconds from the time an order is placed to delivery, that's how long it is going to take. Period. The problem is, once you punch in your order and slide your card, those 90 seconds are going to seem to take longer than it would if you were actually being forced to interact with that pimple-faced slacker. Trust me, computers don't like to chit-chat. No matter how much you chatter, poke, and glare at them, they just don't care that it would be a great day to be at the beach but its stuck in this hell hole for another 4 hours because the manager is a prick.

You just can't commiserate with a machine.

Random

2006-02-21T08:05:00.000-05:00

Disease's growing, it's epidemic
I'm scared that there ain't a cure
The world believes it and I'm going crazy
I cannot take any more
-- Pink "Stupid Girls"

How do I show this to M with out her thinking I am suggesting anything? I mean, come on, sending her that article would be almost as bad as sending her this one. Oh well, some of the comments to that post are hysterical.

Where is the "Leave me the hell alone" button?

No, I do not want to restart, stop reminding me. If I wasn't using the updates before they were installed, why do I need to restart now that they are installed? I'm still not using them!

So, this morning I learned a couple things. First, we as a familial unit, "cannot get ready in 30 minutes without getting ready in 30 minutes." Second, "some of us cannot listen unless it is absolutely quite." Damn, that's some pretty heavy stuff first thing in the morning.

Exploding CPU
This one was really good, not only do they overclock an AMD to 4GHz and blow a hole through the MoBo and the table it is sitting on but they're also listening to CKY. I like these guys.

The Waterbed
Apparently in Holland (or someplace other than the US) they mean what they say.

Girl Caught Cheating
Oops!

Ocular Peculiarities

2006-02-15T07:50:00.000-05:00

And with a sad heart I say bye to you and wave
Kicking shadows on the street for every mistake that I had made
And like a baby boy I never was a man
Until I saw your blue eyes cry and I held your face in my hand
-- Blue October "Hate Me"

I started a post last Saturday but it never made it so here is what I wrote:

I had my follow up visit this morning, I let the doctor know how insanely painful the procedure was and he was shocked. He said I was the first person in years to tell him that. He suggested that the pain may have been caused by either that I'd had the procedure the same day as my consultation (where they administered the dilating and "other" drops) or that I am among the small percentage of people with a higher tolerance to anesthetics. And considering what all I took last night that may be true. But, I am happy that it is over though and that my eye sight as of this morning's visit is 20/20 and still healing - possibly getting better.

And now, today:
My left eye does not seem to be at the same level of clarity as my right. In fact, at 10 feet or so, things are rather blurry. The Lasik people told me there would be days where my vision does not seem as sharp or clear as maybe it did the day before and that both eyes will heal at different rates. Something about swelling and healing blah blah blah. I'm not very concerned at the moment but it is a little unnerving. Also, I've noticed a slower focus/response time in high speed situations than when I wore glasses. I guess I can't complain yet, it hasn't even been a week since the procedure and my eyes are still healing.

The New Cowboy
Awesome, I thought it would have been another Brokeback parity but it isn't (thankfully)

12 year-old Drummer
This kid is fantastic.

Brokeback To The Future
The guys that made this trailer did a great job. And this is the only reason I am posting this.

Google (this title should score me a lot of hits)

2006-02-14T08:53:00.000-05:00

Got a big plan, this mindset maybe its right
At the right place and right time, maybe tonight
And the whisper or handshake sending a sign
Wanna make out and kiss hard, wait nevermind
-- She Wants Revenge "Tear You Apart"

Everyone raves about Google and how great they are. With all of the services they offer, how they are standing up for our privacy, and basically wipe major corporations from the Internet (come on, if no one can find you, does it really matter if you're there or not?). Their support for the much under-used Usenet newsgroups is astounding. And don't get me started on Maps and GMail. Both of which I use heavily. While I have found many uses for Images, its really hard to find decent porn on it. And then there is their controversial Book Search.
One of my current favorites of the Google services is Video. While still difficult to find decent porn, there is a lot out there in small bite-sized portions perfect for on the go consumption.

From beer comercials to the guy on the other end of the phone there are far too many videos out there. But I'm gonna try to watch them all.

Terry Tate: Office Linebacker
This seems to be the full length, unedited bit that I'd only ever seen small chunks of made for TV commercials.

Priceless
There are tons of Priceless commercials and for the most part, they are pretty funny. This one is great.

Secret Fridge
Another beer commercial but stoner funny.

Ninja Training Camp
This is cool video showing some of the gymnastic prowess of Team Ryouko and these guys are incredible. I tried one of these feats getting out of bed one morning, it didn't quite go as planned.

It Lives

2006-02-11T19:23:00.000-05:00

Thanks, Mr President
For all the things you've done
The battles that you've won
The way you deal with U.S. Steel
-- Marilyn Monroe "Happy Birthday Mr. President"

Thirty one years ago to the day I single handedly put a young couple in the hospital. To make matters worse, we were in a foreign country far from their supporting friends and family. In a violent display of selfishness, I made it my sole purpose in life to cause this young woman great pain for own personal gain. The young man pacing helpless in the corridors of the military hospital waited, plotted, most likely cursing my name. His name. Our name. Less than two years later these two had divorsed. Coincidence? Possibly. Inevitable? Most certainly.
Fast forward 31 years to today, I'm older now, wiser, we all are. The young woman from before has recovered nicely and forgiven me the pain I caused. The young man has taken steps, albeit small ones, to get to know me. And I love them both.
Thank you Dad, for "doing" my Mom. Thank you Mom, for deciding I was worth all the trouble. Thank you both for everything. Absolutely everything.

I Spy

2006-02-10T20:25:00.000-05:00

It's midnight now you must escape somehow,
torture is his leisure,
don't try to hide he'll make you subside,
as he exchanges pain for pleasure,
-- Sum 41 "Pain For Pleasure"

I had an appointment this morning for an evaluation of candidacy for Lasik. I have been considering this procedure for several years but have been, well, to put it plainly scared. I mean come on, you only get two eyes and mine were already defective. In fact, if it weren't for M making the appointment for me this wouldn't have happened at all. So, because I was fairly nervous about this I ended up at the office an hour early.
As I sat filling out my paperwork, I couldn't help but watch two procedures being performed through the glass barrier separating the lobby from the exam room. The first patient, a woman in her early forties, climbed off the table, donned her sunglassed and laughed with her hubby and child as the walked out of the office. The second patient was a man slightly older and equally pleased with this procedure.
After my initial exam I waited in the lobby with dilated eyes to see the doctor and witnessed a third and fourth procedure. Each took less than ten minutes and the patients all hopped off the table with a huge grin and took to the streets. I was totally amazed that I was able to schedule my procedure to be performed only five hours after my initial consult. Rock on!
I went to work and goofed off for about twenty minutes chatting it up with my boss and hit the road to get things ready for this afternoon's miracle session. Man, everything just kinda flew by. It occurs to me now that I didn't even talk to my cube mate about this, sorry Mike, I'll catch you up Monday. Getting my 'script (65 bones for 5mL is insane), coordinating a ride at the last minute, getting there, it all seemed so surreal.
At the vision center, waiting for my turn under the laser, I got the opportunity to speak with a gentleman that I'd just watched get "done". He said, "I didn't feel anything, it was weird." Through all of the waiting I did not feel a bit anxious or nervous. It all seemed old hat. I guess after witnessing firsthand a half dozen procedures and people walking out as if nothing had happened I'd gotten it into my head that there was nothing to it. That's where I was dead wrong.
Now, I know pain. I've had tattoos, dental work, broken bones (and teeth), torn ligs and a rotator cuff. I had an eleven day migrain headache from a botched spinal tap, I've been struck squarely in the eye with a 95 mph (its speed was measured during that pitch) fast ball, but I've never in my life felt a pain this bad before. From start to finish and five hours following I was in such agony that I couldn't even stand up. I kept telling the doctor during the procedure that it hurt and he kept telling me that it didn't. "This really hurts man," I'd say. "No it doesn't," he'd immediately respond. "Dude, this really fucking hurts!" I raised my voice. "Now now" he said. The assistant slightly gasped next to me.
How could I describe it? Imagine getting soap in your eyes, not that new shit you'd use on your kids but that old dish soap with a little too much lye in it. Then take a screw driver and start jabbing yourself in the right eye while trying to "keep your other eye open." Now repeat in the left eye. I don't know if that's how it'd feel but you deserve it for asking such a dumb question. It hurt dammit!
For the next five hours I was in such pain that I could only wryth in bed clutching head. I had to be in a completely dark room and then, even with the 5mg of Valium they supplied before the procedure, 10mg Percocet we'd gotten from a concerned friend, and 5mg of Vicoden I had left over from a previous injury I was still in pain and not unconscious. Then suddenly, by the fifth hour (about 8 o'clock), it was gone. I didn't feel stupid as if I were high, just that the pain was gone. The part that surprised me the most was that I was finally able to open my eyes and when I did, I could see. I could see things I couldn't see before - damn, so that's what I look like?

Storm of the Year

2006-02-08T21:55:00.000-05:00

We watch the sun rise, and hope
That it won't be our last
Before the storm
-- Queensryche "Before the Storm"

I got a bit of a lesson in humility last weekend. You see, I was sick with flu and with that I'd gained some dizziness with the threat of emptying my stomach every time I stood up. So, what was the lesson? The lesson was that the world moves on. The fact that I couldn't even stand did not prevent a record storm from hitting our area.

Friday morning I was sick as a dog (not too sure where that metafore comes from, kinda odd isn't it?) and decided I wouldn't bother with the whole "work-thing" so I stayed home and sulked in the dark. Yup, the power went out because it was storming, and in my neighborhood that means the power goes out. No sooner had it come back on did my phone ring; work was on the other end. Long story but it went down fast. No sooner did I hang up with my boss did the power go out again. So I peeked out my front door and snapped this picture. Then I realized that I had nothing in my driver-side window to keep all that water out.

Dizzy as I was at the time, I ran outside and threw some plastic in the window vowing to assess the damage later (that didn't happen till Monday morning, oh what a treat).

So, here's my front yard mid Friday morning. Notice the palm tree that I wish would just die and fall over because I am too lazy to actually go out there and pull it on my own. That water is already about 10 to 15 feet up in my yard.

This photo was taken during a "lull" in the storm but I still managed to get an excellent halo of my finger (upper left). That is a lot of water man, a lot of water.
Later in the day, the power's out again and I am trying to keep from throwing up when I hear this crash in my office. I make my way to the office door when I see that water has made its way through the back door. So I grab the dirty laundry and dump it all on the floor. Yeah, its getto but it sopped up a lot of water. Assessing the damage I discover the wall between my office and weight room has soaked up a deal of the water, which I thought was very considerate of it. I mean really, all it was doing was standing there holding up the ceiling. M's computer desk too a nice drink and so did both of my book shelves, several reams of drawing paper, a few books, and some pillows. Needless to say, I like to keep things on the floor for just such an emergency. I am considering rethinking my strategy though.
This next photo is after I got the washer going (you guessed it, the power's back on) and took a break from stumbling around saving the world. The water has reached the house and the sky has not gotten any thinner.
And as this next shot will show, I now have waterfront property. Maybe I should show this to a real estate agent and see if we can't just bump the price of my pad up a bit. Comes complete with decorative floating palm tree.

Coming down

2006-02-02T12:22:00.000-05:00

You've got to press it on you
You'll just be thinking
That's what you do, baby
Hold it down, DARE
-- Gorillaz "Dare"

This cold/pain in the brain/flu thing I've had this past week is finally starting to subside. Monday I had a bit of a sore throat and felt kinda run down but I figured it was because what little sleep I'd gotten last weekend was spent with my mouth agape. It happens. Because I worked through the whole deal some of my colleagues think I was contagious and may have passed it on to them. Well, I probably was, but according to many sources (google it you lazy bum) the contagious period extends to a week following. So, even if I took a day off it really wouldn't have mattered.

Yesterday, I headed to the store for more snot rags when I noticed the sign to the spa next door: Couples Massage $70/Person Is it customary to go Dutch on a couples massage? If so, why not just call it a buddy massage? Or, non-solo massage (as opposed to the Han Solo massage, which is much different)? Come on now, they didn't say "Massage" or "Orgy Massage." Couples Massage kind of implies two people.

Why doesn't the grocery store have facial tissue next to the cold medicine?

IE 7 Beta

2006-01-31T15:58:00.000-05:00

Dirty big balls
And he's got big balls,
And she's got big balls,
But we've got the biggest balls of them all!
-- AC/DC "Big Balls"

I just downloaded, installed IE 7 Beta and ofcourse, I restarted my computer - we all know how web browsers are crucial to stable system operation. Why should IE provide such functionality that it shakes the very core of the operating system? Any way, the very first thing I noticed was the search bar. I changed nothing.

Hmm... Google's even got the default spot in the IE7 Public Beta? Interesting.

The second thing I noticed was that when trying to post this, IE7 does not support Blogger's WYSIWYG editor. Oh well...

Sick Daze

2006-01-30T08:25:00.000-05:00

Mom and Dad don't look so hot these days
They're getting over the hill
Death is closing in and catching up
As far as I can tell
-- Green Day "Brat"

I knew last Thursday this was not going to be a fun weekend, I just didn't know how bad it was going to get to get. Thing One was sent home from his after care provider (its a small after hours sweat shop) with some sort of stomache thing. Well, it kind of alarmed me when he told me later that night he felt like he was going to "collapse". I would expect something like this from Thing Two, he's a Drama Queen, but not from #1. So I stayed home with him Friday and got a doctor's appointment right away.

We get into the Doctor's office first thing Friday morning and he gets tested for strep (the doctor jams a giant Q-Tip down his throat) and then for the flu (then that sadistic sob rammed another giant Q-Tip up Thing One's nose). Gagging and with watering eyes, Thing One takes it like a little trooper, thanks the man and asks for another. I've trained him well.

Turns out he has The Flu. Not "the flu" or "da flu", The Flu. The big nasty one; "and oh, by the way, here's a prescription for a medicine that must be taken within the first 48 hours of onset or it won't work and by the way, no one in the county carries it. How's Thing Two feeling? Here's a prescription for him too 'cause he won't be feeling good for long. You should ask your doctor for a prescription too." Yeah well, he was right, its a hard drug to find. I think I managed to find the only three bottles of it in entire area; I needed four to fill the 'script.

So, the rest of the weekend was spent cleaning and disenfecting (I totally feel for Thing One, every time he "got sick" it was a question of sitting down or hovering. And when he'd blow, half the chunks would come out his nose). At least my house is ubber clean now.

One thing I did get to play with though, BlogBridge. Awesome cross platform RSS reader. It will sync feeds between machines and the interface is excellent. Completely alters my view of what can be done with Java.

Do they make muscle pills?

2006-01-25T13:19:00.000-05:00

Aren't you such a catch?
What a prize! Got a body like a battle
axe... Love that perfect frown, honest eyes...
We ought to buy you a Cadillac.
-- OK Go "Get Over It"

A couple years ago, M and I decided to do the Body For Life program together and try to help each other along. We made it about half way through the 12 week program before life stepped in and slapped us around. Well, last week we decided to do it again. The first day wasn't too bad food-wise and was to be upper body training. I went to the spa with M and helped her through her routine, but then there wasn't enough time for me to get in a workout. Because my weights, which have become community property, were living at my best friend's house I was out of luck. The next day M comes down with a migraine and there's no cardio that day. I forget exactly what the deal was but we decided to make it a trial week.

So this week became the official Week One of our second venture into B4L. I was able to get the weights back over to my place and got everything set up in the weightroom so "Hell or High Water" and all that. Yeah right. Monday's meals went great for M but I forgot mine at home and what I bought at the local grocer's sucked. Monday's workout never happened - we had M's nephew until late so neither of us got to workout. Tuesday's meals went a bit better but M came down with another migraine and Thing One was pretty sick. No workout. Today, I not only forgot my meals but I doubt very seriously I will be doing Monday's upper body, Tuesday's cardio, and today's lower body workout.

But there's hope, apparently the FDA has approved a super fat pill that, other than awarding you the nickname "greasey cheeks" will also block upto about 200 calories worth of fat (about 22 grams) per meal. That's like four Twinkies for free! What would happen if you added a carb blocker too? Oh the humanity!

Flying Off The Handle

2006-01-21T20:11:00.000-05:00

Rage in the cage
And piss upon the stage
There's only one sure way
To bring the giant down
-- Rob Zombie "Living Dead Girl"

The Things and I were watching DBZ (that's Dragon Ball Z to all you newbs out there) and little Go-watzhizface was escaping in some raft that appeared (OK, so they were watching it and I was playing with my PSP), caught some air and was surfing with some flying fish. Or something like that. Maybe that was two different shows, I don't know, I was killing terrorists. Thing Two thought the whole flying fish thing was neat and Thing One described them as having feathers. So I needed to prove that I was still smarter than they (thanks Jason for planting that seed) so with a few clickety clicks I was able to show them a number of still shots (and some of them were even of flying fish) and this awesome video.

And, like Mike, I too am having some car troubles of my own. A bit of Captain Fury surfaced Sunday morning while out and about and I slammed the door to my car. Not only did my window break in a rather peculiar way (it didn't shatter, no that would have added far too much drama; no it had to slide down into the door with a soft woosh) but also the center roof console, well, it fell out of the roof. It is difficult to maintain rage when surrounded by comedy.

Lowering The Bar

2006-01-19T12:32:00.000-05:00

Here's an article (one of unfortunately many) that caught my eye this morning. I've gone ahead an copied it below with my own comments in blue.

St Petersburg, Florida - High achieving students often have that top honor in sight, valedictorian of their senior class.

I always hated those fuckers.

It's a distinction that may soon disappear in Pinellas County and it's a trend catching on across the Bay area.

Apparently I'm not the only one.

For 11th grader Adam Rosenthal, getting straight A's isn't good enough. He hopes to be valedictorian of his Senior class next year.

I think I know someone in his family...

Adam Rosenthal, 11th grader:
"For me, it's really important. Gives me something to strive for, the best I can possibly do."

Actually, that's good to hear, at that time in my life I had nothing to "strive for" other than figuring out another way of getting out of class and getting high.

Taylor Traviesa, 12th grader:
"I think it's good for the kids who work so hard for four years."

I agree, I mean, come on, I got suspended for three days for skipping school. Duh! You just gave me what I wanted.

Guidance Counselor Connie Boyle says some parents are the ones pressuring kids.

True, but would you rather the kids get pressured to succeed or fail?

Connie Boyle, Guidance Counselor:
"I have parents calling me, asking what courses are quality points courses, how can my students become val or sal."

Well, I'd tell them stupid shit like P.E. and Shop and watch there faces while I lie about them ever calling. What a stupid thing to request info on. Why not "how can I help my kid get the most out of school? Are there other kids whose parents just don't care that I might be able to help?"

Meggie Ford, a St. Petersburg High School IB student, sees classmates battling for the spot.

I went there and tried to get into the IB (International Baccalaureate) program when I was a Freshman. Though all of my scores were good enough except attendance (did I mention I skipped school a lot?) and thus my grades for that period, I was not admitted. It is a tough program though. Betcha that's the next to go too.

Meggie Ford, 12th grader:
"They try to figure out how to get the best grades, what classes to take."

I think the requirements for val should be restructured, if you take cake classes you shouldn't be able to qualify.

Educators say classes that teens often pick do not make them well rounded students. And they say ranking students as #1 or #2 often leaves out kids who do just as well.

Excuse me? High School in and of itself does not make you a well-rounded person. This is a logical falacy in that students attending any of the specialized magnet schools could not possibly become "well-rounded." So why would you make an argument on this point?

Connie Boyle, Guidance Counselor:
"Some of the students are separated by a fraction, fraction of a percentage point, fraction of thousandth percentage point. How fair is that?"

That's life bitch. Explain it to those whiny little pussies. "Try as hard as you might, you'll always be a little fish in this world." Give me a break, can you say "photo finish?" It's very fair you moron!

St. Petersburg High also ranks students academic achievements as colleges do and by state law students are class ranked.

It's the val-sal labeling some educators disagree with and some students do too.

Bull Shit! The winners aren't the one's complaining.

Taylor Traviesa, 12th grader:
"I think they should keep it, but if there's problems with competing for it and stress levels, they should take it."

But Adam says a student's drive to be valedictorian is nothing more than healthy competition among classmates.

[...]

blah blah blah. I am so sick of all the whining in this day and age. What's next, speed limits on sprinters and handicapping fighters before a bout?

What A Sight

2006-01-18T12:54:00.000-05:00

See the curtains hanging' in the window.
In the evening on a friday night.
A little light-a-shinin' through the window.
Lets me know everything's all right.
-- The Isley Brothers "Summer Breeze"

I work in a building that overlooks one of the most beautiful sites in the area: The Pier. The HMS Bounty has been docked there for a while now, as it is every year about this time gearing up for Gasparilla. This year however, it got to see some action. All I have to ask is, "where was I?"

On another note, Slashdot has a mildly interesting thread running about how filthy our keyboards actually are. And this fella wrote an interesting app displaying zip code locations. What's more interesting than the app itself is that the image of the continental US that he is using is constructed entirely of the dots representing the zip locations themselves. Check it out.

Gas station fun

2006-01-13T08:26:00.000-05:00

If it weren't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college
-- Lewis Black

This morning I take The Things to The Facility of Social Confounding and Bewilderment then I stop to get gas. It's been an extremely long time since I've paid in cash at Circle K so I was feeling somewhat awkward standing in line empty handed, waiting to prepay. I hand the clerk $60 for pump three and shortly after return for my change. For some reason however, I am compelled to have something this time when I get to the register so I grab a 1-liter of Diet Coke, 10 cents less than the 2-liter, and a couple BIG 100 COLOSSAL bars with a neat little sticker for $2.79. It's high but...

Why do they bother putting price tags on things in "convenience stores" when they have a scanner that is not going to ring up your items correctly anyway? I mean, come on, if I didn't know how much it was, when you ring me up wrong ignorance is bliss right? But when you tell me how much something is going to cost and then charge me otherwise, ignorance loses that happy-go-lucky feeling.

Picture this: the long time drug-addict-retiree behind the counter slowly struggles with the wrapper on a candy bar trying to smooth out the wrinkles and not blind herself while the violently strobing red stripes grope for its code in the craggy mountains of the glossy wrappings. When suddenly, with a stroke of luck a price registers in The Machine.

The register reads: $3.29
Me, poking with quick jabs at the small white rectangle: Sticker says $2.79
fifty cents, it's only fifty cents.
Clerk: It's $3.29
Me, befuddled: The sticker... right there... on each bar... it says $2.79
why do you do this? just this once, suck it up!!!

I blinked.
She blinked.

Me: You're kidding right?
Clerk: Nope, the sticker's wrong.
Me: I don't care.
now its just principle bitch
Clerk: 'k, yer total is...
Me: No, take 'em off, I'm not buying these.
Clerk: Fine.

She quickly punches a few keys, and the price drops just by under a dollar.

Clerk: I adjusted the price, happy?

I blinked, took my change, and left.

As the credits roll

2006-01-10T09:14:00.000-05:00

Just wake me when it's over,
When the curtains raise,
It's time to move on.
Exit now, credits rolling,
The girl who stole my heart.
The one that got away...
-- Hawthorne Heights "Screenwriting An Appology"

As a software developer/programmer/geek I have been "behind the scenes" of many projects. In fact, while most of my previous efforts with other companies have gone to select and exclusive clients for evaluation, the projects were cut before they could reach the market. Occassionaly I will get a call regarding one of my projects from years past asking to do more work (upgrades, enhancements, etc...) but all in all, I've never worked on project that has gone to COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) until now. Its really a good feeling to be a part of a team of talented developers and have your projects realized.

At the end of a movie I like to sit and check out the credits to get a feel for the effort it took to put something like that together. There are a ton of people in these films. I've noticed that there seems to be at the very least, and typicaly more, an equal number of people behind the scenes as there are in front of the camera (including extras). It is simply amazing really. From assistants to caterers if you've had an affect on he production of a film, you get your name in the credits. Below is what I think the credits for an application would like:

Owner: Crotchety O'Mann
Senior Vice President: Ima Hymen
Vice President Marketing: Xavier Zelf
Vice President Technology: Mr. E. Mann
Senior Chief Architect/Principal Designer: Francis le'Artiste
Senior Technical Advisor: Wanda Doff
Senior Technical Lead: Cody Pendant
Senior Marketing Engineer: Lou Smoralls

Marketing Guy: Oliver Sudden
Marketing Girl: Pam Perd
Sales Guy #1: Lew De Behavoire
Sales Guy #2: Ray Neday
Sales Guy #3: Duayne Pipes
Sales Guy #4: Lou Pole
Sales Girl: Sally Mander

Product Manager: Sue Pervisor

IT Manager: Ulrika Garlique
IT Technician: Chaz Tize

Team Leader: Lee Vitout
Senior Lead Developer: Leroy Brown
Lead Developer: Hanns Offah
Senior Developer: Arthur Ritus
Developer #1: Noah Vale
Developer #2: Faye Kinitt
Junior Developer: Howard Ino
Intern: Billy-Joe Crappinispants

Catering: The Greek Place, The Chinese Place, Pizza, Starbucks

And I'd be somewhere toward the bottom...

Toys

2006-01-07T18:07:00.000-05:00

A wonder to behold it was
With many colors bright
And the moment I laid eyes on it,
It became my heart’s delight.
-- Peter, Paul & Mary "The Marvelous Toy"

When I first started hearing about the PSP I thought is was going to be like the Game Boy: a novelty. Now don't get me wrong, I like toys, I like them a lot in fact, and they have their place, but the capabilities of most toys just aren't there to keep me interested longer than a comercial break. But then I got the opportunity to play with a friend of mine's PSP and there is a certain visual appeal to it. So today, I bought one and I've been able to do even more with it than I thought it could do to begin with. Music, movies, and images are nice additions to this bad boy but the Internet capabilities are sweet - its got its fricken browser man! I got it running through my 802.11b wireless router, browsing the web and playing SOCOM online. Not only this, but you can also creat an "Ad Hoc" connection with other PSPs around you to play in little P2P nodes; I plan to try this tomorrow.

I got the PSP Bundle which contained the standard PSP complement plus some: a cradle, hardcase, some cables, car adapter, lense covers, and disk cases. And oh yeah, a crappy game. Not sure if it was completely worth the extra money but hey, the PSP is just awesome and with the cradle I can hook it up to my PC and transfer files (music, movies, images, etc.) to and from it. Of the components it came with (not including the stuff in the accessory bundle) it came with head phones, a "remote", a 32 meg chip, a soft case, a strap, battery and charger, and a linse cleaner. About 13 years ago I found the Sony ear bud head phones at K-Mart and haven't worn regaulr phones since (I've always hated the feeling of the band wrap over/around my head). Why Sony couldn't have bundled the same head phones with their PSP is beyond me. The buds that come with it are like iPod buds (they're even white) and the wiring design is idiotic (you'd have to see them). No, I take that back, the "remote" is idiotic, the buds are just lame.

The remote is an inline control for volume and play control. Inline, as in, you plug it into the PSP and the buds into it. Besides, why do you need a remote for a hand held gizmo? A freaking remote! OK, so the ear buds are white, the inline remote is white, and the lame strap is white while the PSP is black and silver and the soft case is black with an embosed P S P. They couldn't even supply color coordinated accessories. And about this softcase, its pretty nice, but you can't put the case on "correctly" and charge the PSP at the same time. I mean, well, you can but the embossed side will be to the back of the unit rather than over the display as is assumedly intended.

Now that the pissing an moaning about the goodies is aside, I can start posting all about the good stuff! I have no reason to sleep... ever... again!!!

The Antipodal Midas

2006-01-05T04:34:00.000-05:00

Through our bleeding.
We are one!
Through the darkness breaks the light.
Through the light unending pain.
Deify the wretched ones till the darkness comes again.
-- AFI "Strength Through Wounding"

Have you ever had a bad day? I don't mean just a bad day, but a BAD day; where it seemed that everything you touched was doomed to fail in one irritating way or another? That kind of bad day that you would have rather there'd been some great cataclysm to bring your sufferring to one great climax so you'd be able to say, with out a doubt, "it can only get better." But that catastrophy never happens and shit just keeps going wrong all day. I had a day like that. In fact, that day was today (or yesterday depending upon your perception of time in relation to the distance between sunset and sunrise and the lack of sleep between them).

Skipping the fact that both of my home computers (the PC and the Mac) have crashed and are at the point of whiping the drives and reinstalling the OS. Skipping past all the problems I've endured with various web and sql servers failing for no apparent reason (actually, it was the MySQL client that failed but all of the data got corrupted anyway) over the past few days. Skipping the notion that I'd so arrogantly proclaimed I'd be cutting back on my willingness to work to excess. Let's just take a look at what happened today.

I made it to the office shortly after 8 this morning, an hour early (as per the norm so I can take an extra hour for lunch to workout) and I'd intended on focusing on what appeared to be a tricky Work Item. You see, as I've mentioned before, one of our products is a Word addin and it works on Word 2000, XP, and 2003. My item was very specific in nature and only affected Word 2000 so I needed to get that properly installed on my machine. With a fresh install, I try to open one of our documents and Word crashes. After numerous attempts across several documents and configurations I discover that I cannot open a document without Woord 2000 crashing. Its only on my box though. Uninstall reinstall; no change. Completely removing all Office installations and installing just Word 2000 does not fix it. After an hour and a half I finally find a doc that will open and why. "Fine, whatever, I'm over this." I cannot recreate the issue. Par for the course I know but I want to dig into it some so I launch Visual Studio. It immediately crashes.

Somehow, something got hosed when I (un/re)installed Office all those times and now my development environment is hosed. Something told me not to do it, but I tried the "Repair" option on the install disks hoping it would locate a file that'd been deleted, replace it and all my settings would remain unaffected. Don't use the Repair feature, its a bullshit item to fill space on the form. After two hours it still crashes. Uninstall and reinstall VS now. Two hours later I'm finally back on my feet. I babysat this stupid thing, skipping lunch and becoming more and more irritated as sands passed. Finally, I have a somewhat functional environment (Word still crashes on all but two files (and one of those every other time I try to open it)) and can now reproduce the error. After five minutes the problem is resolved, tested, and the ticket is closed. Irony at its best.

Well, all of my stuff is finally backed up on these machines and Windows has just finished installing on the PC. Time to shut this down and reinstall OS X. Laterz.

Last Post...

2005-12-31T17:21:00.000-05:00

Raise your glasses, your glasses, your glasses to the sky
This is the last call for alcohol, for the..
So get your ass up off the wall
-- Kanye West "Last Call"

... for the year.

For the first time - possibly ever, but at least in a really long time - I beat a video game. Yes, that's right, you heard me correctly, I BEAT a game. X-Men Legends. The reason I've most likely never beaten a game before is because I typically get bored about half way through them and completely lose interest. This time, I stuck to it. I was hooked and am looking forward to getting X-Men Legends II. According to the time meter, it took me 103 hours to beat the game. I really don't think this 100% accurate considering I left the game running on a couple of occasions overnight after I cleared a mission and I spent a good deal of time doing some Environmental Cleanup after all the bad guys were handled. By that I mean, once I discovered there were a number of rooms I could completely obliterate, I would see how much of the map I could destroy. Man, this was a really fun game. Frustrating at times, but fun nonetheless.

I guess its time to come up with those gawd-aweful resolutions again. I see no reason in beating around the bush (you'll get to the pun in a second) so I think my New Year's Resolution will be simply to have more sex. Yeah, I said it and its the truth. I'm looking for more poon this coming year! Does this mean I am going to whore around? Nah, It means I will need to be more attentative to M and her needs. I am going to have to try harder outside the sack to make it easier for her to get into it :)

At any rate, 2k5 was good to me, I've seen numerous sunrises and sunsets, quite a few back to back, and I made it through with all ten fingers and toes (ten a piece that is). The Things are well and M is almost happy (just a little more work to make her completely miserable :P), I am blessed with work and am going back to school in two weeks. 2006 ought to be an even better year.

I got my collegiate transcripts together and created a little journal with my own comments regarding the classes and I will continue to update them as I progress through school. Go here to read it or take a look at the link in the sidebar, it'll get you there.

So... Happy Hogmanay!!!

Merry Christmas

2005-12-25T18:01:00.000-05:00

Ho ho ho
-- Santa Claus

What a day. Last night M and The Things went to her fam, I went to mine. Later we met in the middle. I tried reaching other members of my family last night after we got home (my dad, my uncle, etc...) but made had no luck so I guess today won't be so stretched after all.

Even without Santa, Thing One was still pretty happy today. Thing Two squeaked when he opened piece by piece his Thing Dress-Up-Set with Hands and Feet. And Thing One went nutts when he opened his World Industries skateboard with Chopper 2 Mid deck and 54 mm Flameboy's. So, all the anguish and peril of this past week have paid off, now I am going to bed.

Debugging Christmas (part five)

2005-12-25T02:53:00.000-05:00

Leroy The Redneck Reindeer
Hooked to the front of the sleigh
Delivering toys to all the good ol' boys
And girls along the way
He's just a down home party animal
Two Steppin all across the sky
He makes jingle bells with the rebel yell
And made history that night
-- "Leroy The Redneck Raindeer"

OK, so we didn't get everything we needed, we still had a couple people to shop for so, not wanting to go too far from home, we stayed local and managed to get everything we needed. I also rented a steam cleaner. One thing I've learned about these rental steam cleaners is that they don't actually generate any steam, or even significantly heat up the water in it. Why call it a steam cleaner if it isn't even going to steam the damn carpet? You know, I asked them about this, and they claim this is how it works - but you are supposed to use "hot tap water" for it to work properly.

Whatever, I boil the water. If residule wisps of steam are not dancing in the wake of the machine, it isn't working right. Needless to say, my carpet is clean! And this is good to have when you are going to be crawling around, shredding paper, cardboard, and twist ties. After having wrapped about 750 presents, I am happy to announce, this year I did not get a single paper cut. Hooray bandaids.

This is Thing One's first year without Santa and I think he misses The Magic. He doesn't really say anything about it, but he does seem a little sad that there is no such thing a reindeer with a Nose-That-Glows. Its hard seeing your little ones discover that they will grow up and will never learn to fly. Its hard because while I'm watching them go through this, I am reconfirming it for myself - I'd always kinda hoped my mom was wrong about this stuff...

Debugging Christmas (part four)

2005-12-24T00:48:00.000-05:00

I'm just a product of my raising
I say, 'hey ya'll' and 'yee-haw'
And I keep my Christmas lights on
On my front porch all year long
-- Gretchen Wilson "Redneck Woman"

Well, here it is, the day before the day before Christmas and all through the house, not a single person is stirring, what a bunch of lazy jerks! M is taking a break and some much needed rest, and The Things are off to Grandma's house. I however, am finally able to enjoy a game I've had so long I'd forgotten I'd bought it until the other day: X-Men Legends. What an awesome game! This game is hot and I am totally addicted to it. We called it quits last night around 11, The Things were fast a sleep and M was exausted - so I fired it for the first time. I was quite simply amazed. No, the game does not sport the latest in graphics technology but the game play I fell is excellent. Needless to say, I made it to bed by 4 this morning. I am having to forcibly put the controller down so we can get back to that Christmas thing.

[Updated later that night]
OK, we went to The Mall, Play It Again, Sports Authority, Target, Jo Ann's, and some other places I can't quite think of. It was all a blur really; lots of people, lots of traffic, lots of money. My eye is twitching just thinking about it. But we got everything we needed to get so it looks like a great night.

Debugging Christmas (part three)

2005-12-22T11:11:00.000-05:00

The twelfth thing of Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Singing Christmas carols
Stale TV specials
Batteries Not Included
No parking?!?
WAAAAAAAAAAH! WAAAAAAAAAAH!
Charities!
Gotta make 'em dinner!
Five months of bills!
I'm not sendin' them this year, that's it!
Shut up, you!
FINE! YOU'RE SO SMART, YOU RIG UP THE LIGHTS!!!
And finding a Christmas tree
-- Bob Rivers "12 Pains of Christmas"

I did my presentation last night, it went like crap. Bottom line, I just was not prepared enough. Though my employer feigned enthusiasm, I know he was disappointed with what he saw. Luckily, he realizes that life just gets in the way and that he is not my number one priority. I've taken next week off however and have assured him that I will be focusing on his site and that we will make the January 1st time frame. So, in a week or so, I'll be unveiling here the site that has been my off-peak hours tormentor.

I may have mentioned before that every year we cage The Things and schlepp over to the family matriarc's house for Christmas, on Christmas. People would come from around the globe to pay homage to the head of the family. This worked out great for us as M's family always found purpose in Christmas Eve and she would shuttle The Things to engagements with her people. Well, this year one of my rather self-realized family members opposed centuries-old tradition and The Entire Family decided (which means, we were told) we would meet on Christmas Eve. I, for one, did not like this but as a low-level nothing in The Family I had little say. Well, two of my favorite aunts spoke up and now we are meeting on both Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day. And I'm still not getting a PSP!

I discovered last night that a strand of lights that I'd just Hung With Care© has burnt out.

Debugging Christmas (part two)

2005-12-20T09:33:00.000-05:00

Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the trailer
Not a creature was stirrin'
'Cept a redneck named Taylor
-- A Redneck Christmas

M, being the oh so wonderful, kind, and generous person she is, wanted to give something special and heart warming to her employer. Something that would let him know just how much she appreciated him as not only her superior, but also her check signer. Despair, Inc. had exactly what she was looking for. Upon placing her order she received the following message:

From: "Despair Inc." (through Yahoo! Store Order System)
Date: December 20, 2005 9:02:27 AM EST
To: "M"
Subject: order XXX from Despair Inc.
Reply-To: unfulfillment@despair.com

Thank you for your recent order from Despair, Inc.

I'd like to personally welcome you to our growing body of
Dissatisfied Customers(tm), but to do so might evidence
some actual concern for service and protocol. This might
then lead to customer satisfaction, which would defeat
the purpose altogether. That is why you have received
this generic, form-generated email, written by some
nameless lackey in our marketing department.

Having established that any pretense of consideration
for *your* needs would be counter-productive to our
raison d'etre at Despair Inc, let us now ponder a
subject of greater interest to those among us who are
worthy of both of our collective attentions - that
person being me.

While you sit there wincing in disbelief at these
bons mots of authentic insincerity and vexed by the
intrinsic contradictions, I find I am beside myself
with awe at the specimen of unparalleled angst that
is our most recent Despair Catalog. Hardly a man
given to superlatives, I must nevertheless assert with
David-Lee-Rothian boldness that we are demonstrably
without peer in the Art of Demotivation®.

And speaking of "The Art of Demotivation", my
management treatise of the same name is finally
available for purchase, and in three unique
editions (four if you count the... oops, I've said
too much already).

While I could praise the book and by extension myself
without end, I will instead, in the interest of
at least some pretense of humility, simply note
that no less a journalist than Lucy Kellaway of
the peerless Financial Times of London wrote of
the book, "The Art of Demotivation is the most
daring, funny and subversive management book ever
written".

In short, I'm the best.

For those eager to learn more about this landmark
work, pay a visit to the delightful guided tour that
is offered at our exclusive book website:

http://www.demotivation.com

Those ordering Chairman editions of the Art
of Demotivation are reminded that each necessarily
entails a slight shipping delay. Each one of these
signed and numbered objets d'art is handbound
upon the receipt of your order.

At long last, after this lengthy exploitation of your
attention for purely selfish marketing purposes, let
us move on to yet another advertisement for our
company.

Despair is ever consumed in the product development
process. In fact, as we speak, the small cabal of
dispirited creators have thrown themselves back into
the further development of a new content series
wholly unrelated to Demotivators(R), which are slated
for release next year.

What this is, I can not yet say. I can allow however
that members of our opt-in e-mail newsletter
"The Wailing List(tm)" will receive not only a
sneak-preview of this mysterious initiative when
it nears release, but may also even be granted an
opportunity to participate in an unprecedented way in
the work itself. So join the list now- don't
make us come get you.

http://www.despair.com/subscribe.html

If any of the information shown below is inaccurate,
please notify us immediately using our new Troubled Ticketing
system.

http://www.despair.com/troubtic.html

We will rectify your error immediately, and on some occasions,
without snickering.

It is the least we can do, which, as a matter of policy,
is the most we can do.

Sincerely not really writing you this email,
E.L.

E.L.Kersten, Ph.D.
Founder & COO,
Despair, Inc.

100th Post

2005-12-20T00:49:00.000-05:00

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain.
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today.
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you.
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun.
-- Pink Floyd "Time"

You know, I should have planned better for this momentous ocassion. This centurial post for an empty place should be one of reflection and contemplation and offer foresight into the direction I am headed. Bah. I don't have time for all that. I have a presentation in two days, one day, something like that and I am trying to get my gear set up so I can go out there Wednesday night and stick it.

On the Mac I have the latest Ruby and Ruby on Rails set up, as well as Mono, PHP, MySQL, and Apache server. All of these, save for Mono, come preinstalled with OSX 10.4 - just not the latest code bases, so I upgraded them all a while back. Most of it however, never got installed on my new PC so I've been spending the evening intalling everything and sync'ing the files to get everything the same on the PC, the Mac, and the off site 64-bit CentOS server.

I also fiddled around with trying to get Macromedia Dreamweaver MX 2004 to recognize RoR syntax and files to no avail. Ruby Garden has an article regarding MX, which helped just enough to get me started. And BDC had an article that helped moved me along just far enough for me to quit screwing around with it and try an alternative IDE: RadRails. Bonus is, they have Windows and Mac versions of their IDE (Its Eclipse based so it is pretty portable).

RadRails would be awesome and wholely useful if it worked out of the box. I should take that back, it does work out of the box, but you still have to use the command line to actually set up your Rails project. If you download your Windows installer from the RoR download page, you can install rails on your system. Here's what I did, just to speed things up a bit. Ruby is installed at C:\Ruby\, so I installed Ruby on Rails at C:\Ruby\Rails\. Very convenient for me. Now, because the way rails gets it groove on is all scripted, all you need to do is copy the contents of the install directory (C:\Ruby\Rails\) and paste it into your project directory, then (with the ruby/bin directory in your path (PATH=C:\Ruby\bin) you can type in the console (within your project root) C:\Project\Path> ruby script/generate scaffold ModelName ControllerName and then hit enter, you'll see the magic happen. But don't take my advice as The Gospel, go pick up Agile Web Development with Rails. It is well worth it.

Once you get Rails to build your project, you can then get RadRails to rebuild your project, and then you can start using it. And it is a very nice editor with proper syntax hilighting and intellisense. And, once I use it and get myself more familiar with it, and maybe even read the documentation, I'll know what I did wrong when I first tried to use it.

And, my Rails tut picks for the night: (24)slash7

I've got NADDz

2005-12-16T13:37:00.000-05:00

Still I'm sitting alone again
I feel I'm riding the same thing again
And if I want to I can just shut up
Now I know that I've got
Nothing to prove to you
-- Goldfinger "Nothing To Prove"

Rands in Repose has an old article describing one of my major afflictions: NADD.

"Folks, I'm a nerd. I need rapid fire content delivery in short, clever, punch phrases."

He comments on how much he has going on at once and stepped back and looked at what I had running. Right now, as I type this, I have several things happening: two instances of Visual Studio with active projects loaded up in them; Firefox with 11 tabs open to different pages (three tabs are pointing to articles about the differences between Python and Ruby (Ruby Garden, Solarvoid, and this one), one is to Google, two are on humorous coding blogs (Coding Horror, and The Daily WTF), and the others are to MSDN and other unrelated blogs); two chat windows open to co-workers, Xml Spy (with several XML documents and configs, and XHTML scratches open); Microsoft Word 2003; SharpReader (I seriously thinking of switching up on this one, performce blows when you leave it open for "Too Long"); IE is pointed to Sharepoint and my list of work items; and of course, Windows Explorer and Yahoo (Windows) Media Player (playing Goldfinger at the moment). Its a slow day.

Debugging Christmas (part one)

2005-12-15T22:56:00.000-05:00

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
Twelve-pack of Bud, eleven wrestlin tickets, tin of Copenhagen, nine years probation, eight table dancers, seven packs of Red Band, six cans of Spam, five flannel shirts, four big mud tires, three shotgun shells, two huntin dogs, and some parts to a Mustang GT.
-- "12 Days Of A Redneck Christmas"

Alright, here it is something like 10 days 'till Christmas and we are just now putting up the tree. A few years ago M bought this artificial tree so we wouldn't have to deal with upkeep of a live one. Only, this tree is pretty sweet (as far as trees go), it has the lights already secured to it and unfolds like an umbrella. Every year, both of them, since it arrived it has been a snap putting the tree up. Its been great. And of course, when you put things off, it only gets worse. Of the three sections of the tree (in case you were curious, FauXMasTrees typically come in three or more pieces to make storage easier - the left, right, and the top) the middle of the tree has bulbs scattered throughout it that lack brilliance. Depending on the way it is turned, the left side and the top are completely burnt out.

I fiddled with individual bulbs, plugged and unplugged the stands, tried to find the mysterious fuses. M fiddled with individual bulbs, plugged and unplugged the stands, tried to find the mysterious fuses. And then I fiddled with individual bulbs under M's direction. The not so well received solution is to restring the tree with working lights. M doesn't think that is such a hot idea. I don't either but it will cost more to purchase enough bulbs and the time it will take to probe the tree.

Catching Up

2005-12-14T09:49:00.000-05:00

I'm just a child
With tears in it's eyes
I am holding this gift
That is broken
What do I have left now
-- Korn "Seen It All"

There really hasn't been a lot going on lately, I haven't really felt like blogging about anything, and have only today caught up on a couple month's worth of feeds. You know what, there are some amazing things going on these days. From Knucks-N'da-Chest to chimps smarter than your kid (sorry, reg req'd). But, my favorite so far is today's article on CNN where Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad donnes his tin foil hat and discredits The Holocaust. Not even the Hollywood of today could find enough Skinny Ass Jews to play the roles populated by films of the death camps during WWII. OK, so let's just say for a second that the photos, film footage, and mass eye-wittness accounts are inconclusive, the mass graves are misunderstood, the "showers" were misinterpretted, and the sudden decline in the Jewish population was a math error. Without all this proof in front of you, how can you say plain and simply that it never happened yet turn and fight for a God you've never seen?

Fine Literature

2005-12-08T08:45:00.000-05:00

18 I was guaranteed.
I would lose my teenage dream.
But it's so funny how I got to look.
Like all the people in my comic books.
-- Blondie "Comic Books"

In about 12 minutes the phones will start ringing and the day will begin anew. This project has been pretty difficult and I've been reading a lot lately about so many things regarding it. But mostly, I've learned [again] that authors are dicks. They have something to tell you, something that will make your life easier and that something is what you want. But rather than simply telling you what they have, in as concise a way as they possilbly can, they weigh you down with anecdote after anecdote, story after story. I am reading approximately two pages a day of intended fiction (at the moment its Bruce Sterling's Snow Crash) and about 50 pages of crap from tech manuals and online articles. Get to the point people!

Here's a tip, when reading a tech book, skip chapter one. There will never be anything useful in it. Here's another tip, thumb the chapter before you read it, if there are a few pages with no or barely relevant examples on them, you don't need them. There will usually be anecdotal pseudo code about the author's dream car and how it works in Code Theory. Who gives a fuck?! I don't read dork books for pleasure, I read them to learn about something or to solve a problem I am facing. The bottom line is, nerds should not be allowed to write tech manuals with more than 50 pages of actual text in them and novelists should not be allowed to write manuals.

Kettle Bandit - Dead

2005-12-06T08:04:00.000-05:00

Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon
You come and go
-- Culture Club "Karma Chameleon"

'Nuff said

GAACK!!!

2005-12-04T15:28:00.000-05:00

It's the death of outrage
I want to turn a new page
I mourn the death of our age
the obituary's on the front page
-- Papa Roach "Tyrany of Normality"

Here I am, feverishly pounding out code to get this project out the door. M and her sis are at the show, they sold my ticket 'cause I couldn't make it. Fucking sucks. I stay up all night Friday to get this shit done so I can go to the show today and had been pounding out code for a good ten hours straight. In my own arogance I thought I would have been able to make it. Then Visual Studio crashes and takes my project with it. I'd been coding and researching for a good 10 hours. That's pounding on the keyboard, popping Runts and Smarties, and slamming Coke after Cofe for 10 fucking hours - I did pee a couple of times in there. Ten hours though! Gone. Fucked. All of it. I was furious. Still am really. I should have known better though, I should have saved my shit several times. I have really poor work habits.

So here I am, repeating history, an hour into working this morning and the power goes out. Once again, everything is gone. I am very pissed at myself right now, I am so focused on getting this shit done that I don't think about what I should be doing. So now, I've gotten into the ROTE habit of keying CTRL+S every time I press Enter. Yeah... Loser.

This little piggy went to market

2005-12-02T23:31:00.000-05:00

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself-Well... How did I get here?
-- Talking Heads "Once in a Lifetime"

I think I broke my big toe. Its swollen, discolored, and hurts. I think its broken. It's probably just strained but, you know, it hurts so I'm gonna go with "its broken" until proven otherwise. I have no idea what I did other than use it like I do every day. Its been hurting for quite some time now but nothing like this. Oh well, it'll have to wait, I have a tremendous amount of work to get done by 10 am Sunday morning so I can go to a concert and blow off some steam. We'll see how that pans out won't we...

I've got to say, there is nothing exciting going on right now. I am working so much I barely have time for anything. What time I do have I spend with M, Thing One, and Thing Two. One of my three best friends (the four of us were like brothers) moved back into town a couple of months ago and I've seen him once - last weekend - since he and his newly acquired family moved here. It really sucks but over the years we just fell out of touch with each other. Of the three of them, Khan is the only one I've really kept up with - the other I haven't heard from in years and honestly don't expect to any time soon. Funny how that works, you spend a few years completely inseparable with a group of people (aside from the "friend of a friend" or the supporting cast) doing regular things on regular occasions and then somebody moves, serious relationships turn up, somebody has a baby, and the next thing you know you're looking around wondering what happened.

Another ending

2005-11-29T14:11:00.000-05:00

I'm getting out
I'm leaving here
I'm kickin' right through this door
-- Korn "For No One"

Today is the end of Hurricane Season, so if you need finish off some extra ammo you might have, Epsilon is out there right now. You have 'till midnight my friends!

Man, I just had to jet for a couple hours because Thing Two had a sudden allergic reaction to something. The Facility called M and told her he needed Benedryl but they were not only NOT going to give it to him but that when she got there, she would need to show proper identification to give it to him. So she called in the heavy guns: me. OK, not so much on the 'gun' side but nevertheless, I had to tend to this matter. So I go home, find the liquid goodness in the fridge of all places and go to The Facility. Security is pretty tight here so I have to pass several tests including but not limited to finger printing, retinal scanning, tongue depresing, and hair folical exam. But they never check my ID.

I have no problem leaving work to tend to The Things, in fact I kinda like being able to get out of work for a while. What I have a problem with is the fact that some ass-riding cock-monger out there brought suit against some one doing The Right Thing. Now, no one is interested in taking the step to help a child. They had M on the phone, why couldn't they say "hey, you know what, Thing Two is waisting time and space here in Sick Bay and Doctor McCoy is late for his Tee Time, you mind if we give him some B, slap him on the ass, and send him back to class?"

On the positive side, this little mid-day excursion gave me a chance to listen to the new Korn album "See you on the other side". I like it, its a fresh new sound for them, not as crunchy and in your face as I'd have liked it but it is still a really good album.

Pandora's Box - Pervert

2005-11-29T13:41:00.000-05:00

I keep on thinking the same old thing, but then again what can I say?
I keep on trying to live my life, I keep trying to find a better way!
Well as everyday goes by I'll try, but I don't know if I'll make it through
But I'll move along and push on until I do
-- Authority Zero "Passage in Time"

Well, I survived coming back to work. It was rather difficult but I made the transition from loaf, back to oaf. I've gotten a new project lined up, actually its an expansion of the Validation Engine I spent the past two months developing and I have a week to do it. Surprise surprise. No biggie, I'll be able to leverage a good deal of the code I've already written. Good stuff. I can't wait until I am done with my side work so I can start revealing all the goodies I've come to terms with and now enjoy.

Something that is really cool: Pandora. Pandora is a front end providing access to the Music Genome Project. Type in a song and it will return to you a range of music that is "genetically" similar. The MGP team has created over a hundred categories to classify music and have processed over 10,000 songs so far. I am really impressed with the coverage they've made over the past five years.

A quote from an interesting article: "One of the lemming couples produced eight litters in 167 days. Sadly enough, a male died afterwards." Sadly my ass! He died a happy lemming.

The Day Before

2005-11-27T23:50:00.000-05:00

There's no time for us
There's no place for us
What is this thing that builds
our dreams yet slips away from us
-- Queen "Who wants to live forever"

It couldn't last forever I suppose. The November holidays are over and all we have left are the December ones. There's two, but not until the end of the month. Oh well. Back to work tomorrow. In an attempt to relax my over-relaxed mind and body I tried to tune my old-and-damn-near-dead juggernaught-body acoustic guitar. It took a good 20 minutes but I finally got each string as perfect as can be on that old heap and then, just as I am about to go through some basic exercises, E strikes back. Little bastard snapped at the nut. OK, well, umm. After taking in the lesson I just leanred about this particular instrument I fiddle with the bass for a bit and then pull out the Fender I picked up from Mike. Then, just as suddenly, a penguin on a scooter comes by and I am installing drivers and typing this message. My guess is, tonight is not the night.

Happy Thanksgiving

2005-11-24T22:25:00.000-05:00

White meat, dark meat you just can’t lose
I fell off my moped and I got a bruise
Turkey in the oven and the buns in the toaster
I’ll never take down my Cheryl Tiegs poster
Wrap the turkey up in aluminum foil
My brother likes to masturbate with baby oil
Turkey and sweet potato pie
Sammy Davis Jr. only had one eye
-- Adam Sandler "The Thanksgiving Song"

I laid out a plan for the day yesterday which is something I never do. Let's see what we got done shall we?

Take a nap

Never happened

Play Halo

Never happened

Clean out my car

Never happened

Clean up the office

Sortof happened

Straighten up the weight room

Never happened

Get and read another volume of Priest

Never happened

Read more (and maybe finish) Snow Crash

Well, OK, I did read a little

Finish installing all the software I need on the new PC

I broke my new PC

Install my SATA-150 100 gig hard drive

This is when my new PC broke

Transfer my 90 gigs of MP3 to DVD so I can actually use the SATA drive

Never happened

Seriously consider buying a new hard drive to avoid doing the above two tasks

I considered buying a new PC, does this count?

Try with futility to get caught up on my feeds

Yeah right

Get in touch with some old friends

Never happened

Ale House tonight with those old friends

Never happened

Give the PC I borrowed back to my friend

I did get this done

So, as you can see, I had a great day! Today was good too, The Things, M, and I had a great time. Now, I'm off to veg and top off my belly. I am seriously going to give this diet thing a try tomorrow and don't want to hit it on an empty stomach.

Home Alone - Fer realz!

2005-11-23T08:10:00.000-05:00

How long I have wanted
This dream to come true
And as it approaches
I can't believe I'm through
-- Twisted Sister "The Price"

Let's cut to the chase, I'm off today (unless I get called in - not that I would or should but you know what, shit happens). No midgets, women, or obligations. If I get the call I'll be catching a movie with the guys at the shop but otherwise, here's my TODO:

Take a nap
Play Halo
Clean out my car
Clean up the office
Straighten up the weight room
Get and read another volume of Priest
Read more (and maybe finish) Snow Crash
Finish installing all the software I need on the new PC
Install my SATA-150 100 gig hard drive
Transfer my 90 gigs of MP3 to DVD so I can actually use the SATA drive
Seriously consider buying a new hard drive to avoid doing the above two tasks
Try with futility to get caught up on my feeds
Get in touch with some old friends
Ale House tonight with those old friends
Give the PC I borrowed back to my friend

We'll see how far I get...

Comp Time

2005-11-22T09:01:00.000-05:00

Dante: I'm not even supposed to be here today
-- Clerks

Well, I am a glutton. As opposed to being mutton, I suppose that isn't so bad. Yesterday The Man offerred me a repreive from the salt mines for the extra work I'd been doing. Really cool I thought and completely unexpected. So why am I at work today? There's still work to do. You know, if I didn't like the people I work with (including The Mad Indian) I wouldn't be here today. But I like the folks and I respect the job. So we'll see how it goes today.

[Edited]
... And its probably a good thing I did come in today as I was able to field some issues and luckily, Mike took a nasty one off my back. Thanks man.

Let the games begin

2005-11-17T12:55:00.000-05:00

I can’t help my boogies they get out of control
I know that you don’t care but I want you to know
The knee-stocking flavor is a favorite treat
Of men that don’t bother with the taste of a teat
-- Weezer "Hash Pipe"

I can't believe it is finally over. Sure there's going to be some clean up and most likely some maintenance; and really, is it ever truely over? It feels good to be able to screw around at 9pm and not be thinking about work. I'm prolly even gonna go to bed tonight.

Thing Two was sick today and M couldn't reschedule her meetings so I got to stay home. The only experience that would have made it better - save for not having to work at all - would have been if I had VPN access to the company network. Yes, they provide it, but I could never get it working and just didn't want to hassel our slick IT department, she's just as overworked as the rest of us. Now, I am expecting to be able to take delivery of my new motherboard and case tomorrow and have it all set up by Monday. So watch out, I'm gonna annoy the hell out of you until I can get this thing up and running.

Thing One is testing the boundaries again and seeing just how far he can push them. When The Things are well and not in school, they spend their time before 6pm during the week but of course not on holidays at a Christian aftercare center. Here comes the irony. The Director of this organization's name is Marry Jane. Her Assistant's last name is Reefer. No lie. I'd scan their business card if they weren't a Christian organization - Karma Cops and all. So anyway, Thing One has an attitude with M when she goes to pick him up and then he tries to play us against each other tonight. I follow up on one of M's decrees and tell him to clean his cage. Shortly after he asks M when he should go for his nightly delousing. Little bastard tries, but luckily mi casa es casa pequeña. I love sneaking up behind the children when they are trying to be sneaky. He's lucky dwarf tossing is illegal.

Since I have a bit of free time on my hands I really don't want to waste it here, on this machine. Maybe I'll play some Halo.

Attarded

2005-11-08T15:47:00.000-05:00

Trying to impress me will prove worthless.
Already gave you a chance.
And given clues you'll realize it too,
You miserably failed the test.
-- Inspection 12 "Great Scott"

Got the results back from the doctor...

I think I may need a second opinion.

There's a neat little generator that created the above picture, they also have a number of other cute little tools.

[Edited 05.11.28] - They fixed the generator

Redeux

2005-11-07T10:13:00.000-05:00

Here comes the bossman calling
Here comes the man right now
Here comes the bossman calling
Don’t let him bring you down
-- Lucky Boys Confusion "Bossman"

You know, it helps to press "Publish Post" when you're done with a post. The last two posts, drafted, not posted. What the hell, I'll just combine them here, saves me from having to think today.

Last week:

Monday (October 31, 2005) was the last day to get Yahoo! Music Unlimited at the $4.99/month price before they doubled it so I decided to jump in for a year. At $60 I thought I'd atleast be able to scope out some new tunes I've yet to hear by bands I never knew existed. So far, I'm not terribly impressed. Now, don't get me wrong, I think it is awesome that I can hop right in, scan some tunes, and be off but there are some problems with the service. Not the technical aspects of the service mind you, but the selection. While I'm sure they may well have over a million songs, I personally don't care for 999,973 of them. And the GUI is pretty difficult to use.

What made me switch? Really? You actually care enough to ask why I'd make the switch to a music service pandering to the corporate bastards suing children and financially ruining college kids? No? Well, I'll tell you anyway. Peer pressure. All the other boys were doing it and I wanted to be one of the kewl kidz. I like music, I like the way it makes me feel inside. I like the way if you straddle the speakers just right... ummm... I like music. I like all kinds of music from all different generes, and while I won't openly admit it, I kinda like country too.

Yesterday:

After having slept half the weekend - quite literally - I awoke to the middle of The Crow: City of Angels. Wow, its been a really long time, I remember when this movie first came out back in 1996. I was so excited to see this film, a friend of mine and I caught a midnight showing, opening night, at a theater up the road that no longer exists. Now, I don't think this movie caused the theater to go under, but it may have added to what led to its demise. This movie was terrible; they tried way too hard to make it darker than its predecessor when what they should have done was make it better. The Crow became a such a classic because of the tragedy that befell its star. Its sequel had Iggy Pop. What's really bad about this is that apparently the intention was to make The Crow a franchise. While the soundtracks for both of these movies were hot (the second I thought moreso than the first), the movie itself was just terrible. The third feature-length installment "Salvation" I've read is much better as it does not a retelling of the first film but is still far from a good movie. I just don't think I'm going to be able to stomach it. And then, this year, They brought us a fourth one. Why?

Still employed, so far...

2005-11-02T00:12:00.000-05:00

I'm having trouble trying to sleep
I'm counting sheep but running out
As time ticks by and still I try
No rest for crosstops in my mind

-- Green Day "Brain Stew"

Sunday was just about as bad as Saturday; and Monday, well, we won't talk about Monday. Lately my coding has gone to shit, my mind is all over the place, and my waistline is out of control. The scale Sunday put me at two hundred five and eight tenths pounds. I got called to the carpet Monday in front of all the PMs and the owner of the company to account for a number of outstanding issues. Luckily, I was able to identify all but one as being resolved and the remaining as in process. But I really don't feel solid anymore. I feel like one more screwup is going to put me out the door.

Rather than stew about it and try to point fingers, the only thing left is to look at what the problem is and fix it. M says that I've really let myself go over the past couple of months (I've stopped watching what I eat, exercising, training, etc...) and that I should get back on The Program and sharpen my edge. So, at home, I'm going to start training again; and at work I am going to take a different, more methodical approach to my job. There have been a number of regression issues arrising lately and because I just don't have the time nor The Spirit to perform complete regression testing for every change I make, I am going to wrap my component in a test harness and use it. A year ago or so I started developing integration tests for my piece and they went to the wayside during a heavy development cycle and were never picked back up again.

So here we are now and I wish I'd continued with my initial work. Using NUnitas the harness, I am developing my use-cases to help better my code. The problem is, simple unit testing will not be possible with the subsystem I've developed - it is a complex collection creating a union between an array, a quadruply linked list, and a tree list with many cross-referenced leaf nodes and parents. So, the unit tests I am building are two fold, they extend the subsystem's classes while adding both internal class-level unit and integration testing ensuring that changes in one teir properly affects its children as well as its siblings. Once I get some decent examples I will post them here. Its some really interesting stuff, but not nearly as exciting as the last thing that went through this kid's mind.

Oops...

2005-10-29T13:30:00.000-05:00

It's my brand new world today
And it's my brand new world this way
-- Cold "Witch"

Yesterday I commited one of the cardinal sins of blog commenting, I didn't read the post. A friend pointed me to a post on Leon Bambrick's blog and it totally went passed me. Sorry Leon, for some reason, I just didn't see it.

I saw this article on CNN yesterday, George Takei certainly doesn't look 68 years old. M and I were in Petsmart last night with dumbass. Yup, we took the pooch shopping. It felt really weird walking around a store with a dog on a leash, but I got over it when I spotted the rack of animals in cages. On the bottom were the cats - I hate cats. On the top were the bunnies. I thought it would have been hillarious to see what Bella would do if she came face to face with the ellusive hare and when I brought her over to the glass she just stood there. Everyone around however had this look on their faces like I was complete moron for bringing a Greyhound to the rabbits. I was rather impressed that Bella didn't really do anything, the cats freaked out but she just stood there, quietly mocking their pathetic caged existences. I think for the first time I may have been pleased with Bella's behavior. Then the power went out - there was only about a two second delay before the auxillary power kicked in - and the store had to close until the problem was solved so that was the end of that little excursion.

I am bored out my mind, I tried working, taking a nap, reading Snow Crash, playing Halo, and watching Dragons Forever. This sucks, I just can't get motivated to do anything today.

30 Seconds to Lucidity

2005-10-27T05:08:00.000-05:00

Everyday tear down the walls
till cornerstones remain
Coming one step closer all the time
And although we'll never reach perfection
Always persist to try
-- Thrice "Phoenix Ignition"

Working all night has its perks: I can listen to whatever music I want for as long as I want without being bothered about it; I can get a lot done without being interrupted every 15 minutes; I can also fart and pick my nose without fear of someone sneaking up on me and accidentally catching a wiff of the good stuff. Tonight (last night/this morning) was another one of those nights and I made some really good progress. I had that kind of clarity that allows problems to solve themselves, the keys to press themselves, the mouse to move itself. Some would call that a hallucination, I call it a night well spent. Actually, I did have an extremely productive night and I only hope that what I perceive as productive now, will carry through to QA later.

I was also able to listen to some music that I keep meaning to listen to. I got to finally hear Jared Leto's band, 30 Seconds To Mars. Their debut album (self-titled) had a very "concept album" feel to it. Interesting, but hardly memorable. Their sophomore album, A Beautiful Lie, featuring the song "Attack" (currently whoring a radio station near you), was in the first few tracks a divergence from the experimental sound of the first disk (it sounded more like Leto was trying to break into the mainstream with a run-of-the-mill neo-punk sound that just didn't work). Then it went back to crap, well, really it never left crap-status but I think you get my point. As usual, YMMV, and if it does, we don't drive on the same roads... OK, that was a skoche overboard, the music really isn't that bad. I just felt like saying something bad about it. Personally, it isn't the kind of music I like to hear, though I will be seeing them in concert in December.

On the downside, Allmusic.com would like to try to make you believe 30STM has a "post-grunge sound suggestive of groups like Chevelle or Incubus." They also claim Filter is a similar artist (how In The Hell did Deftones influence the 30 STM sound?). Umm... Not quite. I really gotta stop reading reviews that come out of BMG.

A Halloween must see! This guy is awesome.

Do I have a problem?

2005-10-25T22:12:00.000-05:00

Mark "Rent-boy" Renton: I don't feel the sickness yet, but it's in the post. That's for sure. I'm in the junkie limbo at the moment. Too ill to sleep. Too tired to stay awake, but the sickness is on its way. Sweat, chills, nausea. Pain and craving. A need like nothing else I've ever known will soon take hold of me. It's on its way.

-- Trainspotting

I've known a junkie or two in my day. Nothing ever like in the movies, but they were junkies nonetheless. They'd panic when the stash or the money ran low and go balistic when they both ran out. I found myself in a similar situation this evening. I've checked the cubbords and the 'fridge, the cabinets and the pantry, I just can't find any more snack food. I need it you see, I need it! If I don't get something sweet, dripping in high fructose syrup, and stuffed with lard soon I think I may have to see what my neighbor has. I know he's got something I can hock, just one hit man, one Ho-Ho, a Zinger, or a Ding Dong! I need it man, you just don't get it! Suzy Q's, Cup Cakes, Devil Cremes, Twinkies, Cosmic Brownies, creamy oozing dripping with sugary love!

Its war man!

2005-10-25T10:18:00.000-05:00

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

-- Jimi Hendrix "The Star Spangled Banner"

CNN has a fun article about Iran and how they do not appreciate the typical 'Merican arrogant sense of humor. You see, Kuma Reality Games makes war simulations and they happened to make one called 'Assault on Iran'. While this may not seem like much, their typical simulations are almost accurate portrails of real battles, mostly from the current desert war. Iran didn't think it was funny and while the spokesman for Kuma reveals just how stupid he is (or how naive he thinks the rest of us are) by saying "The controversy does surprise me. I just didn't expect that there were people from Iran who were going to become aware of it." a petition at PersianPetition.com is quoted (because I can't read Arabic, though I wouldn't mind learning) as stating "We must make the Americans understand that Iran is different from Iraq and Afghanistan, where they just did what they wanted." Quick question here, why is the site's logo and motto in English when the rest of the site appears to be in Arabic? Anyway, how is Iran different, are they saying they are better than Iraq and Afganistan? Is that why we won't be able to do what we want there? I'm confused, but then, this isn't something new is it?

Wallace & Grumpet

2005-10-22T23:55:00.000-05:00

When I sit and think of the days we shared
and the nights you covered for me
Every little thing that I ever did
You would stand by me
-- Cold "Cure My Tragedy"

"Wallace and Grumpet Wallace and Grumpet can we go see Wallace and Grumpet?! Huh can we please I've been good I want to go see Wallace and Grumpet attack of the where rabbit its so funny with these bunnies and his arms and he goes AAAHHHHH!!! and then there's cheese and lots of bunnies and goes GGGRRRRR!!! and Wallace and Grumpet and..." Thing Two trails off for a second while the momentary high from oxygen deprevation overcomes him. He takes a deep breath loading up for a another barrage of his own special brand of convince the parental units through high speed and unitelligable requests and exclamations as I turn to M and say "Wallace and Grumpet." hehehe Though we got to the movie late, it hadn't started yet. Apparently they knew The Things were coming so they threw on an 10 minutes of movie trailers and then a short film before the actual film started. Good stuff.

Thing One: Why didn't Grommet talk?
Me: He's a dog.
Thing One: But...
Thing Two: CHEESE!!!
Thing One: Why didn't they make him talk?
Me: He's a dog, dog's can't talk.
Thing One: But he could drive.
Me: And?
Thing One: He's a dog, dog's can't drive.
Me: Grommit can.
Thing One: How?
Me: They made him drive.
Thing Two: CHEESE!!!
Thing One: So they could make him talk.
Me: Nope, he's a dog. Dog's don't talk.

Another late night, I went about 27 hours yesterday(s) before picking up about 7 1/2 hours of sleep today. Wait, its Sunday now isn't it? Umm... Then the 27 can from Friday and Saturday the sleep happened on after that. To reset though I'll need to stay up until about 10 tonight and hopefully sleep this evening. This site I'm working on has presented a number of unique challenges that have taken a great deal of effort getting past. I am by far no expert in web design though I certainly do not find it nearly as challenging as say, mowing my lawn.

One of things that prompted me to get some sleep this morning was that it seemed html generated on the server was not the same as the stuff generated locally. You see, I converted this database to MySql, wrote a bunch of stuff in PHP to let me access it and search it along with some "smart" SQL commands and all the AJAX goodies and what not (that includes the stuff to leverage google maps). Now I'm working on the presentation. Well, one of the things that is happening is when a search returns a list of results the user can click an item and it will display a tabbed box at the bottom of the page (adding these boxes as the results are clicked). Its this "tabbed box" that I am have the most trouble with. But I don't want to get into all the specifics right now, I solved the problem and have moved on, it just took way too long to resolve. I just wanted whine about it for a bit before I start back on it.

Well, back to it, I want to get this done and I know the guy I am doing this for wants it done too.

Busy Week

2005-10-21T18:31:00.000-05:00

The amenities of life have been chasing my soul
And my mind is transcendental, and I'm losing all control
And I'm sinking in the quagmire of illusions and Thoreau
I cry out "My name is T-Bone" as a hound dog digs a hole.
You ask so many questions, what answers should I choose?
Is it plain as heebie-jeebies or just existential blues?

-- T Bone "Existential Blues"

The week is over but the work is not. On the off chance Wilma makes landfall in my Neck Of The Woods stronger than currently predicted, I need to be prepared. I am curious how much wood it will take to cover my windows though I would much rather go with steel. Another story but something that probably will need to be addressed this weekend. And there is the matter of finishing this web site I've been working on. Things seem to continuously battle me in my efforts, I swear. There just isn't enough time in the day. When I sleep its only for about 6 hours and that only seems to happen every other day. This is a particularly rough time for me, but I'll get through it, just like every other rough time in my life.

I bought a new mouse about twenty five minutes ago and spent the past twenty minutes trying to get it out of the packaging. Why do they do that? Why do they package these things in such a way as to make them totally inaccessible? And what is the reasoning for so much packaging for something that fits in the palm of your hand? Why I ask you, why? Why doesn't the store you buy a printer from carry the print cartriges for your printer? Why do the print cartriges cost more than a new printer? Wouldn't it make more sense, economically not environmentally - duh!, for me to just buy a new printer everytime I ran out of ink? Why isn't it a lucrative business where you can just have customers buy printers from you and bring them back when they run out of ink?

This morning M tried to print some stuff - I'd already used up the ink last weekend and told her, though I did not remind her through out the week and/or buy some new ink in my vast free time - and the printer just sat there silently mocking her in the only way printers can: they do nothing. They don't blink any of their myriad lights on the front and/or top panels that would make the likes of Chekov envious. They don't make that I'm trying to take the paper but its just so heavy grinding sound. They don't rock left-to-right or right-to-left as the print head slides back and forth sloshing the ink it dribbles inside. They sit there, in self-righteous indignance, mocking you. As I get out of the shower I am informed of the situation and after losing a staring contest with the printer, we decide to copy the document to disk and use a less emotional printer somewhere else.

This was the point at which I discovered how incredibly stupid I actually am. Let me explain. After taking a moment to remember what a floppy disk looks like (for those of you that can't remember yourselves, a floppy disk is not floppy and doesn't look like penguins, electric pencil sharpeners, or sticky notes - though this document could have been transcribed with a freshly sharpened penguin to a sticky note in less time than this whole ordeal took). A sudden burst of nostalgia as I ran across the half-dozen-or-so disks and we're off. First disk is bad. Second disk is bad. Third disk is bad. Fourth disk is bad. While attempting to access the fifth disk I ran the nearest penguin through the electric pencil sharpener and watched as the picture wiggled on the monitor. Hey that's pretty neat, I thought to myself, reminiscing over my preteen years, speaker magnets, and an old television set. Speaker magnets. Old Television. Magnets. Television. Squiggly picture. Magnets. Damn disk just failed! CRAP!!!

Failing to find any blank cds I decide to try a different machine in the house with another disk found on the other side of the office far far away from the electric pencil sharpener and speaker magnets. All I need to do is copy the file across the network and onto this disk. That's all I need to do. I can't see the other computer from M's. From the other computer I can't see M's PC. From the laptop I can't see either machine. Reboot the router. No change. The Things wait impatiently in the car, they're already 10 minutes late for their day of Specialized Child Humiliation Or Other Lessons, while I fumble around in the house. In exchange for their patience they decide all of the lights inside and out, blinkers, and the wipers needed to be turned on; the removable radio face should be slightly dislodged so that it does not create a proper and consistent connection; the visors should be down with the mirrors open, the driver's and passenger's outside mirrors be pointed at the ground and the sky respectively, the seats adjusted just enough to be annoying (amazing considering they're all electric and I still had the keys) and the headrests either all the way down or completely removed.

Needless to say, it was a slow morning but it picked up as the day went on.

Manga Knitting Deadlines

2005-10-18T15:21:00.000-05:00

I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve
I have a history of taking off my shirt
-- Bare Naked Ladies "One Week"

A couple of weeks ago I posted about the English translation of "Death Note" being released this month. Well, this weekend I picked up a copy from Borders and downed it pretty quick. A number of reviewers were enamored by this story, touting "Death Note" as "One of the most interesting manga titles to come around for some time". While the story is interestingly twisted and takes an unexpected turn (or at least, did not take the same dry path I expected it to) with a mysterious international detective closing in on the boy genius delivering righteous justice through the Death Note, it is still lacking in many areas. The role of the Shinigami, Ryuk, in this tale is weak so far while I think the human character, Light, is dead on for a punk teenager know it all. I think thisreviewer made some pretty accurate statements: the art is ordinary; the dialogue is tedious at times; there is very little special about this title. Overall, this book should be darker, more sinister. By the end of volume one, Light has merely tested the waters with the Death Note and has left me wondering two things: 1) why hasn't he put the school bully's name in the book and 2) why hasn't he put his own name in there? Obviously I am going to read future volumes as they are translated, 'cause I'm a dork.

Other than reading manga I did manage to find my new theme song and super suits.

Dogs, Ferris Wheels, and Broken Toes

2005-10-17T10:58:00.000-05:00

When the day is done, we can have our fun
When we see the sun go down
We start our night out on the town
Bundle up it's cold

-- MXPX "Broken Bones"

This weekend was a pretty good one. Saturday was packed with stuff to do. I was in bed by 4a Saturday morning, up by 11a and off to a new dog park. This one was pretty nice but again, there were no dogs. It seems as though three out of four times I go to a dog park with Little Miss Evil there are no dogs for her to play with. After letting run for a bit I leashed her up and we went for a walk around the rest of park. Really nice place in a really nice neighborhood. I am seriously thinking about thinking about looking into maybe checking around about possibily getting a new house in this area of town. Maybe. So, while we were walking down by the lake, dumb dumb decided to test the murky water surface tension and tried to walk across. With one foot on shore and three rapidly sinking into the abyss, Bella froze in panic. Needless to say, she learned a valuable lesson that day, dogs sink.

Later, we coordinated with some family friends to meet at the local fair and spend lots of money on extremely short rides and rigged games. Thing Two demanded I take him on the Ferris wheel and being the strong fatherly type I decided my fear of heights would have to weight. I managed to stiffle my own wimpering and trembling knees to ride in the unsecurred basket with a seven-year old that had no clue of the lack of maintenance and disrepair these gypsies keep their rides in. Meanwhile, Thing One enjoys the less obviously dangerous bumper cars. Just before we left, to help Thing One over his fears I coaxed him on to the Ferris wheel. Yeah, I'm a glutton. I get him on board with a promise of the bungie jump ($5 for three minutes of hopping on a rubber band, woo hoo) and by the time we get to the top he's all giggles and I'm sweating bullets.

Back at home the The Things get deloused and prepared for Granny's while we instruct the sitter on what to do. Darting through the house, Thing One slams his foot into the vacuum. Not five minutes later, Thing Two does exactly the same thing. Once again stifling - laughter this time - I help them both and get them settled. M and I are off for the evening and I get to play parking lot police identifying cars with lights left on and abandonned cellphones to the maitre d'. Sunday comes and The Things are with Granny spending the day at Busch Gardens. But when I picked them up that night, I learned just how bad Thing One's pinky toe actually is and a trip to the doctor's this morning proves it: it's hurt. In the doctor's words, "it might have a small fracture or just just be jammed up real bad." He did explain that a teensy weensy cast is out of the question so "Buddy Taping" is what needs to be done. Apparently, Thing One's toes are buddies (not for long though) and they got taped together.

I asked Thing One about why he didn't say anything about his foot and he responded, "I was trying to tough it out, like you said, but it really hurts now." My chest swelled with pride and pain that my son, my newly 11 year old son, was trying to be a man and stick out the pain. And it killed me that I made my boy walk around all day on a broken toe because I was trying to teach him that sometimes, you just have to work through the pain. What kind of a crap dad have I become? The boys gone and broken his toe and I jokingly respond with "you've got nine more..."

The friends you never make are the friends you'll never have

2005-10-13T20:08:00.000-05:00

Lesson taught, Well lesson learned,
You told me not to mourn,
Your heart is bigger than any man alive

-- Rancid "Otherside"

A year or two ago my step dad and I went over to one of his friends' apartments where we were to fix their son's computer. Turns out their son is my age and we hit it off pretty well. He's a gearhead like my step dad but I can't hold that against him. The computer's fixed and he invites me for a beer to continue our conversation but I decline as I have other things that need to be tended to - though I don't really drink, he seemed like a good guy to hang out with.

One day last week on my way home from work, the route I usually take was unusually cramped and I was extraordinarily impatient so I took a side road. This put me down some back roads and I passed right by his apartment building. Hey, I know those apartments, that's where Troy lives, he was a good guy. I thought to myself and went on about my business. Then, this evening, I get a call from my step father letting me know Troy was found dead in his living room. I don't know any specifics yet, sure wish I had taken the oportunity to get to know him better.

Posse 4.0

2005-10-12T21:51:00.000-05:00

I run through the world
thinkin' about tomorrow
I am smelling like the rose that somebody
gave me on my birthday deathbed

-- Stone Temple Pilots "Dead & Bloated"

Jason posted regarding his love/hate relationship with his mail client: he loves to hate it and it hates to love him. This got me to thinking that maybe I just didn't spend enough time with Entourage and trying to get the mail ported from Thunderbird into it. I found this article giving me a clue, but it was all fairly boring.

Here's the science: After reading the above mentioned article and all of its coments (hey, I did it, you can do it too) you can follow these lose-fitting and confusing instructions. Locating the Thunderbird mail files wasn't pleasant though Spotlight, once I remembered it, came in very useful. When you find the correct files, copy the ones without an extension (inbox, outbox, drafts, sent, etc...) to the desktop so that you can rename them with a .mbox extension. Open Entourage and drag the newly renamed files into with there Folders on My Computer list, or into an already open folder. This may take some time if you have a lot of mail because Thunderbird apparently does not actually sort the mail as it is displayed to you. Yes sir (or maddam as the case may be), this does mean you will have to locate and sort the newly imported inbox yourself. My suggestions are 1) sort the inbox by From and make the relocating of messages easier to handle; B) Configure your junk and filter settings and let Entourage handle the sorting for you; or III) Write an add-in that will do the sorting and catologuing for you AND your e-mail client. I really like option III, but since I am down to the R's I think I'll skip that one.

Round One

2005-10-10T10:59:00.001-05:00

Back at base, bugs in the software
Flash the message, "Something's out there"
Floating in the summer sky
99 red balloons go by

-- Goldfinger "99 Red Balloons"

The death toll in Pakistan has hit 20,000 or 30,000 depending upon what you read, either way its bad. We don't typically see numbers like that here, but I wonder how much longer that will last too. And of course, some people attributed God's Wrath for Katrina. But what are they saying now? Come on now, we lost around 1000 people over the course of a week or two, they lost about 20 times that in a day. You don't have to be a religious scholar to put two and two together here. Its obvious, the 'Merican god and the Muslim god are throwing down and it's gonna be better than the Griffin vs. Bonnar bout back in April.

MAC + VPC = BSOD

2005-10-08T22:38:00.000-05:00

Is this the way a toy feels when its batteries run dry?
I am the watch you always wear but you forget to wind
-- Brand New "Guernica"

12:20p and hard at work. Actually, I am taking a break. Yesterday I borrowed a PC from my best friend so I could get some work done because MAC + VPC = Black Screen of Death:

The only problem is, I need that VPC 'cause I write software for Windows. Yes, I code for food, does that make me a whore? I sold out years ago, abandoning my high-brow ideals of revolution and true freedom when I discovered money and what it can do for you. I used to live with everything I owned in a backpack, then it got stolen. There's no more humbling an experience than having the few possessions in the world that meant anything to you (soap, deoderant, tooth brush and paste, change of under-clothes (experience taught me you'll never know when these things will become essential), a book of poetry, a notebook with my own crappy poems in it, and an assorted of other oddities that had been recently stuffed in the bag) suddenly taken away - while you run inside a McDonald's on the beach to try to flirt akwardly with a girl while ordering fries and a coke. Then I bought a new backpack and put new stuff in it. Then I got my own place (actually, I moved in with a good friend of mine's brother) and didn't need the backpack anymore, which was a good thing because it and a few other items were stolen from my car in front of my new place (and later, a third backpack was stolen from my car in front of M's work when we were dating).

Anyway, the I am in the middle of some pretty heavy clipboard development (reimplementing/refactoring copy and paste functionality in our app) when the VPC I am currently working on dies. Then, after rebooting, all clipboard operations are locked. After creating a new VPC from my previously known good base-line still nothing. deletig and reinstalling VPC works for a little while but then it starts getting hosed up again. So I pander to my best friend's good will and get him to loan me a PC that I can work on. I wish I could just work on the laptop, but the development tools for (C/C++/C#) any other platform pale in comparrison to Visual Studio, I'm sorry, but it is The Truth. And I will take that to anyone claiming otherwise; hands down, VS is superior. And I mean the IDE, not the compiler. It'd be nice if it would support user-defined linkers and compilers but...

So, I've finally gotten everything installed on this box so I can get some work done. The only thing I had trouble with was setting up the Apache, PHP, and MySQL stuff for the work I am doing on a web site. I found this site and was on my way in a few short minutes. I can never remember how to configure Apache to use PHP so I always have to dig around for it.

The diet is done for now, as soon as I decided to drop weight I got slammed with reality: work deadlines, illness, and only having 24 hours in a day. I am thinking about trying again this coming Monday but I doubt it will happen. We'll see. People have told me in they can't see me at 240 and the few I've shown the only full-body picture I have to have commented about how unbelievable it is. And they follow it up with, "but you aren't fat now". They can say that with confidence because they don't see me naked. They should be thanking me for that one. Am I too self-conscious? Yes. But then if I weren't, I'd be even bigger than I used to be. I just want to get into good enough shape to pull off a good sexy-jutsu.

Corpse Bride sucked

2005-10-05T01:15:00.000-05:00

Professor: That question is less stupid, though you asked it in a profoundly stupid way.

-- Futurama "Anthology of Interest 1."

Its been a week and not too much has happened; I got sick, the mutt brutalized my office door (the door frame, a desk and computer, an antique bureau, and a window sill) - now she's on doggy valium and I've basically busted my ass while recovering. Right now, I am taking a break from another midnight work-a-thon. That's thon not thong. You see, I've gotten the big parts of this project done, its just all the little crap and special circumstances that are really bogging me down. That and the fact that my unrealistic deadline was preempted and reinstated several times only to be moved up a few days to be due tomorrow.

Why are Japanese people so big on death and suicide? I am seeing more and more about it lately. I watched another Google Current piece on suicide and am now half-watching the Paranoia Agent episode "Happy Family Planning", which happens to be all about it. This month's Shonen Jump is showcasing the new graphic novel Death Note. Death Note is about this Japanese Grim Reaper (they have a bunch of them) and a 17 year old genius; and they are both bored. So, the Grim Reaper dude drops his notebook (write a person's name in it and how they die and it will happen) in the Human realm just to see what happens. Boy Genius finds it and has some fun killing several hundred people. As a short, this is a decent story but here's the kicker, seven novels have been written in the past year (it is insanely popular over there) and the first translated volume is hitting shelves here this month. Seven books. I just don't see where this kind of story can go. Obviously I am going to have to buy a copy and see what happens.

According to my news reader, after a week of not reading any blogs, I have over 500 unread posts. You know what this means, there's got to be at least three posts in there I'd actually find interesting.

Oh, and I saw The Corpse Bride this weekend. It was lame, as in FDR.

Right?

2005-09-27T06:53:00.000-05:00

And so castles made of sand melts into the sea, eventually

-- Jimmy Hendrix "Castles Made of Sand"

A little trivia before we begin. The American Southwest is very historical and very rich in its Spanish and Indian cultures. Just like Taco Bell will always taste like Taco Bell, Christian (Catholic) religion will always be a strong part of the American southwest. Let's look at the names of some of the towns: Santa Fe in English means Holy Faith; Los Angeles means The (City of) Angels; Sacramento tanslates to Sacrement; and Las Cruces in Spanish translates to the crossings, the crossroads, the crosses. Not to mention any of the bazillion towns and cities with San and St preceding the name - Catholic Saints anyone?

Now for the bullshit. Paul F. Weinbaum is at it again, only this time, instead of trying to get rid of a statue he's suing his town to change their logo. Las Cruces has for their logo, a sun burst with three crosses and this guy has been trying to get these images wiped from the public's eye for quite some time. First off, in my opinion Mr. Weinbaum, you're a dipshit. Before there were Christians, there were Jews, before there were Jews, there were Pagans. And all this time through religious change, Romans had been crucifying the lot of them; Pagans, Jews, and Christians alike. Mr Weinbaum has even written an article for the Freedom From Religion Foundation where he throws the gloves down and makes his points milky clear.

The local police were photographed on February 26, 1970, with three crosses on their shoulder patch. Now they wear two shoulder patches, right and left, while riding in their vehicles, which sport crosses on both doors and on both sides of the rear window. (The last pictures of police wearing crosses that I can recall were Nazis.)

It's a shame, but that might be the truth, but what Mr. Weinbaum neglects to mention are the police badges that are five-pointed stars set in a circle (oh the humanity), the ambulances with their cross-adorned vehicles, crosses littering cemetary landscapes, and the green-backs in his own wallet. If you are going to point out the adulteration of a religious symbol (the swastika, aka hakencruz (broken cross) was originally a religious symbol in Buddism as well as Orthodox Roman Catholicism) for the purpose of illustration, be thurough.

And then you have the great Attorney General that has spent a great deal of money and time focusing our attention on the #4 item in The List: Obscenity. More specifically, deviant pornography. Let's think about this for a moment, they are trying to make illegal now for an adult to opt into viewing BS&M porn. The key words here are Adult, and Opt Into. This isn't stuff that is forced down the throats of children, this is stuff that Adults (you know, the tall people that are supposd to be responsible enough to make decisions for themselves and their children - and the elderly but this is for a different topic) are voluntarily purchasing for the sake of sporting a woody while oogling boobies in weird ways. Apparently, the Conservative Fundamentalists would have us believe that if an adult is interested in such things, he/she cannot be trusted to make The Right decision. Thats interesting because this particular topic is #4 on The List whereas violent crimes against children is much further down.

Doesn't porn fall under the same rights Mr. Weinbaum is fighting for? I wonder if he would agree. What do you think Mr. Ashcroft (look closely)?

Still hurts

2005-09-26T07:46:00.000-05:00

You've got a new horizon it's ephemeral style.
Melancholy town where we never smile.
And all I wanna hear is the message beep.
My dreams, they got a kissin, because I don’t get a sleep, no.
-- Gorillaz "Feel Good Inc."

Head still hurts though the throbbing is on the other side. Still getting crap for sleep, eyes burning, shoulder's hurting, my shit's just falling apart; and I still haven't gotten Fedora installed successfully. I downloaded the four install iso's and the four SRPM iso's and tried and tried but no luck on a positive install. First attempt, it failed trying to partition the virtual drive. Second attempt, failed during format. Third attempt, failed during install. Fourth attempt, locked up during install. Fifth and sixth attempts, threw an exception during install. Seventh attempt, installed successfully but crashes during reboot. I am downloading Slackware 10.2 now, so we'll see how that one goes.

Hopping on the scale this morning I was mortified to see where I was headed again. A few years ago I topped out around 240 and at 5'10 on a good day, we're talkin' tubby. My lowest about six, maybe nine months ago I was 168 and feeling great. This morning however the magic Meaning O'Life meter put me at 197.4 pounds and 24% body fat. Damn. I mean, DAMN! That's about 47 pounds is fat. Blubber. I'm not even going to think about that right now (do I sound like a chick yet?). Having done quite well in the past with diets and with a good understanding of my body I am going to hit it pretty hard this week and see where I land. So, I'm food fasting today to jump start things and I am going to be doing cardio two - three times a day. I ran for 30 this morning and plan to do a hardcore routine when I get home either at lunch (if I can make it) or this evening and then run again tonight. The faster I can deplete the quicker I can start dropping the weight. Besides, I really want to start training again anyway. Sitting around working all the time is really getting to me.

My head hurts

2005-09-24T17:31:00.000-05:00

Oh, the power to be strong and the wisdom to be wise
All these things will come to you in time
On this journey that you’re making
There’ll be answers that you’ll seek
And it’s you who’ll climb the mountain
It’s you who’ll reach the peak
-- Phil Collins "Son of Man"

Well, let's see, severely interrupted sleep Tuesday night, no sleep Wednesday night, severely interrupted sleep Thursday night, in bed by 3a Friday night/Saturday morning. My head is killing me. I should be working but I'm burning out, I need to take a break but I can't seem to do it. Did I mention my head hurts? Right behind my right eye all the way back to my neck. Last night my chest hurt really bad, like I'd been stabbed the pain went through my chest to my back. The was almost unbearable with each breath I took but it went away.

I'm starting up a new VPC on my Mac to install a Linux distro on by I just can't decide which to use. My first exposure to Linux was with Slackware version 3.2. I remember spending several days downloading disk images, formatting floppy disks, and raw writing the images to them. I recall the frustration of having a third of the disks go bad. At the time I was the shipping department manager at an engineering company (where I was later promoted to The Lab and my professional software development career was born) and because I was good at my job I had plenty of time to kill. Those were the days, there were only a few "major" distributions of Linux and was fairly simple to get on board with them. Now, the list goes on with new ones poping up everyday and old ones dying off along side them. I don't really get why there are so many distros, I know why, but I still don't get it. They are all basically the same; the same packages on the same filesystems, running the same servers, and the same window managers.

I really dig Linux From Scratch and even built a minimal distro once, but I don't have the time to do it again though I wish I could. So, which distro do I want to play with? After visiting a number of the sites I'd frequented in the past (LinuxHQ, Linux4Newbies, Linux Gazette, etc...) and discovering that some are no more, I think I've decided to go with the latest Fedora Core distro. Firing up the FTP client I've started the downloads and within the next few days start the install...

Restless

2005-09-23T07:12:00.000-05:00

The fever, the focus.
The reasons that I had to believe you weren't too hard to sell.
Die young and save yourself.
The tickle, the taste of...
It used to be the reason I breathed but now it's choking me up.
Die young and save yourself
-- Brand New "Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades"

Tuesday night, M went to bed early nursing a migrain hang-over and stayed up to get some work done. I made it to bed around midnight and was promptly woken up at 1:30 by the dumbass dog barking in my ear. Just about every hour after that she woke us (me) up for whatever reason. Needless to say, Wednesday I was pretty dead. I got home and decided to liven things up with some video games while M was out touring a hospital with her sister. After about an hour I proceeded to work through the night and dipshit hardly made a move. Thursday rolls around and I am dead on my feet but I make it through the day and am in bed and fast asleep by 9p. In bounds the dog yelping and barking at midnight, at 1:30a, 3a, and again at 5a. I hate this dog. And though I have been vocally against it, I am getting a crate this weekend - a big one, that locks.

Things are going to be shaking up here in the Cube Village over the next few months. We have a new version of our flagship product that needs to get underway and we aren't even done with the current version yet. Personally, I think the whole thing could have been handled better, the transition of leadership seemed a bit underhanded, or at least sneaky, but I don't have enough invested to get my feeling hurt (I only have one) so I'm still good. I am still concerned with getting my current piece into today's build. There is just way too much to do in such a breif cycle. It was assigned to me on the 7th, but then I was refocused on several other issues along the way and have had only had since this past Tuesday to make any progress.

XIII

2005-09-21T19:17:00.000-05:00

I rarely have time to play games but I did take the time this evening to give XIII another go. Thirteen is a unique game with cel-shaded graphics, a crappy A.I., a weak plot, and cut scenes you just can't skip; seriously, most of them you can't skip, its lame. There are scenerios that will leave you wandering around with no direction and nothing offering hints. Then suddenly, you happen to walk over the trigger point and bad guys pop up out of no where - in exactly the same place each time. If you can tollerate the tedious maps with exactly the same number of bad guys that roam in exactly the same patterns with every pass, this game may be worth an evening. Yeah, this game is pretty bad, but hey, it looks cool.

Social to the ism to the U.S.A.

2005-09-21T11:35:00.000-05:00

There's a loser in the house, and a puppet on the stool,
And a crowded way of life, and a black reflecting pool,
And as the people bend, the moral fabric dies,
The country can't pretend to ignore its people's cries.

-- Bad Religion "You Are (The Government)"

Yesterday, Richard posted about his OkCupid! Politics Test so I decided to take my own:

You are a
Social Liberal
(70% permissive)

and an...
Economic Liberal
(20% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Socialist
You exhibit a very well-developed
sense of Right and Wrong
and believe in economic fairness.

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

Socialist huh? What the hell is a Socialist anyway? I mean really, does it really mean anything these days, do any of the political parties really mean anything at all anymore? This is what Wikipedia says, which looks an aweful lot like a hive mentality supressing the self for the many. Just hearing the word "Socialist" brings a 50's circa knee-jerk reaction with "better dead than red" echoing in the rafters. Is this really me, right now, a Socialist? I think not, but maybe. I don't really pay much attention to politics, though I know I should, but I always thought of myself as a Democratic with Republican tendancies. I believe strongly in the individual, big business, big government, and the basic precepts of freedom; though they all have their limits.

All I want is to be able to keep my private life private and my family safe, and fed, with a roof over my head. And a new car, a plasma TV, an XBox 360, a swiming pool with a slide, my own personal clown that can juggle and make baloon animals, a dog that will fit in my shirt pocket and poke its head out and smile on command. And most of all, free porn.

... And I Feel Fine

2005-09-20T05:00:00.000-05:00

Uh oh, this means no fear - cavalier. Renegade and steer clear! A tournament,
a tournament, a tournament of lies. Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives
and I decline.
-- REM "Its the End of the World"

Please tell me humanity is not going to be reduced to that of a B-Rated off-Hollywood Sci-Fi flick that's gone straight to video. Between Evil-Dust clouds, plague infected mice, the bird flu pandemic, and the movement to turn off the Internet we're DOOMED!!!

In other news, advancements have been made in the field of shirt folding.

Teen Angst with Tips

2005-09-19T09:47:00.000-05:00

It's just past 8 and I'm feeling young and reckless
The ribbon on my wrist says, "Do not open before Christmas."
-- Fall Out Boy
"Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued"

I think parents should take notice, acording to this article, The School Board is making available to the public the 10th grade FCAT tests on Wednesday (9.21.05). Take the test, then take it with your kid, so the next time this happens to your kid, you'll know why.

Every 20 years something happens to repeat history. In '85 it was New Coke, this year it's New Math. Let's see if this hits the nerd palate the same as it did in the 80's.

There's a nice article on Tips of the Trade follwed up with an inspiring forum for user contributions; some of my favorites:

Software Tester
Because developers don’t expect testers to read through their code, doing so is a quick and easy way to find possible bugs. Look for comments like “// HACK” or “// fix this crap later.”

Clergy
If you are performing a funeral or burial and are unsure of what happens next or where it might occur, just remember one simple rule: always stick with the body.

Stoner
If you have a glass pipe or bong and are out of weed, wet the tip of a q-tip and scrub the inside of the bowl. Then peel off the cotton ball, stick it in your pipe, and smoke it.

Masters of the Universe

2005-09-18T12:46:00.000-05:00

And I try, oh my god do I try
I try all the time, in this institution
And I pray, oh my god do I pray
I pray every single day
For a revolution

-- 4 Non Blondes "What's Up"

HeMan was one of the really big shows I watched in my youth. I think that is true in most men my age. When asking around my cube and our neighbors, none of us could come up with all the names of all the HeMan characters. Then, one of my cube-mates found this site listing them all. Problem solved. We can all go back to work now that the crisis has been averted. Fast forward to this weekend when I found this and you'll see that it has only just begun. Just go there. Do it. Do it.

I got nuttin...

Is it edible?

2005-09-17T20:44:00.000-05:00

Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam
Hormel's new miracle meat in a can
Tastes fine, saves time
If you want something grand, ask for SPAM.

-- Pre WWII SPAM commercial

Justin, you suggested I start using the "word verification" filter to help weed out the spam. I vaguely remember Mike saying something about that too. Well if I did that, I'd never get any comments here. Sure, maybe they're promoting porn (hooray porn!) or some multilevel pyramid marketing product giveaway scam thingy (hooray porn!), but they are still my friends. And so are you Justin, that's why I took your advice (and Mike's) and got off my lazy butt and looked through some of the settings on this blog. Thanks guys, I just limited the amount of attention I was getting (my last post scored big!) but maybe its true what they say, quality over quantity and all that.

Postal Toiletries

2005-09-16T06:09:00.000-05:00

Monk: The pathway to salvation is as narrow and as difficult to walk as a razor's edge.
-- The Razor's Edge

I laughed my ass off when I read about it in the Onion, then again when reading the article in CNN and again later in Wired. But, according to MSNBC, this new bastard quintuplet of a razor has been "unveiled". WTF? Who gives a shit? OK, casting stones and all aside, is there any reason for it? Any reason at all - other than soaking customers that is? Not long ago I received one of those four-bladed contraptions in the mail. I thought to myself, Self, do you really want to press four razors against your jaw that have been through the mitts of the postal service? So I tried it out. I gave it a couple of weeks and with its enormous blade-stocked head I nicked the hell out of my chin. I did not get a closer shave. *If* I am going to shave, I want it to be a very close, very nice shave. And while the end result is very important, the experience of the process in its entirety is equally so. The head on the Schtick Quatro was just huge, so what's the new Gillette Fusion going to be like? One can only imagine. To be clear, I have not performed intensive surveys of these razors and I have not tried a four or five-bladed vibrating lotion oozing razor with an extra moisture strip on my balls, I wonder if Michael Schaffer has...

Ghost Rider

2005-09-15T07:19:00.000-05:00

He's ridin' through town with his head on fire!!
head on burnin' eyes all tired
Ghost Rider
keep ridin' never stop ridin'
don't forget to burn

-- Henry Rollins Band "Ghost Rider"

Pretty big day yesterday, lots of work and little time for blogging. Who cares, I was just put on to the new Ghost Rider (as opposed to the circa 1999 TV show Ghost Rider that never quite made it, this one will be in A Theater Near You in 2006) trailer. I'll tell you righ now, you'll need QuickTime 7, which is in beta; and at 24 megs it is no trivial download. Well, OK, so maybe it is.

Reporter: Could you tell us about the "Good Samartian"
Hottie Punk Girl: He had this rad chopper, it was all flames and suff... His face was a skull... And it was... On fire.
Reporter: On fire?
Hottie Punk Girl: Like {making hissing fire-esque sounds waving her arms}

Awesome.

A pal of mine that never leaves comments asked me "where do you find all this crap you write so unintelligibly about?" Seeing as there are so many people interested in a behind-the-scenes look at a typical post on an empty place v3.5, I decided to give the public what they wanted: Twinkies. While reading Jason Looney's blog, I followed a link of his to The Hulk's Diary That Is On The Internet. After wetting myself I followed a link there to Dial B For Blog. After a bit I dove into their blogroll in the right-hand column (that's if you're looking at the monitor, on the left if you are looking from the monitor at me - if you are, would you mind not doing that?) of the page and picked the first one that jumped out at me (otherwise known as The Fifth From The Top theory): Broken Glass. From there, I followed a link to an old post on Gearcritech (July 29th) covering this trailer. That about sums it up kids, I am going to get some work done now.

Typical day at work

2005-09-13T15:04:00.000-05:00

Maxxx Orbison: Look, I get a lot of people auditioning all the time. What makes you think that you'd be good enough for porno?
Sancho: I am Sancho.

-- Orgazmo

I just had to share this conversation I had with a co-worker of mine; that sits about twenty feet behind me. I've changed the names to throw off my co-worker in case he thought I was showing the world the conversation he and I just had. It isn't you Ron, this came from a conversation with someone else.

The part of John will be played by Sancho.

[15:29] Sancho: Hey, you ready to meet with [mutual supervisor] in the morning?
[15:30] Sancho: How's little Rufus doing BTW?
[15:33] Coworker: not really ready, but hopefully our conversation will help. Rufus is doing well - although we have some eating issues we have to work out. Otherwise he's a very calm, sweet little dude.
[15:33] Sancho: Well, you guys just have to remember, he eats like normal people: in the mouth, out the butt.
[15:34] Coworker: damn, I thought we might be approaching it from the wrong end...
[15:35] Sancho: maybe, here's a tip: gurgling is not always a good thing
[15:35] Coworker: how come?
[15:36] Sancho: well, my kids didn't come with the usual set of gills, I've written the manufacturer about it and many other things, but they have been nonresponsive. 'nother tip: don't threaten to put the kid back
[15:37] Coworker: they don't buy it, do they?
[15:37] Sancho: that one's a really hard sell
[15:43] Coworker: probably for the wife too
[15:45] Sancho: The real kicker is when she catches you eyeballing the dimensions of the return package to the male slot
[15:50] Coworker: I don't think the math exists to make that return work
[15:52] Sancho: damn, maybe that's how my taxes got screwed up

thwapp! Their aim is getting better.

Gamey

2005-09-13T10:06:00.000-05:00

Inspector: Dust the colon and the backslash key! Only geeks use those keys.

-- Antitrust

"Family game night" is the one night a week we all get together and play a board game. I am thinking about proposing some new games because the usual Life, Mouse Trap, Trivial Pursuit: Star Wars, and Clue are getting old. Seeing as how I am a geek married to a closet geek and raising two more geeks, this is what I propose:

And there are so many more.

Walmart

2005-09-12T22:01:00.000-05:00

In the Carhart flannel and dusty jeans baby
I never was cool with James Dean
But I be hanging tough with my man Jim Beam

-- Kid Rock "I am the Bullgod"

On my way home I stopped by Walmart to pick up some Protein, a new coffee grinder, and some labels. You see, the past two times I bought protein I picked up the wrong kind. The first time, I see the chocolate and vanilla side by side. I grab the chocolate and read its contents. Somehow, I ended up with the vanilla by the time I got home. That was alright, mixing the vanilla with my existing chocolate makes for an excellently flavored shake. Yum. Last time I looked specifically at the name, Chocolate, and still managed to bring home the vanilla flavor. This time I triple checked it at the shelf, then again several times in the line at the checkout, on the way out the door, and again in the car. Finally, after two months, I was able to defeat the product switching gremlins and brought the chocolate protein mix home. Too bad I don't use it anymore.

You see, Walmart is a special place. It is the ONLY place you can go and be equal with everyone else. There are no kings at Walmart, there are no proud and beautiful people. Walmart brings equality to 'Merica for we are all brothers and sisters, we are all... Trailer Trash. Walmart is the best place on Earth. Think about it, what other place can you go and pick out 10 $10 uniform shirts, all of the same cut but in different colors. 10 spiral notebooks with same color scheme as the uniform shirts. Matching pens and pencils, and 10 different magazines and coloring books. Then go pickout 10 different flavors of ice cream and sit them on top of all that stuff - you don't even have to match the flavors to the colors. Then spend another hour waiting for your car to get its oil rotated while the ice cream melts. Then change your mind about the whole damn thing.

I have an idea for a project that will be the next Zodialogical revolution. Hmmm.... Stay tuned for more details.

Behold... The Power of Cheese

2005-09-12T15:28:00.000-05:00

Jerry was a race car driver
22 years old
Had too many cold beers one night
And wrapped himself around a telephone pole.

-- Primus "Jerry was a Race Car Driver"

Cheese is one of the few things in the world that can smell like shit, taste like shit, and look like it's covered in shit, but people will spend tons of money for it. Personally, I don't really have a favorite. All I know about cheese is that Colby and Monterey Jack together, make Colby Jack. And then there's White American, and Cheddar, and the old standard, Yellow American. I like them in blocks, wheels, wedges, sticks, slices, chunks, and shredded. I like them in a boat, I like the from a goat, I will eat them from a cow, I really don't care how. I like cheese. It's like you're dreamin' about Gorgonzola cheese when it's clearly Brie time, baby. Step into my office.

There's only one thing better than slinging a giant koosh at a guy hiting him in the back of the head. Doing it at work with a flat koosh ball. Periodcally through the day the wooshing sound of a giant deflated kooshball can be heard as it quicly approaches and zips right past your head. Immediately following are the muffled, yet manly giggles and the clickety click of keyboards. You see, we work in a cube village. Four people to a hut, or rather, cubical; three cubes to an adobe - only, with less literal mud. We share our desks with each other like good communists should. We also share our pain. Along with the free flowing growls and curses, a sting here or there from the mighty blue deflated koosh comes the job description. Actually, I found this thing - fully inflated - at the flea market and just had to have one. After about five minutes with it in the car the novelty wore off and I took it work with me where we first played catch with it. Then it started to be used as a polite tap on the shoulder (we sit with our backs facing each other - brave aren't we) to get someone's attention. As all things 'Merican, it degraded into what we have now... vvvvffffffFFFFFRRRRAAAPPP! ouch cocksucker! clickety clickety click.

More on the dog

2005-09-11T13:09:00.000-05:00

Too many puppies are being shot in the dark.
Too many puppies are trained not to bark.

-- Primus "Too Many Puppies"

Well, Santa's Little Helper is doing well, she finally decided it was OK to get comfortable and get some sleep. I was up with her until about 3:30 this morning while she lay, uncomfortably, on her belly. Trading with M, I went to bed, and not being a "night person" she crashed on the couch. I got back up at about seven listening to the mutt whine in my ear (my bed is so high I feel like a five-year-old dangling my feet off the side and she can rest her head on the bed - I'm not used to having such a big dog) to let her go outside and make with the pee pee. After that, practically all day she's been lying around - on her side - and slightly wagging her tail. She's finally starting to be happy. I've never seen a dog nervously mope around like this one has done for the past 24 hours.

These are some of the things I've learned about this dog so far:

She has no concept of sliding glass doors
She loves to look at herself in the mirror
She does not like being pinned up
She will pick a person and follow them around until she gets bored with them then she'll follow someone else around for a while
She will tell you when she's ready to go out

If you don't listen to her, she will piss in the hallway in front of the bathroom like she's doing right now! Dammitall!!

She will hide in Thing One's bottom bunk when you yell because she is pissing in the hallway

I didn't yell at her, I just made a lot of noise because I, unlike all of you that would criticize, don't like people or animals pissing in my hallway

She will come back and appologize after she gets back in with Thing Two after you've finished cleaning up and Febreezing the piss in the hallway
She doesn't bark
She is very lovable

Unfortunately, I've gotten instantly attached to her and its gonna kill me if this doesn't work out. I hate dogs.

She is aerodynamic and her snout is shaped like the tip of a dart

I wonder if she shoots after a squirl and nails the fense if she'll stick

She has no clue what fetch means

So far, she has ignored all of the other dogs in the neighborhood and hasn't bolted yet but we'll see. So far so good, I mean, its been 24 hours and we've had two "accidents" in the house and she's bounced off the sliding glass doors a dozen times or so. But she's learning, and so are we.

A By-Product of the TV Industry

2005-09-10T23:37:00.000-05:00

We've got nothing better to do, than watch TV and have a couple of brews
Don't talk about anything else, we don't wanna know
We're dedicated to our favorite shows
That's Incredible, Hill Street Blues, Dallas, Fridays

-- Black Flag "TV Party"

DVR r0x! I really love it. Being raised by the television I hate it with every thread in my immortal soul (no, I do not believe that we are just meat, and I'm OK with that; besides then cannibalism would become an option and I'm not quite OK with that just yet) just like all good Generation X'ers loath their parental units. I hate that the values it gave me were thinly veiled marketing and that the better tomorrow is a crappy today. It was February 26th, right about this time - making it the 27th I guess - that I quit smoking. Again. I'd been smoking since I was 18, though I'd obviously smoked before this, I don't count it because it was not as regular as when I could buy it on my own. I've quit a few times over the past 12 years, once for almost two full years. I don't remember what it was, I think I went out clubbing or maybe just to a friends, had a few and didn't stop again. I'd quit for a few months to shut M up, but then I'd start sneaking them and once I got caught I'd just go back to a pack-a-day or so. I was always a curteous smoker though, I'd never do it around people that didn't like it and would go to great lengths to keep from smelling like it.

In two weeks it'll be seven months and I still get cravings, bad ones. But I can't blame anyone, and I won't; I lit my first joint and I stomped out my last cigarrette. I have no one to blame for it. But when I am feeling really tense inside I just have to have an outlet and always used to be a smoke. Especially this late at night. Nah, it ain't smack, nothing that really does anything for you, I mean, come on, after a few packs you don't even feel different after you have one. But there is something. You don't feel it in your veins, it doesn't crawl up your neck and tickle the backs of your eyes. I don't even remember what it was, but I want one.

And when there's no time for anything else and I just want to veg in front of the tube, I can watch all the shows that come on when I'm never able to watch them. DVR is awesome. It could be better. It should be better. They have the ability to do so much more, why don't they? Are the developers just lazy? Too scared to reach for the cookie for having their hand slapped? I just can't tell you how many times my hands have been slapped. When I worked at L-3 I butted heads with the all-mighty in marketing all the time because we both believe our ways were the right way. I learned a lot there. I miss the people I worked with there. But I work with good people here too. I think this place is a good fit for me, these guys are really great people. And I've had my hands slapped here too. I only it'll happen again. If we don't reach for more, we'll rarely see it.

When I go through Bright House's IControl movie list, why can't I check off specific shows to make a smaller list to choose from? I have the attention span of a carrot. Its not like it would be that much extra code to creat a sublist or sorts. And in their onscreen guide, when I am looking for shows deep in the bowels of their crappy index, why can't I sublist there? I want to know when anime is playing on any channel, why can't they tell me that? Why do I have to know the name of the show I am looking for? I don't know the name, all I know is there are guns, big eyed girls with big tits that giggle a lot. Who cares what the name is. If its animated, has robots and boobies, its for me. I'd also like to be able to see when the next fight is coming on. I don't care who's fighting, I want to see grown men beating the shit out of each other and real blood (WW-whateverthefuckthenextletteristhismonth sucks donkey dick) for heavan's sake! Is that too much to ask? So far, this season of The Ultimate Fighter is full of pussies. Brad Imes got teabagged by Rob MacDonald; and he was whining like a little bitch the whole episode!

Why can't I pause one tuner and switch the pip without my paused channel resuming? I first fell in love with DVR with our Scientific Atlanta 8000. Boy did it suck. It was quirky all to hell and that's why I loved it so much. The newer model, the 8300, fixed most of those quirks but seemed far more unstable. We are on our third box which needed to be reset already and the one in the bedroom just lost all of its scheduled recordings. Why can't I cancel a single recording before it starts without losing all of them?

ADD anyone?

Santa's Little Helper

2005-09-10T19:50:00.000-05:00

Like to tell you ’bout my baby, you know she comes around,
Just ’bout five feet four a-from her head to the ground.
You know she comes around here just about midnight,
She make me feel so good, lord, she make me feel all right.

-- Van Morrison "Gloria"

Well, we got her. She was named Gloria at the SPCA but we've (everyone but me that is) decided to name her Bella. To me, she looks like Santa's Little Helper.

It was one of the most bazaar things, she has not sat down since we got her here four hours ago. I put the Things at the table for feeding and desided it best to pin her in the kitchen. Trying this earlier she freaked out and bolted. This time, I tricked her. Yes, that's right, I outwitted the dog. I am documenting it as fact. Once in there she decided all was fine and decided she could eat and drink. And cry. And whine. And eat a little, drink a little more, whine a little more, cry a little more.

While M was at PETsMART she told one of the clerks there she'd adopted a greyhound and he went totally nuts along with several other people in the store as they gathered around her. She described the experience as if she'd just rescued a baby from a burning house. Aparently, the clerk helping spend her money was familiar with the dog as he helped deliver her from the "bad kennel" she was being housed at. By bad he was saying they were broke and unable to take care of the dogs - he, among others, were donating them food every week.

A woman at the SPCA mentioned that while you are supposed to see a couple of ribs and vertibrate, you are not supposed to see them all. Gloria (Bella) is so skinny I can count the pieces of kibble she just ate. She also said that she was a losing dog, which is why she was being retired - if you can call that being a loser.

Dogs

2005-09-10T11:08:00.000-05:00

And in the end you'll pack up and fly down south,
Hide your head in the sand,
Just another sad old man,
All alone and dying of cancer.

-- Pink Floyd "Dogs"

M and I are not pet people. We don't really like animals either. Sure, they're cute and cuddly but the shine wears off as soon as they deside to piss some where and you don't find it until you find yourself in a drowsy stooper at the butt-crack-o-dawn trying to figure out if the water cooloer is leaking or if you just pissed yourself but your own crotch doesn't feel wet and the cooler is in a different room.

Our recent attempts failed with the delivery of two dogs to the pound and me exclaiming that not another animal would be brought back into this house. Not to worry, I've been informed by my mother-in-law that Sadie and Sophie (no, we did not name these evil animals) had been adopted. You see, my mother-in-law likes animals more than she likes people so when she gives advice about animals, I take it, and when she says something about the placement of animals, I believe her. I bet she would make a killing training animals, that's how good she is with them. Too bad she isn't as good with people.

Thursday, M finds "Lawman" on the SPCA website and falls in love. In her defense, she has mentioned several times over the past hundred years we've been together that she really liked Greyhounds. After trying to convince her via email, phone, and in person that we do not want to get another pet, I lose.

This is what the SPCA had to say about Lawman:
"This gentle giant is already a retiree! Lawman is a 2 year old Greyhound that retired from the race track this year. His beautiful and distinct features are common of Greyhounds, and his short tan coat is very soft. Lawman is housebroken and walks well on a leash, but has not had much training outside of the track. The free obedience training at the SPCA would be great for this big boy! He is very friendly and great with children over 10. He doesn’t get along well with other dogs or cats, but his sweet natured disposition will warm you over in a second! Come and see Lawman at the SPCA today!"

But what they don't tell you is that he's not available for adoption because he is going to be on TV. So bad so sad bubye.

Well, M saw another one that she just fell in love with. But, they tell her she can't have this one either because it just got there and hasn't been processed. They tell her if she comes back tomorrow (meaning yesterday) she check to see if she's available. Well, Friday comes and M goes. Gloria, as the dog was named, had been checked in but hadn't been spayed yet so we have until this afternoon to get her. I hate pets.

No phone

2005-09-09T17:10:00.000-05:00

No phone no phone
Shaking quaking
Waking me when I'm asleep
Never lets me go too deep
Summons me with just one beep
The price we pay is steep

-- Cake "No Phone"

My phone got disconnected. I forgot to pay the bill this month and it got disconnected. Apparently I neglected to pay it for a couple of months and Verizon just hates when you do that. So, they called their little man and he pulled the plug or flipped the switch or whatever he does in his little room full of plugs and switches and my phone service goes bu-bye. So yesterday, the day it happened, I payed the bill online. Its real easy, I even paid for the next month's bill. Today I get home and discover the phone is still out. I check my bank account and there's nothing going on there and I check my Verizon account and see that my account has a negative balance (in this case, that's good). Knowing that I can call anyone at this point on the house phone and I'll get Verizon I do so and I get redirected to a special message they made just for me:

"This is a special message from Verizon, the service to this telephone has been temporarily disconnected, you can still reach emergency services by dialling 911, if you are calling from a touch tone phone, please press 0 to be connected with the next available service representative or dial 1800... from another location at your convenience."

I pressed '0'

"Thank you for calling Verizon, if you are calling about your residential service please press 1..."

At this point I was thinking to myself, sweet, I'll get this handled in no time

"The office you are calling is closed, our business hours are Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm, thank you, goodbye." Click

WTF? Guess I don't have to deal with the phone this weekend.

Awesome Keyboard

2005-09-09T11:25:00.000-05:00

Looking at keyboards yesterday got me on the track of this little gem. I can't wait until it hits the market. Art has several other amazing projects there too, so give the whole site a look.

We're in the movies

2005-09-09T07:44:00.000-05:00

Stevo: Where were we going? I mean, really, what was happening? This life, it was crazy. I felt tired. I mean, halfway through the season, I just felt, inside, I was so tired. And I had this wave of melancholy just like sweep through me.

-- SLC Punk

Motorola is having a competition regarding mobile technology with a theme centered around mobility. According to the site and Boing Boing, basically its a shot at a $10K scholarship, a car with blueteeth, and an apprenticeship with Motorola's CTO. I would first like to say, I could really use the scholarship and though it will only cover some of my existing loans with hardly any of my upcoming scholastic expenses (classes, books, weed, porn, booze; the essentials) being touched, it would be great to be able to fund this habit. And seeing as how I am still a college student and undoubtedly will be until long after Thing Two graduates, I think I just might qualify. So, here's the reality of it all, I won't enter because I do not have the time to dedicate to the task and I won't win anyway.

But here's what I'd do (ofcourse, I'd be the star - the part of me would be played by a guy that actually belongs in movies - and there would be gorgeous half-naked chicks with peircings and tats all over the place):

Fading from black with soft industrial music in the background the scene would open with me in bed, just waking up (the Hollywood way, not the way I really wake up, which is rather violent and disturbing). I flick the speaker phone next to my bed and miraculously there's a dozen or so messages from cuties waiting to hear back from me (yeah well, its a fantasy). As the music ramps up and the siren's voice fades I head to the bathroom. The music, now obscuring all other sounds, provides the tempo and rythm for the rest of clip. In the bathroom, a small corner (the bottom right let's say) of the medicine chest's reflective surface, the message changes to another cutie and she prattles on. I splash my face and while patting it dry I tap the mirror causing her image to shrink a bit revealing a ticker across the bottom. Next, as I enter the living room, buttoning my shirt (covering an incredible chest of course), I stop at the couch and the picture hanging on the wall behind it changes to include yet another girl's message and the ticker scrolling. Putting on my watch I notice it automatically synchronize the time with the house, grab my phone and head to the car. Now the shot moves inside the car, we see it downloading podcasts and recognize me approaching. I get in and the time synchs with either my watch or my phone and we head out. The messages now playing on the small monitor in the dash. As I pull up to a light, a notification pops up telling me that someone I know is nearby. I text them a message, they respond, and two cars up a podcast I (my car) just downloaded gets transfered to them (my pal won't be nearly as great looking as I am). At the office (by now the fan-mail will have subsided) ... I'm bored now.