I'm Not Dead, Just Immensely Stupid

Alright, I know it's been, what, nigh on 2 months since my last post. I have neglected to post anything because I don't really ever do anything interesting.

No Content = No Posts

A simple equation, I know.

A few quick updates are in order.

So, I built myself a new computer. It's not that great, but when my previous system stopped recognizing USB devices, I decided enough was enough. It's got an Intel dual-core 3.0Ghz (1300Mhz FSB) processor, 2 gigs of RAM (in dual-channel, 1066Mhz), an EVGA 680i SLI mobo, and a Nvidia 8600gt. After a new case and a power supply, I was set back a total of $1200. All that being said, I am typing this update from Nick's room as my system is down for the count at the moment. Summarizing the last few days, I think the GPU hardware is failing on me after about 3 weeks of use. Kinda sucks, but we will see if EVGA thinks the same and approves my RMA request. When it ran well it was amazing. It's much different than my previous system. I haven't really had a chance to put it through its paces yet, but when I can use it for more than an hour without seeing a BSOD I might run some benchmarks.

Work still sucks, but I did get a $1 dollar an hour raise for making Communications Technician 2. I have to go to Coalinga for work tomorrow which is roughly equivalent to the drive between Boise and Jerome only with half the scenery. The drive is really boring, but it's also 90 minutes that I get paid to drive a crappy van (3 hours if you count the return drive). I get paid $40.50 just to drive tomorrow, haha.

Who's the sucker now, Comc..... oh wait, that's still me.

This car, oh, this car that I have. I want to get rid of it so bad I can taste it. I don't think I have ever been so sure about something car related as I am right now about this thing. Don't get me wrong, I love it. If I thought it would be a good idea to keep the car, I would do exactly that. Considering my desire to go back to school for an engineering degree, it is possibly the greatest mistake I could make financially to own this car right now. Every time I drive it, I can hear an audible ticking. No, it's not mechanically related. It's the sound of the ticking time-bomb that this car represents. I simply should not have this car. Once it gets smogged, and hopefully it will soon, I will immediately turn around and try to sell it. I will be happy if I can get out of my loan after selling it. There is not a single word in my vocabulary that can accurately describe the depths of my stupidity about cars.

I am done with cars for a long time.

I just want one that's not completely crappy, runs well without extensive initial repairs, and won't require frequent repairs once I own it. I hate feeling that the car is going to fall apart at any second. I hate pouring money into it without any tangible return on my investment. I don't want to race anyone, I don't want to look like I want to race anyone, and I don't want to feel like a ricer kid anymore.

Well, that's about it. I hate making posts on my blog because I inevitably finish depressed and sad. I hope I made you laugh once or twice, though. Sometimes it can be entertaining to chuckle at another's plight.

'Nuff Said

Harrison Ford on set in his Indy garb.

Relish this moment...

Last Thing Recquired? A Smog Test

I am reluctant to write a post about this.

The last time I tried this whole "car thing", I got burned hardcore. I learned from that experience, grew smarter. I am significantly more cautious and wary.

I asked that poor guy so many questions that he wasn't able to answer, I feel kinda like I grilled him for information about the car and his use of it.

Here's the skinny.

One of my best friends ever, SlowTEC, and I were chatting one day. He stated his desire for an aging car of mysterious power. I expressed my extremely similar feelings back to him.

We began to search.

It wasn't easy. There are many relics out there, but all seem tainted. Covered up and turned into monsters of unspeakable abominations. Rims of Latin origin and exceedingly large pipes litter the landscape.

I thought all was lost. I thought it impossible to find a clean, non-mistreated treasure to behold for all time. I thought I might have to postpone our search indefinitely.

SlowTEC came to the rescue!

He had found as clean and untainted a specimen as I could have possibly hoped for. Sure, she wasn't stock, but she wasn't turned into a monster either. She was lovingly cared for and had only light modifications. Someone in her past had taken the time to fix her back up after a disastrous occurrence resulting in a salvaged title.

I then made the long, difficult journey to visit her. I traveled a perilous path filled with danger. A mysteriously forming flame of monstrous size and power stood in my way and collapsed part of my path, but I persevered and found a way.

As soon as I saw her, I couldn't help but break into one of the most intense grins I've had the pleasure of experiencing these last few years. I sat for more than a minute taking her in, letting myself bask in the visual beauty.

I spoke with her owner, and eventually the subject turned to my acquiring her. We settled on a price, and I made the sad turn down the road that removed my treasure from view.

All that is left on my end is to sign a few loan documents. She is in the process of getting some light repair and a smog test completed. If all goes well and according to plan, this Saturday I will journey again to retrieve her.

Literally, one of my dreams incarnate, she is a 1985 Toyota Corolla GT-S.

I tell this story here so that future generations may know of my epic struggle.

I hope the ending comes true.

IQ Test

Alright, call me bored, but I took a semi-scientific internet IQ test and decided that I wanted to tell you all about my results. This was not one of those "5 minute" type tests. It felt legitimate or else I wouldn't be telling you about it.

One quick note before you dig in. I received a dismal score in "Computational Speed" due to an unfortunate event involving a ringing phone and a computerized voice informing me that I needed to make an urgent phone call to a person named Tracy. I can't say that is the reason for sure, but I am able to come to that conclusion reasonably due to the fact that I was also scored on the amount of time I took to answer a question. It is logical to assume that "Tracy" caused me to take significantly longer to answer a question utilizing computational speed directly resulting in a poorer score in that category. You may come to your own conclusions.

General IQ Score

Your General IQ Score of 131 shows how able your mind is in general. Anyone with a General IQ Score this high is considered to be gifted. This score is better than 98.06% of all persons taking this test. Virtually all occupations can be comprehended with a General IQ this high. You should be able to handle almost all academic challenges.

You scored higher than your General IQ Score in 7 individual ability categories. 3 of these better scores could be called statistically significant and may indicate special abilities, or that you were distracted on those parts of the IQ Test that counted more heavily in the other ability categories.

Arithmetic

Solving many of the IQ Test's problems required the ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers mentally. Many mental tasks require arithmetical operations even though numbers may not be involved, and thus number manipulation abilities can strongly indicate general intelligence.

Your Arithmetic IQ score of 138 is not significantly different from your General IQ score.This score is better than 99.44% of all persons taking this test.

Spatial Skill

Understanding what changes will occur when conditions vary is a deep and powerful ability of the mind. All invention and creativity of every sort is based upon this ability. Although test problems usually involve manipulation of objects in space, persons with a stronger ability to spatially manipulate can also be expected to use this ability to be able to better predict how social and psychological situations would change due to variation.

Your Spatial Skill IQ score of 132 is not significantly different from your General IQ score.This score is better than 98.36% of all persons taking this test.

Logical

This is the ability to determine if a set of rules has been correctly followed. This ability is most useful in combination with other mental skills listed above. Those with strong logical ability are quicker to see where a given set of conditions is going to lead, have a strong sense of justice, and better understand--from an intellectual analysis--the benefits of harmony.

Your Logical IQ score of 130 is not significantly different from your General IQ score.This score is better than 97.72% of all persons taking this test.

Spelling

The ability to spell can indicate general intelligence. Remembering a set sequence of letters indicates the mind's ability to retrieve remembered facts. Learning how to spell and use the words of a language is almost a complete IQ test in itself. Although poor spellers with high IQ scores can be found, it is rare, and in general--everything else being equal--the better spellers have higher IQ scores.

Your Spelling IQ score of 142 is exceptionally higher than your General IQ score.This score is better than 99.74% of all persons taking this test.

Short Term Memory

The ability to remember things for a short period of time allows the mind to check back and retrieve facts needed to complete a problem solving operation. This ability becomes more critical when problems have many aspects that need consideration and/or need to be solved mentally. This ability strongly determines how efficiently one handles the many aspects of normal life. If your short term memory ability is strong you are much less likely to seem inattentive or "slow to get it" to others.

Your Short Term Memory IQ score of 129 is not significantly different from your General IQ score.This score is better than 97.34% of all persons taking this test.

Rote Utilization

This is the ability to take a set of memorized facts and mentally extract and/or operate with or upon the facts within the set that are pertinent to the problem at hand. Persons with more of this ability can be expected to spell well, remember telephone and other numbers easily, be more adroit in procedural operations, and have a stronger foundation for tasks that require the use of memorized material.

Your Rote Utilization IQ score of 141 is exceptionally higher than your General IQ score.This score is better than 99.69% of all persons taking this test.

Algebraic

This is the ability of the mind to abstractly handle quantities and qualities. Persons who are strong in this ability can more quickly and more deeply understand analogies, stories, derivations, equalities, and hierarchical structures.

Your Algebraic IQ score of 142 is exceptionally higher than your General IQ score.This score is better than 99.74% of all persons taking this test.

General Knowledge

Knowledge that is casually picked up and remembered can indicate intelligence, because persons with higher intelligence will exhibit greater retention of those pieces of information that are encountered less often. Because higher intelligence allows a person to have a deeper appreciation of the connectivity of facts that may seem disparate to others of lesser intelligence, memory of such facts becomes easier.

Your General Knowledge IQ score of 134 is not significantly different from your General IQ score.This score is better than 98.83% of all persons taking this test.

Visual Apprehension

This is the ability of the mind to mentally picture visual information and to be able to extract portions of that information for separate use. A person whose visual apprehension is strong enjoys a richer, more creative appreciation of visual aspects of experiences.

Your Visual Apprehension IQ score of 136 is not significantly different from your General IQ score.This score is better than 99.18% of all persons taking this test.

Geometric

How well one can comprehend geometric relationships of lines, sides, planes, angles, and topological properties strongly determines one's ability to make sense of visual information. The strength of one's geometric ability can strongly determine how quickly knowledge can be absorbed if it is presented visually.

Your Geometric IQ score of 131 is not significantly different from your General IQ score.This score is better than 98.06% of all persons taking this test.

Vocabulary

Knowing the meaning of words is an ability that directly increases along with the increase of general intelligence. The meaning of a word is more easily remembered with higher intelligence, because it takes more intelligence to understand and correctly use words based upon the subtle differences between words with similar meanings and to comprehend difficult concepts which are sometimes symbolized by a single word.

Your Vocabulary IQ score of 125 is not significantly different from your General IQ score.This score is better than 95.22% of all persons taking this test.

Intuition

Intuition is defined as that ability of the mind to develop answers to questions without consciously dealing with the problem at hand. Often a question will provoke your mind to answer without using conscious processing time, and the answer is said to come "out of the blue" or "suddenly, it just struck me". Of all the many abilities of the mind, this is one of the most often used. Just knowing what to do is often an automatic process that occurs without much conscious figuring. Those with stronger intuition make less mistakes and can seem luckier, wiser, or more mature.

Your Intuition IQ score of 124 is not significantly different from your General IQ score.This score is better than 94.52% of all persons taking this test.

Computational Speed

If you can correctly solve a variety of problems faster than another person, you may be demonstrating a generally more orderly internal arrangement of your mind's problem solving methods. While speed cannot be the sole factor in determining overall superiority in one mental operations, in general faster computational speed will often indicate that a problem's comprehension was more complete. With everything else being equal, a person with faster computational speed than another person's will be better at tasks that require the synthesis of many bits of information.

Your Computational Speed IQ score of 98 is significantly lower than your General IQ score.This score is better than 44.70% of all persons taking this test.

Website Redesign

Well, I spent some time and finally got it done, even with these damn parakeets screeching in my ear for the last hour or so. I redesigned my website to be easier to read and to be a bit more appealing visually. I kept the overall color scheme from before, however. I also trimmed out a bunch of text that really didn't mean anything and was worthless and uninteresting to boot. I hope the changes will be well received.

As for life stuff, I qualified as a pole climber for Comcast today. The exam consisted of an unharnessed 20 foot climb up a telephone pole using gaffs (the spikes on our feet that we use to climb). Once I had climbed up, I had to belt off and do a few maneuvers to prove I wasn't a frozen burrito mentally when 20 feet off the ground clinging to the side of a pole like some kind of deranged street cat. It was easy, but some of my other, well, more "significantly-sized" classmates seemed to struggle with this part of training. After this it is smooth sailing with actual cable system training.

I'm off to go wring a little birds neck (shut up!), talk to you later.

Quickie

Quick update here:

Work is going well, training just started, there will be 6 weeks of it total. Got my first check in excess of $700.

Bought an Xbox360, it works, it's rad.

Redesigning my website again in the few hours I have at night after work. Sneak preview here.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters is less than 2 weeks away, I can't wait. Blades of Glory was hilarious and everyone should go out and see it.

That's it for now. Cheers, all.

Indiana Jones and Comcast

So, today I started my "training" at Comcast. Pretty much, for the next week, I just ride along with people to observe. Then I start actual training which is supposed to last anywhere from 4-6 weeks. So far I think the job is pretty straight-forward, but that perception could change in the future. I am seriously torn between the job and Fox at this point, and I don't know what to do. If the job works out as well as I think it may, then I will most likely stay here now, and go to school at night at COS or CSU. This job could be a majorly good cash-cow for me, which I need. I don't know, we'll see.

I also saw Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade at a theater here. Yes, I said "theater". Pretty much, it was all I could have ever hoped an original reel of the film could deliver in both character and feeling. Yes, the film was not in as good of shape is it could have been, and the audio was obviously read from the film and not from a DTS disc or the like, but I think those things added to the overall experience. If given the chance, I probably would have paid money to touch the film itself (and cut a frame or two to take home and frame). Oh well, all I can hope at this point is that the new Indiana Jones movie does well enough that a re-release of the previous three would prove to be financially advantageous.

Keep your distance, Chewie, but don't look like your trying to keep your distance.
Rawr-rar?!
I don't know, fly casual!

Novel Idea Time

Let the record show that today, Monday, February 26th, 2007, is the day that I started to write my novel.

I have no defined plot nor characters, but I started typing out some of my ideas for a story. I have been reading a book specifically about plot structure and development amongst all my internet research and have reached a point where I believe I can start putting a good story together. There have been a few ideas that keep on running through my head that I will give the first chance at succeeding, but there are still dozens more that are itching to come out of the depths of my mind.

Here are 3 of my ideas actually, the first 3 that I typed out (i.e. - not necessarily my favorites):

A seemingly normal man gets caught up in a sinister plot to combine 3 ancient relics into a mythical device of massive destructive power. Can he find and destroy the final piece before the Earth becomes just another cold, lifeless rock in space?

The Blood Fountain is just a myth, it has to be. A small group of adventurers on a rock-climbing trip come across a tattered manuscript containing a map and embark on a journey to Hell.

Animals flee from a 10 mile wide circle deep in the jungle where all plant life has mysteriously died. A week ago it was only 1 mile wide, and it continues to increase in size. An unseen adversary rises from the depths to torture Earth, but what can be done to stop the relentless invasion?

Feel free to comment/critique as you wish, I welcome any input.

If you can't already tell, I want to write an action/adventure novel.

I have set a goal of 2 pages of ideas for today and tomorrow, and I can get about 10 per page. Hopefully I will end up with 40 - 50 ideas that I can use to start developing a good novel.

I am hoping to be of sound enough mind to continue to blog about my novel writing experience.

New Stuff

SO, a few days ago I received 2 books in the mail from Florida (thanks PBW!). I won them in a random drawing from a website that I frequent regarding writing books (yes, I plan on writing a book here soon). They are titled Moon Called and Blood Bound, both written by Patricia Briggs. If you are interested in books about Vampires and shape-shifters, these may be for you. Give 'em a try. I have been reading another book about plot structure and development so that when I do start writing my stories will make sense. After that book though, it's on to the new books!

Anyway, I also purchased a new keyboard and mouse today, both are fantastic so far. They should be though, I spent about $180 on both. Logitech makes kick-ass stuff. My headphones/mic, speakers (THX certified!), keyboard, and mouse are all Logitech. I am very happy with them. I picked up the G5 gaming mouse with the weight insert, 2000dpi resolution, oooo. The keyboard is the G15 gaming keyboard. Macro keys (18!), media controls, and a flip-up LCD screen to report such things as the song I am listening to in iTunes, date/time, resources (CPU, memory), and other things when I am in a game. It recognizes when you start a game and adjusts your keyboard macros and settings acordingly. Pretty sweet, if you ask me.

I have also gotten a new job, FINALLY. Comcast was kind enough to give me an interview. It was the classic hardcore interview, 3 managers at one end of a long table, me on the other. I had a phone call with an offer before I even got home (I had to call back, haha). Good pay, benefits, 401k, free cable tv (all the movie channels, too!) and internet, etc. As long as I pass a background check (not an issue) I will then be made official. I should start training somewhere around March the 12th.

Are things turning around for me?

Maybe, but let's not count our chickens before the eggs are even laid...

"Hey Frylock... ass."
"Meatwad, you watch your mouth."

Some pictures of my computer gaming setup -

Long-Time-No-Type

Greetings from beyond!

Hello, I am your new friend and counselor! Now, let us play a fun little game to help us learn each ah-thers names!

But seriously, it's been a while, I know. These days though, I have little to blog about. I do nothing, I see no one, and I have yet to get a job. I've found plenty, and applied at over 40 of them. I don't know what else to do. I've gone and applied at places like burger King (I worked there in the past) without so much as a titter from them. It's a little depressing.

Okay, it's ALOT depressing.

Apart from that, I have begun moving forward where my education is concerned. I have applied to CSU Fresno and George Fox University. I have not heard whether or not I am accepted yet, but I only applied about a week ago. If the GFU thing works out, I will probably go there and live with Brad. CSUF is sorta like a backup at this point. I am really sick of Visalia now, so moving away from here is appealing at the moment.

I think often these days, about stuff. The other day, I realized that this is how it's going to be for the rest of my life. Isn't it? This feeling that never goes away, a mixture of inadequacy, despair, and mediocrity. It's an understanding that has settled over me during the past few years, that I am not destined for something great. How can I be? Those who are destined to be great do not take 6 years to obtain a 2 year degree from a community college while earning lackluster grades, for example. That childhood dream we are all indoctrinated with about us being special is a farce, and I think that is what I have come to realize. I no longer have dreams of the future. I no longer aspire to be anything. Daydreams about having a decent house and a running car and a steady job have gone out the window.

I have no idea what the future holds, why set myself up for failure?

Hollywood Travesty Alert!

I love me some good 80's movies. Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Encino Man, The Manhattan Project, and The Goonies are just a random smattering of some of my favorties. One of my top favorites has always been WarGames.

Well, here's the deal. I found out earlier this afternoon that a WarGames sequel (aptly named "The Dead Code") is now being filmed. From what I have read about the movie, it sounds like the exact same storyline as in the original with one exception: replace "global thermonuclear war" with "terrorist attack". Apart from the absurdity of a supercomputer that simulates/predicts terrorist attacks (is that even possible?), there appears to be not one person from the original film involved with the sequel.

I don't want to see any of my favorite movies from the 80's butchered like this; exploited, cheapened and pathetic.

Shame on you, Hollywood, for letting this movie happen.


In lighter news, I think I may have stumbled upon (literally) the next book series I will read. The first book, entitled The Golden Compass, was written by Philip Pullman and sounds like a really interesting read. There is a movie being made that is currently in post-production, site here. Once again, it looks like it was written for children (I seem to gravitate towards these lately) but apparently has deep philosophical situations within its pages. I am going to look into it and hopefully get back to you about it sometime.

Fall Picture Time!

So, I have spent the last day or two helping my Dad put up Christmas lights around the outside of our house. The process seems to take more time than I mentally estimate every time. We are moving along though, and have quite a nice display at the moment. I believe we are going to try for more, but we shall see about that.

Anyway, while I was on the roof today (dangling precariously over the edge of the roof about 30 feet up) I noticed that the rather large amount of leaves strewn across the lawn appeared poignantly picturesque. I then endeavored to spend a few minutes taking some pictures. I took a few with the specific intention of turning them into wallpapers or backgrounds. Provided below are the aforementioned photographs, thoughtfully presented in the two of the most common screen resolutions. You may take these pictures and do what you like with them, I am providing them without restriction. Enjoy!

1280 x 1024
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Addendum -

Brush your teeth kids. I mean it. I used to slack on that. Now I have to pay for it.

I had a root-canal. It was even spread out over 2 days as my dentist was unable to complete it on the first try. I get to go back so he can fashion a crown for that tooth, happy happy joy joy!

On a completely different subject, when am I going to grow up? I want to be mature, to be responsible. I want to get out of my parents hair and be able to support myself. I feel like I am no better off than when I was 15, getting my first job at Burger King. No car and no life, contributing to the poor health and obesity of many Americans. It has been 8 years since then, nearly 7% of my total maximum lifespan and I am yet to accomplish anything. Whoops.

Well, I did stop helping Americans get fatter. I guess that's something, haha!

Time to drown myself with Futurama. Have fun kids, use floss. Don't date robots.


The preceeding message was brought to you by: The Space Pope.

EA, You F**king Suck.

I used to like EA, but maybe that is because they used to make good games a long time ago. Or, perhaps it was because the games they used to make actually ran after installing them.

I bought Battlefield 2142 this evening on a whim. I felt like it, don't know why though.

I regret it completely now.

I can't even get it to run, damn piece of crap. What kind of terrible coding allows a game to install without the *.exe file being created/copied?

"Okay," I thought, "Maybe that is what the patch is for." Wrong, oh so wrong! The patch is to help stop crashes during the "Titan" game mode. Wow, that's f**king awesome! I am glad they fix issues. Too bad it does JACK DIDDLY SQUAT for me.

I attempted to uninstall and reinstall the game 3 times based on information I gathered from message boards scattered across the interwebs. I made multiple attempts to install the patch after each fresh installation of the game using multiple methods as well.

Nothing changed. I still get this when I try to launch the game:

So then I thought I'd give their support a try. Nothing in the entire database for Battlefield 2142 even mentions this issue.

I then try to submit a help ticket. The stupid website asks me multiple times to enable javascript (which is already enabled) and fill out fields in the form that either do not exist or are hidden. I am not able to submit after repeated attempts.

I am now frustrated beyond all reason.

EA, I know you won't ever see this but it makes me feel better to post it.

Electronic Arts, are you, in fact, going to get something right at some point? It is ridiculous that a game can complete installation and still be missing a vital piece of the puzzle. Why is this even an issue? Don't even come to me and tell me that my drivers aren't up-to-date or some other stupid, asinine statement. I have been using my computer for quite a while now. I built it myself, even. I know how to run my system with no anti-virus/anti-spyware software at all and have it run great, contrary to popular opinion. Your website is atrocious, poorly coded/designed, and absolutely devoid of useful information, not to mention unresponsive and counter-intuitive. How am I supposed to aqcuire help from you if I am incorrectly told that I have javascript disabled whenever I try to ask for it? This is notwithstanding the fact that I didn't find out about the spyware and in-game advertisements (why am I paying full price for the game just to be served ads?!?!) until after I bought the game. Sneaky and underhanded of you, but a poor judgement call by myself for not investigating the game prior to purchasing it. Lesson learned. Get your act together, EA.

From now on, I will not purchase any additional EA titles. I don't know what happened to you, EA. I used to like you, I even gave you money frequently. Now I do not. Who wants all this to happen to them when all they wanted to do was play a game?

Not I.

New Business on the Horizon?

I have just come away from a frenzy of creative energy emminating from my IM client.

It looks like my brother, Nick, and one of my best friends ever, Brad, will be attempting to start a business at some point. I don't want to give details yet, this was really our first discussion regarding the subject and I am sure the specifics will vary wildly later as we work them out. It won't be a brick and mortor establishment though, at least not initially. This means that we won't have wildly large startup costs, which is good.

My feeling regarding this rather sudden turn of events:

EXCITED


I am really sick of trying hard to get these jobs in this go-nowhere town and not getting a thing, not even a call back. I relish the idea of starting my own business.

I think my DVD burner isn't operating the way it should be. I am having trouble reading some DVD's now, and burning them has been a nightmare so far. I do have quite a stack of coasters now though, so if anyone comes over and needs a drink, I am all set.

Back to watching Futurama.

Back From the Dead

It's been a while.

I am now back in California, THANK GOD. I don't know what it is about Idaho that just gets to me these days. I really don't want to be there. Driving trucks is okay, I can handle that.

While I was there, I made some money and killed a Bronco. I paid off all my credit cards, and started paying off my school loans. Also acquired a new digital camera, a 5.1 gen video Ipod, and some spiffy new video editing/dvd building software. All in all, a good decision I think. Well, only if you look at it from a financial point of view...

I don't really do much these days still.

I got a wisdom tooth pulled because it had a cavity and the dentist said that it wasn't worth a possible root canal. So he pulled it out. Great fun. No pain, kinda throbbed for a few hours after that though. I plan on having all of my wisdom teeth removed at some point. They are runty, and some came in funny. Better to just remove them as they don't serve a purpose anyway.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Harvey Birdman both started new seasons recently. I like both shows very much.

Other than that, not much going on.

I'm an Adult, and I Deserve an Adult Glass...

**Edit** - Sorry about the long post, I didn't expect it to get so long. I will try to keep them shorter in the future...

Well, I guess it's time for another update from the Idiot Formerly Known As Intelligent.

I am still in Southern Idaho. I am still working on trucks, although that is about to change this coming Monday. We should start actually chopping corn then which will be a nice change as working on the trucks is getting to be pretty boring now. It wasn't really exciting to begin with, but now it's getting to be "old-hat" as they say. I am ready for something different. I don't like to be doing the same thing over and over again, day after day. Monotony is surely a way to get me bored in a hurry, not that getting me bored in a short amount of time is all that difficult anyway...

I tend to think alot these days. I have loads of time where it is just me and no one else. Most of the time there isn't any music playing or any other sort of entertainment available, usually while I'm working on the trucks. I can't help it, it just happens. Sometimes my brain just seems to come up with strange things to keep itself occupied. Just today, I was by myself with the trucks, the flies, and the innumerable wasps for about 2 hours. No one else was around, unless you count those wasps I mentioned. I was painting the sides of one of the trucks, up about 10 feet on a ladder. I caught myself remembering the movie Young Frankenstein from the beginning. It was like the movie was playing in my head, and I could see the picture as if it were being projected from behind my eyes. It was great fun! I got through the entire movie, though I am sure I left out a couple of scenes that I forgot about. It was all effortless. I wasn't trying to recall the entire movie from beginning to end, but it was happening anyway. It sure made those 2 hours absolutely fly by. This wasn't the only time this has happened though. On other occasions I have played CD's in my head. Now, obviously they were albums that I know very well and have listened to numerous times on countless other occasions, but why does the song actually play in my head as if in a CD player? How come I don't just remember something like, "Yeah, that song is really cool" and then move on? I'm not complaining about these random brain farts that keep me entertained for hours at a time, no sir. In fact, I rather enjoy them! Nothing breaks up a dull day like my attention span-less brain on a quest for entertainment.

Other stuff that I have been thinking about follows.

I want to get a MacBook. The black one. I want to put my current desktop in a closet somewhere as a file server and just have my MacBook out for use. I can play games on it. I haven't purchased a new game in ages, so it's not like I am a huge gamer anymore these days anyway. If it can run WoW (which it does) and maybe some other games, then I will be fine. I have been wanting to rebuild my desktop for ages now. It's big, it's heavy, it runs hot, and it has loads of "iffy" hardware. Granted, some of the stuff in it is good, but the motherboard was acquired from a lan-party contest and is about as cheap as they come. It has been shocked a few times, gives me random errors periodically, and is just generally hard to work with. I want something simple that I don't have to worry about. A Mac fits the bill. Plus, if my dreams of becoming a sound editor for movies begins to come true, a Mac will help me out. Some software that is used to edit sound professionally works with Macs best. I just want the simplicity.

MacBooks are a little expensive, I will admit that. I started thinking about rebuilding my desktop though, and how much it would cost. The MacBook as I want it currently costs $1672 including the student discount. I just built a desktop for my parents for about the same cost, and it was a lot more work to setup. Plus, it doesn't have the 3 year warranty on the entire system like the MacBook I would order would have.

I also want to get a digital camera. I miss having one. There have been a few cool photo opportunities since I have been back in Idaho. I don't need anything fancy, something right around 5 megapixel is what I want. I am looking around for deals, but I won't get something crappy either.

I have also been reading up on the next-gen console race contestant offerings. I have chosen the Wii as my next console. I am not interested in the Xbox360 at all. The only reason that the original Xbox was popular was because of Halo, which is quite possiby the worst FPS game ever. EVER. The Wii has new innovative controllers, support for Gamecube games AND controllers, and will sport an online feature allowing users to download cool oldschool NES games via the internet to play on the Wii. The next Zelda game looks awesome, too. I like the Playstation3, but it is going to be very expensive and will be VERY new hardware so I am wary about getting one of those until the price goes down and the hardware is proven to be reliable and trouble-free. I am set to get a Wii on launch though, assuming my wallet can support a purchase like that when the time comes.

So, that about sums up this post. I leave you with some "owned" pictures for your enjoyment.

Fun Stuff from the Internets

I have had a bit of free time lately that has enabeled me to find these little beauties on the interweb.

Nick, this should make you chuckle. Brad, I don't know if you ever played Punchout on the NES, but if you did this should be funny to you too.



Will Ferrel makes me laugh...




Another gem for Nick, RaidenX programmed completely in Flash. It is almost exactly like the real thing.

RaidenX



The Ultimate Star Wars Personality Test

I am...



A funny picture. It's old, I know. I thought it was funny then, and when I came across it again a few days ago I decided to post it here.

For Nick

Nick, I thought that since you have reached level 40+ with your character in WoW I would celebrate with you by posting this picture. Don't let the geek-ness get to you, it's still a fun game, even without our beloved SWG...

Bleach and Stuff

I have recently been watching an anime series named Bleach. It is freakin' good. I haven't really watched any anime for a long, long time. Bleach is funny, interesting, and thought-provoking all at the same time. If you get the chance to, give it a try.

On to other goings-on in my life.

I am now in bone-dry southern Idaho doing work for Kevin, Brad's dad. We are getting the trucks ready to haul chopped corn and getting the choppers ready in a few days as well. The work is a nice change to me. I get the chance to work nearly by myself, I get to eat lunch when I want to, and it's nice to be outside where the temperature isn't 110+.

Other than that, not much else going on in my life.

Talk to you all later.

Just Can't Get Enough Idaho

Looks like Idaho is in my destiny.

I got a call from Brad the other day. Certainly not out of the ordinary, we talk on the phone from time to time. His dad was looking for another driver (corn, manure if needed). I have driven for him before, it was a good experience. I prefer jobs where I only have to work and not interact with other people. Driving trucks is good for me.

I accepted.

I am flying out there on Tuesday. Not really a whole lot of preperation time, but I will manage. I will probably be there for 4 weeks or longer, it just depends on what happens. If it is worth it for me to stay, then I will.

So, I sit here now, strung out on Hot Tamales and super-strong Tang, contemplating the future. I want to go to school for sound production/design, but that can't happen until I pay off my debts. This work will be good for me, especially speaking financially, but it is only short-term. What happens after? I am sure that I will be able to find some work somewhere, especially if it is just before the holiday season. Retail places hire like crazy during that time for seasonal work.

I think I am slowly realizing something. Everything that I have ever done, every place that I have ever been, every thing that I own (which isn't much, haha!) has either been practically handed to me, or just happened to fall into my hands when I opened them up. I rely on other people too much. If I want something, I am going to have to go for it and do it myself. Something in me has changed since I accepted the truck driving job, I have been thinking about it practically constantly since I said "yes". When I get back to California, the job hunt is on. I am now more determined than ever to make this sound production/design thing happen. I am the only one that can make it happen, I cannot rely on someone else to get me there. The only way that happens is if I pay off all my debts. That cannot happen unless I get a job immediately after moving back.

I think this is partly why I want to go to school for sound production/design so bad. I want to go for something that I know I love and just freakin' go for it, "balls to the wall" as they say. I have never done that before. I want to be involved with movies. To be honest, I always have, but I had tunnel vision about it and always thought acting was the only way I was going to be able to do that. I really can't act that well. Only recently have I begun to realize how I would be perfectly happy to just be on a set somewhere recording sound, though I would love to be able to design sound effects or edit sound primarily.

All this talk about sound is making me anxious for something that probably won't ever happen. On to less boring (for you) topics.

Brian Regan was cool. The sulphur Coke (don't ask) wasn't. About half of his act was totally new stuff that I had never heard before, which was very nice. Everthing that I have ever seen with him performing is exactly how he acted. His movements make every joke of his even better. Afterwards, he came back out for an encore of sorts. Someone screamed out "spelling bee!", so he did it (I bought 2 boxen of doughnuts...), going through the science fair bit as well. Overall, a good experience. I was mentally drained afterwards, however, by the massive internal struggle that I experienced during the show. Pretty much the same way I felt when I went to see Mike Birbiglia perform. My mind says "stay seated and enjoy the comedy", but my body is saying, "FREAKIN' A! GET UP AND MOVE AROUND! YOU NEED TO STAND UP!". It's not fun, let me tell you. I do my best to appease both voices, squirming in my seat when I can't stand sitting still any longer. That's some serious relief, though, when you (meaning "I") finally get to stand up after the performance ends.

You all must think I am seriously mentally retarded now, after that last part...

It is now 4:30 am. I need to put Futurama on and go to bed. Later alls.

Pianos Filled with Molten Lead

With only 1 hour and 39 minutes to go before I see Brian Regan perform live, I do not know what to do with myself. I would listen to the CD that I have, but I don't want to ruin my live experience by noticing that his delivery was different this time when compared to the CD version. I would rather just experience his live performance as a separate show entirely, even if it contains bits that I have heard or seen him do before. Hopefully though, there will be some new material.

On a completely different note, twice today login attempts to my FTP server have been blocked. One was from Germany, and the other was from France. For cryin' out loud people! You don't have access. There are no "Administrator", "Guest", or "a12345" user accounts on this FTP server.

Stop trying. You will fail.

Fun Times in SWG

Brad, this is for you...

Those Wacky Chinese...

I set up an FTP server yesterday. It only has 2 accounts right now, neither of which are "Administrator" or "Guest".

Someone from China has already tried to log into it.

Repeated attempts from 218.94.132.199 to log into the FTP server with the username "Administrator" were logged. I was actually sitting at the system hosting the server when the attempts were made. That IP address is now permanently blocked.

Mister China person, your uninvited attempts to log into my FTP server will fail. Does it anger you to know your attempts are futile? I hope so.

I also hope you choke on your fortune cookie this evening and die.

Archduke Chocula

In case you haven't heard, Futurama is coming back.

My top 3 favorite shows (in no particular order) are:

• Aqua Teen Hunger Force
• Megas XLR
• Futurama

So, kids. I have been doing a fair amount of deep and profound brain things deep inside my head (I like to move it, move it [nice and sweet and sassy!]) recently and have decided that I would like to go to school once more. Where that school is located has yet to be determined. I am still considering my options, however limited they may be.

I would very much like to be an audio engineer employed at Skywalker Sound.

Anyone that has known me for an extended period of time will recall my lust for excellent sound quality and reproduction. This continues to this day, clearly illustrated by my recent computer speaker selection (THX certified, anyone?).

A few small issues arise from this newfound inspiration for a career.

Schools that have degree programs focused on recording arts or audio engineering/design are few and far between. I specifically included the word "degree" in the previous sentence because many schools offer certificate programs, but no degree. A few of the schools that I am looking at:

• Full Sail
• Art Institute of Seattle
• SAE Institute - LA
  

Each school is expensive. I am currently leaning towards one in particular, but the list above is in no particular order, bwahahahaha. You must choose.. wisely. For the Grail cannot move beyond the Great Seal. That is the boundary, and the price, of immortality...

It's 3am, I have been up for 18 hours now.

Perfect time to play UT2K4.

I Want A CRX

The image above pretty much sums up how I felt when I came across the Northern California Honda CRX Club website. Those that appreciate these sorts of things will also appreciate this website.

I have spoken. All depart.

MySpace

I dove in. I got myself a MySpace page. I started thinking about it, and my hatred for the site seemed unfounded.

I don't feel like updating anything on it right now. The reason being that it takes 2-5 minutes for a page to load. This pisses me off. I was trying to do things to my profile, "pimp it out" as my Mom so endearingly put it. There is no reason why I should have to wait that long to add some very simple HTML code to my profile. I will try again later.

Here it is.

Do not worry, you will not spend long there. No actual content is presently waiting for you. This is just to validate that I did, in fact, get a MySpace profile page started.

I journey on to MegasXLR and the site dedicated to it that I have neglected for far too long. It needs a few more pictures and some miniscule layout changes. Once that is complete, I can complete the rest of the pages. After that (or during) I plan on getting some forums up and styled, however I do not think that I will tell people where it is until I can afford hosting for it.

G'night, folks.

Ambiguous Endings...

Why?

Something about movies bother me when they end ambiguously. I need resolution. I need realism. If something couldn't work because physics as we know them today says they cannot, it gets stuck in my head and I end up thinking about it for the rest of the film. This happens to me on a regular basis.

I just came back from Dead Man's Chest.

Excellent film. The writers may have tried a bit too hard to insert funny things into the movie, at least near the beginning of the story. They detracted from some scenes that, at least to my belief, were very important to the overall progression of the story. All the same, however, it was a good movie. See it if you get the chance.

I also saw The Lake House recently. This film created a nasty paradox right at the end. Some physicists believe a true paradox will destroy the universe. I tried to explain this to some of the people that I saw the movie with, but they brushed it off as nothing. As you can now see, I am still thinking about it. I turn it over in my mind every once in a while, trying to make it work.

It does not, and cannot.

In the interest of not ruining the film for others, I will eloquently describe a situational paradox as best I can using a different scenario than presented in the film.

Suppose that time travel were possible. One could travel to the future to look oneself up, so to speak. You do so, and travel to your future home. Once there, you attempt to break in (you do not have a key). Upon breaking and entering the house, your future self kills you (it was in self-defense, honestly!).

Wait a tick. We just created a paradox.

If you were killed in the past, then there is no "future you". If there is no "future you" to kill you when you travel forward in time, then you must live beyond your time-trip, and therefore kill your past self when you come breaking into your future home.

Got it? Clear as mud.

Moving on. Brad, during your last submitted comment (you know the one I mean) you stated that you were jealous of me. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why. I spent a good half-hour trying to think why. It got stuck in my head like the stuff from the movies, haha. I have few physical things in my possession, no money, no great job, etc. I am not particularly skilled in any trades, sports activities, or hobbies. I have a great family, but your family is fabulous too, Brad. I am seriously stumped on this one, so I am calling you out.

Why?

I await your almost certainly entertaining response...

It is 4 in the morning.

Time for WoW!

Bye.

Pirates of the Caribbean Episode II: The Clone Wars Attacks Dead Man's Chest

I have been waiting to see this movie for quite some time now. Fortunately, unlike the crappy theater in Twin Falls, cinemas in the Visalia area understand the potential value of a midnight show. I will be attending a midnight screening of Dead Man's Chest.

Although, I have to say that the crappy theater in Twin Falls still has some of the best popcorn I have had at any theater so far.

I may or may not post again with my thoughts/feelings regarding this film.

Episode VI - Whatafreak Strikes Back

Okay, it's a misleading title, I know.

I haven't updated the Blog because there is nothing to update. I do nothing of interest. Ever.

I moved to Visalia, California. Other than that, nothing has changed. I still have no future, and no chance for success. I am destined for mediocrity.

I play video games to forget that fact, at least on a temporary basis.

Not a day goes by that I don't spend a few hours thinking about what I want to do with my life. There are many jobs that I am interested in. I have always been a sort of audiophile (I have $150 Sony DJ headphones, surround sound for the TV, and I just bought these for my computer[THX certified, yay!]), so I was thinking of maybe doing sound design for movies. I have to go to a special school for that, and from my experience school is worthless. I put myself $4K into debt at that microscopic college for an A.A. in Liberal Arts. I have neither seen nor do I see any future benefits garnered from the degree. I was thinking of going back to school to major in physics, but I don't know what to do with one of those degrees. Engineering is the one I am currently leaning towards, but I know that whatever I choose is going to be the one thing I never get to do in my life.

Not that it matters. I could get a masters in physics and I will still end up scooping popcorn into a giant cup and drowning it in vegetable oil at some filthy movie theater for obese Americans that earn more than me.

I don't know why I continue to dream and plan for project cars that I know I will never get to fulfill. I already got burned trying to get a cool car. Twice. I apparently don't learn from my mistakes as I continue to delude myself into believing that it is possible. I don't know why I can't just accept the fact that I will never get to do what I want in life. I say it to myself on a daily basis, but it never seems to sink in. Why do I desire things that I cannot attain? Why do I wish to do things that I am not capable of?

I honestly don't want to make tons of money. I don't want to be famous, either. I want to make enough money to live on, to buy a small house, have a daily driver and a project, and put food on the table. A few new clothes every once in a while would be nice as well.

It scares me to think that I might not ever be able to support myself financially. I have good reason to belive that I will never be able to do so. I can't get a home loan on minimum wage at the local drive-in...

Sorry to depress everyone, all 2 of you.

I am going to lose myself in WoW now.

My Megas XLR Site

The reinstall of Windows XP has been completed and the box is running really well for the moment. How long that lasts for is up for debate.

Anyway, the main point of this post is to request anyone who happens to come across this blog to have a look here. The link leads to the Megas XLR fan website I am currently developing. If it is not too much trouble, could you please leave a comment with your feedback? Good, bad, hateful, whatever. It doesn't matter to me. The more descriptive you are, the better. Suggestions are appreciated as well. You could think of yourselves as beta-testers, fun fun!

For the more technically inclined, the CSS file and HTML template both validate, the HTML file validates as Strict (w00t!). I have the layout code virtually completed, and the visual elements are nearly complete as well.

Any questions are welcome, just make a comment here and I will do my best to answer quickly.

Thanks for any help!

Windows Redux: The Linux Dual-boot

Well folks, Brad and I are about to embark on an incredible journey. A journey to the land of clean hard drives, faster performance, and simple computing. The idea of reinstalling XP in my machine has been rolling around inside my head for a while now, but Brad is the one that has spurred me to do it. I spent the last hour making sure that I have saved everything that I want to save, exported my bookmark lists, and saved my iTunes library (yes, the entire thing). 45 minutes left saving some things from my server to my local 80gb hdd. I fit everything that I wanted to save on one 80gb hdd. For me, that is amazing. 320gb of space on the server, 380gb on my desktop, consolidated to 80gb...

I am also going to be dual-booting my desktop with Kubuntu as well. I would have been doing this already but for some reason I set my hdd's to dynamic instead of leaving them basic. This prevented me from repartitioning the drives. Since I had no more extra space on the drive then I had no way (that I know of) of changing the size of those partitions.

My next post will be composed from the new install...

... in a week.

Megas XLR Fansite

Well folks, my recently revived enthusiasm for the fantabulous Cartoon Network original show Megas XLR has spurred me to create a fansite dedicated to it. This show is quite possibly the best cartoon ever made, though I leave that discussion for another time and place.

Megas XLR is an animated show about Coop, his best friend Jamie, a space chick from the future Kiva, and loads of aliens. Coop finds a giant robot in a junkyard, purchases it for $2, and proceeds to trick it out hotrod style, complete with a car for a head. Due to the heavy influence of video games, Coop completely redesignes how Megas is operated and integrates large amounts of that influence via game console controllers both conventional(PS2 Dualshock) and unorthodox(DDR dancepad) into the robot. Megas XLR frequently pokes fun at pop culture, anime, and video games which makes for a very entertaining show, especially if you have a watched a few anime series. I spend much of my time watching the show straining to catch a glimpse of the labels on some of the buttons(Save the World [Out of Order]) and what seemingly mundane objects (car heater control knob) he uses to defeat his enemies.

Unfortunately, Megas XLR is no longer airing on any channel that I know of. With only 2 seasons aired, this show was ended way before its time. As far as I know, there are no plans to release the episodes to DVD. As the situation dictates, the only way that you are going to be able to view this show at this time is to download the shows via torrent or Usenet. Many believe that this is a legal gray-area, but court cases have illustrated that time-shifting(think TIVO) is legal. As there are no alternative means to acquire this show(a.k.a. VHS or DVD) I see no reason why this show cannot be downloaded to enjoy.

Anyway, I recently aqcuired the domain www.megaslush.com and I plan on making an excellent fansite for Megas XLR complete with episode guides, screenshots, sound clips, and character/cast bios. The domain is currently parked at my personal website, so clicking the link will lead you there until I can afford to purchase hosting for it. However, I have set up a subdomain at http://megaslush.freekonline.net where I will be developing the site for the time being. Do not visit this link thinking that you will enter into a fully functional Megas XLR fansite. I am currently working on layout and design, so content hasn't even been developed for it yet.

Suggestions are appreciated, feel free to place them in the comments to this blog post.

Edit: Brad, thank you ever-so-much for introducing me to this show. I owe you one for that...

I Went Insane From Boredom

Last night, I went to the Comedy Central Medium Man On Campus Tour starring Mike Birbiglia and a few other comics. Of course, Mike, as the headliner for the show, was last to perform. I literally went insane from boredom until he took the stage. The performance was held in the CSI Fine Arts Auditorium, and it was packed. Actually, it looked sold out. I do not remember seeing very many open seats available.

The reason(s) for the boredom?

Reason #1 -
Well, for starters, the show started nearly 15 minutes late. I sat down approximately 25 minutes before the advertised start time. 40 minutes of just sitting in a packed auditorium being forcefully subjected to some of the worst music I have heard in a long time, including all those times I accidentally listened to 99.9 The Buzz on the radio. Once we sat down, we were locked in. The place filled up fast.

Reason #2 -
I wasn't aware that the city of Chicago could fit into the Fine Arts Auditorium, but it must be possible. I hypothesize on this because the Sears Tower sat directly in front of me. No, literally. Unless the comedian walked around the stage (almost never), I could only see their heads. Sometimes I caught glimpses of their shoulders, but only for a fleeting moment or two. Were it not for my own exceptional altitude, I would not have seen anything except this old dude's freakin' neck..

Reason #3 -
I suppose this one is related somehow to #2, but it deserves its own number. The comedians that performed before Mike Birbiglia were boring. I am so tired of these people that think that swearing somehow makes them more funny. Assume that a perfectly hilarious comedian is a "10" and a dull one is a "1". Even if the foul language makes you twice as funny as you were before, you are still a "2". Not much better, if at all. I literally caught myself counting the folds in the curtain behind the performers and then later, counting the individual pieces of wood in the floor beneath them. The not-funny-ness was further compounded by the fake people sitting both to my right and left. These people had evidentally never before seen anything funny in their lives, ever. You know how when you watch a comedian perform on TV, there is always one ridiculously loud person laughing pretty much constantly? Well, that person was sitting 2 seats away from me in the same row, and she laughed (shrilly) at every stupid little dumb attempt at humor the comedians before Mike Birbiglia vomited through their vocal cords. While those people around me were slapping their knees with apparent delight, I did my best to ignore them and imagine what sort of movements the comedians would be making if I could see through the neck of the Sears Tower...

Anyway, by the time Mike got to the stage, I was 2 hours past ready to leave. Only about 50 minutes had elapsed since it all started, 90 minutes since I had sat down. I cannot explain to you how restless I felt. There are no words that can describe it. I nearly got up several times just so I could move around, walk through the lobby or something. I didn't want to be rude to those around me so I stayed in my seat. It was agonizing.

I am glad that I went. I do not plan on going to any live performances of any comedians in the future except if the opportunity arises for the following 2: Brian Regan, and Dat Phan.

I feel all frustrated again, like I did last night when I wanted to get up and move around but couldn't.

Why is Japan so dang cool? (aka - The Godzilla Post)

This is why. Americans cannot come up with things this creative. We are slowly (read: rapidly) becoming the dumbest industrialized nation. Our copyright laws and inherit lust for litigation create a suffocation-like environment when referring to art (music, movies, tv shows, etc.). Everyone is looking for a reason to sue everyone else. The first video is of an as-yet-unknown-to-me comedy group in Japan. Well, actually, both of the videos are from the same group. Both times the routine is performed in front of a live audience on a Japanese game show that rates talent(think American Idol but not only about singing and not crappy or the worst show on TV, haha) Both are, at least in my opinion, extremely creative and I can watch them over and over again. There are no special effects, they are very simple, and yet they are very entertaining. Let's watch...

Matrix Ping-Pong


This next video is, as I mentioned earlier, by the same group. Same general idea, different style, just as entertaining. It might even be better than the matrix ping-pong one. I have not decided yet.

Karate King


At first, I did not notice the people in black that were participating in the creation of the illusion. I attribute this to the poor quality of the video. I am sure it was immediately apparent to the audience. It may take you a couple of times to catch all that went into these clips. They are pretty amazing.

Anyway, on to the recent goings-on in my life...

Okay, not much. Finished my last day of work on Sunday, yay. I just have to muddle my way through the last few weeks of CSI and then I can brush them off of my life. Actually, I hope to do a pretty thorough job of scrubbing my life clean after moving to California. I am so tired of being reminded of my stupidity every day. It is humiliating to have to solicit rides from people just to get around. I really would rather walk than have to beg a ride from somebody, but sometimes it is just not feasible. The last time I got a bike to help with transportation it got stolen. I even had it locked up and secure. Add another checkmark on the list of "Reasons I Hate Idaho", next to "car got broken into" and just above "the College of Southern Idaho".

3 more weeks...

Free snow-cone...

Man, you must've really messed up that "A - B" test.
Oh boy, did I ever!

Cars pass NOW! And they pass NOW!


Eh, nevermind.

Later.

Megas XLR

To redeem myself from the last post of the Emo Haircut video, here is a video of the intro to the fantastic cartoon show Megas XLR. This show rules...

And Just Because I Thought It Was Funny

Beware, the following video can cause hatred and contains some brief profanity.

But it's freakin' hilarious!

Monthly Update Time

I haven't updated the blog in a while, I've been kinda busy lately.

I worked throughout spring break here, but I should be reaping the rewards of that today. It will probably be the biggest check I have recieved from the theater to date. Thirteen days in a row, no days off... It's not something that I fancy doing again in the foreseable future.

Why does printer ink have to be so freakin' expensive? I bought some at Best Buy yesterday because I have several papers to write and some letters to hand to people informing them that I am leaving for California after graduation. It was like forty bucks, I mean c'mon! That's how much I paid for the dang printer itself, there is no way the ink is really worth that much.

In continuation of the previous post, I got my backpack back less my graphing calculator. That's right folks, the laptop was still in it, as well as all of my papers from school and a ten dollar bill. The worst criminals on the planet...

I am now considering going after a degree in physics. I don't know what you do with a degree in physics other than teach it at a university somewhere, but it sounds interesting to me. I'm thinking nano-technology right now. Physics is fun. Plus, it would be teh suck to be able to call myself a "physicist". I can see the conversations now -

Them: "So, I just got promoted at Kinko's. I moved up from color copies to fax machine wrangler -"
Me: "Yeah, I'm a physicist."
Them: "They call me Chuck, for Chuck Norris, y'know, it's funny, cause he wears a cowboy hat."
Me: "I'm still a physicist. This automatically makes me better than you."
Them: "You're an a**hole-"
Me: "Physicist..."

Stay tuned for updates on this development, as it is sure to change.

God Doesn't Want Me To Have Nice Things

Guess what.

Tonight, while I was at work, some asshole(s) broke into my car and stole my backpack.

The asshole(s) tried accessing the interior of my car through the sunroof first, but when that didn't work out they just broke one of the rear side windows. They didn't take the cd player and they didn't take the amplifier. Only my backpack.

There is only one conclusion.

They knew what was in my backpack: my laptop computer.

I didn't call the police and I didn't tell the doorman that I left with at work tonight. What's the point? I would just be out there for hours and nothing would ever come of it. Pick up the glass? Who the fuck cares? I just pounded my fist a couple times on the now-bent sunroof to get it to close a bit and then drove off knowing that I was still going to have to deal with the engine overheating on the drive home.

It is taking me a long time to write this blog entry due mostly to the fact that my hands are shaking so much from anger that I am forced to type each word 3 times before I get it right. The fact that I can barely see can be attributed to how livid I am and does not help my typing speed get better.

My conclusion: God doesn't want me to have nice things or even decent things for that matter.

I am now waiting for the moment this new lcd monitor breaks. I predict it will rupture rather than short out. This should send a vast amount of liquid at my computer causing it to short out and cease operation. Don't be surprised when you see that post here detailing the occurrance. It will be typed from my brother's computer, of course. I only hope I am not in front of it when it happens to explode...

I can't.. don't know.. DOES NOT COMPUTE

I realized tonight that I have no idea how to handle a compliment. Not just any compliment either, the ones that I speak of are directed at me.

That's right folks, someone complimented me. My first reaction was to call bull. After I had done that, I came up with an alternate version of the compliment that didn't involve someone complimenting me. Then, when that was refuted, I ran out of things to say. That doesn't happen to me often, and when it does, it is usually after I have had plenty to say, before my retort reserves have dried up.

I was thinking, why am I not able to handle a kind word tossed in my direction?

I dunno.

I don't like compliments. They make me feel uncomfortable. Witty, sarcastic remarks have no place here, and that leaves me with no ability to communicate verbally.

How Is That Possible?

Drove my car tonight, somehow it still manages to overheat driving directly into 35 degree, 25 mph winds. I know the stupid thing has coolant in it, I checked only yesterday. The coolant tank is half full, where it should be.

Okay, maybe the pump is dead, it's not moving the coolant around. Possible, yet unlikely. Sometimes the car runs just fine, no overheating issues at all. That temp gauge hovering exactly where it used to when it ran its best.

I hate this car. And yet, I love it. I want this car to be cool, to be fun. It is semi-fast, nimble, and it has ample space for long-legged freaks like me.

It's so embarrasing when I have to try to keep the car moving in order for it to not overheat and I get stuck at a traffic light. Roller-coaster idle for all to hear and mock. Meanwhile, I am watching the temp needle zip right past the red marks in the temp gauge into unmarked territory, praying to God that it doesn't explode right there while stopped at the intersection of Falls and Blue Lakes Blvd.

I need a car that doesn't overheat in below-freezing temperatures and could get me to Boise if I so needed.

My curent setup meets neither of these objectives.

This Is How I Feel 24/7

I was recently perusing the interweb and had a chance encounter with a blog named The Splintered Mind. Specifically, this page is where I ended up.

Now, I don't want to come across as trying to tell everyone I have ADD or something as this blog is primarily concerned with it. I don't think that trying to convince anyone that you have a disorder or anything is productive in any way. I just read through this post and found that it hit home in a couple ways.

There are several things in this post that very accurately describe the way I think about myself. I never really realized it until I read it, though.

"The media is filled with people who are "better than us" who fought against the odds to bring new meaning to people's lives and we can't even remember to take the trash out."

Yup.

"... often focused only on what they should have done instead of what they were able to accomplish."

Yup.

"Is it faulty religion? The wrong political party in control? Your annoying roommate? Your mother who never loved you? No. It's you. You know what you can accomplish and you get mad at yourself for not accomplishing it yet. You're stuck in a maze of your own making."

I cannot emphasize the sentence above enough. I think I am intelligent. My Mom and some random tests (GED, etc.) have indicated so, but I just can't seem to get my act together.

I really want to graduate this semester, but a couple weeks back I missed 3 days of school in a row. Not because I was sick, not because I had a funeral to go to, and certainly not because of any actual valid reason. I just didn't want to go. School is boring. The classes are so damn easy that I never open the textbooks at all or even study in any way and I still get 90's or better (one exception, 88% on my last Macroeconomics exam) on all my tests.

The worst part, at least to me, about missing those days of school was self-made. I was overridden with guilt about not going, about wasting my parents' hard-earned money that they spent investing in my future, my life. It permeated my thoughts. I kicked myself mentally over and over again. Why did I do that? I am smarter than that.

Or am I?

I don't think anything I can put down in words here can impress upon you the intense hatred I have for myself and my actions with any accuracy. I feel this during every waking moment of my life. My brother is done with his Bachelors degree at CSI after 2 years already, and I'm struggling to complete mine still after 5 years. Nothing can describe the humiliation I feel about this. I have nothing to compare it to. It's funny, I don't hink I have ever told anyone how I really feel about this. I have joked about it, but that's how I keep others from knowing how utterly worthless and humiliated it makes me. Writing about it here just created fresh new waves of guilt, yay.

"I know what type of author I could be if only I could free myself from distractions and focus on that Great American Fantasy Novel. Whether I am deluded or not is up for argument, but focusing on what I haven't accomplished only sets me up for depression. And depression feeds rumination about underachievement. It's a vicious little maze, ..."

I want to write a novel, too. It's funny how this guy mentioned that specifically. I also want to start my own business, teach myself how to develop websites using PHP, learn how to use MySQl databases with those PHP pages, make trance music, and become a decent cook. Looking to my past record, I doubt I will be able to accomplish any of these, ever. This disappoints me as I think I could be a decent web developer. I'm not an artist, so the sites wouldn't necessarily be pretty to look at, but functionality? You betcha, it'd have it.

What's my point here? To give you an understanding of what my mind is like, how it functions, what I think. I don't want to be seen as some psuedo-sentimental, pity soliciting crybaby. If that is the impression I gave, then disregard this entire post. Leave me a comment anonymously and then I will delete this post.

I'm serious.

Final Fantasy 12 Real Potion Drink

I want to know why it is that we in the United States of America, the greatest country in the world, do not get to see freaking awesome commercials like this.



I WANT SOME OF THAT POTION!!

The New Monitor

Guess what.

I got a new monitor.

That's right, 19 inches of pure, unblurry Samsung LCD goodness. Now I can spend hours on my computer (like I always do) and not have a headache afterwards (like I always do).

For some reason, this put me into a nostalgic mood. I got onto Ebay and spent some time looking for the original Star Wars films on laserdisc. The reason I want them on laserdisc is purely fanatical in nature. These were the last released forms of Star Wars episodes 4, 5, and 6 before George Lucas decided they needed an "upgrade" and put in all those crappy CG scenes. Don't get me wrong here, I own every single Star Wars film on DVD and I am planning on rounding this collection out with the Driods and Ewok Adventure DVD's as well. It's just that I would like a way to own the films in their original form, un-retouched, without badly spliced scenes.

I know most of you won't care, but I do.

And it's my blog, so there.


HAN SHOT FIRST!

Neon Boy and His Parody

Here is the original video for the Neon Boy.



Couple of things are wrong with this kid other than the fact that he is a total toolbox. Most cars today have 4 or 6 cylinder engines with transmissions that do not benefit from a double clutch. This is due mostly to the lightened clutches and flywheels that are in use. Also, his wimpy Neon engine does not have enough torque to effect a torque steer as is mentioned in the video by the videographer. Not to mention the fact that he shifts slower than Casey does, and Casey's tansmission is automatic.

"It pulls so hard again, and it's the drive wheels, ya know?"

Dur, I wouldn't think the rear wheels on your front-wheel-drive vehicle would do very much pulling...

This video made me laugh so hard. When Brad got his Integra, we, for some reason, decided to make a video similar to the Neon Boy one but with a definate mocking tone to it. The nice term for it would be a "parody". Here it is below.



To top things off, we later found out that the Neon Boy got in an accident and totalled the Neon. He now has a Pontiac Crossfire. Neon Boy made us laugh once again, his antics with his Crossfire on snowy roads were indicative of his suspected low intelligence.

I have 5 biology articles to review, I tell you, "good night".

World of Warcraft Economy

I like exploiting the economy in World of Warcraft.

I have not posted for a while, so I thought I would drop you a line while I waited for my application to finish scanning the Auction House in the game. It is very important to know what price certain objects are going for or have gone for in the past when I am about to place items up for auction. This application that I use scans all of the auctions currently up and saves all of the information to a database on my computer. Whenever I move my cursor over an item, it provides me with all auction house data for that item that I have collected. It tells me how many of those same items are currently for sale, what the average starting bid is, what the average buyout amount is, how many of the auctions for that item have been bidded on, what I can sell that item to a vendor for, and suggests prices if I were to place the same item up for sale. This information has provided me many chances to corner markets, create monoploies, and exploit the needs and banks of other players looking for essential items. This is just about all that I do in this game anymore. I do not kill anything, I do not complete missions or quests. My character earns almost no experience at all. I spend almost all of my time researching the current economy and trying to find opportunities to make money.

The currency is set up thusly: 1 gold = 100 silver = 10,000 copper. In other words, it is based on values of 100.

Last night, I purchased a rare armored vest from another player for 25 gold. After researching the item, its market, and its uses, I put the item up for bid at the Auction House with an initial bid price of 75 gold and a buyout price of 90 gold. 2 hours later, the item had sold at the buyout price. Folks, that was a 360% return on my investment. I need 110 gold to purchase a horse and get trained to ride it when my character reaches level 40, and I have been at level 28 for weeks now. I have done the same thing with a couple of other items, but none have been so lucrative as this one.

I really love diving into the economy of these MMO's. Something about it is more satisfying than reaching the highest level possible with my character.

Brad and I, when we played Star Wars Galaxies, actually had meetings with other guilds to specifically discuss the economy on our server and how we proposed to fix it. Some people might find this pretty nerdy, but I enjoyed it. I know Brad did, too.

The economy in World of Warcraft is noticeably more simple, but there are larger amounts of idiots participating in it when compared to that of Star Wars Galaxies.

I regularly purchase all of the available auctions for a certain item and then place them all back up for auction again right away at seriously inflated prices. We are talking 300-500% increases. No laws are broken here when I eliminate competition Micro$oft style. I only choose items that I know that people will need and that are in short supply.

It is funny to watch prices fluctuate. I once flooded the auction house with light leather, a commodity that many people use for low level crafting professions. About half of the total auctions that I put up sold, and all of the new auctions that other people had put up since mine had prices 40-50% of what they had been. The price system for light leather has not yet returned to what it was before I broke it down so expertly.

In summation, taking financial advantage of people in games is really fun.

Firewall, The Review: Reloaded

So, I saw Firewall.

You should too.

Classic Harrison Ford movie. It had good action sequences. There was intrigue, suspense, and danger. Think of Clear and Present Danger with an "Air Force One-esque" storyline minus the President. Harrison Ford's character gets into a bad situation and then takes matters into his own hands. A premise for a story that has certainly been used before, but it is a good one.

Most importantly, the most that I could nitpick about the computer side of things was whether or not they would be able to get on a wireless network in certain parts of greater Seattle. That is it. Pretty good if you ask me. I bet you won't, though. Not that it matters, my review of this movie will not be read by more than 4 people anyway, including myself.

If you get the chance, give it a go. Go and see it. This was an excellent movie. I enjoyed it. If you know what kind of movies I like, then you should have a good idea about whether or not you will like this movie.

Han Solo is an actor!?!?

Firewall.

I have been waiting for this movie to be released for a couple of months now.

Harrison Ford is my favorite actor. He was a major character in 2 of my favorite trilogies: Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, Last Crusade, #4[w00t!]), and the original Star Wars trio (the good ones), episodes 4, 5, and 6. This does not include the countless other films he has been in that were excellent as well. A few on this list include: K-19: The Widomaker, Air Force One, Clear and Present Danger, The Fugitive, Patriot Games, Witness, and Blade Runner.

I will be viewing this film when it first plays in my local cinema at approximately 7:30pm MST. Look for me to post my thoughts and feelings regarding this feature-length film after I return home later this evening.

There is no doubt that my review will be biased in two ways. First, as previously discussed, my favorite actor stars in this movie. Second, my above-average understanding of computers and networks and how they operate will work against the film as I will mentally note any fallicies or errors regarding these subjects and, specifically, how they are protrayed on the big screen. If a faithful depiction of computers and networks prooves to be the exception rather than the rule, then you will see me note such an occurance as well. I sincerely hope that happens.

These propensities will most likely result in a favorable recapitulation of the photoplay, but I encourage you to return and see what I have to write about it.

Edit: I just noticed that the color scheme for the Firewall poster is almost exactly identical to the colors on my website. Coincidence? I think so...