Category: Uncategorized Page 140 of 157

When I started my blog it was a small kinda thing, just me and a journal of sorts that I linked from my site. After a while I decided to turn on comments, and later still I decided to let my blog be refernced by blogger – meanings that it would show up on their lists and people all over the world could randomly visit and read what I had to say.

Unfortuntly, this also attracted comment spam – people that set up programs to automatically dump bogus comments into blogs with link so they get a higher page rank. Wankers. So, I had to take some time yesterday to clean those up and set the blog to send me email if someone adds a comment – valid or otherwise.

I guess my little blog and I have finally arrived if the spambots have found us. I’ll try to keep it clear of the spam and keep on writing weird stuff that happens.

In other news… you know, I don’t think I really think I have much in the way of news. So, I think I’ll stop right here.

Back to work…

I was headed up campus yesterday to reboot a server (hey, I’m all about pushing buttons) and I saw a protest/demonstration was going on along the commons. There were several college age student looking people holding signs and flags. I was in a hurry so I didn’t stop to get the full drift of the protest – but I think it was something about “Obey Jesus – Start War!”

Which, clearly, makes no sense. I think they were trying to be ironic – which is fine in casual conversation and bumper stickers – but in a protest if a person has to stop and figure out what you’re talking about, well, they most likely won’t stop.

The bigger problem is that even if they had been straight-forward in their message, it wouldn’t have mattered. I think I agree with their convoluted message so far as I believe that war itself doesn’t really ever solve anything – but I feel no more strongly about it now that I know I have the support of a few loud college students that can make signs. And if I thought war was a good idea – would they have been able to sway my thinking?

Not likely.

If they had made the local news, had the story picked up nationally, been in a report that sat on the president’s desk, would it have mattered?

Besides the point that we’re not really sure he knows how to read – I don’t think it would have mattered there either. A college campus protest does not set national policy.

Maybe it mattered to the students with the signs. Maybe it gave them a sense of community and helped them hold onto their ideals. And maybe they’ll end up in a position of power at some point in their lives and will be able to make a differnce.

As for me, well, I had to go push a button and get some lunch.

I guess that’s all I’ve got to say on that particular subject – so, time to get back to work…

It takes quite a bit to get me really angry – but I’m very frequently annoyed. Very. Frequently.
And I’ve found myself, well, growling at people. Well, not actually at them. Just in the back of my throat. I don’t think anyone has heard me do this and I’m not sure how I’d react or what I’d say. Case in point… yesteday, in the student union (and this happens more freqently in a crowd) I was trying to accomplish what should have been the simple task of going up the stairs to get some lunch. While trying to navigate the crowds – which were formidable – I also had to contend with this guy moving slowly and aimlessly in the middle of the hallway. I saw him from a distance and tried to plan a route past him – but his random wanderings were aligned with my path despite my best efforts and I pretty much had to stop and wait for him to move past before I could proceed. As soon as I got an opening, I took it – growling low in my throat as I went past him.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m all for quiet comtemplation and a slow pace – where it’s appropiate. Museum, park, forrest trail – all valid. Crowded building with uninspired arcitecture? Nope, let’s hustle, people. Nothing to see here. Move it along. Hence the growling.

In other news – I’ve been doing a little running the past couple of days. It’s been too long and I’m out of shape, but at least I’m out there trying. It’s about 15 minutes of running and walking – which is not very much. Still, gotta start somewhere. If I can get in the habit of doing this – then I’m more likely to get a treadmill and use it when the weather turns cold and I can’t run outside. Well, I guess I could run outside in the winter, but that’s a little more insane than I’m willing to be.

I also did a little cleaning/organizing/ de-crappifing my apartment. Tomorrow will be a year to the day when I kicked out my former room-mate – I think a little clearing out is in order.

Work has kinda sucked the past few days, but I’m getting through it. And that’s about it. So, I should get back to the grind…

The smell this morning as I walked out my front door was that of Liver and Onions – one of my least favorite foods on the planet. I’d rather be covered in angry spiders than eat that crap – and the smell isn’t anything to smile about either. Maybe I need to move…

Over the weekend I went to a small zoo in Wheeling, WV. It was raining and there were other events happening in the area, so we pretty much had the zoo to ourselves. A few animals of note:

Ostrich: There were 4 in the enclosure and they were as facinated with us as much as their fairly small brains could be. My friend opened up his umbrella and the male suddenly started following us as we walked along the fence. A mating display, perhaps?

Deer: They had a petting zoo type area with deer that we went into. One of the deer walked right up to me and stopped with what I’m guessing was an expectant look on its face. I didn’t have any of the pellet food and didn’t plan on letting a deer eat out of my hand – though that’s what it was expected. So, we just looked at each other for a moment – each of us having reached the limit of what we were prepared to do. It was an interesting empass.

Frogs: They had a display of poison arrow frogs. Those things are wicked cool – so bright and shiny that they looked like plastic until they moved.

River Otters: My favorite animal on the planet – they had two in a large watery area with underwater viewing. We got to see them right up close as they swam, ate, and played in and out of the water. Just amazing. And the otters seemed interested in us too – they came right up to the glass and peered at us and tapped the glass before swimming off again. I could have stayed there all day.

Also that weekend I got to see a Sarah McLachlan concert on TV. Just awsome – I think she’s one of the most amazing and powerful singers out there today. And you could tell she was really enjoying putting on the show. She… resonates… with some pretty deep and powerful emotions.

In other news…my ex-roommates mom called last night and asked if I would stop over and set up her answering machine/caller ID. They seem to go in waves with their requests – though this one does seem to be taking longing than usual to get through. So, I’m headed there this evening.

That’s it for now…time to get back to work…

Well, it’s been a few days since I mentioned my car – the check engine light went out the day before my appointment. I drove in a variety of conditions and the car had no problems. So, I called and canceled the appointment – saying it was like a kid that didn’t want to go to school, but felt better when a trip to the doctor is suggested. The mechanic had good laugh with me.

Yesterday, on the way to work – the engine light came back on. I not sure if it means there’s a problem or just a loose wire somewhere. I’m keeping an eye on things and I’ll get it checked if anything else weird happens.

Work has been busy and stressful – a couple of projects have sprung up out of nowhere and gotten rapidly way more complicated than usual.

As a result, going for lunch has been an exercise in frustration this week. It’s like people are trying to get in my way on purpose – though the worst has to be the chicks that sit right in the middle of the stairs at the main entrance to the building – chatting on their cell phones while eveyone else has to try and get around them. Maybe a good swift kick to their heads…no, must not let the idea even form in my head.

To try and counter-balance things, I did a good deed again and took my ex-roommate’s grandmother to bingo again yesterday and then picked her up in the evening.

Oh, and I got some more halloween supplies last night. One more major component to acquire and I’ll be ready for the assembly.

That’s it for now – time to get back to work and and put out some fires…

Over the weekend I went to a costume shop that is going out of business. Found some good deals for my costume this year and got some ideas for next year as well. Spent too much money, but hey, it’s my favorite holiday of the year and I’ve got my fan base to think about.

Yesterday during a drive home, the check engine light came on again. I’ve got an appointment to drop the car off tonight and have it worked on – again. For apparently the same problem that they “fixed” before. So, I’m doing it all – again. I’m more than a we bit cranky about the whole thing, as you can imagine. I might have to pack my Mr. PotatoHead “angry eyes”.

In other news… I’m involved in a project to put together some videos and a website for Cyber Security Awareness day here on campus. In the videos, I’m playing the part of “The Nerd”. So, today I nerded myself up and got my picture taken for a fake ID. I think I managed to pull off the look – I was nerdy that I wanted to give myself a weggie and shove myself in a locker. Yeah, I was styling. Just a few minutes ago I de-nerded myself – though I’m leaving the stuff here at work for when we actually film my part.

It was scary how easy it was to slip into the role – and how nerdy I still feel afterwards.

I think I need a shower. With lots of pumic soap.

That’s it for now, back to work…

And yes, I’ll post a picture at some point.

It’s been a rough day – things keep breaking and landing on my desk. And at lunch today – everyone was in my way. Everyone.

1. The girl that had to get 8 little cups of catsup for her small order of fries.
2. The nimrod who couldn’t find the napkins and made a huge deal of it.
3. The twit on her cell phone – standing on the stairs.
4. The…well, just the random collection of clueless idiots who couldn’t see beyond their own small and dim view of the world.

While standing in line I actually had some serious thoughts over whether it would be better to make their heads explode or to just set them on fire. It’s messy either way, but I figured that the burning alive would be more painful and I really didn’t think that anyone of them deserved an easy way out.

Clearly, I have issues.

And now it’s time to get back to work… Oh, the joy is neverending…

I had a message on my answering machine from my ex-roommates grandmother yesterday when I got home from work. Rather than call her back the nan0-second I walked in the door, I spent some quality time in the bathroom with my new comics. By the time I was done – and yes, I did wash my hands – her currently out of town daughter had called as well. Same topic – could you take grandma to bingo tonight?

Well, as it turns out, I could. So, I called her back and made arrangments. I picked her up from her house and dropped her off at the bingo location with a hearty “good luck”. The plan was that she would get a ride home from one of her friends – but she asked if I would be home that evening in case that fell through.

Now where, in all of this, is my ex-roommate? Apparently working, as was “that woman” as the grandmother refered to his girlfriend.

As predicted – she called again later that evening and would be needing a ride. So, I put my shoes back on and hopped in the car. Halfway to the bingo palace – terror struck.

Something huge flew past the front and side of my car before slamming into the open window frame on the driver’s side of the car. It was a preying mantis and it was huge. Huge, I tell you!

The impact broke at least a couple of legs and the force of wind kept him from getting back underway. So, he was essentially stuck on the ledge of my window.

Now, I like bugs – because in most cases I can do my thing and they do their thing and we’re all cool and stuff. Here, I was trying to do my thing and this particular bug was clearly up in my business.

I finally escorted him out of the car with a bit of scrap paper when I reached a red stoplight – no, I didn’t touch it directly. We’d both been through enough. And it was huge.

I rolled up my window a bit once he was gone and then completed my appointment with the lucky bingo lady – who had picked up 50 bucks and a stuffed dog.

Good deed complete.

Well, that’s it for now – time to get back to work…

Did I mention it was a huge bug? Huge!

I haven’t blogged in a few days – been real busy with work, including working a couple of late nights. Big projects mostly, but also just a lot of random stuff.

I another cluster headache over the weekend – this one hit me while I was a passenger in a car on a trip. The “normal” sequence for this is: distorted vision, headache, throwing up, sleeping, recovery. Being in a car threw that out of wack and it was touch and go for a while. Feeling much better now.

Watched some of the Firefly DVD – great show! Real story driven sci-fi, which is usually rare in the face of fancy special effects.

I also watched the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy on DVD. Pretty good, but I wonder how much a non-fan of the book would have gotten out of it. It was more than I expected, but not as much as I would have hoped for.

The DVD included a trailer for the Chronicles of Narnia – which looked really good in a Harry Potter sort of way. There’s a shot of when they first open the wardrobe – amazing…

Talked to my sister last night – she’s recovering from a huge quiz and was doing battle with a giant bug while we talked on the phone. I think she eventually won – but it was still twitching when we finished our conversation.

Well, I guess I should get back to work – or maybe go grab an early lunch. In any case, that’s it for now…

(apologies to the Rolling Stones)

We need a red phone for the video that I’m going to be in about Computer Security – so, that was job last night. Went fairly well, though my attempts to preserve it as a working phone failed when I forgot to cover the handset jack before spray painting it. Oh, well. It was most likely a lost cause anyway.

Otherwise, it was an evening of video games and paying bills.

Well, that’s about it for now – back to work…