title of record.


	Wednesday, August 28, 2002 post://85391760/ Well, we're getting along. Some more sanding was done today, my floor should be set for me to start shalacking (what a fun word -- sha-lack, shaLACK, sha-lack-a-lacka-laka...) and then on with the painting and settling. I still have to get kitchen stuff, clothes, and computer stuff from my old place -- probably doing that tonight as well as moving in my kitty. Phil and I will have to introduce the cats... they're both chill, so I'm hoping they'll get along eventually. We were looking at some possibilities for internet access - business DSL (residential DSL doesn't reach us), 2 way satalite, ISDN... anything faster then dial up. It might cost us a bit, but split 3 ways and it's not all that much. The satalite is the fastest, but there's added complications with that one. I ran into an issue with my Western Digital 100gig drive, it seems to be making clicking sounds every so often when I am copying, or if it's accessing. I called WD on it and they said it could be a program giving an incorrect read command, or issues with the cable. They advised me to hook up just the power and not the ide cable and see if it clicks. If so then it's definitly a hardware problem. I asked about other tests I could do and he really had no other suggestions. So if the cable test doesn't result in anything and it keeps happening... then I'll request an RMA, but I hate to do that when I don't have any way to back up the data I have on there, that's all my movies... my music... I'd hate to lose any of it. Here's how to display the flag properly. Who says a monkey can't play god. Please use this site to learn how not to drive. Lookin to get a lioness of your very own? Grow a mane. posted @ 19:33 -x- Monday, August 26, 2002 post://85382892/ Busy... an understatement. I've been moving, cleaning, sanding, shalacking, and working this whole week. Things at home are tough because I'm always trying to make sure everything's in order. There's 3 floors of wood floors to be done, we won't get to them all but we're taking care of the major ones like my bedroom, Ken's bedroom, and maybe an adjacent room or two. The dining / living room are almost done, they just need one more coat of shalack. We have stuff partially moved in, temporarily placed, my cat's still at home cause I don't want her near the floors while we're shalacking and painting. I've been staying at the other house, though -- so she's been somewhat neglected :( There's so much going on, they just laid off a couple more people from our department, the work is piling up and we don't have enough people to do it. I can grab a bunch, do it out bam bam bam -- and there's 3 more to replace what I finish up. We catch up about by the end of the day -- and then it's tomarrow and there's 20 more waiting for us. I'm losing faith and I'm losing it in general. I want to scream that we need more people... that they're not going to keep the people that they value most -- but they don't value us. Sure, we're there for them to give the work to... oh -they- know how to do it. They don't know how to show their appreciation... the mythical monatary compensation. I don't mind if you've laid off my co workers, taken people out of the key timeframes that we need the department staffed at, that we're expected to pick up the slack no problem... but make me work like a dog -- for what seems like a department with a short life span, to do all this out of the blue, with no compensation... it's enough to drive one mad. Mad I be, and getting more. I can't relax because everything is inbetween. I don't even mind the lack of stability -- though it would be nice, I justsss.a.s,ajsldkfjasdf... ascccrabmlskjfs scrambleeed scarammsf scrambled thoughts and typing:: fuck it. .s:gih;. .ja;lksdfjad .:sigh:. I know that none of the above makes sense, I don't feel like re-reading it and correcting it right now, I have to do work. sons of bitches, this shit is fuck. that the rest of the people are just giving up, and those that gave their 2 week notice don't even bother doing anything. Why should they? They're on vacation for the next two weeks. posted @ 13:35 -x- Thursday, August 22, 2002 post://85372349/ The air is clear, no stink... it's a refreshing idea. It's somewhat of a metaphor for the individual who was let go in my department, they were the one who spurred my "scent" ramble a week or so ago. I went to go look at couches at Bob's Discount Furniture today. I wanted a super comphy couch that I could plop down in, would have room for a lot of people, and wouldn't be too much of a hit to my wallet. Surprise! They have financing... evil evil ! I found a couple, $2300 sets for $1000 (couch/loveseat, or couch/chair/ottoman) $800, there were quite a few good deals. I was really surprised. It's still a lot of money, especially when I was considering maybe $500-600. I'm not sure if they'll fit in the house, even... but they'd look soooooo nice on the hardwood floor, with some thick drapes behind it. There's room for a pool table in the dining room, too - as we'd hoped... now we just have to find one. I don't want to spend a lot of money as I'm streached pretty far as it is. I don't know... guess I shouldn't be in too much of a hurry, work with what I've got right now. The house itself will be new enough to keep me satisfied for a while ;) L....C....D..... .:drooooool:. Stolen data featured on Cryptome.org exposes undercover cops. Here's an article about archiving the evolution of the internet. Please! Somebody save this guy! A wonderful example of irony. This is why you should always check the lobby events of your hotel, crack dealer or not. Fire in space -- it behaves strangely. posted @ 17:46 -x- Wednesday, August 21, 2002 post://85368439/ Well today is a downer. A whole bunch of people, all over -- being laid off. I've seen it before, but never in such magnitude. There were rumors going around that something was going to happen last week, that they were closing the whole call center. Unsubstantiated rumor, but it was based on fact. I think the biggest issue was how they went about it. They're taking each person, one at a time... they disappear, and then someone comes to clean out their desk. Unless you know that person outside of work: they're gone for good. I'm in part worried about my job, who wouldn't be when people seem to be taken away right and left. It's a horrible thing to wonder if you'll make it until the end of the day. I've already decided that it wouldn't be horrible to lose my job, I have back up plans, I can finish school in less than a year -- so I could collect unemployment, go to school -- and train to do what I want to do: computer programming. I guess this is kind of a wake up call that I should get moving with my schooling. I had a hard time working, I was always looking to see who was coming in, what people were saying... who's the latest person to be let go... People are compiling lists to keep track of it all, instead of working like they should. I'm just trying to do the best I can, get my work done... and I'll be here to work another day. If they keep going the way they're going... who's to say they won't be next, and fired... not laid off. I'm hurting for the end of the day, I just want to be out of here... the negative energy is incredible. It spreads and you can't help but feel it. I've been trying to get back at spammers. I'm sending them an email that opens up a new window as soon as you look at it. I went with an old known site: pussypalace.com I haven't even visited it yet, so for all I know it could be a search engine (that seems to be where a lot of them are going). I'm trying to track down the actual address, or the admin of the server who they're sending the emails from... but half don't go through. I send them using a fake return email so as not to subject myself to more spam. I just want one of these guys who's sending this spam from work, or wherever -- to know what it feels like to get something you weren't looking for. It's a hopeless battle... but makes me feel like I'm doing something. Here's some links: Segway wasn't it. Check out this awesome keyboard of death! posted @ 16:59 -x- Tuesday, August 20, 2002 post://85364492/ Good news! They're out and we're going to go take a look at the apartment tonight. We'll be moving in over the next week or so. Found a good label for some schweet music. You may have heard about SACD but this is the most convincing press I've read to date. Remember the forcefields? Well here's some booster rockets for ya. New findings in Dinos VS Astroid? Sony -- Does the S stand for Skynet?!! posted @ 17:05 -x- Monday, August 19, 2002 post://85360584/ Attention all those with a lot of time on your hands: HACK THIS SITE!!! I'd like to form some giant DOS attack on the above site, at least make them pay for their bandwidth. Also: does anyone have an arabic to english translator? The site looks like it has a messageboard. Some scientists thought it would be fun to make raver mice! Keiko is swimming free DVD region encoding is nearing an end. Afghan suppression is nearing an end. Get your forcefields! Grenede vaporizing forcefields! posted @ 17:33 -x- Sunday, August 18, 2002 post://85357221/ Wow, it's amazing how quickly one can get reacquisitioned. Hung out with Phil and people the whole weekend, it was Jenn's birthday, as well as Phil's. We didn't really go anywhere, no one had any ambition with the heat. We attempted to huddle around the miniscule A/C in my apartment, or in the car. Not much was going on as everyone wanted to stay inside and move as little as possible. My new apartment is vacant as of Tuesday. I'm excited, now I just want them to hurry up and get the rugs/floors done so we can move in and I can start sleeping in a nice cool room. I'm still looking for furniture. #1 on my list is a big comphy couch. I'm looking for a used one first, really don't want to buy a brand new couch... chairs, computer desk, washer/dryer... there's so much I would like to start this new place off with. I have some old links I found on my desktop: For inquiring minds only:: do not give this woman any money! Buy Star Office This looks like a cool place. India is being attacked by aliens... or bugs, that rip open your stomach! Self-managed DSL for the masses? Check out this letter from an angry Canadian. Did you know that people look 25% more attractive after 2 pints? Riiiiiiiiiiiiise, FLY! RISE I SAY! posted @ 19:33 -x- Wednesday, August 14, 2002 post://85345478/ Well I'm back at work after several days of vacation. I went to West Dennis to a friend's cottage on the beach. It was overlooking the ocean, none of this "a short walk to the beach" it was right over the dune. I went with my soon to be house mate Ken, his girlfriend, and a few other couples. I was the only single person there, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. The ocean was warm, and the weather perfect -- not an ounce of rain or cloudy skies the whole time I was there. We stocked the place full of food and drink, so there was always something -- usually good stuff like keilbasa and steak. =] We drove out on Saturday, traffic was horrendous near the end of 495, but for the most part wasn't that bad of a drive. We spent that night just chilling on the beach, went for a walk when it got dark, and played with Ken's crazy LED frisbee. Sunday we went to P-Town durring the day, and we were waiting for some other people to arrive before the real party could begin. We had the music thumping thanks to Troy bringing his stereo, with the laptop and CDs rotating the music selection. We all had a blast, and topped it off with a walk on the beach as the sun rose. Monday everyone was pretty kicked, worn from the night before so everyone just played it cool and hung out. We explored some arcades here and there, but that was about the most of it. Tuesday we went to go play some mini-golf, ate some awesome "fried shit" (calamari - mini octipi, clams, scallops, onion rings), and I sadly said goodbye to the wonderful while on the beach. I even found my way home without too much incident. It was times like that that I wish I had a digital camera. I hope to go back there again, it's a great place to visit -- nice to get away from all the hubub (and gross smells) of the city for a while. It was just what I needed, and then some. =] I came back to good news regarding my apartment -- current tennents are half-moved, so it shouldn't be long -- I hope to get in there before the end of the month, still. I'm going to have far too much room, but that's ok by me :] There's a few things that they want to fix up before we go in there, we'll probably end up doing some painting as well. I can't wait... posted @ 15:31 -x- Friday, August 09, 2002 post://85329822/ My Concert Attendance Report for my Music Appreciation Class: I went to go see the Horizons Jazz Band (Jazz at Sunset) in Worcester on Friday. It was a group of about 5 gentleman, older in age. They had drums, a double bass, guitar (broke out the banjo a few times), and keyboard in the back. They keyboard was usually traditional piano, but every once in a while they'd change depending on the piece. It could even fill in for another instrument if needed. In the front they had a trombone, trumpet, clarinet (trumpet and clarinet were played by the same individual), and the singer also played the oboe and saxophone. They'd switch instruments often, quite adeptly, without missing a beat. pieces: Some of the pieces they played were String of Pears, Duke Ellington - Mooch, and Tiaunna - which is after a bar in Kansas, not Mexico. They had a bit more to say about Irving Berlin - When I Leave the World Behind. "The lyrics and melody are one." as well as describing Irving Berlin's style. There was a lot of horn, and my mother described it as a lot like "Tin Pan Alley" which would be similar to Gershwin. I could hear the similarities. Sidney Bechet - Blues in the Air had a more mournful, sad sound to it. There was a steady trumpet, leading the melody. It was described as "New Orleans Jazz". They played Sidney Bechet - Le Marchand de Poissons, then Good 'ol New York which he accentuated the difference between the sentiment in the roaring 20s, and how we currently feel about New York. They're both strong, but for different reasons. He described it as "always a good time" as it's an energetic piece. The piano was lead, he sung along. It was fast and loud, with a great drum solo near the end. They played Louis Armstrong - Wildman Blues which had trumpet and trombone playing lead, but towards the middle all instruments got involved and were all playing a different tune. Trumpet, trombone, oboe, piano, and even a banjo thrown into the mix. Although they were all different, it fit together seamlessly, accentuating and harmonizing with each other. Yamma Yamma Man was a good piece for jamming and improvisation. Louis Armstrong - Swing That For Me had a great bass solo, and an escalating snare topped off with a cymbal, triangle, and cowbell going at the keynote. kind of listener: I was mainly a referential listener at the concert. I was recalling people, places, and even created stories for the music. One of the Gershwin pieces they played had been used in Fantasia 2000 so I replayed that as I was listening. I was listening for each instrument, what was playing at the time. I listened for the beat, the melody, the harmony, and how they all fit together. The tone of the music was upbeat, it made me happy just listening. style: Most of the music was homophonic texture, polyphonic at some points. The timbre of the instruments they chose was perfect. The trumpet had much more feeling to it when it was muted then normally played. It gave me such a toe-tapping feeling, blue skies, green grass, and warm summer air all come to mind. It was mainly Jazz, improvisation, jamming. There were pieces with defined structure, and some that were everything all at once. In most cases it was a main melody supported by one other instrument, or a few instruments playing the basic melody. Audience response: The audience was a great support, the band mentioned how great it was to be playing a couple times. They had a great time, and it was only made better by the fact that everyone go so excited by the music. Everyone was tapping their feet, bobbing their heads, and clapping after the best parts. Sometimes they'd be clapping so much for the well executed escalation that they'd miss the keynote, or at least make it harder to hear. I did hear a critical listener in the back: "...sounds a little flat", some people were even dancing here and there. After they played "Good 'ol New York" there was a resounding response, the singer said "My heart goes out when I hear that kind of response... that's what makes this all worthwhile." When they were all done, and said so to the crowd, a resounding "awwww" throughout lead to an encore. All in all it was a good concert, I was glad I went. -x- This marks the end of my classes for the summer. I finished up the final for Music Appreciation last night, didn't do awesome, but well enough. I should get by with an A-. posted @ 11:18 -x- Wednesday, August 07, 2002 post://85322629/ I'm inspired, I feel like creating a new CD, I've got some new stuff that I have been wanting to put together on a CD. I don't think it'll be ready for vacation, but it'll certainly premier at my housewarming party. I don't necessarily want a big drinking party -- people haven't proven their ability to avoid spilling their drinks all over the place. There is a nice backyard, however -- so maybe a cook-out. =] My report and final is due today for my Music Appreciation class. Once that's out of the way, I'm set. =] Acronym quote of the day: "We need BVDs on the OBGYN ASAP!" A proxy says what? I don't have a smell. Everyone seems to have a favorite scent. In truth: so do I, but I'm not willing to pay for it. I smell like soap... maybe some aftershave at the most. I can usually tell who's walking by just by the perfume/cologne. Women are guilty of this more then the men are, and most of the time it's nice -- a whiff of flowers here and there, but when it swarms over you like a wave... and it doesn't smell all that good to begin with -- you wonder how they missed it. Do they know it's that strong? Do they just smell it so much that they don't think they have that much on? Would I actually attract more young ladies if I smelt all cologne-ney? * back in reality * ...and then there's those people that have a rather strong... far from pleasant, somewhat pungent smell. .:sigh:. posted @ 09:58 -x- Monday, August 05, 2002 post://85315670/ I had a fun weekend. On Friday I went to a Jazz festival in Worcester with my mom, part of an assignment for my music appreciation class, I had to go see a concert and write a report about it. It kind of came up last minute when I asked my mom if she knew of any concerts going on. It was a nice little concert, I'm glad I went. After I got home I went out to Boston Billiards to go play some pool with a friend... then some foosball (and pinball). It was a good time. On Saturday I went to a birthday party for some friends from work. They had great drink, a wonderfully warm pool, and a hot tub! I think the only down-side was that my phone took a swim. I had someone hold it while I was in the water. A little while later it was ringing, so he went to pull it out of his cargo pocket... it got caught and then popped right out of the case and into the air -- then the pool. I took a dive right after it... but alas, could not save it. I had high hopes after the light was still on underwater and even after I got it out of the water. One Nokia 8290 down the drain. I have VoiceStream, so my number, addresses, and SMS messages are all stored on a little chip. I was able to take it out of my waterlogged phone and pop it into my old 5190. It works, but I did lose some of the phone numbers that were saved on the phone itself. The 5190 is about 6 inches tall, and honkin. My 8290 was all petite and tiny. I knew I got a new phone for a reason =] I spent Sunday just chillin out, played some video games with people, went to eat at Cracker Barrel (I was quite impressed), and had a generally mellow day. All the hubbub of the past couple months is finally winding down and it feels good. First the business trip to PA, my internet class started, then I was in training at work, while also starting the O/S class over at STCC at night, and looking for an apartment on the side. As of Aug 14th when I return from vacation (going to Cape Cod on the 10th) I'll be back to normal -- all my classes over, back to my 11-7:30pm schedule at work, and a nice new, spacious apartment to go home to. I hope to move in before I go off to the Cape, but might just have to wait till I get back. It's 3 floors, 5 bedroom, hardwood floors in most of the house, a dining room, living room, sunroom, large kitchen, 2 bathrooms, and a garage. I'm ecstatic to say the least =] Pinball going the way of the Dodo? 3D Ping Pong flash game. Are you addicted to sex and/or porn? Beware the unholy giant squid! Today: GRACE -- Tomarrow: Skynet Chip your PS2. posted @ 10:06 -x- Friday, August 02, 2002 post://85309140/ Keep an eye out for blobs. Play Head Kicker! Brittany being all snirty about the birdy. Life just lost that luster? Got Goth? posted @ 15:51 -x- Thursday, August 01, 2002 post://85304514/ Have you had your Fark today? Here's the beginning of my video game / android war machine theory: US Army robot posted @ 10:04 post://85303416/ I have to find a concert. I knew about this ahead of time, but I neglected to refresh my memory by reading through the assignments. I guess if I don't have someone harping in my ear all the time (as much as I hate that) I just don't remember. There's one little event going on Tuesday night, closest thing to a classical performance. I am not sure if it's an orchestra type setting, but it's better then nothing =] I have my O/S class final that evening, but I'll see if I can postpone it for the sake of being able to catch it. I'm going to bed, didn't get up this morning... well -- I did. I sabotaged myself by shutting off the alarm and not knowing it. It wasn't exactly easy getting to sleep on the couch as it was, so that didn't help. I'll be glad when everything is normal temperature again, or at least I'll have an air conditioner in my bedroom once I move into the new place. I actually saw a friend's website listed on the "Top 10 Most Recently Updated Blogs" on Blogger. Neeeeeet! posted @ 00:08 -x-