Hell's Not So Bad

I'm officially moving

2006-02-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Blogger, This is really hard for me since we've been together for over a year. When we started out together we were perfect for each other. I felt like we were both entering a brave new world and we would explore it together. But I feel that while I've grown, you have not. Your features used to be enough for me, but as I've experienced more on the web, your features have stayed the same. Your spell check still doesn't know the word Blogger. It's not you, it's me. I've changed too much. I still want us to be friends, though. We've had some great times and I will always remember them and how much you've taught me, but it's time to move on. I hope you find someone new that will make you happy. Still with love, Hobbes PS - My new address is http://akanthos.wordpress.com Please update any links and bookmarks accordingly.

More Meme

2006-02-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged again. I will answer the challenge here, at my new blog site. Please adjust links and bookmarks accordingly.

I may be moving

2006-02-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

But if not, you should still check out this very cool blog site.

RSS

2006-02-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

I've decided that rss is a good. What is RSS you ask? It's short for Really Simple Syndication. The idea is that you have a sort of feed (you can think of it like a live bookmark) that is created from the content of your site. People then subscribe to the feed with an rss reader and then they get the most recent changes. This works really well for blogs and news sites that change content daily, if not hourly. Right now I'm using Sage, a Firefox extension as my rss reader. I recommend you try it out. If nothing else, it makes reading it very simple for me to keep up on 10+ blogs every day.

In my day...

2006-02-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

I used to post here once a day. Sometimes twice! I would post through 5 feet of snow, both ways! I had to fight off dinosaurs to make a post, but I did it. Nowadays I'm part of the slacker generation and I'm lucky to get in one post a month. Ah well. This week I watched Donnie Darko for the first time. I loved it. I've never had a fear of bunny rabbits, but after Frank I was thinking about developing one. And yes, I do believe in time travel.

Habitual Meme

2006-01-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

I was told last night that I have been tagged. Not only that, but my lame priorities like work and school are no excuse for not getting this done. So what does getting tagged mean? Well... The Rules: The first player of this game starts with the topic "five weird habits" and people who get tagged need to write an entry about their five weird habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next five people to be tagged and link to their web journals. Don't forget to leave a comment in their blog or journal that says "You have been tagged" (assuming they take comments) and tell them to read yours. 1) The theme song from "I Dream of Jeannie" is never far from my mind. I've tried to overwrite it, and I've tried therapy but it just won't go away. 2) When driving, I sing along with Tenacious D. At the top of my lungs. 3) I reorganize my desk almost every month. I have to make sure my nice pens are in order. 4) I organize my closet by color. (I know of no support group to help me with this) 5) Despite all my insane organizing "habits" (read: compulsions), my CD's are organized in a much more organic method. People who know how OCD I can be with my clothes and CD's and such are surprised that my CD's and are in no apparent order. And now, I officially tag Tracy, Beau, Amy, Colton and Victor. So I wash my hands of this and await posts from you five slackers.

Not sure how I missed this one

2006-01-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

I got a few things on my Amazon wish list for Christmas this year. A lot of books, some movies and a couple of games. I played Call of Duty 2 all the way through on Easy and I'm just starting back through on Regular (as is my custom with games, to beat every level). I was a huge fan of the first Call of Duty. I loved the progression through the various missions and the gameplay. The graphics were great and the whole thing felt very solid. The expansions was good, too. But the sequel is just more of the same. It doesn't advance the genre at all and I've heard the support for the online gaming experience has been awful. Too bad. The other game I got was Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. I know it's an older game (2004 actually) but I never picked it up and since I had heard good things about it I left it on my wish list. I started playing it last night (in total darkness for effect) and I really like this game. It's a combination of classic first person shooter and stealth in a very unique way. The story is helped by the fact that Vin Diesel voiced Riddick. That's what I'm doing post-Christmas. What about you? Beagle Status: Fully fed. With tummies full of kibble, it's time for a nap.

Cryptonomicon

2005-12-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

I really thought that when school finished I'd have more time. As it turns out, I have less. See, school forces a kind of routine on me that makes me do things like check my email every day and read my web comics and feel guilty about not posting. The holidays make that guilt go away and thus, no posts. However, I have found a new author that I like very much and I thought I'd share. I just finished reading Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. I also got three more of his books for Christmas. (w00t!) Cryptonomicon, other than being hard to spell repeatedly, is a fantastic book that tells three major stories, with a host of supporting cast perspectives. It takes place during the modern day, as well as following some amazing WWII stories. The main character is Randall Lawrence Waterhouse. Randall, or Randy as his friends call him, is a Unix geek and is just starting a new business venture with his friend Avi. They end up in the Philippines on some crazy idea that turns out to be only part of a larger business plan. Meanwhile, we meet Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse. Randy's grandfather. We follow him through his days at Princeton earning a degree in engineering, but he's more suited to pure mathematics. He meets some nice friends there, like Al. Al prefers to go by Alan but Lawrence isn't good with names. Alan, last name Turing, is a British chap that's working on applied mathematics. Bright chap, probably go far. Anyway, Lawrence ends up in the Navy and because of his music talents, made part of a band in the USS Nevada stationed at Pearl Harbor, December 1941. After the "day which will live in infamy" the Navy decides it doesn't need bands, but all those musicians might be able to help type in the new war effort. In training to be clerks for the Navy's Cryptanalysis, Lawrence proves he's far more valuable cracking Japanese codes than taking dictations. Soon they ship him off to Europe to work with the British on the Enigma problem, and he meets up with his old friend Alan Turing. Bobby Shaftoe is a hardass US Marine. He's done his share of fighting in the Pacific theater. So after being a particularly nasty battle, he's sent home with a Purple Heart, Silver Star and a Navy Cross. He wants back in the fight so he's assigned to a special unit, Detachment 2702, where he meets people like Enoch Root and Lawrence Waterhouse. All these stories tie together with others to take you on a fantastic epic that, despite some heavy mathematics, reads fast and intense. I couldn't put it down for the week it took me to finish the 1000+ pages. I've already started my next Neal Stephenson book: Quicksilver. I'll let you know how this one turns out.

Get Lost

2005-12-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

And then found. I may have talked about this before, but I find it fun, so I'll go over it again. Geocaching.com. What is that, you say? It's where you can learn all about Geocaching. What is geocaching? IT's a high tech treasure hunt using GPS technology to find hidden caches all over the world. There are 218706 active caches in 219 countries. There are several thousand in Utah alone. For some, you don't even need a GPS device. But for most, that's about all you need. YOu can get a decent GPS for under $150. It's a lot more fun than it sounds. You should try it. If you don't have a GPS device and want to check this out, (and you know me) let me know. I'll take you with me on a few caches.

Thanx Givin'

2005-11-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

And now we're less than a week away. Yippee! Seriously, Thanksgiving is my no-contest, hands-down, all-time favorite holiday. First off, there's delicious turkey. Mmmmmmm.....turkey. *gurgle* Ah, where was I? Oh yeah. Great food. But this isn't all. It's a gathering of friends and family, but minus all the hassle that goes with Christmas. I'm going to try really hard to really enjoy Christmas this year. (Normally I'm a bit of a humbug) But I still draw the line at Thanksgiving. At my house, it is FORBIDDEN to play Christmas music until the Friday after Thanksgiving. Go shopping, play your carols, start decorating. Whatever. Go nuts. But not until AFTER Thanksgiving. So, in preparation for Turkey Day, here's a list of just some of the things I'm extra grateful for this year: My wife. I try to tell her often that she's wonderful. I really mean it in a not too cliche way, too. She gives my life meaning and direction. I love you, H. My family. This is not restricted to those who happen to be related by blood. Family is more than that. This includes GreatWolf, Jumpboot, Psycho and Tracy. Good friends. Hard to find and harder sometimes hard to hang on to, but worth your time. My beagles. I love my dogs. They love me unconditionally. Plus they're damn cute. School. It's starting to wear on me but it's taught me more about life and about myself than I expected. Plus, I like getting A's. I have some more things, maybe I'll post in a day or two. In the mean time, what are some things you guys are glad you have in your lives?

I'm an ass

2005-11-05T15:47:00.000-07:00

I try not to be, but sometimes it just happens. There are a few things on my mind lately and I'll try to get to each of them over the next few days, but first the latest thing that bugs me. It seems that quite a few people that I know have decided to start blogging. That's very cool. I really like hearing all about the mundane and insane and deeply intense and personal things that my good friends have shared. However, sometimes I read things posted by people I've known for years and wonder if I really know them. Sometimes this is a sad thing, but most of the time it's awesome that my friends are still surprising me and we're still changing and growing as people. I love it. But today I had one of those "I don't really know this person" moments and it was not the good kind. I realized I'm an ass. I hope that by confessing my ass-ness and resolving to pull my head out and keep it out that I might find some forgiveness. You may have read the blog of my good friend Psycho. His wife, Sign Foo, just started her own blog recently and I spent some time this morning skimming through it. I was struck by how very smart and articulate she is. Now, I knew this. If you were to ask me I'd say yes, she is a very smart person. But since she's deaf, she doesn't come off as articulate as you or I might like to think that we sound. On paper, or in a blog, it's all the same. We're all playing on a level field. So as I was reading through I realized that my surprise at finding her so expressive and smart was actually disturbing. You see, I realized that I'm an ass who just judges by what I see or hear and not by what is really there. Mostly this was a rude awakening because she and I read some of the same kinds of books and we've talked about them and I know she's insightful and intelligent. She's very well read. But, because it takes more work to follow her in a conversation, I discount it somewhat. I knew better and I still caught myself being stupid, patronizing and perhaps condescending. See? I'm an ass. Foo, I'm sorry. I know it can be hard to fight prejudice and bigotry. Especially when people don't even know they have it. I will most definitely try to be more respectful and less of an ass. Please forgive me so we can talk more about the books we read and I can benefit from your wonderful insight and opinion.

Happy November 5th!!!

2005-11-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

Today is a red letter day in science. Can anyone tell me what historical scientific event happend on this day in 1955?

My god! It's full of stars!

2005-10-25T12:52:00.000-06:00

My friend Harold is in the National Guard. Right now he's helping clean up in New Orleans and he's been there for at least the past month. While he's gone I've been picking up his mail, and this week that included a package from Dell. He went and bought himself an XPS laptop. Now, for those of you who don't know, this is along the lines of the Alienware laptops. It's a mobile gaming machine. It has a 17 inch display, 2 GHz CPU, 2 GB RAM, 100 GB HDD and a screaming video card. And right now it's in my hot little hands. He said I could opened it up and check it out. (I was going to if he said it was ok or not) The display on this thing is awesome. If you're looking for a desktop replacement laptop then this is your machine. So choice, if you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.

2005 or 1984

2005-10-18T14:07:00.000-06:00

Almost everyone has heard of the phrase "Big Brother" when talking about the government keeping tabs on us. The thought frightens many, even some who don't own every season of the X-Files on DVD (but I don't know these people). So is it any better when the 'parents' behind 'brother' are private companies instead of the government? Not only no, but hell no. Here's why: Joe Jones goes into a job interview and is told politely, but firmly, no thank you. He wonders at this since he's a model employee and his previous boss gave him glowing recommendations. Turns out that the company he was applying at checked up on Mr. Jones. They went to one of these data mining companies and said what do you have on Joe Jones. They said, looks like he's a drug addict. Now how would they know that? They tracked his online habits and found him pricing and purchasing hypodermic needles but no medicine. Further more his medical files say he doesn't need any kind of injection. Whew, close call there. Almost hired a druggie. But wait, is Joe a druggie? No. He buys extra hypos for his grandmother who is on a fixed income and has diabetes. He's not a druggie, he's a saint. Can this really happen? It already happens all the time. Are there legitimate uses for this kind of stuff? I suppose if you wanted to screen your dates to make sure none were psycho stalkers (or to make sure that they were psycho stalkers if that's what you wanted) but where is the line and who draws it? Do you check just criminal history? Mental health? How about tax receipts and income statements? And who regulates what data can be stored? Where do you go to if there's a mistake? And what's to stop this data from being misused? If this were regulated in some way I might sleep a little better. But not only can you not correct any data they have on you, they don't have to tell you they have it. “But wait,” you say, “let me get this straight. A company that I don't know can collect data on me without my permission, without my knowledge and then sell it without problem?” Yup. And it gets worse. In 2001 America saw a tragic act of terrorism on it's own soil. This finally shocked many Americans into realizing that not only is America NOT the center of the solar system (gasp), but there are some people that actually hate us (and after we gave the world McDonald's, too). After our eyes opened a bit we scrambled to feel like we were protecting ourselves. In conjunction with some things like the so-called Patriot Act the government started looking at options. How can we see this coming next time? One company that collects information about people stepped up and volunteered to help the FBI step around our constitutional rights and established freedoms. You see, the FBI and law enforcement agencies can't legally open a file and investigate US citizens without reason. They can only open a file on you if you're being investigated for a crime. But what about crimes that have yet to be committed? No, they can't just randomly check up on you to see whether or not you *might* break the law. So a third party said, “Hey, we have tons of info that we collected and we did it legally. Wanna see it?” Duh. So not only do we have to worry about the spyware companies creating technology that is prime for identity theft, not only do they intrude into our lives to sell us crap, but then they turn around and tattle on us. It's bad enough that companies use this data to screen job applicants, but it's shocking to think that this unregulated and personal information can fall into just about anyone's hands. And it often does.

All your base(16) are belong to us

2005-10-10T20:16:00.000-06:00

We've been messing with multiple number bases in two of my classes. In Computer Organization and Networking we've been messing with binary, octal decimal and hexadecimal. I started looking into all the different number bases, and there are a lot, and some of the cultures that used them. For instance, we use a base 10 system (decimal) and the Mayans used a base 20. The Babylonians used a base 60 system.(Insane) Anyway, there's a guy in one of my classes that breaks into a cold sweat when we start talking subnet masking or IEEE 754 floating number standard. Tell him to convert a 32 bit hex number with the 754 standard and he whimpers and cries. 64-bit? He wet himself. Poor guy. You take CIS because they tell you there's no math and now this. Tsk tsk.

Beagle Update:

2005-10-04T11:39:00.000-06:00

I know you're not supposed to feed them after midnight and you're not supposed to get them wet. But I got Toby wet and now there are two. We have another puppy in our home. Her name is Kaylee and she's adorable, as you can see. So far Toby loves her and they get along great. She has a very sweet temperament. We love her already.

One time I hired a monkey...

2005-10-03T09:04:00.000-06:00

So I'm sitting here in class listening to the lecture. I'm reminded of a "School Daze" moment from Brak on Space Ghost. "One time I hired a monkey to take notes for me in class. I would just sit there with my mind a complete blank while the monkey would scribble on little pieces of paper. At the end of the week the teacher said,"Class, I want you to write a paper using your notes." I wrote a paper that said: Hi. My name is Bingo. I like to climb on things. Eeek! Eeek! I got an F! When I told my mom she said,"I told you never trust a monkey". The end.

I'm LOST

2005-09-30T09:49:00.000-06:00

I'm LOST and I'm Jack. How 'bout you?

Photos for all

2005-09-26T09:20:00.000-06:00

I've had a Flickr account for a while now. I like it for uplaoding pics in batches so if I have s single snapshot I'll post it here but for a series I'll send you to Flickr. Why don't you go get caught up here?

Seen these?

2005-09-23T12:07:00.000-06:00

You may have seen some of these pictures and read this guys accounts. But if not, get over there and do it.

M-O-M-O-R-ARG!

2005-09-18T00:33:00.000-06:00

I've got this song by Morningwood stuck in my head. They start spelling their name out in this song and for some reason my brain finds that facinating. I also loved Saturday Night sung by Neds Ataomic Dustbin off the So I Married an Axe Murderer soundtrack. I don't know what this addiction with songs that spell things is, but I'm sure it's related to too much Sesame Street.

I want it!!!!

2005-09-15T10:42:00.000-06:00

You've seen my alias on Blogger. Yes it means what you think it does. And I want this SO BAD!

I knew it

2005-09-15T10:11:00.000-06:00

Ok, maybe not in the sense that I had the slightest idea, but I knew that there was something I didn't know. Oh, and it's a fake news story.

Wakka wakka wakka

2005-09-14T14:47:00.000-06:00

I must have missed this add last election season.

Names you may want to avoid

2005-09-08T13:06:00.000-06:00

In case you've always wondered where they get the names for hurricanes, now you know. And in case you were watching the news and noticed that the storm parked off the coast of Florida is called Ophelia and wondered what happened to L,M and N, they were used for hurricanes that have so far stayed far out to sea. Get your updates here.

Do what Maggie tells you.

2005-09-08T08:26:00.000-06:00

Go here.

FEMA Blocks Photos of New Orleans Dead

2005-09-07T14:30:00.000-06:00

FEMA Blocks Photos of New Orleans Dead FEMA also stopped a bunch of people from getting into New Orleans with their boats to do search and rescue. They stopped the Red Cross from getting in to New Orleans, too. They give their reasons, but it was pointed out to me that after the attacks of 9/11 it took FEMA over 72 hours to get anyone on site and start doing something. If it hadn't been for 'civilian' aid then things would have been a lot worse. FEMA has been much better about controlling civilian aid this time and it shows. Thousands of deaths? I completely agree that a large and very serious responsibility rests on the local officials. But let's be real. Is a single city supposed to be entirely independent and completely responsible for evacuating hundreds of thousands of people within hours? If they had the resources to do all that they wouldn't need to be part of the Union. They could be an autonomous city-state. The contradiction here is that the federal government is being very controlling about the relief and rescue efforts but complaining that city and state officials aren't doing enough. Which is it? I thought that the city was supposed to do all that it could to have plans in place and do what it could with city resources but when the problem is so much more than they can handle, like this, they turn to the state who turns to the federal. Federal and state resources could then be applied to the plans the city set up, since they know the problem better. I don't see how this could be managed from a desk in Washington but I don't see how it could be done by the city alone. It makes me wonder about Salt Lake City's emergency plans. We live on a fault line that we know is going to go one day. Are we going to be wandering smoking rubble for days whilst the governor and mayor argue over who has to/gets to call FEMA?

Looooooong Weekend

2005-09-06T08:02:00.000-06:00

What an awesome weekend. This coming weekend is my anniversary. But Heather has to be out of town for work for our actual anniversary. So we took off for a little "get away" this past weekend. It was great to get away with no worries and no homework. It was very relaxing. We started off the weekend by going to the University of Utah football game. We beat Arizona 27-24. It was a good game, kind of close at times, but a solid win. At the beginning of the game the marching band played the national anthem while the flag was brought out. The really neat thing was that the stadium spontaneously burst into song. A standing-room-only-stadium full of 45,000 people singing the national anthem. I got a little teary. We had a moment of silence for the Katrina victoms and thoughout the game they would periodically announce the URL and places on campus of where to donate money to aid the relief efforts. You should donate some money.

Makes me sick

2005-09-02T08:54:00.000-06:00

What does? THIS.

Come on people now

2005-09-01T07:24:00.000-06:00

X96 and KUTV Channel 2 are running a drive to raise money for the Red Cross. You can call in at 908-0680 or 1-877-908-0680 and donate or stop by the KUTV studios downtown. Chip in a buck or two. It'll make you feel good.

Confession Time

2005-08-31T20:15:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite people on the planet is Joss Whedon. I love Firefly, Angel and I love Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I own every season. Yup, all seven. Plus five seaons of Angel. But this isn't about him. It's about this. You know with some movies that you shouldn't buy the DVD right away because there's a better release coming soon. But I didn't know that this extends to buying TV on DVD. This 40 disc set (excuse me, I thought you said 40 disc set (yes, yes I did say 40. Four zero.) Oh, well I was confused because that's a hell of a lot of DVDs in one set. (Yes. Yes it is.)) will be releasing November 15th and will run about $200 USD. But you can pre-order it from Amazon for about $140 USD. I did have an iPod dock on my Christmas list, but that AND all the socks and underwear have been crossed off and this has been scrawled in their place. Good lord, I think I have an addiction.

World on Fire

2005-08-30T10:49:00.000-06:00

Every once in awhile I stop and think about something other than myself. ( Crazy, I know!) I was making fun of my brother-in-law because is office here in SLC is having to take up a lot of the slack from the home office on Mobile, Alabama. I find it really interesting to stop and study the way everything seems to be connected in the world. You may think that a storm in the South won't affect you, but it can in a lot of ways. Gas prices, for example. But it seems to me that there's more to it. I'm amazed at how the Internet and other technology has helped people come together. I play Battlefield 2 online and I had no idea that some of the regulars I play with live in New Orleans. They've been absent from the maps, of late. Maggie was mentioning blogs of people who have had to bug out. Despite how far away things like this may seem, it's still personal for most of us. All the more reason for us to be good to people, disasters abounding or not.

Book Quiz

2005-08-26T11:37:00.000-06:00

You're The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe!
by C.S. Lewis
You were just looking for some decent clothes when everything changed quite dramatically. For the better or for the worse, it is still hard to tell. Now it seems like winter will never end and you feel cursed. Soon there will be an epic struggle between two forces in your life and you are very concerned about a betrayal that could turn the balance. If this makes it sound like you're re-enacting Christian theological events, that may or may not be coincidence. When in doubt, put your trust in zoo animals.
Take the Book Quiz at the Blue Pyramid.

Welcome Back, Kotter

2005-08-25T11:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the first day of Fall semester. Yay. I have 16 credit hours this semester, which is a modest amount. Except for an algebra class, I'm taking all CIS stuff which is fun. Unix/Linux admin, Networking, C++ for Windows, Computer Organization. All of my MWF classes decided to meet online on Fridays, so without trying to I have Fridays at home. That rocks and possibly rolls. I'll get back to you. So far all my professors are cool and the class load doesn't seem like it will be too much. Of course, my brain may have already started to melt out my ears. I'm also thinking of working part-time. I know that won't leave me much time for anything else, but I'd really like to be working in the field while finishing school. "Book learnin" is great and I love learning new stuff but I really like being hands on and learning on the job. Nobody may even want me. So unless I get a job offer it's a moot point. While you're wasting time at work, use this link to waste some more and figure out your cyborg name. You can even order a t-shirt with yours on it.

Road trip!

2005-08-23T16:55:00.000-06:00

Well, after my whirlwind tour of Nevada, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, I'm back. Nevada was two weeks ago but this last week was a road trip with Harold. For those of you who don't know him, Harold is among my oldest friends, but since almost all my friends have been around since our freshman year of high school, maybe that's not a good description. Harold I've know since 7th grade. We used to hang out at his house playing video games when we should have been at school. We still love playing video games. He's more of a console gamer, though. I mean, he has just about every damn console out there. Anyway, he and I love road trips and he had vacation time to burn and I wanted to do something irresponsible before I started this next semester of school. I'm taking harder classes and more of them so I needed to get some goof-off energy out. We left SLC Tuesday. Harold came to pick me up at about 10 and we loaded up and took off to stop by the bank, Audio Outfitters (to pick up a new iTrip for my iPod since I lost my old one) and Media Play to get a DC to AC power inverter. They didn't have one but I had one in my van so we stopped back at my house to get power inverter, drink mugs, a car jack (just in case) and my US road atlas. After getting gas and lunch, we FINALLY left Salt Lake around 11:30 and headed north. We made Boise in good time and meet up with my little sister and her husband and went out for dinner. Then we got a hold of my friend Josh and headed over to his place. I've known Josh for about 10 years or so. He's one of those people who, as soon as I met him, I became fast friends with him. Even know when we don't see each other for months or even years at a time, as soon as we do it's like no time has passed. Anyway, after Boise we headed up to Walla Walla Washington to see family that Harold has up there. We spent a night in Dayton and a night in Walla Walla. After some marker fights with Herald's cousins and some breakfast we headed west. We made it as far as Hood River before we decided to turn south and skirt Mt Hood. We had dinner in Madras and then made for Boise. We made it in about 3:30 am and crashed at Joshes again. We spent one more night in Boise at my little sisters place and headed to see friends in Pocatello. When we got there we talked to Maggie for hours and hours and when we left we decided that since it was already 1 am and we had nowhere to go we just came on home. We rolled in at 3:45 am. And then I slept and slept. And then I slept some more.

While I was out

2005-08-23T16:47:00.000-06:00

I got back into town yesterday at about 3:45 am. Not too bad. We made it as far as Hood River Oregon before arcing back towards Utah. I have a full road trip report coming later today or tomorrow morning. I was going to blog each day to my PDA and just post them all when I got back, but I got stuck playing Hotshots Golf on Harold's PSP the whole time. Now I need to buy a damn PSP. But I did want to mention some of the things that happened while I was away. When I was watching the news yesterday it appears I missed a lot of stuff. Some people drowned in a cave somewhere in Utah Valley. President Bush stopped by. And I missed a perfectly good party. But the good news is Jumpboot Jr II was born. As far as the "rave" being broken up, X96 was taking calls from people who were there and others who are stupid this morning on the Radio From Hell program. You can download the show in it's entirety here.

Home again...Leaving tomorrow

2005-08-15T08:51:00.000-06:00

Well, the long delay since the last post was due to finals. Then it was due to getting read for a camping trip. Then it was due to being on the camping trip. Since I've not touched a PC for days and days, I feel like I've forgotten how to type. We were camping at Wheeler Peak in Nevada. It's a beautiful campground at about 9,800ft or so. It's an amazing place to find in the middle of the Nevada desert. We were hailed on the first day, about 5 minutes after the tents were set up. The next day we hiked the peak which is 13,063ft. Wow, what a view. This is actually the 3rd time I'd been to Wheeler, but I've never made the summit before due to weather. There's a pretty big lightning danger and you can't see the storms coming in behind the mountain until you get up in the ridge and above the tree line. And these storms will come out of no where. We had one hit just behind us on the way down that there was no sign of when we were at the peak. All in all it was a great hike. We got back last night and today will be spent unpacking and doing laundry so I can pack again to leave tomorrow morning. Harold and I are road tripping to Seattle with a stop in Boise to see my lil sis. I have a lot of photos to post and I'll have more next Monday when I get back. Stay tuned. Toby update: We took him with us to Wheeler and he loved being out in the "wild". He's pretty tired though, he actually slept in until 8:30 this morning. A new record. Take my eyes take my heart I need them no more If never again they fall upon the one I so adore

Toby Update

2005-08-03T16:02:00.000-06:00

Toby and I took a little trip to the vet and had his stitches removed, this afternoon. We're living cone free, nowadays. The wound looks really good and he should be fine. He's happy to be able to play again. We're going to take his tennis ball out in the back yard now.

Why, wi-fi. Why?

2005-08-03T13:27:00.000-06:00

You may have heard about the guy in Florida who was arrested for using someone else's wi-fi network to get to the Internet. Unless there are more facts about the case that aren't being released then I have to say how utterly stupid this is. I'm not 'borrowing' bandwidth from anyone. I don't even have a wireless access point, but I completely disagree with this case. If the guy was cracking into a computer on the wireless network, or he was using this other IP to traffic in kiddy porn or some other illegal activity then sure, lock him up. If all he was doing was using the Internet then I have a hard time calling this digital tresspassing. The 'offender' was on the street and as far as I know he wasn't accessing any of the computers on the network. If you water your lawn and some of the water runs out in the gutter and down the street and I scoop it up to water my lawn, I'm not stealing water. Likewise, if your network extends beyond the boundaries of your property and there is no security, whatsoever, then I say it's fair game. I've heard the arguments that if you leave the door to your house unlocked and I walk in uninvited then I'm still tresspassing, the house doesn't have to be locked for it to be breaking and entering. But what if you grab me and drag me into the house? If anything, my neighbors who are broadcasting their network across the property lines they are the trespassers. If I find a signal that is unencrypted and blasting unwanted into my house, then I say it's mine. What say you?

Ready, Set, Sleep

2005-08-03T08:41:00.000-06:00

I have not been able to shake the feeling that I missed a weeks worth of sleep. I go to bed a little early and I get up on time, but it just won't go away. I guess this is a sign that I've abandoned my faithful friend and I should seek him out. Mt Dew!? Come back! Seriously, though. I'm so looking forward to the break. I take my last final the 8th and Fall semester starts the 24th. In the mean time I'll be going camping/hiking at Wheeler Peak in Nevada for 3 days (great place), and driving up to Washington state for no particualer reason with Harold. We love a good road trip. Too bad the weekend I have to do it isn't earlier or later. Earlier and we could have gone to Defcon, the hackers convintion in Vegas. Later and we could go to PAX in Seattle. It's just not fair. But I guess I'll just take the vacation I can get and be happy. I havne't had a "guys trip" since Ryan, Beau and myself went to Wizards LA. Now THAT was a fun trip. I like Wizards, but they do seem to be trying to muscle in on other cons recently. Well, stuff like this will now be blogged about at The Rule of Three Toby update: Well, he gets his stitches out today. They say it's just a quick proceedure and he'll be in and out. I'm not sure how they're going to remove stitches so close to his mouth without him freaking out. He's never bit anyone, but he just might if he felt that threatened while being restrained. Memories erased and burned and scarred Trade in ya history for a VCR

Winding Down and Ramping Up

2005-08-02T10:44:00.000-06:00

Summer semster is almost over. This week is the last week of class and next week are finals. It feels good that things are almost finished for a bit, but I'm also getting stressed out about finals and term projects. Things look to be on track, but I still stress. It's how I am. Toby goes to get his stitches out tomorrow. I'm excited for that. I like having a normal dog, rather than a lampshade with legs.

Case Of The Mondays

2005-08-01T17:10:00.000-06:00

I have had the hardest time waking up today. Maybe I shouldn't have had such a good time at Jerry's birthday party on Saturday. Sunday I felt pretty good but this morning I felt more like I'd been hit with a truck sometime during the night. Caffeine is a no go. I've been drinking more than my daily fix and I'm still as tired as when I woke up. I'm going to lay down on the couch and watch vampire related movies. I'm sure that will help me sleep soundly. Toby update: He gets his stitches out this week. Yay! No more cone around his neck. This is a good because he's not so graceful with that thing on. He's constantly running into the back of my legs. Ouch! We need to talk about your TPS reports

Long Weekend

2005-07-27T14:53:00.000-06:00

Whew. Long weekend of barbecues. It was a pretty good and relaxing weekend. We went over to Heather's parents' place for hamburgers on Sunday and barbecue chicken at my grandparents' house on Monday. For those of you not in Utah, the 24th is a state holiday and it was celebrated on Monday. So no school, Heather didn't have work. We got to relax and Heather got to read nearly the whole weekend. She's re-reading the Harry Potter series so she can be up to date when she finally cracks the new book. So if you see her, I warn you now that she will violently take your life if you spoil anything for her. So the Summer semester is winding down. We're planning a camping trip to Wheeler Peak the first weekend after finals and then Harold and I are taking a road trip. Probably to Washington state. I'm looking forward to really getting out there and having a ton of fun because I'm taking 16 credit hours again this Fall. Maybe 19, we'll have to see. That's a lot of work, so I need to get my fun in while I can. Toby update: He's still wearing his cone so he doesn't rip his stitches out, but he's made it halfway without incident. This is a good because last time he had stitches he had to trade them for staples so he wouldn't remove them prematurely. What the #### is the Internet?

Hotter Than Hell

2005-07-21T10:40:00.000-06:00

I know it's because I spend my time in my dark and cool basement, but I'm not very acclimated to this high temperature this year. It's 104 F in places around the valley today. That's damn hot. So Toby and I hide from the Day Star in the basement enjoying cold beverages. I bought some books for Fall semester today. I was only able to get three of them and the total came to $281.10. When I grow up I want to be a textbook publisher. It's the best legalized racketeering gig in town. I'll try to find the rest of the book on Amazon. They're sometimes cheaper there. When they are, it's by a lot. So kids, look for your books outside of the school bookstore, and remember to buckle up. Toby update: The poor little guy is still kind of sleepy. But he get up and wanders now and again and he's even wagging his tail. I think he's feeling better and he looks like he's on his way to a full recovery. I recall Central Park in Fall

All's Well

2005-07-20T09:33:00.000-06:00

I didn't post yesterday because I was playing the part of a worried parent. Toby had his operation yesterday to remove the tumor on his lip. When we got him home he was still a bit sleepy from the anesthetic. Between that and the pain pills he's very sleepy. Poor little guy. So, now that I have my new USB headset, I should tell you all about Skype. Skype is a VOIP (Voice Over IP) app that lets you talk to other Skype users anywhere for free. You can call out or into the Skype network for a fee, but Skype to Skype calls are free, regardless of distance. So I can call my friends in Pocatello and talk with them for as long as I want and I'll get no bill. Which is good because last month I talked to them for over an hour on the phone and forgot about it until the long distance bill came. My little sister lives in Boise, so I can call them for free, also. They just have to set it up (hint, hint). I was able to watch a movie my little brother loaned me, it's an anime called Appleseed. No, it's not about a young man traveling the frontier of early America planting trees. It's set in the future and they use that cell shading animation technique. You may have seen this on the Spider Man series that ran on MTV not long after the first Spider Man movie came out. It's a very cool look. Anyway, I was very surprised with this film and I recommend checking it out. Besides, the case the DVD comes in is cool. there is no shelter here

Lucy...I'm home

2005-07-18T06:29:00.000-06:00

We got back just after 12 yesterday afternoon. It was only a three hour drive (versus a three hour tour) to get to where the family reunion was being held. We passed a little town called Sulpherton. Sounds fresh and clean, doesn't it? Toby rode down in his new little seatbelt harness. He got his own seat and was able to look out the window whenever he wanted, so he seemed to enjoy the ride. Actually, he slept most of the way down and back. Eric (my brother-in-law) and I ended up taking our computers down and we played some Rise of Nations in the hotel. I also played his copy of Sid Mier's Pirates. If you've never seen it, you're a pirate in the Caribbean, circa 1660. I watched him play it a little bit and thought it was stupid. Then I tried it out and realized that the gameplay is very simple and extremely addicting. It's a lot of fun. You should pick up a copy. Looking at Feded.com, it seems my USB headset I ordered last week are on a truck in my area already. That's pretty good, considering I shipped it standard 7-10 day and that was Wednesday. Toby update: He's kind of like me in that he doesn't sleep well (if at all) when away from home. He was napping when I left the house. I think he really likes the seatbelt harness we got him. He doesn't get carsick or upset and he's still restrained. It's hard to drive when you have a beagle trying to sit on your lap. Drove downtown in the rain nine-thirty on a Tuesday night, just to check out the late-night record shop.

Robots in Disguise

2005-07-14T10:56:00.000-06:00

This just in. There will be a live action Transformers movie out in 2007. I'm totally serious.

More Family Reunions

2005-07-14T10:15:00.000-06:00

This weekend I'm heading to another family reunion. I just went to one last week. I guess it's the season. So we're driving down tomorrow morning and staying in a hotel Friday and Saturday night. Should be fun, but we'll have to see about that. My brother-in-law and I talked about bringing our PCs with us. Not because we think there will be Internet access, but just to LAN all night. I think I should just to have something to do. Toby update: His allergies are getting pretty bad. I've noticed it often does when the weather gets hot and it's 101 F today. Wake me up inside

It was all I could have hoped for

2005-07-13T10:14:00.000-06:00

Thank you for filling out my simple little survey. You were all very helpful, except for the wacky names. Maybe next time I should require you to log in. So, as far as how I feel about the whole thing? I'm against a new law. I think there are too many "You can't do that" laws. If the state were to lighten up on the drinking laws, I think that there would be less resistance to this law, but people, especially non-LDS people feel very controlled and resist things that add to that. Even if they make sense. It becomes lees about health and more about individual rights and freedom. So, I've been trying to use the podcast setup in iTunes and I hate it. It has one or two redeeming qualities but those are overshadowed by all the crap. CRAP! iPodderX is supposed to be coming out with a Windows version soon. I think I'll hold out for that. In other geek news, I just ordered a new USB headset. They got great reviews so I hope they'll work nice for me. I wanted USB so I can plug them in without having to unplug my THX 5.1 surround speakers every time I want to use voice or game quietly. Late night is not the best time to be cranking my speakers to "11" while playing Battlefield 2. Toby update: I realized he's very smart. He hides in the basement under the air vents and sleeps during the afternoon. Since it's supposed to be 103 degrees F today, I'm thinking of joining him. Don't think 'cause I understand I care

Form of.....A Blog Entry

2005-07-11T17:43:00.000-06:00

So I had to take Toby in to the vet today. We've noticed a growth on his lip that has started bleeding. Turns out it's the same thing he had on his paw about 18 months ago. It's just a benign tumor, but the location on his lip means it could scar if he tears it, which is likely. Normally, they go away by themselves. I think we'll have this one removed, just because of where it is. Also, there is a >10% chance that is a malignant tumor. If we remove it, it's gone either way. So, my English class project is a group project in which we create a campaign. We're working on a campaign to ban smoking in bars and clubs. I'll tell you my feelings on it after you answer this survey. 1) Do you ever go out to bars or clubs? How often? Once or more a week. Once or more a month. A few times a year. 2) Do you work in a club or bar where smoking is allowed? 3) Do you smoke? 4) Do you feel smoking should be banned in bars? Why or why not? 5) Are you Male or Female? 6) How old are you? If you could post your result as a survey, I'd be much obliged. I didn't want to hurt you but your pretty when you cry

RATED F

2005-07-08T08:33:00.000-06:00

I finished RATED F (by Todd C Noker) on the weekend and I've been meaning to post a review but I've been getting back into school after taking a week off for my trip to Montana and also Battlefield 2 came out and I found out I'm addicted to the online play. But I'm on step 12 now so I think I'm going to be OK. Ever read Fight club? I love that book. There are some parallels with that and Noker's RATED F. Not so much the story as the feel and the style. The plot, interesting as it is, seems to be the perfect vehicle for Noker to make social commentary about censorship, dominant religious cultures, obesity, and anything else he feels like. The reading remains smooth, despite the lengthy and ranting departures from the main story. If anything the rants flesh out the main character and make him a complete person with all the emotions and concerns that we experience in real life. While the world from the main characters perspective is fascinating, I would have liked to see more of how other view him. The story is set in Provo where a video rental store owner gets the idea to edit the "bad parts" out of popular movies. The entire town escalates from there. People start to censor home videos, they start to censor real life using violence, and competing stores start looking for blood. All in the name of decent family entertainment. The satire is superb. My biggest disappointment was the book was too damn short. It took me several days to read it, but that was at 20-30 minutes a day. Normally I sit down for hours at a time to rip through pages and I think I could have finished this in an afternoon. The plot was finished but I liked reading the rants. The language and imagery were very creative and fresh. Over all, I give it an B+.

Stupid Via

2005-07-01T18:54:00.000-06:00

Today I had to reboot my PC after installing some stuff and when it came back up I got a 'NTLDR not found' error. The NTLDR was not corrupted, the drive it was on was not showing up in the BIOS. I had to reset it twice before I could get it back up and running. I'm not going to buy another motherboard with a VIA chipset again. Anyway, some less technical stuff. My friends Ryan and Harold are back in town. They were out at their annual training for the National Guard for three weeks. Actually, Harold was gone six weeks. That sucks. I've been doing homework all day so I don't have any cool programs to pimp or reviews to post. Besides, we're on the verge of a three day weekend. Five, if you're me. Mine started today, but all I did was mow the lawn and work on math homework. Tomorrow we're getting together for my brother-in-laws birthday and then Monday is a family BBQ. Tuesday is more homework, but no class. My math prof will still be out of town and his is my only class that day. I hope you all have a good weekend. Try not to blow up too much stuff. Toby update: Today while he was napping under my desk, he did something I've never seen him do before. He was wagging his tail in his sleep. Not like a slow sleepy wag, a fast and tense wag. He'd do that for a few seconds and then stop for a minute. Then he'd do it again. I hope it was a happy dream. DonÂt give me songs. Give me something to sing about.

A Few New Things

2005-06-30T20:41:00.000-06:00

Well, one is not really new, but it's new to you. I've been listening to a few podcasts lately and I thought I'd tell you which ones I like. I won't tell you which ones I don't like, because you should try them for yourselves, but by telling you about the ones I do like I feel like I'm cluing you into things you might otherwise miss. The three I like right now are all techie/geeky stuff. IT Conversations, This Week In Tech, and Wizards of Technology. Before I go into each one, I should explain what the hell podcasting is. It's basically like a radio show that records to mp3 format and then offers the file for download to your iPod, or any mp3 player really. They're usually topic based so you can find the ones that interest you. So far it's 99% free and I'm really enjoying it. IT Conversations is great. I first found it a few months ago when I was looking for some info on Kent Beck. I found IT Conversations which had a seminar he did on developer testing that I found interesting. They have a ton of really good interviews and seminar recordings that are just great to listen to. And they release a few a week, so you've always got content. This Week in Tech, or TWiT (I know) is a bunch of the guys from the old Screen Savers show. They have no content regulations so they get pretty technical and they cover a wide range of topics. The banter and obvious relationships they all have with each other make it fun to listen to. Wizards of Technology. This one is almost falling off my regular listening list, but they still have interesting content. They spend less and less time answering tech questions, which is the point of the show, but they still have a lot of interesting comment on the industry. So on to the new things. I've been messing around with ObjectDock again. It's an application that sets up an icon bar in Windows. It looks a lot like the Mac OS X toolbar. I used to run it and loved it but back then the system I used most was a Sony Viao laptop and it was a bit slow to run that on. I've also been reading RATED F and I'm really enjoying it. I don't want to talk about it too much until I've finished, but I can tell that it's something special. I got a new iPod case a little while ago. I got the Contour iSee-20. This is sized for the 20GB version and it's very slim. It's still a hard case, which I prefer, and the top is almost open so I can plug my Griffin iTrip into it without removing the case. I'm very happy with it thus far. I got it from Audio Outfitters. They're mostly a web based company but they're based in SLC and they're only about two miles from my house. If you can got to the office you can bring you iPod and demo cases and other accessories. Very cool. Now that I sound like I'm either sponsored or doing commercials, I think I'm done for the night. Toby update: He is so very glad to be home. I think he enjoys the excitement of a vacation, but dogs need the routine and he seems very happy to be back in his. we all enjoy the madness cause we know we're gonna to fade away

No Time For Losers

2005-06-29T07:42:00.000-06:00

A few things of note. You should take this survey. The world will be better off for it. Also, we're finally back from our trip to Montana. Holy crap, what a drive. Going up wasn't too bad. It was the drive back that routed through Boise to pick up my sister and her son. Missoula to Boise looked to be about six or seven hours but it took us about ten and a half, maybe eleven. Sitting in a van all day really takes it out of you, but I can't figure out why. As for the show, we stopped at Great Falls the first two nights and moved to Missoula for the next four days, or so. The shows there were very good. Toby won Winners Dog and Best of Winners two days. I know you don't know what that means, so here's the short break down. To finish a dog as a Champion of Record, you need 15 points. The only way you can get points is if you are Winners Dog or Winners Bitch. The number of points you get is based on the number of dogs you win over. A win of 3 or more points is called a major win and to finish as a champ you need two majors under different judges. The most you can get in a single win is 5. This might help explain it better. Unfortunately, we've only been to one show with a 3 point major so it's been hard to finish Toby without going to areas with more beagles. We didn't want to go to California or past Colorado. So we went North and found a five day stretch of shows that had 5 point majors every day. We won the second and third day, and we already had 5 points from previous shows so he ended up with 15 pionts and we finished. Toby is now a Champion of Record. We've decided not to keep showing him. After this it gets pricey and political. You really need more money and time than I've ever had in my whole life. So Toby is now retired. He seems to think that means eating steak every night and sleeping twenty hours a day. I think he sleeps that much already. Lazy little hound. We love him and we're very excited and proud of him. 5 point majors are rare and hard to win. That he did so back to back was amazing. Now that we're back I took a little trip down to the King's English Bookstore in Sugarhouse to listen to Todd Nuke'em read from his book RATED F. I have yet to read it so I picked up a copy and had him sign it. I'll give a full review as soon as I'm finished. It looks to be a quick read so it should be soon. I have to take a second to plug the King's English. I love book stores and I love local shops. This is the best of both and it has a lot to offer. They are not too big, nor too small. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and if they don't have something it's likely they can get it fast. If you simply must partake of some kind of chain store while shopping local, there is a Starbuck's Coffee two doors down. You can have your vanilla latte and your local authors all at once. A few more things. I've been listening to classical music again while I work on homework. I'm quite taken with a string quartet called Bond. They put a modern touch to classical favorites. At times it's a bit too much. Classical with a touch of a modern/electronic sound is good. Electronica with a sample of classical is also good. But an equal mix is not. Most of the tracks are very good and it's only the occasional one that I skip past. On the whole I'm quite taken with them. To bad that all four of them are hideous to look at. Finally, I've been messing with a few new programs. The first is called LogonStudio. It's another Stardock app, so it's pretty good. Basically it changes your Windows XP logon screen to something not lame. I'm liking the free themes I'm finding but I'm looking at creating a few of my own. The other app is OpenOffice. I finally DL'd and installed it. So far I'm actually impressed. It's not the same as MS Office, but it's free. For free the amount of functionality is amazing. I'm hearing good things about the future 2.0 version. I'll be excited to see that develop. Well, that's it. I'm going to be working on some English homework and reading RATED F tonight and tomorrow, but things are no longer insane so I should be posting on schedule. I'm also sifting through pictures to post. Toby status: Champion! My friends are all so cynical, refuse to keep the faith

Goodbye Cruel World

2005-06-22T16:19:00.000-06:00

Hello 7 day vacation! Well, it's kind of a working vacation. We're heading to Montana to go to a few dog shows. We leave tomorrow and return either Tuesdat night or Wednesday sometime. I'm not sure party because it's a long drive and I'm not sure how much I can take before I just have to pull over and sleep, and partly because we're going to be picking up my little sister on the way back and we need to meet up with her. I dare you to make less sense.

No Excuse

2005-06-18T09:36:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the last week of silence. I'm getting ready to head out of town next week and I have so much homework. I have to get a lot of things done a week in advance so I can go on this trip. We're taking Toby to some shows in Montana. It should be a lot of fun. In other news, I've found a new hobby. Cryptography and Cryptanalysis. I really like learning about and cracking codes. I'm just getting into electronic codes, I've been reading up on historical pen & paper encryptions. Things like single substitutions (the daily cryptoquote), to polyalphabetic substitutions (Vigenere ciphers), to transposition ciphers. This one is just for you. AVPR WBO LBH TRG NTBYQ FGNE Toby update: Well, we may be getting another puppy. Toby really enjoys playing with the ones that have stayed here in the past. This one would be ours, not just one we're watching for awhile. Beagles, like all hounds, are pack animals that just cant' stand loneliness. We try to spend as much time with him as possible, but there are days when we're both gone for 8-12 hours at a time. We'll be having her stay with us for a few weeks while we decide if we want her. If we keep her, we're going to name her Serenity. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?

So Sleepy. Must...Have...Dew...zzzzzz

2005-06-13T10:40:00.000-06:00

Man am I so tired. I'm sitting in Operating Systems class and I'm ready to fall out of my chair. I don't have narcolepsy, that I know of. But how would I know if I did. Especially if at the moment I fall asleep I become another personality? Sorry, I recently re-read Fight Club. Highly recommended. Yesterday was my parents' 30th wedding anniversary. That's encouraging. I hope Heather will be able to put up with me half that long. I know I can wear patience thin, pretty quick. As a matter of fact, I'm surprised my mom never had a stroke or something while I was in high school. I wasn't a bad kid. Not intentionally. Like the time I didn't mean to set the bathroom rug on fire, but did. See, that kind of stuff just happens. Toby update: I don't know what he's doing at the moment, I'm at school. But this leads me to a thought I've had before. Do I need a Toby-cam at the house? They're lined up at the window and peer down into limbo Frightened of jumping, in case they survive

We're all fine here. How are you?

2005-06-10T10:12:00.000-06:00

I've not said anything about Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, mainly because not everyone had seen it yet. But now I think most people have. Frankly, I wasn't planning on seeing it until it hit the dollar theater. But, a freak accident with my dad buying tickets for the wrong day happened and I was called in to not let a ticket go to waste. So I went. I really liked it. I really liked EP I when I first saw it, but the more I thought about it the more I felt cheated. II was the same thing. I was VERY disappointed with the whole midichloreans thing. I think we all were. I have no idea what Lucas was smoking that day. Anyway, III was good. I'm glad the SW thing is done now. I've already turned my attention to September 30th for Serenity, and December for The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Holy crap did that look good. Toby status: He's been wanting so spend a lot of time outside. That's great. But he wants me to go outside, too. When I go out he ignores me and wanders the yard. If I go in he comes back in to get me. I'm confused. Television! Teacher, mother... secret lover. Urge to kill... fading... fading... fading - rising! Fading... fading... gone.

Man Oh Man

2005-06-09T15:42:00.000-06:00

You get the short post today. I've got a headache that I think wants to grow up to be a migraine. I'll just say that school was good today. I had an Operating Systems class and a math class. I haven't had a math class since high school so this should be 'fun'. Toby status: He's napping, of course, but it's the where that's amusing. He's on his back with his legs in the air in the middle of a sunbeam on the back lawn. Ah, summer. Ah. The searing kiss of hot lead; how I missed you. I mean, I think I'm dying.

Yesterday

2005-06-08T09:26:00.000-06:00

I tried to email a post in yesterday. Blogger has this nifty thing that lets me do that but it almost never works. I was very frustrated with it. Anyway, we did play Clix on the weekend and a good time was had by all. We had about six people. This weekend it's a LAN party. I'm not sure which day or really what's going on, but I haven't LANed for quite some time so I'm really looking forward to this. A little Rise of Nations, some Doom 3 multiplayer, maybe some Unreal or Half-Life 2. Probably some Warcraft 3. So this week, tomorrow in fact, the next track of summer semester begins. I've got a math class and Operating Systems. I'm taking Linux/Unix admin this fall and that sounds like a lot of fun. Maybe then I'll get my web server all running on Linux and Apache like I've been meaning to for the last year. Toby update: Holy crap, does he have a lot of energy today. I played with him for an hour or more this morning and now he's running laps in the back yard. Could he have gotten into my Mt Dew supply? Two by two, hands of blue

Geocaching and HeroClix

2005-06-03T10:08:00.000-06:00

Last night we took Toby for a walk in a nearby park. I took the GPSr to do a little Geocaching while we were there. For those of you who don't know, Geocaching is using a GPSr or Global Positioning satellite receiver to find specific locations. Most of the locations are small hidden boxes and containers filled with small toys and such. There's almost always some kind of log for you to sign, proving you were there. The website has a whole FAQ if you want more info. There are, in the Salt Lake Valley, upwards of 1,500 (just an estimate) scattered across parks and the canyons and such. That's a lot. There is about 3,696 in Utah and currently there are 171,379 active caches in 215 countries. So odds are there is at least one near you. Tonight is guy night. No, we're not going out drinking and raising hell. We did that last week. No, this week we're playing HeroClix. This little addiction is a miniatures game that uses superheroes. Marvel and DC as well as a few others. All the stats for a figure are on a dial built into the base of the figure, so there's no stacks of papers or cards to keep track of who can do what. We've been playing it for some time now. I have a decent collection, a few hundred or so. But Ryan has tons. We joke that he has to use a truck to bring them all. And that he'll eventually need back surgery after carrying them all in from the car to the house. Anyway, we play at my house most often. I have a large family room and a few long tables I can set up for all the maps. Plus, we're not far from the mini fridge. I need to show Ryan the frame I finally got for the painting he gave me for Christmas a few years ago. I'll show you. This is my desk with a few of my collectibles above the monitor. The two framed things are a map of Middle Earth and the painting Ryan did. Here's the close up. I hope you all have fantastic weekends. Toby update: He went on two walks yesterday and I played with him in the yard for almost an hour. He's still sleeping it off, at the moment, but he'd better recover, we're going to find some more caches tomorrow. After all, a murder is only an extroverted suicide.

This Time I Mean It

2005-06-02T17:35:00.000-06:00

I'm back, for good, I hope. Too bad for you. The last week was full of funerals and wakes and moving furniture and all that kind of stuff. Then I just wanted some time. But I'm over that and I'm ready to blog again. So I've got to write a memoir for English. I was thinking that it takes an ego greater than mine to think that anyone really wants to read your memoirs, then I realized that I blog. So I guess I can write a memoir. I'm thinking of writing about some of my experiences in Europe, seeing ancient places and ruins. I love history and actually seeing some of these ancient wonders I've read about so much is truly awesome. And I mean that as in it fills me with awe. Yeah, I think that's a good place to start. Toby update: I try to walk him every day but things have been crazy the last few weeks. This morning we got up and walked him before H went to work and he went nuts. He loves to get out and smell everything. I'm glad we're falling back into routine so he can get his walks in everyday. You are evil since you cannot be evil

Yeah....so, uh. Yeah.

2005-05-20T07:50:00.000-06:00

I had all these grandiose plans for posting a lot this last week but it's been really busy. To top it all off, Heathers grandma passed away yesterday. It was unexpected, but kind of expected. She had a terminal illness so we knew it was just a matter of time, but she was doing so well for so long. Anyway, I'll be with family for the next few days and wont post until about Wednesday. Until then Toby update: He was outside with me for most of the day yesterday while I fixed sprinkler heads, since he didn't nap he's very sleepy today. Hounds really need their 20 hours of sleep. September’s coming soon I’m pining for the moon And what if there were two side by side in orbit

Back!

2005-05-10T08:43:00.000-06:00

So, it's been a long while, hasn't it? Sorry about all that. First it was finals then I had a dog show. Yes, I show my dog. They shows are really fun. It's a bit of work and competition and sometimes disappointment and then it's mocking and hanging out. Then it repeats. Toby didn't win any points. He won Reserve Dog the first three days. That's like second place. Only the winners dog and winners bitch actually win points towards their championship. Then they compete against the already champions for best of breed. The winner represents the breed in the group that it belongs to, we're in the Hound group. There are seven groups total: Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting, Herding. The winner of each group goes back in the ring one last time to decide the best in show. If that's too confusing try this. Toby update: He's glad to be home again. He likes his routine. We got him some fun new toys at the show and right now he's barking at the table they're sitting on cause he wants to play with them. like a stone I'll wait for you there alone

YaGooWhat?

2005-04-20T07:08:00.000-06:00

I heard about this nifty search engine, YaGooHooGle. It's not an aggregate search engine, like Dogpile, which is also cool. See, Dogpile sends your search to Google, Yahoo and AskJeeves among others, and displays the results in a big list. Very fast and clean to do large searches. YaGooHooGle, on the other hand, sends your search to both Yahoo and Google and then displays the results side by side. It's interesting, if you have your own site, to see how different the results are when you search on yourself. I don't think it's that useful, it's kind of a novelty, but I thought you might want to see it. Most people will find Dogpile far more useful. School is fast winding down. I have tons still to do. Posts will be fairly short the next two weeks but I hope to be back to posting twice a day after finals. At least until the next semester winds down. Toby update: Now I can get him to stand still while I toss a treat a few feet in front of him. He won't move until I tell him to get it. I know lot's of dogs can do this, but beagles live for food. For them to see food and not go for it instantly is near miraculous. The mystery's gone So bring back the sun

Stupid Shoes

2005-04-19T08:09:00.000-06:00

Damn. I was already having a complex with the fact that my phone is smarter than me and now this. Shoes with microprocessors. So not only do they have blogs, they have video blogs. V-blogs sound really cool, I just wish I had a digital video camera. Then I could assail you with wacky images on a daily basis. For now, you'll just have to be settled with this and these. Toby update: No more cone. He's free to run about and we'll be back to the old routine. His paw is doing much better. You can tell it's still a little sore when you watch him go down the stairs, but he is in much better spirits and is playing again. Tomorrow's rain will wash the stains away but something in our minds will always stay

Let Summer Begin!

2005-04-18T07:54:00.000-06:00

This weekend I officially christened the warm outdoor season. I bought, assembled and used a new BBQ grill. It's neat. I was very amused by the ads I saw whilst we were looking at different grills. They would tell you the surface area of the grill but they would emphasize that this grill is a 48 burger grill. I'm not sure how many I can fit on my grill, but it's a 500 square-inch grilling surface. Four burners and the side burner in the side shelf. Sweet. So we made some burgers and some vegetable kababs and corn on the cob. Yummy. Oh so yummy. So I'm hoping to use the new grill twice a week until winter. Toby update: The cone is off! Well, most of the time. The tear on his pad healed up and scabbed over so he can go outside free again. Although, if we leave him alone too much he tries to chew on the scab so he still wears the cone when we leave him alone for the day. we all enjoy the madness cause we know we're gonna to fade away

In My Pants

2005-04-15T09:31:00.000-06:00

So, I'm a big copier. Maggie was doing this and I liked it. You run through your iTunes or Winamp or what not and shuffle your music. Write down the first 25 track titles and ad "In My Pants" to the end of each title. So here's mine: 1. The Humor of the Situation In My Pants 2. 1979 In My Pants 3. Stay the night In My Pants 4. Gratitude In My Pants 5. Never is Enough In My Pants 6. Touch Me In My Pants 7. Howard Hughes In My Pants 8. Why Should I Cry for You In My Pants 9. Miss U Less, See U More In My Pants 10. You Oughta Know In My Pants 11. I love you In My Pants 12. What A Good Boy In My Pants 13. One Man Army In My Pants 14. Ghettochip Malfunction In My Pants 15. Show Don't Tell In My Pants 16. Made Of Steel In My Pants 17. The Passenger In My Pants 18. With You In My Pants 19. I Burn For You In My Pants 20. Halloween In My Pants 21. Im Not Down In My Pants 22. One Week In My Pants 23. Hey Jude In My Pants 24. Cure For The Itch In My Pants 25. All This Time In My Pants Toby Status: He's still trying to get 500 channels with his neck dish. I hope we can take it off soon, he seems miserable. O alcohol, I still drink to your health

To Be Clear

2005-04-14T07:42:00.000-06:00

When I said I didn't like kids, I meant I don't like kids the same way I don't like people. I like persons, I dislike people. I like a child, but not kids. See the difference? I dislike the nameless masses of annoying and the ignorant. Once I get to know you, I often get to like you. Until then, I just assume you're an idiot and work around you, saves time. It's nothing personal, it's just how I am. So the same thing applies to kids. As a rules, I try not to touch them or let them touch me. They are loud and dirty and get into things that they shouldn't. But, my friends kids are all family. I know them and I can see the good points and I like them. It's only when they're anonymous do I hate them. Those nameless brats lying on the floor, kicking their heels when they don't get the cereal they want. So that should clear things up. I like persons, I hate people. I like a child or children I know, I hate the brats I run into public. Now you have to ask yourself, do I know you? Toby update: He had a split on his pad that seems to have gotten infected and he was limping pretty bad. We took him to the vet and got him some meds but he has to wear one of those cones around his neck so he'll leave his paw alone. He hates it and I know he's just miserable but it must be done. Poor little guy. And what would it mean to say, that, "I loved you in my fashion"?

C is for Carrot

2005-04-11T07:57:00.000-06:00

Hear about this? Tragic. They should just make a new muppet called WinsorPilates Monster. I had a great weekend. My little sister was in town and we got to see her and her son. He's cute. I don't like kids, as a rule, but I like him a lot. I really like to listen to the radio in the morning. I listen to 96.3FM which is KXRK in the Salt Lake Metro area. The show is called Radio From Hell. I listen every morning. My wife got me a shower radio so I can listen whilst I wash. So anyway, I was flipping through the April MaximumPC and I saw the Radio Shark. I had seen this previously but had forgotten all about it. I was reading how it's an AM/FM USB antenna that you can use to listen to the radio and even record stuff. Neat. How much would you pay for something like that? Not $70. That's what they're going for. Oh well. Toby update: He got into the bathroom trash and ran around the house with a Q-tip. He was squirted with the water bottle, a lot. He's now all wet and hiding in his blanket. Grass is greener without the pain, I think that Im changing but Im just the same

Yummy

2005-04-06T11:12:00.000-06:00

So we had a barbecue dinner last night. It was fantastically delicious. I had a porterhouse steak that was about one and a half inches thick. I'm guessing it was about a 24oz-er. We also had mashed potatoes, rolls, a real nice salad, and vegetable shiskababs. Those were comprised of green and red peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and sweet pearl onions. We grilled those on the barbecue, also. I'm still full. Afterwards we watched a movie and relaxed. It was a great day, really. I was very content. Tonight we'll probably swing by to visit my parents and little sister. Play some Skip-Bo or something. Everyone in the family plays Skip-Bo and many of us are very competitive. It's actually a wonder there haven't been any stabbings. Toby update: Toby is not a fan of the new furniture but he has taken to using his little bed more. It's one of those fleecy things that looks very warm and comfortable. It's between the mini fridge and the comfy chair in a little sheltered nook. I think he likes having his own space. The worst part was hitting the ground. Not the feeling so much as the sound.

To My Friends and Family

2005-04-05T10:27:00.000-06:00

There are terrors aplenty in this life. Pitfalls await out every step. Evil people hide behind false smiles. It seems, at times, that life is pointless and that we will all be brought down by the peril we face daily. But I find hope and strength. I find it in those close to me. A human being is truly a miracle. We are capable of almost anything. Individuals possess incalculable strength. As a close group, we are invincible. That is why we form families and friendships. We are most complete when we love and are loved my others. I know that my own life would have collapsed under the weight of living long ago if not for my friends and family. Today, as I turn 29, I think back on my life and everyone who has helped me become who I am. I love each of you. You have each helped shape my life. I can honestly say that I am happy with who I am and that you have each had a part in that. I thank you all.

Stupid Blogger server

2005-04-04T16:07:00.000-06:00

I had posted an amusing story earlier. The Blogger server ate it. The short version is I've started tormenting Toby with a laser pointer. He likes to chase the red dot. I'm sure that I'm mean, but it's just so funny I can't stop.

Oops

2005-04-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry about yesterday. I've been taking DayQuil to fight the plague. It makes me a little spacey and strangley focused at the same time. I can sit and work on my C++ or Java and not move for hours. But when I'm done I wander in a stupor. So I thought I had already posted yesterday, but no. And now it's Saturday. Yay! So my little sister is coming into town tomorrow night. She's about 3 years younger than myself and has a little boy that just turned 1. He's very cute and very smart. That's my unbiased opinion. Her husband is staying home to work on school. He's working on his masters degree, which is busy work. Other than working for my MIL, not much else going on this weekend. Toby status: Last I saw him, he was barking to come to work with me. Silly puppy. Rhyming chiming got me working all the time

The End Of An Era

2005-03-31T08:20:00.000-07:00

We picked up a new couch yesterday. New to us. A friend of my aunt is moving to St. George and getting rid of a lot of furniture so we got a new couch. It's one of those extra long four cushion jobs. It's nice. I don't think the previous owners ever sat on it. We also got a new comfy chair. All nice stuff. But it's kind of sad because the old stuff is very comfy. It was basically a frame full of pillows. It was a kryptonite couch. You sat in it and it sucked your strength away. But it was getting a bit worn. A lot worn, actually. I'm not supposed to even post a picture because it used to be a kind of cream color, now it's more grey. I'll miss you, comfy couch. Toby status: Taking a last morning nap on the old couch before it's gone. With all life has to offer,theres so much to be enjoyed but the pleasures of insomnia are ones I cant avoid

Seasonal

2005-03-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

I know that some people like how Utah can have very dramatic seasons. I think this week is a little excessive. We mowed the lawn on Sunday and now today there was much snow. Not like one or two inches. Like six. Six inches of snow. That's half an album. (Bizarre 90's reference) So, today in C++ we talked about a little thing called recursion. Basically it's when a function calls itself. The possibilities make the mind boggle. I'm not even sure what boggling is, specifically, but I know that it is a result of thinking about recursion. Short post, today. I hope to post more tonight, but honestly think I'll just be lazy and not. BUT, that just means tomorrow will be extra long and full of everything that you crave. Except for you, Tracy. There will be no mention of how much you love Hinduism. Toby status: Running through the belly deep snow, at the moment. And I don't want to be your other half, I believe that 1 and 1 make 2

The Fantasy is Final

2005-03-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

So, I've kind of known about this for some time. I didn't investigate it too much because I didn't want to become disappointed or bitter. There is being made, by Square, a sequel to Final Fantasy VII. It's not a game, it's a movie. It's at least 80 minutes and it should be coming to theatres, but even if it's straight to DVD I'm sold. The trailer is fantastic. Like I said, I kind of knew about it but I finally saw a few of the trailers and, in the words of The Continental, "Wow! Wowy wow wow WOW." Toby status: Practicing his typing so he can post comments later today. You're out living it up today. I've got dues to pay

Bah!

2005-03-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Stupid. At times, when I think about all the lawsuits and crap going on, I think that if they all go the same way at once they might kill the advancement of technology. Anyway, I had a great weekend. My grandma's brother, uncle Calvin, was in town for the funeral of their brother. That part was sad, but Saturday we had a big get together with lots of good food. It was nice to visit with some people that live so far away I've only meet them twice in my life. Then when we left we took my cousin with us. She's about 12 and wanted to use our Dance Dance Revolution game at our house and that was fun. But we had only done about 3 songs when my Friend Harold called. Harold was sick. He needed to go to the store to get a thermometer and some medicine but he was too light headed to drive. When he called, Heather answered the phone and she didn't recognize him. She's known him for 15 years and she couldn't recognize his voice. I've know him for 17, so of course I went over and brought him a thermometer and some Jello. I took him to the store and got him set up with some fluids to get rehydrated (his temp was 101)and some NyQuil and a digital thermometer and got him home. I called to check on him twice yesterday. I have to admit that this made me feel pretty good to be needed. He's the kind of guy that drops everything to come help. He drove me all over the valley, one night, to get extra keys when I locked them in my car. I drive cross town to bring him a tire iron when he gets a flat at 11pm. That's just how we are. And now the week. Toby status: He's watching the morning joggers and walkers going past the window. Going to try with a little help from my friends

Shades of Dying

2005-03-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about the whole Terri Schiavo thing. It's a pretty hot issue, right now. I'm not going to argue for the tube to be left out or replaced. That's between her husband and her doctors and that's all it should be between. I was thinking about her parents and how they seem, to me, to be having a hard time letting go. To me she seems like she's already gone but they just won't let themselves accept that. So I started thinking about my own living will and what I would want my friends and family to do when I die. I think I'd rather be cremated and my ashes scattered off the pier in Southport England. More importantly, I want my friends to celebrate their own lives. I want them to celebrate the times we had together, good and bad, and reflect on how it all makes us who we are. I want them to play my favorite music and all hoist a Mt Dew and then party like rock stars. Life is only life when you live it. When you get caught up in life ending, your own or someone else's, you're not living. And then what's the point? I want to hang on to all my loved ones but I'm not the Creator and I can only do what I can. For the rest? Accept, adapt and move on. Toby status: Right now he's pawing at my leg to get up on my desk. I think he wants to see what I'm saying about him. You're on the road But you've got no destination

What A Mess

2005-03-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting in the school library at the moment. There is a kid at a computer across and down from me who I'm almost positive is not a student. He looks 12. He brought his lunch from the Student Building with him. He's got some sort of chicken and mashed potatoes deal going on and he's, apparently, unfamiliar with the use of a fork. He's eating most of the chicken AND potatoes with his hands. At least he licks them before he goes back to the keyboard. Watching makes me want to bathe in disinfectant. Toby status: When I left him he was asleep on the couch, but earlier this morning he was trying to hide his new rawhide bone in the couch. He would pull the back cushions away then try to push them back into place after his bone was hidden back there. He wasn't making much progress. If painting is creating, then I'm just erasing. A crystal clear canvas is my masterpiece.

Close One

2005-03-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

I know it's late in the day, but I just wanted to check in. I'm scrambling to finish this term paper for Friday and I jsut found out that one of my grandma's brother died and her brother-in-law is in the hospital and probably won't last the weekend. So, I'll be posting more tomorrow but today is just this. Toby status: I just gave him a new rawhide bone to chew on since it's too rainy to play outside. He thinks it's Christmas. 'cause it just belongs to you and me So let's take a ride and see what's mine

View Hallo

2005-03-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

Today was an important step in our...burgeoning...relationship. I told you I'd be posting and hopes were high. I have delivered. Let's move on, shall we? I got all the way to school for my one class. Fought the masses to find a parking spot and walked the 40 miles that was in between my car and the building my class is in only to find that there is no class today. Seriously, would it kill anyone to send an email when we know these things? A paper sign on the door is not what I'd expect from a CIS professor. I mean, he can write his own OS and/or programming language but he can't click two buttons and type out "NO CLASS TODAY" and then click send? WTF? In other news, my term paper is coming along. I had been rather worried about it but I remembered that the essay I did for English earlier was on the same author and an excerpt from the same book. I did this on purpose so I wouldn't have to do tons of research. Lucky for me I recalled that before I did the reading and research a second time on a new subject. Sometimes the obvious escapes me. Toby status: I played fetch with him before class today, when I left he was curling up on the couch to nap. Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time. It's easy.

Before you say anything

2005-03-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

Let me explain something. I'm lazy. I didn't say it would be any kind of good explanation. But we've known each other too long to skirt the truth or hide behind lies. We owe each other more than that. So that's it. Can we still maintain our relationship? I think so. I know you've been burned and our trust level is a bit shaky. BUT, Spring Break is gone, mid-terms are over and finals aren't until the first week in May. I hope by then we can re-establish our daily bonding of me posting and you reading, with the occasional response. Now that that's out of the way, I have to go work on a term paper. But I still love you and I'll see you here tomorrow. Toby status: He just finished dinner and is now laying, quite contentedly, on my feet under the desk. How should I say I'm so sorry? How should I pray to know that we're alive?

Week? What week?

2005-03-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted. I'm very sorry. You know I love you and would never neglect you. I just have mid-terms right now and a term paper and lots of homework. But next week is spring break and I'll make it all up to you then. We'll get some time for just us. We can catch up on all the latest goings on and I'll tell you all about my classes and how I would have been better off hiring a monkey to take notes for me while I just sat there with my mind a complete blank. Toby status: Last I saw him he was sitting on one of his little mats in the bedroom watching Heather watch TV. It's 2am I'm drunk again, you're heavy on my mind

Double security

2005-03-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

Toby and Porter are both patroling the fence line. Some people finally moved in to the house over the back fence and they've been in and out moving boxes so the boys have been making sure that the fence line peremiter remains unbreached. They're pretty fun to watch play together. They're roughly the same size but Toby, as a 15 inch beagle, is a s tall as he's going to get. Porter is only 3-4 months old and he's got a ways to grow. And that sound means I have class. Off I go. Toby status: Now that the fence line is safe, he needed to lay down on the couch for a nap. Some days you wake up in the army And some days it's the enemy

Company

2005-02-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

My aunt and uncle are going out of town so we're watching their dog, Porter. He's a little English setter whose only a few months old. That makes him about the same size as Toby. Toby likes him but he won't leave him alone. We're keeping him in the garage most of the time and if Toby's inside, he wants to go out. If you let him out he runs right to the garage door and scratches and barks wanting to get in to see the other puppy. It was cute at first but he just won't leave him alone. I mean, how long do they have to sniff each other before they can just nod and say hi? Anyway, busy week in school. A few programs and such. I have a term paper coming up soon that I need to be working on. I feel tired just thinking about it all. Toby status: Laying by the back door whining to play with Porter I don't know what's worth fighting for or why I have to scream

Anger Management

2005-02-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

I didn't mean to sound so angry this morning. I just wrote while I was in the moment. I know I was pretty worked up, though, since I didn't even give a Toby status or song lyric. Toby status: When I left for school, he was on the couch munching on a treat. I didn't want him to get bored while I was gone, so I left him watching Fellowship of the Ring. Don't you know, Blue Eyes, you never can win

CENSORED of Speech

2005-02-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

I was listening to Radio From Hell this morning. They were mentioning this news story. I'm all for keeping things from kids that they're really too young for. The commentary on the radio was how such bills are really aimed at lazy parents. Amen. Most, if not all, ISPs provide a lot of filtering services. There are third party filters that are available. Now I'm not arguing for porn in every home, I am arguing for parents to raise their own damn children. Why are my tax dollars raising their kids? Why is legislation even being considered when it's unnecessary. Parents already have the means, if not the inclination, to keep their kids off of web pages or channels they don't want the kids seeing. "But I'm so busy that I don't have time to check what they're watching all the time." If you're too busy to make sure you're kids are being raised right, MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD KIDS! If you can't find the time to work with your kids and teach them your values, then it seems like you don't care enough. Raising kids is a lot of work, I've heard, and they do learn from a lot of different sources, but the ultimate judge of what sources and how much and when your kids are exposed to them is you the parent. If you can't do that, if you can't raise you own kids, then maybe you should consider a cat, or a fern, or better yet how about a pet rock? You should be able to handle that.

1-1-1

2005-02-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

I shouldn't be, but I"m a bit sore today. Played some racquetball last night. I try to play every Tuesday night now. I wasn't sore last week, but my back is really stiff this morning. There were three of us so we played cutthroat. For those of you who don't know what that is, the person who's serving plays the rally on his own team. The other two people play the rally as if they are on the same team, like doubles. When the server finally sideouts then the next person rotates up to serve and now he's by himself while the other two play as doubles. So at one point you're alone and the next your with player B then the next player C then alone again. Get it? After playing three games we each won one apiece. We all walked still friends. Toby status: I just let him outside. He's doing a perimeter check. I fell so much safer now. Woke up in my clothes again this morning

Wish I was there

2005-02-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

A local radio show is broadcasting from Maui thhis morning. They had a contest to bring some listeners with them, but I never win anything. Sounds nice, though. I'm glas it's Friday. Friday with a three day weekend around the corner. I do have a dentist appointment on Monday, but no class. Yeah! Heather doesn't have to go to work, either. We're going to do some serious relaxing. Toby status: Chewing a rawhide bone. Seems pretty intent on it. When the world is running down you make the best of what's still around

Bad me, bad

2005-02-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

I didn't post yesterday. Again. Sorry. I just get busy doing things. I know, nothing should be as important as making sure you have something to read that will hopefully amuse you and bring a tiny ray of sunshine into your humdrum little life, but I have priority issues. I promise I'll seek therapy so I don't disappoint you anymore. Snow comes and goes. All that snow from the other day is almost gone, but there is supposedly more in route. C++ goes well. I'm liking it more and more. I still like Java, but I'm beginning to understand each languages strengths. Some of those overlap, but certainly not all. Also, a big you-told-me-so regarding Firefly. It is good. I was told so awhile ago, but I can only focus on so many addictions at a time. Toby status: Trying to play soccer with a tennis ball. He's very coordinated, but this might be beyond him. There's no place that I can be since I found Serenity

So Sorry

2005-02-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

I have not posted since Friday. I meant to remedy that yesterday, but I came down with a bad case of lazy. It seems to have worn off. So what's new? Well, I have snow on my lawn. As you can see. That may not sound like anything amazing but consider that there was no snow last night when I rolled the garbage can to the curb and today there is 4-6 inches. I had 3 on the driveway. I would like to pause and acknowledge my awesome snowblower. Starts with one pull even after sitting all summer. So anyway, snow. I blame Chelsea. The fates are really vindictive. You shouldn't give them any reasons to mess with you. I have a new addiction. Everyone who's ever seen an episode of Firefly, raise your hand. I can't stop talking about this show, nor of the stupidity incarnate that is Fox for canceling it. I'm more than a little bitter at having found something so good knowing that there are only 14 or so episodes. But, I have September 30th blocked off on my calendar. What was that? What happens September 30th you ask? I'm glad you did. I'll tell you. Serenity. A movie version of Firefly. You can put your hands down now. I'm also rereading the Wheel of Time series again. There's a new book due out soon and the plots get so twisty that it's hard to keep up. So every time a new book comes out I have to reread the previous books to remember what the hell is going on. I have mixed feelings about that. I really like that it's epic and complicated, I don't like that when I'm on the 11th book I have to reread the 10 before it when they're 300,000+ words. Not when I have so little time left over after homework is done. Toby status: Since he think snowfall is simple for his amusement, he's roaming in the back yard. He was chasing snowballs I was throwing earlier. Now it looks likes he's trying to track down the cat that left tracks in his fresh snow. Sometimes Jacks rule the Realm

Wake up for nap time

2005-02-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

Toby was barking at 6 this morning. He wanted to get up because he needed to be let outside. So I let him out and he came in and we played with his tennis ball for a bit. I went to get a bowl of cereal and when I came back downstairs to post and check email and such, well all those hours of sleep must have not given him much energy, cause I think I wore him out. He's asleep under my desk. Occasionally he will move to get more comfortable, and try lick my toes (damn that tickles). For all those who blog, (I'm talking to you, Tracy) be advised what topics you decide to cover. This happens a lot. Toby status: He's so cute when he snores. I got a pocket full of quarters and I'm headed to the arcade

Delay of Game

2005-02-10T13:14:00.000-07:00

Sorry about yesterday. I was feeling like crap in the AM. I got home and had to wait out a headache before working on a ton of homework. I worked on that until Heather came home and then we hung out and ate some pizza while we watched Hunt for Red October. Heather loves submarine movies. It was nice to spend a little quiet time together, seeing as how I dropped her off at the airport this morning. She has a business conference in New Orleans and she'll be gone until Sunday. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I'll be able to survive. I have no one to help me tie my shoes in the morning. I just know that I'll show up at school tomorrow with untied shoes, mismatched socks and my pants on backwards. Ah well. Toby status: He was a bit clingy when I left for class this morning. I spent some extra time playing with him when I got home. He's sleeping under my desk, at the moment. You make me feel like I could fly, so high

Snow

2005-02-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

This is yesterday. It snowed and it was cold. This is today. Not so cold, still snow. Although the sun will probably fix that soon. This is from my backyard looking east at the Wasatch Mountains. I love where I live.

Screw you, Jack Frost

2005-02-08T10:27:00.000-07:00

There is ice everywhere. It's nice when winter actually feels like winter, you know, with snow and all. But this recent snowfall seems more like a 9th inning rally. I know it's technically still winter, but it's been such nice weather for so long that I'm ready for spring. The fact that I'm not feeling too good may be a contributing factor. I took some pictures of the campus all covered in snow, I'll post those as soon as I get home. I'm in the CIS lab at the moment. We're looking for new ways to crash Java. The way the language is written, you get a lot of compiler errors, but fewer runtime errors. We decided that if you want to crash the system with panache, you use C++. Toby status: Well, he's at home while I'm at school, so I assume he's asleep on the couch. But I suppose that he could be in the kitchen making cake or a souffle. If you wanna kiss the sky you better learn how to kneel

cough....hack....sneeze....sniff

2005-02-05T20:15:00.000-07:00

I'm sick. Not sick of school, at least not yet. No, I've contracted some kind of viral-cold-thingie. I have a test today and I'm not planning on missing it, so I stocked up on cherry cough drops and those little pocket packs of Kleenex. I just stayed wrapped in a blanket Sunday and drank hot drinks, ate bread and listened to some Faithless whilst I worked on my C++ homework. The Faithless I have is the right amount of happy and sad sounds to fit my mood. I've always liked techno and trance but my collection is a bit eclectic and random. I don't have many albums of just techno but on my iPod I make as many techno play lists as I want and I'm ready to jam across campus. I have to admit that I've been tempted, on more than one occasion, to dance my way from class to class. I refrain. I'm sure my fellow students have no idea what they've been spared. If they had even the slightest inkling they would thank not only their lucky stars, but all the lucky stars, yellow moons and purple horseshoes. It snowed last night. So much so that the snow blower was pulled out of the garage. I don't have far to go for class, but I just know that half a dozen idiots will have forgotten how to drive in snow and will delay the commute, either by being in an accident or through super paranoia. That means they'll drive about 2 miles per hour. And if we go through a school zone, they'll slow it down to 1 mph. Too fast or too slow. You'd think that living along the mountains people would have figured it out, by now. I mean we brag about our snow on the state license plates. The least we could do is figure out how to drive in it. Toby status:Romping in 6 inches of snow. How can I continue to be the sky without my earth?

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y...NIGHT!

2005-02-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

Wow, Saturday is here. Saturday night, time to party! Time to relax! Time to...research for a term paper and finish a program and study for a test and write an essay and...if I get all that done by 7, then maybe I'll treat myself to an episode of BtVS or Firefly. I hope your weekend is filled with more fun and less work than mine. Unless you like work...then I wish you all that you can handle...including all of mine. Toby status: Outside, sniffing the perimeter. Nice to know that if anyone attacks the house, they'll be licked to death before they can do anything. Effect without a cause

Now it's just silly

2005-02-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

I have a gmail account. I actually have a few. In each of them, I now have fifty invitations to join Gmail. Fifty. 50. So basically you just have to know another human being and the odds are good that you can get a Gmail account. I liked it better when I thought I was part of a select few.
Need a Gmail account?

No lifeguard on Duty

2005-02-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

Just in case you couldn't read the warning label. Did I mention it came with a snorkel?