Amid getting my MINI its 45k mile service, I’m driving a BMW X3 as a loaner
It’s AWFUL!
The ride is brittle and uncertain. The thing is so stiff-legged that Ohio roads are a real pain. It’s not roomy at all, and this base, base, base model lacks even cruise control.
I left my cell phone at home, so I was forced to drive all the way back to G’town so I can know when the Pup is done with its overhaul.
Sighted as my GTO goes by:
How to know you’ve been using Firefox for too long: You’re in a regular windows application (say, Lotus Notes) and you hit Ctrl-T for a new tab.
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Another momentous day ahead for me: This is my last day when I can fix the problems for our testing before I get hauled in front of the V.P. of our division for disciplinary action. I’ve rewritten the crappy code of TWO OTHER groups to try and avoid this situation, but I’m dealing with people who don’t understand Java all that well. At least, I wouldn’t hire them, based upon the crappy code I’ve seen.
Ah, the memories:
I thought this was highly appropriate, given that I watched TRON the other day.
Tron is kinda like the Matrix, and it has a sort of retro-chic to it, but there’s very little story there to hang all the SFX on.
A pal of mine once remarked that I was addicted to spending money, that money burns a hole in my pocket. I denied this for years, but I am here today to tell you she was right: I’ve cut out credit cards from my spending cold turkey, and I now have the shakes. That’s right, withdrawl.
The first month on this restricted living on a budget is now over, and I’ve just sent off my last big CC payment. (Netflix bills via CC, so I’ll still be getting a Discover bill monthly, but that’s no big deal). I don’t even carry my CC’s with me; they’re at home in a drawer.
I’ve never thought of Stephen King as terse; anyone who’s read “Needful Things” can tell you that. He recommends brevity and conciseness to all writers in this piece on how to be a writer.
I haven’t written any fiction myself, aside from that one history term paper that was “historical fiction” written over 36 hours of Hell, in over 10 years. I wrote a 12 page short story called “Friends of the Air” that I thought was quite goood–good enough for me to get a Distinguished on my 8th grade portfolio. The story centered around two friends who were flying home for Christmas from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati in a Piper Cherokee when they encouter a winter Thunderstorm over Altoona, PA. The story culminates with them on short final to a country airstrip, ice covering their wings, the throttle firewalled just to keep their ice-cube Piper from falling out of the sky. I liked it–classic buddy story, gripping, and action-packed.
Just for the record, I like it when her arse twitches
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Today has been a rather good day at work: A very productive meeting that I lead this morning that’s provoked discussion among my co-workers, and lots of talking.
Software Engineers’ days fall into two categories: Days where you talk versus those that are silent. Lots of meetings and hallway talk means a verbal day and some slack. Crunch time and a dealine yield quiet, closed doors, and clanging keys. Oddly, I can take either one.
Nerd factor 5, ENGAGE!
Good, soul-clearing rant from Mr. Sheffel responding to a Time article on dependent post-adolescence.
I’ve ruminated on this before, but it bears repeating: There needs to be a middle tier in this country between minimum-wage-earners and the lucky 5% who make $100k or more. We need honest work in trades, factories, farms, and mines for people who aren’t cut out to go to college, but who want to contribute to society.
Amid a very boring status meeting, my co-worker S, from Ukraine broke out the following when someone said, “It’s just that close to being done”
“Russian proverb says, ‘Your elbow is near, but you can’t bite it’.”
:-) Worth going to that worthless meeting just for that.
Congratulations to Stacey and Charlie Davidson on the birth of their girl, Autumn Makenzie.
She was born on January 18th, 8lbs 11oz (!) and 21.5 in long.
Graduated with Stacey and Charlie from BHS.
Couple of movies this weekend:
The 70’s were over, Reagan was restoring hope, and AIDS hadn’t broken on the American consciousness. Ahhh…1982, the year Cameron Crowe’s masterpiece, Fast Times at Ridgemont High premiered. Up-and-coming cast members included Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates (before ‘Gremlins’), Forest Whitaker, Anthony Edwards as a Stoner (!), and a cameo by Nic Cage.
A highly watchable, if inconsequential, piece of fluff, I LOVE THIS MOVIE, if only for the reminder of 1980’s style.
I can’t sleep. I’ve tossed and turned for nearly two hours, but for some reason I just can’t quiet my mind enough to fall asleep. Plus I have a headache. Plus, I have to be up in 5 hoursto go to my meaningless meeting so a bunch of Indians can piss and moan because I didn’t get to answer their emails last week while I was killing myself to reach an arbitrary deadline set by a lame-duck team lead.
The Dante’s Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
Level
Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)
Very High
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)
Low
Level 2 (Lustful)
Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)
Moderate
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)
Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)
Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)
Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)
Moderate
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)
I miss hockey.
I really miss being able to watch hockey LIVE, when the Thoroughblades were in Lexington.
America responded to the NHL lockout with a collective shrugh of the shoulders, but I CARE, darn it! Hockey is a wonderful sport: Grace, power, speed, action, and violence in one package.
Sadly, it’s awful on Television, and unlike basketball or football, you don’t grow-up playing pickup games of hockey in Florida, Texas, or California.
How to know you’ve been working some very long days:
Email from manager: “I’ll be out for Jury Duty the next two days…”
You: [Homer Simpson voice] “mmmmmmmm…..Jury Duty”.
The first Hummer I’ve ever liked:
The H3. Not too massive and it’s well proportioned.
For two days, my project has beaten me. Never three days in a row!
/wishful thinking.
