Render Unto Ceasar, 2019 Edititon

Just filed my taxes. For all the much bally-hooed Tax Reform that President Cheetos-Facepushed through and gloated about last year, my refund will actually be less than last year. But, on the bright side, I will be getting a refund. And even a small refund is even better than having to pay…

On the Bird Box Challenge

I have Netflix. One of the surprise hits on Netflix is a movie called Bird Box. I'm not going into the plot of it here (Google it, if you need). With this movie, there is a Bird Box Challenge, wherein people are challenged to do normal, everyday tasks while blindfolded. Unfortunately, somebody was sufficiently stupid enough to try the Bird Box Challenge while driving. With obvious results.

But I will never see Bird Box the movie. Nor will I do the Bird Box challenge. The reason being is that Monty Python and the Holy Grail is also on Netflix, and is a much more important film to watch. I don't need a stinkin' blindfold. I just need a person to follow me around with an oversize backpack and coconuts....

11 years' worth of storage...

11 years ago, my old PIII had a 160 gigabyte hard drive in it. I just realized last night that my archive is now 1.5 terabytes (10 times the space). And it takes about 7 hours to copy it over whenever I rebuild my system. Normally I let this task run overnight, and I turn my monitor off... Yes, I know I have too much crap....

And to think that when I ordered my first computer, I thought that the 30 gigabyte hard drive was plenty...

Have you seen my voice?

Caught cold right before Christmas. Was sick enough that I had to take a sick day right before Christmas, but I held up. The symptoms have pretty much subsided except for the annoying cough. I could deal with the cough as it was productive, and I figured if it’s bringing up the crud, I’ll be over it soon. But last week, I realized that I’m hoarse. And I’ve been hoarse for a while. So I ended up taking a sick day Monday night to self medicate with my supply of tea. Then with my ensuing two day weekend, that gave me three days off to get my voice back. My voice isn’t completely back, and I’m still coughing up crud, but I’m feeling better. I may just bring my tea to work, and see if my boss will let me bring my thermos with me while I’m at work. May not happen, but it doesn’t hurt to ask…

Yes, I’m a fan of AC/DC, but I’ll do without the Brian Johnson voice….

Linux is dead. Long live Linux.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to get myself something for Christmas (after finishing up my Christmas shopping), and so I bought the first 7 games of the Assassin's Creed franchise for my computer on Steam. After downloading the games, I backed them up and proceeded to wipe my tower to put one last install of Windows 7 on. I got to the point to where I restored my Steam library, and I verified that I have a valid back-up. Then I decided I wanted to go with Windows 8.1 instead. After I installed that, and while I was restoring my software, I decided to go back to Windows 10, which is what I’m running now. But on the bright side, I didn’t have to do a complete wipe to go from Win8.1 to Win10. I finished the rebuild last week, and I decided to do a complete back up of my Steam games. It took about 24 hours to do it (you do have to consider the fact that I have 185+ games now).

So last night, I decided to give OpenSuSE another try. Took me three tries to resize my hard drive to create some space, but I did. Then I took my install DVD and booted my system off it. And nothing happened. And I then remembered my previous attempt to install Linux would’ve involved wiping partitions that I wasn’t comfortable with. So, I say Linux is dead. Long Live Linux…

Today is payday…

Today is payday. I’m getting paid. It’s not that much. I’m not going to be rich by any means. But it is a fair paycheck (despite all the rumors on the internet, my employer is actually very fair). But there are about 800,000 Federal Employees who are currently furloughed and/or are working without pay (tomorrow will be a missed payday for them). Because President Cheetos-Face wants his fucking wall. And he’s sticking it to innocent third parties. I may not hold the TSA in the highest of esteem, but they are workers and they deserve to be paid for their labors. For the most part, the supposed wall is a waste of money, and there are more effective ways of securing the southern border. But he needs to feed his racist ego, and he doesn’t care who gets hurt.

But I really think that his days are numbered. Apparently there is even more evidence on collusion with the Russians. But Mueller is being thorough in his probe, and there are no leaks. So I have to wait and watch for now.

The sooner President Cheetos-Face is lawfully removed from office the better we’ll be. The best description I can give of his administration is corrupt….

Ni! I demand a shrubbery!

I’m not linking to any story about this one, you can just Google for it. But Michael Palin is being knighted. You may remember him as the Leader of The Knights Who Say Ni. He was also Sir Galahad the Chaste. And he was also Brother Maynard’s Brother (he actually read Armaments 2:9-21). But the irony is that he’s not being knighted for who work in Monty Python. He’s being knighted for his contributions as a travel writer and host…

Now if they could only knight John Cleese for his services in The Ministry Of Silly Walks….

It’s been a tough year so far…

The new year is only two day and change old. And so far we’ve already lost Mean Gene Okerlund, The Captain (from The Captain and Tenille), and Super Dave Osbourne. Life is such a frail thing. Here today, gone tomorrow….

Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot, 2018 Edition….

So, it’s been 2019 for about 13 hours so far. I was at work when the ball dropped, but fortunately I was outside at the time, so I got to see some fireworks from the neighboring areas.  A lot happened this past year:

I changed jobs (same employer, but I moved to a new position). I went from working swing shift to overnights. I got to see my 93 year old grandmother for the first time in 2 years. I decided to quit shopping at Worst Buy, and I also cut up most of my credit cards, though the Worst Buy Card was the only one that I outright cancelled. I broke my computer (as in physically broke it so it wouldn’t boot up anymore), and had to replace it. And it’s replacement was so similar to the original one that Microsoft still thinks that it’s the same computer. Which I should’ve realized before I decided to buy another Windows 10 Pro license for it. Which overdrew my account (though I survived). I bought another pair of Columbia’s. I upgraded to Amazon Music Unlimited, which is how I almost exclusively listen to music now. For the first time even I had to leave negative feedback for an eBay transaction. I had to spend almost $150 to fix my bike. I replaced both inner tubes and 1 tire. I bought Flight Simulator X on Steam, so I can have installed on both my laptop and my tower. The Mariners had a winning season, while both the Sounders FC and the Seahawks punched their tickets to the post-season. And Seattle is going to get a NHL franchise.

And I should also mention that Michael Palin is getting a knighthood. Though it is not for being the leader of the Knights Who Say Ni!….