The turning of fall

Last Friday was the last hot day of summer. The rains returned Saturday. Fortunately, I was home by the time the first big storm hit, and Elmhurst Mutual Power & Light does a really good job at power line maintenance so I didn’t have my power go out. Sunday it was sufficiently stormy that I took my windows fan down, and I don’t think I’ll be putting it back up. The window in my room is still open, but I think I’ll close it tonight.
The rains have returned. They are very much welcome, with all the wildfires that we’ve had this summer. But the one drawback is that they’re reminding me of something I don’t want to hear about: I need a new pair of shoes again…

So I was going to post something today

And then I thought about what I was going to write. I’ve been thinking about this post for the past several weeks. But in the end, discretion is the better part of valor. And so I’ll hold my tongue. Words, once spoken, cannot be unspoken. Always tread carefully, lest you offend or embarrass someone close to you…

A comparison of shipping (and other things)…

For the past couple of months, I’ve upgrading my computer. Nothing big, just making sure that when Windows 10 came out, I’d be ready for it. First, it was extra RAM, then it was a larger bard drive. Then it was a new TV tuner, and a couple of other items. Among other places I ordered them from Worst Buy, Spamazon, Office Depot, and Newegg. Things were shipped brown, dhl, Fedex, and the US Postal Service.

Office Depot delivered there item to me in an Office Depot box truck, via a uniformed Office Depot employee. The next day….

With Spamazon, I have Amazon Prime, so as long as I ordered it by two, it’ll show up in two days. Usually it’s via UPS, but they’ve been know to us the Postal Service. My opinion with them is do not use overnight shipping at Amazon! The last time I did it, I paid extra for shipping, and it was misrouted and over a week late with no explanation from Amazon. But they do have a very wide selection, and like I said I have Amazon Prime. The free shipping pays for itself…

Best Buy does offer free shipping if your purchase is over a certain amount. Depending on the item, and whether or not you’re buying off the marketplace, it’ll be shipped UPS Fedex or USPS. I remember ordering two different things from them one time, and they both arrived via different carriers….

Newegg has great customer service. Their Android app is just like the website. If you’re say looking at a specific tv tuner model, they’ll tell you if they have a newer one on hand. When it comes to shipping, they usually ship via dhl, who then hands it off the the local post offcie for deliveries. Not a bad thing, if they get the right post office (ups does the same thing, but I’ve noticed) that it takes a couple of extra days.

Probably the best online shopping experience was with Office Depot. Like I said, send overnight to my doorstep via Office Depot and delivered by a uniformed Office Depot employee. I was so impressed with them that I actually went back and filled out a job application (if they’re that good, then that’s probably a company you want to be a part of), and they actually called me for an interview. But I had to pass on it, due to a nagging foot injury (I’m not really worried yet. I’m happy where I’m at, and other opportunities will come. Perhaps it was just the fates decreeing that I shouldn’t work there…)

The end of another weekend….

Due to a schedule shift, this weekend was only going to be one day, but foot problems led me to call out. This past week at work, especially Sunday was stressful. But a new day starts tomorrow. And a new workweek. And more importantly, my foot is better (sometimes, I need to just rest it. Previous experience with trying to work through the pain has been rather counterproductive….).

All for a cheeseburger….

Today was my day off. I was scheduled to work tomorrow. And I wanted a cheeseburger. Not that much of a big deal, as there’s a McDonalds and a Jack(ing off) in the Box right down the street from my apartment. Wanting volume over quality, I decided on the $1 cheeseburger at McDonalds (and a considerable quantity, too…). I walk over there, and I get my food. On the walk home, I realized I was limping on my left foot (the same foot that I hurt a while back). It wasn’t the same injury as before, but it was on the same foot….

Back to being scheduled tomorrow. If I can’t walk to the local McDonalds without pain, then I probably shouldn’t stand for 8 hours at register tomorrow. I’m now even more grateful for paid sick/personal time that my employer offers…..

Another year older, another year wiser (I hope)

Today is my birthday. I’m trying to keep the celebration low-key, even to the point of telling my roommate that I was cancelling it this year. I’m not really cancelling it, I just want to celebrate it with a day of contemplation. I don’t anticipate any cake this year (for the obvious reasons of Type I diabetes). But I’m enjoying my day off with NFL preseason football (The NFL network is showing reruns of every preseason game). And putting my computer back together (I’ve finally decided to stick with Windows 7, with some space partitioned off for Linux down the road).

I’m another year older today. Hopefully, I’m wiser than last year,,,

I don’t know what it is…

Twice I’ve sat down to write something, and both times as soon as I started, my mind just drew blanks. Perhaps the posts aren’t ready yet. I suppose I could sit here, and force them out, but I think it’s better to let them write themselves when they’re ready.

Maybe next time…

Another try at it….

I installed Windows 10 last week. I wasn’t ready for it, so I put Windows 7 back on. But this is progress, I must adapt or perish. Not really perish, but 10 is the future. I’m sure that not all of my games will run on Windows 10, but I still have a Windows XP disc, and I know how to set up a virtual machine. I still have a Windows ME virtual machine, mainly as an exercise in system administration….

And yes, I do have space left on my hard drive for Linux.

Could you check your spam folders, please?

So I check my Gmail this morning, and I look in the spam folder, as I do on occasion. And I noticed a spam mail from me (nothing unusual in an of itself, as this is a common spammer tactic). But what concerns me was the other addresses that it was sent to. They were all my contacts. At first I thought my google address book had been compromised, so I immediately changed my Google password, and my yahoo (not that hard of a feat, since I'm in the midst of a system rebuild). But still I fear the damage has been done, and my address book is 'out there'. But then again, I only noticed it from checking my spam folder.

Btw, if you get an email from purporting to have been sent from my iPhone, know this: I don't have an iPhone. Never have, never will.

Anyway having said this, could you check your spam folders, and let me know what 'special offers' I have sent you?

Underway on Windows 10

Ok, I’m now running Windows 10. This was the straight upgrade from Windows 8.1. Right now, I’m redownloading it to a flash drive, so I can do a ‘clean’ install. Normally, I’d just stick with the upgrade, but I want to do a clean install so I can repartition my hard drive so I can play around with Linux. With the System Restore from HP, I can restore my computer to factory condition, but that also wipes out any partitioning I’ve done….

And now on the next adventure: I’m out of ink for my printer….

Opportunity knocks, but I have to pass….

Yes, I have a commute from hell. Yesterday, it was a 4 1/2 mile walk just to get to the bus stop, and then another mile and half to two miles to get to work. Needless to say, my feet were in agony. Normally, I get home, and I can rest my feet, and be ready for the next day. However, last night I tried on a different pair of shoes. And they literally rubbed my feet the wrong way.

So I wake up this morning, and I can’t move my left foot without pain. I look down, and I’m greeted by a horrendous scab. So, orders today are to stay off my feet. Which means that the job interview that I had today is cancelled. And I’m not going to reschedule it. My philosophy is if I (or any other potential candidate) can’t make it to initial interview, then it’s not going to pan out. Besides, notwithstanding the issues I have with my current employer, it’s still a good place to work for…

The Knock Of Opportunity...

A week and a half ago, during my misadventures on the internet, I applied for a position with another company. I noticed that there was an opening, and I applied. More of a spur of the moment decision. But it represented an opportunity. A chance for advancement. So I applied. And I didn't hear anything about it. Oh well. It just made me feel all the more grateful for my current job.

And then this afternoon, I got a phone call. They want to interview. Perhaps this will be my next break. My opportunity to move up the corporate totem pole. Then again, maybe it won't. The worst thing that can happen is I can be told no, and if that be the case, I will still learn wisdom from this.

Opportunity is knocking. Wish me luck.

It's getting hot again....

They say that this summer will have broken the record for number of days of more than 90 degree weather. I think this may call for drastic measures again. Yes, another gallon of Arnold Palmer. That has become my favorite beverage of choice. Aside from Diet Dr. Pepper, which btw has been mislabled. It should be labeled what it is: The Nectar Of The Gods....

Monday Approaches….

Yes, I know tomorrow is Wednesday. But to me, it’ll be Monday. My work week starts tomorrow. My current employer requires that I be available to work open to close, 7 days a week. Note that I’m not scheduled open to close, 7 days a week. I’m full-time so I work 40 hours a week, but my employer would just as soon I keep my overtime to a minimum, which I won’t argue with (factoring in my commute, and I’m out of the house 14-16+ hours a day, easily. But then again, HR at work is aware of my commute, and there is a concerted effort to give me a consistent schedule, which I appreciate….

But then again, I’ll be able to brag to everybody next Monday when they go to work, that it’s my day off…

Yes, I’m evil like that…

Ok, I got them...

This afternoon, I got my Hauppagge WinTV HVR-2250 tv card. I got it mainly because it was compatible with Windows 8.1, 10 and Linux. With my Diamond TV Wonder PCIE 750, it could only work under Windows 7 (or Windows XP, but I'm not going to try that with 24gb of RAM installed). As much as I liked my TV Wonder, it's time to move on. And I want to watch TV in Linux again. Today I also got my Windows 8.1 Pro Pack key. Just enter it, and my Windows 8.1 becomes pro. And I have Windows Media Center. I know I really don't need it, but there once was a time when my computer wasn't right next to a 55" HD set, and I want to be ready if my computer has to become the TV again.

I also got 3 usb flash drives today. It's a lot quicker to format and copy to a flash drive then burn a recovery DVD....

Yet another day off post….

So, it is my weekend now. I was supposed to work yesterday, but due to some other issues I had to call out (thank goodness for paid sick leave). Applying the lessons I learned the last time I tried to work through the pain…

Sometime today, I should be getting my new TV tuner card, and my Windows 8.1 Pro Pack key. I could’ve waited till Windows 10 comes out, but this way I have another option available (besides either way, Windows 10 is going to be a free upgrade). I’m also getting some 32gb flash drives, so I can set up install media & do clean installs for both my tower and the laptop. On the tower and laptop, I already have the Windows 8.1 restore media ready.

It’s my weekend, and it’ll be a fun one. I’ve already been to the store, and I have enough provisions that I don’t have to leave the house anytime soon (unless it’s for the all essential cheeseburger big bite run).

Did you know that Wally World have $5.00 pizzas. And they’re pretty good too…

Making the best of what's around

Sometimes, we don't get the hand we want. And opportunity you were hoping for doesn't come through. Like today at work. My work location is in Federal Way, and I take the bus. And there are times when the bus by my house isn't running, and I have to walk 4.5 miles to the next connection. There is another location that's only a 20 minute walk from my apartment. I've been trying to transfer, and I finally got a hold of management to inquire about it today. And I was told that since I'm full time, I'd have to step down to part time to do it. And that isn't happening. But management here at my current location to appreciate me. And the effort it takes to get there on time...

You can hope all you want for the best, but it boils down to just playing the hand that you've been dealt. Every hand's a winner. And every hand's a loser. Just make the best with what you have...

On the brightness of Hope...

Hope is a strange thing. It can be exceedingly faint. And fading fast. And yet that one faint hope is still bright enough to light up a whole life. To be a compass when one has no other way of going. One must never underestimate hope. In the absence of rejection, it can sustain you. If you are rejected, it can help pick you up...

There will always be a brighter day...

Ok, that's enough for now. My weekend is coming to conclusion, and I have to get ready for work. But while I didn't get everything done that I was planning, I still got things done. My head is now clearer than before. And my laundry got done...

A thought to ponder

Am I truly free? Or am I just further fettering myself with idle dreams of that which never was, and never will be? Is it freedom to continually pursue a dream that will not likely com to fruition, or is it freedom to realize that a dream is only that. A dream. That which will never be a part of reality. Or am I only fettering in myself in idly pursuing it, blinded to the realities of life? Or does freedom come from realizing that this dream will not come to be, and letting it go? Or is abandoning my dream not really freedom at all? Maybe there is compromise between the two. Maybe I should let my dreams and my realities just agree too disagree. Then again, there will come a time when I have to definitely make a choice, one way or the other, or it will be made for me. I just hope its the right choice.

Yes, I'm just another introvert with a blog....

Not as hot today...

It wasn't as hot today as it was yesterday. Went up to the place of my former employer, and we had lunch (ordered pizza), and had coffee. Since I paid for this time, he says the next time it'll be on him. Yes, I did report him to L&I after I left. And by all rights I should've had his ass in court. But there are bigger battles to fight. You don't have to win every battle to know that you're right. And even if you're right, it is still far better to forgive your enemies, and to seek reconciliation with them. I'm not saying you have to bend over backwards to appease everyone who takes offense at you. But you also need to realize that while you may think you're always right, it's not always the case. And it'll be all the more embarrassing when you realize it.

Make peace with your petty disputes now, before they grow into major arguments....

Almost ready

With Windows 10 starting to come out next week, I’m making sure my computer is ready for it. The main thing was to replace my tv tuner card. My previous card, a tv wonder pro 750 was incompatible with Windows 8 and 10 (and not to mention Linux as well). So, I’m replacing it with a Hauppagge WinTV-HVR-2250. Compatible with 7,8.1, 10 and Linux. And hedging my bets against Windows 10 not being my cup of tea, I also ordered a copy of Windows 8.1 Pro. I probably won’t need it, but I can use it to upgrade to windows 10 pro instead of home.

Yes, I’ve posted about hating 8.1 before (if I hadn’t, I do not like it). But it’s time to get with the times. Windows 7’s lifetime is finite. And I know all my hardware will be compatible with windows 8.1 and 10.

But more importantly, I’ll be able to tinker with Linux again…

Just Another Sunday Morning/Afternoon…

My mouse died a couple of weeks ago. I finally got around to ordering a replacement. Yes, I have other mouses in the house, but I just have to have a Logitech M510. Fortunately, this was the laptop’s mouse, and the laptop has a touchscreen on it, so I can manage until it arrives….

With Windows 10 coming out in the next week, and a half, I’ve been trying to get my tower ready. First order of business is to get a compatible tv tuner. I just found out the hard that my current tuner card only works with 7 or lower. So, I’m going to hold off on upgrading until I find one that works (while I’m at it, I’m going to make sure it works in Linux as well…).

Due to a shift in my schedule, I’ve got three days in a row off. And they’re all shot to hell since I wiped my tower last night. Thank goodness for the laptop (used to be my laptop, but it’s mainly in the living room, and my brother/roommate uses is more than I do).

It’s powerfully hot today. I think its time for another trip to the store for drastic measures (a gallon of Arnold Palmer)…

I need three things…

• The strength to change that which I can change.
• The peace to accept that which I can’t change.
• And the wisdom to know the difference between the two…

There are a few extra concerns I have in my head tonight. But I will not let them darken my heart, and I will learn wisdom from them….

Beyond that, it’s best if I not said anymore on them for now…

One of the definitions of happiness is....

Happiness is a 21+ minute conversation on the phone with your grandmother. Seriously. If your grandmother is still alive, get on the phone and tell her you love her. Don't take your family for granted. Never underestimate the power of hello.

It no longer matters…

(I’m writing this from the laptop as the tower is still in the midst of a system rebuild)…

This has been weighing on my mind for a while. The Supreme Court made it’s ruling on the case while I was in the middle of my aforementioned 15 day stretch of working….

I’m talking about gay marriage. After the ruling, it should now be called just marriage. But all kidding aside, this is a rather controversial subject. I have kept my opinions on this and on homosexuality to myself, and aside from this post (if at that) I will continue to do so. Needless to say is gay marriage is now legal. Not just in Washington, but in all 50 states. Praise it, or condemn it, it is now the law of the land.

It no longer matters whether or not you know the difference between teal and fuschia. You may now marry the partner of your choice, for the most part….

The other matter I want to touch on is the Confederate Flag. Once it may have been the symbol of the Confederacy in the Civil War (which it lost). In the Civil Rights era, some states (like Georgia) added it to their state flags as a show of defiance to ‘The North’. In that sense, the Confederate Flag is racist. It ought not to be shown. However, it is also free speech to show it. As much as I condemn it, it is still one’s right to display it and use it. I may not ever agree with it, or the principles it stood for, but I will defend your right to display it. It’s just like Westboro Baptist Church. Everybody condemns them, but they still have the right to say their message of hate and intolerance.

Now according to my Facebook feed of late, the government is going to take away our guns, make us give up our jobs to illegal aliens, and force us all to get gay married. Come to think of it, it’s time to adjust my feed settings.

It’s Been Powerful Hot of Late

When you think of Washington weather, you would normally think of rain. And normally that’s how it is. But Washington does have a summer. It makes a token appearance for a couple of weeks every July/August. Normally summer usually starts on July 5, and it goes to the day before my birthday, when the rain returns….

But not this summer. The 90+ degree weather hit early and hard. I think we’re up to 5 days in a row of heat. This is calling for drastic measures. I now have a gallon of Arnold Palmer chilling in the fridge….

My Day Plans Have Failed

As I previously mentioned, I have today off. And while I wanted to do absolutely nothing, I completely failed at it. With The Anti-Christ releasing Windows 10 at the end of this month, I decided to upgrade my computer. Beefed up the RAM to 24 gB, and I put a 4 tB hard drive in. Since my tower only has space in the hard drive cage for only one hard drive,  replacing the hard drive means nuking the system completely. Long story short, I had to use gparted to set the hard drive up, but I have my windows partition installed, and I now have space set aside for a future Linux installation.

And in doing so, I’ve hosed my ‘weekend’….

12 Days and Then Some….

When I last mentioned this, I said I was going to be working for 12 days straight. When I wrote that, the schedule for my main job (the one that I’m full time at) hadn’t been published yet. Well, I got a surprise when it was. My schedule was shifted, and I was working where I normally would have the day off. So the official record was 15 straight days at work.  It isn’t the worst though. There was a time when I was the Mrs. Fields up at the Westlake Center when I went 20 straight (it was over 10 years ago, and the franchise has long since folded, so I think it’s safe to mention here where I worked). At 10+ hours each day.

Today is my first day off in over two weeks. I intend to to absolutely nothing today. Though I’ve already failed at that….

I don’t know what to say….

Seriously. This post has been in my head for the past several days, and I know it wants out, but I can’t quite wrap the words around it. I’ll give it my best shot.

This started a couple of days ago when I was walking to work, and it occurred to me that there are some things that should address…

Billy Graham has always had this rule: that the only woman he would ever be alone with was his wife. Period. Which is a good standard to live by, especially considering all the other televangelists who were caught up in scandal (Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart come to mind). Part of it was being faithful to his wife, but the greater part of it was to never even show the appearance of wrongdoing. I don’t follow this rule as strictly as Billy Graham does, but there has been more than one occasion (usually involving me being offered a ride and I politely declined the offer), but in reality I was invoking the Billie Graham rule to preempt the scandal and avoid even the appearance of wrongdoing…

During my walk, I was pondering many things, and it occurred to me that there are others who follow a similar path. Modesty does not simply stop at the way someone dresses. And I should start respecting that position. Like I said previously sometimes you have to open your mouth, but discretion is the better part of valor. Wisdom is knowing the difference…

I hope I know what to say now…

A blast from the past….

My former employer (not really former, since I still work for him) is taking the week off to take his family to Disneyland. And so I’ve been asked to cover for him at the shop. Which meant taking a weeks’ vacation from my current employer (thank goodness that they offer paid vacation, and that I have enough vacation time to cover it being full-time). This morning was only the second time I opened in almost three years. I’m amazed that I still remember how to do things. And customers still remember me…

Lesson learned from this: never burn your bridges. Always make peace with your enemies. You may never know when you’ll need them….

As I was walking to work this morning….

Actually it was yesterday morning. And I was thinking. About a certain matter that I was writing about last year. And it occurred to me that writing about it here, even if I heavily sanitized it of all identifying information is just counter-productive. And I’ve decided to take down those posts. They were seen, and they’ve served their purpose. And I still wish the person I wrote them about well.

Sometimes, discretion is the better part of valor. Sometimes, you have to speak. Wisdom is knowing the difference.

To those of you who are fasting for the next month or so…

I’m not Muslim. Nor will I even to attempt to profess that I’m an expert on the Muslim faith. I was brought up to respect the practices of all faiths, and those who practice them. I don’t necessarily agree with some peoples’ practices or beliefs, but that doesn’t mean I oppose their practice either. I may not profess your faith, but I will defend your right to practice it.

Having said that, with Ramadan starting tomorrow:

Ramadan Kareem….

Another 12 straight…

Recently I did 12 straight days in a row at work. I get to do it again. I’m taking next week off from my main job (employer offers paid vacation, and I’m still full-time). And my second employer (a small business owner) is taking his family to Disneyland. And yours truly gets to cover the shop. I’m taking 7 days off, and he has me scheduled all 7 days.

Yes, I’m working another 12 days. But it’s still enough of a change of pace that it can pass for a vacation…

And to add to the indignity again...

The memory card in my tablet just kicked the bucket as well. Oh well. It was only a 32 gB one. And I have a 64 gB in my phone. I'll eventually replace it, but it's not a high priority matter.

But it does suck....

Edit: Went ahead and ordered another one from Spamazon. The price had gone down since I got my last one.

Well, Fudge It!!!

Tonight, I just realized, I lost about 2/3s of my installed games. I really never played them. They weren’t compatible with Windows 7. But I did have them installed in a Windows XP virtual machine (thanks to Vmware Player). And tonight, I just realized that it wouldn’t boot anymore. No problem, I thought. I’ll just restore it from back-up. Nope. Still wouldn’t boot. So, I now have to reinstall everything into a new VM.

On the bright side, I didn’t have to call Microsoft to activate it again….

So Lazy And Decadent Right Now….

I have a commute from Hell. There has been many a time when I had to get up at 1 in the morning, and be out of the door by two, only to walk 4.5-6 miles just to get to work. On more than one occasion, I’ve been the first one at the building in the morning.  Needless to say, I tolerate none of my co-workers’ complaints when the bellyache to me about how early they have to get up, or how hard they have it to get to work. My employer is aware of this, and they have offered to accommodate this by adjusting my availability. But the only accommodation I’ve asked for is to not open immediately after closing.

So, normally each week when I set my alarms (I have an alarm set for each day of the week to accommodate my variable schedule), at least 2-3 are set über-early in the morning. But not this week. As I reviewed my work schedule, and I realized that I’m not going to be that early this week. I can get to enjoy this mysterious substance called sleep…

Man, I feel so lazy and decadent this week….

Making Peace

I have come to the conclusion that The Voices In My Head on certain matters will never come to consensus. Sometimes this can be a good thing. I can use this interior dialogue to try and see all sides of the issue at hand.

I think that the best solution is one that I’ve used in my various and sundry (mis)adventures on the Internet. In many internet for for fora, not having the same opinion as everybody else can be shall we say an unpleasant experience. And in some places where everyone has a very different opinion, it can seem like everyone is against everyone. First, I realized that the best way to deal with this the Nomex Boxer Shorts state of mind. Just state your peace, and let the trolls and kooks rage against you. In the end, you just have to agree to disagree. To realize that not everybody shares your point of view. They’re usually not going to change your opinion, nor are you going to change theirs. You can disagree with someone. You can do it without arguing with them as well…

So, I’m going to take it one day at a time. If The Voices In My Head can’t come to an agreement, then I’ll let them agree to disagree. The insight and the clarity that I seek will come in time. I just have to be patient until then….

Crisis Averted…

I almost nuked my hard drive tonight. On my last day off, I went to fire up FS 2004. And it hung. I restored it from my back-up drive, and it still hung. I let it go at the time. Later that week, I installed a couple of updates. And tonight, I went to load up Flight Simulator X, and it hung up the system. Preparing for the worst, I fired up my back-up drive, and made sure my back-up was up-to-date. After that was all done, I thought I’d give it one last crack, and I did a system restore to last Thursday. And it fixed it. I don’t know what got restored and/or changed, but they’re working again. I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If I can avoid it, I’m not going to nuke my hard drive. Once upon a time, I did it on a weekly basis. Not anymore. I actually like to use my computer….

On Virtual Reality

I mainly use Windows 7 on my tower. It’s my favorite daily driver. Yet there are legacy programs that I can’t get to work with it, That’s were VMware player comes in handy. It’s just like have another computer. And it’ll even let me use 3d graphics in Windows XP and Windows ME (actually most of my legacy software is installed in the WinXP virtual machine. The WinME machine is mainly just for screwing around). Long story short, VMware player is great for Windows Guests. But my concern with other OSes (think Linux) was that I could never get VMware tools to install in the guest. I’m going to give  Oracle VM Virtualbox a try right now. I’m currently installing OpenSUSE. If it works, I may try other Linux distros.

If it doesn’t work, at least I didn’t nuke my hard drive over it….

Edit: I was finally able to get Vmware Tools installed in my OpenSUSE guest that I installed in Vmware player. Another OS to pay a around with without having to nuke my drive. Though come to think of it, I may have to do it soon. I can't get FS 2004 to load anymore...

12 days straight...

If you didn't know this before, yes I'm full time at work. Which on occasion it means that the supervisors shall we say strongly 'encourage' to get out of there on time to keep the overtime to a minimum. I normally don't make any special requests for my schedule (with the exception of not opening after closing the night before). So, of late when I've been getting my two days off each back to back, I didn't look the gift horse in the mouth....

This all started a couple of weeks ago. Another coworker had left, and my supervisor had received authorization for overtime to cover the schedule. So I volunteered to come in on my day off to help. It would've been a 6 day week for me, but it was doable. My one day off last week there were enough callouts that they called me in on my one day off (since they know about my Commute From Hell, and yet they still called me, I could tell that they had serious issues). I agreed to come in since my day off errands were near to work. So no days off last week.

But I survived. And I got overtime (and with the Holiday pay) for Memorial Day as well means my next paycheck won't be skinny (I hope). And they are recognizing my efforts. But still it was 12 days in a row.

Don't try that at home. Or at work, for that matter....

OK, this is quite strange…

I can’t post to Blogger from Windows Live Writer in Windows 7. But if I fire up VMWare Player, load up my Windows XP Virtual Machine, I can use Windows Live Writer from within WinXP, and be able to publish to my blog.

Maybe there’s still more work for me to do…

Until then, hello world from my Windows XP Virtual Machine…

EDIT: Apparently this was an API change with Google (the people behind Blogger, which is what this blog is run on). And Google and The Anti-Christ are working together for a solution. I hope so. Windows Live Writer was/is the best blogging program Ive ever used. And with the recent API change, I can’t even use the Scribefire extension on firefox (or chrome for that matter), at least until it’s updated.

But it works for now. If not, then I can also use the Blogger Chrome App…

Edit, Part Deux: And now the Scribefire extension in Firefox is working again....

New Feet Again.

If you remember the post I wrote a couple of months ago, I got some new shoes. Two months to the day, and they were already showing their wear to the point that I was planning their replacement. Today I looked on them as I was putting them on, and I realized that the replacement was going to happen sooner than later. I was hoping for at least three months' wear out of them. And I barely got two. Applying lessons previously learned, I tried them (lacing them up completely) more thoroughly than I usually do. I've learned not to give any heed or regard to what size the box says they are. Always try them first....

So, if you're wondering....

Apparently Windows Live Writer will no longer work with Blogger. Some of the rumors I've heard point to a possible open-source release (taken with a grain of salt, however. This is the internet, and it's also the same place that would have you believing that Elvis is alive and Belgium really exists)... I don't know what happened. Apparently Google changed/disco'ed some API that Windows Live Writer was using. Really disappointing, too, as that was what I was using. Tried the Scribefire extension for Firefox, and that waas a no-go. So for now, this blog is going to be written in the browser window. Or on my phone/tablet (I still have them, and they do still work).

Btw, yes I have been tinkering with the themes...

Read my words, and take heed if you're with Comcast.

I've had Comcast in some form or another for over the past 19 years. Always with TV at some level or another, and for most of the recent decade, high speed internet. This is my story on my switch back to Xfinity high-speed internet and my xfinity x1 upgrade.


(This started out as an email that was sent to Comcast in an effort to straighten this out privily. It bounced).

3 weeks ago, I decided to switch back to xfinity high speed internet from CenturyLink. I bought the modem from Best Buy. And then I called to set it up. But first, I had to order it. It was next to impossible at first to get a hold of someone (due to the fallout from the Mayweather/Pacqueou fight and the ensuing service outage). I'm willing to forgo going without most of my TV programming for one night, but let's talk about your customer service for now. When I called to order internet, I reached one of your infamous outsourced call centers. You know what I'm talking about. The places where neither product knowledge, fundamental customer service, nor even a basic understanding of the English language are required. I get a hold of one of your outsourced droids, and she asked about how much i was paying for cable, and then proceeded to tell me how she was going to try to save me money. And then she went into a high-pressure sales pitch to add xfinity voice. I told her no. Several times. When she started berating me for not listening to nor accepting her sales pitch, I hung up.

I was calling to add a service (and pay you more money, at full market rate at that, too), and I was driven away. Think about that. Their greed to upsell me almost drove me away from buying (and paying for) new service.

Eventually I was able to get to someone who was a native english speaker, and I was able to order high speed internet, then I was transferred to an outsourced market droid, but I was finally able to activate my high-speed internet.

Fast forward two weeks, and went to the Federal Way Xfinity store. My experience with trying to order high-speed internet led me to check my account to shenanigans. And I talked to Richard Sjouwke. He looked up my account and told me that I was paying full market price for all my services. He then told me I could save by bundling with voice. And this time I bit. In hindsight, I fell for the Sales Pitch disguised as customer service. But that meant I had to replace all my boxes (I also got xfinity x1) *and* my cable modem. I went the self-install route again, and once again got the outsourced rep who couldn't even speak English. With the voice modem, I realized that my internet speeds had fallen to about half of what they were before I got high speed internet. So Monday morning, I went back to the Federal Way Xfinity to return my old cable boxes. I also returned my cable modem (I went back to the Netgear modem that I bought 3 weeks ago). I told the rep at the counter that I wanted to cancel my voice service (I don't need it, I have unlimited minutes on my Sprint cell phone). I was told that I would have to call the loyalty line (here's what happens when you call it), or I would have to return my x1 boxes and have my other dvr boxes reissued to me. I don't think so. I'm not going to call another outsourced marketing droid just to put up with another high pressure sales pitch.

I don't know it their is a double play bundle that can be brought into play. I get the impression that when I went to the Xfinity store Monday, that the rep didn't want to cancel, and was slightly perturbed that I was returning equipment. I get it. I'm a nuisance. I'm an inconvenience. And may I also add that I did reach out to @comcastcares on twitter each time I tried  to self-install, and never got a timely response.

You'd think that if Comcast's customer service was better, if their call centers spoke English period, if they didn't treat every interaction as a chance to foist a high-pressure sales on a customer, if their website wasn't as confusing about what products they offer, the merger with Time-Warner might have gone through....

I know I'm not stuck with Comcast. CenturyLink has adequate service. I can get my video needs through Netflix, Hulu Plus and Spamazon Prime (I have all three). But I own my own modem. I want to make it work. But I'll eat the $109 and change loss if I have to....

Before you upgrade or add Comcast service. Think twice. Read my words and take heed. Have a backbone, and be prepared to hang up the phone if you need to.

Comcast, did I mention your customer service sucks?

An advantage to going Old Skool

One of the things that I liked about Windows ME was the Plus! themes. Especially the Windows ME theme. My first computer had it pre-installed, and I used it for about a year until Windows XP came out. I went out and bought the XP upgrade disc, and did an upgrade install when I first got it. And I lost my Plus! themes (meaning the plus! for Win9x. I had also purchased Plus! for XP at the same time as when I got XP). As my skills progressed, I started dual-booting, and then I realized I could just simply copy the c:/Program Files/Plus! folder from one drive to another. And I could also back it up.

So, where the directory is located has changed, but it still used on occasion. Like now. And I’ve realized another advantage of using the Old Skool Plus! themes: A really impressive framerate in FSX. Though I’m assuming you’d get similar results using any Windows Classic theme…

BTW, Happy 1000th post…

Went to the doctor last week…

I’m a Type I diabetic. I’ve had it since 2002 (initially suspected in the spring, diagnosed definitively in the ER in November). When I first started on insulin, they had me on regular insulin and lantus. In 2010, my the dietician and my doctor suggested that I switch to humalog and lantus. I was taking both via vial and syringe. Last week, when I was at the doctor’s office, and my prescriptions were updated, I was moved from the vial to the pen. THis was something my dietician and were talking about during my last visit with her. I’ve been using the pen for a week now. It’s much easier to dial in the dose rather than fill a syringe. And it’s quicker to take a shot at work. At least with the pen, I don’t have to be concerned as much about being called for ‘shooting up’ than with a syringe and vial.

Though I should also add, that regular insulin (that is type ‘R’) is available OTC. When I got out of the hospital, and the doctor wrote my first insulin prescription and I took it to the pharmacy, the pharmacist at Wally World gave the form back to me, and told me it was OTC (Lantus and Humalog are very much prescription only).

Insulin is good.

Even Roger Goodell wants in on it…

I’m not a real fan of Tom Brady. He is a Man-Diva. Whenever I see the Patriots play, I’m always rooting for the opppsing teams’ defensive linemen. I don’t want him to get injured or hurt. Just embarrassed.  Like giving him an atomic wedgie after a sack… Hurt his dignity, not his body.

You may have heard of the deflategate scandal. And the NFL has handed down punishments. Tom Brady has been suspended for the first four games of next season. I wouldn’t have stopped at four games. Think like what happened to Lance Armstrong when it was finally realized that he was doping (all of his Tour de France titles stripped). He should have his Super Bowl ring taken away. But then again, it does say something that cheating has to be resorted to defeat Russell Wilson and the Seahawks. Actually, he should have the ultimate sanction for cheating in football. He can still play football, but he’d be force to wear a Tim Tebow jersey…

Even Roger Goodell wants to give Tom Brady a Well-Deserved Beating.

Violence doesn't solve violence

There is something fundamentally evil about violence. You shouldn't be obligated to seek redress for your grievances by looting a CVS, abd then burning it down. You shouldn't handcuff a suspect, and put him in a police van without a seatbelt (when he's already asking for help), subject him to a 'rough ride', then deny him medical care until it's too late. How is rioting and looting going to make the world a better place? How is extrajudicially executing a suspect already in custody going to make me feel safer? I already know that I'm not going to be calling 911 if I'm the victim of, or a witness to a crime. My respect and my trust are commodities no police force has yet to earn. But how is mindlessly rioting going to change it? How is looting and damaging other people's property (most, if not, all of whom had nothing to do with the original case) going to get police to clean up there act?

The wheels of justice move slowly, but they do move. Rioting won't bring back the dead, nor will it bring about police reform. Violence in all forms is evil, and I condemn both sides.

Violence. Is. Evil. Period.

Another day off today....

Today was a day off. There was a party scheduled at work, and I was invited. I should've gone, but I went in on my day last week to give a gift to a departing coworker on her last day. So today I wanted my day off to be a day off. So I didn't go. While I enjoy my job (even more so since several concerns that I've had with management had been addressed), it can still be a stressor. And I need to distress sometimes.

Sometimes the most important thing for you to do is nothing at all.

The turning of spring….

Throughout the years, I’ve noticed that the weather in March and April are notoriously unpredictable here. Sunny one day, stormy the next. The stereotype is that the rainy weather will stay here up through the day after the 4th of July. And then the rainy weather will return right before labor day weekend (usually on my birthday on August).

The past Monday, it was really stormy. And then the weather changed. The latter part of the week was very sunny and warm. I think spring has turned, and I can now leave my coat behind till fall. I still will wear a sweatshirt on my way to work, and I will always carry my umbrella. But I think the coat can be retired. For now. I hope.

A higher number, but a step back…

Right before my previous tower died, I had installed a Radeon HD 7750 PCI-E video card. When the computer died, it was one of the parts that I took out (I always try to part out my computer as much as I can). When I bought my current tower, it came with an AMD A8 6500, which included a Radeon HD 8570 graphics controller. At first I ran the computer with the integrated graphics, and I noticed that the Windows Experience Index wasn’t as high as my previous computer. So I put my 7750 in the tower and immediately noticed that the Windows Experience Index was considerably higher, especially in the graphics area.

Tonight, I took out my 7750 graphics card to see what the integrated graphics could do. And while running the HD 8570 chipset, I still see that it’s a step back. While running FS 2004, I’ve noticed the frame rate is considerably lower. I’m not even going to try Flight Simulator X.

I guess the main thing is memory. The memory card has its own memory on the card, while the integrated graphics is sharing the system RAM. And there’s also the hdmi output that the card has which my motherboard is missing. Needless to say, I’m going to be putting my previous graphics card back in my tower later…

Hello Lollipop

For about the past week I've trying to upgrade my phone to Lollipop. When I first got it, I tried it for a couple of days, and then went back to KitKat, since that was what I was used to. But onward and upward, so I upgraded. This time, I took some more time to outfit my ROM (like making sure that the Spamazon Appstore was cooked into it, as well as link2sd)....

It's been about three days since I wrote that, abd I've been using Lollipop since on my phone. I'm impressed with it. Since I've put S-off on my phone, I've also flashed the Harmon Kardin dsp to my phone as well, and my music sounds definitely better. But I think the expandable storage is what will make my phone worth it in the long run...

It’s underway…

The Mariners season is underway today. I think they’ll do good this year. After all we still have King Felix, and we did have a winning record last year (I remember when they first had a winning record). As of this writing, they are leading 2-1 in the fourth. Let’s hope for a pennant. Failing that, shiny side out!

EDIT: 4-1 top of the 7th. With 9 K’s so far…

Yesterday was Godless Pagan Holiday (Spring). The Easter Bunny was out and about.  There is only one way to deal with rabbits:

Too bad I don’t always have Brother Maynard with me…

It is Palm Sunday today

Growing up I remember on Palm Sunday (or was it Passover), one of the local broadcast stations would play Cecil B. DeMille's 10 Commandments.

A few months back, I was at Worst Buy, and I noticed the DVD was on sale...

So guess what I'm watching tonight?

You probably don't need to know this...

This is one of those tidbits that you probably don't need to know. But I can down a medium Burger King milkshake in 4 minutes. Well, maybe not four. But definitely less than 10. Enough that I can polish it off at the bus stop before the bus gets here....

Yes. I'm aware I'm a diabetic, blah, blah, blah...

Another Weekend Is Gone…

My ‘weekend’ fell on Monday and Tuesday this week. Which means I worked the real weekend. Not that I mind (in fact, I have long since accepted that working weekends is going to be par for the course for my line of work). But I have to go back to work tomorrow. My laundry is done, the coffeemaker is loaded. And I’ve even broken in my new shoes.

My weekend is gone. It’s time to go to work….

Some new feet...

I'm on my feet a lot. Like more than 16 hours a day. So I go through shoes a lot. Sometimes I'll find just the right shoe, and I'll be able to wear it for 6+ months. Then there are other times when I immediately start thinking about replacing them as soon as I put them on. My last pair of shoes as like that. As soon as I got them on, abd I went through my first day at work, I had a problem. Eventually, I was able to tough it out via double-socking. Finally, my shoes wore out to the point that I was in pain from the time I put them on in the morning to the point I took them off. So I finally bought a new pair of shoes Sunday. I waited a day for my feet to recover, but once I put the on, there was no pain. So far, I'm impressed. I just hope I get more than three months' wear out of them...

Happy Tuesday People!

I’m not Irish. I’m not Catholic. And I quit drinking quite some time ago. So today is Tuesday.

Happy Tuesday. Especially to all you non-Irish, non-Catholic, sober people. Having said that, it is perfectly alright to go out and celebrate if you so desire….

Just remember that St. Patrick’s day started out as a religious holiday in Ireland, and it was celebrated by going to church, not drinking green beer (and btw, Guinness is not definitely green, and St. Patrick’s color was blue).

But I’m not Irish, I’m not Catholic, and no longer drink. Happy Tuesday People!

About the new phone

Ok, I got it last week. I think I said something about it. I also got a 64 gB memory card for it. So my phone now hame twice the capacity of my tablet (phone has 32 gB on it, plus the aforementioned 64 gB card, while the tablet has 16 gB and a 32 gB memory card). It figures, since I use the phone more than the tablet (not that I’m knocking the tablet. It has served me well, and will continue to.

Anyway enough about that. I got the phone. It has a quad-core 2.5 gHz processor (which is what I was running on my previous phone when I over-clocked it). My previous phone (HTC One M7) never had any issues with lag even when not overclocking it, so that’s not an issue. The main issue with my previous phone was space. 32 gB is normally plenty of space for one’s phone, but when you put the entire system on it, plus your apps, and then your music library, you can run out really quick. But with the memory card, I can go to town at Google Play, and still have space for my entire music library, and be able to download a movie or two).… I should point out, that my phone has more storage than my first computer, even after my first two hard drive upgrades….

As for software, as soon an I got it, I had it unlocked, rooted, and s-off’ed (all of which were pretty straightforward affairs, unlike when I s-off’ed my EVO 3D). It was a little bit more expensive than previous times, as I had to use Sunshine since there was no other way. And there are certain things that are just too darn hard to flash with just only unlocked phone. I immediately flashed Lollipop to it (I prefer to use the Venom ROMs, which is also what I usually ran on my previous phone). But after a few days, I went back to KitKat, just because that was what I was used to. I may go back to Lollipop in the future, but I’ll go with what I’m familiar with for now (the ROM developers are on XDA, and I have donated to them. Twice.

So far, I’m happy with the new phone. It does have an all-metal unibody construction, though I never notice it, as I keep it in an Otter Box. It is always better to smash the $30.00 case than the $700.00+ phone….

Some adventures online….

I’ve ordered a new phone. I’m getting an HTC One (M8). My previous phone still works pretty well, but there are issues with running out of space. So I’m getting a phone with a memory card slot. It’s not the latest and greatest, but it doesn’t have to be. Considering how it will be rooted, unlocked, and a custom ROM will be loaded on to it as soon as I get home, I’m not really concerned about being the bleeding edge… I also ordered 2 cases and a memory card for it. The cases have already arrived. I also ordered a memory card for it (after all, it does a slot for it). It should arrive next week.

Now all I need is the phone….

Some wisdom learned recently….

Never underestimate the power of hello. You can say that you’re free, but in reality you may just be fettering yourself even more.

I may not be free, but I’m at peace in certain matters tonight. What I thought were my dreams may not come true, but I still have a friend. You may not like reality, but you have to make peace with it. Dreams can be a good thing. They can give you goals to reach for. But you have to prepare yourself for failure. And you have to learn to bounce back from it. My heart has been broken, but I’ll learn wisdom from it.

Like I said, there are certain matters that I’ve made peace with now. Tonight, I can sleep with the just.

About that last post….

Some of you may coming here searching. Sorry, I deleted it. For some reason, I just didn’t feel right about it. Maybe it could’ve been TMI. Or what I’d written wasn’t really what I wanted to express. Anyway, it’s now gone…

I don't know why I'm doing this

I'm once again trying Linux. I know from previous experience via a live cd that they don't have drivers worth snot for my tower. But there is VMWare player. Yes, I will miss my previous tower, and being able to run it without vm software. But I have to play the hand I've been dealt.

At least with a vr, I don't have to nuke a hard drive or my tower. But I still feel like a glutton for punishment at times...

I don't know why I'm doing this but here we go. Again.

Way too much stuff….

Once upon a time, I could back my data up on CD-ROM. Those days are long past. Then I got a DVD burners. From about 20+ cd’s to 4-5 DVD’s. Then (at the time I was wiping my system once a week, trying new things out) I just started using my second hard drive. At first everything fit all fine and dandy on a 30 gB hard drive. The only issue was that this was an internal hard drive, so if I got a virus, I could still lose all my data on it. Then the 30gB became an 80 gB. Then my first computer died, and I got a second one with a 250 gB drive. And I used a 160 gB as my back up drive (it was still an internal hard drive, but this time I made sure to disconnect when I wasn’t backing things up, or accessing a back up…). Then I got my 1tB hard drive and my 250 gB became my backup. Then I finally bought a usb hard drive enclosure, so I could have my back-ups physically disconnected from the tower when they’re not needed. And along the lines I bought another 1 tB hard drive just for back up.

Last night, I did a system back up, storing all my essential files to my usb hard drive. What was once only 7 gB’s is now 431 gB’s.

Man, I have way too much crap….

Me Vs. Reality…

Since I’m home from work sick today, I think I’ll write some here….

Reality and I have never been the best of friends (in fact this post is more of me expounding on this). In some form or another I’ve always had some sort of dream in my head. Sometimes these took the part of a science fiction superhero (like you’d find in a comic book). Or I’d daydream about having billions of dollars. Sometimes it could just be a simple thing as having an annoying coworker/manager fired and frog-marched off the premises at work. But they’re just dreams (or fantasies). Sometimes they can be good. They can give you a goal to work for. Some are so far fetched from reality that they really only serve as entertainment value. Then there are the dreams that are close to reality, but not quite. They can be subtle. You can think that the goals needed to attain them can be realistic. It may be just that one obstacle that you need to overcome, but it’s just barely unrealistically out of your reach. But what is really happening is that your dreams have become your Reality. You’re so caught up on this one issue that you fail to realize that it’s more likely for you to wake up and all of the sudden you’ve become your favorite comic book super-hero. And what good is fostering a delusion? Sooner or later it’s going to hit you. Reality. When all the unrealistic dreams, fantasies and delusions that you’ve fostered come crashing down, and you realize that they’re not going to happen. It’s as if your house of cards has come down, and all that is left for is pick up the pieces of your broken heart. There are times when all you need to ‘wake up’ from your daydreams is for someone to tell you ‘no’. Rejection can be a good thing. It can teach you to take no for an answer, to respect others’ feelings (and their space). But my difficulty lies therein. Nobody has told me no. Yet. I keep thinking upon this matter, and my mind is divided into two camps. One side tells me that in the absence of rejection, to keep trying. The other side tells me that silence will be my only answer, and that it is best to move on (after all, I don’t mean any harm & I will still wish the person well…). I keep going between the two camps in my head. Sometimes I go with the former. It gives me hope. Then there are the times I go with the latter. I proclaim to myself that I’m free from the fantasies and delusions. Until they return the very next day. I’ve tried to be realistic about this. To temper my dreams with reality. But it seems like I have to either live in FantasyLand, or I have to attain Kolinahr, shedding my ‘petty emotions’. There has to be a balance between the two. I can’t go living in La La Land, and I’m human; it is impossible to completely repress what I feel. Such is the nature of my quest. To keep grounded in reality, but to keep persuing my dreams. Someday my Realities and my Fantasies will become reconciled. I hope….

Reality used to be a friend of mine. Please don’t ask my because I don’t know why, but reality used to be a friend of mine….

Did I mention…

Did I mention that I don’t like being sick? Woke up this morning with a headache. Usually these stem from caffeine withdrawal, so my first course of action is to fire up the coffeemaker (and to also remember to be more gradual in stepping down from the coffee). Four cups later, and I’ve become The Great Cornholio, and The Underpants Gnomes are now running through the apartment. I still have the headache, and now I feel the crud in the back of my throat.

So I was thinking about calling out. My next shift is at 6 tomorrow morning, and normally the go/no-go decision would be made at 2 in the morning, when it’s not really easy to get a hold of the manager on duty at work. So I’ve decided a pre-emptive sick call is in order. I’d rather have my absence be known now so it can be covered for than to call out at the last minute. My current employer offers all of its employees paid sick leave, and I’m going to use it. It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve had to call out before….

Did I mention I don’t like being sick?

Yet Another Lesson Learned

My former boss (actually now a current boss again since I’m working for him once again) has a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S5. On occasion, he has had me root his phone. And usually what happens after I root it, he then looses root the next time he downloads an update. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. He usually just runs the stock, factory ROM (I’m just rooting his phone, I’m not installing recovery, nor am I flashing a custom ROM). The main reason why I’m rooting his phone is so I can install adaway and use the HOSTS file to block the ads on his phone. Generally when he upgrades his phone, since he’s just running the factory software, he loses root, and I have to re-root it. Very recently, he upgraded his phone to Lollipop. And so, I was asked to come in and root his phone. Again. So, I got my laptop and headed up to root it. And halfway through the process, the phone wouldn’t boot up. After some digging, I realized that there was no root yet available for his phone (there may be a root available for it, I’ll have to do more research). Fortunately, he is sufficiently computer literate that he was able to recover his phone.

Why am I writing this? This is a lesson I’ve learned since I got my first Android phone. That you never update your phone as soon as the update comes out. Inevitably there are going to bugs and/or you’ll lose root (not that I’m concerned about that since I’m S-off). For my HTC One, I'm currently running Venom. Currently, it’s KitKat (Android 4.4.3), but Lollipop should be coming shortly. I’m probably not going to be jumping at the bit to update it. It’s sometimes best to wait and see if there any bugs…

This is yet another lesson learned…

A sad day on Science Fiction

And in tv and film. Leonard Nimoy had passed away.

It's wasn't till my teenage years that I really got to see Star Trek The Original Series. So my first exposure to Spock was a copy of a copy of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. And he died heroically at the end of the movie...

But my first exposure to Leonard Nimoy was a series he did in the '70s called In Search Of:.

He will always be Spock. I don't know if I can add anything else to what has been written about him. Other than he's gone to the great Star Trek convention in the sky...
RIP Leonard Nimoy.

Just a couple of thoughts on a Sunday morning

Note: I started this post Sunday morning. It's now Friday. I guess I should finish it....

Recently, I tried to transfer to location that is more local for me at the company where I work. The reply I got back s that I would have to step back down to part time before they would even look my file to consider it. But I also attempted to transfer last year when I was part time, and I was told to go suck it. So I'm not going to transfer. As for my next plans, I'm keeping those to myself.

The only winning move in Office Politics and drama games is not to play. Yes, we all have our issues at one time or another. Sometimes the best thing to do is to pull the person aside and privately work out your differences. Other times you may need to discreetly tell your leadership about your concerns. But always talk to your coworkers, not about them.

Respect is a two way street, and it must be earned. In life, abd especially in the workplace.

I know I've posted on this matter in the past, but events of late have brought the topic back up again in my mind. Abd this is still my position...

Why does this keep getting longer?

There was once a time when I could sit down to my computer, partition, format and reinstall a dual-boot system (WinME and WinXP) in two days straight. And this was nuking both drives, so I had to restore everything from CD. Then as my system kept getting more complex, eventually I stopped dual-booting windows, and still my times to from initial wipe to finishing the rebuild kept getting longer and longer. Days became weeks. My back-ups became bigger, but with a second hard drive (that was no longer being repartitioned and formatted every time) and my DVD burner, backing up was never a problem for me.

I started this rebuild on December 11. I now just finished it tonight, over two months later. I guess it’s because once I get my web browser reinstalled, I immediately start ‘using’ my computer again, and ‘moving in’ slows down considerably. I also guess that it doesn’t help that I now have a phone and a tablet. Both are Android and rooted (in fact the phone is S-Off). Come to think of it, I think I know why it took me over two months to reinstall everything on my tower. During this time that I was supposed to be working on my tower, I was busy wiping my phone, going from Jellybean and Sense 5.0 to KitKat with Sense 5.5, and KitKat with 6.0. Right now I’ve found the most stable configuration is KitKat with Sense 6. Of course that’s all out the window, now that Lollipop is now out for my phone.

I should also add that I don’t think I’m going to be dual-booting this tower. There is only space for one internal hard-drive in this tower, and there aren’t drivers in Linux for my internal components yet (as learned from a live-cd test). Maybe in virtual machines down the road.

It took me over two months to do it. But it is done…

Finally, a day off…

Sorry readers, it’s been too long since I’ve been here. I thought that with my phone and my tablet both having blogger installed on them it would be easier to post things, but Life just keeps getting in the way. Today is Valentine’s Day, and I was going to help out a friend today, but he said I wasn’t really needed (though I was still welcome to swing by). That and the fact that I have to get up at 3 tomorrow morning to work led me to the decision to cancel my plans today and stay home. Brought the laptop out to the living room, poured a cup of coffee, and here I am…

• About two weeks after I bought my brother a Wi-Fi Blu-Ray player, his TV dies. So, of course, he replaces it. With a bigger set (though still not as big as mine).
• I joined Amazon Prime. I like the free 2-day shipping on lots of items, but I got it more for the free video & music streaming. And I’ll eventually start reading more on my kindle. Think of it as more of a Hulu Plus/Netflix, but with an annual fee, rather than monthly. I also have Netflix and Hulu Plus, and I can follow programs as they go from one service to another….

I was Austrailia Day last month, and for some reason I keep playing this:

I really don’t care for clowns, but in this case, I’ll make an exception…

I am not Charlie Hebdo

First things first, I condemn violence in any form. It is fundamentally evil. Especially in the name of religion. It’s 2015, and we don’t need to come to blows over who has the best invisible friend. The criminals who attacked the office of Charlie Hebdo are terrorists. They are cowards.

But having said that, I also have to ask why Charlie Hebdo would publish something so inflammatory. I like to say that I was brought up with enough sense to respect other peoples’ beliefs and practices be it Christian, Jew, Pagan, Muslim, Hindu, or Sikh. I condemn the violence that has occurred in France of late, but I also condemn the inflammatory cartoons that Charlie Hebdo has published.

My sympathies lie with those who lost their lives in those attacks. But I don’t see either side as being completely innocent. Charlie Hebdo has published inflammatory pictures that I myself see as offensive and I’m not Muslim). And the terrorists decided to use force of arms to force their views on everybody else.

Violence. Is. Evil. Period. But I am not Charlie Hebdo.

A lesson learned…

When I went to Full Time at my current employer last fall, I became eligible to enroll in the Company provided health care plan. At the time, I was using a health care plan that I’d purchased through the marketplace, and I decided to continue using that one. Big mistake. Because my employer had offered more than the bare minimum insurance and I didn’t enroll in it, I’m ineligible for any tax credit. So I’m paying full price for health insurance until my employer’s next open enrollment plan.

Lesson learned: when or if you convert to full-time employment and your employer offers health insurange, enroll in it! I didn’t and now I’m paying the price….

Yet another laptop….

So, last fall, my mother got a laptop. An Acer that she got through Wally World… It wasn’t that bad of a laptop. It had Windows 8.1, which is normally bad, but it also had a touchscreen (which is really the only way to deal with the metro UI). And she used for only a couple of weeks, before deciding to go with an android tablet (she also had a windows 7 tower, so she’s not hurting for a computer, and your truly is keeping up to date, patched and secure). Anyway, she wasn’t using the laptop, and so she gave it me.

It does have its drawbacks, first off it has windows 8.1 on it. But is also has a touchsreen. The processor doesn’t have quite the horsepower that I’m looking for (but it is a laptop).

On the upside, it has all the normall bells and whistles that I’d expect form a laptop. DVD Burner, Wi-Fi, USB (even has a usb 3.0 port). Added bonus: integrated bluetooth. Did I mention the touchscreen?

I shall probably use it mainly as a back up to the tower (a lesson learned from my tower’s failure last November) and for when I need to go to fix somebody’s phone/computer.

Yes, it has windows 8.1, which I absolutely detest. But then again I got it for free. And I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth.

Thank you, Mother.

2014 - A Strange Trip

As of the writing of this post, 2014 has about 2 hours left. Much has happened this year. I’m not going to go into current events that much (that’s what the Internet is for)…

I replaced my phone, my tablet, my computer, my printer, and 2 pairs of shoes. I went from part-time to full-time at work (it pays to actually show up). I made peace with somebody whom I’d been fighting with for a while (forgiveness is always better than revenge). I realized I was in love with someone, laid my cards on table & told her so. In hindsight, I may have driven her off forever, but it was something I had to say. It has been said that the truth will set you free. I told the truth, and I’ll eventually be free. Whatever will happen from this, I will still wish her well. My former boss sold me his HDTV. So I had to get an HD DVR box, and considerably upgraded my cable service. And I also got a Wi-Fi capable Blu-Ray player. Did I mention the computer that died only after I put about $400 worth of upgrades into it? I’ve found the best way to kill a day off is to go to my former workplace, and order a pizza. My best friend in the morning can be my morning cup of coffee. If I don’t end up puking it at work… When I did Christmas shopping this year, I could actually afford to get something for everyone. When it comes to the Christmas tree, Subway Gift Cards are a hot commodity. And my 6-year-old niece can use Amazon…

This isn’t everything that happened this year. But it’s here that this year has been a long strange trip. And, now on the cusp of 2015, I think the next year will be another strange trip. But life is more about the journey. And I will plan on enjoying the ride…

Air the grievances! Prepare for the Feat Of Strength!

Ok, today was Festivus. There was a little bit of the Airing of Greivances, but I’m skipping the Feat of Strength.

Finished my Christmas shopping rather early this year (last Wednesday, to be exact). Due to my work schedule, I was working 6 days straight up until Christmas Eve, and working in retail, I definitely want to avoid the crowds. So this meant doing it on my last day off before Christmas. I did most of it through Spamazon and Wally World. Normally, in previous years the finances were sufficiently bleak that I didn’t give much for Christmas presents. But this year, I am employed full-time, so I got gifts for those whom I’d would’ve otherwise not given gifts to.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and there’s the big family reunion at Grandma’s house. Normally, I ask for an opening shift at work, so I can get out of there early and make the trip. This year (since current employer has paid vacation), I took a vacation day on Christmas Eve, so I can have the day off…

ANd I’m taking the day after Christmas off as well. Just so I can sleep in…

A Former Friend…

This song has been stuck in my head for quite some time. Too bad when it was originally released, it was a bomb. I’ve that it’s meaning is quite close to home. Every time it seems like a have a dream, and I seek to fulfill it, Reality has other plans. Dreams can be a good thing. But Reality always asserts itself. Sometimes you win, sometimes you can compromise, and sometimes Reality just crushes your dreams. But you can’t run from it forever. You can hide from it in your imagination and your day dreams, but eventually you have to face it. And the more you try to run from it, the less Reality will be willing to bargain with you when it’s finally time to face it.

You can have your dreams, but Reality will always temper them…

As the song says: ‘Please don’t ask me, ‘cause I don’t know why, but Reality used to be a friend of mine…’

It’s another holiday

So, Thanksgiving has come and past. This year, I went to my older sisters. Turkey was served. And it was good. Had my sister not invited me out, I would’ve gone with plan b: Chinese takeout while watching Football.

Most people don’t know the real reasons why the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. The Mayflower had run out of beer (when you consider the state of the water supply at the time, it was probably a healthier choice).

If you really want to pull a good prank, go to your favorite grocery store and ask whether or not they have any Soylent Green available… Then again, it can be really awkward if they haven’t seen the movie….

Hello World, for the umpteenth time….

It all happened Thursday the week before last. I was sitting at the computer, and it froze. It had never done it before, but the standard solution is to turn the computer off and turn it back on. Which I did. And when I rebooted it, all I got was a beeping tone. A quick Google search on my tablet revealed that my motherboard had most likely gone to The Beer Volcano & Stripper Factory. I had previously noticed that my mom used to use a tower with a similar chipset as to mine. So I made her an offer for it. She agreed, and I took it home. I spent over two hours moving hardware over to the new computer (same chipset, same processor socket), and I then started to restore the OS. At first, things were going great. Then I had to readjust something in the tower. After which I got nothing. No video. Pulled my video card, and still got graphics off the onboard chipset. My mother’s computer would be a no-go and I would be sending it back to her (along with an upgrade from an Intel Celeron to an Intel Core 2 Quad Core and a wi-fi card upgrade).

Back to square one. I went to Worst Buy and asked for an increase of my credit card. And the idiots approved me. So I went and ordered a new computer. And it arrived last Thursday. I got an HP 500-214. Among the specs:

• AMD A8 6500 quad-core processor, up to 3.5 GHz.
• 8 GB of ram, upto 32 GB is supported. Previous tower only supported 4GB, and I ran a 1 GB video card, so I only used 3 GB.
• It had Radeon HD 8650 graphics already integrated with multimonitor support. I went ahead and put my Radeon HD 7750 card in, because it has a HDMI port, and I do see using my HDTV as a display in the future.
• Integrated Wi-Fi and LAN. While I do have expansion cards for both LAN and Wi-Fi, they are all PCI cards, and the computer doesn’t have any PCI slots.
• USB 3.0. My external hard drive is USB 3.0, and I like being able to transfer files in few minutes, as compared to upwards of an hour. And I should also add that I wasn’t really panicking when my original tower died because I had a recent external back-up.
• There’s also a multi-card reader,but it doesn’t support MicroSD, so I’ll use my USB reader.

And there are a few caveats with this new computer:

• Lack of expansion bays. There were only 2 drive bays in the tower, and they were both occupied. I still have a couple of SATA ports to work with, so I may visit this problem later. Or I may just rotate my 3 1TB hard drives though my existing USB external drive.
• Wimpy power supply. Only 300W. This may become an issue with the next video card upgrade.
• Secured BIOS. It took me an hour+ to figure out how to even access it. Here’s a hint: use the wired USB keyboard to try to access it, as your wireless keyboard won’t work until the OS loads…
• Windows 8.1. Windows Vista was WinME, Service Pack 1. Windows 8 was/is WinME, Service Pack 2. It’s crap. And it was preloaded. But HP does publish Windows 7 drivers for all the internals, so it is possible to downgrade to Windows 7, which is what I did. I did make a system restore set before I wiped the drive, though.

I don’t think I’m going to be tinkering much with Linux on this box, as I’m not really sure what the driver situation is going to be. But with a 2 TB hard drive, I may be dabbling with virtual machines instead. I spent most of the day today installing software and patches (I had nothing else to do today since I had to take a sick day today).

When it comes to the customer experience scores, I’m getting the exact same scores that I got with my previous tower. But this was also with over $400 worth of upgrades to the previous tower. And the only ‘extra’s’ I’ve put into this one are the TV tuner and the video card (which is an apparent downgrade…).

So, Hello World. This is my new computer.

Haven’t felt good all day today.

Normally I don’t blog about when I get sick. But today, it was different. Last night, I felt my throat getting scratchy. This morning at about 2, I woke up and realized that I’m in no shape to work. It would’ve been a no-brainer with my previous employer (not to disclose where it was, but it was in food-service). If I was that sick, I just wouldn’t show up (it wasn’t my decision to make, it was the health code). I’m no longer in foodservice, but still I was in no shape to work. Actually if I had made to work, I would’ve been able to tough it out. But that morning commute would’ve been a doozy (4.5+ miles of walking to get to the bus).

So I called out. That in and of itself was an adventure, mainly getting a hold of someone at work. But I was able to get hold of someone, and my absence was duly noted. This will probably be my only sick day I take. I was normally scheduled for the next two days off anyway. I have paid sick leave, but the amount of time is finite.

I called in sick today. I never call in sick. The last time I was sick, I was literally sick (and was sent home from work).

It's all about the integrity people....

So I went to 7-11 Monday night. I switched my items and put them on the counter to check out. Clerk rang me up, I paid and I took my reciept. When I looked at the reciept,  I noticed that I want charged for a couple of items. I could've walked out of there and enjoyed my free items. But ill-gotten gains are in reality losses and not gains. So I spoke up and had the clerk ring me in for them. Yes, the owner of this 7-11 is a complete and total asshole, but my character is who I am. Besides, it's not good integrity that's on the line, it's mine. Honesty never was the best only. It's the only policy. Lie to me, and I will never have anything to do with you.

With that in mind I also voted that night. And aside from the Congressional race abd the initiatives, I abstained most of the races. My respect and my vote must be earned. And if you've did nothing but spout partisan politics, then you dint have enough character for public office, let alone my vote.

It's all about the integrity...

My paycheck is gone...

I got paid today. First thing I did was get on the computer, and started paying bills. All of them. And I paid all of them. One of them was the last payment for my poor judgment last July. I paid off my tv. And this alao means my wifi printer is now paid off as well (it was part of the deal with my tv).

Now if I can pay off $550 in 3 1/2 months, then perhaps I can be more aggressive in retiring my credit card debt. At one time, I was able to pay off all my credit cards. Maybe I should try that again...

I was paid today. And it was all gone in less than 8 hours. But my bills are paid....

More poor judgment…

Woe is me. I’ve done something that I will surely soon regret. Very recently, I exercised extremely poor judgment. I got an HD TV. Tomorrow, I will finally pay it off. So last night, I called Comcrap. And I re-ordered all the premium channels. And then I got an HD DVR cable box.

I may end up regretting this, but for now I can TV on my 60” the way it was supposed to be. Filling the entire 60” 16:9 screen rather than having the unnecessary black bars around the image. Although I won’t be around much to watch it, since I’m now full-time. But that’s why I got the DVR on my box. And with judicious use of a splitter, I can still use the TV tuner in my tower (and I can still add the second tuner card if I wanted to try it Linux again…)

I’m going to regret this….

More fun in the office

Ok, I know I previously said that the only mention of work in this blog would be that I have a job and nothing more. But there have been happenings there that I have to comment on.

Basically, long story story short, is that I’m finally full-time. Even for part-time, my current employer is great, but full-time is even better. No, I’m not going to mention where I’m working at in this blog (officially I will still just say that I have a job. Nothing more, nothing less). But it is a good company to work for. And yes, I still work for the previous employer who fired me. After all it is better to forgive than to seek revenge….

The game last night...

If it wasn't did the penalties last night, it would've been a blowout. But even with them, they still won. Russell Wilson had over 100 yards rushing.  Another threat from the back field besides Beast Mode. I'm not going to mention the name of the team we played last night because it has overtly racist overtones (it's kinda like the n word to native Americans). So I will call them Colin Mochrie. And we beat the hair back into Colin Mochrie....

It's over....

As of this writing, the Mariners were leading the LA Angels 4-0. But there will be no post-season for them this year in The New World Order (Mind-Control Division). The Oakland A's won the game 4-0. Seattle had been eliminated. But let us take heart. We still have King Felix. Alms unlike to many recent years, we're going to have a winning record....

But it still sucks that we're out of the playoffs....

It boils down to this...

The entire season boils down to this game. If the Mariners win this game (and the A's lose their game), a one game playoff will be forced. There's still hope for a postseason in Seattle. Currently, as this post was being written the A's were leading there game, but the trend has been for them to choke it like bunch of Inept Imperial Officers, so the opera isn't over to the fat lady sings....

One can only hope....

Nerd Card +1

It started a couple of weeks ago. I upgraded my video card from a Radeon HD 5450 to a Radeon HD 7750 core. Basically, heat is an issue, and I wanted a video card with a fan in it (and while I was at it, perhaps an upgrade). Installing the card came with its own issues. It was big. Yes, it is a PCI-e card, but it was a full sized card. My two previous Radeons were sized to fit in low profile towers as well, and so fitting wasn't an issue. This one, however, I had to disconnect all of my SATA cables *and* pull out all of my other expansion cards, just to get some space for my fingers. After reseating everything (including taking apart my tower again to put my hard drive cable back in the right slot so it could boot up again),  it booted up successfully. I didn't even have to upgrade or reinstall Catalyst. Then next up was to upgrade the cpu heatsink. I noticed the cpu temperature was close to the same level that is when I bought my laptop. Which means I need to clean the dust off of it. And I figured if I'm going to have to take it off again to clean it, I might as well or a better one on. Again, space was a concern during installation. But, after sourcing a long enough Philips screwdriver, I got it to fit. This was huge. But I can see that my processor is running a lot cooler now. And more importantly, I can now put the side panels back on the tower (my previous solution was to leave the side panel off and point a desktop fan at the motherboard. The new heatsink actually works even better). The one drawback to installing the heatsink s my wifi card for knocked loose, and I couldn't connect to the internet. Had I just jimmied it, I would've been back online right away. But I had to take the hard way, and nuke it from orbit, wiping the hard drive. Fortunately, I had just performed a full backup to my external hard drive earlier that day (and that took over 4 hours in an of itself)....

Long story short, my tower is running cooler and quieter, and abd backups are always a good thing....

Did I also mention that I now have The Lord of The Rings and Star Wars on Blu-ray? And I just got the James Bond 50th Anniversary box set on  Blu-ray?

So I guess while I put my tower back together that I can glory in the +1 to my Nerd Card....

Arrrgh!

There's nothing to really say here. I've said it all before in previous posts. Bye it bears repeating:

Today be International Talk Like A Pirate Day. So shiver your timbers, buckle your swash, splice the main brace, and grab the eyepatch, hook & the parrot.

More misadventures in e-commerce…

About three weeks ago, I got a Blu-Ray player for my birthday (actually I got an Amazon gift card). But I didn’t get any Blu Ray’s. I wasn’t really concerned. I just wanted something that I could Netflix on my 60” TV. And I found one that could also do Hulu Plus with (I had recently upgraded it). So I can watch South Park at will (and the recent Dr. Who episodes)…

But, like I said, I didn’t order any Blu-Ray’s. Until recently. What kind of geek would I be if I didn’t have a Blu-Ray of Star Wars and Lord Of The Rings. I have corrected that. They should arrive by Saturday….

So I wanted to do stuff today….

Today was my day off. I thought I’d be able to get away with upgrading the software on my phone today. Since last February, I’ve been running the Venom One ROM. The version I’ve been using is 5.8, and the current version is 7.0.1. So needless to say, it was time to download it. There was a problem, however. It’s called CenturyLink. I thought I was doing the right thing in switching to CenturyLink. But I now realize I was better off staying with Comcast. I have an issue with CenturyLink. And it’s a big one.

It doesn’t matter what browser or Operating System I use, about every 3 to five websites I browse, I get a ‘cannot connect’ error. I can be using Firefox or Google Chrome, in either windows or Linux, and I’ll have problems. It appears to be a DNS error. Unfortunately, I can’t change the DNS settings on my modem/router. So I’m stuck with the unresponsive boxes of crap that CenturyLink has foisted upon me. And then there are the times the wi-fi goes down completely, and I have to hard reset my modem to get it to work again.

I’ve tried calling CenturyLink support. Let’s see: on hold for an extended period of time. Then I got someone who was more interesting in reading hos script than he was in listening to my problem. He didn’t even speak English, let alone have a fundamental grasp of computers and the internet. But I jumped through the hoops in good faith. All he did was change the channel the wi-fi radio was on. And two days later, I still had the same problem. Back to CenturyLink, and they want to schedule a visit. Problem: they want a 4-hour window. I don’t have a 4 hour window on my day off. I have shit to do (I have a 3-4 hour commute each way to work) on my day off. Waiting around for an incompetent tech for a company more known for fucking up customers is not something I want to do on my day off.

I guess it boils down to CenturyLink wanting to maximize revenue while minimizing actually delivery of services. I’m under contract, and even though I’m not receiving the services I’m paying for, they insist that I continue paying for the non-delivery of internet access.

I wanted to upgrade my phone’s software today. I downloaded it 4 different times. And it was corrupted every time.

Thanks a lot, CenturyLink. You may now resume ignoring your customers.

Once again....

Hello World. I'm underway on Linux again. OpenSuSE 13.1 64-bit. This is the same distro I tried a while back. What happned with that attempt is what usually happens when I try Linux: something goes wrong with the video driver. For some reason whenever I run dual monitors, I have no problems with getting the full 1280x1024 display from both monitors. But whenever I set the system up under Linux, I had some sort of problems. My solution this time was to simply go with just my 27" monitor. And I had my 1920X1080 display right from the get go (even after I installed the Catalyst drivers from AMD/ATI).

I'm still setting up hardware and software, and I'm still finding issues with my set-up, but I think this will be a keeper. But don't despair. I'll still keep windows installed on my system. After all, I still have a MechWarrior 4 and Flight Simulator habit to support...

The first game is in the books

So the Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers went at it tonight. If you may remember a couple of years ago, the Packers paid us a visit, and we won on the infamous 'Fail Mary' at the end of the game.

There was no hail Mary play tonight. Nor the Fail Mary. It was a complete domination. The Seahawks are definitely on the pace to repeat this year. Now if they can only win on the road....

Adventures in getting home

So I got off work late Friday night. I could've caught the very last bus, bit I decided to get a ride. I called a family member, and he said he'd pick me up. I proceeded to the pre-arranged pickup point. And then he called me. His car wouldn't start, but he just needed to charge the battery a few minutes, and then he'd come and get me. So I waited. And waited. And waited. I called him again. Car was still no go. And by now the last bus had left.

Long story short, I had to call a cab. And to get home from work cost me almost $60.00. But I got home. And 1 friend and two coworkers have now told me to call them first. I hope not to call their bluff.

Lesson learned: take the bus if your ride can't start the car.

Just another adventure trying to get home...