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....