Okay fine

So, for the past hour or so Lindsay and I have been listening to Parry Gripp youtube videos.

Here is an example.



There's a lot of really cute and funny songs there.

Well, let us see how this works.

So, Lindsay is going to Kelowna tomorrow. This means that I will be all by my lonesome for the next few days. Booo! Such is life I guess. I was going to be going as well, but my new job dictates that I should be at work for the next few days.

So that's the short update for today.

Day 2 of the new shift.

Buh, it's going to be tough getting used to waking up at 5 AM almost every day. My new schedule at work started, I now am working 7:00AM through 4:00PM instead of 9:00AM through 6:00PM. This means that in order to get to work on time, the latest I can leave in the morning is 6:20, in reality this means that the latest that I will now leave for work is 6:00AM. I prefer to be early.

It's good though, getting off work at 4:00PM means that I now have a little extra time in the afternoon to maybe make dinner more often instead of eating whatever crap happens to be handy. Maybe there will be health benefits? I don't know.

Who am I kidding.

I know I have nothing to say. That's a line from something by either King Missile or John S. Hall. It's also on a t-shirt that Lindsay made for me which is awesome. Sometimes I get ideas that I think would be good things to write about, but then I forget them. Those ideas never make there way here. Because I forgot what they are. So instead of writing good things, I spew randomness at the 'world' with reckless abandon. I doesn't matter too much though, it's not as though this is the most popular blog in the 'sphere. I could write about space aliens, government conspiracies, miracles, my vast wealth, or any number of fictional things and the impact I make would barely be a ripple in the vast ocean of misinformation on the Internet.

I'm sure that there are space aliens out there somewhere, though I doubt that a human or any other creature on earth has ever seen one. It's not likely that they ever will either. Actually, if you think about it the right way, we -- human beings -- are space aliens. After all, we are creatures of this planet who have the ability to leave. We can actually go into space in our own special little vehichles. That's awesome. Of course, we can't go very far. We're quite dependent on the resources that we have on Earth, and we don't really have a good way of getting those things elsewhere. Liquid water is particularly necessary, but as far as we can tell, it's not readily available on our nearby neighbours in this solar system.

I can imagine that if we ever found life on another planet (or life-supporting object in the universe), we humans would probably call it alien, even if we are the ones invading it's space... ha ha "space," "aliens".... get it?

Anyways, like I was saying, the government would probably totally cover it up if a space program ever found intelligent life on another planet, because clearly most people in the world would totally freak out at the idea. Alien cults would take over as the most popular religion, Jesus wouldn't be white anymore! He'd be green, and that's just too un-American. Not that I'm an American, I'm Canadian, but Canada would probably follow the USofA's lead in this type of circumstance.

Here is a youtube video:

A Good Time Was Had by All.

Dinner was a hit I think. BBQ'ed Ribs and Pork Tenderloin Roast. I think the Roast got a bit dry and the ribs were not what you could plausibly call "Fall off the Bone". but the flavours were all good and the assortments of salads were excellent. There were also some last-minute potatoes that went over quite well. Conversations were plentiful as was the beer, rye, vodka, and wine.

There was some small talk of finding a Hot Tub, but that didn't quite pan out. An injury put a damper on the evening, it involved an errant spark from the fire pit and someone's eyeball(not mine). Hopefully there isn't too much dammage, but I think a visit to a doctor in the morning would be a good idea.

My cousin brought her boyfriend down to meet the whole family for the first time. He seemed to take it well, and was well recieved in turn; which is good, because it would suck to travel across the entire country and then get into a fistfight with imaginary uncle Ralph.

The normal huge crowd of people was not so much of an issue this time because the party was somewhat split between inside and outside. So there was two medium sized groups rather than one huge throng. I think I can handle the medium sized groups much better -- I tend to get antsy in large groups, I'm not really fond of crowds. It's not as bad when it's family, but It's never my favourite thing.

Now its ten to one in the A.M., I really should go to bed. We are apparently going to see the Wolf sanctuary in the morning.

Happy Monkey!

Okay, so the folks at the Apple apple store were quite friendly, I signed in early just in case they could help me out before my actual appointment and spent a good half an hour wandering around looking at all of the Mac toys. Lindsay was there hanging out with me so it wasn't completely boring.

My appointed time rolls up and I get introduced to a black-shirted fellow whose name I can't recall. I show him the cracked screen and explain what happened. No bullshitting, it fell out of my pocket and I let him know. No warranty, oh well. So how much does it cost to repair the screen on a32 GB iPod touch (third generation)? About half as much as buying a brand new iPod. I'm kind of hesitant at this point, trying to decide if it would be worth it and if I can afford to put that money towards a new device... possibly upgraded to 64 GB!

The "Genius" notices my hesitancy and decides to explain my options a little bit better. They are as follows: I can repair the device for $162.00, or I can trade in the device for a %10 discount on a different iPod, or I can get a case with a screen cover and just keep using my broken toy. Well, option three is out right away! I barely had to think about that. Option two is more tempting though! %10 off of a 64 GB iPod would be a $42.90 drop. I explain to the "Genius" that I'm still hesitant because I could always try to repair the thing on my own, just the cost of parts, void warranty, and risk of bricking the thing.

Then he tells me, "Oh, no we don't replace the screen, we replace the whole iPod for that price!"

Done. That was the fastest "repair" I've ever experienced.

Sad Monkey.

Boo000,

I now get to experience the distinct pleasure of getting my iPod repaired. Clutzy me leaned over to pick up something and the darned thing fell right out of my pocket! The screen is nicely shattered thanks to my carelessness. If I'm lucky the Apple person that I talk to will cover the thing under it's still-active warranty. I've heard of this happening to people in the past.

If the repair is going to be ridiculously priced, I don't know what I'll do. This device was a gift, so I'd feel like a douche if I just abandoned it, but if it's going to cost more than it's worth to repair it, I'd feel like a knob for wasting money that I don't have. I guess I'll wait until my appointment with the "Genius" bar tomorrow -- Yes, you need to make an appointment to speak with Apple's entry level tech support, I think that silly in it's own right. -- when I'll find out what this is likely to cost me.

So, what's new?

Things change, though not always drastically. The accumulation of small changes eventually develop into a major change though. I still work for a local Tech Support company, as I have for a little over two years. When I first started, my only computer knowledge was some basics about Linux, minor troubleshooting of Windows systems, and what Mac OS looked like. Now, I'm a CompTIA A+ Certified tech, I have a good knowledge of hardware troubleshooting, I can clean a computer virus like a motherfucker, and I know that this is not a long-term career for me.

I've finally been given a writing task at work and I haven't been more content with my job in the entire time I've worked there. Client computers and phone calls interrupt me on occasion, and that's to be expected. It's a not-horrible diversion that forces me to get up and move around every hour or so.

I went through the original documents that I'm expected to work from, modify, update, et cetera, one of them was workable, though I think I killed an entire red pen in my first run-through. The formatting was somewhat workable -- I could at least tell what the intention was. The entire 38 page document was rife with typos, mixed persons, and inappropriate comments. I think with my first draft I've managed to keep the feel of the original, but refine it to the point where it might be usable in a corporate environment.

The second document, on the other hand, was almost entirely un-usable. I will probably have to completely re-write at least %75 of it. I don't mind, really I don't; especially since I wasn't given a hard deadline for the project. A particular challenge I might face is that the two documents have a significant amount of overlap in the topics that they discuss, but I don't really like the idea of copying and pasting between the two. I would like them to remain distinct if at all possible.

Books?

So apparently there exists people who are proud of the fact that they don't read. I have difficulty understanding something like this because so much of human culture is tied up in our literature.

There are people who hear the words "Big Brother" and think of a crappy television show rather than George Orwell's 1984 ^AMZN. Reading exercises our imaginations, a well written story can steal entire days from our lives and be even more emotionally stirring than mere television. Particularly the type of television programmes that I've been seeing lately. Sure, CSI can have engrossing stories and moving characters, but there isn't nearly as much room for imagination in a medium like T.V.

A good book can trigger my imagination so strongly that I find myself feeling that I know the characters. I can identify so strongly with each protagonist that I find myself imagining completely tangent story lines within the realm of the tale. I've never felt that connection with television. Possibly because the screen acts as a barrier; there's that fourth wall separating me from the story. I can accept the show for what it is, but I can't get as emotionally invested in the production.

This is a Test Post.

I recently downloaded and installed the current Beta of Microsoft Office 2010. The upcoming offering from Microsoft for all sorts of office needs. Apparently Word has blog integration, and that is where I'm typing this post. I assume that when I click on the "Publish" button, my post will automatically be sent to my Blog. That would be pretty neat. There may be security issues in doing this, but I don't really have a huge readership and tonnes of enemies waiting to pounce on any insecure packet that may have my sensitive information. Maybe one day when I'm insanely Internet famous that will be an issue, but not now.

I'm also currently studying for some Windows 7 Certifications, there's a lot that I don't know! That's not really surprising though since my job doesn't really expose me to any Enterprise level IT. Just virus cleanings and hardware installs; It's rarely challenging, and only sometimes is it particularly interesting. I am working on an internal documentation project though, so that's pretty cool!

Anyways, I'll spew some more words later.

Writing is hard.

Sometimes you can spend an entire morning staring blankly at a page, unable for force out even the most bare of syllables. Try as you might, you cannot find the will to write. Sometimes you feel like quitting, other times you do quit. Mostly though, you sit and stare. The blank page is hateful, cruel, and not a very nice thing. It needs to be filled with language to temper its evil. So how does one start when the universe contrives to stifle your creativity? Start with a word, on a particularly bad d that word may be bland an uninspiring, but it's a start none the less and a word almost invariably leads to another word.

"The"

The what?

"The... butts."

Really? This may have potential! What about these butts?

"The butts... smell?"

Of course! How could I have not realized! Go on, tell me more!

"The butts smell, so... I... cleaned them..."

Yes, yes, continue!

"The ashtray was filthy, I knew that my roommates were starting to get annoyed, and since I was the only smoker in the house it was my responsibility to take care of my ashy mess. I know this, I was also aware just how much more they would tolerate before their passive aggression would turn to outright hostility. I'm a good judge of character I must say. If I didn't take care of this today, I might find myself looking for a new home tomorrow. Did I wan't to find a new home?"

You see how one question leads to another, and all questions derive answers that invoke more questions, at least I assume this to be the case...

Naturally, a person probably wouldn't choose house hunting over a clean ashtray... because even a new place would need to be cleaned on occasion.

Personal Space

It seems as though the people of Calgary have lost their sense of personal space. At least, when it comes to public transit. There should be weight sensors in all of the trains that prevent the train from moving if there is too much weight in any one car. Then they should set the maximum weight to the average of half as many people they usually fit into the thing. For christ's sake, it's almost like they want transit to be hateful, smelly and uncomfortable. I'm tempted to stand uncomfortably close to people when the train is empty... just to make a point, but I fear it would be lost on most. Also it would be awkward and I probably would never actually have the courage to do it.

It's nice to think about though.

Over/Under

Whelmed. I like that word but I find it strange that the common Internet definitions of it often include "Overwhelmed" as a definition. That is questionable to me. In fact, I am underwhelmed with any positive emotions by that lazy definition. See how that works?

If I am underwhelmed, then I have not yet reached a state of whelmedness, and if I am overwhelmed, then I have surpassed by some measure my long sought-out whelming. Being whelmed is like being full, or like having all of something that you can handle, but not more. It should be thrilling, not scary; It should be fulfilling and not beyond your reach. Being whelmed is like surfing on the edge of disaster, any more and the crash would be spectacular, any less and it would be boring.

Happy birthday!

So I had my birthday dinner with Mom, Dad, and Lindsay last night. It was pretty awesome! I am now the proud owner of a new iPod touch (thanks mom and dad!). That's actully where i'm writing this post from... Cool eh?
Actually it's kind of a pain so I'm going to stop now ;)

Everybody jump aboard the failboat!

Well, that wouldn't be a very good idea now would it. I'm great at making excuses, I could invent one right now. You know what for... But I won't I'll just pretend that nothing happend and get on with this thing.

I'm moving tomorrow. It's the right time to do it for me. As much as I'm afraid of change, I need it in order to grow. In fact, I probably need changes like this more often. They're good for me, they make me think and evolve (mentally...). Lindsay and I are moving pretty far South and East of where we are now. This forces me into a long commute to work... Work which is also changing! I'm switching shops to go and work at a different location. The hours are longer, but this means that I'll be getting full time again. Finally! Real full time too, not this thirty-some-odd hours a week bullshit; but a proper 40 hours.

Whee!

I'm reading a book right now too. I'll post a 'review' once I've finished it. That'll be rad.

It's aliiiiiive!

I'll probably write a bit more tomorrow. Today I received a gentle reminder that I like to do this. So this is what I'll do.

Lindsay and I went for a walk today, it was nice. Now that my gout has subsided to negligible levels I can walk without any serious pain. I've started walking to work. It's good exercise, but not a lot of it. I've noticed that my belly is getting a bit larger than I would like, so hopefully walking regularly will help reduce that issue. I've never been a super active guy... Sure I went for bike rides when I was a kid, but mostly I've been pretty sedentary. I'm likely paying a bit for that now. I should start doing daily exercise again. Yup. I should.

What I should do, however, is not always what I do do. Boo.

I can't see my keyboard very well right now... It's dark outside. And a bit cold.

I complain a lot. even when I don't have much to complain about.

Tomorrow I will attempt to get my High School transcripts.

Hungry?

I'm adding a couple of new entries to the food section of my Blogroll.Insanewiches, and This is Why You're Fat.

The first is a blog featuring interesting and amazing sandwiches. Everything from a Diet Debacle Sandwich to andEast Meets Westdog. Truly an ingenious website!

Then we have our other fascinating foodie foundry. The apparent premise behind "This is Why You're Fat" appears to be that visitors submit photos of their tasty concoctions that may not be entirely health conscious. I know I've found at least a little bit of inspiration here! Though I'm a little frightened of the Double Bypass Burger

Plagiarist

Lindsay has been doing a lot of reading lately about plagiarism. It's a serious concern for artists I would imagine. Perhaps my views on software piracy relate here, people justify software theft by saying that it's just 1's and 0's on the Internet. Well a book is just ink stains on paper, should I be allowed to scan a best selling novel and sell it for my own profit? A painting is just pigment on a medium, can I copy Pablo Picasso's work and sell it as my own?

Computers are a strange beast. They contain so much stuff, but there's really nothing about that stuff which can be identified or differentiated from the computer its self. So when I install a program on my computer it essentially becomes a part of the defining characteristics of "my computer". This is why proprietary software companies deliver an End User License Agreement (EULA) with the software. Almost every EULA says essentially that you don't own the software that you've just purchased, you only have the right to use this software in a specific way.

That may be a part of the problem with Software and Piracy. EULA's aren't necessarily recognized as binding, and certainly not on a global level. I'm sure if the logistics could be sorted out we would have to sign a proper contract before buying any new programs for our computers. Software developers don't really have much in the way of legal protection yet for the tools that they work very hard to produce, so instead we get Digital Rights Management (DRM) and watchdog groups like the Business Software Alliance (BSA).

It's too bad that people think that they deserve something for nothing, but they do. Until a time when people can be trusted not to steal, there will always need to be people willing to help prevent theft and organizations that can help report it.

There's a new ad campain on the block.

And it's full of hooey!

I caught an advertisement on the Food Network on my lunch break today. It was pretty short and sweet. A 30-something man ponders aloud about the effectiveness of prayer. He breifly mentions that prayers for "big" things seem to not be answered. Overall it stays pretty vague.

At the end of the spot I am prompted to visit PrayBig.ca, which I of course, do. Apparently there's a new book on the market. This book claims to teach people how to pray. For small donation I too can have this knowledge! They suggest $11.00

Digging deeper into the lovely website of the Crossroads Family of Ministries I find these anti-choice, and sexually repressive wonders.

Pretty typical as far as christianity is concerned. The book may be worth a quick glance, but I won't be sending any money.

Books I should be reading.

I have a pile of books that have been accumulating for a while now. I've read a small part of each of them and I want to finish them, but I'm having difficulty choosing a starting point. (Actually, I just made the decision now on which I will read first, but I'm still lost for number two...)

Seven Steps on the Writer's Path: The Journey from Frustration to Fulfillment By Nancy Pickard and Lynn Lott. Looks good, and I'm about a third of the way through it. This is the next book I will finish reading. So far the advice has been very straighforward and honest sounding. I hope I can absorb the lessons in the book into my everyday life.

An Appeal to the Toiling, Oppressed and Exhausted Peoples of Europe By Leon Trotsky. In the first few pages I've noted that the style in the title has not dissipated in the writing. It should be an entertaining read!

The Selfish Gene By Richard Dawkins. It's been on my 'to-read' list ever since reading The God Delusion. Dr. Dawkins is a very passionate writer from what I've seen, and the subject matter in his books is often of great interest to me. I'm not a biologist or a scientist, but I appreciate the work that emerges from the sientific professions greatly.

The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam By Ayaan Hirsi Ali. A purchase spawned by the reading of Infidel. I have a deep respect for the bravery of this woman. Holy shit!

Sams Teach Yourself TCP/IP in 24 Hours by Joe Casad. A bit of a departure from the other books on my list, but interesting none the less. The "24 hours" line is pure marketing, it's a series of 24 one hour lessons. The actual learning part will probably take me a wee bit longer.

The NIV Holy Bible by Zondervan. It seemed easier to read than the King James version.

The Koran by N. J. Dawood. I can't let the Bible be my only Monotheistic text...