Motherload of Artificial

Merry Christmas everyone. I have spent the last few days feverishly sick. I've had some crazy dreams recently...

It's been a week or two since I've gone out and done anything remotely social. I haven't been very social due to stress relating to work and other things. Sometimes it's a good thing to go out and get your mind off of it - but you need to be in the mood. Anyway that time has passed and I am back.

Something that brightened my day yesterday from Anki:

Meine Liebe zu Dir ist unersättlich, kaum zu ertragen und wird stetig, von Tag zu Tag, stärker. Du hast mir voll und ganz den Kopf verdreht mit Deinem Lächeln und Deinem Wesen.

Dave (to Liz): "So have you ever fucked him in the ass with your chin?"

Being your slave, what should i do but tend upon the hours of time you desire?

Great news for the recently escaped. Another has joined the ranks of a popular gaming company. The news is welcome after weeks of waiting. True to his word he did cartwheels in the office. How cool is that?

I am very happy for the guy. The company alone is a dream job, even better is how good it looks on a resume. Maybe I should setup a paypal donation button for buying people beers... nah. That is too 2003.

Mr. Reed has left the building. He was shocked. But not more than I when I bumped into him on the way out. "You and Brian were alright".

This is the result of several years of mindlessly transferring calls into voice mail. The recent turn of events is due to a client calling in reporting she had been hung up on sixteen times. The ACD system was used to determine when the transfers were happening, and the calculations were based on the idle times between calls (which averages 20 seconds).

This is probably the only time I was glad there were locks on the doors. There is nothing like joking about the office being shot up and what course of action one should take.

It's 2:30 on a work night and I can't sleep. The reason? I have a lot of things on my mind. In reality though the most likely reason is that I have obliterated my sleep schedule over this long holiday weekend. Recent developments at work include a pay raise (this is a good thing) which came about when I was sick the week before last. I missed two days of work that week. The reason for the raise is they were concerned I was looking for another job (not a good thing). That seems to take the merit out of the "reward" at least in my eyes.

A victory is a victory, right? It's the end - not the means, right? I'm not so certain.

I've been reviewing possible questions and getting comfortable correctly phrasing my answers. It gets easier each time. One of my bigger flaws is my lack of self confidence. It's not one of those "I can't do it" attitudes but more of a "I don't think I am ready for it". Or maybe what I say gets interpreted as "I can't do it".

An example would be if someone asked "Do you know Photoshop" I feel guilty saying "Yes!". I feel like if I say yes, someone can say "Alright, tell me how Feature X works." So I say that I do know some of it, does that make sense? I feel if you say you know something that you do know it inside and out - maybe I'm just anal about how questions are asked - why assume stuff? Why not ask "Have you worked with Photoshop before? Are you comfortable with using it for tasks such as blah?"

Anyway...

I like the people I work with very much. I can (and have) learned several things at work thanks to the people I am surrounded with. A major regret (if I left) would be leaving the people I work with behind. It's a complete understatement to try and sum up the valuable qualities and to butcher experiences in a few short lines here about the people I spend so many hours with. But I guess that's what I've done here, isn't it?

One of the things that really irritates me about where I work is that there are no sickdays. If you are on salary (a "Professional" in the words of Mike O.) you are part of a double standard that doesn't get docked because of the paperwork involved unless it's for longer durations. Our vacation day policy sucks too, 10 days that are now awarded at the end of the year (so I'm out some?) due to other employees leaving and suing the company over their PTO. However if you don't want to be docked money when you're out sick you can use a vacation day. Why don't I just say what I'm looking for instead of going on a rant that makes me want to have a stiff drink.

I want to be able to afford a vacation somewhere and go for at least 5 days without fucking myself. I want to be able to afford a lease. I know it's a bad deal - but I want it as an option. Being able to work four 10 hour shifts would be cool too. Anyway... I'll yap more about this later. nite nite.

Yet another trip to the North West. This time it was for a memorial which had nearly 100 guests. I had several hour layovers in Denver which allowed me to meet several friendly people. I met an older woman at Mesa Verde (a bar at the airport) who was part of a movement to legalize pot and change the way non violent offenses are handled by the courts. I think it was http://www.united.org.

I stayed with my maternal grand parents. After a scary drive home I did all the driving after that. Both of them are in their 80s but quite mobile. We had a few close calls with a curb at the airport and near the house. I don't think I've ever squeeze my ass that hard when I've been tense.

I didn't really do too much while I was up there, maybe one of these days I'll take a real vacation.

BH says:
hey can you do me a favor....sean was asking me about a gay peg image could you please oblige. Thanks
ME says:
hosting one?
BH says:
instead of jpeg he said gay peg

Amazing.

I talk with her frequently. Almost daily. The conversations have become something that I look forward to. It's been some time since I've had someone to hold my interest. I am not sure if I should be worried or not.

What to do? What to do...

I purchased tickets today and saved money in the process (nearly $100). I picked up information for studying abroad and part of the lunch time discussion revolved around what do I want to do. I am not sure. I mentioned that I am tired of this area, not unhappy with it, but I need something different. How long will it be until I decide to take action?

Ludwig left the company Friday. Shannon leaves this Friday. I wonder who is next? Place your bets! Ich habe Zweifel über die Zukunft des Firma.

Wenn Sie in den Spiegel schauen, was sehen Sie?

Siehst Du Dein Gesicht?
Schau in den Spiegel,
Erkennst Du diese Augen nicht?

Siehst Du die Tränen,
Schwarz wie die Nacht?
Hörst Du die Stimme,
Hörst Du wie sie lacht?

Es ist die Maske,
Die Maske die Du trägst
Und die Gefühle,
Gefühle die Du nicht verstehst..

The trip up north had its ups and downs. I was up late the night before and that made it easy to sleep on the plane. I had to fly to LAX from Orange County in a small prop driven plane. It feels like you can strafe in those...

It was good seeing family. However my Grandmother was not dealing with the loss too well. That made things difficult. What can you do though? Anny and Chuck are well and I spent a few days with them. It was like a relaxing point - calm.

I brought my books to study while I was up there but any reading time I had I spent either going through books or looking up things in a German Grammar and German-English dictionary. I have been talking with someone in Germany and I had written a letter and postcard. Something constructive, right? All the cool people seem to be far away...

As of midnight last night my mother passed away. I'll miss her.

I went out last night to grab a few drinks with a friend after work, you know to shoot the shit? Before we go in I attempted to change my tail light since one of the bulbs burned out. The bulb itself was shattered so I decided to use a blue shop paper towel to cover my hand while I extracted the bulb. Obviously my attempt fails and I slice myself through the paper towel. My friend says "Well, I saw that one coming." Oh well it stopped bleeding pretty quickly and it didn't hurt.

I went to sleep early last night (22:30) and I remember waking up to get a drink. I had a bottle of water by my light and I drank all of it and tossed it on the floor and rolled over. I had a dream I had a sex change. I think this is from showing a friend WOW and he was commenting on my female character. "You're not one of those guys that pretends to be a girl to get stuff are you?"

Weird.

After nearly a month I have been able to have the internet connection problems resolved. It began with AT&T adjusting something in one of the boxes outside creating errors with upstream packets. To counter this the modem would eventually need to be reset every few days. Speakeasy tested a few things remotely and sent me a loaner modem that I could use temporarily to rule out problems with the modem.

Weeks pass since I'm lazy and coordinating things between the Apartment Management, Speakeasy, and AT&T takes time. As it turns out it isn't anything to do with the modem and AT&T are able to correct the problem. In addition Speakeasy was able to bump up my connection speed. I think this might need to be bumped down a little bit due to the errors I get (about 1 every 10 minutes?) which are very noticeable since I use SSH religiously.

Now to consider ADSL2...

http://www.buzznet.com/tags/lynz/photos/?id=22001751&p=3

Why can't more girls play like this? I'd go to shows all the time!

Ich versuchte, dich zu vergessen
Ich versuchte, dich zu lieben
Aber ich verletzte dich alle Zeit
I vergessen dich nicht
Ich habe Angst, dich zu berühren
Und ich sehe dich immer zu schreien

Du tust alles für mich
Mich vor den Schatten schützen

Du hältst mich, wenn ich falle
Alle Schlechtträume weg jagen

Du hörst mich, wenn ich dich anrufe
Meine Risse weg waschen

Du spürst die Angst in dieser dunklen Nacht? Ich betrachte meine Freunde liebevoll. Doch ich bin glücklich nicht. Denken an es Ich trinke häufig, zu häufig. Ich wünsche Liebe, die Liebe einer Frau wieder. Wo bist du?

A little discussion lead to this quote:

falke`: ich wurde gerade von meiner mutter geownt
McGunn0r: shit happens
falke`: Sie fragte mich: "Was ziehst du morgen in die Schule an ?"
falke`: Ich sagt Spasses halber: "Bergschuhe und ne Socke überm Pimmel"
falke`: und grinste
falke`: Dann sagte sie: "Sorry, aber wir haben deine Babysöckchen nicht mehr !"

Learned new slang today, geownt =) seems she reads the German equivalent to Bash.org. It's nice finding someone with a similar sense of humor. German girls are awesome.

Shannon wore a frock and smells of feet.

An interesting program I came across that allows you to control your computer from a web browser.

Linux users think Abraham was ordered to sacrifice Linus as a burnt offering, GNU users think Abraham was ordered to sacrifice Stallman as a burnt offering. Linux users believe in the holy trinity of GNU/Linux/NvidiaBlobs, BSD users believe in the one and only UNIX. Linux users are fine with Tux toys and stickers, BSD users believe in no graven images. Linux users are subdivided into those that argue about interpretations of freedom and whether the establishment is corrupt, BSD users are subdivided according to which BSD is the true descendant of UNIX(pbuh).

Nothing like new hires making more than you.

Come see how the sociopathic owners reign over this place with an iron fist and the "good people" are cowed into apathy by materialism.

This is great news for the OSS front. I am not sure about how quickly the public will begin to see results. Driver compatibility issues were one of the main reasons for my purchase of NVIDIA hardware this time around.

Apparently Ian spoke with a client who didn't like an error message generated by the v5 engine.

"You have encountered an error. The error won. :)"

Friday. To the typical office dweller it signifies the end of the work week. Friday is a day that is responsible for flooding the streets with traffic so that the normal drive turns into a struggle that makes you question gun ownership and doubting your fellow man. Friday was a day looked forward to from the onset of my week. Something from the very beginning - It embedded itself as a day of significance as I awoke to the shitty overplayed song kalarm blasts from my speakers at 7:00 to rouse me from my slumber. There is nothing quite like being torn from a bed that is warm and welcoming and half remembered dreams.

In addition to the normal Friday fervor it was also the eve of a three day weekend, pay day, the day before class, and ribs. Infamous for shotgunning beers (a topic of much discussion this week) Andy also is quite the griller. A pity nothing happened that involved a grill this weekend, save for Katie and her father.

The habitat of Andy is located a hop skip and a jump from the usual after work retreat. A quick phone call had me confused (although I'll deny this, and blame the Iraq like heat that has been plaguing the area) and I ended up meeting Andy on the far side of the street for our date.

I met Steve of Delaware and Bobby from _____. I would say I forgot the majority of the night but to forget one must remember in the first place.

If there were keywords for Friday: Steve, Rolex, Scotch, Katie, Broken Chair.

Day 2

Saturday began at 7:10. It was a slow start involving the massive task of getting myself out of bed and into the shower.

7:50 Mild panic and realization that I need gas.
7:51 Apathetic to gas need, risks going to class.
8:05 Began exploring campus.
8:20 Find the right class. damn occ.
9:50 Ingestion of delicious mexican food from swap meet while on break.
11:00 Class gets out, relax in computer lab (AC)
11:30 2nd Class begins in computer lab.
12:30 Still yapping. Clock watching begins for next class.
12:35 Massive stomach issues due to food from swap meet.
1:00 Escape class to attend next class.
2:45 Break. I shuffled off and "vented" while explaining to andy that I was not in Jail and did indeed make it home the previous night.

3:30 Escape, drive home, plans made for The Olde Ship.

blahblah. The Olde Ship was fabulous. Calibration for Matt's new Job. Man was the waitress cute. I did the shameless thing of looking for a ring, which she didn't have, so upon further probing of what she does for fun and where she went out she mentioned that her boyfriend that she lives with and who works two jobs just bought beach cruisers. I ate pie and I shouldn't have.

The evening wound down with a trip to The District for a late night showing of The Bourne Ultimatum. I think they've tapped the Bourne market long enough. In regards to The District, new places are great, especially new theaters. The District has stadium seating that isn't limited to only the main seating area so even the front rows have stadium seats. Not that I ever sit in the front but that was the first time I've ever seen front row stadium seating. Check that shit out. The District has a feel of the Block without the trash, with far less people. I think that might change since it hasn't open for very long.

Day 3

I did nothing productive today.

"...there is so much that you learn about yourself when you're in autopilot. Like, 'Am I an asshole?'"

Yesterday I brought in RIFTS novels for Jeremy to borrow (since he's cool like that and he has an interest in such things) and I said "Please don't turn the edges of the [paperback] books into curls like elf shoes." I think there was disbelief on both our parts. He didn't believe how anal I was, and I thought he was joking with the way he reads. Which based on his example posturing is one handed, upside down, ninja reading. But it doesn't stop there, there is spine breaking, cover curling, power spread grip oh my god get your own type shiz.

Have you seen the books that you get second hand that looks like they were owned by Emperor Nero and ritually abused by lions and strong men/praetorians? A demonstration by Jeremy made the book pop and I suddenly feared for my books safety.

I ended up letting him have the book and consoling myself with an order off of Palladium website.

Steve discovered Boddington's today.

"Pig bottom, because she has the lower half of a piggy."
Something about heavy walking for the new girl* in billing. Reminiscent of a Clydesdale passing by.

Mo has left the building. Good luck pal.

We have fresh meat by the name of Hailee and Shawn. Shawn looks like Cameron from Farris Buller's Day Off. Awhile back it was Paula and Jamie. Jamie decided to bail while we were out at lunch. Perhaps it was for the better? Jamie's mouth reminded me of a cross between Gumby and celebrity death match.

Good news, I got my phone working. Bad news, I had a voice mail from my Aunt who "didn't want to alarm me" she said that my Mom's kidneys have begun to shutdown and they are going to put a splint in and that my mother really needs to hear my voice.

Needless to say I promptly called.

Jen and... Somebody else. Jen is Mike's personal assistant either to replace or assist Jean. We're an office of mainly 20 somethings and I can't help but feel bad for the ones who are in their thirties in entry level positions. I mean mentally if I went some place and everyone was 10 years younger than me... I just might have to kill myself.

It's tool time...

Life has been pretty good. Came across some fantastic food at a British pub . Boddingtons is an awesome beer and I highly recommend it as it drinks quickly and is pretty light and quote smooth.

I ate at the place two days in a row. Friday was nearly a 2 hour lunch that went flawlessly except for the phone call about one of the new hires walking out. It was Jamie. One of the key questions left out of the interview was "Do you have a car?" as he was displaced during the strike. I am so thankful I don't have to take the bus. Bus people... I have flashbacks to my last experience several years ago when my car was in the shop I took the bus for a few days. One guy would always talk to me, but without me saying anything back. All I wanted to do was just get home.

Saturday night was the night my phone screen(s) died. It started off with the main screen going white then the little screen followed suite. I've disconnected the battery, removed the SIM chip, clicked my heels, yelled at it etc. I have a backup phone (although my address book, photos etc are currently stuck :() but in my haste I snapped a prong on the recharge station and... killed it :(

I had a dream about her again. It has to be related to the phone, it's one of the few remaining ties to her. I can almost imagine it being something from the 6th sense... maybe I should get a red snap on thing for the phone. Time to go to work...

Internet Window = Browser

Mark is pacing at his desk. The sound of his feet scuffing across the carpet with each step is noticeable. RAUR! Pick up your feet! Thats worse than the Asian shuffle.

Ein mann und seine frau stehen morgens auf. Die frau geht zum fenster, guckt raus, und sagt zu ihrem mann, "guck mal liebling, es graut der morgen."

Der mann erwidert, "Nein schatz, es graut dem morgen."

Info on Fast Flux networks.

Combating Zombie Computers

While working on Lightbox (An auto resizing JavaScript photo viewer) to include a div that appears at the top left that contains a graphic hyperlink that closes the popup window Shannon had been making changes to the CSS to adjust the size of an image she remarked "I can't believe how big it is".

We have gotten feedback from visitors to our website and they have said that the website layout is overlapping when they open the site in Netscape, firefox or other web browsers. Can you look into why it opens fine in Internet Explorer but not right in others browsers? The left side of the site where the buttons are is where the issue seems to be. I have looked at the site in other browsers and can verify that this is true and it looks terrible, we need to have this fixed. Please contact us with any questions.

Finally! After how many years? I wonder if this will prompt action?

I saw the movie Transformers in the theater Saturday afternoon and I was pleasantly surprised. I joked with some of my friends who have already seen the movie and saying that "it sucked and I wanted my money back" and following up with a quick reply about how awesome the movie was.

I enjoyed seeing Transformers over the new Die Hard movie. So if you have a decision between the two movies I recommend Transformers.

I met up with a few friends for drinks (including an ex-coworker who has gone into business for himself). As the night wound down in the Korean bar somewhere in Garden Grove a chance encounter with friends from the past made the nights activities span far into Sunday. I don't want to listen to any Trance for a long time. The juvenile behavior of some of these people was straining...

It's amazing how much HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) is present in foods found in America.

Liz is going to get married! With plans to squeeze out babies soon. Best news I've heard all day!

Apparently I do not have any self respect. I hope everyone had a lucky weekend. It's just a bunch of numbers anyway, right?

Zu mir!

Windows XP SP2. RDR driver problems. Had to uninstall and reinstall SP2 to solve this annoying problem. I was able to get online however I was not able to browse any machines on the local network. Network Browsing requires the Workstation and Net Logon services running.

I took a nap last night and had problems getting to sleep. I love Excel. I wrote a program to sort and count items in a spreadsheet and after I got stumped sorting for unique items I discovered the advanced sorts in Excel. 150K row file = 15 minutes of work to sort. YESS!

Last night's dream sucked. It was a sony dream, I had some crap job in the dream too, dreampt she was rolling in a new car blahblah. I must've had a lot on my mind last night. I also think it's because of the time of the year. She owes me fireworks.

New computer. New set of problems. What a piss off...

It's summer. I have no tan. HAHAHAHA, that'll be the day. Me with a tan. I haven't been getting very much sleep lately. It makes each day of the week a progressive grind. Revisiting music in my collection. I need to do something different.

How bad is it when you're considering waiting tables? I must be out of my mind (me? never!) but at least I won't have to talk to the same shitbag clients. At the least I'll get a new batch of douches. It's amazing how one person can set the pace for the day. Earlier this week the first call of the day was an angry person. I've been giving some thought to altering my voice mail message but I don't think I can make my voice mail message a convincing dial tone.

I'm open to suggestions! How about a guy from Football saying GOAL (in Spanish!) or maybe the initial company greeting that asks you to mash buttons for a company directory etc.

I think I get this Friday off... fucking yes. That's even better than finding money in your pockets!

$0.75 "What are you, a fucking gardner?" Best raise quote by a coworker, ever.

Cool. However if you have 800+ fonts installed on your machine you'll run into an issue with menus not displaying any text or any text rendering on websites.

Related thread on Apple.com with some solutions.

Early part of May was the death. It took me long enough... but I think that was why. Hind sight on that matter: "I hope that all is well and I was thinking of you."

Friday at work sucked. It was the end of a week of compounded problems. Amber has given her two weeks notice. Dan has as well. Karen is out for the next week, so is Hinger, and Brian. Kevin made a comment right at the end of the day after I had told everyone to use inside voices since I was on a phone call with a client about being amazed that anyone answers the phone. I said something along the lines that I was amazed that the sales guys e