SUCK!

Edited 12.22.07: All the pics are down (and have been since I let my domain die). I'll fix it eventually, or not. They were pics of the GTP, which is now in Texas while I'm not, that Gen backed into a pole. I'm over it. Mostly. She still can't drive my imaginary Corvette though.
Edited 09.20.05, I screwed up and only showed 1 pic.


THIS

REALLY

SUCKS!

I Walk Beside You

There's a story in your eyes, I can see the hurt behind your smile
For every sign I recognize, Another one escapes me

Let me know what plagues your mind, Let me be the one to know you best
Be the one to hold you up, When you feel like you're sinking

Tell me once again, What's beneath the pain you're feeling
Don't abandon me, Or think you can't be saved

I walk beside you, Wherever you are
Whatever it takes, No matter how far

Through all that may come, And all that may go
I walk beside you, I walk beside you

Summon up your ghosts for me, Rest your tired thoughts upon my hands
Step inside this sacred place, When all your dreams seem broken

Resonate inside this temple, Let me be the one who understands
Be the one to carry you, When you can walk no further

Tell me once again, What's below the surface bleeding
If you've lost your way, I will take you in

I walk beside you, Wherever you are
Whatever it takes, No matter how far

Through all that may come, And all that may go
I walk beside you, I walk beside you

Oh when everything is wrong, Oh when hopelessness surrounds you
Oh the sun will rise again, The tide you swim against will carry you back home
So don't give up, Don't give in

I walk beside you, Wherever you are
Whatever it takes, No matter how far

Through all that may come, And all that may go
I walk beside you, I walk beside you

-Dream Theater, "I Walk Beside You"

More about bikes...

Here's the list of the ones I "like" so far, comments welcome as I've been out of touch with the bike market for 13 years!

Specialized - 2005 Hardrock Sport - $350
Nice looking bike. Front suspension though, which I really have no need of, it just adds weight.


Trek - FX 7200 - $360
No suspension means less weight. Price is MSRP I think, so it might actually be a little cheaper.


Kona - 2005 Lana'i - $349
Front suspension means more weight. Not overly fond of that blue.


Kona - 2005 Dew - $399
No suspension, but not overly fond of red.

Comments & suggested additions to the list welcome!

Ok, so I've been busy...

I know it's been a long time since I posted anything. Well, for those of you that were anxiously awaiting my next update (yeah, both of you)... here it is. Brace yourself, it's likely to be a doozy. I'll try to keep it somewhat organized.

1. Hurricanes.

Storms that kill people suck.

People that have been ignoring those "Homeowners insurance does not cover flood damage" infomercials... that live in a city that's BELOW SEA LEVEL... and also happens to have a lake HIGHER than sea level next door... are idiots. No sympathy for stupidity, sorry.

Shooting at rescuers. Brilliant plan. The immediate response should have been a regiment of heavily armed night-assault troops. We're supposed to have the most powerful military in the world, right? Why could we at least provide some cover fire for the poor saps that were trying to help the people that were trying to get the hell out of there instead of looting and generally proving their idiocy?

When the situation is so bad that a noticable percent of your police force leaves, you know it's pretty damned bad. As for mayors talking shit about them leaving, let's clarify some points.
-First, it's a job. Your police force isn't the army, they aren't deserters, they're people just like everyone else.

-Second, I'd be willing to bet the mayor didn't spend an hour outside after dark. Or even in the town. Or within 20 miles of the town, for that matter. I bet he was holed up in a nice 4 or 5 star hotel being paid for by... the poor saps sitting on their roofs waiting for the firemen that weren't coming because other idiots were shooting at them! So fuck him.

Refusing to leave before it hit, and still refusing to leave now that there's absolutely no services at all... is really incredibly dumb. Just wait, the next "Crisis in America" will be the damn plague these idiots spread when they finally realize that living in a swamp of storm-caused damage and human-created refuse and leave the ruins of the city.

Now, I can understand not wanting to leave what you've got behind. What I don't understand is putting yourself, your family, your children, etc willingly into horrid conditions that you know are only going to get worse. No sympathy for stupidity!

Ok, enough about storms. I'm so over it.

---

Had midterms last week. My computer course, once again, was built around a physical class environment and very poorly adapted for online students. I'm not at all amused by this, and I don't know many people that would pay $60,000 for a "leftovers" style education.

This week, to add injury to insult, that same computer class has labs that cannot be completed with certain software being installed. That software isn't listed as a requirement to complete the course in the syllabus. Expect more hell raising to follow soon, this is a bullshit situation and I'll be damned sure they know it.

My recommendation? Avoid Westwood Online. My experience thus far has taught me that they are overpriced for no reason, they cannot maintain the schedules they themselves create, and their content is based largely on poorly adapted physical classroom material. It's very frustrating.

That's all I've got to say about that.

---

I recently watched "Bowling for Columbine", a typically exagerated and single-sided documentary from Michael Moore, and "Supersize Me", a rather amusing, yet serious, look at the consequences of eating crap food every day.

I'm hardly in good shape, but I've broken my fast food habits the easy way... I moved 20 miles from the nearest fast food joint!

Michael Moore convinced me I should move to Canada. Evidently there are no gun freaks there, the news is always jolly, and there are no fat people either (that part courtesy of Supersize Me).

Canada, the OTHER North American country. ;-)

---

While on the subject of being out of shape, I took my bike off the racks today for the first time in... well... a decade or so. Sadly, I'm not exagerating. I'm not sure which is worse, that I've left it sitting there so long, or that I've kept it all this time I wasn't using it.

Either way, it's alive again sorta. Needs new tires, but they had enough life in them for a quick trip to the lake and back (maybe 200 yards). Wow, I knew I was out of shape but this experience was rediculous. I felt like I was going to die for a half hour afterwards. Ugh, definately time to get back into my workout routine with some biking thrown in.

Started shopping for a new bike to accomplish that goal. Found some nice entry-level stuff in the $350-$400 range that didn't have a department store name on it. I'll post more on that in a bit.

---

I've also been spending a lot of time honing my still-limited Photoshop skills, along with building some more PHP based websites. Always good experience to have.

---

Other than that, not much going on. I sent Graeye a silly e-card for her birthday and wished I had the money to do more. Being broke sucks. Maybe I will move to Canada. At least it'd be something new.

Belief-o-matic says...

Curious? Try it yourself -> [HERE]
1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Neo-Pagan (94%)
3. New Age (89%)
4. Liberal Quakers (84%)
5. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (82%)
6. Mahayana Buddhism (76%)
7. New Thought (73%)
8. Secular Humanism (71%)
9. Theravada Buddhism (71%)
10. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (70%)
11. Hinduism (62%)
12. Scientology (62%)
13. Taoism (54%)
14. Bahá'í Faith (51%)
15. Reform Judaism (49%)
16. Sikhism (47%)
17. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (45%)
18. Jainism (45%)
19. Nontheist (45%)
20. Orthodox Quaker (41%)
21. Jehovah's Witness (34%)
22. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (32%)
23. Orthodox Judaism (26%)
24. Seventh Day Adventist (19%)
25. Eastern Orthodox (15%)
26. Islam (15%)
27. Roman Catholic (15%)

...on second thought

Go buy this damn album, it's awesome in every way possible.


And while you're at it, check out the other stuff at the record labels site: Projekt

Something new...

If you've never heard of them, join the club. I discovered them approximately 2 minutes ago, and from this one song I've got, All My Lovers, they're worth further investigation. I found their website (gotta love Google) without any trouble, and they have some free live music as well as samples from their new album. Check them out if you're into darkwave, check them out even if you aren't just because I said so, and if you don't know what darkwave is you really need to check them out. ;-)

School's started again. Intermediate Algebra and Microsoft Networking, neither very stimulating. This is becoming a pattern now, one computer class that's very little actual work but a nice refresher, and one class I wish I could avoid. I guess I'm doomed to another 18 months of this or so, but it could be worse. Though I seldom express it, I really am appreciative of the awesome support network I've got going. I'm unemployed, and have been for over 2 years now, and yet I have a roof over my head, food in front of me, tons of creature comforts, and a full-time college schedule. It's hard to beat that, when you really sit back and think about it.

I suppose being under-appreciative of the things I have is a trait of mine. That's definately something for the "Should work on that" list. After all, saying thanks hurts nothing at all and gives both you, and someone else, warm fuzzies. We all need our warm fuzzies, right? Here's one for you Graeye, I definately owe you at least a twelve pack, and maybe a case, of 'em. One isn't much, but it's a start, right? :-)

Photoshop fun...

...as my week vacation from school winds down, I've been filling my time with some Photoshop fun. As always, click the image for the full size picture.

Cool site...

...BoreMe.com

Some things of interest:

Street Art
Crazy Dog
Fast Fingers
Fun & Productivity at the Office
How to piss someone off playing table football
The Hollow Men do Natalie Imbruglia
Never play ping pong with the Chinese
What the sign says...
I can't even train my dog to stay
I thought it smelled a bit off

There's lot more where those came from... a site sure to be hours of fun for the whole family. ;-)

GTM Updates...

Factory Five has been busy refining the website for the GTM Supercar, the one I mentioned earlier this month. They've got new pics of the 3rd prototype car, as well as some videos.

You can find it here: GTM Website

Here's some pics I made in photoshop, including a blue version. :-) (click the pics for the full size version)

Mind of Mencia...

...totally rules. Angry truthful comedy should be the paradigm by which our society is modeled.

Spending most of my time playing Battlefield 2. It's pretty fun, considering I'm only playing it single player because my copy is... ahem... broken like that. :-P Was going to try out Joint Operations on a friends recommendation, but the demo I found says it's no longer active and to look for a newer demo soon. There's no single player mode at all on Joint Ops, so... kinda defeats the purpose of a demo.

One of the reasons BF2 is fun is that you can pilot lots of different vehicles, including several aircraft. It still amuses me to no end that I finally figured out how to fly the helicopters but I still cannot land. So, find one, jump in, fly to where I want to go and bail out. Parachutes are a wonderful thing. That and running people over (12 humvee kills in one game, I need a rubber stamp to put chicken crossing the roads for each victim) is quite entertaining. :-D

Beyond the silly games, not much new. Raiden is starting to wonder where the hell Graeye got off to and why he wasn't invited, but isn't all that traumatized just yet. Got to talk to Graeye for a little bit online, though I got aggravated (not at her) midway and that kind've put a damper on it.

Have yet another headache tonight. That's three in a row. I think it's that I'm not drinking enough liquids during the day, and then when I get tired at night it catches up with me. Lack of sleep isn't helping that either, I'm sure. Wed for example, I went to bed around 2am and got up at 9:30am. Here it is 3:25am now, and I'm just about to head to bed. I'm sure Raiden will have me up no later than 9-10am again. He's reliable like that.

Funny Google Images search of the day: Fleshlight (if SafeSearch is off, the first result is very not work safe)

Why people feel the need to post images (and video!) online of themselves playing with sex toys is beyond me. How that particular image/site became #1 on Google's list is yet another of life's mysteries.

Todays song: Simon & Garfunkle ~ Kodachrome

And then... they were gone...

...sigh.

Both Kylara and Graeye are elsewhere for the better part of a week, and I'm left all by my lonesome. Well, not really. This IS the first time Raiden will be without mom for any length of time, but so far he doesn't seem to mind. It's only a week, but it also happens to be my between-classes 1 week break from school. That leaves me a whole lot of nothing to do this week, and a whole lot of nobody to do it with.

I'm sure when Graeye gets back, Raiden (which is our black lab & shepard mix for the record) will throw a fit of joy. I'll be glad to have her back, too.

Finals are a giant pain in the ass...

...don't you agree? On the plus side, my classes are all online, so there is a certain sense of freedom to approach the tests when and how I choose (and with my own theme music, no less). What isn't so fun is when the classes are broken, and you are absolutely at the mercy of someone noticing before the due date passes. It is, however, deliciously ironic when your computer courses final is broken because of an error in the schools server setup.

...Graeye hurt her wrist somehow, broken maybe, and we haven't a clue how. Hurting yourself without anything to show for it sucks. I mean, at least if you did something helaciously stupid like jumping off a 15 ft cliff on your ATV or high-siding off your motorcycle you have something to show for it. Cool video, or at least a story for the kids. When your body just rebels and hurts itself, what do you have to show for that? Nothing but a decidedly uncool medical bill. I give it two and one-third thumbs down.

...I think I'm going to need to spend some money on my car soon, hopefully nothing more serious than CV joints. We've put almost 4,000 miles on it without any problems, and even the possible CV-joint thing would be minor. I'd really rather be spending money to make it faster though. Oh, and what the hell is with door dings from heaven? I've gotten 4 now, all on the driver side, all within 2 feet of each other, and have no idea how. It's really starting to piss me off, and if this were a new car I'd be looking for someone to kill. Maybe I should park it somewhere and setup a deer stand and hang the perpetrator on the wall.

Why pizza and dogs just don't mix...

...well, here we are again... finals week. Blah! For some weird reason monday has become my day off rather than sunday, so I've not even yet begun my school-work for this week. I'm not sure what the final is for my computer class, probably writing some simple code (we've been working with C the last two weeks). I do know what the final is for my business class, and I'm not looking forward to it at all.

...road-tripped with Graeye to go visit Kylara. It wasn't all I'd hoped it would be, but when I got there I was too tired to do aught else but pass out after eating pizza, and the morning brought a sick kid and a dog rotting from the inside out (at least that's what it smelled like). On the plus side, at least I got to give K hugs and be told that I was silly by Jared. The kids were pretty well behaved, at least while they were within sight (and what more can you ask for?). Despite meeting me and Graeye, the kids were not bashful about our presence, and did not let it interfere with their daily romp through the house naked as the day they were born. Ah, the joys of kids. The cats mostly ignored us, and the dog... well, the dog waged chemical warfare but more on that in a second. We're all going to the zoo Thursday, maybe the kids will keep their clothes on for that LOL.

...now... about the dog. After sampling, rather unwillingly, the oderiferous emanations clouding the atmosphere this morning, I can say first hand and with expert opinion that dogs and pizza do not mix. For those of you familiar with the movie Labrynth, should there have been a Smell-O-Vision version of the film, during the Bog of Eternal Stench scenes you would have sampled the same blasphemous belchings I delt with this morning. I cannot begin to find the words to describe it, so instead I'll simply advise that you avoid giving pizza to your dogs. Just... trust me on this one.

...what a weekend. Hope yours was as eventful as mine.

Just another day in the neighborhood...

...nothing new to report. Sad, isn't it, when your life has become so static that the only news is that there isn't any news?

Next week is finals week, and then one week of vacation. I'm so looking forward to it, it's interesting how valuable a commodity that one week of vacation becomes over time. 9 weeks of school, 1 week off, and then right back into the fray.

Next semester I have a networking course which should be fun, easy, or both and my next required math course. Ugh, I hate math with a passion, though I did surprisingly well in my last course. Can't wait to get all of them done and over with, then I can go back to my happily math-ignorant lifestyle.

Still no work to be found, though I'm hardly looking these days. If anyone needs a computer lackey, skilled in the kung-fu arts of security, support, and such... give me a jingle.

Haven't gotten to talk to Kylara all week which is depressing. We've been having serious discussions lately about our past, present, and future. It's interesting, frightening, and probably most bizarre is it's also refreshing. It's not the norm, it's not just another day. Maybe there's light at the end of the tunnel after all, and even if it were a freight train... it's still better than nothing. Right?

Midnight munchies and old games...

...I've been craving Carls Jr for a few days, so I finally went. It was a fabulous celebration of grease, fat, messy food, and over-eating... in other words, everything I could have hoped it would be. :-) It really sucks having to drive nearly 25 miles (one way) to get to one though... or any fast food place, for that matter, that isn't Sonic or Dairy Queen.

...I've also been spending a lot of time playing Civilization III again for some reason. Guess just to kill the time, but it's amusing how such a simple game can eat the hours.

...G burned herself pretty good trying to tan and thinking it was having no effect... silly silly. I got to slime her all over with after-sun stuff, and I'm sure today she'll be hating life when she wakes up (sleepy head!).

Other than that... boooooored!

...silly quiz...

...it's making the rounds, so without further adieu...

You scored as Demon. Demon: Darkness is your sanctuary. Demons are many and are all different in appearence and rank. The most common are the ones that feed off of human souls. They love to make someone fall into their inner darkness. Blood, wrath, murder... You name it they love it. These beings don't care who you are, if they set their sights on you, let's just hope you know a good excorist. They kill any love within you and pull you toward their side. By any means possible. You wish for chaos and hate, you are the Demon. Demon 84% Dragon 58% WereWolf 50% Mermaid 42% Faerie 33% Angel 25% What Mythological Creature are you? (Cool Pics!) created with QuizFarm.com

...just a rant about vocabulary...

Marketing - "the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational objectives"

Ok, is that not the most mind-melting blather you've ever had the misfortune of reading? This is but one of 60 or so terms I'm supposed to memorize each week. Not just memorize, but "demonstrate conceptual understanding of" as well.

George Carlin says it much more eloquently than I can in his book "When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops?" but really people, the language thing has just gotten out of control. When did marketing change from "finding out what people want, finding a way to sell it to them, and finding out how much we can fleece them for it" to all that blather above?

Ah well, guess I'd better get back to it or I'll never get this crap done. I leave you with these words of wisdom from Simon & Garfunkle ~ Kodachrome: "When I think back on all the crap I learned in highschool it's a wonder I can think at all..."

BTW: Amazon.com link to the book [HERE].

The quiet times...

...like right now, when you're the only person awake in the house (except, of course, for the incessantly prowling cat, and the ever alert puppy), are supposed to lead ones self to introspection, right?

Just another day in the life, as it were. Got some school work done, though I'm still procrastinating finishing this weeks assignments for my least favorite class: Introduction to Business. I'm not entirely sure what this class is supposed to accomplish. I'm 7/9th of the way done with it, and all I've learned so far is how to redefine terms to be vague and politically correct. Yay! ::rolleyes:: Regardless, today is going to be a busy day if I'm going to get this weeks assignments done.

Went night swimming with G, it was fun. Nobody around but us (which is a first, as the pool is a popular spot for the family, extended and otherwise), as dusk was falling into night. Swimming naked is fun, even if it is for only 30 seconds and you're paranoid the whole time. :-D

Was looking forward to getting to 'talk' with Kylara tonight, but alas I was thwarted by MSN which is still insisting it is suffering some temporary malady. I'm of the opinion it's all a conspiracy, and wish it god speed in failing to recover at all, though that would force me to get all my technologically challenged friends to switch to another IM program. Almost not worth the trouble, maybe MSN can continue to exist for now.

At least the hand-fasting went well. From her post, it does appear there was a decided lack of turning people into newts though. Such a shame. What has witchcraft become when there are no newtings to report? Go read about it, and see some spiffy pics, at her blog (which is still linked over there --> in case you forgot).

Your musical prescription today is They Might Be Giants ~ Snail Shell. And with that, have a pleasant evening, morning, whatever it might be when you read this. ;-)

...sleep deprivation, kit cars, music, and friends...

...I threatened earlier to share with you the kit car I've been following the progress of for the last few years. The company is nearing completion of the kit, and has released near-production pictures of the prototype car. Well there it is. Beautiful isn't it? It's interesting how we can attribute beauty and grace to a machine, essentially a collection of parts made to serve some purpose. At any rate, read more [HERE] if you're so inclined.

...As the title mentions, I haven't had sleep in quite some time. Pretty normal for me, my "operating hours" wander wildly from day to day. Insomnia is a pretty common problem, so nothing really earth-shattering or ground-breaking here. Even habitually gloomy me has to admit that there's a certain magical quality in greeting the dawn however; watching the first rays of light glisten in the dew, and all that sort've nature stuff. First hit on the 2nd page of Google re: "Sleep Deprivation" [HERE], and thusly your random link of the day needs have been fulfilled.

...This time around, I'm rather enjoying the following music:

• Seether & Amy Lee ~ Broken
• VNV Nation ~ Industrial Love (Silicon Version)
• Blackmore's Night ~ Self Portrait
• Steve Vai ~ Firewall
• and Metallica S&M ~ The Ecstacy of Gold

...I have a friend performing a hand-fasting today (her blog is over there ->). I'm not sure if it's "proper protocol" to wish good luck for such things, or if that's the equivalent of wishing someone's totemic creature is a buzzard, just like their mother-in-law. All that aside, I'm sure things will go swimmingly. Hah! Puntastic.

...Other than that, the wonderful person sleeping in my bed most days is making me breakfast even as I type this (DAMN she rocks), so go entertain yourselves with something else for awhile. :-P

Well hello there...

Have you ever felt lost? Not idling-at-the-red-light-looking-around-nervously lost, but lost as in not sure how you got where you are, where you're heading, who's in the passenger seat, and where you got the car?

Welcome to my world. As inane as it must sound, this is the position within which I find myself. In perhaps a predictable fashion, I didn't just wake up one day and find myself here. Instead I've pursued this path plagued by brief moments of lucidity whereby I realize I'm lost but continuing ever further in the same direction anyways.

I am a computer geek by nature, and by chosen career. Unfortunately, I am unemployed, have too much experience (so they say) for entry level work, and too little paperwork for something better. I have, at one extreme, purchased myself a brand new Chevrolet Corvette, and at the other scrounged for change to buy that next pack of cigarettes. Ah, blessed nicotine, what would I do without you?

So I fill my time with online education, pursuing silly paperwork to prove that I know too little to actually do a meaningful job, but just enough to be hired and retrained. ::sigh:: Such a vicious cycle. My credit-hour load varies from 12 to 18, but invariably the classes are not challenging, but instead just another means to pass the time. For that, at least, I'm thankful, though perhaps not thankful enough for it to warrant the attached price. Perhaps reality will morph into a fairy tale, and I'll actually manage to locate gainful employment again at the end of this road. Guess we shall see.

My love life, much like that of my professional life, is no less confused and disorganized. Pursuing only the seemingly meaningful and "deep" relationship, I find myself seldom alone but oft betwixt desires. As the saying goes, "we only hurt the ones we love", and thusly have I left a small wake of destruction behind me. Of course, only those I most felt attached to need apply. The stranger, the casual acquaintance, the meeting of eyes stay fodder only for imagination and fantasy, my wrath falls only upon those with something to lose. To those currently entangled, knowing who you are or not, I sincerely apologize.

My fascinations change as often as the breeze, my tastes as fickle, but my interests as enduring as the very rocks themselves. Now cars, then books, tomorrow music, yesterday nature photography. Occasionally something will truly catch my eye, occasionally my mind, and woe indeed to that which catches my heart. My latest such obsession is a kit car of all things, but not just any kit car... but perhaps what should hereforth be dubbed... THE kit car. More on that later.

So here I sit, not really alone, spoiled but broke, surrounded by the material but unsatiated, questing without moving, looking neither forward nor back but instead somewhere vaguely up and left. What do I see up there? I'm not sure, I knew I should have put on my glasses first.

Until next time, safe journey.