Life In General

Oct 252004
 

Man it’s good to be home! I’m not one for sun, heat, and humidity. Then again, I don’t like the cold or snow that much either. I guess that means that my ideal vacation would be to London or something like that. Anyways, we got home yesterday morning at around 5am. Flying overnight 5 hours is NOT a good idea. We wound up sleeping most of Sunday away and still feel jet-lagged. I’m just super happy to be back in my own bed with my own pillow. I can’t believe how hard it has become to sleep comfortably anywhere else now. I used to be able to sleep anywhere but ever since we got the “Sleep Number” bed and a couple of 10-pound pillows, it seems that nothing else will do.

The last couple of days there in Hawaii were by far the best: we did NOTHING! We flew to Kawai and off to a wonderful little condo-like place where Candi and I just slept, read, watched TV, a few movies, and other stuff you normally do on vacation! It was great. My mom had her own place in a building just a short walk away and she soon learned of our philosophy: doing nothing in exotic locations. Soon she would understand! The weather was a dream. Not too hot or extreme. We had the unit opened up most of the time and just used the place for shade. Sadly that didn’t keep out the bugs though. I managed to get mosquito bites on the ends of my toes near the last night there and for some reason that got my heart and brain racing and I managed not to sleep nearly all night long -pretty weird.

I’ll be digitizing video stills and pics from mom’s digital camera to post up here tonight and should have them up by tomorrow at the latest…

Oct 192004
 

Today was the memorial service for my dad. I have to admit it was a pretty moving and impressive service that the Navy put on for the family. 21 gun salute and all. A staff Navy photographer was there along with a staff member that operated our video camera. We will be getting an album and CD in the mail from the Navy in a couple of weeks and I’ll be sure to post the pics on the web when they arrive. Candi and I are exhausted at the moment and are looking forward to getting back to our own beds and bathrooms. I guess this means that we’ve arrived as we now have better beds and bathrooms than are commonly found in international hotels! Being in Honolulu and Pearl Harbor is more like being in LA on a humid day so we’re looking forward to flying to Kawii tomorrow afternoon. I’ve been told that it is waaay more relaxed there than anywhere. Maybe this will make the 5 hour flight worthwhile for us as so far it’s been just exhausting being here with all we have to do. We took a bus tour of the island yesterday that just about wiped us out! It was an all day affair. Candi and I both got tattoos that I’ll probably post here when I get them photo’d and uploaded when we get back. We tried our darndest to talk mom into getting one but she chickened out. the tattoo place was just awesome though. I’m sure I’ll tell more about it when I get home (and am not paying for my internet access at 1$/10min!

See you all later…

Oct 162004
 

It’s ‘kinda funny how the last two letters of Hawaii look with two exclamation points next to them. We made it here just fine and we’re enjoying the good weather and nice attitudes. We did sleep for quite a while after the 5 hour flight though. I hope to post more in the future as stuff happenes here but don’t count on it!

Oct 142004
 

One more day and I’m off to Hawaii. It’s been trying and I’m still struggling to stay awake and keep it together. There’s just soo much still left to do but I think I’m going to make it just fine. I’m not going to go in to work at all tomorrow so we’ll be able to leasurly get our stuff ready. My sister-in-law is going to drive us to the airport and she’s staying the night tonight.

I think I’m done with one of my engineering clients jobs and I’m so thrilled it’s over. I still don’t have final confirmation of the results of my drawings but I’m pretty much expecting them to be happy with it. Looks like I may be getting around $500 for the work too. That may just pay for my next digital camera (if he doesn’t freak out about the price). I’ve got to call the architect client I have and tell him he’ll have to wait a week for his work to start but that may EASILY be another $500 (if I can stand working with him). I do hope I can keep this up and keep it together at the same time…

The last debate was a little lousy and a little ok. I think some of the last couple of questions were just silly to ask at a debate. I don’t care about his wife and two daughters! That’s what the documentary shows are for. Debates are for the issues -what a waste of time that was. I also think it’s rather incredible that it took three debates and probably a ton of email requests to get anyone to ask a question about illegal immigration. What’s going on here?! Who is trying to keep this under the rug? The media? But why? Funny thing is that I’m actually registering to vote TODAY!

I actually got hit on by a bi-guy this past week over Yahoo Instant Messenger. I guess he say my rather un-flattering pic (as you can see here too) and thought I was “hot”. I guess I should be flattered but that pic is at least 15 years old and I’m about twice that weight (well, maybe not THAT much). I also don’t have ANY of that hair. I’m balding on the very top (my sloar panel for a sex machine), and I have no bead -with no plans for any facial hair in the future. So am I still hot? Well I’m married so it doesn’t matter (at least not to anyone but my wife). I’m pretty sure she still thinks I’m hot (or is at least contractually obligated to think so).

Oct 132004
 

I’ve got a jam-packed week up until my flight to Hawaii. Don’t expect I’ll be sleeping anytime soon. Got too much to get done. I don’t want to take another day off work but it may come down to that. It looks like I may be saying “no” to some side work unless they’re willing to wait until I get back from my vacation. Feels good to know that people need your skills somewhere in the business world.

Got the entertainment center built last night. I’ll have to take a pic of it before leaving. It’s pretty cool and didn’t cost too much (from K-mart of all places). Went to bed at 1:30 last night. Don’t think that was a great idea but the house won’t be ready for Thursday night marrieds discussion otherwise. One thing is for sure: I’ll be very happy to sit down on that plane ride and just relax for the next week!

Looking forward to the last of the Presidential debates tonight during the ride home!

Oct 122004
 

I’m starting to feel much better about my health. Just getting a decent night’s sleep I think has done wonders for me -and having several people breathing down my neck helps too. My mood has changed dramatically and I’m much happier now. It just feels soooooo good to be energitic and be able to breathe. It’s amazing how much we take breathing freely for granted.

The politics of the presidential election are just enfuriating me. A few weeks ago our President Bush made a comment that the war against world terrorism is not winnable. Now I can easily understand what he meant by that. It meant that there will never be a day that we’ll be able to look back on and say “Here we are! We’ve won the war.” Nevertheless, the democrats took that comment and ran with it (being fairly silly I might add) saying things like “Well I believe we CAN win the war -the president doesn’t!” What poppycock. Now we have Senator Kerry making comments about the hope that some day terrorism will only be a “nuisance”. I also fully understood his thoughts here too. It’s pretty much saying the same thing as Bush (to a degree). Kerry’s sentiment is that most likely world terrorism will NEVER go away completely but it is hoped that some day it will be diminished down to the point that it is never what it once was (meaning: 9-11). Now Bush is on the attack doing the exact same thing Kerry was doing just a couple of weeks ago! How embarrasing. Once again, I think I would have chosen a smarter strategy than to play the same tactics as were played on me only moments earlier. Am I smarter than his advisors? Bush seems to be passive at the wrong times and aggressive at the wrong times. Don’t people understand the simple strategy of war? Surprise is one of the most vital elements. All he’s been doing lately is what can be easily predicted a day or two before. Even our last debate; Bush was criticized for smirking and yet being a push-over in the first debate…so what’s expected for the second? The opposite -and that’s what we got! Wouldn’t it have been a huge surprise to see him even more upset yet laid back and prepared to answer Kerry’s slander with confidence? That would have knocked everyone off their chairs -but instead we get just what we’re expecting to get and I don’t like that.

I suppose it wouldn’t upset me as much if I didn’t believe that we’re in the struggle of our lives for this country and are at risk of becomming another lame European state with massive taxes, no power, no morals, and no productivity.

Oct 112004
 

Well another weekend has gone by without any hope of catching up on my sleep. I am realizing that I just don’t know how to say “no” anymore. I agree to just about anything people want from me and I don’t relize how it’s hurting my health and my family. I think that my wife is just pushing me waiting for me to get up the will to say “no” to her requests for things on the weekends. We just do too much and I never get to relax -even for a short time- on the weekend. It’s not like she’d be upset or anything if I just put my foot down but I simply hate denying her anything I possible could provide for her. I’m seeing that this isn’t always the best thing for us though. Even she realizes that I need to be more in control of the family and the decisions made. In some ways, i don’t like it because it means that I have to finally grow up and act mature! I know that this may very well be our last few years without kids and we both want to “live it up” while we have the freedom but I think it’s getting a bit too costly on us. I nearly decided not to go to work today just to get some decent rest!

We leave for Hawaii this Friday afternoon. I’ve got soooo much work to get done before that that I just don’t know how I’m going to do it. Looks like more of the same for me. At least I’ll sleep well on the plane ride out!

I am also seeing just how much I think God is telling me that working 9-5 and commuting just isn’t for me. I don’t have the freedom to do things during the day, ect. I can remember when I had only been a working professional for around 4 years when I got a 2-month leave of absence (long story but I still got paid). Eventhough I had done nothing wrong and wasn’t going to lose my job or anything, just being home on a Tuesday at 11am just felt “wrong”. It’s like knowing that the sun is in a certain place in the sky indicates that I should be at work and behind a desk. Well I don’t like that anymore and don’t want that for my life anymore. So it’s time to steap up the heat and start working to get out of this rat race for good. I’m going to pursue other work avenues more aggressively and more seriously. I am also going to pray more about this -who know’s where it may lead!

Oct 082004
 

I’ve got to get out of this job and this commute. I family is suffering, my health is weakening, and my life is ending. I’m slowly changing my attitude on how important it is to get paid this much. The only problem is that with our re-fi, we now pay $950/mo where we were paying $700/mo. On top of a $250/mo car paymet, it adds up. Still, I think I’m going to start looking more aggressively towards a different job closer to home. I just can’t keep doing this to my body. Maybe other people are wired for it. I just don’t think I’m that tough!

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Well thanks to some “friends” of mine, I have now realized that some of those kids I mentioned yesterday that had renewed my faith in the culture of the youth, it turns out that many of them simply wear the old punk items because its fashionable -they don’t even know nor like the music! Well, at least I still have Avril and Sum 41 to help me along…

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My illness still is getting less and less each day but it is also still hanging over me. I’ve been getting throbbing headaches every evening and wind-up taking migrane pills to help. I blew some of the most nasty snot out of my nose this morning while taking a shower. You know it MUST be pretty nasty for ME to think that it’s nasty! The coughing is still there like an announcement of my failing health. I feel for everyone on the train that had to endure the ride with me. At least I got to watch a documentary while riding home (‘gotta love having a laptop). I learned that it was originally thought that malaria was a result of bad air. Even the Latin translation of malaria is Mal-Aria meaning “bad air”.

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By this time next week, I will be heading off to the airport for Hawaii!!!!!!!!

Oct 072004
 

In my semi-aware state of consciousness due to a long day of commuting on the train and bus, no sleep the night before, and the stady life-draining work that is civil engineering, I am moved to make an additional entry…

As I was on the bus this morning and I saw at least two girls (couldn’t have been any older than 16) with “Rancid” and “Dead Kennedys” patches on their jackets and bags. Safety pins running down their backpack straps. It gives me hope that there are still some kids out there with their own personality. It also amazes me that such an obscure and OLD band still manages to catch a following from kids that weren’t even born when they were “big”. That’s one of the reason’s I like sitting in the very back of the bus. I get to observe all the people that come on. It’s fairly entertaining for me. Have I already become an old man sitting at the mall watching the kids go by?…yes!

Oct 072004
 

Not one wink last night. Tried to sleep for sure. Went home at a decent hour and laid there for a while trying. It’s like I just started “buzzing” the moment I hit the pillow. So I got up and took some prescription meds (now that I have ’em). Still nothing. What’s worse is that my cough came back with a vengeance so there would have been little point trying to sleep anyways.

At least I did manage to start my own web forum!!! I’m sooooo excited about it. This forum will be used to collaborate the website maintenance for avchurch.org. Check it out here:

http://s6.invisionfree.com/AV_Church_Website/

Invisionfree is an awesome free forum site that I may use for other things in the near future. Thanks to the guys at MSFN.org for the referral!

Took the train to work this morning to see if I could do some work on the train with my laptop. I had no idea just how small those little tables are in comparison to my large-sized laptop! I think I got about 30 min of work done before I just had to close my eyes for the rest of the ride. So in total, I think I got around 45 min of sleep today. I’ll be interested to see how well I last today!

Oct 062004
 

That what it feels like today. At least I’m doing a lot better healthwise. Last night I blew some of the most disgusting junk out of my nose. I slept for the first time in days breathing out of my nose. It was just incredible! I may not even need those prescriptions after all. …I always wonder that when times like this happen to me: “what do these prescriptions and the like really do for me?” I got better all on my own. I haven’t done anything other than a lot of rest and self-medication from over-the-counter stuff for the symptoms (and so I could sleep -or jus exist). I may manage to kick this bug without any help from the doctor at all. What am I paying him for? Should I still take those antibiotics? I haven’t even started them yet. Will I go see a doctor again in the future if this happens again? Only if the symptoms are more severe. Maybe I’m just being too much of a wuss! Oh I just don’t know.

The debates are just as frustrating as most other political things these days. No one really stands up and give me a reason to cheer on the Republican side. I think Dave said it best when he helped me see that they are simply not “street fighters”. It just seems like even I have better answers (and more direct) than they do in these debates. What’s so wrong with being direct? Wouldn’t that be like a breath of fresh air to the voters? Why isn’t there a man I can stand behind and get excited about in government like I used to? Maybe I need to step up and start serving the public myself if anything is going to get done… Who knows…

I’m going to bed earlier and doing the dishes too! I think Candi’s pretty happy about that. It feels good to me too. Last night I didn’t feel like eating dinner so I didn’t. I think this sickness has taken a lot out of my appetite but I think there have been many days that I didn’t FEEL like eating but I ate anyways -just because it was the time normally set aside for eating regurarly. I think I’m going start listening to my own body a bit more. I HAVE been eating too much and it’s time to stop. Pray I keep my word this time! Now that the weather is starting to cool off, I’m planning on walking again for my lunch hour here in Van Nuys.

…Only a week before Hawii!!!!

Oct 052004
 

Still being tortured with this stupid sinus illness. I haven’t been able to get my prescriptions yet thanx to being new on my healthcare plan. Looks like I’ll be waiting until tonight to get them. Lucky for me there is a 24hr pharmacy in town. Head is just pounding from sinus pain and I have no appetite at all. At least my ear isn’t hurting that much anymore. I think the drive up and down the hill is doing a number on my eardrums though. Still have the ringing in my ears. I think I’m going to cancel my evening plans for tonight and just go home and rest. I hate to do it as it will put a lot of people off but too bad. I have to be healty if I’m going to do anything for anyone in the future! As it turns out, almost the entire office got sick this past week. There was already another guy out when I cam in yesterday afternoon -and the office manager left early feeling not so good.

I ordered a 15″ LCD screen from eBay for $12 that came last night. I guess I didn’t read all the info on the listing. I did see that it said it had a “cracked screen” but it also said “unit is in excellent condition”. I guess I also missed seeing that it was being sold “as-is”. The biggest clue was that it was suggested as a great unit “for parts”. I’m such an idiot. With shipping I think I spent around $35 for a dead monitor. It does have built in speakers and a USB hub. I think I’ll research to see if I can replace the screen for a reasonable price… ‘kinda knew I was taking a risk when I got it though…

I guess I’m just worried that I’ll never be well. I know it’s stupid but I’ve had sinus problems for pretty much my entire adult life -from Chicago, to Florida, to California. No one has been able to help me permanently and drugs just seem to work for the first two doses. I have a $700 air cleaner in my home, AC to keep the temp good without using a lot of the dusty outside air, I am pretty good about blowing my nose and keeping my sinuses clear of most of the crap, but nothing seems to work. Allergy tests in the past were inconclusive. They did find that I was allergic to some forms of plant life but no one could tell me what they were (meaning they weren’t that popular of a species either). I just don’t know what I’m going to do now…

Oct 042004
 

Last night my right ear started hurting something terrible. It was already itching on Saturday but come Sunday afternoon, the pain became just unbearable. There was little I could do about it considering I wouldn’t be home until late that night so I just had to grin and bear it. I think the pain came from all the nose blowing I’d been doing over the past few days. Towards the end, I could feel and hear my eardrums poping and blowing out from the nose blowing. I think that started an infection or something so it’s off to the doctor on Monday morning. I think this is a record for me of missed days at work. I’ll be pretty surprised if I don’t have a talking to when I get in.

On a positive note, a lot of the pain and pressure of the past few days has subsided a little so at least life is worth bearing now. I also managed to get a few hours of work done on the side so I’ve managed to make a little bit of money while being out of my main job!

Got to watch the debates completely (while being in utter illness myself). I’ll admit I was pretty surprised to see a fairly small amout of political rehtoric and BS answers coming out both their mouths. Instead, I saw a pretty clear answer to where each person stands (at least regarding Iraq). That I think made for a fairly positive debate (which I just wasn’t expecting from either side). As several reporters have put it, it’s not that one side won over the other as much as the VOTERS won in that first debate. Now I get to wait and see what the next few debates do…

Oct 022004
 

I’ve been sick for the past nearly 4 days and I’m just now starting to come out of the fog. It seems that a co-worker (whom shall remain nameless) came to work sick and managed to get me and one other out for the count. It looks like I was the worst since I managed to miss two workdays as a result. This Saturday wasn’t too pretty but at least there is some relief to my sinus pressure. It all started Wednesday morning when my sinuses started running like a garden hose. All day long they just continued no matter what I tried to take to stop the draining. Soon my throat was getting irritated and then the lungs started getting their fill when I slept (or at least tried to). Come Wednesday night I could barely exist. I tried to sleep but only got a couple hours before the draining just made it impossible. For the next couple of days, I suffered tremendously. I sure do wish I could have taken more advantage of the time off from work and commuting but I was just in too much misery to try and make it that productive. I did manage to get Candi’s printer and new computer up and running (she’s pretty happy about that). Now I’ve got to start thinking about if I want to continue running a MS Server 2003 box or not. I’m still undecided on that…

I also managed to get quite a few new albums in my possession thanks to BitTorrent links. Let’s see here:

-Bad Company “Anthology” (1999) and “Straight Shooter” (1974)
-Brian Eno “Another Green World” (1975)
-Fatboy Slim “Palookaville” (2004)
-Gorillaz “Gorillaz” (2001) [finally got the complete album]
-Green Day “American Idiot” (2004)
-Jean Michel Jarre “Aero” (2004)
-Megadeath “The System Has Failed” (2004)
-Sum 41 “All Killer No Filer” (2001) and Chuck (2004)
-Prodigy “Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned” (2004)

I have to admit I’ve never managed to catch these many albums and been so happy with them. It turns out that most of the 2004 albums haven’t been released yet! Prodigy and Megadeath new releases are just super improvements over their earlier works. I’ve also been facinated with those young kids from Sum 41. Incredible music and their second album has just some of the most moving lyrics I’ve heard in a long time. Sum 41 give me home that there are still good bands coming out of the record industry…

I also must note that I’ve been listening to lyrics a lot more lately thanks to some of you out there influencing me to pay more attention. Some of the work listed above have had quite an impact on me as a result. Thanks for wearing off on me (and you know who you are)!

On a technical side, I’ve managed to learn how to “slipstream” wich means I can now burn a new Windows XP CD with SP2 pre-installed -along with an answer file. This means that I can now load windows on a new workstation by simply booting to my new CD, selecting the partition to load to, and just walk away! What a joy this will be for future installations that I no longer have to babysit and then update!

I had a good talking to about my marriage this past Friday while in my sickness stupor and it has been determined that I just go to bed too late doing stuff for other people and other projects instead of working at home and taking care of my family. I think that in the back of my head I knew it too but it never came foreward. Thanks to the group and the people in my life helping me and my family, I now have a plan (and some accountability) to make things better. I’ve agreed to only work on side projects when Candi’s not home, or agreed to. I will go to bed at 11pm and get up for the train at 4am. This also means that, come 10:30, my butt better be in the kitchen doing the dishes! I’m actually a little excited about the change as I’m also looking foreward to getting a lot of work done while on the train (if not some needed sleeping). I think this will be a major turning point in my life. Pray that it holds true…

Sep 292004
 

Well it looks like I can type a little faster than I thought. I managed to find the website http://www.learn2type.com and did an online typing test. I was averaging around 45 WPM which is about 10 faster than the last time I checked. That’s encouraging. It means that my “craft” is getting better. Now I have to work on my wording. It seems that I have a ton of thoughts and ideas that I want to get typed out of my head -and they sound sooo great while they’re in my head too! Once I actually type them out, I’m just not happy with them at all. I sure hope to get better at expressing my thoughts in the near future….

My thoughts for the the day:

Early on in my life as a young adult (probably around the beginning of high school) I came to the determination that I just didn’t want to get married if I was still a virgin. Losing my virginity was a major goal of mine throughout all of my high school days (and I have a feeling that it was a lot harder to do that back then than it is now). I didn’t actually lose it until I was 17. I remember that moment still. I was thinking after it was all over, “Is that all?” All the craziness that us young, horny men go through is for this? Well, the answer is both yes and no. The truth is that we men are obsessed with the “next hunt”, because there is always that hope that the next conquest will be better than the one before. Sex is like that. There is a constant thirst for more -and it will never be quenched. Never. That thirst for more and more “satisfaction” takes many men to places that they would have never dreamed of at first. It can become embarrassing, shameful, or even something you’re proud of. In the end though, it only leaves behind a lot of damage in it’s wake.

I was definitely not a virgin when I got married. Neither was my wife. We dated for about a year and were engaged for about 5 months. In those short months coming up to our marriage, our impatience got the best of us both and we did a lot of things together that I will forever regret. The wedding wasn’t nearly as special for us as a result (not outwardly though). Every wedding I ever see now always makes me a little sad because of what we did with only a few short days left to wait. The moment we were on our honeymoon, it hit me. I had been duped! My whole life up until now, I was duped. Why would I need to be sexually “experienced” before we were married? Hell, we still didn’t know what to do with each other on our honeymoon. The difference is that we are now joined permanently together. We’ll have the rest of our lives to find out how to do it. We will become experts in what pleases each other! The difference now is the fact that I’m not the only man my wife has been with and vice-versa. If I want to, all I have to do is remember. We polluted our sexual relationship before we ever met -not that we have any problems with it!

But I can remember those feelings while we were still dating -“yearnings” would be more like it. I wanted to be with her physically sooooo much. I sometimes felt like I would just explode if I waited any longer. We both wanted each other terribly -and cut a lot of corners as a result. I can remember thinking that it would be just impossible to go another day without her touch.

…And the moment we got in that car leaving our wedding behind, all those feelings went away -in a flash. It’s been 6 years now and we’re only closer. I bet if I went back in time, found myself and shook around telling me to just hold on for a short time longer, I seriously doubt I would even believe myself! If I went back in time and said to me that I would be even closer that we were when we were engaged, I probably would say that that’s impossible -but we ARE closer now. I’m sure we’ll be even closer still a few years from now.

Don’t know if this helps anyone but at least I’ve gotten it out of my head!

Sep 292004
 

Man do I need to stop working down below. I’m not getting anything done at home. The house is still a mess, paperwork is piling up, and I’m still not getting much sleep. I’m slowly thinking that the money isn’t worth it anymore. I’ve got at least 3-5 projects just sitting on the shelf at the moment -and some of them are paying gigs. I’ve got to do something to get out of this work in Van Nuys. I shoot out about 2-4 resumes every week and I’m looking for work every day -and I mean EVERY DAY!!!

I’ve just got to do something to get the time back in my life -before I have none left…

Sep 272004
 

Not that it was a totally horrible time -but pretty close! I was definitely due for a long weekend of catching up on my sleep. Getting up earlier than I normally do during the week so we can drive down to Anaheim, to walk around all day and try and see stuff…hmmm. Not fun for me. I did enjoy the Star Tours and Pirates rides (like I always do). I never bore of them even though I have worked on them as an engineer in the past and know all about what goes on behind the magic. Getting to bed a 2am on Sunday morning means no church for me tomorrow! I eventually wound up just sleeping through most of the day (and missed Steve’s B-day party). At least I got my sleeping in on Sunday to make me ready for a super-early start time come today. Looks like my boss wants to head out of the AV this early every day…uug. At least I’ll be getting back to town at a decent time (if I don’t start driving myself more often). All in all, I look at going to Disneyland a lot like me dragging my wife to the Pomona computer show. I did it because I love her and want her to be happy. I did my best not to complain or punish anyone for dragging me there -I was a good sport.

I did get my mini wireless mouse in on Friday night! Oh joy of joys!! Not that often does a $5 item make me so happy as the fact that I don’t have to unwind my laptop mouse every day as I have been doing for the past few weeks. I think I’ll be looking for some good AAA rechargables here pretty soon as I expect these little guys not to last that long (but you never know).

Finally loaded 3D Studio Max 6 on the laptop. I’m hoping to start getting up to speed on the new platform this week in anticipation of some more work coming my way. I sure do hope that I get to the point where this is all the work I do for a living…some day…

Sep 242004
 

Actually I don’t know why I’m even a little excited. I’m tired. I’m behind on the work I need to get done at home, and I’ve been sick. I’d MUCH rather stay home and sleep in than have to get up stupid-early, drive for a few hours, and then walk around for the rest of the day. But Disneyland does have it’s good points: my wife like it for one!

I started working on another client’s computer last night only to find out that between the time that I turned it off at their house and hooked it up at my shop, the system has died. Looks like either a dead CPU or motherboard. I’m trying to replace it with some of the units I have lying around the shop but I’m only getting more and more convinced that this is probably not the business for me. I think that God is telling me that I’m only going to experience more of this than less if I chose to make this my own company.

Got a call from an old boss whose an architect. He want to meet with me for lunch this Tuesday and talk about some drafting work I can do for him on the side. More of the same stuff here: predictable work that won’t break down like computers do! I thknk I’m going to take the work on but I may have to have him pay most of it up front considering how long it took him to pay me last time. And how much to charge….I just don’t know anymore.

Sep 222004
 

I barely get any decent sleep these days and now I’m pretty sick thanks to bronchitis and I STILL chose not to go to bed at a decent time -even when I can! What in the world is wrong with me. I got home tonight around 8pm and still didn’t go to bed until 1am!!! What was I doing? Well after a little dishes and the cat litter…watched TV! Anything good? NO! Just stupid shows -well I take that back. Drew Barrymore did a documentary on why kids today don’t vote on MTV that was pretty good. I have to say that I’m impressed with the girl. Not even a HS diploma to her name and she’s fairly well versed in the ways of the world. I have my own thoughts on why there are so few voting kids these days but that’s for another entry. Still, I could have gone to bed at 11pm easily without too much trouble. dummy.

I will take this time to mention the fact that I’ve been writing a book in my head for several years now. It’s a physics book about the world and how it works. Reading the journal entries of another here has inspired me to finally start putting it all down…

1st law of physics in “the Book of Jon”:
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>>THE STUPIDITY OF AN ORGANIZATION IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO IT’S SIZE<< -Through many years of careful observation and thoughtful consideration, I have managed to reduce the long algebra equation down to this simple formula. The bigger the company, the less consequences there are for stupidity. In a small company, if you are stupid, you either get fired or bring the company down. In larger companies, being stupid could actually be an asset and help with your advancement! I plan on contributing more and more to this first law of physics in the near future but I think that this is all for now. How will this first law help others? Simple: by understanding the laws around you, you won't be as easily surprised when stupidity shows up and declares itself in charge. In fact, depending on the size of the company you're working in, you'd be better off EXPECTING to encounter stupidity. That way, you won't be as easily disappointed! ======================================== Don't know what my next law will cover though...I'm open to suggestions though! I'm serious about writing a book about this (or at least a long essay). I'd sure love to hear people's thoughts on this. I think when the essay get's long enough (and I have developed supporting documentation) I'll see if slashdot.org will consider posting it for review by it's people (still a pipe dream though) All the re-finance money is now officially gone. That sux. At least we're all paid up on stuff and have AC. Now I've actually got to be financially responsible. I hate doing that.

Sep 212004
 

Well if yesterday night wasn’t enough, now my entire body aches from all that coughing and I can barely breathe without hurting somewhere. I sure can’t take deep breaths and I’m deathly afraid of sneezing now. I’m not sure if this is a result of an accumulation of sleep depravation or just my general lack of good mental and spiritual health…

Met with another potential client over lunch yesterday. Looks like I may have some side work coming my way that I can deal with -that being mainly drafting work. None of the problems of quirky PC’s and their temperament. Just good ‘ole hourly billing! I can deal with that!!! Sure was nice to have my laptop there when we were looking at some of his drawings while eating lunch at some hole-in-the-wall Greek food joint.

I’ve been brewing some sort of creative thing in my head as of the past few weeks and I think it’s time to put it down here for the moment. I don’t know if it’s going to be a song, a poem, a movie, or whatever, but it all got started when I saw the latest Exorcist movie. Now I have always loved those scary movies but it got me thinking about true evil and how it really operates. I can’t imagine a man that has lived as long as the Earth is so stupid to think that running around scaring people to death is going to advance his cause. I’m sure the devil operates a lot more like the movie The Devils Advocate. There you don’t even realize what’s going on until it’s too late. He doesn’t take away your soul in front of your face -you give it to him. When I think about what’s going on in this country from a political standpoint, I have seen a lot of this over the years. With many kids growing up without a real education in the ways of the world or their history, politicians can say things that would have never even been considered a few decades ago because people would have had an understanding of how things work that would have precluded their acceptance. Not today -and the disease of ignorance is spreading. We will slowly but surely give away the virtues that made the US great WILLINGLY! There’s a song in there somewhere -I know it! It goes all the way to the top of our world’s governments, and all the way down the every last one of us on an individual basis. So many of us willingly GIVE UP or GIVE AWAY the only thing we truly own: Our hears, our freedoms, our choices, our time & energy, ect… Why do so many of us do that for nothing of real value? I can say this because I am also guilty of it…

Sep 202004
 

Last night was just terrible. What is it about Sunday nights? Is it that my body knows that I’m going to have to get up early and go to work the next day? Is my body “rejecting” the commute and the work? Should I listen or beat it and make my body my slave?

Last night I awoke around 2am to the wonderful feeling of throwing up and having that wonderful stew not make it out of my mouth but into my lungs! Spent the next few hours coughing, spitting up junk, and dry heaving. My eyes kept tearing and my nose kept running too. That was just wonderful. I could barely breathe -and then I started sneezing -oh joy! When my body finally calmed down and I felt sleepy again, it was 5:30. Screw it! I’m going back to sleep. I managed only to be 1 hour late to work as a result but I’m not a happy camper here. I still have junk in my lungs and feel just aweful. My whole body aches from all the coughing and I can barely talk from the sore throat thanks to a lot of “acid traffic” there. I think I ate too much before going to bed (and doing other things once there). One thing’s for sure: I definitely need to lose my gut. I’ve been told that my acid reflux is due in large part to the pressure on the valve at the top of my stomach. Going to do a little research on that one in the web today -and see if I can find out what happened to me last night too.

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Well I finally realized I’m old this weekend. I finally slipped in the bathtub and landed right on my hip at the edge of the tub. OOOOOWWWWW!!!! A few more years on me and that baby would be broke (my hip, not the tub). I’m now off to get a bath mat for the tub. Don’t want that happening again!

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Laptop’s workin’ just great now. I delivered it yesterday and the client is just fired up to have an aquarium screen saver! I think that made the nearly-$900 purchase all worth it for him!! Now I’ve only got one more PC to rebuild before my table is clean and ready for more. Gonna need some more work soon to help support my own geeky addiction…

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Looks like the vacant lot next to my house is up for sale! I’m going to see today if I can afford it. If so…YEA BABY YYYEEEAAAHHH!!!!!

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Did I mention that it’s awesome having airconditioning in the home?!

Sep 172004
 

Just got a few eBay items and I can’t to get them! Got a new keyboard (with a volume knob on it). I might finally replace my VERY old keyboard that I’ve used for years. I don’t know if I’ll like the feel of the keys but that will have to be something I see when it get’s here. I also got an SGI 3-button mouse! Now Ican replace my old SGI mouse with a new one and leave PS/2 components out completely! I also found an SGI keyboard but I don’t think I’m going for it ATM…

Last on my list to get is a mini USB wireless mouse for my laptop. I’m getting sick of managing that small wire on the mini mouse I currently use so we’ll just have to see what I can manage to find…

I’m starting to feel a little better about my health. I think getting some more sleep may be a part of it…naaaw! Anyways, I’ve been able to keep focused more at work and not even need to catch a quick nap while sitting on the toilet anymore (which is way better on my neck and back)! Looks like I may have to return that Compaq laptop if I can’t figure out why SP2 won’t cooperate with the system. I can’t even get a look at the BSD message as it immediately reboots so I’m hoping I can pause it the next time it happens. Looks like I’m going to be rebuilding their old system just so they can do basic school work while we figure out this problem. I am sooo glad this isn’t my full-time business when things like this happen. The problem with laptops is that you just never know when you’re going to have a problem or a walk in the park working on them…

…And I wasn’t ignoring you on AIM yesterday. I was called away from my desk and missed your messages. Sorry ’bout that. I’m normally good about changing my status when I leave!

Sep 162004
 

Late to work again. Well maybe I shouldn’t rely on just 2-3 hours sleep. I felt just dizzy with tiredness last night and I still tried to get a client’s laptop working. Found some awesome sinus stuff thanx to Zoila. Vic’s nasal inhaler for sinisitus and allergy relief. Worked incredibly last night! Guess I’ve got a new friend…

Sep 152004
 

Well I thought it would be funny. I guess a lot of things sound “just dandy” in my head but when they come out of my mouth (or my keyboard) it isn’t that well received! Sorry ’bout that [you know who you are]. I suppose that’s why I’m not a career comedian –although I’m probably the funniest engineer you’ll ever meet!

Sep 152004
 

Another night with about 1-2 hours of sleep thanks to my sinuses. Last night was about the same. I swear I’m going to get business cards printed with “Sleep Depravation Institute” on them! The AC is sure nice though. At least I know that my problem isn’t due to the mulberry tree outside anymore. My guess now is that I have to do a lot of dust removal from the house before I’m going to get anymore sleep. The exhaustion that is sure to come hasn’t hit me yet and I’m scared to see when it will come today…

I setup a laptop for a client over the weekend that I’ve now had to take back from it malfunctioning. Damn Compaq won’t cooperate with SP2 for XP-Pro. My own HP laptop has been running SP2 for weeks now without a single problem. The memory usage is also pretty high -over 215MB just sitting there not doing anything! Considering the fact that there’s only 256MB system RAM in the laptop, that’s a problem. Now it looks like I’m going to be rebuilding the laptop for a third time. This time, I’m going to use the XP-Home version that came with the laptop from Compaq. Maybe it’ll work better (I hope). Why can’t anything just WORK?!

I got an “essential” collection of Tears For Fears 3-CD set from BitTorrent only to find out that each and every song has been tuned up about a whole tone high. I started listening to the tracks this morning thinking, “I don’t remember these songs pitched so high before!” When I dug up some older copies of the same song, I found out that my suspition was right! Three days of downloading at a trickle for nothing!! [Aaarg]