Monday, December 29, 2003

Let me now comment on these emails since I am finally done hooking up the computer that was just returned to me. It took too long to do it. Anywho, first let me state, that I too am in agreeance with the two fine gentlemen below regarding a gift obtained from a deceased individual. However, I think we need to look at how the departed's death was induced. Perhaps the lifeless individual was exterminated by some rare third country VERY contagious illness. Then perhaps items such as the obsolete's false teeth or sweaty socks and/or belly button lint should be barred and proscribed from the joyous occasion that is The Giving Of The Gifts. But then again, if this were the case I would hope the undertaker participating in this particular undertaking would avoid all human contact for the remainder of his days in this worldly realm. Our laws governing this particular case of a dead one's possessions however may need to be refined in order to maintain the safety of those who have come to except and benefit from the Spirit of Solstivus.
I received a few emails regarding my post on the 23rd of December. I figured they warranted posting.

Email 1:
Said friend has a Solstivus gift for JR that apparently came from a dead person. "Is it OK to give a Solstivus gift that once belonged to a dead person?" I refer to our by laws in which we stated that the object had to be in the donor's prior possession. Note that we specified that this did not rule out dumpster diving. My understanding of the application of the by laws to your question is that as long as your friend did not pay for the item that he is going to give to you, and as long as he had it in his prior possession, then I say that it is a valid gift.

There is nothing in our by laws that speaks to the civil laws, however. I wonder if the gift item in question was taken from the dead person without the knowledge of the grieving family. Is it a gold watch that was given to some guy as a retirement gift? Is it gold fillings that the friend or his brother pulled from the mouth of the dead guy? Is it the underwear in which he died? This whole thing is getting entirely too weird even for me. As much as I applaud the spirit of Solstivus and the propagating of it, I say that we notify the authorities that the undertaker is pilfering from the dead. Having said that, I must add that there is an extenuating circumstance. Namely, the Summer Solstivus, about which we have not spoken. The Winter Solstivus is about giving. It stands to reason that the Summer Solstivus should be about taking. If the gift from the undertaker's son had been taken on or about the Summer Solstivus, then I say "Hurrah!"

-UB

Email 2:
I would have to agree with the analysis below. Regardless of how the friend came into possession of the gift, there does not appear to be any rule violations (i.e. purchasing the gift). Therefore, it is fair game. How appropriate it is for the friend to take from the dead is another matter altogether but is outside the sphere of our influence and concern. It should be pointed out, however, how this situation speaks to the power of the spirit of Solstivus.

-Adam

Saturday, December 27, 2003

I don't get it. Pasta is pasta right? But why does different pasta not taste the same? Just a thought I had while I was eating dinner tonight.

Tomorrow I'm going back to Lancaster to see some friends from high school. Five hours of driving time may not seem worth it to you, but I haven't seen some of these people for over a year. I hope the food is good!

Friday, December 26, 2003

I am currently writing this entry on my new PDA while I sit on the couch and watch TV. Look at me write. Weeeeeeeee! Hurray for wireless internet and technology.

Wednesday, December 24, 2003

There's no better Christmas gift than your boss coming around to you and saying, "Hey, it's Christmas Eve, if you want to walk right out that door, my back is turned." So, what do you think I did? Of course! I walked right out that door. Of course I waited for some other people to walk out first. But I thought that was pretty nice. It stinks for those people that took off work today. I got a free half day, they paid for their full day. Oh well.

Well, I guess this is it then. Merry Christmas to all, and don;t forget, my birthday is in two days. Buy me something! If you need my address, just let me know.

Tuesday, December 23, 2003

Boy oh boy! Vikki gave me a whole bunch of crap to comment on! First of all, just because your cousin George says you look good as a blond doesn't mean you should stay blond. Isn't the George the one that was tipping the boat and throwing cherry bombs at his younger cousins this past 4th of July? Second of all, yes it is weird to want to keep your wisdom teeth. Personally I find it rather disgusting. Thirdly, thanks for recognizing my master superior GameCube skills. I RULE! Fourthly, you shouldn't be jealous of your sister. Just remember whom the midnight rapist comes after and always hold that over her head. Fifthly, She probably sent the Red Sox card to herself, she seems like someone that would do that. And finally, I've told you before and I'm sure Andy will back me up. Just because people who live in Massachusetts speak with "the accent" does not mean you should, nor does it mean that it's cool to do it. Look at Mitch. Who is cooler than he? And he doesn't speak with the "stupid" accent.

One a final note, Tim tells me his brother has a Solstivus gift for me. For those of you who have been involved in the Solstivus Rules of The Giving of the Gifts, what's the ruling on gifts that have been taken from dead people? Tim's brother is an undertaker. Although, if Dead Gene's underwear ever came up as a gift I'd probably allow it. Of course, I can only hope that it would be the Hall of Fame Pooping Man!

Monday, December 22, 2003

I have only three words to say today. They go something like this: Gold, Parade, Kart! If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's too bad. Maybe someday, Tim Romanoski will be able to clue you in . . . Someday. . .

Sunday, December 21, 2003

Solstivus! It's the holiday for kings! Well, ok so it's the holiday my family and I made up, but every year it seems to get bigger. Tonight was "The Giving of the Gifts" ceremony. This involves digging thru your house and finding a bunch of crap to give away to those you cherish most. This year I got some nice alcoholic playing cards (No Vikki you can't have them), 4 empty Alltoid containers and a cheap a** car emergency kit. Each year we have the "Hall of Fame Gifts." Such gifts of yester-year include "The Pooping Man," a pair of used sneakers, old eye glass lenses. This year the Hall of Fame Gift was a 35 year old baseball mitt and a pair of contact lenses. Each lens a different prescription.

Since this holiday is still in the works, this year we came up with the Solsti-bowl. This is the traditional outing of Solstivus. You grab the bowling shoes and head out to your local bowling place and bowl a few games. Of course be on the look out for a Solstivus Miracle!

Saturday, December 20, 2003

So let me tell you about the absolute stupidest movie I have ever seen in my whole life. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2. First let me start out by saying, why even name it this? It's all about Eddie, Clarke's brother. Second of all, the theme of Christmas barely even presents itself! Third of all, they already made this flick, but in the image of a great TV show called Gillagan's Island! If you happened to witness this awful 2 hour torture pit of a made-for-TV-movie, I truly feel your pain. However, if you happened to watch all 2 hours of it, well, then I'll just call you Stupid!

Friday, December 19, 2003

So we decorated the Christmas Tree last night. Unfortunately one of the more than 20 strings of light on the tree was out so my dad went thru one by one replacing each light. I told him it was a useless gesture but he was determined to make this string work. I figured it was probably a short in the string. Well, to make a long story short my dad wound up just turning the tree around so the lights that were off faced the wall. I hate it when I'm right.

More snow today. Will this endless white bliss ever stop? Let hope not. Come January I want enough snow up at The Knob that Stembogen Bowl will be open. It's pretty much the best single ski slope in the commonwealth. I'll let you know the next time I leave my house. It may be for bread and milk so I can continue to live for the next week.

Today's Handy Tip: If you happen to be stripping wire while standing a few yards above a conveyor belt and the conveyor belt is running, be sure to NOT drop your wire strippers. Especially if the material on the belt is flowing into a concrete truck to be pored somewhere miles away!

Special Note: Today's Handy Tip brought to you by observation, NOT experience.

Thursday, December 18, 2003

Nothing real big to report today. More snow yesterday. I hear it's supposed to snow even more. Hey, bring it on I say. The only thing that really bothers me is those stupid drivers that drive the big flower delivery truck and they're driving 10 feet from your bumper when you're going 50 MPH on snow covered roads. Do they honestly think that if I were to stop quickly, they would be able to stop in time before raping my car? Randy is right. All people should be forced to take a simple physics class in which they are taught simple physics so they can understand the principles or inertia and momentum and the coefficient of friction. Then, after the class is over we'll have a driving test. Those that don't pass will likely be killed in the accidents they get into. Making the roads even more safe for everyone!

Wednesday, December 17, 2003

Who is this Paris Hilton and why do I keep getting emails to see her naked? Is this person popular? If anyone knows who this person is it would be Vikki. Please tell me who this person is and why has she been appearing in my inbox for the past few weeks naked?

Today's' work tip: If you are soldering something at your desk, take extra care in where you place your hot soldering iron. It is not a good idea to place it close to the keyboard in the event that the iron may roll towards the keyboard without your knowledge and the next thing you know you're smelling burning plastic and half of your Ctrl key has melted away.

Tuesday, December 16, 2003

So I know you've all seen the giant inflatable Santas and snowmen out there. But today, I saw the super-sized giant Santa! This thing had to have been at least 1 1/2 stories tall! It was huge! Beside it was a drawfed snowman looking like he was Andy Vogel sized. It was sort of scary. I think the kids would be scared of that Santa. Not only would that Santa not be able to come down the chimney, but it wouldn't be able walk but on all fours inside the house.

On a different note, The Workplace Christmas Party was tonight. What a blast! I'm not a big one for socializing but I don't mind it every now and then. Free drinks and a free meal, what more could you ask for? Well, it would have been nice to win a door prize but I knew how my luck was so I never even got my hopes up. They had some nice prizes too. A TV/VCR/DVD combo, a new camcorder, new phones, a George Foreman. But oh well, what do I need all that stuff for anyway? Ashley won something for the second year in a row. I told him next year we're swapping tickets. Although with my luck I would have had a winner before the trade.

Monday, December 15, 2003

Ok, so my hassles with moisture probes are not over yet. We ordered one from England and I had to figure out how to calibrate the darn thing. Luckily there's software the company provides, to help with this. So I had to figure out how to hook the probe up to the computer and talk to it via RS-485 protocol. Not a problem. So after I get all that done and read the manual on how to calibrate it, I look online to see some engineering notes about the company's products over the years. I get to a report (these reports are from the company so it's a nice service they put out, and they should for the price you pay) that says you should really do the calibration externally and just use the default calibration internally. So now I'm torn. I can easily code up some lines to calibrate within the application, but it could be much more precise, yet much more time consuming to calibrate it internally. If only I had real issues like normal people.

To top it off, I've decided The Workplace is indeed a Seinfeld episode every single day. Not only do we get conflicting reports about the same darn projects from different people, there's absolutely nothing we can do about it. I usually just laugh it off and think which Seinfeld character am I. I know I'm not Kramer, nor am I even close to the worrier George. I've got it down to Elaine or Jerry and since I don't really care to be a girl, I've decided I'm the Jerry of our little automation department. I crack the jokes about everyone else and find the humor in everything going on. Ashley's a big worrier and likes to get excited sometimes so he's George, but with normal hair. That leaves Randy as Elaine. Switch the genders and you've pretty much got a perfect match. Intelligent yet ready to tell the unbelievable stories that just happened to him and fight for what he believe in. Finally the most obvious of all is GW as Kramer. Not only does he come up with completely outlandish ideas, we never really see him doing anything. Yet things always get done.

Sunday, December 14, 2003

Well the weekend has come and gone and lucky my 2.75 hour trip resulted in nothing more and a 1/4 tank of gas left in my car. Grant it the trip usually takes about an hour less than that but with snow and freezing rain, there were a few complications. The thing that gets me is how in the WORLD can people feel safe driving 65 MPH on snow covered highways when temperatures are well below 0oC and its freezing rain all around? I was going around 50, 55 MPH and at times I needed to slow down to allow my car to spit out some slush or ease around a turn. It amazes me that people can be so incredibly stupid when it comes to life. It also amazes me that trucks think they can go normal speed in the snow with their huge loads hauling a** behind them.

But hey, what can you do? My Stillers lost today completely dashing their hopes of playoff joys. Not that they had a huge change even if they did win today. Maybe next year. Hopefully by that time I'll have loads of Pittsburgh parafanalia and whatever else goes along with living in this part of the world.

Saturday, December 13, 2003

So did I beat you enough in Double Dash Vikki? I just want you to know that I am writing this blog post on your computer. HAHAHA! Hopefully it won't crash on me and destroy the entire world, which it just may because you STILL have Windows ME!

So tonight, Kate and I went to Red Lobster for dinner. I have the Donzens of Shrimp dinner. Four dozen shrimp or various type and flavor! All 48 of which are now happily in my stomach. Anywho, so we were waiting for our table to be ready when Kate nudges me and says, "Look at that guy over there!" I look and I see none other than George Castanza! Okay, so it wasn't really him, but he looked exactly like him! He even had on George's light brown coat that he wears. Of course he had no more hair than George and he even wore the same glasses and would take them off just like George himself. I realize it's not nice to stare, but how can you not when the Mechanisburg version of "Can't-Stand-Ya" is eating dinner with a girl you know will break up with him in the next few days and is only 20 feet away?

Thursday, December 11, 2003

No word about scoreboards today! Today was another fun filled coding day. Although I have successfully completed controlling a tilt mixer potentiometer with the computer. The touch the screen and if they drag their finder up, out comes more voltage and the bowl will tilt faster. They drag their finger down, and down comes the voltage and the bowl will tilt slower. And I'm sure this is all so very exciting to you.

So the snow is all gone. All it took was a day of ran to wash the snow away. Now there's flooding again. But I live on a hill so flooding is of no concern to me. When I ran today i think it started to sleet. I don't know if you've ever run when it's sleeting before but I wouldn't recommend it. Little pellets flying into your eyes and your freezing cold cheeks. OUCH I say!

Now it looks like it's e-mail time. You may think that writing e-mails is fun. I once did too. Then it became a hassle. Now I dread it. Why? I don't know. But here's to writing to friends who never respond back . . .

Wednesday, December 10, 2003

Irony is the word for the day. Today at work, Gary told someone about my work on scoreboards back in my days. Let me just repeat how much I REALLY dislike scoreboards since then. Anywho, Larry's scoreboard is broken so Jimmy gets a call on fixing it. Come on now, I don't know what's wrong with it! The reason we built our own scoreboard was because we couldn't figure out how they work! But I took some screws of and peaked around. Since peaking also involves touching components I was quickly running my fingers over ic's and stuff when suddenly, BLAHHHHHHHHHH! I got the jolt of my life! My whole arm spasmed as 12.6 volts at 1 amp jabbed thru my body. Now I've gotten shocked before, but this was serious. If my heart didn't stop for a second then it stopped for a minute, whatever that means. After that I decided I had enough and screwed it back up and said to Gary, I see no problems, but don't touch THAT piece!

Anywho, the irony of my story has yet to be realized. Scoreboards had not been mentioned to me since about April 25th. So when it was brought up today I was a little surprised. Then, I check my e-mail not too long ago. There's an e-mail in it from some guy from the Philippines claiming he is doing exactly what we did and he wants more info on it. WOW! First of all, the fact the he even found our information on it surprises me, but it was brought to my attention that if you do a google search for "scoreboard integration" our website is first on the list. Anyway, the this is why I love life! What are the odds that two pieces of that 10,000 piece puzzle would fall off the table on the floor at the exact same time and then fit together? Probably a lot greater if the puzzle was pre-assembled . . .
There was a time in my short life when I thought it would be cool to work someplace and then have meetings to go to. Share your insights with others and gain knowledge about what others are doing. Well, that day came and went REAL fast! Two meetings today both around 2 hours long. One was a meeting on a future project involving a boiler, steam and lots and lots of open-close valves. Ashley and I will think the project will be pretty straight forward. Gary seems to think that we need to take a step back and re-think. This coming from the guy who three weeks ago said this was nothing, a start-done deal. I guess we'll see who's right in about year. Lets hope it was us. The second meeting was just Ashley and myself and my boss. We went over our plans for the next few months and what we've done in the past month or so. The Boss (not to be confused with The Big Boss, my boss' boss or The Big Big Boss, The Big Boss' father and owner of the company) can talk it up like none other. I say about a paragraphs worth of stuff when he asks me questions and explaining whatever it is I've been doing and then he'll go on about whatever else for 20 minutes. So hours with The Boss results in about 1.5 hours of The Boss talking and the rest us explaining or asking questions. But he's a good guy. Real laid back and super organized. Just the guy you want to work for. Let me tell you, he gets things done! If only the Automation Department could operate like that . . .

Tuesday, December 09, 2003

Come on now Andy, I'm sure we have more than 2 plows in this state. There's at least 4.

So tomorrow we'll get pas the halfway mark. Time sure does seem to fly. It's only a few weeks left until Christmas! I remember when I was a little tyke and Christmas seemed like it took FOREVER to get here. I'd lay awake at night thinking, "only four more days, you can do it. Only two more days, almost there." I'm pretty sure the nights of December 3rd were some of the longest in history. Santa must flex the space-time continuum when he soared around at speeds well above the speed of light. Time would just creep on by. Anyway, now I'm older is Christmas is slowly becoming just another day. It still nice though. It's an excuse for the whole family to gather around and spend time with each other. And there's definitely nothing wrong with that.

On a more serious note, I made record time today running! 18 minutes and 5 seconds! Boy did I cruise to try and break that 18 minute mark, but not this time. Soon hopefully. The only drawback was my knee swelled up and not its difficult to walk. But it'll be all better by morning. My Wolverine jeans will heal everything.

Monday, December 08, 2003

Not too much to discuss today. The plows decided to come out of hiding and finally do their job, so the roads around here are finally starting to get cleared. Things at The Workplace are starting to slow down as well too. Not that they were speeding along since I've been there anyway but they are slowing down even more now. Time now is spent more on projects and development than troubleshooting and bug fixes. 'Tis the season as they say. I realize that has absolutely nothing to do with my story but I felt like saying it anyway.

Hey, here's something I've been noticing. Those ads you see at the top of my blog page. They always seem to make some reference to something I've written about. I did some checking and that exactly what they do! They pick out key words on my blog and then find ads relating to those words and link to them. Janet's ads talk about Law and Order, go figure that her headline for the last month has bee "Law and Order." Andy mentions snow, and behold, an ad with snow in it. I talk about farms and the weather. What a surprise, links to farmers almanac and the weather. Finally there's Vikki. What's that you say, Christmas shopping? You'll just have to check out the ad.

Sunday, December 07, 2003

Finally! A good day for the Stillers. I must admit, I was a little skeptical about this win, but by the 2nd half, I was pretty confidant. I had to take breaks from painting the guest room to watch the game. Now the guest room a some shade of green and Jerome Bettis has moved up to 9th place in all time running distance. Coincidence? I don't think so.

It snowed a bit here the last few days. Friday it all started. We got about an inch or two by dinner time. The roads were great! I drove to the world famous Roaring Spring and back in The Van with no problems. Now, it snowed another 6 or 7 inches by lunch Saturday. Okay, that is a descent amount for snow plows to keep up with. So over the mountain and thru the cove to Grandmother's house I went for dinner. Now, the road I live on, Cranberry Road, is probably one of the most unknown, untraveled roads in the cove (which isn't really saying a lot, but bear with me here). So when I pulled out of my driveway and onto Cranberry Road and the road was very nicely plowed and clear of all snow I figured the rest of the roads, even the state roads would be even better. RAHHHHH!!! I pull onto Route 866, which is about the busiest and most known road in the cove and there's snow all over the place!!! What's up with that?? I gave the plowers the benefit of the doubt and decided to cast my decision on the snow removal on my way home from dinner. RAHHHHH!! Still snow and ice everywhere except the road in front of my house. I might have to stop one of the Covites riding his four-wheeler and tell him to but his plow on it and drive it up and down the road. Come on people let's move it! Hop to! Chop chop!

Saturday, December 06, 2003

Let me CLEARIFY some more things here. Don't e-mail me complaining about your AOL account and how it doesn't have those same internet icons. I don't really care. Frankly, I remember when I was once an AOL "loser" myself. Those days are long gone and that makes me a better person than you. Second of all, don't e-mail me and harass me about your IQ. The top two percent may be genius but I'm pretty sure the top 0.5% is a lot better than that. Of course that type of math I just did may be a bit beyond you, but that's ok. My pet spider monkey struggles with that one too.
After a few conversations I've had during the past few days, I thought some things needed to be clarified. Please note the following symbols and their meaning:

These are symbols used to internet browsing. Please observe their definition in order of appearance:

Back - This moves you back the previous page you were on
Forward - This moves you ahead if you have gone back
Refresh - This will reload the page you are currently looking at
Stop - This will stop the page you are currently looking at from loading
Home - This will automatically send you to your homepage.

Now these five buttons will appear all the time! You will never find one without the others.


These are symbols used when listening to music. Please observe their definition in order of appearance:

Play - This will start the music playing
Pause - This will pause the music exactly where it is.
Stop - This will stop the music
Last Song - This will go back and play the last song you just heard
Rewind - This will rewind the music until you hit stop
Fast Forward - this will fast forward the music until you hit stop
Next Song - This will skip ahead and start playing the next song

These buttons will also appear with one another. Do not get them confused!

Friday, December 05, 2003

Let me defend Pennsylvania for a second here. I want the record to state that when I was in high school snow did not stop my school district from closing. There would be ice on the roads and Jimmy would still have to get up normal time to catch the bus. The forecast would be for two feet of snow, but guess what? Jimmy is still waking up normal time to go to school. Now if when I got to school and the snow had accumulated to a few inches, they would let us out so we could get home in a vary slow fashion. At the time, this did stink because I would want off school like every single other school district within 50 miles. However, with a half day for us, we would never need to make up the snow day. So it's not Pennsylvania's fault for canceling school the night before, it's all of those superintendents from Florida and North Carolina who are making these decisions. Schools around Altoona didn't cancel until this morning and it did start to snow before they called it off. You don't mess around when there are mountains around. There are many roads around here I wouldn't want to drive in a few inches of snow and I've been driving in the stuff for 7 years now. I can fishtail my way out of any road! But I do drive according to the conditions, I don't fall under Andy's category 1 or 3 of snow drivers.

So my pet spider monkey lead me astray today. The weathermen were right and it looks like the bulk of the snow will hit tonight here. They're calling for about a foot of snow. Too bad my snowboard is in the shop getting sharpened and waxed still. But it wouldn't matter anyway, tomorrow and Sunday are paint-more-rooms day. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thursday, December 04, 2003

So did anyone see the Christmas In Rockefeller Plaza special on NBC last night? If you missed it, I envy you. It Stunk, with a capitol S! First of all, just about ever single female artist was wear a big fur coat (Don't ever let me catch you wearing a fur coat, I will not be happy). What's wrong with fleece and snow jackets? Those are much more festive anyway. And don't give me crap about leather coming from animals. My sneakers are not to show off how much money I have, believe me. That's why Secret Sneaker is the place for me. Anyway, I got off the subject. You would think, since this was a Christmas Special with a Christmas Tree that there would be Christmas Carols (not Carol Vessy carols either, despite the lack of Ed). But NOOOOOOOOOO. Instead I had to suffer thru songs I hear on the radio by Jessica Simpson and her lover Nick Something-er-other, un-intelligible songs by Enrique Eglasies and dancing Hoochie Santa Babes (I'm not complaining about the Hoochie Santa Babes, I'm just trying to make a point). Anywho, the only decent song was sung by none other than American Idol Kelly Clarkson. I figured she'd just sing something called Miss Santa-Dependant or something like the rest of the artists who wrote their Christmas Songs about 30 minutes before the show started.

Oh well. It was a nice time at the Brady House anyway. I keep doing told I should be doing crafts for Christmas Gifts. It's obvious these encouragers (*cough * Julie Brady * cough*) have not seen my "artistic ability." I've seen 3rd graders with more talent at crafts than I have! But, let me tell you, when it comes to video games, I walk ALL over them! That's right, BRING IT ON LITTLE KIDS!

Wednesday, December 03, 2003

Another hectic day has come and gone. I'll tell you, the lines of communication are quite depleted at The Workplace. The saying there goes...Well I forget how it goes at the moment but as soon as I remember I'll let you know. The important thing to keep in mind is that there is a lack of communication on the corporate ladder. Let's hope that gets fixed someday. Also, hopefully me coding e-mail is done forever. Not that I'm not good at it, I'm sick of it. It seems now I will get to continue on developing log files and security. Here's how that goes: You change a setting, I ask you for your password, and if it's good I log what you changed and when you changed it. Easy peasy japoneesey. Not quite but it's not real complicated.

On a more serious note, could there possibly be more Christmas cards to choose from at Hallmark? Geez, All I wanted was a nice card for some special people and I had to choose from hundreds! It didn't help that 90 of those hundred were all quite sappy and not my style at all. But I was in luck! They had Sister and Husband cards! Boo YA! Or as Hallmark calls then, Sister and "Brother" cards. How long do you think it will be before Hallmark starts selling Brother and "Brother" cards??? Maybe they already do in Vermont . . . (sorry Janet, I know that was not nice, but I couldn't resist)

Tuesday, December 02, 2003

Well today, I went up in flames. That's right, yours truly stared a fire making breakfast and got completely engulfed in flames and then, I was no more. Of course, this wasn't real life, it was The Sims, but it's just about real. The neighbors came over and mourned my death then. Once I was reincarnate back as myself (I recreated myself again), I moved back in and sold my dead ashes for four bucks! I mean honestly, what isn't real about that?

So I coded today. All day. Type type type, test test test. I am now e-mail with VB6 master! If you want something e-mailed, you come to me. I will e-mail your batch data, your end of day reports, even your mix codes and material usages. No matter what the plant, I can write code to e-mail whatever you want! Maybe someday I can fix the copier and my abilities will be recognized.

On a final note, it snowed and iced last night. Apparently the snow-removal-service is a tad on the slow side here as I slipped and silted my way to work today. You know, it's not like there are a ton of roads around here. When you see it snow, go put some salt, or anti-skid at least, on the roads so I don't get behind cars going 5 MPH driving to work. Honestly, if you slide off the road what are you going to hit? A cow? A dirt mound? You're not going to hit another car, that's for sure, because there aren't any other cars around!

Monday, December 01, 2003

Well, I called up the PC company for the new computer and I've got to ship the whole darn thing back! I know what the problem is! It would be a whole lot cheaper for me to just mail the processor back than the whole big PC. Oh well, as long as they fix it so I can go back to doing whatever it was I did on that computer.

They say there's a storm brewing for this weekend. Honestly, when are people going to learn that we as mere human beings will never be able to predict the weather? My pet spider monkey could make more accurate predictions with a dartboard and blindfold than a scholared meteorologist could make with real-time radar. The key to predicting the weather is to be able to control the weather! Yeah sure, you laugh now, but my old pal Mitch has done it already! He ruined winter for all of us just a few years ago by making the temperature unseasonably warm for a few months. But hey, if all you want to get your hopes up (Tim Hillner) about snow predictions a week in advance then be my guess. I'll keep giving darts to my blindfolded pet spider monkey.

Sunday, November 30, 2003

It was a sad week in football for me and my friends. Amy's Packers were humiliated by the Lions, Andy's Cowboys were trampled upon by the Dolphins and my Steelers were mocked by the Colts. The only person's team to pull thru this week was Vikki's Patriots who escaped defeat by the skins of their teeth. Hopefully next week will fair better for all of us.

Other than football news, The Christmas Tree went up this afternoon. It's a real beauty. We dragged it up from the basement and replace some lights. This puppy could out-shine the airport revolving light 1/2 mile from my house. I'm pretty sure this one tree has more lights on it than the four outside trees combined. But it does look good and a few birds will have a home a little while longer.

Friday, November 28, 2003

Well my new computer died already. Apparently the processor went bad. It took me an hour to pin the problem down. What's up with that? So I guess I have to call the computer company and hopefully this will fall under warranty and I'll get a new one. For now I'm using good old Speed. He's my buddy from college. We've had our differences but we're doing pretty well right now.

So I went to work today. Me and about 10 other people. It was very quiet and kind of neat. Ashley just got a GameCube for his 7 year old son for Christmas and Ashley hasn't played video games since the much acclaimed Atari so I figured with the lack of people at work today I'd take the time and introduce him to Super Smash Bros. Melee and Mario Kart: Double Dash (which I finally picked up two days ago....Finally!). Big deal you say. Well it wouldn't be except The Workplace has a theater room with a giant 20 foot projection screen. Ever seem Donkey Kong larger than Shaq is in real life? It's a very scary thing! Although I must admit, Mario Kart was a little nauseating, but that didn't take away from the extreme awesomeness of it.

Tuesday, November 25, 2003

You know what I have always wondered about? Those car commercials with the people sitting in the cars inside the dealership. Maybe this is just me, but one, I've never seen that many people in a dealership building before, and two, I have never seen a dealership with the rotating disk the car sits on and then you can still go and sit in the car. Maybe we just don't have those in The Cove. I don't know.

Only two more days until Turkey Day! I'm counting down the hours. It'll be my first day off with pay ever! It feels pretty nice. Too bad I have to be on Friday. From what I hear, it's a skeleton crew at the building that day. But never fret, I'm teaching Ashley all about video games (I'm pretty sure he hasn't played a video game since Donkey Kong Jr.) so he can get his son a GameCube for Christmas. So I'm thinking, go to work early on Friday, get done a little early, then head down to first floor where the theater is an hook up the GameCube and show Ashley how Galaga may have at one time been the best game ever, but today there is just no comparison. Mario on the big huge giant screen! What more could you want?

Monday, November 24, 2003

So while everyone else has stories of fabulous sport motifs and delicious dreams of vacationing, I find myself working thru the day unaffected by the painstakingly absent external stimuli that seem to surround my life. I think my problem is I get so rapped up in my books and daydreaming I feel as though my life is extremely dull and uneventful. Don't get me wrong, I am truly grateful for my great friends and family but wouldn't things just be a little more exciting if there were a galatic war going on or I was on some covert mission to sabotage the invading forces on the recently mutated Tizzo Worm? But alas, here I fair quite contently and unemotionally at the average sized yellow house on Cranberry Lane. Maybe some day I'll acquire the ability to fly thru the air and save the Earth from the machines that are taking over the world, or be that FBI agent that is going 60 MPH thru the city to capture the world's most dangerous villain, but until then, daydreams are all I have for a life of excitement and adventure. Sometimes I think I was born a millennia too soon . . .

Sunday, November 23, 2003

Ahh the joys of the holidays. Putting up the lights around the trees outside, just makes it feel like Christmas is around the corner. However, that feeling is slightly dampered when it's 65 degrees outside and you're hanging the lights with a t-shirt on. But, that does make hanging lights a much more pleasant experience. Now all that is left is the holiday tradition on carrying the Christmas Tree upstairs and testing all the lights. Since we got a fake tree last year it makes setting up the tree that much easier, but since the lights were strung in at the factory, it makes changing the bulbs and testing the strings that much more difficult.

But it was a nice day out today. The Stillers won an exciting victory over the Browns. The five turnovers by the Browns, some during very pivotal times didn't help their case at all. You'd think that a team whose QB was 9/24 for the day would not be pulling a win at all. Now if only the Nittany Lions could pull such stunts as well . . .

Friday, November 21, 2003

Yay! The weekend is here! Kate is coming so that's always exciting. Work today was quite interesting. I think I may be developing a burner control system soon. The automation part will not be difficult. It's all PID loops and very little user interaction. This makes control very simple. The hardest part will be making the system diagnose its own problems. But even this is very do-able. But this idea has to pass the big guys up on the third floor. Not a problem though. I'm sure Gary will, "talk to Paul about it."

Oh and guess who called today? My good buddy Freddy! No famous quotes today. He was just too darn busy to say a whole lot but as always he was intense! He never disappoints! He said he had over 45 trucks lined up this morning to load. Ashley and I both had a little chuckle at that one. That is very very very unlikely.

One a final note, I got the new Dave Matthews Band CD in the mail yesterday. Yes Andy it's another live album, I know you don't approve but it's good stuff. The bonus CD has a song from the 9.11.03 concert in Hershey, PA that my friends were at this summer. I just thought that was pretty cool.

Thursday, November 20, 2003

First of all, Vikki, you need to get your head out of the gutter. I had to think real heard to figure out why you freaked when you said what you said. I get it now, but after some thought. Second of all, I'm not surprised Liz screamed over Ed. I'm sure she hit octaves most females only dream about. The phrase, "Oh My God!!" comes to mind.

Hey how about my opinion on Ed?? I thought it was quite sappy. I did like how after the first five minutes of the show I had no idea what the show was going to be about because the commercials lead you to believe that the whole show was Ed proposing in NYC with dancers all about. My favorite line of the whole show? "YOU'RE IMPOTENT!!" All in all, I enjoyed the episode. Now I'm wondering what the rest of the season will be or if it's even going to be on next week. My only complaint . . . Where was Warren??

Finally, I've been thinking a lot about math lately. I'll provide my thoughts as soon as I get the chance to draw some diagrams and get organized.

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

Well, I wanted to leave a little early from work today so I could take my snowboard in to be sharpened and waxed. Where's the story in this? Well The Van had to go in for an oil change today so I gave Gary my keys to go take The Van in and pick his van up. Then when mine was done we were going to go get it. Sounds like a great plan. Well, it was. However, Gary's van got pushed behind until late morning and then since Dwayne was going over to Roaring Spring (that's where The Van was) tomorrow, I was just going to go with him and pick it up. A great alternative. However, when the time came for me to leave work, I remembered that Gary took my keys to drop off The Van. And of course, Gary left the keys with The Van. So I had to go to Roaring Spring to get The Van and my keys allowing me to be unable to make it to The Locker Room before they closed to drop off my board. Oh the joys of work! But oh well, I'll have to try again some other time. What is it about rain and me leaving work early that keeps me from getting to my destination??

Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Ode to A Plant by Jimmy

Oh Plant! Why do you torture us so?
Why oh why do you say no
When we tell you to fix this and fix that.
You refuse to put on your hard hat

And go out next to your plant and take a peak
to see if you can spot a leak.
But instead you choose to pick up the phone,
And I'd much prefer to deal with Tyrone.

But today we came and fixed your bind.
My morning routine I left behind.
Now please oh please do what we say
So I can have a more pleasant day.

This afternoon the phone rings . . . Of course with one glance at the caller ID Ashley's eyes begin to role. This can mean only one thing. Freddy is trying to call. Usually his problems are pretty trivial. He thinks the program should have this or do that. But today, he was trying to add Antistrip to his mix. This is not uncommon at all. Most plants add 1 to 5 oz of this admix per ton of mix. It helps the asphalt adhere to stone and stick better. Anywho, Freddy wanted to put 15 oz per ton is his mix! Well the program could not support such big numbers (it dispenses via an encoder with about 150 counts per rev). It sounded like a circus on the phone! Freddy was taking phone calls, batching, checking if the proper ounces came out, and who knows what else. This guy is INTENSE. But I'm sure he was loving every minute of it. I expect to be there by noon tomorrow, but maybe he'll surprise me and fix everything . . .

Freddy Says, "And let me tell ya, I don't drink! And I'm really stressed here! But I don't drink or smoke!"

Monday, November 17, 2003

So explain something to me. If you're having trouble with your plant and you call up the experts (I'm included with the experts) and they tell you what needs to be replaced on your plant, why would you not listen to them? If you need new solenoids and we tell you that you need new solenoids, than just us telling you does not fix the problem. You need to actually replace the solenoids in order for your plant to work properly again. So now bigger things are happening and I have to get up early tomorrow morning to go fix things. And you don't want Mr. Barley finding out you didn't listen when the engineers told you to do something . . .

Here's another thing I have issues with. Now if you didn't know, I'm a huge video game buff. When a great game comes out, I want to buy it the day it comes out and have some fun for a while. This worked great this summer in NYC. I'd see Mario Golf released, I'd go buy Mario Golf. So now, today was the big day for the game I've been waiting for to be released for YEARS! Mario Kart: Double Dash! So after work I went out The City to get my hands on it, however, I wasn't thinking that this is Altoona I'm going to here. Funny, three different stores, and none of them had it yet! Come on guys! Get on the ball here!! When I come back on Wednesday, SOMEONE better have it!

One final thing. Everyone seems to be talking about Ford's and stuff. Let me express my opinion about them. I prefer to quote the brilliant scholar Mitchell Wyatt in saying, "Why is Ford like a rock? I've driven rocks before and they don't go very far!" Okay, so Mitch actually didn't say that exactly, I changed a word in his quote . . . And if you don't know what it was, well then you know even less about cars than me.

Today's Vocabulary Word: floccinaucinihilipilification: The action or habit of estimating something as worthless

Saturday, November 15, 2003

So I just got back from seeing the Matrix 3, at the movie theater mind you. It was very good. Why was it so good? Have you ever seen the cartoon Dragonball Z? If you haven't you're missing out but if you have you know it's just about the greatest cartoon ever. The Matrix was Dragonball Z without the cartoon. Very Very nice. I'll spare you the spoilers, and just tell you to go see the movie if you haven't.

Okay, next topic. How about those Nittney Lions? If you saw them play today you'd wonder how they ever managed to obtain a 2-8 record going into today's game. It was spectacular! I think Kate got a little annoyed when I yelled in her ear when she was talking to her folks on the phone because of a blocked punt returned for 6 yards and a touchdown! It was one cheer after the other. I better see a repeat performance next weekend! If not, I may be very disappointed.

By the way, Vikki spilled soda all over herself at dinner tonight. Let's all stop and have a good laugh!

Thursday, November 13, 2003

It was another exciting day today at The Workplace. Don't worry, I stayed well away from the satellite dish. However, as I sat at my computer coding away, a fly fell from the ceiling right beside me. In starting to get a little more concerned. I mean, those things are dropping like. . . Hey come on, that's like the first pun I've had on this blog in a while.

So as I sat at my computer with the flies falling from the air I stood up and looked out the window. All I could see was white! Why was that? Because there was a freakin' white out going on outside! The wind has been insane for the past 24 hours. Last night I wound up sleeping in the basement because the wind just screams thru the shudders outside the windows. So with the wind and the lake effect snow, there were periods of no visibility today.

Then, as I'm driving home from work, nearly getting blown off the road (there was no chance I was going to drive The Van anywhere today, I don't think so) I look up at the telephone poles and notice how the wires have a frequency that would rival most CB radios! I was just waiting for one to snap off and shock the crap out of me and my car.

But it gets better! As you should now know, today was Run Thursday. If the 32 degree air temperature wasn't going to stop, I sure as HECK wasn't going to let little 50mph wind gusts deter me. So there I was, Stupid Jimmy running in the freezing wind storm with his little shorts and a sweatshirt on. And oooooh were my legs cold! Running with the wind wasn't too bad at all, but coming back, oh baby, there were times when I don't even think I moving forward. It was unbelievable. It was running with a 20 pound weight dragging behind you. When I finally made it back to the house, my legs were bright red and numb, along with some other numb body parts. But hey, I say, why not get tough while you get in shape? When those aliens come to abduct me, I'll be ready.

Wednesday, November 12, 2003

It's Wednesday night, time to talk about Ed. Another creative episode. All problems lead to the same night in a episode wide recap. I must say, the pet psychologist was an unexpected twist and I must admit, Mike was on the top of the hill with his wittiness and funny remarks tonight. Ok, so enough beating around the bush. How about that kiss with Phil and Molly! Another unexpected twist! Can you imagine little Mollys and Phils running all over the bowling alley and high school? Although you might never get the chance since Ed is moving to NYC. Yeah right! Who's going to be happy if Ed and Carol live in NYC? No one, that's who. So let's just face it, something is going to happen and either one, Carol moves back to Stuckeyville and they get married, or two, something happens and there's no marriage and Ed faces the fact that he'll be 17 forever.
Maybe I should be concerned. Today I found two dead flies lying next to the plant simulator in my cubicle and a third one struggling to survive (I put him out of his misery). Could this simulator be giving off harmful radiation maybe? Or deadly electromagnetic waves perhaps?? Speaking of radiation, The Workplace just installed a small satellite dish for satellite internet connections. Now, I'm no expert on satellite dishes but when I receive an email stating to not stand in front of it, I get a little concerned. Supposedly this thing pumps out about 400W or power, about the same as a small microwave oven. I think I'll keep far away from that thing. I'm not into the whole tan-during-the-winter thing. And I'm not really into the get-tan-from-a-satellite-dish thing either. Although, we did think that we could park our giant vans under the thing and it will keep the windshields from freezing up. We'd just have to make a mad dash out of the van when we park it.

Tuesday, November 11, 2003

Brrrrrrr. That's what I said when I stepped outside today. I had to dawn the snowboard jacket and hat. I bet they never saw a snowboarder at The Workplace. I'm pretty sure I'm the youngest employee there. Now I'm anxious for the snow to fall. Those sick days might start adding up pretty quick. . .

So I saw this very funny movie last night called "The Man Who Knew Too Little." Although I forgot to pay attention for the first 10 minutes or so, I still wound up laughing at the majority of it. Sometimes I think I want to be a secret agent. I'd be a much better than Bill Murray anyway. I'd blend in like none other. I've taken those online superpower quizzes and it turns out my superpower alter-ego is The Chameleon. Give me a cool gadgets, an exploding pen, and a car that's the "shiznet" and you could just call be double O' Eleven. Seven is already taken.

Monday, November 10, 2003

Not much to talk about today. It's still pretty cold outside and if it's going to be this cold it might as well snow. Maybe if I'm lucky. . .

So how about that eclipse huh? Boy, if it wasn't the most spectacular thing--Okay, so I peaked out the door to take a glance. Come on, it was like 15 degrees here! I'm not about to freeze my butt off watching a infinitesimally small shadow on the cosmic scale move across our terrestrial satellite. Besides, It'll come around in another two years or so. I'm still holding out for those aliens that live near the Orion Nebula. Maybe they'll get here next week. . .

Sunday, November 09, 2003

So I'm a little disappointed right now. I spent the last 3 days downloading what I was told was the Matrix: Revolutions. Well, big surprise, it wasn't. At least last time we tried to download the Matrix 2 we got Swedish Porn. It turns out I've downloaded something called "Skriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday 13th." I have never heard of this flick before and it appears that it could be a movie a few high schoolers made. However, the first 3 minutes I watched seem pretty funny so I may watch it anyway. It looks like a Scary Movie type flick, hopefully without the ear penetrating penises. So I guess I'm going to the movies to see the Matrix 3. Which is okay. My buddy Joe Blake says its good.

Let's talk about Joe for a second. I found his webpage earlier and found it rather humorous. The best part is the random pictures in the top corner. Hey where's the picture with you eating the spider Joe? I also enjoyed reading about his Senior Project, a topic I am very familiar with. I think it's gonna be a lot of work and it may need to be scaled down a bit. But hey, if you need help on the GUI, give me a shout. I made one last year for my Senior Project and now it's my job. Even though his website did crash my system a few times, it's still worth it to check it out and here this guy's stories.
There are just some things that you shouldn't be doing if it is cold enough for me to be wearing a hat outside. One of those things is cutting the grass. Now maybe if it was a 30 minute job that would be ok, but when you're sitting on a mower chopping up leaves and grass for 2.5 hours . . . well, that just needs be done when it's warm enough to feel your fingers. But my hands and digits are slowly recovering. The more I type here the more tingling sensation I get back.

So I went to church with Julie and family today. Today was the first day Julie has been back since Easter. So there was a big celebration for her when we all walked in. A little awkward for me since I didn't know anyone there but it was nice knowing that things with Julie are slowly getting back to normal. Her dad is the minister there but instead of giving a sermon today he talked about the last 7 months. From his stories you could see how clearly God had worked in their lives.

So since The Dad and I only got the one room painted this weekend, I guess we'll have to finish the rest some other time. However, since I made plans for the next few weekends I think I'm pretty safe. This just goes to show you, when you make plans with your friends, you're parents will respect that. Am I making my point? You know who you are.

How to speed up your trip at Radio Shack: When you go to pay for your purchase and the guy at the counter asks you for your name, address, age, number of kids, favorite color, yada yada yada, just tell him in a very serious tone that you are homeless. This may work better if you're wearing cement covered jeans, a dirty shirt and haven't shaved in a few days. However it will stop the questions and get you on your way.

Saturday, November 08, 2003

And I'm spent! Today was the busiest Saturday I've had in a long time. I woke up around 9am to start painting the living room. So first, we have to move all the furniture against the two walls we're painting. This is not hinky dinky furniture I'm talking about here. Massive bookshelves and large desks all made of very heavy wood. So once we get those moved we tape up the borders around the floor and the windows and the doorway. Finally we are ready to paint. "By the way," The Dad says. "Mom only got us one can of paint. So this on can has to last. No ifs ands or buts." These aren't two small walls either. So we get the trim done and the first coat of paint. And there's only half a can of paint left. And my wall was looking pretty thin. I was a little concerned. The final thought was, if we don't have enough paint at the end, make sure you get the parts of the walls that are exposed good, and the parts behind the furniture can be spotty if need be. Luckily we had a little paint to spare at the end and all was good.

So now the room I am sitting in looks nice and the whole house smells like paint. But life is good. So now all that's left of my day is eat some dinner, watch the eclipse and go to bed.

Only 260 Mb to go until I can see the Matrix 3!

Friday, November 07, 2003

I think Winter is upon us. And, despite what some people may lead you to believe (Andy) that is a good thing. It hot me today when I was driving back to Somerset and with all the mountains and trees around there were absolutely no leaves to be seen. Now if only those leafless trees had some snow on them.

Of course, I had to make up for going to Somerset again with a nice stop for lunch at Pizza Hut for the buffet. I just can't seem to get enough. But boy, let me tell you, I was troubleshooter dude today! I was solving problems left and right. Bam! That's not working because that valve is closed! Bam! That's not working because there is that hidden Brain Board in the control room. Bam! That's not working because it's analog and it has to be at this address. Too bad with all my great troubleshooting skills I still couldn't complete the original task at hand. When people provide you with the wrong information and you're writing software based off of that information, things don't work too well. So it's back to Somerset next week.

Oh and don't forget about the lunar eclipse tomorrow night. The East Coast will have the best view so if you're still in the area, and I think all of my friends still are, and it's nice and clear outside, take a look at the sky around 8:06 p.m. Just a heads up, I have discovered in my many many years on this planet that people get crazy when there's an eclipse. So especially you at Messiah, be ready for a very energetic night!

Today's Plumbing Tip: If your water blending valve is not supplying you any water when you tell it you want cold water, make sure your cold water valve has been turned on.

Thursday, November 06, 2003

I have been a downloading animal! Well, okay, maybe not quite. But I do like the zoom zoom! Now all I need is another monitor and I could just become one with the internet forever.

So it was another day out of the office. However, lunch at Pizza Hut for the lunch buffet more than made up or it. It's all you can eat pizza for 7 bucks or so. You can't beat that. Maybe if I'm lucky we can eat there again tomorrow.

So, I have received word that Penn State has made some sort of agreement with Napster that will allow students to download music for free from the newly resurrected service. A good idea, but with a poor goal and guidelines to follow. First, students cannot burn what they download onto CDC unless they $0.99 a song. That right there would kill me. My MP3 player can only play MP3s and WMAs from a CD. A bad rule right there. More people share their files right from their computers anyway. Actually if you think about it, letting users burn the songs would result in less sharing because once they burn their songs to a CD, they will erase them from their harddrive and probably just stick the CD into their CD holder to played at a later time. I would rather grab songs from a buddy's computer than hassle with copying a CD. Second bad rule, students cannot download any song for free, only certain ones. This is defeating the purpose. I don't want someone telling me what I can and cannot download. In fact, people the RIAA does and I don't listen to them. Although a goal of keeping students from breaking the law is admirable, with guidelines like that, it just seems very unrealistic.

With all that in mind, Roscoe has informed me that he now has a blog. This means he gets added to the little side bar over there. What are the rest of you doing? I know you have time in your busy busy schedules to tell the world about what you're up to. Hey Sco, I like the little "still single" phrase in the corner there. Perhaps I could add something like that to mine saying, "still under-paid."

Freddy Says: "Well, everyone who pays with a Visa just gets a tax exempt."

Wednesday, November 05, 2003

ZOOM ZOOM baby! ZOOM ZOOM!
So it appears I can leave work at 3pm on a rainy day and not get into an accident. Although it wasn't Friday and I wasn't heading towards Breezewood. I may avoid that scenario for a while still. So this could be the last time I ever "sign on" to the internet. The Cable Dude is supposed to venture out here to the cove in a very short while to hook up the cable modem. I'm skeptical still. This will be round number 3. But they did run the line so we should be good to go. I'll let you know what happens when it happens.

Tuesday, November 04, 2003

So apparently today the space-time continuum took a drastic dip in the kata direction and left me behind. You know how when you're completely bored and time just creeps by? Well, today was nothing like that. I was busy THE WHOLE DAY! Not bored, but busy, always working on something and every time I looked at the clock it was only two minutes later. I wasn't even anxious to leave. Old Einstein was having a little fun with me I think.

And now it's time for today's disgusting story. I'm out for The Tuesday Run and getting real close to the end of the line so I'm pushing it pretty good. Suddenly a small truck is heading for me. No big deal, I run past very large trucks all the time. Well, this small truck goes past me and no sooner is it past that I get smacked in the face by hundreds of little who-knows-whats. Now, I don't know about you, but I run with my mouth open a little so I can breath when I run. And of course, when your mouth is open and hundreds of little who-knows-whats fly at your face, some make it in your mouth. Not a big deal I figure, it was just some hay or something. Well, luckily theses little who-knows-whats are stuck to my face as well so when I get back to the house I can see what they are. Turns out, they were all gnats! I bet I swallowed a dozen of them! It must have been a Cow Poopie Truck or something that past me. But I was slightly grossed out. Of course that didn't last too long. It's not like I've never eaten bugs before . . .

Monday, November 03, 2003

Nothing I can say today can possibly compete with Vikki's blog so just go there and read her Sunday entry. Maybe if I'm lucky, something funny will happen to me later this evening.

Sunday, November 02, 2003

Today I ran with the cows! That's right, it was like I was running with the herd, well, there was some high voltage electrical wire between us. I run by this farm with about 15 cows and usually their just standing or sitting around. Today, they were in the woods about 50 yards from their usual location. As soon as I started running by them, they started running with me. Honestly, how many times have you seen a cow run? And on top of that, how many times will you ever be able to run with those cows.

I don't know about this new donut trend Andy. However, Krispy Kreme is moving into the area here in the cove and if they have that neon light thing here, I'll give it try, but so far, I'm not impressed with their normal donuts. Here's the question, have you ever had Dunkin' Donuts right off of the conveyor? That my friend, my be hard to beat.

Friday, October 31, 2003

Fixed the moisture probe and I think that's the last you'll hear about that. I'll tell ya, if there's one thing I could to you forever about, it's moisture probes. And if there's two things I could tell you about, it would be moisture probes and scoreboards. Oh the joys of scoreboards! But the weekend has come. Gary's down in Delaware watching the anual Pumkin Chunkin' event. Ashley's at home ripping down dry wall. And I get to spend another whole weekend with Kate. It was supposed to be spent with Vikki and Roman as well, but some minor complications [James caughs, "Tim's mother"] prevented us all from hanging out. You'd think a 22 year would say, "No mom, not this weekend, I already have plans" to his mother, but then again I thought I could drive in the rain. What will next weekend hold????

Thursday, October 30, 2003

Today was a rather dull day. Again complications from moisture probes, but at a different location. Luckily, we fixed one problem, but that lead to the next. So at least I'll have something to work on for tomorrow. No incidents running again. Although, that dead raccoon is mentioned before is still there. It's very flat, and very on the side of the road. I would think that the Amish would ride by and pick it up, make a hat or of it or something, but it may be a little late for that.

So, if you know me, you know I love Star Wars. And of course the galaxy doesn't end with the movies. Of course not, as Andy pointed out, they even have Star Wars urinal cakes. Oh the joys of living. You laugh, but there could be nothing more satisfying that peeing onto the Imperial logo. Of if only Luke Skywalker could see me now. And there was more Han and Leia "action" in the lastest Star Wars: New Jedi Order novilization. Honestly, I know that is not needed. I mean, it doesn't go into detail, but when I'm all hyped up about Wedge Antilles and the trap he has fallen into in the Bilbringi System, knowing that Han and Leia are "polishing the lightsaber" so to speak does not make the book better.

Wednesday, October 29, 2003

I miss the drama that unfolds at school. I feel like I'm out of the loop. Plus, watching drama unfold is like my own personal sitcom at my friend's expense. But, everything gets back to normal eventually and everyone takes their turn as lead role.

So on the plus side, tonight was Ed night. What can make Ed night even better? Watching it with your friend Julie who's been in the hospital for 7 seven months and just got home! She seemed so happy to be home. It was good to spend time with her again. Hopefully now I'll have someone to hang out with here in the cove. So let's see a raise of hand for people who think Ed and Carol will stay in NYC. Yeah my thoughts exactly. I will say this, Mike Burton was on top of his game tonight. I can always appreciate the character who just throws insults at people. I don't know why . . .

Tuesday, October 28, 2003

I almost forgot today's computer tip. In case you didn't know, I learn these "tips" at my job. Frankly, I don't know where people come up with this stuff, but it does work. And besides, I hardly think you'll ever need to use them.

Today's Computer Tip: If you're having trouble with your Epson LQ-570e printer because it keeps telling you it's out of paper when it really isn't. Don't fret. Simply tilt the front end of the printer approximately three inches off the table and let it drop. The Out-of-Paper light turns off and you're back in business! This may not work for other models and brands of printers.
So I ran for the first time since The Accident, and it felt pretty good. The Headache finally dwindled enough for me to tolerate my head bobbing up and down. But it felt good to get out and do something again. And no scary horse charging at me with nasty snot dripping from his nose. Although I'm not too keen on this standard time. I now run into the sunset on my way back home. It's nice, and I see more Amish people every day, but I just can't work up that sweat if the sun ain't blastin' down on me!

And how about those crazy lunch ladies winning 95 million playing Power Ball??!! It almost makes me want to be a lunch lady. Notice I said ALMOST. I think I'd eat most of the food if I worked with it. Besides, someone's got to make sure those concrete and blacktop plants keep pumpin' out their stuff. And who else is going to listen to Gary's crazy ideas and actually work on them? Sorry middle schoolers, but Jimmy is needed elsewhere for now. Give Vikki a call though, I hear she makes good chicken salad and baked apples. Hmmm, I never had that kind of meal at school . . .

Monday, October 27, 2003

So, I'm reading my National Geographic and I come across an interesting article on high-tech surveillance. Being an engineer (and I can say that now because I am) I am fascinated with technology, but I'm also very cautious. I was astonished when I read about the NSA's 560-acre satellite dish array in Menwith Hill, England. Experts say that with this dish network, the agency's supercomputers can scan millions of ordinary phone calls and e-mails an hour. That's hundreds of millions of calls and letters a week! If my calculations are correct, then once a year at least every single person on this planet has been monitored at least once! And that's just by the United States! As I sit right here and type this blog, who's to say the U.S. did not just intercept that e-mail I just sent? Keep that in mind next time you're talking to girlfriend or typing an e-mail about world domination.

I'm adding a new segment to my blog called, "Freddy Says." Freddy is the code name I'll use for a guy who works at one of The Company's blacktop plants. I don't want to embarrass anyone on this blog you know by giving out real names. Anywho, I see Freddy every now and then when he's got some little aspect of the blacktop application he wants changed or he blows an opto out. Freddy always has some funny comment to say. Although he's dead serious about it, I think it's about the funniest thing I've heard since the last time I saw him. So, this is how it goes . . .

Freddy says, "Don't try and be a hero, but wend up becoming a zero."
Freddy says, "If I ever screw someone over, it'll be big! Why go to jail for something small, when you can go to jail for doing some big?"
Freddy says, "Oh I'm not screwing you over, your wife maybe, but not you."

Sunday, October 26, 2003

Well, my hopes for Penn State and the Stillers are fading fast. I really have nothing to comment on about Penn State. Why Joe Pa remains the head coach is beyond me. Maybe he still has coaching left in him, but when you one of your players gets arrested for driving under the influence, as a coach, you sure as heck don't just say, "Ah kids will be kids." Over to pro now, why Jerome Bettis is still in the game is also beyond me. His second fumble in two games may have cost them the game. I understand he didn't make a fumble for a ton of games before two weeks ago, but he should NOT be giving up one every game to make up for it. It always comes to down to a few catches, it's just too bad Maddox is having issues throwing them. But, oh well. My true joy this weekend was watching the Evil Empire lose! I'm amazed with the fact that Josh Beckett, who is only 23 (one year older than I) I might add, could still throw a 95 MPH fast ball in the 9th inning. I can't even throw a 95 MPH fastball once! But then again, I am not a pro ball player.

Saturday, October 25, 2003

Well, the total fine comes to $112.00. Which actually was a lot less than I had figured it would come to. Now, the fine confuses me slightly because of all the different moneys involved. According to my letter, the actually fine was only $25 but then, there was an "other" cost and then a "cost" cost. So, I don't really know what was going on there. That's what Mom, The Ex-Paralegal is for.

On a better note, there are white lines outside on the lawn. Why is this good you ask? Well that means the cable dudes will be coming early next week to hook up my zoom zoom! My dad isn't too thrilled mainly because there are lots of white lines and that means lots of digging. My dad is a lawn freak! He's got to have the greenest lawn in the city. I told him not to worry because the snow would cover it all, but that didn't really make him too much happier. Let's just hope things get done THIS time.

Thursday, October 23, 2003

So now I'm "Vision Man." What does this mean? It means that I am in charge of coming up with a way of using cameras to monitor stone coming off of a cold feed belt and determining what the percent make-up of stone that conveyer belt has. Why was I chosen for this? I have absolutely no idea what-so-ever. I've never even heard about vision systems until a few weeks ago! Personally I think Gary (he's the big engineering head guy) is putting a little too much faith in me. But, I am Batman, so we'll see what happens.

I don't know what is better, going to Buffalo, or not going to Buffalo. What in the HECK am I talking about? Well, the company I work for has a plant in Buffalo, NY. The company also has a nice jet. I was supposed to fly in it this coming Monday, along with Ashley to install some new equipment and get familiar with the plants. So, flying in a private jet; very cool. But, once Gary found out that both Ashley and myself were going, he put a stop to that because if the plane were to crash, he'd lose both his automation gurus. So, being looked at as a guru; also very cool. So, now no Buffalo on the private jet, but my day in the sun, err . . . air, will come soon.

Wednesday, October 22, 2003

I don't get it. Why do you have to go to the doctor or the the ER to get stitches taken out? I mean, its not as though the stitches are under the skin or even surrounded in oozing blood and bodily fluids. Of course not. All there is to it is a little snip-snip and pull. So, with this in mind I decided to take my own stitches out. I figure if Liz can ask me to take hers out, why does a doctor need to take mine out? Doctor Jimmy to the rescue! Actually it was sort of fun. My mom and dad weren't too happy but I think it was fine. And it feels sooooooo much better. It's a good thing I have my super healing abilities. I'm kind of like Wolverine but without the metal inside of me.

In other news, I drove my new car home today. It's nice. Feels just like my old one, only a little faster, so no complaints there. Let's just hope this one lasts me a little longer. I'm liking the MP3 player in it though. And it can even set the time automatically! How cool is that! Oh the joys of technology!

Finally, can't leave without talking about ED. Very very good! So it seems that Molly is now a certified "playa." And as always, Warren J. Cheswick was hilarious! That is one talented actor! Does anyone else think he and Ross from Friends are the same person?

Tuesday, October 21, 2003

Well, I buckled down and bought a car. I wasn't planning on doing this for at least another 7 years. And although I didn't branch out of my confort zone like Kate said I should, I did end up getting a pretty nice silver Cavalier. Hopefully I'll be driving it home from the dealership tomorrow after work. I must admit I'm a little nervous about driving again. Mainly in the rain. I guess that will pass in time.

So I'm not a Will and Grace fan at all, but I think I may be watching it this week only because James Earl Jones is in it and talking like a gay man. Well, I'm told that the Marlins are winning 1-0 so now I must go and route against the evil Yankees.

Monday, October 20, 2003

Well, I made the Bedford newspaper. I'm not really happy about that mainly because the small blurb makes it sound like I was driving out of control and any moron in my shoes would have never hit that police car. Whatever. I'm sure it helps my case that not far away was a blurb about a 19 year old girl, also driving a 1997 Chevy Cavalier, crashed at the same location merely 30 minutes before my crash. Apparently editors aren't smart enough around here to put two and two together. Oh well, I still stand by the fact that if that cop would have been in a better position visually I wouldn't have hit the brakes and everything would have been fine. Oh well. The article about me does mention how I hit the brand new 2003 Ford Crown Victoria trooper car. I find that humorous. Maybe next time he won't park so close to a telephone pole and be a little more out in the open, not ready to freak you out just after the top of the hill.

Sunday, October 19, 2003

Wow! I think more people called me in the past two days than in the past two months! Some of the phone calls, like the one with the state police and the ones with my auto insurance company were not as enjoyable as the ones with all my friends. A side note; my mom phoned in about 50% of the total phone calls. But things are looking up right now. I get to go back to work tomorrow and hopefully put everything behind me, but keeping in mind the lesson I learned.

So why are the Yankees (yeah that's right, they don't even deserve a weblink anymore on my page) winning right now? Because they suck that's why! Go ahead and even try to follow that logic.

So, here's a little taste of the Cove. A lot of people 'round these parts enjoy riding four-wheelers. Now I don't care too much for them mainly because my best-friend-in-elementary-and-junior-high-school's was killed riding a four-wheeler. So I have never really had the urge to ride one. Families around here on the other hand. . . Well, here's my story. I'm outside today cutting the grass. I'm minding my own business making nice straight parallel lines so Pops doesn't get upset. Suddenly, the neighbors down the block drive by in their four-wheeler. No big deal right? Well, sitting on the back is Dad, sitting in front of him is Mom, in front of her is Daughter Jane, and in front of her is Fido the Dog. Now I'm pretty sure they don't make family four-wheelers. They're called four-wheelers not four-seaters. Then again you're not going to find the smartest people here in the Cove.

MITCH!!!

The picture of the millennia!

Saturday, October 18, 2003

Tim pointed out to me that one good thing of "the crash" as it has come to be known is that I get a new car. Well, I kind of liked my old one and I feel as though it can never be replaced. We had some good times. He got me to high school and back for two years, to college and back for 4 years. He even got me in and out of New York City a dozen times or more. We've seen at least 10 different states and enjoyed many friend-filled journeys. I'll miss you 1997 Red Cavalier!

So now I need to find a new Jimmy-mobile. So far I've got it narrowed down to a new Cavalier and a used Alero. Both have their pros and cons. I like the simplicity of the Cavalier. No fancy buttons or features. Don't get me wrong, I love gadgets and stuff but sometimes I just need to get away from it all. The Alero on the other hand and tons of power stuff and is safer, but it is a little bit bigger. So we'll see what happens I guess. I need to just suck it up and choose one. Things always work out in the end anyway.

Friday, October 17, 2003

Well, if you know me, you know my opinion about luck and how I have none. I think today just about proves my point. The day started off on the wrong foot to begin with, what with the Sox losing last night and all. So, although I don't really view the weather as bad luck, it was raining today so it wasn't the best of days. So I head out of work early so I can get to Messiah College for homecoming in time to go find a costume or something, when my bad luck streak hits! Bad luck #1: I see a cop with his flashers on. Back luck #2: roads are wet. Bad luck #3: i hit the brakes and begin sliding on the road. Bad luck #4: I slide right into the cop car pushing it into a telephone. Bad luck #5: glass from my window spews all over my face! Bad luck #6: the air bag doesn't deploy. Bad luck #7: I'm dragged out of my car on a stretcher are rushed off to the hospital. Bad luck #8: I get 4 stitches on my chin, some glue to the nose and to the forehead. Final back luck #9: my car is border-line ruined and I miss all the fun at school this weekend. Now some would say how "lucky" I am that I survived, but I had my seatbelt belt on and wasn't going 90 mph so I'd be pretty darn upset if I hadn't survived.

So here I sit wondering what's going on back at school with my face looking like I went 3 rounds with Evander Hollifield. Let's analyze why this could have happened. Reason #1: I think I'm the best driver in the world! Why would rain make me drive more cautiously? Reason #2: I left early. If I had left work at my normal time, not a problem. Why? Because of Reason #4: cops with their lights flashing causes anyone, no matter who you are, to hit the brakes. Reason #5: the cop strategically places his car on a sharp curve/hill so that it can only be seen when you're 50 feet away from it. Reason #6: Some girl had run off the road 30 minutes before I made my presence known, which was why the cop was there. Final reason: I have bad luck! There's just no other way around it. I guess the one good thing is that even though my glasses flew off at the point of impact and landed who knows where well away from my stopped vehicle, the girl that had crashed before me found them and gave them back. So I can see for the time being, even though they're pretty scratched up.

So let's rap things up on the plus side with reasons to be grateful. Reason #1: I'm alive (let attribute that to my seat belt Amy Hall!). Reason #2: I was wearing a sweat shirt keeping the glass from cutting up my arms. Reason #3: I wore my glasses, and even though they flew off, they did keep my eyes from getting cut up. Reason #4: I got Pizza tonight for dinner. And the final reason: well, let me know what you think about that. Let's hope the pillows tonight stay white!

Thursday, October 16, 2003

It's Rally Time!

My Rally Visor and Rally Shirt. Let's Cowboy Up!!
So here's something ironic. I just got done reading Andy's blog for yesterday and he tells me to "watch out for the buggies." Well Andy, that advice came a little too late! By the way, how about "Brown Town?" What does that have to do with things? Well, there are lots of farms, and with farms com cow, and with cows come, well, I think you know.
So, I got home from work and went for a run today. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays are Run-days. I'm at about the 1.5 mile mark when all the sudden there's a horse and buggy coming straight at me. Now, if you're familiar with the proper way of running you know that you run towards traffic. Well in the cove, "traffic" doesn't just mean American cars(notice how I'm not mentioning foreign cars here), but it also means Amish "cars" as well. Now, the Amish are nice group a people. They're a little odd, but they're nice folks. Always waving and smiling. Their horses on the other hand, big and scary! I try not to get to close to horses. Mainly because they're big and scary. But I think today was the closest I may ever want to be to a horse. I mean, I ran past it and could have reached out and touched the thing! HOLY CRAP! Can you picture a giant horse charging straight at you?! I mean, I don't know if I'm going to scare it and starts kicking its legs at me or if it just decides to head-butt me off the road. So, I held my breath (which was hard because I'M RUNNING!) and made it by the horse without incident. Of course as I run by the friendly Amish family waves HI to me. I give a polite wave and a nervous smile. In my head I'm think, "Holy crap that was a big scary horse!"

Back on the subject of work, I'm noticing day after day people standing around and talking to others. Now I know there's nothing wrong with taking breaks to talk to you buddy, but it seems I see the same few all day long talking to cubicles all around. I go to the bathroom, see Person X talking over there. I go to the bathroom later, there's Person X over there now. I go to the bathroom again (I drink way too much coffee at work!) and there's Person X in the next room. I go to make copies, Person X is still talking with yet more people! Do you catch my drift? Why can't I have her job? Well, come on, it was pretty obvious it was a girl, who else can talk all day long? Actually, I'm not really sure what her job is, in fact, I think she's in my cubicle room.

Wednesday, October 15, 2003

Hurray for the moisture probe! It's calibrated and so far, it looks like it's returning the proper moisture reading. We'll see if that holds true in time. I also have my doubt that the people located at the location of the moisture will be able to calibrate as often as the state wants them too. Anywho, it takes a lot of pressure off me and my staff. Okay, so I don't have any staff, but it sounded cool.

Let's talk about weather. More particular, let's talk about the wind. I'm surprised the house I live in is still standing. It has been more windy today than it was when hurricane What's-Her-Name came through here a month ago. Just by chance, I set my watch alarm last night. Good thing because the power was out come wake up time this morning.

New topic. How about those Red Sox! I had just about given up hope in the 6th inning. But they pulled through! Even Nomar contributed to the offense today! It made up for his defensive error. It's a good thing Burkett got a little help today. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, he's my third cousin, I've got signed baseball cards and pictures from when he was a Giant, but maybe he's just not cut out for the playoffs quite yet. We'll see in the World Series. I'm putting complete faith in the final series game. That and if the Sox lose I'll change this blog entry.

Today's final note is a little something I like to call, "A Sister's Logic." The sister calls up today, wants me to bring back some shoes she left here. She asks if I'm going to church on Sunday. "I don't know if I am yet or not," I respond. "Are you and Kate having a fight?" she asks. Now, I would consider my sister an intelligent person. She even graduated sum cum laude. But someone PLEASE explain that type of irrational thought to me! Unless there's something you aren't telling me Kate. But then if we were fighting, I guess you really wouldn't be telling me anything anyways. But you are talking to me, so everything is good, I think. Please tell me everything is okay! I'm so confused!!

Oh yeah, and let's not forget Ed tonight. Good show, good issues, nice space man suit! Kate about said it right. It was "normal funny." Nothing spectacular but still entertaining. I had to flip back and forth though until the Sox game was over.

Tuesday, October 14, 2003

There are a few things I need to add here. First off this message to Andy, If I were watching Fox instead, then you wouldn't be reading my very interesting blogs. I want no comments about how they aren't interesting! Second of all, major points to Kate for watching more baseball on TV. If she starts watching football too, I think I may just be the happiest person ever! Let's see, watching Trading Spaces with Kate vs. watching the Steelers with Kate. I'll let you decide that one, I think my choice is pretty obvious. On a final note, I just got an e-mail from my buddy Roscoe. Sounds like he's doing well. Check out all his stuff here.
No naps during work today. It was another fun day at the office. Probably boring to the rest of you. My excitement for the day: Getting the Final Jeopardy question! Frankly, I don't care to much for the show, but after the gut wrenching loss from the Red Sox, my dad flipped to ABC to see the end of the show. The answer: Without citing the exact phrase (come on, I can't remember that), it had to do with an archeologist naming a text used for spells, chants, and prayers to Ra. The question: What is The Book of Dead? Only one person had it right. The other guesses: The Dead Sea scrolls and the Apocrypha. Come on now people! Both of those are Christian texts. Call me crazy but last time I checked the sun god, Ra, wasn't exactly turning water into blood attempting to free the Israelites. Oh well, I guess an interest in ancient Egyptian history may never come in handy, but it can answer questions. Or is it question answers in this case? I actually own a copy of The Book of the Dead. It's pretty interesting.

Today's Complaint: People in the cove drive too darn slow! I guess when you live in a small town with three retirement communities which make up about 3/4 of the town population you're going to have slower, more annoying moving traffic. The problem: In a few more years, most of the town will be "living" underground, causing the town money pot to dwindle. The solution: Persuade my friends from Messiah College to move here and start families. It's a win-win scenario. I think I'll work on Julie first. She may be the easiest one to persuade since she is my neighbor and already lives here.

Today's Church Sign Text: Stop, drop and roll doesn't work in Hell.

Final Thoughts: Hey Vikki, when is Nomar going to get a hit? I'm not seeing his greatness out there at the plate.

Monday, October 13, 2003

So you'd think with how great the internet is these days and how everyone is getting on the bandwagon that you could be able to find streaming audio of the Red Sox vs. Yankees game somewhere. I clicked around on MLB.com for about 15 minutes trying to get their streaming audio working only to find out that you have to pay $9.95 for the service. Funny, if I lived in Mass. I could listen to the game for free on the radio. You'd think since I am paying for my internet access they could at least provide me with audio of sporting events. I can get audio of Penn State games just fine. Although, at the moment, who really wants to listen to them? So it looks like I'll just have to keep clicking the refresh button on the Foxsports.com site. You'd think with how much those broadcaster love to talk, Fox would stream the game on their site. Well, I think that's all for the night. I just wanted to voice some frustration.
You'd think if you were hired at a fairly large company just a month ago that they would all of the sudden turn you loose without supervision already! Okay, so maybe the guy that has been training me the last month was sick today, but I was left to solve stuff on my own for the whole day! Good thing there weren't any problems with the plants today. It was just me and the office today. I did get to work on some new Mistic Protocol stuff that Ashley's been trying to figure out for the past few days. I got it working in less than one. Where's my raise? I own this job!

The last few hours at work I kind of felt like George from Seinfeld. I was about ready to crawl under my desk and take a nap. Instead I just dozed off staring at my computer screen. The no coffee thing didn't work out too well today. I guess the excitement of "owning" my job wore off my the afternoon. Once I got home I decided to shoot some hoops in an attempt to energize myself a little. I discovered that I stick suck really bad at it. If that darn moisture probe's percentages are anything like my basketball shooting percentages I can understand how it gets negative percentages.

Sunday, October 12, 2003

Well, it was another disappointing Sunday thanks to the Steelers (pronounced stillers around here). Bettis' fumble pretty much lost the game for them. Oh well, at least it was exciting to watch. The game of the weekend though, goes to the MLB for the Sox and Yankees game. There are only a few words to describe that game and one of them is UNBELIEVABLE! Too bad tonight's game was rained out. It would have been intense. The tension will have eased up a bit by tomorrow but I still expect an upset from the Sox.

Tomorrow, it's back to The Workplace for another week. Maybe with any luck we'll get that darn temperature sensor with PID loop working. It's nice to talk to people from California on the phone. They don't have The Cove accent. I figure, as long as I keep my verbs straight I should be okay.

Saturday, October 11, 2003

I almost forgot how much fun it is to hang out with all my friends again. If you don't know Vikki, she's worth getting to know if only for the fact that you'll hear really humorous stories about her life. I can't think of too many things better than sitting around a table talking about your crazy life with all your friends. And nothing raps the trip up to see your friends better than a nice HUG from Meredith, Liz's sister. Oh yeah that's right Andy. How about that! It was just a hug though, so there's still time to put "the plan" into effect.

On a final note: NO PARKING TICKET FOR ME! Sorry Liz, looks like you were the only one parking illegally.

Thursday, October 09, 2003

In my defense, let me just say that when you get home from work and you have absolutely nothing to look forward to, any tv seems good, except for Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and other select show on TLC. But also, let me point out that last night's episode of Ed was intriguing enough for Andy to make his whole blog entry for the day about the episode. Oh well, what can I say? I'm bored out of my mind here!

Finally, today I had a major breakthru! I've been working on making a differential amplifier the past few days and finally my hard work paid off! Now the only problem I'm faced with is making a inverter to get my -6V. However, I need an inverted signal to make the inverter work! Who the heck designed op-amps anyway? Why can't I just ground the @#$! thing! Bonus points if you're reading this and have any clue what in the world I'm talking about.

Today's Jimmy tip:
If you are making an inverter with an op-amp and protoboard, make sure the IC chip is not upside down. This causes the chip to smoke and make popping sounds. Although this sounds cool, all it does is make me buy another chip.

Wednesday, October 08, 2003

Despite what Ms. Bol said about Ed, I happened to enjoy it. All right, so it wasn't near as funny as last week, I'll give you that, but it was still quality I thought. I mean come on, the episode almost revolved around Warren Chezwick. Sorry Vikki, I have to rate this episode second best of the season. Although, you may not really disagree with that.

On a different note, why is it that when I'm watching the MLB American League Championship game, radar from The Weather Channel pops up? Look you dip-head announcers, if I want to see the doppler radar, I will turn to The Weather Channel, but when I have my TV on FOX, I expect to see the ball game. I have picture-in-picture so I can watch them both at the same time if I choose, so just show the game please. Thank you, I'm now going to go "Cowboy Up."

Tuesday, October 07, 2003

So let me just tell you one of the weirdest things I've ever experienced. Actually, it's happening right now. The right speaker of my surround sound computer speaker system has some how tapped into some local CB radio and i can hear conversations going on between my IM chimes. Appearently some guy named Hill-Billy (go figure) has not shown up at the place of the broadcast. Frankly I'm begining to get concerned. No concern yet from the main speaker. I haven't yet caught his name.

On a very exciting side note, my good friend Vikki has begun a blog of her own. You can check it out my clicking here or it will forever be linked over there on the right hand side.
I must agree with Andy Vogel and Rob Neyer on this one. The sports announcers, especially the ones on Fox, just flat out suck! They criticize one team for one thing, then praise another team for the same thing. On top of that, their comments are just plain stupid and idiotic. I lack the big words to emphasize my point like Andy. I think they should broadcast Dave Matthews Band or something on the SAP audio signal for sporting events instead of those spanish cheese commercials. Well, I guess the mute button and the radio will have to do for now.

Hmm, I'm hungry. I could go for a nice big Papa Johns pizza right about know.