Ugh
Woke up on the wrong side of life today. Took LittleLove's wallet to them at work, then tried braving the rest of the mall since I was there. That quickly had me heading home.

Still not feeling well, dunno what it is. I'm annoyed with the world, I suppose.

Current Mood: blah

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If Nothing Else...
I caught up with my LJ comments.

Hrm, we watched Meaning of Life the other night. Why is it that these new releases of the Python films are disappointing? Either my memories of their humor are wrong, they really weren't all that funny to being with, or the horrible quality was part of their charm.

Watched some Evangelion last night. We also took the CF apart in order to remove the board blocking the middle sensor so we could play some PIU on SM and be ready for the PS2 release of it.

We've been putting off the bed and other shopping, so we're supposed to do all that tonight. I already made the plans to go out for dinner so that we'll be out and about instead of sitting at home letting inertia take its toll... again.

Paid renter's insurance today, joy. Ordered one of those cheap XM portables thanks to friends list.

I've signed up for some free crap, just to see. I mean hell, if I can get one of these for basically no effort, wth, eh? I mean, I can always eBay whatever it is and make some cash. Besides, I signed up for reputable stuff like Blockbuster and used Virtual Credit Cards to do it. Only need 5-9 people per to sign up and do blockbuster or whatever.

Free iPod
http://www.freeiPods.com/?r=12589242

Free PocketPC
http://www.pocketpcs4free.com//portal.php?ref=632

Free High End PC
http://www.highendpc4free.com//profile.php?mode=register&ruid;=322

Free XBOX, PS2, GC, DS
http://www.FreeGamingSystems.com/?r=12589548

Current Mood: moody

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Xmas Rant
(didn't I do this last year? ah well, anyways..)

I was discussing Xmas and my reasons for not wanting gifts last night with LittleLove. I figured I'd go ahead and get it all down, since it is still somewhat fresh in mind.

I don't care for Xmas. At all.

It is very much on purpose that I use the 'X' - Xmas, not Christmas. Why? Because Xmas has nothing to do with Christ. Xmas is a pure retail holiday, wherein people stupidly spend untold amounts of cash they don't have buying crap for other people that they don't want. It is also a time of forced niceties with extended family members with whom you have little in common. Then, there are the all-too-annoying cheesy crappy songs repeated endlessly wherever you go. So what's to like about Xmas? Perhaps the best I can come up with is a day off of work. Joy, indeed.

I already don't like exchanging gifts as it is. Most people who are somewhat close to me know this, even if they don't understand it. The reason I don't like exchanging gifts is the obligation involved. If gifts were true gifts, then I wouldn't have as much of a problem with it. However, there is no such thing. Something is expected back to the giver, whether it is a thank you card, a gift in return, a favor, or whatever else it might come to be. That's not a gift, it's an obligation device. Think Godfather or similar. Haha is VERY bad about this, leading to my informing them every time that I don't want anything from them. They never listen.

Then let's come to the 'Holiday (shopping) Spirit' crap. I was talking to an ex-coworker a few months ago, and they were telling me what they got their SO for Xmas or a Bday or something. They spent $500 on a pullover. $500. One item. For this stupid holiday. And that was just the start. I think the total ended up being something like $2k just for the one person. In nearly the next breath, they were talking about how their credit cards and student loans and such still need to be paid off, and they were worried about making rent. W.T.F.?. I can't respect a 'holiday' that people put themselves in debt, or ruin any chance of getting themselves out of debt, for.

Now let's explore the concept of wishlists. Wishlists are handy devices whereby one communicates the things they would like to have to others. I overheard a coworker talking about this the other day. Their main point was that the things they really wanted were expensive - $500 and up let's say. So they end up just putting cheap crap on their wishlist for others since they know they won't buy them what the really want. This is a completely sad state. People are telling people they want something when they really don't just because they feel obligated to. And people are buying this crap for others - again, because they feel obligated to. The consumer message is so deeply ingrained into us that we can't stop for a second and say 'What The FUCK Do I Think I'm Doing? How Does Buying Someone Crap They Don't Want Promote Goodwill Towards Man?' and suchlike.

Then there's the whole shopping experience. Ugh, I avoid all stores as much as I can during this season. It's just not worth it to stand in line for hours and be part of that mass human crush. People are always in the way, traffic is atrocious, restaurants are jam-packed. If I need something, I go online for it. Even a decent sale usually won't draw me out - it's not worth my time. If you take your $/hr rate from your job and apply it to the time you would spend at the store, it generally isn't worth it. If you can be in and out in 10 minutes, fine. If it's going to take 90? Uh, not unless you're saving quite a bit of cash. Besides the fact that it's probably even cheaper just to order it online and avoid the mess. And if you do go out, you have to suffer through that godawful music being played damn near everywhere. At least at home you can play some decent stuff.

And, of course, there's everyone's favorite visit with the relatives. I don't know these people, I don't care about these people, and I have nothing in common with these people except some familial BS. Of course, there's always the politics going on where Aunt A isn't talking to Uncle C because of what Grandma B said to Grandpa B earlier/last week/last year/in 1865/whatever. And the endless repetition of the same questions, which no one listens to the answers anyway. All the chatter and crowds and forced civility tend to make me irritable - the perfect holiday mood.

So what should be done then? Here's what I would like to see:

• No gifts exchanged on Xmas or Xmas eve
  
• No holiday get-togethers
  
• Pure immediate family quality time
  
• Doing something nice for each other - take over chores, take out for food/movie/etc, a foot massage, etc
  
• Just relax and enjoy the break for work/school/etc
  
• Do projects around the place that you've been putting off, thus making improvements and making everyone feel better for having accomplished them
  
• Giving a quick call to friends and family just to say hello any day all year long
  
• If, while shopping, one sees something that speaks of another and it is within budget, then perhaps get it for them - and give it to them any day all year long
  

The point being that spending money isn't the answer. It doesn't matter how little/much you spend on things. If you really and truly want to celebrate something special, make it your love and care for family and friends all year long. Don't concentrate it into a single day, then ignore them the rest of the year.

It may be that I have a bad attitude because this is my penance for being so selfish and greedy earlier in life. I used to be somewhat spoiled (though I know plenty who were worse), and I feel I still owe a large obligation to Chichi that I can never pay off. I understand they never expected me to return what they gave me, and that they died with the assumption that our balance was zeroed. I, however, know how much more they gave me than I returned. And I regret not giving back what was due.

Current Mood: indescribable
Current Music: Kodo - Zoku

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Score
LittleLove had Xmas gifts waiting for me when I got home, and had me open some of them. Therefore, I now have:

A PNY 268MB SD Card and a
Max Drive 16MB USB.

The USB drive rocks, except for the fact that it seems to have toasted one of my PS2 memcards. You can go online via PS2 net connection and download saves directly to it. I backed up both memcards to it, then back it up to my laptop. It auto-compresses the saves, which is also nice.

The SD Card I was hoping would be a more portable solution to the space issue on the iPaq. Unfortunately, it seems that my iPaq has issues with the SD Card slot. So no, it doesn't work. Argh.

Went to yet another Chinese place today. This one was somewhat decent, at least the entree had tasy veggies. I'm still looking for better, though.

Current Mood: blah

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A Series Of Amusing Events
We played a few new PS2 games last night when LittleLove got home.

First up was Samurai Warriors: Extreme Legends. This is basically the same as Dynasty Warriors ..., so I was excited to play it. It's decent, although it can get a bit old to wade through wave after wave of enemy soldiers. Sometimes, though, you're in the mood to do just that. It's rather satisfying to mow down these waves with a well-timed mousou attack.

Then I moved on to Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. The controls weren't too bad, but the hotstop detection for events was a bit off, and got annoying quickly. I don't know that I'll get back to that one any time soon (read: never.)

Finally, we had the most interesting one. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, which is based on a movie which is based on a book. This game is very surreal. Gameplay is rather simple, but it progresses nicely. The only real irrtant is the 'death' resets. LittleLove was nearly complete with a rather laborious portion, and 'died.' This involves resetting to a previous point, instead of 'game over.' However, the reset points could be a bit more frequent.

In other news, we put the tree up. I have pics, which I may share... not sure yet. I went shopping yesterday to get wrapping paper and suchlike. Ended up with a few gifts for LittleLove, one of which I had them open last night.

Now, it's about time for lunch. I just printed out a list of local Chinese places. They have ratings, a term I use loosely. The two top rated places are ones I wouldn't drag anyone to. Ever.

Current Mood: grumpy

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Life is
Ups and Downs.

Today is a down.

Current Mood: discontent

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Ugh I'm already beat
Went furniture shopping.

I'm close to deciding on the Tempur-Pedic California King as the new bed. Need LittleLove's opinion, of course.

Saw a couple nice pieces of bedroom furniture, but was turned off by salespeople. I hate hard sells, and will usually not buy from someone who tries it on me.

P.M. Bedroom Gallery was a most impressive store. Too bad everything was so damn expensive.

I tried to go to the mall, but it was packed. Cops directing traffic IN THE PARKING LOT bad. No thanks.

Time to feed the animals and walk the dog, then I can veg until LittleLove gets home. We've got Xmas decorating planned.

Current Mood: tired

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A Walk In The Cold
TSO rocked!

The walk afterwards down the wrong street and back in 37oF weather did not. It was amusing, but did not rock.

I'm beat.

Current Mood: exhausted

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Leth's Argy
I'm in, for lack of a better term, Hibernation Mode. I've been wanting to eat more and sleep more and do less. *yawn* Went home after work yesterday and crashed until LittleLove did dinner. Then we watched Noiruntil bedtime.

Trash this morning. Got gas on the way to work. Bills due soon. Need an oil change. TSO tonight.

A coworker paid $500 each for tickets to see the Packers. In Green Bay. In January. Brrrrrrrrr.

I loaded a bunch of games onto the CF card in the iPaq GPS jacket. It's slow as hell, but I figure on demoing a bunch of them, then picking my favorites to put in main memory for the long term. I also really want a SD card, since I could have lots of space without worrying about having the stupid jacket on.

I'm still fuzzy, so not much else to report.

Current Mood: groggy

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Frustration and Flying Daggers
I've pretty much forgotten what I was going to update. I meant to do so a few times in the past week, and just didn't get around to doing anything with substance.

I recall that I had several dreams - unusual for me. One involved Warren Ellis, whatever the new LJ name he has (I know it's on my friends list, but I don't recall what it is ATM.) I was hanging with him, sort of like a guide while he was in town for an event. First, he stuck me with a rather large bar tab. Then, he finished by rushing off to his flight and leaving me with the hotel bill as well. Wild. I forget the other dream, it was just strange to have them all of a sudden.

I did great gobs of nothing over the 4 day break. I made my (in)famous curry for T-day. I finally finished up the last of it last night. We vegged, we chilled, LittleLove worked. LittleLove has been playing the new Zelda for GBA. I've been playing Bard's Tale for PS2.

I finally got to see House of Flying Daggers last night. It's on 2 discs, with the video pretty much filling both. As a result, it looks beautiful. However, it is very annoying to have to switch discs in the middle. I got completely frustrated with my DVD/Divx player, and resorted to watching the 2nd disc on my old Apex player on the old TV.

I've been kinda blah over this break. I dislike the holidays, and the more the commercial crap invades everything the worse I get. It got to me last night, along with several other relatively minor annoyances. LittleLove came to my rescue, though. They were very supportive and loving when I needed it most. I'm happy that they are here with me.

I suppose I ought to get to seeing what's in store for me this week at work.

Current Mood: groggy

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Hah! As If!

	OfficeMax Line 11/26/2004 6:30am
	OfficeMax Line Continued 11/26/2004 6:30am

So yeah, I got up and went out to Office Max to see if the line would be reasonable, because they had a SD card free after rebate, and a cheap 200GB WD HD. As you can see above, the line stretched from the door all the way across the parking lot 1/2 hour before they opened. Uh, no. There was a fairly constant stream of cars arriving as I looked/snapped pics.

I also drove by Best Buy, and the parking lot there was completely full, as were all neighboring lots and even the nearby roads. It opened at 6am, so there wasn't much in the way of a line outside.

So I came home from the 34oF weather and decided to skip it altogether. I'll be staying home and inside most of the day. LittleLove, however, has to work. At the mall. Today. I don't envy them that, it will be an absolute zoo.

Current Mood: amused

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Trip Summary Completed
Well, thanks to Hayama, I don't have to write it anymore.

In other news, HEAT! Evidently a motor burned itself out while desperately trying to heat this place. Maintenance replaced it, and now it's actually starting to get to 70oF or so in here.

Current Mood: hungry

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Oh The Pane
Temp on arrival at home: 50oF
Temp after attempting to stem the drafts via plastic and caulk: 60oF

Yeah, it's cold.

I'm still at work, forgot to have lunch today. I figure on leaving in an hour or so. I left a list of tasks for a coworker to do while I was gone, and basically none of them were done. Joy.

I'm sure I'll get to the trip summary eventually.

Current Mood: hungry

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Trip complete as of about 2:30am
TSIA

Current Mood: drained

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What A Night Horse
I worked something like 14 hours yesterday. Bleh.

I've been trying to play with my new toy, a GPS for the iPaq. I hope to find it useful on our trip tonight. I also picked up a 256MB CompactFlash card for it to store the map data on, and I'm glad I did. We're thinking of going GeoCaching, since that sounds like fun. I need to figure out how to import the waypoints.

There was a slight issue with registration/activation, but that was fixed for the short term. I'm in discussion with them about longer-term support, since they said they wouldn't support me because I bought it on eBay. I'm going to make the argument that the ownership was transferred to me, and I have all the receipts. We'll see.

I've reinstalled WinXP about a dozen times in the past few days. Ever since the new coworker started and some idiot decided to take my test pc for them to use. The good news is that I'm almost back to being up and running fully, I just have a few apps left to install. I swapped my crappy machine for a better crappy machine that has 4 back USB ports and a front USB port, as well as DVD-ROM and a CDRW. My old one sucked and locked up at least once a week.

Coworkers were joking with me this morning since I spent all this time and effort getting the GPS set up, but haven't packed clothes or anything yet.

A coworker had an extra 2 tickets to see TSO in a few weeks, so I snagged them.

I've been blah, probably fighting off illness or being affected by the weather change. 30oF to 70oF back and forth just sucks my energy away.

In any case, I need to wrap up some stuff at work and get packing. We leave as soon as LittleLove gets home from work. We'll be offline until we get back, I'm sure.

Current Mood: busy

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Another Messy Fine
Didn't do to well for awhile last night. Seems to be ok now, though. We'll see. Played a bit of EG and went to the store. Watched the 1st episode of Noir.

Still have issues with the setup of the Harmony. I sent an email today after lunch to see if they can fix it. Hitting the 'Language' button actually changes the DVD output mode.

I really should stop buying toys. But I won't.

I'm already looking at a new iPaq. I like the ones with WiFi/BT/Biometrics. The model escapes me atm, but they do look fun. They also seem to be a bit better designed in some areas - specifically the directional pad.

Yesterday's work highlight was getting new themes for the iPaq (I think I settled on the Azumanga Daioh one) and testing out some various plguins for the Today page. I like the launcher I found - its' nice and simple and small. Too many of the apps take over most of the visible space. I liked some of this other battery bar program, but the one I've been using is less system-impacting and shows most of what I want it to. I did decide on a calendar app that actually shows a couple days ahead instead of just today. The weather apps I tried took too much in the way of resources, so I'm not using them.

I hope my car charger and stylus pack come in before the trip - I'd like to be able to use this thing on the road. I loaded a few novels and of coures the games...

Speaking of which, I got my butt handed to me on the last end of curling. I'm glad I saved before then, because I really screwed up bigtime. I think they had 4 stones in scoring position. Ugh.

I've had Chinese for lunch every day for the past 7 days, at least. I'm not sure about last Thurs, but it may go back a few days further than that. I'm dissatisfied still, and am eagerly anticipating going back to my favorite place on the trip.

I'm not sure what tonight holds, perhaps some more EG and Noir, or some OP. Maybe we'll go out somewhere, bot sure yet. I think LittleLove gets off fairly early today, so we do have a chance to do something.

Oh, I rediscovered Bob & Tom this morning. LittleLove's alarm went off as I was about to leave, and I heard Mr Obvious. I tuned in on my way to work. Bastards got rid of their free net broadcasts, though. No listening at work for me.

Current Mood: bored

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Restart


As promised, the comparison pic including the iPaq and the Neuston remote. I added the MX510 as well, just for fun.

The Neuston remote is horrible, but it is better than the Apex one I had been using.

I've been playing Evil Genius for the past few days. Last night, I decided to restart my game from scratch based on what I'd learned by playing and read online. So far, it seems to be going MUCH better. I've got a nice base with some nonleathal trap combos to start with, 3 hotels, one of each room I can build at this point, 92 minions, and 2mil in the bank. Next step is to capture and interrogate the maid to complete the first set of objectives. Fun stuff.

I haven't really had much else going on. Work's been slow, as I've been waiting for others to get things working so I can start. LittleLove has been grilling dinners, which have been great. It's starting to get cold again, so we may not have another chance to have good brats or burgers for awhile.

The trip is in a week. I'm looking forward to some good food and getting out of town for a bit.

Current Mood: groggy

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New Toys / More on Remote


Got a new toy is last night, a Logitech MX510. It was on sale at Amazon, so I ordered it the other day. Wow. You know how the mouse wheel was kinda strange when you first used it, but then it got to the point where it's really hard to use a mouse without one? I think that's going to be the case with this, as well. The mouse has 8 buttons, all of which are useful. I'm really liking the smooth scroll buttons for going through LJ and FAQs. The task switcher is also pretty handy. I absolutely love the Back/Forward buttons when browsing. And, of course, the entire thing feels SO much better than the cheap one that came with my laptop. Not to mention it's sexy.



And now, back to yesterday's remote discussion. The above pic is of the Harmony when lit. As you can see, everything is nicely lit, bright, and all functions can be seen.



In comparison, here is the TV remote when lit. As you can see, it is nice and bright. However, few of the buttons are actually labeled to be readable when lit, and some aren't lit at all.



And here is the receiver remote when lit. Yeah, it's really hard to even tell that it is lit in the pic. The light is rather dim, but functional. The issue is that the buttons are overloaded with more than one function, but if labeled are only labeled with one function for lit use.



And here are the 3 remotes side-by-side for daytime use. The receiver remote on the left is an absolute monster - very heavy and extremely complex. It is very usable for common functions like volume, channel, and menu. However, anything else requires hunting. The light is very well placed on the side, making it easy to find in the dark. It is actually fairly comfortable to hold, despite the size.

On the right is the TV remote. Again, common functions are well placed and easy to use. One of the worst parts is the 'Light' button, which is stuck up near the top in a completely nonintuitive and not readily accessable spot. It serves the usual channel surfing purpose without much complaint.

In the middle is my new baby, the Harmony. As is readily apparent, it is actually smaller than either of the others. It is also very sexy. The function buttons at the top are clearly color-coded but the text is a bit small - I may have preferred icons instead. Most of the functionality centers on the center, where teh tumb naturally rests when holding it. It is extremely comfortable to hold. The light button is the one just below the center directional pad, making it easy to find in the dark. The thing looks like a phone, which is about the only style drawback to it.

I've got a couple other remotes lying around that I didn't take time to photograph this morning. Oh, and the iPaq, which I should do at least for size comparisons.

Current Mood: drained

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New Toy


I went and did it, I ordered a remote that cost more than my PS2 - almost as much as the Neuston. It was completely worth it.

I did some research over at Remote Central based off of the latest sales at TechBargains. It seemed that there were only a few remotes fitting my specs and likely to be able to control the way-off-brand Neuston. I set my heart on a Harmony Remote, which is now part of Logitech.

The reason was simple - you connect the remote to your PC via USB and download all your device settings. There's a massive database of user-submitted devices to choose from, and it just seemed logical to do things this way. I was a bit worried, as the usability ratings weren't as good on the Harmony ones as other remotes, but I figured it was decent enough.



We got it in last night just before dinner. Let's just say we ate dinner late last night.

I opened it up and worked with LittleLove to get it all set up. We plugged it in, installed the software, and started the online device setup. It didn't take much, just the brand and model numbers for the devices we wanted to add, and a little selecting from options. In a few minutes, we had it set up and downloading/uploading to the remote. Once it was done, viola! The Neuston would turn on and off remotely again!

There were a few issues, though. The button mapping didn't include the OK/Enter key, and the Play buttong wasn't working too well. However, I went ahead and logged a support request with Logitech and then set about configuring other options online while LittleLove made dinner. I updated the remote then went to help create my famous hamburgers. Oh, and the included batteries were dead.

We ate, and watched some One Piece before settling down at the computers for a few hours of vegging.



At around 11:30, I get a new email from Logitech. Someone has already receieved my support request, updated my online remote settings based on user-submitted functions, and replied telling me all I need to do now is update my remote again and everything is ready to go! Now THAT's service!

A bit more about remote operation. I dislike the running ad the LCD displayed, but I think it is off now. It will take a bit to get used to how this remote works, as it's a bit different from others. The top colored buttons are basically macros. As an example, the "Watch DVD" button turns on the TV, sets the input to the Receiver's component, turns the receiver on, sets the input to the DVD player's compnent, and turns the DVD player on. Very handy. I think we're going to set up a few more of those for the various game systems and such. If the PS2 has the built-in IR, then this remote can turn it on and such as well.



I've dealt with cheap universal remotes before, and even my Onkyo and Panasonic Learning remotes. They all suck for setting up. Horribly. This remote is how it SHOULD be.

So yeah, I am very happy with it. I highly recommend one to anyone with a need to control 3+ devices and manage inputs and such. I got mine from Buy.com.

Current Mood: geeky

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Accomplished
Finally finished Kohan II.

Ending sucked.

Hardcore.

It wasn't even YOU ARE SUPER PLAYER worthy.

Watching Witch Hunter Robin, trying to catch up to where LittleLove got last night while I slept.

Still not quite thinking right, and have been reverting back to eating like I used to. Horribly.

Talked to RedneckNinja. They're doing well back in L-town.

*yawn*

I've been burning discs wherever I've had the time. I did a dozen the other day, and 10 a few days before that. I'm trying to get some space back so I can reallocate my RAID 0 array to JBOD.

I had issues at work with a new PC, I tried to patch together a nice testing system and ended up mismatching memory. Thankfully, I swapped with a team member's machine and got it all matched. Hopefully, that will settle it. Had some issues with the PC at home, as well. I'm really wanting to do a reformat, but that doesn't seem practical right now.

Current Mood: moody

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I Just Came In My Pants
I want THE Criterion Collection for Xmas.

yanked from thehangedman

Current Mood: shocked

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Sometimes, There Are Just Not Words...
Hello Kitty Online

Current Mood: indescribable

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When Will I Remember?
Up early this morning, got to work at 6am. Dunno why, but couldn't sleep. Didn't really go to bed early or take a nap or anything.

Got a new toy. iPaq H3900. Free, for work use.

Ummm... Been brainfried for about a week now, haven't really gotten ahead of the game yet. Work has been okayish. Have had some stuff to do, but little pressure or motivation. I do have a report to do by tomorrow, and I may have to completely rescript and rerun my tests. Someone who I emailed for information deleted without reading my message. That annoys me greatly, and I may have to escalate.

Wow, it's hard to type in semi-complete sentences ATM. Um.... I completely forget what else I keep meaning to update with.

Oh yeah, RedneckNinja called the other night. They're in bad shape, and I hope they can resolve their current issues soon. Hopefully, I'll hear from them tonight or tomorrow.

New DDR, IIDX, and PnM are only 2 weeks away. Not that I've been playing any of that.

LJ sucked yesterday.

Yafro sucks always.

NIS 2K5 sucks.

NIS 2K4 sucks.

LittleLove and I have had our ups and downs... Let's hope we can trend upwards from here on.

Hmm, vacation in 2 weeks. Going to see LittleLove's grandparent. Hopefully we'll get the chance to see our friends as well, but it's a long drive for a short trip.

Got to level 25 in Kohan II. I thought there were only 23 levels. Level 23 was rough, and I ended up replaying it about 5-6 times before I won. Also been playing Car Thief 5 as recommended by Hawkwind, and Insaniquarium. On the iPaq, I've got a few games like Traffic Jam and Tower Mogul to try out.

I sort of feel like I'm getting ready to hibernate. I've been eating more and been less active of late. Perhaps I should change that a bit. I work with some large people, and I definately don't want to become one myself.

So, yeah. Life, as such, keeps plodding along.

Current Mood: lethargic

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Dateless, Up
Fri I stayed home from work for most of the day, then went in after LittleLove was at work. I ended up talking to mall security regarding camera phone pics.

Sat, I don't recall what we did... I think LittleLove worked early and I vegged.

Sun, I woke up and decided to go to Chicago. I woke up LittleLove and off we went. It wasn't a bad drive, and we got to Mitsuwa early. We wandered a bit, then had lunch. Mmmmm ramen. We stuffed ourselves, then did a bit of light shopping before heading out. Next stop was an arcade nearby, where we played a single game before leaving.

Then we went to IKEA. Wow, what an experience. IKEA is what would happen if you took the 1st and 2nd year architecture students I went to school with and let them design cheapass but overpriced furniture. The store was packed, and I saw a few people with what must have been $2k worth of crap. Anyway, we wandered about for awhile.

Then off to another arcade, whose ddr machine had vanished. And then Gameworks. Ugh, their machines were total crap. However, they did have a DDR US 1st Mix for me to play and check off my list. They also had a Guitar Freaks machine, which was in horrible shape. The two Extreme machines they had were also not very playable, but LittleLove did their best. We eventually got bored/frustrated and moved on.

We had dinner at Timber Lodge. I recall it being much better than it acutally was, so we probably won't be going back. They closed to one near Mitsuwa, so we ended up in Naperville. After that, we had one last arcade stop. They had one of the neatest DDR setups I've seen yet - a walled circle with two machines, a decent amount of room, and some chairs. The big problem was that they had these stupid 'fun keys' that you had to buy, so a game for each of us cost $3. We played on the 5th Mix machine to check it off our lists, and the Extreme machine was pretty busy at the same time.

Finally, we went to head home. I was beat. We did get some cheap gas. It was $1.87! This morning on my way to work it was $2.17. We had a bit of a turnaround before we hit the highway, and then we ran into an accident or something that slowed traffic to a crawl. I was doing okay until just before we got home, where I was struggling to stay awake.

Made it home and crashed. Hard.

Mon at work was a blur, frankly. I was out of it and not really in work mode. I did a few site updates in between running tests, and I think I broke something or other. I felt queasy and headed home slightly early.

I sat around for part of the evening while LittleLove was at work, then went out to get catfood and conditioner. I ended up looking at furniture, and found a nice chest of drawers that I rather liked. It had real rails and all cedar drawers. It was part of a $3k set, which I don't need right now. The one piece was $650. A bit more than I wanted to spend. Saw an accident or some cause fof police/fire on the way home.

LittleLove arrived home only an hour or two after they left due to low traffic at the store. We chatted for a bit, then I called Haha and passed out. My stomach was really being funky, and I was still tired. I woke up a bit later to get a drink, and ended up staying up for a bit and taking pepto. We finally crashed a bit later after some conversation.

I woke up this morning 1 minute before my alarm. I felt well enough to start the day, though I'm starting to second-guess that decision now. I did kick off two tests, so progress of some sort is being made.

I know LittleLove has a busy day, their list of things to do is a decent size. I've still got 3 projects to work on at work, and I hope to be able to get into work mode and stay there today so I can get something done and off my list.

Current Mood: groggy

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Day [sic]
Didn't go to work.

Got Taiko No Tatsujin in.

Current Mood: blah

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Dead Evening
Worked late yesterday... Well, when I say work, I mean I sat around at work until long after I normally would have left waiting for people to get their stuff done. Then, I left around 5 when it became obvious that it wasn't going to happen. Went home, ate, and then we crashed. Didn't really mean to, but we did.

Ended up getting up around 1 or 2am and finding that the dog left 4 separate deposits, all of them rather large.

Went back to bed after 3, and got up at 6.

I'm hating WML. It sucks, hardcore. I've gotten some things done in it, but... Meh. I don't have any way to really check it except to actually browse with my phone. Well, the phone has a cache - if there's an error once, it will keep showing it until you reset the entire browser. And if there is an error, the message is "No Page To Render" or somesuch nondescriptive crap. PITA. I finally found a WML validator that I used to help debug, which did at least point to issues. Of course, it wouldn't work directly so I ended up having to make code changes, upload, hit the URL in FireFox, have it download the output to the desktop, open that in UltraEdit, and copy/paste it into the WML validator in IE. PITA.

In any case, I've made some good progress. Two more major things to accomplish, really. I started trying to have TBS output WML from templates, which may help a bit. If that works, I'll continue trying to recode some more HTML output functions into WML using the templates. I could probably cheat and use CSS stripped down to nothing for the WAP versions, but I think WML will be more compatible across various phones... for now. I may also look into HDML, and I'd like to change the HTML 4.01 stuff to XHTML.

Today, more waiting at work.. I actually do have a few things I can start working on, so I probably won't be spending much time in personal development.

I don't know why, but my back/shoulders/neck are really bothering me today... yesterday, too.

Current Mood: sore

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Against The Garage Wall
Moody today. Went to leave the house and the garage door wouldn't open. I ended up having to do it manually.

Bah.

Current Mood: blah

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I.T.
I don't steal things - but who does anymore? Ideas are worth so much more that anything physical. It's a concept that most people still have a hard time understanding, this unreal estate thing. It's not a job, it's not my choice, it's my life. Death. Existence.

Of course the lack of the physical never handicapped anyone, now did it? Sure, some poor schmuck may have lost their cock in a blender, but there's always a replacement handy. Bigger, better, harder, faster.

So they come for me. My mind is all that's left before them, after.... Nothing. It's a kindness, freeing my soul from isolation for the greater good of society. Too bad they never fucking asked my opinion.

A billion dollars' worth of theft is the charge. 'How can a bodiless soul steal anything?' the public should cry. Bastards, they never care. Some new scandal involving the trillionaire talk show queen is all it takes to divert any serious uprising anymore. A decent PR mind can spin that before morning wood.

And so they get what they want, like they always do.

Reality is not quite where I exist, and so I make the choice. Score one for me.



©2004 CMorrigu

Current Mood: cranky

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Anime Reactor
Anyone going to Anime Reactor?

Since it's so close, I was thinking about it.

Current Mood: cynical

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Taiko
Hmmm one of my friends is selling Taiko No Tatsujin... It is VERY tempting.

I have a list I've been working my way slowly through at work today. Looks like some will be put off until tomorrow, but progress has been made.

Two packages seem to have arrived at home today, along with the one yesterday.

Talked to Oz a bit last night - they finally have a job in the state I just moved from. Irony.

Got a few more black flags in DDR Exteme US last night... but no new AAA's.

I just realized I haven't played Donkey Konga since the day I bought it. I'd like to play it a bit more, but... There are (Ez2Dancer) other (Taiko) games (drummania) I'd (dance maniax) rather (guitar freaks) play (PIU) more. And, with the recent rumors of PIU on PS2...

The digital car compass I got in yeterday is pretty neat. I put it in the car this morning - jammed it on the cupholder instead of 'installing' it with sticky-backed velcro. It showed a steadily plummeting temperature as I drove, but I haven't yet calibrated the compass. A coworker just explained to me today how/where to put the external temperature sensor so that part will work.

Still Making progress in Kohan II. Did another 2 levels last night, which should put me nearing the 2/3 point.

Current Mood: bored

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Down with OP
Watched 10 episodes of One Piece on Sun. That's a record for us. Watched the TV Special last night.

I got 2 AAA's on DDR Extreme US Sat night, and another one on Sun.

I've been trying to get through Kohan II - I think I'm about halfway so far. Next is Evil Genius - I played/won the demo yesterday.

Talked to RedneckNinja last night for quite a bit, nothing much really new there.

Current Mood: bored

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Fun Toy
Google SMS is a nifty toy. You can get info about all sorts of neat stuff via SMS text message. I've done a few queries, and like the results so far.

Current Mood: amused

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We Don't Need Another Hero
Went and saw Hero last night. Just getting to the theater was a mini-adventure - we're still getting used to where everything is and all that. I got home and wolfed down a sandwich, then told LittleLove we were going to the store. So we got coupons together and prepared to go. Once in the car, I headed in the direction of Wally World, then commented that Target might have what we need. I turned in near target, but kept going - and that's the point I think LL realized we weren't going there. Anyway, past Target to the theater, I check the sign and don't see Hero listed. I'm a bit confused, since I know I'm on the right road and have the right theater chain. So we head back out down the road for a bit, then turn in and stop while LL checks their phone. We come to realize it is probably the one on the OTHER side of the highway - closer to home. So we head back that way, and are able to get in and seated right about the advertised showtime. Of course, we're the only ones in the theater. The staff takes their time getting to the previews, which don't start until 10 mins after we're in there. After the 15 mins of previews, including a ludicrous and nonsensical MPAA anti-piracy ad (or was it anti-download? it's really hard to tell what point they were trying to make), the movie starts.

First of all, I liked it. I think. I want to see it again and pay more attention to the beginning for the use of colors, since they become so important later on. There are some very... cinematic... moments. The sound was either incredible or horrible, I'm not sure. Several times I though something was actually happening in the back of the theater. It was interesting, but distracting. I had a few issues with plot and dialogue which interrupted my suspension of disbelief, as well. The combat was decent, and took a slightly different and stylized approach than I recall seeing before. I had some issues with small stuff such as how much sword tips wavered in the hands of so-called 'experts' who had mastered speed and precision to an inhuman level. My main issue was with the King/Emporer/whatever - there's a section in which I feel he becomes very whiny. Otherwise, I loved the character. The Jet Li character struck me as having both good and bad moments - I'm not sure which one won out in the end. The other major issue I have is the sheer number of arrows in the arrow scenes - I'm sorry, but 500 archers do NOT generate 10K+ arrows from a single volley. The CGI arrows were decent, but I think they tried too hard to make them seem realistic with varying flight paths, and ruined the black cloud effect by drawing attention to those bits.

We did end up going to the store after, but I crashed soon after we go home due to this damn lingering headache. It's been off and on all day every day since Sat or so. I wanted to take a turn on the shiatsu massage chair, but ended up forgetting until after I was almost asleep.

I woke up around 3am, and got up for a bit before I felt tired enough to head back to bed.

I woke up just before my alarm and turned it off, and slept in a bit. I got to work and was just a minute or so too late to get my normal parking spot.

Now I'm just kinda bored, I've got stuff coming up to do, but no real data or urgency yet. I'm also feeling quite not up to digging into php code today, so no progress there.

Current Mood: bored
Current Music: Dropkick Murphys - Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced

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Links
new He-Man movie

interesting way to Generate Secure Passwords/phrases

On to me.

I hate working with other people's code. I'm looking for some sort of wiki-like thing to use on one of my sites, and a CMS to use on another. That lead to some research today. Ugh. Can nothing be done easily? The interfaces and install instructions to this crap are horrible. One of them has 16 directories in its root, along with 359 files!

Madness.

Speaking of which, it's the same old story around here. It's kind of funny and sad that changing companies really didn't change all that much. We're fighting for our test environment, and the network people seem to think it's their job to restrict us - the primary users. WTG! Luckily, the boss is on it. Hopefully, we can escalate enough to drum some sense into their heads. If not, we're not going to be getting a whole lot done.

I got a bit done earlier, but then had meetings and lunch interrupt my workflow. ATM, I'm sitting around waiting for the next meeting. Trying to keep occupied, but reluctant to start anything big. If I'm feeling it, I'd rather keep working on what I'm doing than have to try to pick it up again later.

Current Mood: annoyed

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Yawn
Boring day so far. The weekend was uneventful. Played some Kohan and DDR Extreme US. Watched Nightbreed and some One Piece. Hung curtains.

I had a headache off and on pretty much the entire weekend for some reason. I ended up taking a nap here and there to help ease it off.

Talked to RedneckNinja for a bit. Missed a call from Haha.

I may actually be doing work this week at work, which would be a welcome change. I'm starting to stall a bit on my personal projects. I'm in the middle of several changes at the same time, and really haven't been concentrating well on any of them.

We have a team meeting in 5, then we're probably heading out to lunch.

I need to hit WalMart today or tomorrow, as I'm down to a critically low level of snack bars.

Current Mood: bored

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Donkey Konga afternoon
We've basically been playing DK nonstop since we hooked it up. It's kinda fun, then I had the bright idea to start the challenge mode. Challenge mode is every song in the game back-to-back. Ugh, that was boring. There are some horrible songs in there. 33 total, I believe. In any case, we did hook up the DVD component video cable before starting, but have yet to put DDR Extreme in.

I've gotten a rather annoying heading that refuses to go away. We're starting on dinner, and I took the rent check over so it was taken care of before late fees started happening. There may be a few other Real Life things to do today before we can settle in and play some Extreme. I fear I'll be using the controller mostly, as my foot is still bothering me off and on. LittleLove can use the Cobalt Flux pad.

I'd like to get the next map in Kohan II done today as well. There should be time tomorrow for a trip to Walmart for snack bars and to hang curtains and wall decorations.

Current Mood: hungry

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Extreme
We just got back from Best Buy.

Score:
DDR Extreme US PS2
Donkey Konga US GC
Nightbreed DVD
AR Component cable for the DVD player

Thanks to Rodimus for the going-away giftcard which eased the purchase price a bit.

Current Mood: broke

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meh
haven't felt much like updating here.

ups and downs has been a theme - several times a day, in fact.

keeping myself busy with coding and such at work, since there's not much real work to do right now.

haven't gotten all of everything set up yet, but am progressing. Still need to figure out 401k rollover and electronic bill payments for everything.

self reminder - pay rent, since I just got it set up starting automatically next month. side note - why do bank websites require arcane browser settings?

hmmm, not much else to report.

Current Mood: blah

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Ah well
Since Zatoichi wasn't an option, we just watched Fight Club instead. It was nice, I actually unwrapped my copy. I got it something like 4 years ago and hadn't watched it.

Between the new TV, receiver, and the trusty old sub, it rocked.

I suppose we could try for seeing Hero tomorrow instead before LittleLove has to work.

Current Mood: restless

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Well, shit
Zatoichi is no longer playing here. It was yesterday, and I wanted to go see it.

Current Mood: annoyed

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blah
I just haven't been in the mood to update here lately. First, it was issues with stress and such that were getting me depressed. Now, it's just that I don't feel much like making updates. I've had a couple things I've been meaning to post, but.. meh.

I'm missing AWA, and that sucks. I haven't missed AWA since I started going to it with Goofy and Hayama.. umm... several? years ago. I see Capt Dave already headed out, as well. Argh.

Work is settling down a bit. Boss has been out to Cali, but didn't take me with. Supposedly going in Nov instead. Might be good timing, since I hear it'll be pretty cold here by then.

I've been working with batch files, of all things. It's been interesting, and I've been able to accomplish quite a bit. Still, it is working with batch files. Hello, 1990.

I knew it would be this way, but there are some frustrations happening. I worked for a big company before, so it was big company frustrations. Now I work for a little company, and it is little company frustrations.

Ah well, we'll see how it goes. I'm going to try to round up a coworker or two and prepare for lunch.

Oh, and DDR Extreme US came out. I don't have it. This is a problem.

Current Mood: hungry

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DQ Free Cone
DQ has a Free Cone Day tomorrow.

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Service Restored
Finally, after a little discussion with the cable tech and lots of waiting for them to do their crap, we have service at home.

Current Mood: relieved

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CA bound
Not sure yet, but the boss just told me today that I may be heading to California next week.

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Saga Delayed
More idiocy. I really don't feel like rehashing it here.

Wed evening is now the cable modem install date.

I'm pretty busy today at work.

Sometimes, this doesn't seem like the brightest of moves.

Haha survived hurricanes, but is now on a cruise hopefully around the weather.

RedneckNinja is out in NC doing documentation.

LittleLove may be working at Uno's or Olive Garden - not sure yet.

I can get into my garage again.

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Useless People Suck
I got up early today. Out early, too. Actually took the dog for a little walk before I went in. The trash, which should have been collected yesterday, was still there. Got to work, and I couldn't get in the door. I had to wait until someone else showed up, then follow them in. I was occupying myself when someone stopped by to tell me that I was supposed to be in training - now. I went, then headed home for lunch.

So we noticed a whole bunch of sawing through various parts of the road in our complex yesterday, but had no idea what it was for. We found out today - when I went home for lunch, they had blocked off our entire driveway and were in process of pouring new concrete curbs. LittleLove couldn't get their car out to get to their interview.

I headed off to the bank, since the idiot who set my account up yesterday forgot to give me starter checks. I didn't have to wait too long, and they gave my 3 times as many as they initially said they would.

Then I get back to work, and have a call from the cable people. It seems that the technician was on the way to install the cable modem. Oh, and they needed a payment of $36. I informed them that they failed to mention that when I set up the appointment, and I was not sure if there was money on hand to pay for it. They asked if the technician should cancled, and I told them (HELL) no. I call LittleLove, and they have the cash so it's okay.

I get a text message from LittleLove a bit later - the technician didn't bring any cable. Duh. Then I get another one - they can't get the stupid thing to work. It turns out that something outside is FUBARed, and they have to bring another (better) technician out to fix that. Sometime in the next 48 hours. Riiiiiiiight.

So I'm just annoyed that I STILL don't have access at home.

Ah well, I'm downloading more UT2k4 maps today. LittleLove and I tried pretty much every one I snagged yesterday. There was a really neat one called something like temple of trials - an assault map with a bunch of Indiana Jones - style tasks to get through to hit the goals. We got stuck (after cheating to get through another section, just because we wanted to see what the entire map held) in this room that is tiled with glass. It's a huge, subdivided, glass cube. You can't really tell if there is glass in front of you or not until you run into it. After emploring that for awhile, we both got motion sick and went to bed.

This afternoon, I had more training, and a meeting witht he HR person which ended up being canceled. I'm not getting the meeting makers for any of this stuff, which makes it hard to know what I'm supposed to be attending. I also just got my access card so I can get in the building whenever I want now.

I'm running a test, so I think I'll stop by my coworker's cube to see what's going on the head home.

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What Does It Take?
Oh, I was just reminded by a LJ comment about food. We STILL can't find decent food around here. Well, actually - we can find decent food, but not GOOD food.

We've been several places, and they just aren't what we're used to. We tried Thai last night, and while the fried wontons were excellent and cheap, and the toast was good (but the sauce was iffy), the main courses left quite a bit to be desired.

We have a short list of the next few we want to try, and we may actually squeeze one in this weekend. It is getting pretty annoying, though. Even PF Chang's, which I understand many people rate highly, wasn't that great food-wise. The service was excellent, though.

I may start resorting to finding the little shabby-looking places stuck here and there, just to try to find the right combination of good service and good food. Too many places we've gone have one or the other... or neither.

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They Caught Up With Me
So, the tide has turned... Finances have caught up with me. We won't be going to AWA, we won't be going to Chicago this weekend, we won't be doing much except staying home and eating at home until the money starts flowing in.

I opened a bank account locally today, and I need to wait a week or two before I send the request to close out my old ones. There is some money tied up in all that, which doesn't help things much.

Mostly it was my credit card at fault - I keep paying over the statement total, and they keep sticking finance charges to me. I suppose I'll start looking for another credit company to use. In any case, the current total was far above my expectations - leading to a slight panic attack on my part.

We'll be okay, LittleLove is turning applications in for jobs today, so I'm pretty sure they'll have one lined up in a few days. I should be getting a check from my old company within a week or so, which will help quite a bit. The checks for the new company should start coming in in another week or two as well. Most of the moving expenses are done with, and we're to the point where we can do without any more major spending for a bit.

I can't think of much else to update with, I'm going to try to go back to keeping busy at work.

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Early Nite
Had an early night last night. LittleLove grilled some chicken and had some veggies done just after I got home. I took a turn in the shiatsu chair before eating. We played some UT2k4 after dinner - I REALLY like the Convoy Assault map, and the Mothership one is neat as well. I think we'll need to get more maps downloaded, as we've played a few times on most of the ones we have.

The cable company called, so we went ahead and made an appointment for broadband to be installed on Fri. Joy. They had a choice of specials, which I'm not sure were all that great, but ah well. No TV service, just broadband. LittleLove has been working through various anime DVDs I have, so we seem to be okay.

Today at work, I've actually had stuff to do. The day is going by reasonably quickly. The boss is out, and I've been making improvements and discussing them with my coworker. Looks like they're ready to make changes to their project in a similar vein in order to be more effecient and logical about how various details in the test scripts are handled.

I actually remembered my snack bars today, so I'm doing pretty well - had a headache going on yesterday off and on due to not eating like I should. Hopefully this puts me back on track - I've been eating irregularly and consuming lots of junk lately.

I finally recovered my old USB key, but I can't remember my password to get into the password database. I know some of the characters and strings in it, but not the correct combination of such. The one brute force tool I found was immediately deleted be the AV software here at work, so I may need to give that a try at home. I'm looking for a good brute force app that can work on another window, and a good wordlist generator that can take input to produce the list.

Coworker just stopped by, so I suppose I'll kick another test off then go see what's up with them.

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Werkin
Lovely day at work. First up, a meeting. Next up, I get handed a project that was due 2 weeks ago. Finally, a 2+ hour meeting and a bit of work to close out the day. Joy.

Ah well, I got Firefox up and mostly customized. Got ICQ running. Have some more desktop tweaks to do, but I appear to be in decent shape setup-wise.

I did manage to work my way to get the application to the power company, which I suppose is a positive thing. I took the dog for a walk over lunch. We finished up our move-in walkthrough checklist and evidently they're supposed to come fix some things today.

Over the weekend, we got the entertainment center set up. We can now play DDR on the Cobalt Flux pad we picked up just before moving... Although we've been playing more UT2k4 than anything else. I got the computers set up last night, just need the cable company to set up the boradband. I haven't decided what we're going to get cable package-wise yet. HDTV and digital are tempting, but pricey.

We've been going out to various stores on a daily basis to spend money on stuff - beanbag chairs, a baby gate to corral the dog, a grill, a chain to keep the grill locked to the apt so it doesn't wander off, a DVD shelf for the overflow form the one we had, food, cleaning supplies, shower curtains, pipe tape, etc.

I had almost 50 pics uploaded from my phone that I sorted through this morning when I got to work, as well. I still haven't remembered to bring in either of my usb keys to get my passwords for the various boards and such I'm used to checking on a daily basis. I haven't touched my KoL accounts in over a week /: so many lost turns...

My boss just stopped by to check in, they'll be gone for the rest of the week.

I don't like where my cube is, everyone walks by and my back is to the opening. We're moving within the building in a month or two, so that should be better. I hope.

Oh yeah, we bought a Shiatsu massage chair thingy. It rocks. I was sold as soon as I demoed it at Bed, Bath & Beyond. The 20% off coupon I had came in handy for that. I still want a foot spa, but... It's so nice to have a strong, kneading massage whenever I feel like it - and my back has been sore pretty much every day from moving all the crap around and such.

I SO wanted this set of cordless tools at Home Depot the other day... We had spent a few hours hacking away at the entertainment center so the wires weren't as crowded, and realized that we should have done more. Those tools would speed it up nicely. Plus, it made me want to destroy build stuff. LittleLove just HAD to pipe in with a voice of sanity that we really wouldn't use them much in the apt... *Sniff*

Anyway, the TV is lovely. We watched Witch Hunter Robin on it yesterday, and it looked beautiful. I'm getting closer to having component cables for the DVD player to TV connection, which should add that last bit of sharpness. The remote still deosn't work, though - and it is getting VERY annoying... Had to watch WHR in English, bleh. Most of the VA work wasn't very good at all.

Well, this test is about done... I'm gonna start one more then head home. I hope LittleLove has dinner cooking.

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