Category Archives: Stuff of the Day

Stuff of the Day

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Update: So, I got my electricity bills yesterday.  Yes, bills – plural.  My mess with Bounce energy still isn’t resolved.  They sent me two bills.  For two different ESID #s, both, they claim, for my address.  I spent 38 minutes on the phone with them this morning, talking to 3 different people, having to re-explain the entire situation every time, despite the second person saying she was going to take the time to enter detailed notes on the case – so I wouldn’t have to explain it all again. *eyeroll*

It’ll be a couple of days before I hear anything. Or, if is as it has been for them thus far, they never call me back, and I decide to call them Friday and ask what the hell’s up.

Link of the Day: Stem cell contacts cure blindness

Spam of the Day: “Your presence is obligatory”

Funny of the Day: This wouldn’t have been a problem for me.

Pic of the Day: Colorful map of the brain

Quote of the Day: “If you go away, On this summer day, Then you might as well, Take the sun away” – Cyndi Lauper, If You Go Away

Stuff of the Day

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Update: I found out yesterday morning, that yesterday, and today (and probably Mondays and Tuesday for a bit to come until our new product is done-ish) get to be work-late days.  An added 2 hours a day.  Plus, we get to have half-days on Saturdays!  Normally, the concept of overtime pay is something I’d not mind so much right now.  But losing my Saturday mornings infringes on nigh-sacred sleep-late time.  Ah well.

I went last night after work and saw Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.  It was Ok.  Fun, light, cute.  Should have been funnier, IMO, but it was entertaining.  Not super though, and I’m glad I decided to see Star Trek again Saturday with K.  After I left the theater, barely out of the parking lot, I got a text from a friend, and went to Starbucks to meet her.  Spent an hour there talking to her.  Very enjoyable.  She’s terribly cute, intelligent, a bit geeky (in a good way).  I’d so be up for dating her, if I had any clear understanding of interest from her.  Which I don’t think I do.  I mentioned it afterwards last night on a text message, and she used something I’d heard before, about her being “an indepdenent person now” (despite seeming to be a serial-dater, churning through boyfriends).  I don’t know what that means.  If she’s just not interested in me, I wish she’d just say it.  I can deal with that, and be ok with being her friend.  Being left vague and confused, and thinking I’d be a far better choice of someone for her to date than what I’ve heard of just about everyone she’s mentioned to me, I don’t deal as well with.  Hrm.  Ok, all done being angsty for the moment.

Link of the Day: Cut the black one!

Spam of the Day: “Live microbes-free!”

Funny of the Day: Hmm.  I’ve been wondering what that beeping was lately.

Pic of the Day: I must try this. The vodka one, of course.

Quote of the Day: “Never ascribe to malice, that which can be explained by incompetence.” – Napoleon

Stuff of the Day

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Update of the Day: It was a fairly busy weekend.  Added a few checkboxes to the “new experiences” list.  See my earlier post on DanceFAIL for one example.

Saturday, had a frienDate with K.  Dutch on everything.  Not thrilled with going backwards with someone, but I’d rather be friends with her than nothing.  We ate at Cheddars, and it was really surprisingly good.  I had the best Sirloin steak I’ve had easily over a year, the shrimp was decent, and the dressing on their Caesar salad was one of the best I’ve ever had in a restaurant.  I also had a little teensy bit of the Croissant that came with my salad.  ZOMG it was so light, flaky, and delicious.  I wanted to devour the entire thing.  But, trying to stick with the low-carb diet there . . . Not that it seems to have done any good (more on that below).  We killed some time doing some shopping at Barnes & Noble and Pier 1.  She got a gift or two for her niece, and I happened to spot some book she’d been looking for and snatched up immediately as we were in the line up to the cashwrap to check out.  Then we saw Star Trek again, then wrapped up with some mutual grocery shopping at HEB.  I know it all sounds really pedestrian, but I really enjoyed the 8 hours we spent together, regardless.

I weighed this morning, same routine I do every time I weigh.  UP 3.8 pounds.  Not horribly surprised, I had a vague feeling I’d gotten a little heavier.  Definitely unhappy about it, though.  Apparently, despite doing very good on actually being carb-conscious on what I ate this whole weekend, I either drank enough that burning the alcohol for energy continued for so long that all the fat I consumed didn’t get burned at all and just stuck around, or maybe one of the “diet” coke and vodkas I had wasn’t actually diet.  1 single decent glass of regular, fully sugared/HFCS’d coke will easily knock me right out of ketosis.  Almost wishing now I’d gone for some of the really, incredibly tempting scrumptious stuff at Cheddars I didn’t order.  :/

Got another one of the packages in today I was expecting, the PetFoodDirect shipment.  In addition to another bag of Innova dry food for her, got a dozen cans of Evo canned food.  She sort of got accustomed to having it as a treat/supplement a couple times a day in IN and AL, and this is the first time since I’ve moved back to Midland she’s had any.  She definitely seemed to enjoy it.

Link of the Day: Microsoft’s new Bing search engine

Spam of the Day: “Your drawbolt will go deeper in.”

Funny of the Day: “Not just ANY girl porn”

Pic of the Day: “Does he look like a bitch?”

Quote of the Day: “Damn those reckless Amish!” – Me

Stuff of the . . . Week?

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Update: Yeah, so . . . I’ve been “bad.”  Long weekend, with Monday off, and I didn’t bother to do anything on the computer all that time.  Well . . . that’s not true.  I -did- play a rather lot of Plants vs. Zombies.  If you haven’t played it yet, check it out.  There’s a free demo for it, with 1 hour of play.  Trust me, it’s enough to get you hooked.

So, then, the work week.  Been pretty busy most of this week, and the other days where I wasn’t, I was chatting online with someone.  Not the best of news there, but I’m remaining confident.  So, some of my not updating any day this week except Friday, today, was part slacking and part being really busy with work stuff.  I want for stuff on the new product version to hurry the heck up, so we can shoehorn it out the door and then I can get the raise I’ve been assured will happen.  I can survive on what I’m being paid right now, but if I want to do interesting things, go places, have fun other than sitting at home watching tv/movies and playing too much WoW (I’ve done enough of that the last 5 years, thanks), I need more money.

So, I could probably make one heck of a mega post just devoted to catching things up from the last several days.  Screw that, here are the links:

Link of the Day: Google Wave

Spam of the Day: “cuttlefish”

Funny of the Day: Yes, and then cookies.

Pic of the Day: LeVar Burton is fucking awesome! (via @wilw)

Quote of the Day: “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass

Stuff of the Day

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Update of the Day: Saw Terminator: Salvation last night.  Enh, it’s “OK.”  It’s not the piece of steaming crap Harry Knowles made it out to be, but it’s not really Good either.  The characters overall are kind of flat, just there for the most part.  The score was very lacking . . . nothing in the entire film had the impact of only brief usages of Brad Fiedel’s themes from the first two Terminator films.  The action and effects were pretty good, but they mostly lacked the kind of epic feel that I was sort of expecting.  You got that feeling a bit when viewing a couple of vista-like images of Skynet controlled San Francisco, but beyond that, meh.  Several of the humans were also just Plain Stupid. If they do continue this post-Judgement Day series on with another film or two, I hope for a lot more from the next one.  If this is a mediocre set up for some truly awesome, epic class stuff, then it can be passable as such.

Had a weird conversation with J last night.  Initiated by her, I wasn’t really feeling like talking to her much.  I think she’s kind of crazy, or else she’s having a grand time enjoying this bizarre drama she’s creating for herself.  Whatever.

Have a date tomorrow with K.  Very much looking forward to it.  Trying to come up with something interesting to vary a fairly standard date.  

Link of the Day: The Art of Levitation

Spam of the Day: “(The Fimble Fowl, with a corkscrew leg”

Funny of the Day: Window Shopping

Pic of the Day: That’s a sign you don’t see that often.

Quote of the Day: “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” – Mark Twain

Stuff of the Day

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Update of the Day: So, yeah, no updates for the last few days, and nothing on the weekend.  Sorry.  Have been really unusually busy lately.  We worked late both Monday and Tuesday getting stuff ready for a software milestone yesterday.  I’ve had the thrilling joy of dealing with and fighting various Cisco applications – their standard IPSec VPN client doesn’t support 64 bit Windows, at all, and they have no plan of doing so, their ADSM remote management app for the firewall for the new server is buggy and breaks in a frustrating manner (just sits there spinning its wheels forever until it’s end-tasked) on any version of Java newer than 1.6 Update 7, and a whole host of minor little things.  All resolved, thus far, but extraordinarily time consuming.  

I also ran my Dad around for various vehicle rodeo tasks Monday and Tuesday as he was getting his truck worked on (mostly annual maintenance stuff) at Jimmy’s shop (World Class Automotive, I highly recommend him for any domestic or Japanese import work).  He sprung for lunch both days, and both Monday and Tuesday I was bad, breaking my diet repeatedly.  2 days of carb devouring, up 2 pounds.  Yeah, so I started back pretty severely limiting my carb intake yesterday.  

Monday night, I had a late, impromptu date with J . . . we went to a strip club, Jaguar’s Gold Club.  I hope their busier days/nights are better than Monday nights, because it was like a parade of some of the skinniest girls I’ve ever seen.  There were maybe 3 or 4 dancers there with honestly attractive bodies – seriously, there were half a dozen girls there that were just scary, like 12 year old heroin user girl, skinny.  They didn’t need to eat a sammich so much as a deli.  Then yesterday, after work, talking J on the phone . . . she tells me a lot of stuff that I probably should have been made aware of a lot earlier.  I’ve come to the conclusion that she has basically been using me for money (not too much, but still, principle involved) and ego boosts (a lot of there).  Rather irritating.

Went and visited Ivy and Kodi last night, we hung out and talked and tried some decent wine, 7 Deadly Zins, which Ivy wants me to write up a “an old-Joe-style review” for.  It might happen.

Link of the Day:  Top 50 Text Acronyms Parents Should Know

Spam of the Day: “Wake up your porkmonster”

Funny of the Day: “Tell all your friends their lunches are non-notable!”

Pic of the Day: I simply don’t have the words . . .

Quote of the Day: “To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there’s no music, no choreography and the dancers hit each other.” – sayings on Sports by Jack Handy

Stuff of the Day

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Update of the Day: Plans: changed.  Date with K, tonight, not tomorrow.  Will probably abbreviate said date, to my dismay.  Still very much looking forward to it.

Finally heard something after a month of NOTHING from Goddess yesterday afternoon.  Not entirely happy, but very relieved to finally get some communication at all.

Drama from M last night.  Passive-aggressive hypocritical game crap.  Hope it’s done with.

Got a new toy last night, courtesy of Ivy and Kodi.  Haven’t figured out how to make iTunes cooperate with me entirely, but already enjoying it.

Link of the Day: Fish eats a DUCK!

Spam of the Day: “Wanted: ugly timeshares”

Funny of the Day: Why is it glowing?

Pic of the Day: Very funny.  Wait until you see what’s in your shoes tomorrow morning.

Quote of the Day: “that’s why i use a straw and blow bubbles in it first. or there is always wine bonging” – mtdewd (in response to a nutshell explanation of wine decanting)

Stuff of the Day

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Update of the Day: I just didn’t get around to doing a post yesterday.  I thought about it at like, 4:30, and decided, “screw it.”  Had an appointment with Dr. Doctor yesterday.  Was, for her office, remarkably brief, only about 45 minutes including travel to and from.  Which means I only sat around waiting for about 25-30 minutes.  :/  She said my face and eye are looking much better, had some more blood drawn from me to check my testosterone levels again, I’m supposed to hear something next week (and if they’re still low, simply double-up on dosages on the Androgel until I see her next month to get a script for probably a higher dose gel).

Went over to Ivy’s last night to hang out and talk.  Was nice, but irritatingly interrupted by a visit by his sister-in-law, who was pretty drunk.  Obnoxiously so.  I can’t believe I was semi-interested in her at one time.  Certainly no more after last night.  Aside from the drunken obnoxiousness, I’ve seen more of her now than I think I ever wish to.  I know, I’ll probably be considered all stuffy, she was just drinking and trying to have a good time . . . but just being honest here.

I’m beginning to seriously suspect I may have gotten an entire defective batch of Ketosis sticks from Wal-mart.  Not a single one has showed even the slightest hint of pink or purple, and I know I’ve HAD to have been in ketosis lately, I’ve felt like it and I’ve lost weight.  Irritating. 

Looking forward to this weekend.  Hoping my date with K goes well.

Link of the Day: Woot.com – There’s a Woot-off today!

Spam of the Day: “need sleep?” – Yes.  Yes I do.

Funny of the Day: This seems like a potentially useful checklist.

Pic Vid of the Day: 2 Girls 1 Duck!

Quote of the Day: “The worst thing in the world is to try to sleep and not to.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Stuff of the Day

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Update of the Day: Played some WoW last night, for about 2 hours.  About all I could take of it.  Was so utterly bored that I went to HEB to pick up soda (Zero style) and Atkins bars and deli meats and provolone.  This was considered an entertaining diversion.  Happily, when I got back, K was online, and between chatting with her, and reading a new web comic I was introduced to recently, Dr McNinja, time passed considerably more quickly.

I’m in kind of a ‘blah” mood today.  So, screw categories.  Screw any more of an update.  On with the linkage.

Link of the Day: Cool/Unusual Cakes

Spam of the Day: “Get Your Jammies on!”

Funny of the Day: The Adventures of Dr. McNinja

Pic of the Day: That wasn’t in the brochure!

Quote of the Day: “To touch is to experience, but to feel is to live.” – Loren Klein

Stuff of the Day

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Update of the Day: So, Friday/Saturday was an eventful evening, Saturday and Sunday, on the other hand, were not so much.  Saturday afternoon/night and Sunday afternoon were spent working on my main/gaming computer.  After a “security blanket” full backup via disc image was done (which took like 5 hours, Acronis True Image LIES on its time estimates!), I just went with the “oh, what the hell” option, blew away the boot drive entirely, and did a fresh new install of Windows 7 RC.  Then reinstalling stuff.  Lots of stuff.  I still don’t have several things back on there yet, but the machine is to the point of “mostly usable” for my requirements now.  Installed WoW, both expansions, patches (ugh, they need a 3.01 to 3.1 step-up patch), and got my Addons mostly back up to par . . . and then just didn’t feel like playing much.  

I like Win7.  Way better than Vista.  A few things that do require adapting to, but overall, it’s the easiest to set up version of Windows ever, and, for the most part, it just sorta works. I was especially happy when I stumbled upon the, ought to be fairly obvious but I just managed to miss it for a long time, option to Pin an app to the TaskBar (more or less making it like the old Quick Launch toolbar) so I could make Chrome stay down there nicely.

Friday night going well into Saturday morning . . . was certainly an eventful time filled with new experiences.  Much of which . . . I probably shouldn’t relate here.  I ended up in the course of the night visiting two clubs/bars I’ve never been to before, Basin Nights (where I was shanghai’d into singing karaoke, for the third time ever.  I mangled RHCP’s Under the Bridge), and Crossroads.  Crossroads . . . I’m not sure if it’s a GBLT full-time, or just on Friday nights, or just that night for some special event, or whatever.  It’s clientele wasn’t exclusively those of alternative sexuality, but whatever the case, honestly it was probably the most fun and interesting bar I’ve been in since I moved back to West Texas.  Met some new and interesting people.  One of which I saw get thrown out of Basin Nights for allegedly doing illegal things, which I suspect was mostly bullshit and was someone being petty and vindictive. But, whatever.  I also had women buying Me drinks that night, which is sort of a refreshing change.

Link of the Day: Elements from Blizzard Games Done in Lego

Spam of the Day: “Don’t look inside” – This seems oddly counterproductive to me.  

Funny of the Day: “My insides!  They’re on fire!”

Pic of the Day: Move along.

Quote of the Day: “At that point in the morning making that kind of decision and doing that kind of math is like asking someone with downs syndrome to perform brain surgery: Difficult, at best.” – Name Withheld by Giggling Request