My English Skills: |
Grammar: 100% |
Punctuation: 80% |
Spelling: 80% |
Vocabulary: 40% |
Hmm... it would appear that I don't know as much as I thought I did.
11.16.2005
red pen
Hmm... it would appear that I don't know as much as I thought I did.
10.15.2005
gamers' halloween heaven
Was surfing around tonight, and came across this gamer chick's blog entry with a list of Halloween/Horror-themed video games. Some of them look like they're worth checking out.
Go Mountaineers! Kick some Louisville @$$!
Go Mountaineers! Kick some Louisville @$$!
10.10.2005
10.07.2005
10.06.2005
RIAA smackdown
It's about time somebody grew some balls.
I haven't analyzed the case in depth yet (just skimmed the basics, and read the blog comments) but whether she has a strong case or not, I'm keeping an eye on this one.
In other news... Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper.
Thoughts? Take the poll over there on the right :)
I haven't analyzed the case in depth yet (just skimmed the basics, and read the blog comments) but whether she has a strong case or not, I'm keeping an eye on this one.
In other news... Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper.
Thoughts? Take the poll over there on the right :)
9.27.2005
weekend adventures
Danielle and I spent the weekend in Ohio. Friday we visited my sister Leann in Columbus. It was "Welcome Week" at OSU (first week back) and there were a ton of activities going on. We walked around for a bit, but since she's an R.A., we couldn't partake in the liquid festivities. We really couldn't have anyways--it's not really Leann's thing. But all is not hopeless... she turns 21 in November. We may just convert her yet ;)
Saturday we headed up to Cleveland for my friend Bob's wedding. The ceremony was a Catholic one, so it was rather lengthy, but the experience was interesting. I'm interested in Catholics in the same way I'm interested in the occult or paranormal. Bob held that big goofy grin of his for the duration. There wasn't a happier person in the room besides Lynn, who was also ear-to-ear. They were meant to be.
The reception was held later that evening at the Donauschwaben German Cultural Center. The place was huge, but the guests adequately filled it. They have a ton of friends and family between the two of them. I was happy to finally introduce Bob to Danielle. We are so much alike, he and I. The DJ was crazy and hilarious. He had props for every music theme, ie. cowboy hats for country, white feather boas with blinking lights, jackets for Grease--and he went around the dancefloor passing them out as he went. I'd really like to get his info so I can book him for my own big day. There was an open bar, chicken cordon bleu and roast beef for dinner, streudel and excellent wedding cake for dessert. The whole event was fantastic. Congratulations Bob & Lynn!
On Sunday, we went to Crocker Park in Westlake. Man, that place is awesome. I'd have to use words like eloquent, intricate, immaculate, and extravagant to describe it. I mean, I've seen quite a few malls in my travels, but this one was whoa. Everything was shining, sparkling, bright, and colorful. Every inch of the place was detailed. I'm talking about down to the grout between the tiles in the men's bathroom--and that's not an exaggeration. There were giant planters with colorful plants every few feet, the buildings were embossed and decorated tastefully... ok, you get the picture. My two favorite stops were at Urban Outfitters and The Cheesecake Factory. First time in both of those, and I'd go back in a heartbeat if gas wasn't so expensive.
Oh, yeah, and there's that school thing.
I got this at Urban Outfitters:
Yes, it is a penguin-shaped stainless steel cocktail shaker, and yes, it is awesome. I know you're jealous.
-w00t-
Saturday we headed up to Cleveland for my friend Bob's wedding. The ceremony was a Catholic one, so it was rather lengthy, but the experience was interesting. I'm interested in Catholics in the same way I'm interested in the occult or paranormal. Bob held that big goofy grin of his for the duration. There wasn't a happier person in the room besides Lynn, who was also ear-to-ear. They were meant to be.
The reception was held later that evening at the Donauschwaben German Cultural Center. The place was huge, but the guests adequately filled it. They have a ton of friends and family between the two of them. I was happy to finally introduce Bob to Danielle. We are so much alike, he and I. The DJ was crazy and hilarious. He had props for every music theme, ie. cowboy hats for country, white feather boas with blinking lights, jackets for Grease--and he went around the dancefloor passing them out as he went. I'd really like to get his info so I can book him for my own big day. There was an open bar, chicken cordon bleu and roast beef for dinner, streudel and excellent wedding cake for dessert. The whole event was fantastic. Congratulations Bob & Lynn!
On Sunday, we went to Crocker Park in Westlake. Man, that place is awesome. I'd have to use words like eloquent, intricate, immaculate, and extravagant to describe it. I mean, I've seen quite a few malls in my travels, but this one was whoa. Everything was shining, sparkling, bright, and colorful. Every inch of the place was detailed. I'm talking about down to the grout between the tiles in the men's bathroom--and that's not an exaggeration. There were giant planters with colorful plants every few feet, the buildings were embossed and decorated tastefully... ok, you get the picture. My two favorite stops were at Urban Outfitters and The Cheesecake Factory. First time in both of those, and I'd go back in a heartbeat if gas wasn't so expensive.
Oh, yeah, and there's that school thing.
I got this at Urban Outfitters:
Yes, it is a penguin-shaped stainless steel cocktail shaker, and yes, it is awesome. I know you're jealous.
-w00t-
9.11.2005
who the heck is wofford?
I had a really great weekend. Danielle and I spent Friday at the Robinson Mall, picking out a dress for her to wear to my friend Bob's wedding. Then we picked up her mom from the airport (she flew in at 10pm from Seattle, having visited her fiancé for two weeks) and headed back to Morgantown. She told us on the way home that since her flight had been delayed 24 hours, they bumped her up to first class and her luggage to priority. She got this because everyone else was rude to the terminal attendants, and she was the only one that was nice. I'll have to remember that for future reference.
Saturday we met at my place and Eryck drove us up to The Pit for tailgating. I tried to make pregame, but there was chaos at the gates. Most of the people in front of me weren't even students (it was the student gate) and they still let them in! I missed kickoff, too. We ended up winning 35-7 against Wofford. (Who the heck is Wofford?) We were supposed to go out and celebrate Eryck's birthday afterward (it was actually on Thursday, but I was supposed to pick up Melody from the airport then) but somehow it all fell apart. Happy Birthday, E.
Today we hung out, watched the Steelers game, and met Danielle's friend Mia for ice cream at Coldstone Creamery. Damn I love that place. This week is going to drag by, but we're going to the Wine & Jazz Festival on Sunday, so that's something to look forward to. I hope everyone can come. Should be really fun.
Happy Birthday, Grandma. I hope you're not too busy watching over us to have some cake and ice cream!
Saturday we met at my place and Eryck drove us up to The Pit for tailgating. I tried to make pregame, but there was chaos at the gates. Most of the people in front of me weren't even students (it was the student gate) and they still let them in! I missed kickoff, too. We ended up winning 35-7 against Wofford. (Who the heck is Wofford?) We were supposed to go out and celebrate Eryck's birthday afterward (it was actually on Thursday, but I was supposed to pick up Melody from the airport then) but somehow it all fell apart. Happy Birthday, E.
Today we hung out, watched the Steelers game, and met Danielle's friend Mia for ice cream at Coldstone Creamery. Damn I love that place. This week is going to drag by, but we're going to the Wine & Jazz Festival on Sunday, so that's something to look forward to. I hope everyone can come. Should be really fun.
Happy Birthday, Grandma. I hope you're not too busy watching over us to have some cake and ice cream!
8.29.2005
Worst Day *Ever*
Ok, so I don't have a job anymore. I worked on Friday, and had Saturday and Sunday off. I went in today (Sunday) to write down my schedule for this week, and noticed that I wasn't on the schedule at all. When I asked the managers about it, they said they didn't know (which of course they probably did) and that I'd have to call Terry to find out what was going on. I gave him a call and asked him why I wasn't on the schedule. His reply was "I don't have room for you on my schedule anymore, so I'm gonna have to let you go." Stunned, I replied, "Umm... was there something I did wrong?" "No, you did as well as everyone else."
There are so many things wrong with what happened. First, he didn't even have the decency to confront me in person (or even call me) to let me know that he was laying me off. Second, he gave me no notice whatsoever. So now, I'm stuck scrounging around for another job in my second week of classes. Not only will this take up a huge chunk of my time and energy, (and interfere academically) but now that the students are back in town, I'm certain that all the good jobs are already taken.
That being said, I'm not sure what I'm going to do about this. My options are: beg for my job back (which won't work, and will probably make things worse), call Terry up and bitch him out (will probably convince him to formally terminate me), or go over his head to corporate and see if policy can help me. I'm also wondering if I can get unemployment out of him. I mean, I'm sure the government will give it to me, but I don't want it from the government. If employees have to put in their "two weeks" then I'm pretty sure there's a reverse policy too. I should get my unemployment checks from Pizza Hut. Anyone with law experience that can give me some tips?
Someone else that's shady about the whole situation is that they continued to hire new kitchen help even after they'd hired me. I was finally starting to get the hang of things (I had several "C.H.A.M.P.S." cards on file-- those are marks you get from managers saying you're doing well.)
I definitely don't want to be working under shady management anyways. "Good riddance to bad rubbish" as they say.
The icing on the cake was when the towing company came at 1:30am to try and tow my car. In my own lot! I had a permit clearly stuck on my bumper, although it wasn't the new color. I was going to go on Monday to renew it. The towing company said they had already towed 15 other cars with expired stickers tonight. I tried calling Aerostar's night watchman, but he wouldn't intervene. I mean, come on! I live here. Have a little bit of decency. As I said before, it's the first week of classes. They made me fork out $50 just to *not* tow my car. My roommate's car got towed, and my other neighbor had to fork out $50 too. I'm demanding repayment from Aerostar first thing tomorrow.
There are so many things wrong with what happened. First, he didn't even have the decency to confront me in person (or even call me) to let me know that he was laying me off. Second, he gave me no notice whatsoever. So now, I'm stuck scrounging around for another job in my second week of classes. Not only will this take up a huge chunk of my time and energy, (and interfere academically) but now that the students are back in town, I'm certain that all the good jobs are already taken.
That being said, I'm not sure what I'm going to do about this. My options are: beg for my job back (which won't work, and will probably make things worse), call Terry up and bitch him out (will probably convince him to formally terminate me), or go over his head to corporate and see if policy can help me. I'm also wondering if I can get unemployment out of him. I mean, I'm sure the government will give it to me, but I don't want it from the government. If employees have to put in their "two weeks" then I'm pretty sure there's a reverse policy too. I should get my unemployment checks from Pizza Hut. Anyone with law experience that can give me some tips?
Someone else that's shady about the whole situation is that they continued to hire new kitchen help even after they'd hired me. I was finally starting to get the hang of things (I had several "C.H.A.M.P.S." cards on file-- those are marks you get from managers saying you're doing well.)
I definitely don't want to be working under shady management anyways. "Good riddance to bad rubbish" as they say.
The icing on the cake was when the towing company came at 1:30am to try and tow my car. In my own lot! I had a permit clearly stuck on my bumper, although it wasn't the new color. I was going to go on Monday to renew it. The towing company said they had already towed 15 other cars with expired stickers tonight. I tried calling Aerostar's night watchman, but he wouldn't intervene. I mean, come on! I live here. Have a little bit of decency. As I said before, it's the first week of classes. They made me fork out $50 just to *not* tow my car. My roommate's car got towed, and my other neighbor had to fork out $50 too. I'm demanding repayment from Aerostar first thing tomorrow.
8.24.2005
goin' up...
It looks as if things are looking up for me. I'm on my way back up again.
Monday was the first day back to school, and Fall Fest kicked off that evening. Had a blast, hung out with friends, and witnessed some great live music. Anna Nalick was there--incredible performance. Her recordings don't do her justice at all. Filomath opened, although I missed them, and O.A.R. was there. *sweeeeeet* I remember hearing them play at my college union my freshman year (before they were famous) and fell in love with them then. I wish I'd snagged some autographs back then... Cyprus Hill played too, but I was mainly there for O.A.R. :D
I've been running around this week getting everything organized with my schedule and financial aid, and despite the effort involved, it has gone more smoothly than in previous semesters. *knock on wood* I'm taking German 4, some CS courses, another Comm class to complete that minor, and metaphysics (a philosophy course). I may add a PE if I can fit it in my schedule before Friday.
September 17-18th is the Wine & Jazz Fest here in Morgantown. I'm shooting for Sunday on that one. I also have to request all the WVU home games off this year, especially since this will be my last season. Go Mountaineers!!
Monday was the first day back to school, and Fall Fest kicked off that evening. Had a blast, hung out with friends, and witnessed some great live music. Anna Nalick was there--incredible performance. Her recordings don't do her justice at all. Filomath opened, although I missed them, and O.A.R. was there. *sweeeeeet* I remember hearing them play at my college union my freshman year (before they were famous) and fell in love with them then. I wish I'd snagged some autographs back then... Cyprus Hill played too, but I was mainly there for O.A.R. :D
I've been running around this week getting everything organized with my schedule and financial aid, and despite the effort involved, it has gone more smoothly than in previous semesters. *knock on wood* I'm taking German 4, some CS courses, another Comm class to complete that minor, and metaphysics (a philosophy course). I may add a PE if I can fit it in my schedule before Friday.
September 17-18th is the Wine & Jazz Fest here in Morgantown. I'm shooting for Sunday on that one. I also have to request all the WVU home games off this year, especially since this will be my last season. Go Mountaineers!!
8.18.2005
"spontaneity"
Finally. My internet is back in service. I seriously think I was going through withdrawal...and I definitely decided that I take the information superhighway for granted. I was so bored that I ended up borrowing Jen's copy of The Tommyknockers by Stephen King. It's been a great read so far. Within five minutes of my signing on, several people had already IMed me asking where the heck I'd been. *inflates*
Work today was an interesting experience. The "employee picnic," I guess you'd call it, was today. They'd decided to go to Sandcastle (a waterpark). Consequently, they decided they didn't have the funds, and went somewhere that was *not* Sandcastle and got completely smashed (or so I heard.) Not that I minded. I needed the hours, and I didn't feel comfortable enough yet to do any major socializing with the group as a whole. While they were out, the pizza crew from another Hut came in to run the store. I was the only one there that knew where anything was, and so I drew a slight sense of importance from this. The interesting part was observing the different ways they ran things. I may have picked up a few tricks/bad habits, but who knows? I'll probably forget it anyways in a few days.
Classes start on Monday, and I really have alot of work to do before then. I had an appointment with my academic advisor, made two weeks ago, but today was the only slot she had available. As it turns out, my turning up 15 minutes early didn't even matter. The one time I'm actually early, and she didn't even call my name until half an hour after I was scheduled to be there. Then she looked over my file, made a few comments about my transcript (there are plenty of things in there I'm not proud of) and referred me to another advisor. As it turns out, this other advisor didn't have any slots available whatsoever, but agreed to "squeeze me in" (translation: gonna be waitin' a long long time) this Friday at 8:30am. So I have to get up extremely early, and then "hurry up and wait" as they say.
At least the cable's working. I'm currently engrossed in Lost, a TV series on Fox about a group of people shipwrecked on a deserted island in the pacific. Normally I would scoff at the idea, but somehow I got sucked in, and not I'm hooked. I also saw an episode of Dead Like Me, a Showtime series about some people that sort of work for Death. Kinda like assistant grim reapers. Definitely my kind of stuff. Even though those are pretty much the only things I've watched, I managed to jot down a few previews I thought looked promising:
I'm also looking forward to Charmed, and a new season of South Park. Oh! and my friend Bob's wedding! Congratulations, Bob, you sonofabitch! That man is my hero, and I'm honored to be invited to his wedding. Fallfest will be awesome on Monday. Cyprus Hill and O.A.R. are coming. How awesome is that? Very awesome, that's how. I remember hearing O.A.R. for the first time when they played in a little hall next to my college union at Baldwin-Wallace College my freshman year. They still hadn't broken the fame barrier at that time, and there were probably only 20 or so people came to hear them that day. I remember hearing their music floating in through the window of my dorm, and I dropped what I was doing (playing Counterstrike) and ran over there. It was incredible. Oh, how I wish I'd snagged an autograph then. Cyprus Hill is more mainstream, but likeable on some levels. But I'm mainly going for O.A.R.
"It's 3 A.M. and I wanna go to bed..."
Work today was an interesting experience. The "employee picnic," I guess you'd call it, was today. They'd decided to go to Sandcastle (a waterpark). Consequently, they decided they didn't have the funds, and went somewhere that was *not* Sandcastle and got completely smashed (or so I heard.) Not that I minded. I needed the hours, and I didn't feel comfortable enough yet to do any major socializing with the group as a whole. While they were out, the pizza crew from another Hut came in to run the store. I was the only one there that knew where anything was, and so I drew a slight sense of importance from this. The interesting part was observing the different ways they ran things. I may have picked up a few tricks/bad habits, but who knows? I'll probably forget it anyways in a few days.
Classes start on Monday, and I really have alot of work to do before then. I had an appointment with my academic advisor, made two weeks ago, but today was the only slot she had available. As it turns out, my turning up 15 minutes early didn't even matter. The one time I'm actually early, and she didn't even call my name until half an hour after I was scheduled to be there. Then she looked over my file, made a few comments about my transcript (there are plenty of things in there I'm not proud of) and referred me to another advisor. As it turns out, this other advisor didn't have any slots available whatsoever, but agreed to "squeeze me in" (translation: gonna be waitin' a long long time) this Friday at 8:30am. So I have to get up extremely early, and then "hurry up and wait" as they say.
At least the cable's working. I'm currently engrossed in Lost, a TV series on Fox about a group of people shipwrecked on a deserted island in the pacific. Normally I would scoff at the idea, but somehow I got sucked in, and not I'm hooked. I also saw an episode of Dead Like Me, a Showtime series about some people that sort of work for Death. Kinda like assistant grim reapers. Definitely my kind of stuff. Even though those are pretty much the only things I've watched, I managed to jot down a few previews I thought looked promising:
- Invasion (TV series)
- Red Eye (Movie)
- The Brothers Grimm (Movie)
- Transporter II (Movie)
- The Skeleton Key (Movie)
- Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (Movie)
- Doom (Movie)
I'm also looking forward to Charmed, and a new season of South Park. Oh! and my friend Bob's wedding! Congratulations, Bob, you sonofabitch! That man is my hero, and I'm honored to be invited to his wedding. Fallfest will be awesome on Monday. Cyprus Hill and O.A.R. are coming. How awesome is that? Very awesome, that's how. I remember hearing O.A.R. for the first time when they played in a little hall next to my college union at Baldwin-Wallace College my freshman year. They still hadn't broken the fame barrier at that time, and there were probably only 20 or so people came to hear them that day. I remember hearing their music floating in through the window of my dorm, and I dropped what I was doing (playing Counterstrike) and ran over there. It was incredible. Oh, how I wish I'd snagged an autograph then. Cyprus Hill is more mainstream, but likeable on some levels. But I'm mainly going for O.A.R.
"It's 3 A.M. and I wanna go to bed..."
8.04.2005
Ghost and The Hut
...and: the most overused blogger line ever-- "So, I haven't posted for awhile..."
I started regular shifts at Pizza Hut this week. Surprisingly, it's not as bad as I originally thought. Besides the fact that it's a food biz job and not writing code, I look forward to going to work every day. The coworkers are agreeable, I don't really have to deal with customers (at least not yet) and the food is great. I'm sure, given time, I'll hate all of it, but for now it's working for me. Getting paid on Mondays is a perk, too. Mondays are usually dreaded by those who work, and with Friday paydays, you have to get up early on Saturday to take your check to the bank. Who wants to get up early? Not me.
My PC hiccupped over the weekend, and XP got scrambled enough that it didn't feel like booting. Avoiding the hassle of troubleshooting, I opted to do a complete fresh install. While waiting for its rebirth, I thought to myself, "Why do this every time?" So I went and got myself a copy of Ghost and made an image once I got everything up and running. Having little experience with the app (everything was pre-scripted at Baldwin-Wallace) I quickly found out that getting booted properly to reload the image was a real hassle. I'll spare you the gory details, but what I ended up doing was making a bootable cd-r set, with the image spanned across two discs, and meshed together a few scripts to automate the whole process. Worked like a charm. The biggest bump I hit along the way was that MS-DOS will only recognize the first optical drive in the system. Keep that in mind if you ever try this and get stuck.
Thanks to Argon for the tip :)
I started regular shifts at Pizza Hut this week. Surprisingly, it's not as bad as I originally thought. Besides the fact that it's a food biz job and not writing code, I look forward to going to work every day. The coworkers are agreeable, I don't really have to deal with customers (at least not yet) and the food is great. I'm sure, given time, I'll hate all of it, but for now it's working for me. Getting paid on Mondays is a perk, too. Mondays are usually dreaded by those who work, and with Friday paydays, you have to get up early on Saturday to take your check to the bank. Who wants to get up early? Not me.
My PC hiccupped over the weekend, and XP got scrambled enough that it didn't feel like booting. Avoiding the hassle of troubleshooting, I opted to do a complete fresh install. While waiting for its rebirth, I thought to myself, "Why do this every time?" So I went and got myself a copy of Ghost and made an image once I got everything up and running. Having little experience with the app (everything was pre-scripted at Baldwin-Wallace) I quickly found out that getting booted properly to reload the image was a real hassle. I'll spare you the gory details, but what I ended up doing was making a bootable cd-r set, with the image spanned across two discs, and meshed together a few scripts to automate the whole process. Worked like a charm. The biggest bump I hit along the way was that MS-DOS will only recognize the first optical drive in the system. Keep that in mind if you ever try this and get stuck.
Thanks to Argon for the tip :)
7.22.2005
work again
I got a job! Well, Gary got me a job... but I have a job now! Thanks, Gary.
I start Monday training at Pizza Hut. It's not computers, but it'll have to do for now. Anyways, it's a huge weight off my shoulders. I'm not completely back on track yet, but at least I know where the on-ramp is.
I start Monday training at Pizza Hut. It's not computers, but it'll have to do for now. Anyways, it's a huge weight off my shoulders. I'm not completely back on track yet, but at least I know where the on-ramp is.
7.20.2005
evil quiz
YOU ARE A DARK WARLOCK!
You are a deeply mysterious and devastatingly
intelligent being. You like to spend your time
alone studying ways to bend others to your will
and ways to cheat death. Although you have
immense power and an army of followers, death
will find you eventually.
Welcome to the shadows!
And now that you know who you are, take my hand and
join me in a trip to the unknown....
What Evil Creature of the Night are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
7.17.2005
home for the weekend
I'm home for the weekend. Mom's in Las Vegas, Dad and Todd are in New Mexico doing some backpacking (*jealous*). Leann will be home next week, but for now, I have the place all to myself. Well, besides the three cats I'm here to take care of. I had let Mom know the other day that I was in trouble financially, and she offered to let me take care of the house while everyone was away in exchange for some cash. It won't cover everything, but it will definitely help. I feel a little guilty because I know she didn't have any to spare since Dad's been off work for the trip. She took it out of her spending money for Vegas. Now, Mom doesn't have time to breathe, let alone take personal time, so Paula encouraged her to go with the competition group to Vegas this year. She works hard, and she needed this trip more than anyone I know--which makes me feel even more guilty for accepting the money. In return, I'm cleaning the house, doing yardwork, taking care of the cats, and setting up her new PC (which I'm actually posting this from). Running windows update at 56K is gonna suck.
Staying here is going to set me back a few days in my job search, but it's definitely worth it. I get free central air, free gas from Mom's Exxon card, and all the food I could ever eat. MMmmm... Schwann's :D
I hope I can see Grandpap before he goes in for Chemo on Monday. I know he needs some yardwork done, and I'll get a little more cash from that, but I want him to be there when I do it so I can spend some time with him. He's a strong man, with a big heart, but he gets lonely in that big house with no one to talk to. I love being there. He's not a typical "old person." He stays motivated, always open to new concepts and changes in the world around him. I set him up with a PC a few years ago, and he has since learned to surf, check his email, instant message, and even webcam conference with my uncle in Singapore. Every time I visit, he has a new book to read, and he stays educated about his health and what is going on in his body. He has so much energy, and it is torture to see him drugged up and unable to exercise due to his back surgery. Grandma would have been proud of the way he's been holding up despite all of it. I really hope I can be just like him when I'm old. Still young inside :)
Staying here is going to set me back a few days in my job search, but it's definitely worth it. I get free central air, free gas from Mom's Exxon card, and all the food I could ever eat. MMmmm... Schwann's :D
I hope I can see Grandpap before he goes in for Chemo on Monday. I know he needs some yardwork done, and I'll get a little more cash from that, but I want him to be there when I do it so I can spend some time with him. He's a strong man, with a big heart, but he gets lonely in that big house with no one to talk to. I love being there. He's not a typical "old person." He stays motivated, always open to new concepts and changes in the world around him. I set him up with a PC a few years ago, and he has since learned to surf, check his email, instant message, and even webcam conference with my uncle in Singapore. Every time I visit, he has a new book to read, and he stays educated about his health and what is going on in his body. He has so much energy, and it is torture to see him drugged up and unable to exercise due to his back surgery. Grandma would have been proud of the way he's been holding up despite all of it. I really hope I can be just like him when I'm old. Still young inside :)
7.14.2005
all hell breaks loose
All hell has broken loose in my apartment. For those of you who don't know, here's a recap of the situation:
My previous roommates graduated and/or moved out with their girlfriend/fiancée in May. I had been struggling to find two roommates to move in and take over their leases for several months. Partly because I procrastinated getting ads out in the most effective places, and partly because most of the candidates didn't want to sign until the fall. Finally (and very close to the deadline,) two guys contacted me and said they were interested. They came and checked out the place, I filled them in on approximate bills, showed them their rooms, etc. When I mentioned cable internet and wireless router, they immediately said they'd take it.
Ren let me know after he signed that he wouldn't be moving in until the fall, when classes start. Ross moved in at the beginning of Summer I session, and everything seemed fine. I let him borrow my lamp from the living room, since he didn't have one for his room. I didn't see him much, and I just assumed he was busy working and going to classes. Our conversations were very succinct, limited only to "hi" or sometimes only a nod on his part. I figured maybe he was a private person, the way I am around new people. A few weeks went by, and I noticed he didn't have a bed. I made a suggestion that he sleep on the fold-out couch/bed thing in the living room, but he said he was fine, and I didn't bring it up again. I suspect he sleeps in a pile of blankets on the floor. Weird. He has only shaved once since he's been here (I know because he left hair all over the counter.)
Now comes the main reason I'm posting this. I confronted Ross about the bills today. Ren had called me a few days ago and informed me that he wasn't going to pay any of the bills, since he wasn't living here. I didn't know what to say, so I left it alone. So what it came down to was Ross and I splitting all the utilities 50/50. I typed up a breakdown of the utilities and split them in half, only charging him for the second half of may, since that was when his lease started (on the 15th.) I taped it to his door, and went back to my room. Ten minutes later, he knocks on my door. "I want to see a copy of the cable bill," he said. A reasonable request, I thought, so I started going through the stack of papers on my desk (my room is a complete mess.) I told him I'd look for it and make a copy for him. "This amount is way too high. Can't we get a smaller package?" I informed him that we could and that I'd look into it today. "I don't mean to be a d*ck," (too late, buddy) "but this electric bill is way too high. You have an air conditioner, so I'm not paying half." Now there's a grey area. Yes, I do have a/c in my room, but there's no real way to separate the cost of that out of the rest of the bill. "I don't know what to tell you, but I'm only responsible for half of the bills," I said. "Fine, but I not paying it. I can live without electricity. Can you?" he retorted. He then went back to his room and locked the door.
There is another issue that I've been avoiding. Danielle has been frequently hanging out here (she is my girlfriend after all) and he claims that she should be paying 1/3 of the bills. Now, I consider her my guest, and as such, she should not be responsible for any of the bills. She pays her own bills at her place.
I went to my landlord and explained the situation, Ross' unusual (and borderline creepy) mannerisms, and asked for her advice. She gave me a couple of options to think about. First, she said that Ren should be paying 1/3 of the bills even though he's not here. She said it's like he's on vacation. Second, she told me to get detailed hardcopies of all the bills and sit down with Ross to work them out. The other options she mentioned were either I move out, and stick them with all the future rent/bills, or tell them to find another place to live. She, of course is not allowed to intervene, but I didn't expect her to.
If I can't work this out with the hardcopies, I'm going to explore the pros & cons of the other options. Maybe I should have just moved out with Danielle after all. It would have saved me all this trouble. If only I could have known this would happen...
Thoughts? Opinions? How can I convince these guys to pay up?
My previous roommates graduated and/or moved out with their girlfriend/fiancée in May. I had been struggling to find two roommates to move in and take over their leases for several months. Partly because I procrastinated getting ads out in the most effective places, and partly because most of the candidates didn't want to sign until the fall. Finally (and very close to the deadline,) two guys contacted me and said they were interested. They came and checked out the place, I filled them in on approximate bills, showed them their rooms, etc. When I mentioned cable internet and wireless router, they immediately said they'd take it.
Ren let me know after he signed that he wouldn't be moving in until the fall, when classes start. Ross moved in at the beginning of Summer I session, and everything seemed fine. I let him borrow my lamp from the living room, since he didn't have one for his room. I didn't see him much, and I just assumed he was busy working and going to classes. Our conversations were very succinct, limited only to "hi" or sometimes only a nod on his part. I figured maybe he was a private person, the way I am around new people. A few weeks went by, and I noticed he didn't have a bed. I made a suggestion that he sleep on the fold-out couch/bed thing in the living room, but he said he was fine, and I didn't bring it up again. I suspect he sleeps in a pile of blankets on the floor. Weird. He has only shaved once since he's been here (I know because he left hair all over the counter.)
Now comes the main reason I'm posting this. I confronted Ross about the bills today. Ren had called me a few days ago and informed me that he wasn't going to pay any of the bills, since he wasn't living here. I didn't know what to say, so I left it alone. So what it came down to was Ross and I splitting all the utilities 50/50. I typed up a breakdown of the utilities and split them in half, only charging him for the second half of may, since that was when his lease started (on the 15th.) I taped it to his door, and went back to my room. Ten minutes later, he knocks on my door. "I want to see a copy of the cable bill," he said. A reasonable request, I thought, so I started going through the stack of papers on my desk (my room is a complete mess.) I told him I'd look for it and make a copy for him. "This amount is way too high. Can't we get a smaller package?" I informed him that we could and that I'd look into it today. "I don't mean to be a d*ck," (too late, buddy) "but this electric bill is way too high. You have an air conditioner, so I'm not paying half." Now there's a grey area. Yes, I do have a/c in my room, but there's no real way to separate the cost of that out of the rest of the bill. "I don't know what to tell you, but I'm only responsible for half of the bills," I said. "Fine, but I not paying it. I can live without electricity. Can you?" he retorted. He then went back to his room and locked the door.
There is another issue that I've been avoiding. Danielle has been frequently hanging out here (she is my girlfriend after all) and he claims that she should be paying 1/3 of the bills. Now, I consider her my guest, and as such, she should not be responsible for any of the bills. She pays her own bills at her place.
I went to my landlord and explained the situation, Ross' unusual (and borderline creepy) mannerisms, and asked for her advice. She gave me a couple of options to think about. First, she said that Ren should be paying 1/3 of the bills even though he's not here. She said it's like he's on vacation. Second, she told me to get detailed hardcopies of all the bills and sit down with Ross to work them out. The other options she mentioned were either I move out, and stick them with all the future rent/bills, or tell them to find another place to live. She, of course is not allowed to intervene, but I didn't expect her to.
If I can't work this out with the hardcopies, I'm going to explore the pros & cons of the other options. Maybe I should have just moved out with Danielle after all. It would have saved me all this trouble. If only I could have known this would happen...
Thoughts? Opinions? How can I convince these guys to pay up?
7.13.2005
moblog test
This is my first mobile post sent from my phone to the web. Kinda cool :) Can't seem to get the image attachment feature to work though. Says "Blogger does not accept application/octet-stream files." It was a GIF image though...maybe Sprint has their MIME types messed up? Pass along tips if you have any.
7.12.2005
brooks' books
Terry Brooks has announced that he will be sending out 30 Advanced Reader copies for review of his upcoming book, Straken, which will not be officially released until September. I emailed the publisher, and they put me on the list of candidates! Wish me luck :)
You can also put in a bid to promote the book on a website (blogs allowed) and be entered into a drawing for a signed hardcover copy. Signed up for that, too (duh). I've been following the Shannara series ever since I found a copy of The Sword of Shannara among my mom's book collection when I was young. I've pre-ordered the last six releases in the series, and have been earnestly looking forward to the conclusion of The High Druid series.
If you love fantasy, and haven't read anything by Terry Brooks, I highly recommend starting at the beginning. He has a real talent for bringing words alive, creating a highly detailed world with characters the reader can relate to, and keeping you on your toes with plot twists and surprises. I compare him with the greats, including C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Speaking of Lewis--I saw a trailer for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe the other day. I loved The Chronicles of Narnia growing up, and have been anticipating his work coming to the big screen. I really hope they do it justice. Tolkien? Now Lewis?...won't be long before Terry's work is adapted for film...
*crosses fingers*
You can also put in a bid to promote the book on a website (blogs allowed) and be entered into a drawing for a signed hardcover copy. Signed up for that, too (duh). I've been following the Shannara series ever since I found a copy of The Sword of Shannara among my mom's book collection when I was young. I've pre-ordered the last six releases in the series, and have been earnestly looking forward to the conclusion of The High Druid series.
If you love fantasy, and haven't read anything by Terry Brooks, I highly recommend starting at the beginning. He has a real talent for bringing words alive, creating a highly detailed world with characters the reader can relate to, and keeping you on your toes with plot twists and surprises. I compare him with the greats, including C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Speaking of Lewis--I saw a trailer for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe the other day. I loved The Chronicles of Narnia growing up, and have been anticipating his work coming to the big screen. I really hope they do it justice. Tolkien? Now Lewis?...won't be long before Terry's work is adapted for film...
*crosses fingers*
7.10.2005
river adventure
Hung out with Eryck and Gary today. We all piled on his parents' boat and headed down the Mon and up the Cheat River to Point Marion, PA. They did some swimming and played on a rope swing while I hung out on the boat and took pictures. While I won't swim in the Mon River, the Cheat was acceptably clean. If we go back out, I'll definitely bring my trunks. We stopped at this marina restaurant in Point Marion, but my lack of money greatly limited my options there. If we make the trip again, I hope to have some funds from which to imbibe several Yuengling drafts :)
I got back to my place, sunburned, and slightly drained. Danielle had just returned from Guard practice, so she was burned out as well. We hit up Wendy's en route to Gary's, hooked him up with some software updates, and went home to shower. We had talked about hanging out that night, but Danielle and I passed out, and apparently so did Gary. Perhaps another time...
I got back to my place, sunburned, and slightly drained. Danielle had just returned from Guard practice, so she was burned out as well. We hit up Wendy's en route to Gary's, hooked him up with some software updates, and went home to shower. We had talked about hanging out that night, but Danielle and I passed out, and apparently so did Gary. Perhaps another time...
7.09.2005
more than useless
I'll have to remember to actually buy this album when I have $$...
Relient K - Mmhmm - 07 - More Than Useless
Relient K - Mmhmm - 07 - More Than Useless
7.05.2005
war of the worlds
Hung out with Danielle, Jess, and Jen tonight. Watched the fireworks from our deck, (great view) finished off three bottles of wine between the four of us. Overall a good experience. We ended up talking about The War of the Worlds, which I saw on Saturday, but I've been busy, so I haven't had a chance to comment on it. Somehow the conversation turned to ghost stories and unexplained happenings, and even I jumped a little when Holly's air conditioner kicked on. Wine's funny like that. Eryck had invited us to hang out with his folks on his boat, but I just don't have any cash right now (I'm in debt up to my a$$) and I didn't feel like dealing with him pressuring me into jumping into the Mon River. I've swum in many a lake in my day (I was a Boy Scout from age seven to age eighteen) but I refuse to step foot in the Mon. It's gross. I mean no offense to Eryck, but I just don't want to go in there. I've explained that to him multiple times, but he never lets up about it.
Moving on, my financial aid is a complete mess. Apparently WVU claims that I owe $700+ for Spring semester (wtf?) and I couldn't even register for Summer II if I tried. I was really counting on taking classes, too. It's just so much easier in the summer, when the entire course is concentrated into a few weeks. The icing on the cake? All my bills (and rent) are due in the next four days--and I'm still without a job. I seriously need to get a job. Even if it's only minimum wage. This sucks.
Oh, yeah--The War of the Worlds was pretty good. I read the book, listened to the broadcast recording, and even though Spielburg took some pretty drastic liberties with the plot, overall, I enjoyed it. To those of you who haven't seen it: it's not a typical alien movie. If anything, I'd classify it as more of a disaster-type movie (like Twister, Earthquake, etc.) The lady sitting next to me said the old man standing in the doorway at the end was in the original. Interesting cameo, but I didn't even know the movie had been made before. Huh. Learn something new every day.
Moving on, my financial aid is a complete mess. Apparently WVU claims that I owe $700+ for Spring semester (wtf?) and I couldn't even register for Summer II if I tried. I was really counting on taking classes, too. It's just so much easier in the summer, when the entire course is concentrated into a few weeks. The icing on the cake? All my bills (and rent) are due in the next four days--and I'm still without a job. I seriously need to get a job. Even if it's only minimum wage. This sucks.
Oh, yeah--The War of the Worlds was pretty good. I read the book, listened to the broadcast recording, and even though Spielburg took some pretty drastic liberties with the plot, overall, I enjoyed it. To those of you who haven't seen it: it's not a typical alien movie. If anything, I'd classify it as more of a disaster-type movie (like Twister, Earthquake, etc.) The lady sitting next to me said the old man standing in the doorway at the end was in the original. Interesting cameo, but I didn't even know the movie had been made before. Huh. Learn something new every day.
7.04.2005
elkins excursion
Yeah... so I just woke up. Is that a crime? ;)
Yesterday we drove down to Elkins to hang out with Danielle's family in Stuart Park, part of the Monongahela National Forest. As state parks go, I thought it was pretty cool. Very clean, well-taken care of...I would definitely like to go back there sometime. On the way there, I was doing the driving, taking directions from the back seat, with one other vehicle following me. We ended up taking every possible wrong turn we could have taken (including one inside the park itself.) Needless to say we showed up extremely late.
I enjoyed the outing, due to the natural environment, (I've always been a sucker for creeks, woods, and childish explorations) although I spent little time socializing with the family in general. There were some interesting people there, and it would not be far-fetched at all if I found myself hanging out with some of them--what words did pass between us assured me of that. Definitely some common ground there. Unfortunately, I still felt out of place, and thus...not much interaction. I hope things change in the future, because I could learn alot from some of them. (Yes, I know, "alot" isn't a word, but why do I find it so hard to avoid using it?)
Walking along the creek, breathing in the fresh air, turning over stones and examining the microcosms of larvae and aquatic/amphibious life, listening to the sounds of the forest... damn I miss that. I'm going to have to go camping sometime soon. And when I say camping, I mean camping. I'm not talking about motor homes, grills, and electricity. I'm talking about tents, trees, and a campfire. Where you can close your eyes, take a deep breath, and realize there's no sign of civilization for miles-- and that's pretty freakin' cool.
So after the outing, we headed over to her Grandparents' place in Clarksburg. We got lost again. (was there any question?) and ended up at this really old (and historically significant) forge that was vandalized, and rebuilt in 1989. I'll try and find out the name of it sometime--but it was definitely way out of the way. We hung out at the Lynch's for awhile, talked a little bit, her mom showed me the upstairs, where they grew up, and all the antiques and such (which I thought were really cool.) I ended up drinking quite a bit of sloe gin (a first) and root beer (which I don't normally like) and it snuck up on me. We're on the way home, and bam. Suddenly my head is spinning and I'm glad I'm not behind the wheel. Maybe they should change the name to slow gin.
Overall, it was a good experience, and I'm looking forward to next year. I hope we go back there again.
Yesterday we drove down to Elkins to hang out with Danielle's family in Stuart Park, part of the Monongahela National Forest. As state parks go, I thought it was pretty cool. Very clean, well-taken care of...I would definitely like to go back there sometime. On the way there, I was doing the driving, taking directions from the back seat, with one other vehicle following me. We ended up taking every possible wrong turn we could have taken (including one inside the park itself.) Needless to say we showed up extremely late.
I enjoyed the outing, due to the natural environment, (I've always been a sucker for creeks, woods, and childish explorations) although I spent little time socializing with the family in general. There were some interesting people there, and it would not be far-fetched at all if I found myself hanging out with some of them--what words did pass between us assured me of that. Definitely some common ground there. Unfortunately, I still felt out of place, and thus...not much interaction. I hope things change in the future, because I could learn alot from some of them. (Yes, I know, "alot" isn't a word, but why do I find it so hard to avoid using it?)
Walking along the creek, breathing in the fresh air, turning over stones and examining the microcosms of larvae and aquatic/amphibious life, listening to the sounds of the forest... damn I miss that. I'm going to have to go camping sometime soon. And when I say camping, I mean camping. I'm not talking about motor homes, grills, and electricity. I'm talking about tents, trees, and a campfire. Where you can close your eyes, take a deep breath, and realize there's no sign of civilization for miles-- and that's pretty freakin' cool.
So after the outing, we headed over to her Grandparents' place in Clarksburg. We got lost again. (was there any question?) and ended up at this really old (and historically significant) forge that was vandalized, and rebuilt in 1989. I'll try and find out the name of it sometime--but it was definitely way out of the way. We hung out at the Lynch's for awhile, talked a little bit, her mom showed me the upstairs, where they grew up, and all the antiques and such (which I thought were really cool.) I ended up drinking quite a bit of sloe gin (a first) and root beer (which I don't normally like) and it snuck up on me. We're on the way home, and bam. Suddenly my head is spinning and I'm glad I'm not behind the wheel. Maybe they should change the name to slow gin.
Overall, it was a good experience, and I'm looking forward to next year. I hope we go back there again.
6.24.2005
recital 2005
The recital went well, for the most part. There were a few mishaps with the music (I forgot to update the playlist after yesterday's rehearsal) but I recovered semi-gracefully. The house was packed. Every ticket had been sold, and there were even some people leaning against the walls in the back (I assume they were those parents who think they're entitled to a free seat.) One thing I definitely liked more about Moon HS's setup was that the sound board was in the back of the house. At the Beaver show, the light and sound boards are both in the right wing, and neither of us could see/hear very well. Monitors are a poor representation of the overall sound. Moon has their own light room, high up in a recessed alcove, so that's cool too. The show runs much more smoothly when the crew can see and hear things from the audience's point of view.
There was some drama discussed, involving some ungrateful students at the studio, and Paula was steaming after the finale, but luckily it had nothing to do with the crew this time.
Todd, my dad and I went out with Paula and Frank after the show to the Ground Round. We ordered like 9 appetizers between the 5 of us, and man did I get stuffed and buzzed. They shared some rather interesting stories about their trip to Europe, which included a stop in Amsterdam. What story, you say? Use your imagination ;)
I can't wait 'til next year. I'll have learned the board and made some improvements on my song mastering techniques. My goal is to completely eliminate recordings from cassette *ugh*. Tomorrow I'm heading over to my grandpap's to finish up some yardwork, and then it's back to Morgantown! I miss my baby...
There was some drama discussed, involving some ungrateful students at the studio, and Paula was steaming after the finale, but luckily it had nothing to do with the crew this time.
Todd, my dad and I went out with Paula and Frank after the show to the Ground Round. We ordered like 9 appetizers between the 5 of us, and man did I get stuffed and buzzed. They shared some rather interesting stories about their trip to Europe, which included a stop in Amsterdam. What story, you say? Use your imagination ;)
I can't wait 'til next year. I'll have learned the board and made some improvements on my song mastering techniques. My goal is to completely eliminate recordings from cassette *ugh*. Tomorrow I'm heading over to my grandpap's to finish up some yardwork, and then it's back to Morgantown! I miss my baby...
6.23.2005
rehearsal woes
Ok, so I run the audio for Paula Scriva Dance Studio recitals. It's alot of fun, mostly. Paula opened a new studio in Robinson this year, and so the recital is at Moon High School (near Robert-Morris University). When dealing with a new venue, you sort of expect things to be a little rough until you get used to the staff, equipment, etc.
Today's rehearsal, however, was a complete nightmare.
They have a massive sound board. 24 channels, and a rack with a fairly complicated equalizer and FX box. I've run previous recitals right out of a PC, straight into the rack. Boards are new to me. This one had been vandalized recently (a rival school's students had cut all the cables,) so I expected the worst.
I ran the mini stereo line out of my sound card with a 1/4" adapter into one of the channels on the board. I then spent the whole day trying to figure out why most of the vocal tracks were weak or missing. We hooked up a subwoofer to one of the monitor channels, and that seemed to help a little bit for Sinatra and such, but still something was missing. We wired, rewired, fiddled and tweaked the thing until I thought I was going to give up and go home.
Finally, thinking maybe it was a product of the vandalism, we contacted a service tech to come out and take a look. As it turns out, the board connectors were all mono jacks. Man, did I feel like an idiot. He gave me an XLR splitter to 1/8" and we were good to go. I feel bad, because it was my fault the whole time, and the school had to pick up the tab.
Now I'm interested in learning my way around a board and a rack. If anyone has any tips on how I should get started learning this on my own, feel free to send some my way. I'm not able to drop any cash on this endeavor just yet, so keep that in mind.
-mixmaster eGaTS signing off-
Today's rehearsal, however, was a complete nightmare.
They have a massive sound board. 24 channels, and a rack with a fairly complicated equalizer and FX box. I've run previous recitals right out of a PC, straight into the rack. Boards are new to me. This one had been vandalized recently (a rival school's students had cut all the cables,) so I expected the worst.
I ran the mini stereo line out of my sound card with a 1/4" adapter into one of the channels on the board. I then spent the whole day trying to figure out why most of the vocal tracks were weak or missing. We hooked up a subwoofer to one of the monitor channels, and that seemed to help a little bit for Sinatra and such, but still something was missing. We wired, rewired, fiddled and tweaked the thing until I thought I was going to give up and go home.
Finally, thinking maybe it was a product of the vandalism, we contacted a service tech to come out and take a look. As it turns out, the board connectors were all mono jacks. Man, did I feel like an idiot. He gave me an XLR splitter to 1/8" and we were good to go. I feel bad, because it was my fault the whole time, and the school had to pick up the tab.
Now I'm interested in learning my way around a board and a rack. If anyone has any tips on how I should get started learning this on my own, feel free to send some my way. I'm not able to drop any cash on this endeavor just yet, so keep that in mind.
-mixmaster eGaTS signing off-
6.20.2005
You are Vicious from "Cowboy Bebop"!
You are IRRITABLE evil.
ANIME QUIZ - Which Evil Anime Badass Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
damnit, i hate drama.
the places i've been...
create your own personalized map of the USA
create your own visited country map
create your own personalized map of the USA
create your own visited country map
6.19.2005
You are: A SCHEMING VILLAIN: You are Cinderella's dead mother.
Which evil scheming fairy-tale character are you?
hmm...
Which evil scheming fairy-tale character are you?
hmm...
6.15.2005
batman begins
So I saw the midnight premiere of Batman Begins with Danielle, Eryck, Gary, and some of his Pizza Hut friends. It was all I'd hoped for--and so much more. The plot goes back to the comic roots of the legacy. No spoilers here yet, but maybe more later when more people have seen it. The cinematography was excellent in my opinion, despite people saying it was too bright and close up most of the time, particulary during the action sequences. There wasn't a concentration on the action. The focus was more on the perception of the action, not on the specific technique. Bale played the role perfectly. He does for Batman what Brosnan did for Bond. I can't wait to see the next one.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
