Tuesday, November 28, 2006

printf("More ramblings\n\n"); return 0;

Mood: Confused
Music: Carol of the Bells - Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Next semester:
MWF
11 - Our Musical Heritage
12 - Computer Science 2
1 - Humanities 1
2 - Computer Organization

TTh
9:30 - Religions of the World
11 - Stats

Had to take Humanities 1 instead of taking 2 or 3... other than that, I got everything that I wanted. Thank goodness. It'll be interesting to see how it works... everything is all lumped together, making life hell for 3 or 4 straight hours but then getting it all out of the way. The only thing I would've changed is having Religions of the World later in the day, but this section will cover both the religion requirement and the english requirement, since it's writing intensive. 19 hours in all... on top of that, 21-27 hours working every week at ITS. Thank goodness I can study on the job.

I'm getting really sick of the medication that I'm on now. While it does help (for those that haven't noticed, I've been in much happier), it's frustrating when I miss even one day. My body isn't producing whatever chemical this medication is putting in anymore, and so if I miss/skip I get extremely moody/upset/frustrated. Last night/today is a great case of that... hanging out with Jess watching football, and suddenly I was pissed at just about everything. No, I'm not emo. No, I'm not PMSing. Which makes it that much more annoying. *sigh*

I think that illnesses, like the common cold, are amazing at being a ping pong ball. I serve, about 5,000 receive and return, and lo and behold, I'm sick again.

Finals in 2 weeks. Yuck. CS and Web Design will be fine, as will Economics. Discrete is going to be a bitch... I understand stuff now, but I didn't before... and Japan? If I get a passing grade in that class, I'll be happy. If I get a B-, I'll be elated.

Ahh well. That's it for me.

Random Quote: The worst moment for the athiest is when he is really thankful and has nobody to thank. - Dante Gabriel Rossetti

-Nic

Friday, November 17, 2006

Counting the Battle Scars...

Mood: Tired and sick
Music: Suspension - Mae

So, I thought that I would just do a little self-recap of everything that's gone wrong w/ my body in the past year. It's quite a list, so let's see...

Tendonitis in right arm
Developing tendonitis in left arm
January - sick until about Feb. or March
Mono for a week in November
Sprained ankle, leading to developing tendonitis
Surgery on right arm
Return of tendonitis in right arm
Sprained finger
A few onsets of colds and mild flu this fall/winter

I'm sure there's probably more, but they're escaping me for the moment... probably repressed memories or something.

Blech.

On the plus side, though, my new job is excellent. A little bit less pay than my last job, but I don't have to drive 20 minutes both ways and waste gas, and since it's so close, I can work pretty much whenever I want (ending off with 21 hours a week). Definitely makes for a good paycheck, and so I'm hoping I can get my debt paid off really soon... potentially by my birthday, depending on what I get for X-mas. I'll have over half of it gone by Christmas, for sure. :-)

...damn, I can't wait till I have money. *chuckle* Money can't buy you happiness, but it can sure help reinforce it, that's for sure.

-Nic

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Hold Fast

Mood: Happy
Music: Hold Fast - MercyMe

Hold fast
Help is on the way
Hold fast
He's come to save the day
What I've learned in my life
One thing greater than my strife
Is His grasp
So hold fast

-Nic

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Ahh, computer geeks

Mood: Sick, but happy
Music:

So... Shawn and I are officially nerds. Want proof?

11:17:11 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: eek
11:19:19 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: ?
11:19:28 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: *shrugs*
11:19:42 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: but yeah, anyways, my computer won't boot Windows anymore
11:19:57 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: and seeing as how that's the only OS on it, I'm kinda fucked right now
11:19:57 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: hahahaha
11:20:06 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: wow
11:20:08 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: windoze sucks
11:20:14 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: I think a sector w/ some critical Windows files may have gone bad
11:20:21 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: sector of my HD*
11:20:27 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: i was gonna say
11:20:30 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: files don't just spoil
11:21:46 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: it's that or a virus that wiped my computer out in no time flat
11:21:53 AM niclake13@hotmail.com:
11:21:55 AM niclake13@hotmail.com:
11:22:30 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: I think my boss is going to loan me a HD out of the ResNet junkyard which I'll lose to see what I can do w/ the drive and the data on it.
11:22:46 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: they have a junkyard?
11:23:52 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: yup
11:25:07 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: most of it gets pulled out at the beginning of the year as a "Training Obstacle Course" in which the leads setup the computers w/ various problems to give the new guys a little experience troubleshooting computers before the Week of Hell
11:25:26 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: ahha
11:25:33 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: i love how you guys have names for all that
11:26:09 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: well the Week of Hell I kinda just gave it a name now. It doesn't have an official name, but everyone would know what I mean.
11:26:22 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: lol
11:26:23 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: yeah
11:27:52 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: when you end up spending all your time from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to sleep doing ResNet stuff to the point you start dreaming and having nightmares about computers, everyone knows what week you're talking about
11:28:16 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: *snort*
11:28:31 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: maybe you're just pussygay
11:29:44 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: no, it's not just me. We'd all share our latest horror stories everytime the group got together for meals and such.
11:30:04 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: well, maybe all of ResNet is pussygay
11:30:09 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: and ITS is the way to be
11:30:18 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: lol, yeah, that's never happening
11:30:24 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: heh
11:30:33 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: you guys would never survive our first week
11:30:36 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: i've determined why I get payed more than you, though
11:30:43 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: actually, we go through the same stuff
11:30:47 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: essentially
11:31:21 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: not from what we got told by you guys this year
11:31:28 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: don't say "you guys"
11:31:35 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: lol
11:31:35 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: say "the idiot ITS people at the ITTC"
11:31:43 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: all of ITS
11:31:48 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: hells no
11:32:09 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: we get paid more because our collective bosses are retarded dumbshits, and someone somewhere realizes that we actually know far more than them and want to keep us around
11:32:20 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: the ITSCC, though... they're just retarded
11:32:22 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: literally
11:32:24 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: we bash them daily
11:32:27 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: 1) your department doesn't have to deal directly with the people. You're setting up labs which you control
11:32:43 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: right
11:32:43 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: but
11:32:44 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: 2)
11:33:06 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: we have to deal with dumb shits that don't know what the difference between a scroll wheel and a reset button are (true story)
11:33:24 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: ??
11:33:25 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: and that's a lab monitor
11:33:36 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: I was in the lab at the Towers yesterday
11:33:39 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: it's not my fault you let stupid people run your labs
11:33:46 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: again
11:33:57 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: see above at 11:32:09 on why we get paid more
11:34:06 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: because someone's department hires dumb shits
11:34:12 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: and the lab monitor was trying to "fix" the com with us
11:34:14 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: comp*
11:34:25 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: i told her to hit the reset button
11:34:35 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: and I heard the annoying noise of a scroll wheel being turned
11:34:37 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: repeatedly
11:34:38 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: then
11:34:40 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: "it doesn't work"
11:34:42 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: that's still your deparment's fault and thus you all take the blame. Same as I get the blame for the dumbasses sending me out on appointments to change their network settings from static ip address to automatic
11:34:54 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: haha
11:34:55 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: yeah
11:34:58 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: that's retarded
11:35:02 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: but
11:35:09 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: we have no control over how dumb they are
11:35:16 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: it's our job to cover it up as best we can
11:35:21 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: and make us look as good as possible
11:35:24 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: which is tough
11:35:24 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: you just have to hire the smart people
11:35:28 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: we do
11:35:49 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: we just don't have enough payroll to hire enough smart people to counteract the volume of stupid bosses
11:36:16 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: see, we have to deal with the masses on their fucked up computers. That's where it gets really interesting. He get to have no clue what's been done to the machine before we start working on it.
11:36:17 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: lol
11:36:24 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: that's still your department's fault!
11:36:35 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: what do lab monitors get paid??
11:36:40 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: actually, that's the university's fault
11:36:42 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: no clue
11:36:54 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: since the university doesn't allocate enough payroll for smart people
11:36:56 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: so
11:36:57 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: therefore
11:37:06 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: since we all fall under university sanctions
11:37:13 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: ResNet sucks just as hard
11:37:17 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: it's algebra
11:37:21 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: we get paid less than you and we still have all sorts of smart people
11:37:22 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: and discrete structures
11:37:46 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: but your department and bosses are the ones who hire lab monitors, right??
11:37:59 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: ironicly enough, no
11:38:16 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: we're connected, but not technically related to the SCC
11:38:28 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: what's you're department??
11:38:33 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: or at least, the management/workers of the SCC
11:38:42 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: but we still fix all the SCC stuff
11:38:44 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: it's fucked up
11:39:18 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: you'd think they could allocate resnet, itscc, and its scc all together
11:39:20 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: but no
11:39:53 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: dor wants to have their pussygay ways of having some control (resnet) over something they really have no idea about (its)
11:39:56 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: I can understand separating them out
11:39:58 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: completely different departments
11:40:15 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: seperation, yes... having them allocated under different departments and 12 gazillion bosses?
11:40:16 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: no
11:40:25 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: yeah, I agree w/ you there.
11:41:01 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: so what's scc stand for anyways??
11:41:29 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: student computer center (???)
11:41:59 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: ish
11:42:07 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: ResNet should be considered ITS NC (network center) ish
11:42:15 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: *nod*
11:42:21 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: or just ITS - ResNet
11:42:45 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: see
11:42:51 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: this is why young people need to run things
11:42:55 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: we're not stupid
11:42:56 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: ish
11:43:04 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: *blink*
11:43:24 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: no, you can't use ITS-ResNet because that doesn't follow the pattern of ending in Center
11:43:30 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: haha
11:43:37 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: well, it's not ITS CCC
11:43:39 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: just CC
11:43:39 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: you could argue for ITS RC
11:43:42 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: computer consulting
11:43:54 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: oh, I thought it was consulting center...damn
11:44:09 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: well, that's what they say
11:44:12 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: computer consulting center
11:44:17 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: but there's only 2 c's
11:44:24 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: therefore
11:44:29 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: someone fucked up along the lines somewhere
11:45:30 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: so
11:45:33 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: we need a martyr
11:45:39 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: someone to suck it up for the team
11:45:41 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: go in
11:45:42 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: well I meant that the CC = consulting center rather than Computer consulting
11:45:46 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: tell UNI how stupid they are
11:45:55 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: get ITS collaberated all together
11:45:59 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: and get killed
11:46:00 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: or
11:46:02 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: particularly b/c computer consulting doesn't make for much of a name as it ends in a verb...
11:46:08 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: if they don't get killed by UNI
11:46:13 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: we can either...
11:46:21 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: a) throw them into a barrel of monkeys
11:46:23 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: real ones
11:46:52 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: b) run around naked in back country Iowa during the winter "celebrating"
11:46:55 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: or c)
11:47:10 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: go find Shawn's computer and stare at a blue screen of death
11:47:26 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: I don't even get a fucking blue screen of death!
11:47:37 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: until a mac fanatic gets frustrated at the ugly color and kicks the computer into the guys head, causing his immediate demise
11:47:40 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: eek
11:47:41 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: ok
11:47:45 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: scratch plan c
11:47:51 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: might computer just sits in an infinite loop of restarting unless a user interrupts it
11:48:05 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: *blink*
11:48:17 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: it flashes the "Windows Blue Screen of Death" very briefly right before restarting itself
11:48:37 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: it's ominous
11:48:55 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: it's a warning
11:48:55 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: like
11:48:59 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: "fix me, or die!"
11:49:08 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: a suicidal computer
11:49:14 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: you're it's CC
11:49:17 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: crisis center
11:49:17 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: see
11:49:19 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: lol
11:49:25 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: that one had a "center" on the end
11:49:30 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: that made sense
11:49:38 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: we could incorperate that into the "new" ITS dept.
11:49:43 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: a suicidal hotline
11:49:46 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: that the computers call
11:50:30 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: we'd need blue poles all around campus though for the ones getting raped by viri
11:50:38 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: and yes, I just said viri
11:51:24 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: *snort*
11:51:25 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: viri?
11:51:27 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: who's viri?
11:51:40 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: would we have escort services available?
11:51:42 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: like
11:51:48 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: random guys carrying around laptop bags?
11:52:33 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: we'd have to do intensive screening before hiring them
11:52:41 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: and that would cost more money...
11:52:42 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: dang
11:54:11 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: ooo
11:54:13 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: better idea
11:54:18 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: instead of sacrificing a martyr
11:54:24 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: we'll just use that barrel of monkeys
11:54:32 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: set them loose at the next board meeting
11:54:41 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: we might need more than laptops though. What about the desktop computers being raped in their dorm rooms by Viri (aka viruses)
11:54:41 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: *mutter* I'll have to work on my evil laugh
11:54:52 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: SWAT
11:55:01 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: that's what I was thinking
11:55:07 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: rappelling from the roof
11:55:09 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: they wouldn't see it coming
11:55:33 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: as for a barrel full of monkeys at the next board meeting, I don't think that'll have much effect. They'll just be wondering why so many more people showed up to their meeting.
11:55:42 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: hm
11:55:43 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: good point
11:56:21 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: a barrel full of leprechauns?
11:57:11 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: wait
11:57:15 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: what effect would that have?
11:57:18 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: they'd just throw money
11:57:19 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: *mutter*
11:58:46 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: any ideas?
11:59:16 AM marshmallow7@hotmail.com: just a sec, phone call
11:59:30 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: propaganda! lies!
11:59:39 AM niclake13@hotmail.com: they're trying to trick you!!! Don't give in!
12:00:20 PM niclake13@hotmail.com: ooo
12:00:22 PM niclake13@hotmail.com: i got it
12:00:30 PM niclake13@hotmail.com: we challenge them using our inner nerd skills
12:00:40 PM niclake13@hotmail.com: to a best-of-3 series of Pong(tm)

*blink*

-Nic

Friday, November 10, 2006

El Nino = teh sux

Mood: Gloomy
Music: None (in class)

What the hell? 77° two days ago... now it's 34° and raining/snowing? Lame!

-Nic

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Damn You, NaNoWriMo!

Mood: Frustrated
Music: Various tracks - UnderOATH

NaNoWriMo has eaten my soul. It's beginning to consume my life in a way that I never thought possible. And yet, at the same time, I feel like I'm getting nothing accomplished. I had 10k words typed after day 2 (Nov. 2nd), and I currently have about 14k. 7 days. 4 thousand words. At 1,667 per day to reach my goal... ouch. Not good. I'm right about on target, but I still don't feel like I'm getting things done. I'm slowing down, and it feels crappy. Hopefully I'll be able to get some more done this weekend.

By the way, if you're interested in checking in on my progress, or reading a small excerpt of the story, check this link... My NaNoWriMo Profile.

Life is going good. Saw Lauren and Logan last night as they stopped by (shakes fist at Logan for scaring the piss out of me). Thanksgiving is getting closer and closer... and *gasp*! It can't be! Louisville and Rutgers? Undefeated? Playing on Thursday Night Football?!?!? Woohoo! Something fun to entertain me for the evening.

This weekend is Jess running up in St. Olaf. *muah* Good luck to you, baby!

I'm trying to get my schedule worked out for the rest of my college career... right now, if I don't figure something out, I'll only be able to get my BS by taking either an assload of classes in the summers (which I'd have to get lucky to get the right ones) or going an extra semester. And, it all hinges on the classes being offered when I want them to be. Damn you, 3 semester rotations!

Ahh well. Enough of me for now. Time for the last 5 minutes of class *chuckle*.

-Nic

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Rawr!

Mood: Mellow and cold
Music: Gravity (Live) - John Mayer Trio

So I decided (finally) that enough was enough. I'm back to posting in a blog again, one that anyone can comment on, because I'm sick of Facebook and Xanga. Neither really do it for me. Plus, it's nice to have somewhere to store all my current thoughts and memories.

So... news... *clears throat*.

College is back in session, and has been for 2 months now. Woohoo. Only six more weeks of these semester to go. I'm excited, but also really nervous. 6 weeks until my Japan final. 6 weeks to learn whatever the heck I'm supposed to learn in Discrete Structures (computer logic-based math). Six more weeks of drama around the dorms until I get another break from it all.

Anyways... I think I've got my schedule for next semester figured out completely. I just hope that I'm actually able to get it. It would work out perfectly, I think. 4 classes, all stacked together from 11-3 on MWF, with only one (very simple) class on T/Th at 11. I could definitely handle that.

What else... hrm. Well, I decided to do NaNoWriMo again this year. NaNoWriMo is the National Novel Writing Month. The goal is to write a 50,000 word (or more) story in November. The 1st to the 30th. While some people try to make it all logical with outlines and such, I find that it's much more fun just to write whatever decides to flow out of your fingers. Interesting things definitely pop out and very odd times. (A dagger-throwing mime ninja that uses a large book of pre-written phrases for all forms of communication. *blink* Don't ask.) If you're interested in all this, check out nanowrimo.org.

I'm heading up to Jess' this weekend to go visit with her family. We're going to go watch her brother's jazz band, as well as the Northern Illinois University Jazz Band at her old high school. It should be a lot of fun. I think her parents are going to run a cross country race by their house too... *that* should be fun to watch. :-) It'll be nice to go visit again, though. I always do enjoy my visits up there.

Well, I should get back to working on various things. No free time this weekend, so I'll have to get everything done tonight and tomorrow during the day. Drop by my room sometime and say hello... Rider 222.

Latre,

-Nic