Laughing Kitten

quicky (for cat lovers)

Wed, 11 Aug 2004 21:50:18 GMT

What you do when...

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=881951

Windy Florida

Wed, 11 Aug 2004 15:13:51 GMT

On Friday Laura, Yvette (my sister), and I will be flying down to Florida for my dad's wedding. Guess who else will be in Florida? No, not Bonnie, she'll be in South Carolina. But Hurricane Charley (she'll be a hurricane when she clobbers Jamaica) will be! The NWS expects her to land just south of Tampa early Friday, sound like we're in for a rough flight! Nothing makes you appreciate engineering better than watching an airplane wing flex a foot or two.

Last Convict Standing

Thu, 05 Aug 2004 21:19:38 GMT

On Friday, August 5, 2004, from 10:00-11:00pm (ET/PT), FOX presents the SERIES PREMIERE of the new unscripted series Last Convict Standing: Battle On Death Row!

In this freash take on the classic life in prison story, felons are shipped to a remote island paradise, ditching the safety of solitary confinement for the chance at a stay of execution.

It seems like a fantasy at first, but the contestants soon find out that their jungle paradise is infested with tests of skill. Like the 'Lethal Injection Immunity Challenge', 'Name that Voltage', 'Celebrity Boxing against Mike Tyson' (hey, he needs the money), 'Convict Stand-up' (featuring American Idol's very own Simon), and worst of all 'can you stand the pain'; where contestants must attempt to carry on a conversation with Paula Abdul for one full hour!

The winner will walk away with a full Pardon from Governor Schwarzenegger, a new switch-blade, and a $50 gift certificate to Wal-Mart. Unlike other 'reality' shows, the losers don't just get to go home, they will actually lose their heads (to be televised after the Super Bowl)!

I'm so sorry

Sun, 27 Jun 2004 20:36:55 GMT

I can't believe I forgot to post my new pics to my LJ. I'm such a bad LJ user. Bad user. Bad.

Can anyone tell that I've been playing with my dog?

What's that?

Oh, yeah. pics.

Here they are.

The last two are cool, they're of the flooding we experianced last month. 4 acres underwater overnight! The water receeded 36 hours later and we only had minor damage to the fence. Good times. Good times.

where I was last week.

Tue, 25 May 2004 16:53:09 GMT

Playing with my new toy:

Still bored...

Sat, 03 Apr 2004 04:08:16 GMT

Seriously, I'm a big fan of St. John's wort (other than the name, it sounds like wart, who's idea was that?), I think it could be the cause of me feeling perky. It's not like anything has changed in the last 24-hours.

Did I mention that Laura successfully defended her masters thesis (I know I didn't, it was just a segue)? Yeah, so I bought her a side-by-side refrigerator as a graduation gift. Yeah, I know it's a lame gift for the wife. She says she likes it, so neener.

There's actually a good story that goes with the whole fridge thing... but I'm not telling it right now. (I'm listening to Bruce Hornsby, how not me is that?)

There's a decent Corvette for sale up in WA. Of course I'm about $5500 shy of the current 8k bid price. Repeat after me: The things you buy end up owning you

(ooh, queens of the stone age, as it turns out, I'm not a blazing fast typer)

So I started lifting again this week, now I have blisters on the 2nd pad of both of my middle fingers. My new lifting plan is pretty cool, it emphasizes short workouts and poor form, both points are right down my alley. I have a bad feeling that the plan is a bit on the dangerous side, but that's why we have two of everything, right?

must find entertainment.....

Where have you been, young man!?

Sat, 03 Apr 2004 03:51:42 GMT

It appears that Friday is national depression day. Although I am feeling much better now. It probably helps that I've spent most of the day alone, I actually had real work to do today, so I took my iPod back to the fiber lab and worked like a well motivated trained monkey. I am Jack's trained monkey.

I blame Fight Club for my depression. Decent movie.

[edit]Stupid habit of using bbedit code[/edit]

mini-update (as opposed to what?)

Wed, 10 Mar 2004 18:08:39 GMT

So three weeks ago Laura went (with Margie and Marianne) to a horseshow that wasn't, the date got moved and no one bothered to tell the alumni. When they got back on Saturday (they took the trailer and three horses) we had a small party because they weren't supposed to get back until Sunday.

Anyway, during the trip they talked about tattoos, and they decided that I should have the Corvette emblem as a tattoo. I didn't like the idea too much because the other flag in the emblem contains a chevrolet symbol and the fleur-de-lis, which seemed to me like I'd be advertising for a car manufacturer and the french, neither of which I'm all that fond of.

But then I remembered the history of the Corvette emblem and tucked that idea away for a future day. The next weekend Laura went to another horse show (but didn't bring any horses), and I went to tattoo charlie's and got a slightly modified version of the original Corvette emblem (the circle around the flags is modeled off the C5 emblem to round out the image). I got the tattoo on my shoulder, which seems like a good place because it's not visible if I'm wearing a t-shirt.

This story, as of yet, has no moral; except, possibly to explain my new avatar.

Sun, 22 Feb 2004 17:58:42 GMT

49% (Yankee). Barely into the Yankee category.

Wouldn't that make me 51% not Yankee?

A long drive.

Thu, 19 Feb 2004 17:37:00 GMT

The news from yesterday is that my 1991 Toyota Camry (you know the one that bombed Pearl Harbor), rolled over the big milestone of 200,000 miles. Yup, that's 8.3-ish trips around the world, neato.

My drive home is about 21 miles, and the coolest part is that rolled over to 200k as I was driving up to my driveway, so the odometer sat at 200000 all night (yeah, it's cool in a nerdy way, leave me alone).

I'm going back to 1st shift, hopefully for good, next week.

Fri, 13 Feb 2004 02:02:24 GMT

Four minutes to make an update... must type quickly, crap! Three minutes, stupid clocks.

What do you want for valentines day? I hate all the hallmark holidays, mainly because they make me get off my lazy keister, and that goes against what my butt was created for (sitting, that is).

I have to find some opal earrings, any ideas on where those might be had?

I made my first bullets today, turns out I overcrimped them, such is life, at least it was easier to adjust than I feared... now if the weather would just hop into the 60's I wouldn't be so weary of venturing into the garage to make some more...

Wed, 10 Dec 2003 04:29:12 GMT

It appears my days on 2nd shift are numbered. The current forces are trying to finish off Aaron's training so I can go back to 1st shift, and back to fiber optics.

Yup, the exciting world of fiber is really picking up, we're busy now and it should stay busy into early next year (I know, it's not very long, keep in mind the shortsighthedness of my company).

I got an arcade machine today (the game is Rampage if you want to know), I'm planning on putting a computer in it and running emulation (MacMAME anyone?). Now all I need is a computer and a joystick; perferrably one of those big ones! with support for two players... or perhaps I'll just go with two gampads w/cords (because that would be cheaper).

Chatted with atatkonrad today at lunch, I don't associate with humans much while I'm at work.

Later...

Fri, 05 Dec 2003 04:25:02 GMT

Bogarted these from nkuvu, who may have gotten them from hillarygayle.

Pick up the nearest book and write a sentence at random from it:
"Apparent gain at 1.0 meter from the tip of the antenna is determined and used to check confromance to the antenna factor shown in Figure 2." -Equipment Manual for Conical Log-Spiral Antenna.

Do you like having your picture taken?:
Yes, I'm not photogenic, but I am a ham.

Ever bought a CD for just one song?:
Yes, Fastball, All the Pain Money Can Buy for The Way, it has a few other good songs too, it turns out.

Do you read your horoscope?:
Yes, but only if Robbie has read his (at which point I say: "let's see what I, and 500 million other people, should expect from today!").

If you could only talk to one person online, who would that be?:
Laura, of course.

What color is the inside of your head when you close your eyes?:
warm grey (yes, I stole the answer from HG, but it's the best answer).

Do you find you use internet language when writing notes in real life?:
Err, I don't think I use 'internet language', but if I did it would be only if I were writing about the internet.

When you're talking do you ever use your hands to do quotation marks in the air when saying certain words?
Yes.

Ever seriously questioned your sanity?:
Yes, but then I figured that a lack of sanity would probably come with a lack of logic to question said sanity.

When you dream do you see what's happening in a character's view or a camera type view?:
1st person only, in keeping with the ego.

Have you ever kept a New Year's resolution?:
I'm not sure, I don't make them anymore (if it's so important that you want to do it the rest of your life, start today).

for a whole year?
Not sure.

Who has the best taste in music out of all your friends?:
Me. Then Robbie.

What is your school mascot?:
HS: Shamrock (yeah, everyone called us the weeds)
College: Wildcats

Do you wish your teeth were whiter?:
Well, I hadn't thought about it until you called attention to them; yes, dammit.

Do you laugh at your own jokes?:
I laugh at everything (it seems to help everyone's morale).

What word instantly makes you smile ?:
titmouse (*giggles*).

How many phone numbers do you have remembered and can say off the top of your head?:
Maybe a dozen or two, most of which are my old home phone numbers... (502-499-9066 was the house I grew up in, until I was 10 and my parents got divorced, but that was the second number we had at that house that I can remember, I don't know if I ever knew the 1st. 859-455-9806 was mine and Laura's 1st house).

What was the best Halloween costume you ever had?:
I think they all sucked. Once Laura and I went as Mulder and Scully, she was a good Scully, I was a crappy Fox.

Can you limbo?:
Not well.

You're a vampire; what's worse, never seeing a photo/reflection of yourself, never being able to eat or drink what's not blood, or never seeing sunlight again?:
Never seeing sunlight. The first one means I'll never know that I'm having a bad hair day, the second probably is something I'll want (like an instinct), but vampires probably miss the light, because they have to avoid it. That would be depressing (I think I'll go drink some blood of the bastards who can see the sun!).

Do you say random stuff like "I like Snickers" when you are having a conversation about something totally different?:
Yes... resist the urge, resist the urge...

Name all the Teletubbies right now:
Can't.

Would you ever call someone a racist name?:
I could happen, but I'd rather think of something more pertinent (and funny).

Do you think Vlad is a cool name?:
Sure.

Did you know it is Dracula's first name?:
No. Impaler was his other nickname.

What do you think is going to take over humans and rule the world?:
The sun.

What is your IQ?:
It may be between 136 and 154 (scores I got online), but those could be inflated to get me to buy their stuff... so I don't know.

Have you ever killed your own dinner?:
Not that I recall, perhaps fish...

Would you prefer a spork or a spoon and fork?:
spork.

Favorite of the seven dwarves?:
Hungry. No, wait that was the 8th dwarf...

Ever laughed so hard that what you were drinking spewed out of your nose?:
No.

Wasn't Josie and the Pussycats a stupid movie?
Don't know.

Wasn't Shrek an awesome movie?:
No. It was OK but the potty humor was trite, and the King sounded too much like Dick Solomon.

What did you think of the movie Turner and Hooch?:
Don't remember it.

Have you ever dissected a frog?:
Yes.

How long have you been living at your current residence?:
About 357 days.

I think that quiz proved, for the most part, I have a very bad memory.

Wed, 03 Dec 2003 04:30:09 GMT

Is tired really a mood? I had turkey sandwiches for dinner, wowzers, those thing'll slow you down.

I tried to call Laura but the phone was busy, must be on the internet...

I'll probably be going over to Ben's tomorrow to help him paint his new shed, haha the Wagner Power Painter conquers all!!!

Tue, 02 Dec 2003 23:01:40 GMT

Why would cells want to kill themselves? Certainly good news though.

On the other end of the science spectrum, we have a miracle baby who's daddy apparently stands for killing those who don't share your religious views.

It seems to be warmer in here tonight, that's good news because it appears I don't have the production capabilities to make 3D processors. Of course I'd still have to deal with the issue of dissipating the heat, or I'd be stuck huddling around my little coffee cup sized processor trying to absorb as much of its radiant heat as possible. Ah, the trials I am forced to endure in my day-to-day existance.

today's motif: cold

Tue, 02 Dec 2003 03:13:42 GMT

It's cold out and it's cold in here.

Hehe, I'm now listening to Monty Python's Instant Record collection on my iPod. Life is good.

Except for the cold.

We put lights up on the house today, very exciting. Nothing like putting your life on the line at the top of a 16-ft ladder in order to illuminate your roofline for some flying sleigh that doesn't exist. Weird.

Anyway, the wind was cold. Josie doesn't seem to care about the cold, especially if there's a frisbee involved.

I had a nice b-day. Got some cool presents, a comfy chair, an 18-volt set of Skill tools (drill, reciprocating saw, rotary saw, and a flashlight-it also came with an electric sander), and the first season of Furutama (from my sister).

Of course the first two are b-day/x-mas presents, because they're a bit on the expensive side.

Wow, a well researched article on News.com. I still take offense at the term Moore's Law, Moore's law is not a law, it is a generalization of a trend.

The author seemed to have some issues with physics:
Even if the energy consumption and tunneling problems can be solved...
Tunneling is not a problem that can be solved, as long as they keep using electrons, you have to live with their uncertainty traits. Perhaps the author means if a substitute for electrons can be found.

He also points out the heat dissipation problems then goes on to add:
...building 3D chips, in which layers of transistors form a high rise.
How, exactly, can you note that power dissipation is an issue then turn around and suggest stacking insulators on eachother?

Hey, it's feeling warmer in here...

Wed, 26 Nov 2003 05:36:41 GMT

There wasn't any fun Matrix talk in any of my philosophy classes. :(

Tue, 25 Nov 2003 02:08:09 GMT

Irony at its finest.

On a mostly unrelated note (it's related because you can find both storeies at cnn.coms main page), as you well know, John Allen Muhammad has been sentanced (by the jurors) to the death penalty. His lawyers stated that the death penalty is too harsh and that he should instead serve a life sentence. Either way he will not be contributing anything to society, so why not save the food and jail space and just off the bastard?

wee...

Tue, 25 Nov 2003 00:57:29 GMT

I stole this from Konrad...

atatjcd's Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 6
Average number of words per sentence:	14.82
Average number of syllables per word:	1.37
Total words in sample:	3113
Analyze your journal! Username:
Another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern

Does the words per sentance mean I'm getting points for run-ons?

So I'm in the 721 building, my lunch is in the 731 building, and it's abhorrably freezing cold out. Hmmm, satiating my hunger vs. staying warm, looks like I'll be here for a while...

Fri, 21 Nov 2003 00:19:36 GMT

Had to buy an alternator for the Camry today, my detective work told me it was the voltage regulator (which is inside the alternator), but no one in town carries the part, AutoZone would order if for $65!!! It's a frickin' transistor people, their margins must be in the 10000% range. So I went ahead and got the whole alternator... I didn't even get a chance to install it.

Finally:
Official Rules

1. If you want to participate, leave a comment below saying "interview me."
2. I will respond by asking you five questions - each person's will be different.
3. You will update your journal/blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
6. I will answer reasonable follow up questions if you leave a comment.

Answers to Konrad's questions:
1. What brings meaning to your life?
I can think of two primary things:
Knowledge. There is a lot to experiance in life, but what is an experiance if you don't do something with it? I'm not saying that I won't do something unless it has some learning value, I like doing fun things just because they're fun, but learning somehow validates me.

Acceptance. I don't know if this is a bad trait, but I need people to tell me I'm doing something valuable. Perhaps I'm worried that if I allow myself to be the sole determination of merit that I could be wrong, and never know it.

(At first glance at myself I seem very superficial, I like new things, especially cars and computers. I'm competitive in flashes, I like to be right, and like most typical Americans, I use sarcasm as a tool to get out of communicating. So my first thoughts for the answer centered on objects; which would be a false answer. I, along with many others look for fulfillment in the aquisition of objects; while possessions may bring short term happiness, it's very unlikely that I'll look back and say an object has brought value to my life. So they're not a true part of my final answer.)

2. What do you think about marriage?
Marriage in general: I'm not a big fan of the principle of marriage. What happens is you take two people who have a very special connection, and you tell them they're supposed to be together, you've changed a desire to be together into a mandate. This changes the relationship, making the idea of the marriage more important then either person, which was the point in the first place. I believe that it's more noble for two people to stay together because they're happy being with each other, than for them to stay together because of a piece of paper.

This isn't anything new from me, my wife and I discussed this at a marriage counseling retreat prior to our wedding. My point isn't that people shouldn't get married, my point is that people need to remember why they got married.

My marriage It amazes me that I was able to find someone that had so much in common with me that we decided it would be best to spend the rest of our lives together, it's more amazing that after three years we both seem to still agree that we made the right decision. Don't get me wrong, there have been problems (from birth control, to money issues, to the cats waking me up every damned morning), but overall we have overcome those issues and are still able to say that we're in love with eachother (I know I'm speaking for Laura, but she sincerely tells me she loves me several times a day; and that makes a huge difference towards my ability to feel good about our marriage).

I've often preached that communication and responsibility are the keys to keeping a marriage strong. It seems to me that if you tell someone something, and they react in a manner that seems like they didn't understand; then they probably didn't and it's your responsibility to clarify your point until you understand why they don't agree.

Saying people need to take responsibility, and knowing when to take responsibility, as it turns out, are not the same thing. When we bought our 'farm' we pretty much maxed out our monthly income on it, but I accepted the decision because I wanted to help make Laura happy. I've felt very burnt out several times over the past year, and because of that I felt resentment that Laura was getting what she wanted and I couldn't get what I wanted. What I was missing was that I accepted the decision; I had the responsibility of making the decision and I have the responsibility to work with the ramifications of that decision.

3. What are your biggest challenges in life?
Getting my point across without offending, it's much easier to demean than it is to discuss. Remembering to empathize, people do things for a reason, and that reason usually isn't to hurt others (that just happens). Balancing my wants with with my means, living in the land of instant gratification certainly puts the emphasis on objects; it is difficult to focus on ideals.

Finally2:
4. Where do you want to be in 10 years?
Job wise: Either teaching or in management,
My current job could be very fun but my company is thoroughly mis-managed and that really puts a damper on me doing anything extraordinary. So I'll either ride my ability to get things done into management, or I'll escape into the world of academics where the politics, hopefully, aren't as intrusive.

Life wise:
Right where I am now (minus the overwhelming project load), with a life that is in order and a wife who loves and appreciates me.

5. Are these questions nosey of me? Explain.
No. They were excellent questions that could allow people a glimpse of my thoughts deeper than my usual jokes. They would be nosey had you asked about my sex life! ;-)

Well, that didn't take me forever.

Thu, 13 Nov 2003 02:38:39 GMT

CNN. The last bastion of thorough reporting.

I suspect that last line ("Utah state law says a woman has a right to breast-feed anywhere.") isn't exactly right.

CNN would like to note that JCD's livejournal is the last bastion of grammer and spelling.

Bastards.

hehe

Fri, 07 Nov 2003 04:30:27 GMT

Just sat down with a hot cup of coca; I've been around the horn in terms of drinks tonight. Started off with coffee, went to hot cider, (then lunch drinks), now I'm done with the coca.

I've been feeling lackadaisical at work lately. Probably because there's little room for advancement and some of the management does nothing but try to advance its own position; it's transparent to the hilt, and it's exacerbated, in my case, because it sometimes directly affects me.

Wow, this turned into a rant a little too quicky...

oooh

Wed, 29 Oct 2003 05:21:03 GMT

I'm tired. FL was nice, very sunny. Went to Universal Studios, felt like I paid $50 to have access to bunches of gift shops, strange. Did some boating, walked a beach, went to a few shopping districts, saw some movies.

28 Days Later was not all that it was cracked up to be. From a goofy premise to a transparent plot there are a lot of crappy things to talk about. So I'll stick to the good ones (for brevities sake): The gore was well done but not overdone, considering the premise (humans infected with a fast acting virus that induces rage), I'd have expected the streets to be flowing with blood. The suspense was decent too, while they failed to really catch me off gaurd (a la Seven), the director was able to build suspense by making you expect something bad to happen, then to not deliver - it keeps you off balance. Err, that's all I got.

Charlies Angels 2. Who picked that? Not I. While it started flat (relying way too much on Camron Diaz yelling "yee-ha"), it somehow ended up being mildly entertaining. I think they overdid the Matrix style action (I can accept 'the one' defying gravity while inside the matrix, but this movie is supposed to be set in reality). What saved it was the comedy, especially the scenes with John Cleese and Lucy Liu (Drew B. and the circus freak was just dumb enough to also be humorous). So, don't spend any money on it, but if it comes on 'Dinner and a Movie' and you're bored, go ahead, it won't hurt too much.

Of course the real movie is coming out on the 5th. I'm betting against the odds and guessing that the Oracle is not the 'Mother of the Matrix' that the architect referred to, and suspecting that it is instead Persephonie (thus assuming the "oh please" to mean; 'bad guess' as opposed to 'that's a stupid thing to call her'). That could give The Oracle a little more meaning as opposed to what she is now which is basically a non-entity. HG presented a cool idea for the ending: that the humans and machines are foced to accept co-existance. I'm hoping more for the depressing ending where it ends up being a Matrix inside the Martix (can't you just see Neo saving Zion and thinking he destroyed the Matrix only to have the final scene morph through a lens looking at the endless crops of humans? What an excellent effect that would be).

Thu, 23 Oct 2003 05:01:44 GMT

Oh, no! I'm at work late again.

But I wrote a cool program over parts of the last three days. It seems to be running along happily taking measurements. Excellent.

I managed to get through the fiber audit and only had to be at work at noon. The audit went well, the auditors seemed bored and they breezed through everything that I was involved in. Poor Robbie had to be with them every minute over the last two days, ick.

Looks like Robbie wants to move me back to fiber. Looks like another case of musical Justin between CTIA and fiber. I should ask for a raise.

But the big news(tm):
I'm going to Florida tomorrow, my sister and I are flying down to visit our dad. I love summer weather, and that's what FL has to offer! I'll be back monday night... speaking of, I think I need to print off my ticket!...

See you Monday!

Wed, 22 Oct 2003 00:04:10 GMT

This is wrong on so many levels...

You are a tortoiseshell or calico cat. Man, are you
nuts or what? You should try taking some
tranquilizers. Calm down, you hyper thing!
You've got a great personality though. You're
so lively and you are known for getting into
mischief.

What color of cat are you?
brought to you by Quizilla