Jun 2007
Wagons, HO!, and all the related stuff
Load the freakin’ wagons, dammit. Yeah, I have an address, job, & bills, all in norcal. It’s pretty freakin’ sweet. It’s not quite what we wanted, in that it’s in the city, but it gets us up there, and that’s the foot in the door we needed.
We had actually looked at a few other places that were candidates. One was really really nice, in that it was in the country about 10 minutes out of town, had a large yard for the dogs, and plenty of room to keep us busy with things like gardening. Then we looked at the plac we were currently in, which was cheaper, a lot cleaner, but in the city. Plus, it was private party, so there was no damn pproperty management peeps to deal with. Anyway, he said OK to us. Thing was, we also had to look at another place that was a little further down the street, a little more expensive, and with a lot gbigger yard, as well as more rooms throughout.
It’s that last place we really wanted, mostly because of the yard for the dogs, but it just wasn’t in the cards. The landlord – also private property – was concerned about one of our dogs, Zoey, because she looks like a Pit Bull. Yeah, we can see it. No, she’s not a Pit Bull, in either temperament or behavior. Truth be told, they thought she was a terrier mix when we rescued her. Then she got boxy in the head. We don’t know quite what she is, but she’s sweet & dorky – just our style.
Anyway, that wasn’t destined to work. But hey, having to “settle” for the place we actually got was not a problem for us, the way I look at it. At rist I was a little concerned about the price, but that was before I actually considered everything. We’re 5 minutes from hiking trails & unadultered nature. We’re less than 5 minutes from the beach. We pay just a hair over $1K a month.
For those of you in So Cal, consider that. How much would anything worth living in, 5 minutes from the beach, actually cost? Think higher; a lot higher than whatever number you just thought.
So we’re good.
And also in the news
High speed internet. You may recall that I was concerned about its prevalence in the area. Fear not, buddies & pals – I have service twice as fast up in that area as I did down in the So Cal area.
So again, we’re good.
Funny how things work out
We went up this week, as I’ve said a few times, to get the paperwork filled out for the new employer, as well as try to find & rent a place for the move up next week. Many people were skeptical that we’d be able to accomplish these tasks in such a short time frame with little advance warning.
Well, PHHTT! to all of you! :-D.
As I type this, it’s day 4 of the 8 we had planned to take out for the event(s), and we’re on our way back to So Cal to tie up loose ends & get a head-start packing. Now yes, I do realize that even though it’s being typed on day 4, you’re reading this on day 5 at the earliest, and this is all quite literally old news as it leaves my fingertips, but I didn’t want to get into a philosophical discussion on the nature & relationship of time to experience, including but not limited to its triviality or necessity to relative events and perception.
So just take it as it’s written, and we’ll all be good, huh? In the meantime, I’m going to try and not bet too carried away mentioning the good fortune I’ve had; it’s been my experience that my mere mention of "good fortune” usually unravels the whole of it. If you wanna have a philosophical debate, explain that!
Peace.
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A Different Wally's, nerves, & recent Oddity
Jun 26, 2007 / 02:23 PM Filed in: Business Themes | Personal
OK, what was Wally's thinking? They called me up, for a 3rd interview, had me fill out paperwork, and hired me.
Well, sort of. First I have to pass a drug test, which shouldn’t be a problem. I normally ace tests, so no prob there. But get this: not only did the hire me, but they also gave me a raise. Yeah, I know! I haven’t even started there and they gave me a raise. Needless to say, if you can work it out? I highly recommend a job @ Walgreens. Kudos.
And not a moment too soon, either
I was a wreck just before going in there. If that’s what it feels like to be stressed out, man am I glad I am never (or hardly ever) stressed out. But I was then. I had been for the previous 12-16 hours actually, which makes little-to-no sense, all things considered.
As you may know, we came up this trip to get this paperwork settled w/ Walgreens, as well as try and get a rental property settled & done. We weren’t having any luck from distance, and we felt some face-to-face time would do us some good. And thus it has. Sort of. Kind of. Damn, let me explain…
OK, there’s almost NO rental properties we could find that were not managed by some sort of Rental Property Management place. One of them, Professional Property Management, is anything but what their name implies. We’ve had an app in with them on different properties for almost this whole month, which is now about gone. We go in to see them in person yesterday after viewing a candidate? They STILL have yet to complete & file our app. Yeah. But this place is kinda nice, the one we looked at. It’s in the country, yet still only 10 minutes out of town. It’s got two large yards – front & rear – which the dogs would LOVE, and plenty to keep us busy, as far as gardening & stuff, Would be nice if we could get it. But then we’re back to that whole “app not finished” thing again. Damn people.
OK, moving on, we go and view a privately-owned property, and guess what? It’s clean, livable, and affordable. Only catch is it’s in the heart of the city. Sucks, but living here somewhere is better than NOT living here somewhere. And what’s more, he called us back later that day to say we could have it.
And here’s where the nerves went weird for me.
Which makes no sense. A week ago, I didn’t have a job, didn’t have a home, and I didn’t have oddball nerves. I get a phone call that says I have a house, the day before I get the (better-than-expected) good news about a job, and I felt like throwing up or crying, or both. Nervous when I’m homeless & jobless? Nah. Nevvous when I have a job & a home? Sure, why not?
Eh. I think it was mostly because I hadn’t gotten the (better-than-expected) good news about Walgreens yet. And suddenly, I was going to owe a deposit plus first & last month’s rent. With no job to fund it that I was positive about. Because gaw-dam, did I feel better after leaving Walgreen’s Parking Lot to go pee in a cup. Best pee of my life, I tell you; Best. Pee. Of. My. Life.
So where’s my gift, dammit?
So did you hear I got a job & a home in norcal? Housewarming! Time to go shopping & get me a gift! Um, now. Because next week it’s all said & done already. We’re registered @ BB&B, as well as Macy’s, Darling. Yeah. Macy’s. So get your gift-giving butts over there and send me a toaster, y’all. And towels.
Oh wait, you’re all my friends & family, aren’t you? Yeah, what was I thinking? You all don’t give gifts, you give a hard time! Thanks for reminding, I almost forgot :-)
In the “Odd Things” Department
This comes to my mind as I realized that there’s no LA Fitness up around here. Not only that, but there’s no 24Hour Fitness, either. Yeah, far as I can tell, there’s no gym IN the town I will live, only one 20 miles south & 20 miles north. How convenient! It will, however, give me the excuse I need to build my own home gym, so I won’t complain too much.
Anyway, the odd thing. Had to cancel my LA Fitness membership,l seeing as how we’ll never use it again. Wanna guess where you send it to?
If you said “LA,” you’re wrong. Texas is the right answer…. Texas. Because as we all know, when people think of LA, they think of Texas, not Southern California. Riiiiight...
Peace.
Trek Begins, it's So-Cal Hot, the iPhone, & why U-Haul sucks
Wagons HO!Well, kinda. Getting ready to leave early tomorrow morning for Norcal. Say, 8am? It’s an 11-hour trip, so that puts us there around 7pm. Sunlight will let out around 10pm. 3 hours to find a campsite, set up camp, and fall the f*ck asleep.
Which should be hard to. The Girl brought that up today. Have I mentioned the new bed? No. Okay, I guess I should start there. We got a new bed. Or rather, we got a new-to-us bed recently, and it’s a California King to boot! Nice because we were sleeping on a Queen, which my legs hung off of and quite honestly I take up a Queen bed all on my own. Mostly because I sleep sideways and sprawled out, but it is what it is.
The Queen was soft, though. It was firm, but had an initial softness that was second-to-none almost (more on that later), and the combo was dreamy. Anyways, that was the Queen.
We got the King as a hand-me-down, and someone wanted either it, or the Queen if we wanted the King. Kings are better than Queens after all, so we opted for that, and the Queen left that night. The next morning however, we were thinking maybe this wasn’t the best trade. But the Queen was gone already, so instead we decided to head to BB&B and try a bed pad. We found one on sale, had a 20%-off coupon in our possession, and in the end walked out with a California King Bed Pillow Top for just a hair over $100. Believe me, that’s a steal.
And wow, what a difference. I have never slept better in my life. It’s got this initial softness that envelopes you like mom’s warm arms, and an underlying firmness that keeps my back from crying & keeps me from feeling like I’m trapped in a Psych Jacket (like those damn memory foam pieces of Sh*t). There’s nothing I’ve laid on quite like it, and for comparison, I can say that I would imagine the only thing coming close is sleeping on a cloud in heaven; it’s that good. Maybe better.
So now you can see how the cold, hard ground is going to be a little much to adjust to. Who’s idea was this, anyway?
Why-Oh-Why is it so HOT?
It’s almost 100º here today. W. T. F. This is precisely why I want to leave here. It’s so hot that I’m sweating just looking at the temperature. The Thermometer’s sweating. I’m pretty sure I saw god reach for the A/C.
The iPhone Cometh
Soon to a store near you.
And I don’t want one. Yeah, I know you’re all shocked. I’m an Apple Fanatic after all, right? Wrong. I simply like using things that work right, as I expect, and with minimal fuss and maximum ease. The iPhone will be revolutionary in a lot of ways I’m sure, but the fact is: I like a phone that fits easily into my pocket. I’ll admit that in reality the iPhone is smaller than I had expected, but it’s still larger than my flip-phone. I want a phone whose screen I don’t have to worry about. And I want a phone that dials #’s. That’s it. I don’t need a phone that does the internet. I have a 17” Laptop screen for that. I don’t need a phone that receives email attachments. I have a 17” Laptop for that. If I was desktop-bound, it’d be a great accessory. As it stands, I’m mobile already, with a full-fledged machine.
But I can see the coolness of this. “Find Calamari within a 10 mile radius.” “Ah, 10th and vine. Great!” Oh, and by the way, “Calamari” is TV-code for Poontang. Yeah, that guy on the commercial was hunting down hookers. And appeared to be successful in this endeavor, as well. :-)
Moving Up North is Expen$ive
Everyone was telling me to call Penske or U-haul and get prices on a moving truck. Yeah F-ing right! Let me tell you, if you’re going somewhere NOT local to you? Just drag it behind you on the freeway or sell all yo’ sh*t and just move what can fit in the back of your ride. One-way cost from here to there? Oh, only a trite little sum of $1,700. Here, let me spell that out for you, so you get the full effect. One thousand, seven hundred dollars US. And get how they tried to make it sound better: “You can get a $400 discount if you drop it off in Redding!” Yeah, OK. So to save $400, I only have to pay the gas to drive it 2 extra hours, then also pay the gas for another vehicle to follow me home for another two-hour trip home, gas & all. Yeah, that’s a great deal. I won’t even begin to do the math for you.
But no worries. We have either a flat-bed on loan from an old friend (20+ years), or a U-haul-like truck from a new friend of a friend. Take that, U-haul. And take this, Penske. A**holes.
Peace.
Hey There, Vag
Jun 22, 2007 / 07:42 AM Filed in: Entertainment
Only the So Cal Natives had this TreatMost morning radio stations suck, I can attest to that. But there is and has been one diamond in the rough in So Cal over the last 10-15 years. The DJ’s everyone doesn’t want to admit they like (except me; I don’t mind), Kevin & Bean and the KROQ 106.7 Morning Radio Show. I don’t know what it is precisely, but they’re entertaining I I laugh out loud at least twice during the show. Which is three or four times more than when listening to the “Morning Floppy.”
Anyway. Fans of Alternative rock have probably recently been subjected to this monstrosity of “rock music” by the Plain White T’s, a song called “Hey There Delilah.” It’s not a real song, or at least I’m pretty sure it’s not a real song... God I hope it’s not a real song, for their sake. Because that would be a pretty pathetic thing is what I’m saying. Well, Kevin & Bean to the rescue.
One of their cast of characters is a guy named Psycho Mike. I’ve never met the dude, but apparently, he’s psycho. Not only that, but he’s actually apparently a pretty good singer. He did a rendition of “Hey There Delilah” that simply MUST be shared with all the adults out there with a sense of humor. If you’ve heard “Hey There Delilah” and wanted to shoot yourself, don’t worry, mate! Follow this link and I’ve you’ll see that Kevin & Bean have the cure.
I linked you to that site because they were issued a cease & desist order from some local lawyers to stop playing that piece, as it’s offensive. I could see that, but keep in mind there were no complaints from the public, so it’s sad to see that happen. If you laughed at that piece, and you’d like to listen to a funny morning radio show wherever you are, you’re in luck. They’re streaming on the internet.
Peace.
blackmail & the Norcal Thing
Jun 20, 2007 / 04:06 PM Filed in: Personal | Business Themes
What’s the going rate?What’s a good, fair amount to charge for blackmail & extortion these days? I ask because I got something in the mail recently from an adoption agency.
OK, before you freak out, thinking I’m going to adopt a kid and hold him for ransom, just take another swig and relax while I explain.
I have some friends that have been trying for a while to have a baby. And – as you might have guessed – trying for a while usually means a lack of success. Well, they decided that seeing as how there are so many kids in the world who are already here and don’t have homes and hope and all, they’d concentrate their efforts on adopting a child (yay!). Well I guess the day is approaching, because I received a letter from the adoption agency asking for my personal input about these peeps.
So clearly there’s money to be made here. After all, I’d hate to see these lovely people totally get shafted, you know? I mean, I’d never knowingly do anything to sabotage their efforts, but I can’t be there every step of the way, either. What if someone were to, say, take my envelope out of the mail and replace it with one that says nasty things? How could I be responsible for that?
So, what? Does $1,000 sound fair? You know, as a security deposit, to ensure that the envelope makes it to its destination safely. It’s a nice, round, soft figure, I think, and after all, what’s the life of a child worth? At least a few thousand, so it’s quite a bargain, to boot!
You Sick Bastard
Yes I know; you’re wasting your time. Move along.
2 Days. 2 Days & counting
Until I’m officially unemployed for at least about 1 month. Because at this point, I don’t think I’m going to have that convenient job with my current employer. What dicks. Eh, like I’ve said before: their loss! Ha.
They’ll have a couple of weeks to think about it, as I’m filling out paperwork for my other employer, and searching for a place to live. Which, btw, is like the hardest thing ever to do. Don’t try to move where I’m going unless you live there already. That seems to be key – if you’re there, you’re golden. It’s like a cult, and I’m on the wrong side of the divide. And I really REALLY want to be a cult member.
If only I had sacrificed that lamb when I had the chance. Oh well.
Peace.
Web Design $$, Moving Day close, & Reasons to Mac it
Did you know there’s money to be made in web design? Yeah, I was shocked, too! Anyway, it’s more fuel for the “buy a book on web languages & read” fire. Might have to get on that bandwagon soon. Maybe there’ll be some gravy left for me. Wink Wink.
The Day Draws Near…
3 days & and counting. I spoke with my supervisor, and while he’d like to keep me on managing their web content, he’s not sure the Big Boss Man will go for it. Well, we’ll see, I guess. I’m not going to be around for the next two weeks regardless, what with the paperwork signing & the house rental search and packing & moving (with luck on the house rental search, anyways). We’ll see if they change their minds when the web content’s quality starts to decline because they can’t find someone who understands the parts we sell and has a grasp on basic html formatting required to put up good-looking stuff, as well as the organization to do it in a timely fashion.
Tuff luck, dudes. Shoulda given me a raise and made it work. I’m outie.
Compelling Reasons to get a Mac
- They’re good-looking
- Generally, they just work as advertised
- They don’t crash like a Doomed Zeppelin as a matter of prescription
- Intuitive by design
- You can be cool like me
Especially that last one.
And for me, if my current employer sees the light and does decide to keep me on as the manager of their web content & creation, I’ll need a faster rig to do the photoshopping & whatnot. Seriously. I was struggling at points today, and it wasn’t even hard work. Some cropping, background deletions, & combining of logos & product, that was it. So hopefully, justification for a newer, faster Mac is in the works, huh? Let’s keep our fingers crossed. Yes, that means you have to participate. It’s one of the things about this blog. Yeah, I might not have mentioned it earlier, but it’s interactive. And you can’t turn back now, it’s too late. So cross your fingers, because I’m watching you. And much like the hulk but without the green skin & all, you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.
Peace.
I found the Bug!, & Please get me the hell out
If there’s a bug, yo I’ll find it, check out the… the… check out the blog while my tape deck rewinds it?OK, so I am totally the man when it comes to finding bugs. No, I don’t mean the little 8-legged or 6-legged varieties, I mean the full-fledged bring software companies to their knees variety.
So now we’re all familiar with the recent switch to a new software suite to compose my blog & the rest of my entire website, I’m sure. I won’t go back over it, merely direct you here & here, and tell you to read up, dear lad! Anyways, I was busy all weekend typing up articles, and formatting them for the web. One of the finer points of this new software was supposed to be it’s relative ease in regards to formatting. Now this is true. Eventually. Not right now, though. But later. Hopefully. Yeah, I probably need to elaborate on that.
I was hitting a wall as I realized that some text here was formatted as left-aligned, and some wasn’t. WTF, I thought, it’s all supposed to be left-aligned like I want it! So off to the support forums I go, to try and track down a solution, thinking that hey, I’m probably just some dumb new guy that doesn’t know how to do it yet! This is usually the case. Anyhow, some questions & answers later, it appears that indeed there was a simple trick, it just turns out that I wasn’t selecting left-align from the menu. OK done, right?
Wrong. Sometime during all this investigation, I discovered that text wasn’t wrapping around some of my pictures the way I had wanted them to. So back to the same forum with this question. Turns out, the people there can’t solve this particular query, as it’s…. Drumroll please! A BUG! You may or may not be aware, but in case you weren’t, I’m a bug-discovering champion. You can read about it here.
Hey, I’m not trying to piss anyone off. I just want things to work right, dammit! What can I say? I’m a stickler for that sort of thing.
4 days and counting
...Until my last day @ work. I still have yet to get an adequate answer from my employer as to whether or not they’re gonna want me to stick around. That’s my goal for tomorrow. Perhaps my only goal. I may take candy as bribery.
Eh, it doesn’t really matter. If they don’t want me to, I’ll just apply for about anything else part-time to fill the void in my hours from the main employer’s wishes (scrub the floors, servant boy!). But to reiterate, it would be phenomenally convenient, as I don’t need to worry about training, I know what to do, and I could get started immediately.
Anyways, you gotta wish me luck. I am so sick and tired of the weather here. The forecasted 83º; instead we got 90º. This is perfectly normal. Unfortunately.
Peace.
Blog Archives up-to-date, & the world hates me
Finally!Yes, it’s all done. I have brought over all my old iWeb blog entries onto this site. It was a labor of love, that quickly turned into a labor of utter hatred. I am consumed. You may call me, Darth Blogger.
The World may be conspiring against me
Sometimes, it just seems that nothing really wants to go right, you know? We set dates, we’re looking at houses to rent, I’m trying pretty dang hard to get employed, and here I am, sitting in hell roasting my arse off, nerve-racked that I don’t have the job I need, and homeless from south of Santa Barbara.
I have no idea why it is that listed rental properties which say “VACANT” are actually not ready to rent out yet, and why it’s so hard to get these people to just take our money in exchange for a roof. Not hard. And there’s money to be made in it, too
Peace.
The bookworm in me, Title decisions, & Layout changes
Bookworm in the MakingDamn. OK, so now I REALLY have to read up on some web languages. I don’t imagine it’ll be too hard, but I am fully aware now that my abilities are not as good as those who code sites like msn.com and apple.com.
Of course, I knew that already, but now I wanna catch up to them. All part of my plan to take over the world. BWAHAHAHAHA!
But I’ve heard that the internet is going to be The Next Really Big Thing, so I figure I’ll get on board, huh? CSS & HTML are all I’m going to talk for a whole week. {b-] this, and [p} that, etc etc. -{navbar width: 165 pix}- you, buddy! Yeah, if you don’t know what CSS & HTML are, then that made no sense. Let me put it to you this way: it’s what puts the porn on your screen for you. Sicko.
Relevant titles? I don’t know….
The cool thing about this new piece of software is that it allows my blogs to have actual summaries, instead of just a preview like the old software. Which got me thinking: I could totally go back to random titles again! And while fun and creative, then I’d have to detail in the summary what the actual blog is about. And I actually like what I’ve been doing with the updates to this software, whereby I have used a bit of the text – and not necessarily the first part – and inserted it as the summary. Enough to pique the curiosity of you, my loyal reader(s).
But that requires relevant titles. And while converting my blogs over, I read my old titles and laughed. “Kevin Federline Predicted to win Senate in GA.” lol. That would be great. Horrible to find what you’re looking for, but funny nonetheless. And you know what a stickler I am for proper cataloging. A place for everything & everything in it’s place, I always say.
F- that. I think I’ll stick with titles that make sense.
Layout woes
The whole reason for switching to this way of blogging was to allow for better site navigation and layout. Thing is, I’m not sure of the color scheme yet, nor how I want the navigation set up. I thought I really liked the idea of “Roll-Over” navigation, but then I realized that unless you KNOW in advance that it’s a roll-over navbar, you’ll miss a lot of the content. That and if I do lots of nested pages, the drop-down roll-over menus can become cumbersome.
So word of warning: for at least a while, don’t take anything you see as locked in; colors, positions, things in general may change. The actual content should more or less remain, BUT the navigation links, page color, etc. Could change. Just because. On a whim. As I see fit. Periodically. For a short while.
Peace.
New Website, archived material not up!
Hey! New on the site!Now a different layout as you can see. Using different software, I might add. Where before I was using Apple’s own iWeb, a bundled application with new Macs in the iLife suite, I have since found reason to turn elsewhere for my website needs. As you may recall from a recent blog posting about how I got the bright idea to list different articles and whatnot (that’s what the internet’s for, I hear. I thought it was porn. Who knew?) to help out friends looking to get more out of their Mac experience.
Well, trying to get the blog, the articles, & my photo albums up has proven to be a little more than problematic using iWeb. Hey, it’s a great app, especially if you’re just trying to put up an “about me” page and a little, sparsely-used blog that needs no features.
But, I’ve grown up, and I need submenus, dammit! Submenus which iWeb does not provide! And building & maintaining my own has been a royal pain the butt, for those that care to know. Well, enter Rapidweaver, version 3.6.
RapidWeaver, Version 3.6
Very nice program. I had skipped through a trial before, but didn’t really take to it, because I wanted to do a little more than what I thought it could do (or not do, as the case may be). Well, I got linked to a screencastsonline segment on it from the bagelturf website, and lo and behold, I find out that by & large, it can do just about everything I need. It’s still not quite as drag & drop as I’d like, but I found a plugin that could make it do that if I so choose. Not that I want to pay for additional plugins, but if I decided to later I could is I guess what I’m sayin’.
Things you should know going backwards
I’m trying to get my blog archives up, but it’s a time-consuming task, because I have to do it one-by-one, manually, by hand, and reformat it to the newest format I decide upon. Therefore, be prepared to deal with some gaping holes; I started in the back but then decided to just go ahead and list today's, filling in the blanks at a more reasonable pace (and hopefully being more complete about it).
Also, you should be warned that any links in the old blogs (prior to today’s date) chance not working. Sorry guys, but I have no desire to redo EVERY link in my 100+ page blog history. Like you care…
Things you should know going forwards (& backwards)
This new instance of software allows me to cull my blogs into different categories, as well as assign “tags” to them. You’ll notice on the sidebar that there are category listings, as well as a “tag cloud,” which shows the tags, the largest fonts being the most oft-used. Have fun, and if you think you find something that is mislabeled or not missing labels, please let me know. I’m a stickler for completeness.
Peace.
Apple Sux, Apple Rulez, & Apple For real
WTF?!?! I’m so underwhelmed by Apple’s Leopard OS!Seriously? What happened to those secret features Steve Jobs went on about last year? You know, the ones I predicted didn’t really exist? Those ones? Yeah. Well, F-that, my man! I’m through with Apple! I’m going to Linux or maybe Windows Vista! Even though Apple’s Mac OS X is still the most advanced & useable OS, I’m severely peeved at the lack of innovation on Apple’s part! Phew!
This OS Revision is HOT! Did you see that the Dock looks different?
It’s so freaking awesome. I can’t wait to show my windows friends. And I love how you can look at all the files no matter what they are now, that’s sweet!
OK what that really was
Two of the common takes on Apple’s latest release. Where do I stand? I see a little of both. Mostly, I think Apple is beginning to become victim of its own marketing success. People keep dreaming up more and more outrageous stuff, so much so that they’ll never be happy unless Apple’s next release plugs directly into their minds and alters reality.
However, that said, there’s definitely a lack of new tech in the latest revision. There’s some cool stuff that users will never see, but… and here’s my real problem with it: Apple self-hyped it all too much.
What should have happened
The next iteration, 10.5 Leopard, is going to be a rock-solid OS. Mac is already beyond what MS has to offer, and is more mainstream that Linux. It’s the best of both worlds, right down the line of the two. Thing is, Apple’s users really need to take a chill pill here, and realize that yes, Apple is in some senses revolutionary, but that they do need to consider where most of the potential user base is coming from and what their experiences are, and stay evolutionary as well.
And here’s where Apple needs to take a chill pill. Stop feeding the damn frenzy. If it’s just an upgrade to the current OS, sell it as that. Don’t go around building hype and surrounding your camp in shrouds of secrecy, only to unveil Mr. Potato Head with New Shoes. Tell us in advance you’re going to sell us a reasonable upgrade for a reasonable price.
And that, my friends, is really what this is, if you cut through the hype (from both sides), whittle it down to the nitty gritty: you’re getting a solid OS evolution for a reasonable price. Nothing more, nothing less. I’d just love to see both sides accept that, and stop either a) bashing apple for not delivering interstellar transport, or b) stop bashing Non-Apple people for correctly citing that Apple didn’t deliver interstellar transport. Let’s just agree it’s an evolutionary upgrade at a reasonable price point and shake hands.
My likes
- I kinda like the Finder revision. I’ll have to play with it first.
- The more I consider it, the more I like the idea of a “Desktop Stacks” feature.
- Time Machine.
- Ical’s new features. Drop box? Awesome.
- Safari 3.0 (which I’m using now).
- Theatre features in iChat; being able to use it to show people things across distance.
My Dislikes
- Quick Look. I think I want to know if it’s a JPEG or a PDF. I may need one or the other specifically.
- Spaces. Looks neat, but I don’t want to have to worry about what space is where. I have Exposé; I’m good.
Anything else?
No, that’s my Apple Rant for a while. Though, for those of you that care, I’d like to point out that I DID call the fact that nothing “Super-Secret” was going to actually be revealed. Suckers.
Peace.
New on the site
New on this site is the Articles Section. You’ll find the link at the top, and submenus from there.Basically, it’s a place for information dissemination, sort of like a long blog entry with a point and mostly without being funny (though some may think that even the blogs aren’t funny. F-you). I got the idea from talking with a friend of mine who had just bought his first Mac. I was walking him through some baby steps, when I thought, “Hey, this would be kind of a cool thing to put up on the web, that was he can read at his own pace and see some pics to understand further what was trying to be explained."
For the moment, they’re mostly of use for people considering a Mac or for those that have a Mac but want to be better & more efficient on it. Later, it’ll grow it to include articles detailing things from the plight of the poor & middle classes to how I think republicans have successfully waged a one-sided war against liberals over the last 2 decades.
Fun stuff! So take a stroll over there, and have a blast.
Peace.
Apple ROCKS, and did you know I'm moving?
News on the Apple frontYesterday, Apple released new Core 2 Duo “Santa Rosa” 64-bit Macbook Pros. I want one. I want one real bad.
I don’t need one.
But I want one. I want one real bad. And it’s sure damn hard to not pull out the credit card right damn now. Because I could have one.
But I don’t need one.
Work officially notified
So Tuesday, I sat down with my employer and let them know that most definetly, June 22nd will be the last day I am physically in the building. As I mentioned last time, I have basically taken over webmaster duties for them, and I’d like to possibly do that from distance to fill the time I’m not at my new job. It’d be convenient for me in that I don’t need to worry about training, I know what to do, and I could get started immediately.
It’d be good for them because I don’t need training, I know what to do, and I could get started immediately.
We’ll see how it unfolds. I have my fingers crossed, but I’ll be looking for other employment when I get up there – just in case. Let’s just say I don’t have much faith that it’ll work out the way I’d like to see it work out. Why should it? Nothing else has in this regard…
Other Notifications sent out, too
If you’re reading this, then more than likely, you received an email from someone (me) telling you that you should read my latest blog entry – it’d be important. So now you know. I’m leaving So Cal, hopefully for good (hopefully!), never to return again. Here’s the breakdown:
- Friday, June 22nd: Last day physically at work
- Sunday, June 24th: Leave for Nor Cal
- Tuesday, June 26th: Fill out Paperwork with Walgreens
- June 26th-June 30th: look for property, fill out paperwork, make deposit, get keys to new place
- July 1st - July 3rd: pack.
- July 4th: Party.
- July 5th: I’m outta Dodge for good, y’all.
If you have something important that includes me somehow, I’d strongly recommend getting in touch with me sometime in the next two weeks.
Oh, and let’s set up a trip to Six Flags. Might be a Loooooong time before I’m back there again. And there’s some rides I need to get on. The X, anyone?
Peace.
It's happening, Alpha Dog, & Pizza!
It’s Gonna Happen. It BETTER happenSo the county job thing is out. Well, not out, but at the least postponed (I have other apps in with them for other jobs). So what now? Take the Walgreens offer, of course. It’s only Part-Time, but I’m sure that I’ll be able to find something to fill up the other 20 hours a week & help pay the bills. I’m currently trying to negotiate with my current employer – with whom I’ve basically become the webmaster – to let me do it from up there on a billable-hour basis.
We’ll see how it goes. I’m off to the far off land of Never Never Land (as in, Never gonna hire you, foo’) to fill out some paperwork for Walgreens. They don’t suppose to have room for me until mid-July to early August. So about a month or two of hard penny-pinching at the least. Maybe longer if the girl doesn’t get a job soon after we get there.
She better get a job soon after we get there.
Recent Movie Sightings
Saw Alpha Dog this past weekend, by the way. Yeah, didn’t mention it earlier; sorry ‘bout that. It’s alright. Let’s just say that Justin Timberlake is a really good musician. That about covers it, I think. If this was still 2006, I’d say something along the lines of “Save your money and wait until it comes out on DVD,” but seeing as it’s 2007 & I just rented it on DVD and all… well, take your own chances, as you see fit.
Have no fear!
Fear not, gentle readers, I’ll be fine up north. They have Round Table Pizza. All is right with the world.
Peace.
Moving update, silver lining, & search no more
Jun 02, 2007 / 09:34 PM Filed in: Personal | Business Themes
Bad News, mangYesterday, two weeks after being notified I was in the top 6 for a position I applied & interviewed for up north, I called the county personnel office because I had yet to hear anything further. I mean, they had to interview the other 5 people and make a decision, but I figured 10 days was more than enough time to do that. Right? You with me on that?
Anyway, they said that they didn’t know, it was in the hands of the department where the vacancy was, and that I should probably give it two more weeks. A’ight, I can do that. Don’t want to, but it’s not like I have a choice. Right? Right? You with me on that?
Back to the future now. Mail of course gets delivered on Saturday, and this Saturday happens to be the fatal – I mean fateful – day that the notice came. Not like there's anything much more to say, really.
I mean, you read the intro, right? You knew where this was going? Didn't get the job? Yeah, didn’t leave much to the imagination I know, but as I told The Girl earlier: “Today’s not a good day to be bob.” Couldn’t even get that right. Sheesh.
Update on the “Silver lining” issue
You may recall I had mentioned a torn a tendon or ligament or something earlier in the week while at the gym. Said something about a silver lining and all. Well, here’s the thing – it wasn’t so silver after all. My thinking was that maybe since I was unable to move large objects, such as furniture, God would see fit to make this the time that I had to relocate myself & all my stuff some 700 miles away.
Yeah, I figured the bad news (see above section for more details) was coming; I’ve been healing rather fast. Sooo fast that today I lifted some weight with my damaged & malfunctioning arm while in between leg exercises. Feels good. Not perfect, but good. Better than it probably should.
So of course this was more an example of God’s sense of humor than anything else. What a jerk.
Now please excuse me while I duck a thunderbolt.
This just in: Search not working!
You may have noticed that there’s a little search box on the blog page, so you can search through all my blogs for certain terms. Such as porn. For instance. Well, despite the fact that google has my pages mostly indexed, the search function on my own page is not working. So don’t bother trying. If you wanna find something, email me. I’ll then be able to reply back that you should just find it yourself the hard way, because I’m too lazy to help you out. I'll post back when it works again, but I wouldn't hold your breath until then; it's not healthy.
Peace.