Sunday, February 26, 2006
Preparations
In preparation for doing some hiking this spring and summer, I bought a new backpack and a new tent from REI's on-line discount outlet. I look forward to being able to check out my stuff when they ship it to the nearest store (which they do for free!).
Saturday, February 25, 2006
NyQuil and Beer
Over the past few weeks I've worked on my first year paper and many, many hours of data entry for one of my professors. My left wrist started to hurt. While I converted to Mac a few years ago, I've had really good luck with my Microsoft keyboard that I bought when I still had a PC. I had the good fortune of having an ergonomic keyboard at one of my jobs and, therefore, knew how nice they could be. After my wrist started hurting, I felt it was time for an upgrade at home to one of the ergonomic keyboards. After some searching (Circuit City -> Comp USA -> Office Depot), I finally settled on this one.
My old keyboard had two USB ports on the back of it. This one has none, so I had to get a Belkin USB splitter. The USB splitter, even though I didn't want to have to go this route, is kind of nice. Now I can hook up all of my USB devices all at the same time without having to unplug other things. The keyboard, so far, is really nice too. I may hate their software, but damn the keyboards kick some major ass.
I'm also think I'm coming down with a cold. I woke up today with a sore throat and I don't feel any better now than when I work up. I decided the best option was to take some NyQuil and wash it down with beer. Now that I feel like I'm about to float off of this chair, I think I need to end this post and go watch something on the TV.
My old keyboard had two USB ports on the back of it. This one has none, so I had to get a Belkin USB splitter. The USB splitter, even though I didn't want to have to go this route, is kind of nice. Now I can hook up all of my USB devices all at the same time without having to unplug other things. The keyboard, so far, is really nice too. I may hate their software, but damn the keyboards kick some major ass.
I'm also think I'm coming down with a cold. I woke up today with a sore throat and I don't feel any better now than when I work up. I decided the best option was to take some NyQuil and wash it down with beer. Now that I feel like I'm about to float off of this chair, I think I need to end this post and go watch something on the TV.
Friday, February 24, 2006
What the F***
I'd really like to know what's going on with my friends. I know where getting old, but damn. Several of my friends that I thought would never settled down are starting to date people for more than two dates in a row. And the people they are dating are not really what I thought I would see. I have a friend that is also trying to sell is low mileage SS Camero. What the fuck.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Boring Again
Sorry for not having much to say the past few weeks. I've been working like crazy. Even if I didn't have three papers to work on this semester, I'd still have hours of research and work to do for the professors I support. I sank what little free time I do have into a weekend trip to visit some friends in Ohio this past weekend. Now I'm paying for that. I feel like the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. No time for anything and running around so crazy I don't make sense to anyone.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Olympics in HDTV
We've been trying to watch the Olympics in HDTV here in Atlanta. We've been watching the broadcast on channel 11, and it is been really bad. During the opening ceremonies the sound echoed and was just terrible. Now, on the second night the broadcast keeps messing up and switching between a widescreen and a narrow screen format. I hope they can get this fixed.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
You might just be a graduate student if ...
Palila recommended I annotate this list based upon my own experience.
...you spend more on books than on tuition.
-- yup. Tuition is covered by a stipend, books are my cost
...you actually hope your professor assigns homework.
-- how else am I going to learn the material?
...you get a 3-hour final with 5 questions or less.
-- it can be done with less than 5 questions
...the words "free time" are unfamiliar to you.
-- if I drink enough beer then I pass out, and I think that counts as free time because only then do I have to stop reading articles
...you spend Saturday morning waiting for the library to open.
-- I get all my articles electronically
...you've memorized your professors' home phone numbers.
-- no, but some are programmed into my cell phone
...your professors know your home phone number.
-- I don't have a home phone, but some do know the cell number ... and use it
...more than 25% of your textbook is "left as an exercise for the reader."
-- I hate it when they do this
...you are on a first-name basis with everyone on the library staff.
-- staff? it's all electronic these days
...you can analyze the significance of appliances you cannot operate.
-- don't really get this one
...your office is better decorated than your apartment.
-- I actually spend most of my time at my "desk" at home. I have a dog and a girlfriend, so I can't just stay at school all of the time
...you have ever, as a folklore project, attempted to track the progress of your own joke across the Internet.
-- I did look up "journicle" once, but someone else had already tried to say journal article too fast and documented it
...you are startled to meet people who neither need nor want to read.
-- I have a lit. minor from my under grad. I've been startled by this for years
...you have ever brought a scholarly article to a bar.
-- there's drinkin' and there's readin'. The two don't mix well
...you rate coffee shops by the availability of outlets for your laptop.
-- I spent all my money on books, none left over for coffee
...everything reminds you of something in your discipline.
-- that's not really even funny, because it's true
...you have ever discussed academic matters at a sporting event.
-- I'm such a nerd
...you have ever spent more than $50 on photocopying while researching a single paper.
-- electronic
...there is a microfilm reader in the library that you consider "yours."
-- a touch outdated
...you actually have a preference between microfilm and microfiche.
-- once again, electronic
...you can tell the time of day by looking at the traffic flow at the library.
-- electronic
...you look forward to summers because you're more productive without the distraction of classes.
-- I can't wait for my first summer
...you regard ibuprofen as a vitamin.
-- I know that I can mix ibuprofen and naproxin sodium
...you consider all papers to be works in progress.
-- is there any way else?
...professors don't really care when you turn in work anymore.
-- if I could be so lucky, this is a very driven group
...you find the bibliographies of books more interesting than the actual text.
-- sad, but often true
...you have given up trying to keep your books organized and are now just trying to keep them all in the same general area.
-- I don't have many books, journal articles, on the other hand, are organized in an Excel file
...you have accepted guilt as an inherent feature of relaxation.
-- and the nervous tick is starting to worry me
...you reflexively start analyzing those greek letters before you realize that it's a sorority sweatshirt, not an equation.
-- I am still enough male to first notice the boobs, which gives away that it is a sorority sweatshirt
...you find yourself explaining to children that you are in "20th grade".
-- umm, no
...you start referring to stories like "Snow White et al."
-- funny, but no, sad that I get the joke though
...you frequently wonder how long you can live on pasta without getting scurvy.
-- I have salad with my pasta and I can't eat it without some meat in the sauce
...you look forward to taking some time off to do laundry.
-- who takes time off to do laundry, you can do laundry while reading an article! Get to work you slacker.
...you have more photocopy cards than credit cards.
-- electronic
...you wonder if APA style allows you to cite talking to yourself as "personal communication".
-- it is called an "unpublished manuscript"
...you spend more on books than on tuition.
-- yup. Tuition is covered by a stipend, books are my cost
...you actually hope your professor assigns homework.
-- how else am I going to learn the material?
...you get a 3-hour final with 5 questions or less.
-- it can be done with less than 5 questions
...the words "free time" are unfamiliar to you.
-- if I drink enough beer then I pass out, and I think that counts as free time because only then do I have to stop reading articles
...you spend Saturday morning waiting for the library to open.
-- I get all my articles electronically
...you've memorized your professors' home phone numbers.
-- no, but some are programmed into my cell phone
...your professors know your home phone number.
-- I don't have a home phone, but some do know the cell number ... and use it
...more than 25% of your textbook is "left as an exercise for the reader."
-- I hate it when they do this
...you are on a first-name basis with everyone on the library staff.
-- staff? it's all electronic these days
...you can analyze the significance of appliances you cannot operate.
-- don't really get this one
...your office is better decorated than your apartment.
-- I actually spend most of my time at my "desk" at home. I have a dog and a girlfriend, so I can't just stay at school all of the time
...you have ever, as a folklore project, attempted to track the progress of your own joke across the Internet.
-- I did look up "journicle" once, but someone else had already tried to say journal article too fast and documented it
...you are startled to meet people who neither need nor want to read.
-- I have a lit. minor from my under grad. I've been startled by this for years
...you have ever brought a scholarly article to a bar.
-- there's drinkin' and there's readin'. The two don't mix well
...you rate coffee shops by the availability of outlets for your laptop.
-- I spent all my money on books, none left over for coffee
...everything reminds you of something in your discipline.
-- that's not really even funny, because it's true
...you have ever discussed academic matters at a sporting event.
-- I'm such a nerd
...you have ever spent more than $50 on photocopying while researching a single paper.
-- electronic
...there is a microfilm reader in the library that you consider "yours."
-- a touch outdated
...you actually have a preference between microfilm and microfiche.
-- once again, electronic
...you can tell the time of day by looking at the traffic flow at the library.
-- electronic
...you look forward to summers because you're more productive without the distraction of classes.
-- I can't wait for my first summer
...you regard ibuprofen as a vitamin.
-- I know that I can mix ibuprofen and naproxin sodium
...you consider all papers to be works in progress.
-- is there any way else?
...professors don't really care when you turn in work anymore.
-- if I could be so lucky, this is a very driven group
...you find the bibliographies of books more interesting than the actual text.
-- sad, but often true
...you have given up trying to keep your books organized and are now just trying to keep them all in the same general area.
-- I don't have many books, journal articles, on the other hand, are organized in an Excel file
...you have accepted guilt as an inherent feature of relaxation.
-- and the nervous tick is starting to worry me
...you reflexively start analyzing those greek letters before you realize that it's a sorority sweatshirt, not an equation.
-- I am still enough male to first notice the boobs, which gives away that it is a sorority sweatshirt
...you find yourself explaining to children that you are in "20th grade".
-- umm, no
...you start referring to stories like "Snow White et al."
-- funny, but no, sad that I get the joke though
...you frequently wonder how long you can live on pasta without getting scurvy.
-- I have salad with my pasta and I can't eat it without some meat in the sauce
...you look forward to taking some time off to do laundry.
-- who takes time off to do laundry, you can do laundry while reading an article! Get to work you slacker.
...you have more photocopy cards than credit cards.
-- electronic
...you wonder if APA style allows you to cite talking to yourself as "personal communication".
-- it is called an "unpublished manuscript"
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
How to make a bad day suck less in 1 step
So, let's say you are having a bad day, like I was (aka. you find out you get to write one extra paper this semester and you get a stack of over 13,000 data points to mindlessly enter into a spreadsheet in under a week).
Would you like to know how to make this a better day.
Well, I can tell you.
Step 1: Go to the liquor store and find that your favorite beer, which is only on shelves for about 1 month out of the entire year, has been released for the year.
Would you like to know how to make this a better day.
Well, I can tell you.
Step 1: Go to the liquor store and find that your favorite beer, which is only on shelves for about 1 month out of the entire year, has been released for the year.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
1st Beer
We tried the first beer last night. It actually tastes much better than "sparkling pond water." I am very happy that my worst fears did not come true. We also started the fermentation of our 2nd beer. We followed many of the recommendations from the How to Brew website. Can hardly wait an other month to see what this one tastes like!
