Tuesday, December 11, 2007

=)

Things of mine to see:

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*sigh*

...

I really hope I don't have to do my papers tomorrow. We don't have school because of the forecasted weather...

I played more Counter-Strike: Source. Really a great game. If only I could get my computer up and running so I could get some real gaming done. :)

*falls asleep*

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Sunday, December 9, 2007

Gross.

Things of mine to see:

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Tomorrow's Monday. That means school. At least there's only two more weeks of school until break, but that break is only about a week and a half. Yeah. We get the week of christmas off and then we go back on the third! Such a long break, you know, I might run out of things to do!

We decorated our tree today. We got a real tree this year. My parents are saying that's something we'll probably never do again. Two thirds of our ornaments are too heavy for the tree, and I swear it's skinnier and taller than our fake tree. And we keep buying ornaments every year, and we rarely loose or break them. So we keep getting more, and more, and more, and more. And still my mom wonders why we complain about not having anywhere to hang the things! The tree is plastered in them and she wants us to hang more! I nearly started hanging ornaments right in front of each other, but I didn't.

I really want to get a laptop now, but so few manufacturers will let you buy it with XP anymore. Dell has a few, and I don't think HP/Compaq has any, nor Toshiba, if I'm not mistaken. There's a few I saw online (Alienware, I think) that sell EXPENSIVE computers ($3,000+) that will come with XP, but I'm not in a position to shovel out that kind of cash. Ugh.

I still need a job. I'm guessing that since I haven't heard back from Best Buy yet that I shouldn't expect to, but I'm still being a stupid optimist and saying that "Maybe they'll call tomorrow." Yeah right. If I was going to get a job, I'd have it already. I don't think that I should expect a job before the christmas season ends. Maybe I can apply for a summer job somewhere. All I know is I'm not doing food service or something like that if I can help it. I'd much rather work retail.

Anyways, I need to do some stuff and blah and blah. Yeah...

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Things of mine to see:

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It's the last long night of the week and I'm already tired at 1:00! Grr!

I played some Counter-Strike: Source today against a bunch of bots on a server running on my machine. Just a note for everyone, playing games on a laptop is not the best when the mouse is involved...... Touchpads are not the best input device for gaming, nor are the keyboards...

I tried some 3D modeling just a little while ago, but it didn't work out well. I tried to activate two monitors so I could read tutorials and still have Blender open, but Blender freaked out and wasn't able to show anything... Stupid computer.

It really bothers me that I'm tired already. I haven't really been up that long and I'm already tired.

I need money so I can buy more parts for my awesome computer. I'm expecting a few things that would help me along in getting it up for christmas, probably Windows XP. I need the case (probably, anyways. I have one I could use.), the power supply, and a video adapter...

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Wednesday, December 5, 2007

...

Things of mine to see:

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I have complaints, and I have news. I think I'll spare you all of the complaints until I have given the news.

I'm going to a concert! The Q98.5 FM 2007 Santa Slam. Avril Lavigne and Simple Plan. I liked Avril more before the release of "Girlfriend" and the album The Best Damn Thing, but she's still bearable, I think.

And now, the complaints. First, school.

English class is killing me. I like the class, and I like the teacher, but the work is just too much for me. I'm already behind in reading The Catcher in the Rye and we just got the damn book yesterday! Then, I had to give a speech today that I was terribly unprepared for. I spent maybe a minute and a half in front of the class, and most of it was me staring off into space thinking "UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH". My grade is majorly hurting in that class, I can guarantee.

And then I just am kinda relapsing into one of my famous pissy moods. You know, the one where I complain about the human race, or at least society, how I don't belong, and all that stuff? I think I'll save you all from having to read it, and besides, I should have been in bed an hour ago... Ah, the joys of having a laptop in your room where no one can really monitor you....

Anyways, I suppose I shall try to get to bed soon. Maybe I can get some rest and actually dream, because no matter what anyone says about that we always dream every night, I disagree; I don't dream anymore, barely ever anyways. Sadly. How can you experiment with lucid dreaming if you don't even dream?

--Kos

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Monday, December 3, 2007

I have my work cut out for me.

Things of mine to see:

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The following is an excerpt from my reply to Adam's post about goals. These are my new goals for December.

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Job: Either get the job I'm currently applied for or start looking elsewhere.
Web Stuff: Finish working with the design elements of my website's redesign, and write the required PHP scripts and things. Also, work some more with the /projects area, my playground of ideas.
Writing: Pick up on chapter 6 of my story (Fleeing the Scene), and get it to meet up with the chapter 7 I have already begun. Also, write more poetry and continue both of my currently running "books," we'll call them.
Piano: Remember that I should practice every night. Be ready for Spring recital! Get these two songs and the jazz pieces down.
Other: Stop typing "string" instead of "strong" for the bold tags. keep grades up, don't fail English class.

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Obviously, that's a lot of things to do. I seem to have less and less time to do things every day, so maybe I won't be able to do all these things, but hopefully I can get what's important done and done quickly. There are a few other goals I wanted to set down in writing, but I managed to forget them. One of which I remember now is learn to model in 3D with Blender, an open-source 3D editor thingy.

Ugh. Lots of work to do...

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Saturday, December 1, 2007

A new surgeon!

Things of mine to see:

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Yes, that's what I will call this journey. Allow me to explain.

My father has had an HP/Compaq laptop computer for several years now. Within the last year, the power jack had become excessively loose and barely ever made contact with the plug. Just recently, he bought a new Gateway laptop. He said that the laptop is now essentially mine (finally) and that if I really wanted to, I could try to fix it. So here's how I did just that.

Yesterday, I had found my old USB wireless NIC and decided to try to fix it by soldering the connector back on. (The computer that used it fell on it and snapped the connector off.) I managed to solder wires onto the circuit board and then onto the connector, but I could not get the connector straight on the pcb. Anyways, I got the multimeter and tested for continuity and jumpers, which returned pleasing results. I tested it, but it didn't work because the electronics were probably smashed when it suffered the accident.

Anyway, today, I tried to use the laptop again, and I had the plug in the "sweet spot" for about 10 minutes before the computer switched to batteries and subsequently died. (The batteries are a crapshoot in this laptop.) So I googled up the service manual for this little item. I'm dangerous, I know.

After several attempts at opening it and turning back for fear of breaking it, I finally got to the motherboard level. I found the screws the manual mentioned, and I eventually got the board out. After staring in awe at myself for doing this, I decided that I might as well go the whole way.

I took the board upstairs into the dining room, plugged in the soldering iron, and proceeded to correctly solder the jack to a point where it wiggles a lot less and makes contact about 95% of the time, while I didn't know that at the time. I took it back downstairs and placed it on the case. After asking myself several times "What have I just done?", I put the motherboard in the case and screwed it down. This begins the next set of problems.

First, I forgot a screw on the motherboard which I didn't notice until I was about 805 done with reassembly. Then it was the monitor output port, then the touchpad, and later, I forgot to screw the CD drive down. Eventually, however I got the thing the rest of the way assembled, and I was ready for the most nerve-racking part of this excursion.

Testing. I plugged it in. Orange flashing power LED. Good sign. Played with the plug orientation a little, and the light just kept going. So far so good. I booted it up, and I was nervous when the fans were running full speed. Apparently, since it lost all power, I runs at full speed for a little after it boots again, probably just in case its been stored and that way it clears the fans of dust. I think that our desktop does this too. Anyways, after I saw the Windows loading screen, I gave a HUGE sigh of relief.

Whatever it is that I did, I did right!

So, since this is such a small work area, I'm calling this a "surgery." This is the only surgery I know where there's pretty much an undo button!

By the way, this is being posted from the laptop I did all this work with. :)

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Monday, November 26, 2007

Ugh.

Things of mine to see:

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I called BestBuy again. No word on my job. The lady was busy so I didn't get to speak with her and then there was no response to my message either.

*sigh*

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Wednesday, November 21, 2007

A large undertaking...

Things of mine to see:

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I've decided its time to completely revamp my website, both from the visual and working/purpose standpoint. It will not only show the projects I've worked on, but also the ones I am currently working with. Here's why it will be so big of a task.

• Tagging. I don't know how to implement it. I have an idea, but I'm not sure if it will work.
• Web 2.0. I don't know if or where I need it or could use it.
• Making the new design. Sometimes design ideas don't come easily to me.
• Writing the HTML/PHP code to make it work. I'm getting a little rusty and/or I confuse it with Java.
• Time. I only have a little of my own.

Anyways, with all that work, I have managed to complete a design idea. I'd like comments, if you would. I want to know things that I've done wrong or ways I can improve it to make it more pleasing to the eye without losing the general design.

Here is the link.

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Monday, November 19, 2007

Tired of waiting.

Things of mine to see:

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I called Best Buy back today about my interview. I somehow managed to smooth over almost forgetting my interviewer's name, but whatever. I got in contact with her, but there's no news yet.

After a week, almost.

I'm getting anxious.

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Things of mine to see:

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That's what I thought to myself to cheer myself up when I heard that the position I had applied for was taken by someone else. But that's why I had to come in today (Monday) and see someone entirely different at Best Buy.

So I didn't make it to the Geek Squad. Now I'm going to be a cashier. Interestingly enough. But I have yet another interview before I get an offer if I'm going to get it, then there's orientation and such, so I don't know if I'll have a job on Black Friday or not. From the looks of it right now, I'm thinking not.

I don't know when they're supposed to call me back, but I will definitely post when they do. :)

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