|
This all started yesterday while thinking about a couple of friends I've not had contact for a while. While I consider them still good friends, circumstances and personal routine have kept us apart. So a random bit of thought caused me to see if either of them have an account on Facebook. They do. Funny, but as I approached the idea and made contact with both of them I had a funny feeling. A rather awkward feeling...
I found out last night they are going to get a divorce. I've only heard his side of the story, but from his POV she met someone from Canada and is leaving her husband for this other guy. He says she's emotionally unstable and he's trying to keep the kids. The kids are with him now. Now they're marriage wasn't what I'd call the perfect relationship, but I'd thought they'd worked out all of those kinks years ago. It's turned slightly awkward since I made the Facebook friend invite to both of them before knowing any of this was going on. Right now I'm seriously considering contacting her and letting her know that while I know what's going on, I don't hold ill feelings toward her. I still care about both of them as friends.
I know and realize that marriage and other such relationships are very complex, and very often it's other stuff that leads to it's downfall. It's just so sad all the pain that happens with situations like this. It causes me to want to second-think any desire to be in a relationship myself. With so many people I've known who's marriages that have failed, there stands a really good argument of the benefits of being single.
On the other hand I suspect that if someone does come into my life I'll be willing to try it. Hey, after all, with a one in a million chance there still is a chance, right?
Other junk:
I do seem to remember I was going to give some sort of review of Windows 7. It's really simple. If you hate Vista and you have the money, then go for it. I've not had substantial issues with Vista to want to spend the money to upgrade. I liked it, but when I didn't use my notebook for a few days it wasn't like I really missed it.
The Acer notebook (I keep wanting to call it a laptop.) Is a pretty decent little machine for the just over $300 I spend on it. My last notebook PC was about $1200 and the only thing my older one exceeds it is in CPU speed an it's not by that much. It's nice to have a notebook with a fresh battery again, plus it runs a couple of applications I've wanted to use but the older one didn't. It's not a good one for gaming (Which I don't do, really) and it's certainly not a powerhouse, but it's a complete PC, as it has a full size keyboard with key-pad, DVD drive, a very bright and clear display and an 'N' speed modem. So... yeah, for the price it's a good portable PC. It just has that annoying shiny clear-coat surface that attracts finger prints like flies! Not my favorite feature.
Yeah, anyway... Life can be so freaking weird sometimes. :PCurrent Mood:  tired Current Music: PC fan. |
|
Yeah, it's been a bit of time since I last updated this thing. Not a lot has been going on, just days at work and doing my own thing.
My step-dad has been getting terrible performance from his PC and it's been bugging me for the last little while. Well, for starters his Internet connection hasn't been very good what with his office being kitty-corner to the room my PC and subsequently the wireless router is located. I've mulled around in my head of how to get a CAT-45 cable from this room to the other, but the walls from this level to the one up-stairs don't line with each other and running the cable outside has it's own set of headaches and potential nightmares!
The other reason he's been having issues is because of Earthlink's 'Protection Control Center'. I have no idea why, but it really slows down everything he's been trying to do. It Turns out that was what was giving my laptop/notebook computer so much trouble and very likely the reason it doesn't effect my desktop PC is because this computer has a dual-core processor and the other two don't. I also found out that the wireless router has a built-in firewall, and upon checking with the history of the Earthlink bloatware firewall program that nothing has been getting through, so I removed it.
I've also been looking on-line and found that the N format routers have been coming down in price and after voicing my information to my step-dad he's given me the green light to buy new equipment and he'll reimburse me for the cost, so I decided to go out and see what I could find. Okay, actually I was originally looking for PC N network cars, but figured that a router would probably be the better way since it's probably more effective to get a stronger signal sent then try to pick up a weaker signal.
Gotta love Best Buy! (Okay, not so much, really) Sure, I've bought stuff there, including my last TV and other such things, but it also pays to shop around. Oh, and what about those silly 'you can only use these coupons for four days' they send in the mail you get for signing up for the membership card? Other than movie software (occasionally) I can't say I've ever actually used one of those. You can't schedule a TV replacement around when they show up very conveniently or wait that long to buy something of what they actually let you use the coupon on, and it's definitely not computers*, that's for sure. Kinda shows what items they most likely make more profit off of.
But here's what happened yesterday. With actually usable coupon in hand I headed to one of the local BB's and looked at their computer network items. They had a Belkin 150 N (Essentially N light) for $30, half of what they usually sell it for. I was tempted but then figured if I spent a bit more and got the regular N router it would keep it's usefulness longer They wanted $80 for the standard N! I headed across the street to look at OfficeMax. (No, not the actual building, but see what they had. Silly English anyway! :D ) They had the exact same router for $54.99, which was five bucks off of their regular price. So, $20 less than at BB (a nice profit I think they're making) or else to make the half-price N-light router that cheap they raised the price on the standard N router.
Definitely getting a better signal with this new router. With the last router his connection speed would fluctuate from 54Mps to nearly 4Mps or even loose the signal all together. Last evening it held a steady 54mbp.
Mission accomplished!
*Relates to some other interesting stuff that's actually been going on the last few days, but I want to wait and do more hands-on research before going into details on it here. Hint: Windows 7. No, I didn't buy the upgrade for my desktop PC or laptop...
Okay, I'll spill. I broke down and bought a new Acer notebook last week. :D I'll mention that too in the next post. It's noting terribly fancy but I'm rather liking it. Looks like a keeper. ;)Current Mood:  contemplative |
|
Texas! It's the biggest state in the United--- wait, no, that's Alaska. Texas! It has the biggest population... no, that's California. Oh, I know! The biggest city in Amer-- no, that's New York City. So, what /is/ so big about Texas? Well, the ego's can run pretty big... >:)
No, but seriously I do like the Lone Star state, at least a good number of parts of it. Hey, compared to Utah, it's really nice and green in the pan handle and around Dallas. North Houston is also quite pretty and green, but it's also viciously hot and humid for several months during the Summer and I'd rather live in Las Vegas with it's 110+ in the Summer. Yes, the dry heat does help.
But I do get a kick out of the Texas pride deal. I mean, let's be realistic here: it's a cushion for those who live there that have an inferiority complex. Do people with a good self esteem care so much about what state they're from to try to use it as a point of supposed superiority?
What did anyone from Texas do to earn such a great honor? Unless I'm mistaken, there are really only two things that lead a person to live in Texas, either they moved there or their mom's gave birth to them there. I think the people who move there deserve more credit because they made some sort of decision to be there, except most people move to another state either out of necessity or due to circumstances (New work, parents get a new job, military deal) so very few people actually move our of pure choice.
Oh, but many Texans are proud of the Texas heritage. Yup, some really good things happened in history within the borders of Texas. Nearly all of them well before anyone currently living in Texas was alive at the time to have any part of. So it's really living off the acts, fame and heroism of someone else whom these people have a very loose connection with: living in the same geographical area of the planet as these people/events.
All said, and if given a choice, I'd pick the Dallas area of Texas to live in far sooner than some of the seemingly nearly God-forsaken areas of Nevada or New Mexico. But by and large I think I'd be happy to live most places in the U.S. as long as I have access to family and friends and to places I'd like to go to. I'd be bored mindless if I were to live in a tiny little town hours away from a big city.
Oh, and on a side point note: People in Texas are under the misinformation that only the Texas state flag can be flown at the same height as the American flag. Proper flag etiquette states that any flag (country or state) shouldn't not be flown /above/ the American Flag if flown on a different pole. Mostly it comes from flying two flags on the same pole, because proper procedure would be to have the American flag above the other. So, yes, California, Mississippi, Florida, Colorado or any other state can fly their flag at the same height as the American flag.
Or... maybe the 49 other states don't feel they /need/ to have their flag flown at the same height as the American flag.
Texas: If people are happy to live there, then more power to them. If they think they're better because they live in Texas: Bwahaha! That's cute. ;)Current Mood: tired |
|
I really can't say I'm entirely surprised I've been jerked around and out of the first scheduled day of my vacation. You're a freaking object to these people! A 'fleshy peripheral' I think Laurel said once. They only care about themselves and money. I'm just glad I decided to drive instead of fly. I'd be screwed royally if I had to make a plain trip change at the last minute. No, I'd just accept a written warning for a no-show rather than loose possibly hundred(s) of bucks in a last-minute flight change.
And you know what? At this point I wouldn't even expect a freaking 'sorry' just a 'we didn't have the people for that day, so I wasn't able to give you the day off.' As long as you do whatever they tell you to do without being the slightest big inconvenient, then that's acceptable. Why should they care? It's not like they care if you're inconvenienced; only as long as they aren't.
Lately I've been seriously wondering if my long-term/future work plans might be best served with a different company. I can't do it now, at least not without some significant financial changes and while this situation does suck, it's not all that often this bad. I'll just have to remember in future if I'm still with The very bowels of Hell Kroger that if I do take a trip that includes flying I'll have to request a day or two before the flight to have a better change of actually getting that day off without being an inconvenience to the freaking queen of the freaking universe the assistant manager/whom ever is making the schedule.
It's been a rather rough time at work lately, this trip should at least be some help with a break.
Edit: I want to give a bit thanks to the co-workers and any customer service mangers (below front end manager) who somehow were able to somehow work a way for someone to take my Monday shift. The bosses might be of very little use but the people I work with really rock! ^.^Current Mood:  aggravated Current Music: Some disc named Evolution. I don't know what else and I'm too tired to look. |
|
Six hours into work I sat down for my break in the break room. Guy from the store that closed down recently was sitting opposite of me three booths down noticed I looked a little tired, asked me if I felt tired and then proceeded to tell me that I wasn't entitled to call myself tired until some stupid crap, blah, blah, blah (I wasn't really paying all of that attention) about him having to ride his bike some distance to work. I simply shrugged my shoulders and ate my yogurt and cheese.
Now, in my mind I thought: No thanks, Pal, I'm not really interested in getting into a stupid pissing match with you on who's more tired, who's more /entitled/ to being tired and if I fit your narrow and pointless definition of being tired or not. If you're unhappy about riding a bike to work, then you get my sympathy: Obviously you don't like it, and you don't have to. If you're jealous of me having a car, then consider I'm well older than you and started checking when you were eight years old and make a lot more than a bagger does. If you want to get your own car, then you might want to improve your work efforts, because every supervisor and nearly every employee that works on the 'front end' thinks they suck.
But I simply sat there, eating my yogurt and cheese. And not giving a rats butt. :)
And not saying any of that because I truly didn't care. :)Current Mood:  amused Current Music: Best of Alan Parsons CD |
| » Store exclusitivity. |
|---|
There's something that causes me to feel at least a little unsettled when a manufacturer and a retailer have one of those exclusive deals going. You know, when 'you can only get this gotta have or you life won't be complete item at Lowe's' or some such deal. Even if it's at a retailer I'm fond of (Target) and it's a product I have almost negative interest in (Twilight on Blu-ray), so when it's something at a retailer I'm /hardly/ fond of (Walmart) and a product that appeals to me (Lego Star Wars) that gets me in a bit of a knot.
I'm still not all that comfortable at how large Wal-mart is and it's apparent dominance and manipulative '900lb gorilla' presence and all. I dunno, it just strikes me as a way of upsetting the way the retail market is supposed to work. Kinda feels like if you want to get the item, you have to deal with the big bully down the street instead of a trusted friend. At least they're not selling it for more than MSRP if you get it through Lego themselves.
On the other hand we have 'get it now' versus 'order it via the Internet and get it some time next week.
Why can't I just get it now and at Target?!
Blah. :P
Sep. 9th, 2009 @ 07:59 pm
|
| » View of the 'controversial message' to American school kids from Pres. Obama. |
|---|
I actually wanted to title this deal, "View of the 'controversial message' to American School kids from President Obama from a not-quite-so-conservative Republican, but the is a limit on the size of subject area. Oh well. ;)
I read about this first thing this morning from my little jaunt through a certain on-line newspaper. I've personally read the message myself. I've also read there are a few words that were changed like 'help the president'. I gotta say that I really think there are people out there who are putting in meaning into this message that just isn't there. If the president has nefarious intentions (Which to this day I personally struggle with believing) I can't really find anything in there. I'd not have any problems if I had kids and they heard this message. Some people aren't allowing their kids to hear what Pres. Obama has to say: That's fine, they have that right as American citizens.
But what all of this really strikes me of is a fear some people have developed that's clouding their ability to take things at face value. I consider myself on the conservative side/Republican, but I at least try to look at the info at hand instead of making a pre-judged determination based on certain ideas.
I'm almost in awe at the reactions some people are making to this speech. Like I said before, I read it myself, and I think there are plenty of good things from both kids and adults to gain from it. Hey, if the message gets some kids to make an effort, to stay in school and apply themselves, then great! I'm all for it.
I've not been entirely comfortable with some things Pres. Obama has done, but I'd bet I'd be able to find something every single president has done I'd not agreed with, not been entirely comfortable with; even all the way back to Washington. But that's one of the things in life: we get to live with the decisions and actions of others, unless you choose to live in a tiny shack somewhere in Montana. :)
My whole point is this: Try to look at things at face value.
But some people are so caught up in their own fears and old ideas and that the way they think things should be and how they were taught they should be that they can't let those things go. Eh, I say let them have their moments of paranoia. Yes, it's going to effect their kids. These kids will probably grow up with prejudices, but what else can you do? You can't take a kid from their parents just because they teach them less than ideal concepts.
I've also learned that you just can't reason with some people, especially when they get to these states of mind. They are so sure they're right that even in the evidence as strong and blinding as staring at the sun at noon on June 21st in Phoenix Arizona, they'll find a way to deny it. I think just by-and-large is to let them be.
Then there is the small part of me that would like to go over to these 'fellow Republicans' and whap them over the head and say, 'Chill! This is a good speech with good words and a good message for kids.' and to stop trying to find hidden meaning when I highly doubt it's even there.
I gotta admit, the whole current political situation the country is in right now has caused me to reevaluate my feelings on where I stand politically, and while I do still consider myself Conservative/Republican, I like to think that I have an open mind, that I don't think Obama is the devil, nor that no good idea comes from the Liberal/Democratic side.
Oh, and hey, while were talking about hidden messages and agendas, did you know there's lots of evil stuff in Harry Potter? Hey, with witches an wizards in a book, how can that not be evil?! XD
Sep. 8th, 2009 @ 07:38 am
|
| » Yes, it's a cartoon me. No, not really me, it's sorta me. :D |
|---|
Met a new kid/guy at my work today who was new due to a transfer he didn't have a choice in; His store was closed last week. Anyway, we got to talking about him becoming very disenchanted with his current religion after loosing a couple of family members/relatives in the recent past(somehow, I don't remember how). Seems that in the attempt to comfort either him, others or themselves some people said something that really turned him off.
"It was his time to go."
Yup, I'm familiar with this phrase. I think it's a take-off of when someone 'should have died' and it was a miracle that they didn't people say, "it wasn't his time to go," so I think some have turned that around and think if that there are others who's time it was to go. Personally I think a number of people say this as a way to comfort themselves in a time of loss. But just because it works for them then they think this will work for others. I doesn't always work that way.
I think to someone who looses someone this can come across a bit like Yoda when talking to Anakin Skywalker about his fear of loosing someone close to him. "Mourn them not, miss them not, for they become one with the force" or some sort of deal. (Look, I sold the movie and I don't want to bother myself with Googling it. Yes, that's right, I'm lazy. ;)) Yeah, easy for you to say that when you're not the one loosing anyone.
I think to him this felt like God was 'Up stairs' making casual, maybe even near-unemotional decisions on who stays on Earth and who doesn't. Kinda like, "Don't miss your brother, God needed him up in Heaven more than he needed him down here."
I don't know if someone actually said this to him or if he simply heard it more than he wanted to. I wonder if anyone took him aside and said that they were truly sorry for their loss and that he had every right and justification for feeling the way he did. I also don't think people who feel this way are questioning God's decisions, they're feeling pain and loss.
Maybe thinking that your relative has some important office in Heaven that God himself can't really do without gives you comfort, then I say go for it, and I honestly don't mean that disrespectfully. But don't assume this works for others, even if they are of your same faith.
Aug. 4th, 2009 @ 06:40 pm
|
| » Let's compare, shall we? |
|---|
Voldemort starts out as a moody, manipulative child who has no problems with stealing, forcing animals to do his bidding, hurting other children and the like. In his teens he has no issues with killing seven people and tearing apart his soul to become immortal.
Darth Vader stars out as a cute little kids who despite being a slave is pretty chipper, says 'yippie' a lot, destroys a ‘heavily armored’ ship with dumb luck’ then when older kills a bunch of Sandpeople who kidnap his mom who dies while in captivity. This person’s rise to power is basically to become the lap-dog of a corrupt senator by lying to him about giving him the ability to save his wife. I agree, he never should have been trained, or someone didn't do the best job of it.
Do I have my info right?
Lucas could do himself a favor and say he’s has no idea what the Hell he’s doing. I mean... a British woman who’s never written books before can create a more plausabile villain. Yikes.
Jul. 17th, 2009 @ 08:16 pm
|
| » I forgot, Laurel doesn't have a Facebook account. Lucky woman... :) |
|---|
Hey Laurel, I'm 99% certain it was you who told me about Robert Hunter, lyricist of The Grateful Dead. Get this: We share the same birthday! June 23rd! :D
Jul. 13th, 2009 @ 10:46 am
|
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1){kind=small}
basilriley's journal