A Series of Tubes

Flickr

2006-09-18T00:15:00.000-05:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Snakes on a Plane!

2006-08-19T00:09:00.000-05:00

Yeah, so, I went to see Snakes on a Plane tonight, and I'm going to have to admit: not too shabby. I honestly thought it would be a huge joke and not even worth my well spent $7, but still a fun experience.

Wow, a shocker... the movie was actually pretty cool. Alright, alright, not an Oscar winner but definitely worth my time and money. This one actually blended thrill/horror with comedy so well that I couldn't tell which it wanted to be. This wasn't a bad thing though, because it wasn't a ridiculous mix. The scary/thrill parts had their moments and then the comedy did at completely different times. One never got in the way of the other.

I'd definitely recommend checking it out. Awesome.

Senator Ted Stevens Is An Idiot.

2006-07-20T00:42:00.000-05:00

So there's been a lot of talk about the Net Neutrality act lately... especially with increasing media coverage. I rarely watch TV, but the other day I happened to catch The Daily Show on Comedy Central. On this episode, the opening story was an excerpt from Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) talking about what seemed like... something involving Net Neutrality--somewhere. I don't have much to say, other than if you haven't seen it, you have to check it out. It's hilarious!

Watch Safe Happen

2006-06-26T16:12:00.000-05:00

I have quite a few model companies that really impress me. Not just from a business standpoint, either. I'm talking companies who market to people like me. For example, some favorites that I can ramble off are; Target, Geek Squad, Jimmy John's (subs), and Apple. Today, I noticed ANOTHER of my favorites in full glory.

I stumbled across this new web feature from Volkwagen for the new Jetta, entitled "Watch Safe Happen." Within this whole flash interactive sequence, you can configure, price, and build a Jetta... then crash it. I don't mean a line art animation of it hitting a wall either--they've gotten extremely creative with this. Not only can you build & price the entire car, but there is a beautifully animated version of it wrecking into such things as "lizard foot" and "humpty dumpty." My favorite so far is "UFO." I definitely recommend checking this thing out.

Here's a link to the site: Watch Safe Happen

Pixar Pushes the Limits in 'Cars'

2006-06-17T00:19:00.000-05:00

I just got back from watching Pixar and Disney's new movie, Cars. It's been quite a buzz for the last several months prior to release, as were Pixar's last ventures, The Incredibles, Monsters Inc., A Bug's Life, and of course Toy Story. This Movie definitely pushed limits as far as computer animation go. You KNOW a movie is good when you forget that you're watching computer animations and start looking at characters, having feelings along with them. Pixar definitely one upped everyone with insane amounts of reflection mapping, most of which goes unsaid because there is so much detail.

I love watching Pixar movies because they always relate to each other. For example one of McQueen's main competitors is sponsored by Dinoco. If you remember, Dinoco is the gas station where the characters from Toy Story--Andy and his mom--fill up for gas on the way to Pizza Planet. Instead of Goodyear tires, Lightyear (from Buzz Lightyear, another Toy Story reference) take it's place. Even the end where Pixar pokes fun of it's use of ex-Cheer's mailman Cliff Clavin in nearly all of their movies.

I'm not one to write a movie review, and I had planned on commenting on the animation and how it blew me away. As you can see, however, it's not just the computer rendering that amazed me. I definitely recommend checking out Pixar's Cars as soon as you get a chance!

Wasting time, yet again.

2006-06-04T14:04:00.000-05:00

So here I sit a good hour before I need to leave my house for work on a Sunday, searching for something amusing. Tonight I'll be working (or at least scheduled until) 11PM and I need something to boost my morale. Usually I take a look at my favorite sites digg, Engadget, and The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Every now and then, however I'll search through my bookmarks for less obscure things, such as Busted Tees. Today I actually checked out ANOTHER blog (this one actually hosted independently... which I'll eventually do, domain and all!) called "doobyrain." This is basically just like mine, except with way more content and updates. GREAT place to get inspiration.

Anyway, at the bottom I found a rather hilarious movie trailer parody hosted on YouTube called "10 Things I Hate About the Commandments" --see if you can tell what it's about. Pretty funny though.

Ahh, I <3 pop culture.

It's about that time again. And by that, I mean I have to go to work. :(

Live from the Apple Store

2006-05-30T18:41:00.000-05:00

Two posts in one day? Something mus be up. In fact, it is. I'm now typing on Apple's brand new MacBook (a black one for those who are concerned) writing my second post. There's not much to say except for this thing is freaking amazing and I most definitely want one.

Now I've got to go check out the Power macs. Dual 30" displays. WOW.

Visting Best Buy's Escape in Chicago

2006-05-30T15:23:00.000-05:00

I'm actually writing this on a brand new MacBook Pro inside Best Buy's amazing new branch called "Escape." This is an intense new business model that looks more like a high end commission based electronics store... like a Bang & Olufsen... not a Best Buy at ALL.

My first experience with MacBook and MacBook Pro. NEVER thought I'd get that experience at a store owned my the company I work for!

I'll probably be writing another entry a little later when I hit up the Apple store. The WiFi is priced here, not free.

See ya later!

My mouth is dirty.

2006-05-28T17:49:00.000-05:00

iCantBeliveThisCrap

2006-05-22T17:54:00.000-05:00

In yet ANOTHER attempt to overthrow the iPod's reign king over PED (Portable Entertainment Device) land, SanDisk (which I used to think was a rather well-respected company) has launched "iDon't.com" (link)

This is so ridiculous it's not even funny. I understand that manufacturers realize they can't keep up with Apple, much less try to destroy their market share, but come on, putting down pop culture? The website blatantly attempts to say you "aren't cool" if you have an iPod now. Beyond the utter bullshit behind this statement, since when is not buying the MOST popular gadget on the planet not "cool?" I thought popularity meant to not be different, and conform to everyone else.

Oh, I get it. This website caters to the NON conformist, with it's "grunge" look and words like "manifesto" and "propaganda." Obviously you're hip and "underground" if you buy a SanDisk player instead of an iPod.

Get with it folks, these things aren't a status icon just for the hell of it, it's because they're so darn easy to use and the interface is flawless.

P.S.
I'm a proud iPod user.

Energy Drinks = Fuel.

2006-05-17T11:37:00.000-05:00

If you know me at all, you must know that I'm basically a connoisseur of energy drinks. I'm a HUGE fan of Red Bull, and I'll have to say that it's my all time favorite. For a while now, however, I've been experimenting with new(er) stuff. (new to me, that is) I'm talking everything from Starbucks Double Shot to SoBe Adrenaline Rush. For a while, I even got on a huge Bawls kick. Bawls still even holds a special place in my fridge just for originality and association with technology. (Ask me for a better explanation.)

Just last week though, I stumbled across a new one. NOS High Performance Energy Drink. Standing tall in a 16 oz bright electric blue and orange can, the thing resembles almost identically the NOS tanks that turned flames blue in The Fast And The Furious. I'm still wondering if these are licensed by Holley Performance...

On the drink side, this thing isn't so bad. Most drinks I've tried are either too sweet, or just taste like Red Bull copycats. NOS has a very citrus/passionfruit taste which is fruit sweet rather than sugar sweet. This is good because it doesn't taste like you're being overloaded with sugar, letting you actually finish the drink and not feel sick.

I'd definitely recommend trying it out just to see what it's like. As with any energy drink, you do get quite a burst of refresh..ness... I'd compare this to about a cup and a half of straight coffee.

Taste: 8/10
Originality: 9/10
Energy: 7/10
Cool Factor: 8/10

Overall: 8/10

On my way.

2006-05-13T15:39:00.000-05:00

Well last night I finally bought an iPod. A few days ago I figured I might as well go ahead and buy one while they actually exist, rather than waiting until something comes along and blows this one away. This was brought to my attention when I thought of the thousands of people with their first gen iPods that still rock. If theirs lasts so long, why can't mine? Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to get philosophical because I sell these, and I know the "lifespan" (coming from a technical standpoint) of an iPod. I just felt like using metaphors.

In other news, the idea of a tour with my band--my four brothers is hot on my mind. Summer is around the corner and so is my better mood. I can't wait to ride around and see a part of the country while not caring about anything but music and what the next show is going to give us. I also decided that I'll only be able to retain my sanity with two things--an iPod and an iBook. Can't live without internet access. Sorry.

Tonight's show has got me pretty pumped, too. We're playing over in Springfield at a place called "Breadstretchers." I've heard it's pretty small but the experience should be good nonetheless. The thing that makes this one important is that it's the first show we'll ever have played using our FIRST TRAILER! That's right, we got a 5x8 cargo trailer for our stuff. Gee, look at me... I sound like a kid being excited about something really mundane... like.. a trailer. Hmm.

I've got to be ready in just a few moments and I really need to get moving! iPod? Check. Camcorder? Check. Wallet? Check. Shoes? Uh oh... see ya later!

Turning into a religion.

2006-02-27T22:11:00.000-06:00

Every day I find specific new ways to "break" my Mac. Actually there are only two I've found thus far.

1. Insert a REALLY scratched or dirty disc, and try to have iTunes play it.
2. Visit Myspace.

Otherwise, it's awesome. Don't try to scare me with any viruses or anything. That won't work. Nor will the idea behind spyware or registry keys, etc.

That is all.

Time for change.

2006-02-21T00:27:00.000-06:00

I finally updated the template on my blog to suit my Mac a little bit more. I mean, it's all about aesthetics, right? The plain black was functional but it just looked too boring. I really like this WordPress template called "Blix" but this was the closest I could find, so we'll see how that goes.

Right now, I'm experiencing a creative block. I've got all the tools but no ideas or results. I'm really wanting to create some flashy motion graphics that don't necessarily mean anything--just look neat. In fact, Photoshop and After Effects are both open right now... I just have nowhere to go with it. I keep going back and forth between this and trying to "do something" in FCP. I might be a bit more inspired if I had something to work with. Right now it's all just shaky footage taken at our last show with a Canon ZR100. Oh how I'd have dreamed of something like this years ago, but now after having worked with 3 chip cameras, this thing seems more like a hassle than a tool.

In other news, I got a little something at work the other day. One of my managers called me up to the bridge (an office, basically) and gave me a $10 gift certificate for... well... "doing well and helping out." Thought that was worth a mention. I got to choose where the gift card was to, I chose Panera Bread.

Tried to set up a .mac account yesterday and realized I have absolutely no use for one. The idea behind iDisk is neat, but I've already got the Soibomb.com domain to host stuff. Not really identical tools but same concept. I don't have pictures to share, much less any that people would actually visit my .mac homepage to view. Oh well, the three month trial ends in April so I might come up with something.

Car news. My car is finally dead. R.I.P. my 1994 Ford Escort LX wagon. Not that I really cherished the car or anything, seeing how it caused many fits of mental anguish when I was behind the wheel. Now the only anguish I'll see is the car payment I'm going to have to come up with every month for a replacement. Luckily we're acting fast and my dad's going to take me out to test drive some stuff. Oddly enough the two cars I'm going to drive tomorrow are Nissan Xterra and Pontiac G6. Keep in mind I have no intentions of purchasing these cars... I just think they'll be fun to drive.

Well, that's all I've got for now. See you next time!

I've confused my Mac

2006-02-15T16:47:00.000-06:00

Okay now all you "I told you so" Windows users are going to see this and laugh at me, but I've honestly found one way to completely confuse the crap out of a Mac. It's really easy too: Insert a really scratched or dirty CD.

Unix might be "unbreakable" but a scratched CD sure will screw up iTunes or Finder for a while. On my Mac mini I'm at the mercy of Finder because there's no manual eject button. Just the software-controlled one on my keyboard. Geesh.

Well, that's all I've got today. Oops, one more thing. FCP5 is slowly becoming easy to use for me. I used to use Premiere, but I'm making the switch. I'll tell you this... it's not hard. Apple is genius.

It's been a long, long time.

2006-02-15T02:18:00.000-06:00

Wow. I have not let the world in on myself in a long while. Seeing how it's 2:18 on a Wednesday morning, I don't necessarily feel like going into huge huge detail, as I'm not in the most creative of moods. So, instead, I'll summarize. It'll be perfect.

I'm officially a full-bodied Mac user.

I lost a very close friend (my dog, Chance.)

...Crap, that's it.

I'm getting back into video editing, slowly. I'm buying a new car soon. I'm thinking about a Saturn Ion. I really need to test drive these cars. What have I come up with so far? They're all 4 door sedans. Oh, I remember; Mazda 6, Saturn Ion, Pontiac G6, Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Element, Scion xB. Okay I lied, the Element and Scion xB aren't really 4 door sedans. The Element isn't at all. Well, I'm tired so I'm finished with this post.

All Hail ...Saitek??

2006-01-17T18:37:00.000-06:00

They must have a system or gauge or something that rates which controller has the "Best Rumble Forces Ever."

Proper blogging apparel.

2006-01-15T21:46:00.000-06:00

Looks pretty snazzy!

Wearables...

2006-01-14T23:08:00.000-06:00

Today I got my shirts from Google in the mail. Google Store has such a huge selection of Google-branded merchandise. I ordered this stuf... Wednesday I believe? It was either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, and I've already got them today (Saturday). Google ships fast! I'm already wearing one now. Dang it I'm so nerdy.

The Separation [EP]

2006-01-13T01:37:00.000-06:00

I don't know why I've waited so long to actually post about this but I just wanted to let anyone know who reads, that my band's EP is now available. Soibomb's "The Separation" is now available at our shows and soon to be available for purchase online. This three-song EP includes the songs Feora, The Separation, and Changing Reoccurance. Pick it up today or listen to the tracks on our Myspace or Purevolume.

Nimbus Media

2006-01-12T07:17:00.000-06:00

Scott Copeland is my good friend and budding entrepreneur of a new design firm called Nimbus Media. Check out his site at www.nimbus-media.com.

Chuck Norris is the second coming.

2006-01-06T00:12:00.000-06:00

Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.

Chuck Norris sold his soul to the devil for his rugged good looks and unparalleled martial arts ability. Shortly after the transaction was finalized, Chuck roundhouse kicked the devil in the face and took his soul back. The devil, who appreciates irony, couldn't stay mad and admitted he should have seen it coming. They now play poker every second Wednesday of the month.

Chuck Norris disguised himself as a snake and fed Eve the apple in the garden of Eden so there would be evil in the world that he could fight.

Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.

Chuck Norris built a time machine and went back in time to stop the JFK assassination. As Oswald shot, Chuck met all three bullets with his beard, deflecting them. JFK's head exploded out of sheer amazement.

A blind man once stepped on Chuck Norris' shoe. Chuck replied, "Don't you know who I am? I'm Chuck Norris!" The mere mention of his name cured this man blindness. Sadly the first, last, and only thing this man ever saw, was a fatal roundhouse delivered by Chuck Norris.

The chief export of Chuck Norris is pain.

Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.

The grass is always greener on the other side, unless Chuck Norris has been there. In that case the grass is most likely soaked in blood and tears.

Chuck Norris's girlfriend once asked him how much wood a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood. He then shouted, "HOW DARE YOU RHYME IN THE PRESENCE OF CHUCK NORRIS!" and ripped out her throat. Holding his girlfriend's bloody throat in his hand he bellowed, "Don't fuck with Chuck!" Two years and five months later he realized the irony of this statement and laughed so hard that anyone within a hundred mile radius of the blast went deaf.

If you can see Chuck Norris, he can see you. If you can't see Chuck Norris you may be only seconds away from death.

Chuck Norris was the fourth Wiseman. He brought baby Jesus the gift of "beard". Jesus wore it proudly to his dying day. The other Wisemen, jealous of Jesus' obvious gift favoritism, used their combined influence to have Chuck omitted from the Bible. Shortly after all three died of roundhouse kick related deaths.

Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

To prove it isn't that big of a deal to beat cancer. Chuck Norris smoked 15 cartons of cigarettes a day for 2 years and aquired 7 different kinds of cancer only to rid them from his body by flexing for 30 minutes. Beat that, Lance Armstrong.

Chuck Norris is 1/8th Cherokee. This has nothing to do with ancestry, the man ate a fucking Indian.

Rather than being birthed like a normal child, Chuck Norris instead decided to punch his way out of his mother's womb. Shortly thereafter he grew a beard.

Chuck Norris found out about Conan O'Brien's lever that shows clips from "Walker: Texas Ranger" and is working on a way to make it show clips of Norris having sex with Conan's wife.

Filming on location for Walker: Texas Ranger, Chuck Norris brought a stillborn baby lamb back to life by giving it a prolonged beard rub. Shortly after the farm animal sprang back to life and a crowd had gathered, Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked the animal, breaking its neck, to remind the crew once more that Chuck giveth, and the good Chuck, he taketh away.

The quickest way to a man's heart is with Chuck Norris's fist.

After much debate, President Truman decided to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima rather than the alternative of sending Chuck Norris. His reasoning? It was more "humane".

It was once believed that Chuck Norris actually lost a fight to a pirate, but that is a lie, created by Chuck Norris himself to lure more pirates to him. Pirates never were very smart.

Someone once tried to tell Chuck Norris that roundhouse kicks aren't the best way to kick someone. This has been recorded by historians as the worst mistake anyone has ever made.

When Chuck Norris's wife burned the turkey one Thanksgiving, Chuck said, "Don't worry about it honey," and went into his backyard. He came back five minutes later with a live turkey, ate it whole, and when he threw it up a few seconds later it was fully cooked and came with cranberry sauce. When his wife asked him how he had done it, he gave her a roundhouse kick to the face and said, "Never question Chuck Norris."

When Chuck Norris sends in his taxes, he sends blank forms and includes only a picture of himself, crouched and ready to attack. Chuck Norris has not had to pay taxes ever.

Chuck Norris owns the greatest Poker Face of all-time. It helped him win the 1983 World Series of Poker despite him holding just a Joker, a Get out of Jail Free Monopoloy card, a 2 of clubs, 7 of spades and a green #4 card from the game UNO.

Before each filming of Walker: Texas Ranger, Chuck Norris is injected with five times the lethal dose of elephant tranquilzer. This is, of course, to limit his strength and mobility, in an attempt to lower the fatality rate of the actors he fights.

If you ask Chuck Norris what time it is, he always says, "Two seconds till." After you ask, "Two seconds to what?" he roundhouse kicks you in the face.

Those aren't credits that roll after Walker Texas Ranger, it is actually a list of people that Chuck Norris round house kicked in the face that day.

Chuck Norris can make a woman climax by simply pointing at her and saying "booya".

On why I hate Windows...

2006-01-05T00:43:00.000-06:00

I have had the most problems and blue screens and freezes in the past 20 minutes of using my computer than I've had in the past 4 months of my current installation of Windows XP. What the hell, SP2 can blow me. I apologize for harsh words but honestly. Installing updates shouldn't be a hassle or especially make my FREAKING COMPUTER RUN SLOWER.

OSX is 10x better. Switch now, you'll NEVER look back.

2005-12-31T00:31:00.000-06:00

Sad.

2005-12-30T19:37:00.000-06:00

Read.

2005-12-29T23:32:00.000-06:00

Paige!

I'm SO exhausted.

2005-12-27T00:12:00.000-06:00

Tonight I feel as if I'm just completely spent. Lindsey and Sarah are on their way over so I'm trying to relax with my complete sound isolation and Sigur Ros through my Sony 3-way 8" bookshelves and it sounds amazing. Thanks Apple, for providing absolute hifi from my iMac's sound output through Monster cable to my Sony receiver, through more Monster cables, to these beautiful boxes of sound.

I'm going to call Lindsey now to get an update on ETA.

It was good having you. Night.

Simply having a wonderful Christmas time.

2005-12-22T14:48:00.000-06:00

Is it just me or does everyone feel the spirit surrounding holidays? Even if you're not big into the whole gifting thing or snow, or trees, or... heck anything even chrismtas related, there's still that "spirit" in the air or something. I feel it. I sure as heck wasn't planning on getting anyone anything because I hate spending money unless it's on high-tech stuff for me. Haha. Too bad I don't use it. (Case-in-Point: The Motorola HS850 Bluetooh headset that's sitting on my desk... and has been for like 3 months.)

This time around, I just want an Apple laptop. With a gig of RAM. It's kind of funny because I still do most my Photoshop work on a dual 450MHz computer with 512MB of RAM, and I'm all being demanding. Whatevs, it'd be tight. Too bad after seeing a 20" Apple display, the display on the Powerbook isn't good looking at all.

I'm done updating for now. Maybe I'll have some more geeky insight, or techy humor a little later.

End/Beginning of week.

2005-12-18T02:19:00.000-06:00

Soibomb just played 2 shows. Last night was the lock-in at LSA. We played nearly exactly 24 hours ago. Tonight we played at Wake the Dead--both shows were pretty good/fun!

In other news, I was rejected by Josh Kapellen himself on entry to Geeksquadforums.com
He replied to me with this e-mail:

Unfortunately at this time, no. The forums are intended and used for Geek Squad Agents only. The user database is maintained via HR records of GS Job Codes, so your account will be locked and never be useful unless it's in the HR report. I, as well as others, am grateful for your support and enthusiasm about the Geek Squad.
Best Regards,
Josh
Joshua Kapellen
Secret Agent 41
The Geek Squad

Sucks. You were probably wondering why he phrased it like that. Basically, I told him I'm a Best Buy employee, but not a part of Geek Squad, although I sell the HELL out of their services. I asked him if although I'm not an agent, could I still join? There was your response.

T minus 2 days until my big 2-0 birthday. Tomorrow I get to eat with Jes. Oh how I've missed her! Days grow short, but hours grow long... wearing me out. On this note, I depart.

It's flawed.

2005-12-12T00:19:00.000-06:00

Well, looks like www.geeksquadforums.com is owned by Best Buy/Geek Squad, and they keep saying "you MUST be an active agent in precinct/in-field." Guess just wanting to work on Geek Squad doesn't necessarilly qualify me. Maybe they'll do me a favor.

My Life in a... I don't know.

2005-12-11T01:09:00.000-06:00

That's odd. I accidentally just deleted what I had typed. Anyway. Lately I've been pretty much up to nothing. The biggest news is the fact that I finally got a Geek Squad polo at work. Me talking about Geek Squad so much makes me sound like a freakin' weirdo. I DID however finally get all 3 CDs I've been wanting to listen to back. Right now I'm listening to Underoath's They're Only Chasing Safety. Up next is Lovedrug's Pretend You're Alive, followed by Catch For Us The Foxes from Mewithoutyou. Quite some good music.

I really do need a new vehicle. Maybe my dad will be really nice and assist me with that... MAYBE I can buy Josh's truck. That'd be sweet! Probably won't happen.

At work, it's starting to pick up again. Christmas shoppers are finally getting their butts in gear. Too bad no one's getting iPods this year because it seems like we're always freakin' out of them.

If I wanted to blow money, I'd definitely do it on an HD television and paying for HD programming. I wonder if it'd be cheaper to get service from Voom (ALL HD, satellite) or to just pay for another box from Insight and get HD via cable.. and buy HD channels? I'll tell you, seeing Smallville for the first time... and also seeing it in HD (same time) really really made me want to spend money on something.

Also, as dumb as it sounds, I'm wanting to change from my "niiiice" discounted Cingular plan ($20/month gets me 1000 anytime, 1000 n/w, unlimited text, 250MMS, and 5MB of internet) for a Nation 900 plan, or a Nation 450. I'm really not sure. The first wireless plan I've had on my own was this one, so if I have unlimited N/W and unlimited M2M (Mobile-to-Mobile), AND rollover, who knows how many "anytime" minutes I'd actually use. Either way, I'd have to add unlimited text and internet usage. PLUS, I really want a Moto PEBL, or Moto V3i (RAZR upgrade, w/iTunes and TransFlash support). Unfortunately, the PEBL is only for T-Mobile right now. Lame.

Enough about that, I'm really cold so I'm going to head to bed.

2005-12-10T17:37:00.000-06:00

But still on the sales floor.

What a day.

2005-12-01T02:21:00.000-06:00

I swear on everything, today has given me the worst luck I've had in a long time. It all started when getting ready for work. Let me give you an idea of what's up.

Brushing my teeth. Toothpaste on shirt. Damn it. Doesn't wash out... I'm going to be late, so I hurry out the door to my car.

On the way to work I'm about... say 2.5 miles from Best Buy when I notice my my car handling erm... incorrectly. I was on the phone with Melissa as I said "yeah hold on I'm going to check this out." Sure enough, I had a flat tire. I drove a little further before phoning my dad who met me somewhere after I parked my car, with a jack to help me out, changing my tire to the donut. I called work at this time and spoke to Lindsey... the amazing Lindsey, and let her know that I'd be late because of my tire.

Changing the tire, my hands, of course, got rather dirty. My dad took the original tire to Wal Mart to see about patching the hole that was blatantly caused by an errant screw that I could clearly see had punctured the tire.

No biggie! Right?

I stop at the Circle K gas station to fuel up and grab a few Red Bulls, because I'm already late.. so what's an extra few minutes? I then pulled into the parking lot of the almighty yellow tag store, donut and all, and begin chugging one of the Red Bulls. Ah, fin. Into the building I went, with one goal on my mind... wash my hands. Clock in... success. Drop coat in break room... success. Wash hands in mens room... succe... oh wait, NO FREAKING PAPER TOWEL TO DRY HANDS. Ugh. Walk back to break room, dry hands there.

That's the last of the "bad" that happened for a while, and then I work for a while in Imaging. No probs. I get word that the department is to randomly head up to Wireless at 3pm... we don't know if we're in trouble or what. I casually head up a few moments before 3 and am told that something funny will happen and that I am to keep watching. I still don't know what's going on. A couple approaches the odd looking group of about 7 employees in one department, complaining that there's no one in computers to help them. Too bad a manager just told us to come up here. I get bitched into helping the people, AT 3 (thanks Lindsey :-D) and as I head to the rear of the store for assistance in computers, I hear a loud burst of laughter and clapping from wireless. Hmm, pissed. I realize I've now missed something funny. I headed back up to wireless to figure out what happened and am greeted with "man you so missed it." Well, yes, I did because you just sent me away, knowing I'd miss it.

Blah.

Life goes on for a while, until I want to go on break. I'm ready for that re-energization of another Red Bull. Yes here it comes... wait what the fuck? Who drank my fucking Red Bull. Damn, I'm upset. Whatever, I'll just sit on the couch and relax. Four new voicemails? Hmm, wonder what they could say. Oh, what do you know... the first one happens to be one Nick McNeely informing me that our band will not be playing on Saturday, in other bands' favor of "The Brethren." Hmm, amazing. That's what... 7 mishaps (including the fact that I was late for work) and I haven't even broken a mirror.

Alright great, what else happened? Oh, two of my friends basically completely broke down because of guys. That's kind of random. Not really involving me though.

OH. The kicker. Soibomb.com (my band's website that I'm in charge of) doesn't exist now. Apparently the company that I registered the domain name with a year ago had an old e-mail address and debit card on file, leaving me oblivious to the fact that I had time running out on re-registering my domain. Now anything that points to "www.soibomb.com" INCLUDING the picture on this very blog, is temporarily unavailable.

Not only that but I can't renew the domain right now. Verio has the thing on-hold... so the name is stuck in limbo... I can't register with a different service either. I know because I blew $16 at GoDaddy.com attempting to. Now I have to wait for the time to call Verio and bitch at them or until the domain is released to the public, which I'm not too happy about.

P.S.
My tire couldn't be puncture-repaired because according to Wal Mart, there's a pin-hole in the side wall that can't be patched.

Man, it's like 2:30, so I'm ending this before anything else happens

I <3 Mac Mini

2005-11-29T11:33:00.000-06:00

Just thought I'd share this...

It’s on ThinkSecret, which means, of course, that we can’t verify the information or its source, but now the rumor on top of the pile for things we might see at Macworld in January is that the Mac mini will be given a second life as a Front Row 2.0-bearing digital media hub — complete with DVR features. Apparently it’ll also be an Intel Mac, and feature an iPod dock, in addition to receiving a larger (physically and logically) 3.5-inch drive — all of which would undoubtedly result in a more corpulent Mac mini. There are a lot of things we could (but won’t) get into here, but we would like to take a moment to say that if Apple did want to get their foot in the door to the living room really quick n’ easy, an Intel Mac mini + Front Row + DVR + iPod dock would be the way to do it. In fact, the only thing they’d probably have to worry about would be the low-margin mini really cannibalizing thes sales of their non-Intel, non-DVR higher-margin iMac and Power Mac products (at least for the time being). But again, this is all unconfirmed, so we’ll ease up on ya.

(Originally posted on ThinkSecret -quoted from Engadget)

Time for some revert...ing..ness?

2005-11-28T22:57:00.000-06:00

I'm not even sure how long I've had this open. I just realized it was time to reformat my Myspace to make it look a little more simple. I ended up just taking all the style off that I'd put on there. Now I'm back to a plain, boring Myspace. As boring as it is, It still serves it's purpose. Plain and functional.

I wonder what time I work tomorrow... I guess I'll see if Lindsey's home yet.

It's my job, ma'am.

2005-11-27T14:23:00.000-06:00

I do not feel bad whatsoever accepting payment for pitifully small computer-related activities. For example, if someone willingly wants to pay me $30 for taking a computer out of the box, plugging everything in, and making sure everything works... I'm totally cool with that.

Back to normal.

2005-11-26T00:12:00.000-06:00

Alright, so "black Friday" wasn't the worst thing i've ever experienced. It WAS hectic but nothing more than me being really really tired because I got up so early (1:30) and was actually at work from about 3:30am until 2pm. Quite tiring. We had so many people looking for $149 desktop computers and $279 laptops. We had VERY few that were actually flaming furious because they didn't show up in time. One lady even tried to get snippy when she showed up 15 minutes after the sale was over. People are really stupid. Anyway, I'm completely beat and I didn't actually get anything from the sale. I'm literally so tired right now.

I DID get a Microsoft keyboard though. Nothing spectacular, just a standard wired black keyboard. It has short-action keys, and I like that. However, there's one downside. There are certain buttons on this keyboard that are in French. I have NO idea why, but a picture of this will soon ensue.

I would really enjoy dating right about now. Still tired, though. Alright I'm not sure what I'm going to go do, but I'm just very tired. See ya!

Weapon of choice.

2005-11-24T20:50:00.000-06:00

This thing is a beast, i'm tellin ya.

Thank you for giving, and stuff.

2005-11-24T16:06:00.000-06:00

Well, Thanksgiving day dinner with the family is now complete, and I'm full of poultry meat, waiting for the tryptophan to kick in so I can get my rest before black Friday at Best Buy. Hopefully this thing really will be smooth sailing. I have an advantage working in the computer department (which is basically the most popular... meaning the most sales) because the managers will spend time managing that, rather than pissing everyone off. All will be well becuase the department will be blocked off and it'll be basically by invitation only. Good thing i'm working the 7 hour sale and off at 2. Done talking about work.

I'm still at my same standard dilemma. I want a new Mac AND a new PC. Rebuild my current PC w/Pentium D? Buy a Powerbook? Mac Mini? Dell? Alienware? Powermac? Who knows. I guess I'll get it figured out. You guys are no help, why do i tell you anything!

I get to go to bed in 4 hours. Yay! Happy thxgvg.

More of these usually isn't better.

2005-11-24T03:11:00.000-06:00

Why, yes, there ARE a bunch of computers in that random closet in my basement!

Might as well work for Geek Squad.

2005-11-24T03:01:00.000-06:00

I sit here at 2:46AM, monitoring the repair installation of Windows XP on my friend's Dell, as a last resort to "correcting" TCP/IP (networking) problems caused by a recently removed virus. You'd think I have something better to do with my life. HA! Likely story coming from a guy who's wearing a Mozilla Firefox shirt. I've told myself before, I might as well work for Geek Squad. The whole Best Buy thing isn't cutting it anymore, I need to go ahead and take it one step further. Plus I need more money. It's really funny knowing that normally Geek Squad is just a bunch of "I know this and this about programming" and "back when we ran on the old 386's they never had these problems" kind of guys. I guess when applying for a job like that, most don't realize that the whole marketing campaign of Geek Squad is kind of just to be a huge joke.

I'd basically make the quintessential Geek Squad CIA (counter-intelligence agent.) I'm geeky (that's a huge qualification) and goofy, as well as having the knowledge of customer interactions from working at Best Buy for upwards of... what, 9 months now? Sadly the CIAs at my store have never worked on the sales floor, therefore they have this kind of naive on how we actually deal with customers. I'm definitely not putting down our agents in any way, shape, or form, and I love them all to death... it's just that you get a different view of the world from behind that counter. One that gives you this... kind of power. You own your knowledge. And... hmm.

Actually, my ADD just kicked in and I've decided to not talk about this anymore. I will leave you with this last thought, which isn't really the end of my blog, it's just one last Geek Squad-related thought. My DCI (Deputy of Counter-Intelligence) and I were making up a fake Geek Squad position for me, loosely referred to as a "Geek Squad liaison." Basically, I'd get to stay on the floor, OR work at the Precinct (tech bench) wherever I was needed, and instead of actually wearing the Geek Squad agent uniform, I'd just wear a custom black Geek Squad polo. If this could actually happen, I'd be eternally grateful. We'll just have to see, I guess. As for now, it's 3:00, the installation of Windows on that Dell is a success, and I'm currently on CD number 15 in the process of duplicating roughly 90 CDs for my band's demo. Adios muchachos! (sp?)

2005-11-22T23:03:00.000-06:00

It's so tiring though.

2005-11-22T03:42:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I realized I haven't been posting on this thing as much as I said I would, but look... there's good reason for it. I've just been so busy and tired lately. I'm working at Best Buy like 90% of the time, sleeping 5% and doing everything else during the last 5%.

We've been gearing up and now it's officially been released for 3 hours and 42 minutes. Xbox 360. Anyone else find it ironic that Microsoft was the last company to roll out a console, and then they turn around and become the first to roll out the revision of their console. Hell, I'm not going to lie... the thing is pretty damn cool. My theory holds true still, however. When PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube were released, most of the games pretty much sucked (as compared to the ones being released now... not to mention the double release for Xbox, PS2, AND Xbox 360)... so why should I go rushing to buy a brand new Xbox 360 for upwards of $400 just to play games that aren't that impressive yet? I'll do what I did with PS2, and wait until the other 2 consoles are coming out, and games are actually starting to get pretty descent.

I'm so tired. I LOVE Engadget... seriously, I'm almost addicted to that as much as I am with Myspace. Although Engadget did scare the hell out of me with the whole "no more Cingular... because at&t is back" thing. I was about to be like welp... back to Verizon I go! Ah, I can't say that... I love my GSM and SIM cards too much! tee hee.

Right now I'm just aching and hurting for a few more Macs. I figure I'm not ready enough to get all my money tied up in a brand new 15" Powerbook, so I'm just going to venture after an Intel-based Mac Mini when they roll out, and then steal a 12" iBook Clamshell off eBay... and finally take advantage of my damn wireless router. I've had this router for so long,and the antenna basically is worthless. My 2 computers in the basement are wired, and so is the iMac upstairs!

Alright, I'm getting out of here. I just got a woosh of "man I'm really fuckin tired."

Dinner is served.

2005-11-12T21:25:00.000-06:00

Looks yummy.

I'm really hungry.

2005-11-12T19:20:00.000-06:00

Okay, so tonight I'm going to eat at Ruby Tuesday (hopefully) with Lindsey. (and maybe Sarah?) I'm pretty "amped" as Lindsey said... but what the frick, she's still pretty much at work. The time now = 7:16 and I'm really hungry. I shouldn't have done what I did... which was look at the menu beforehand. Now I know what I want and I really want to order it now. Well, then again, maybe it saved me a bunch of time... idk really.

I'm just trying to kill time right now because Lindsey said she'd call me back in a bit. In fact, she said "give me 10 minutes" ..so I'm gonna see if I can fill that entire 10 minutes with writing this post. I'll be pretty happy when she is finally the frick out of work and is all like "okay let's go!" because then it'll mean food time is imminent. Dang, the time of her calling back needs to come now.

I just realized this entire post is about Lindsey. I just realized this entire blog is basically about Lindsey. Hmm. Yay.

He's free now.

2005-11-10T23:42:00.000-06:00

Real text.

2005-11-10T03:58:00.000-06:00

Alright, I suppose I told myself I wouldn't really do what I've been doing. Which is only blogging pictures and not my actual feelings at the time. Sure this thing doesn't have little indicators, describing my mood with an emoticon or a showing of what music I'm listening to, graced with a link to purchase the CD on Amazon... but really, why do I need that?

I don't.

I'm really tired, the last few days have been pretty cool. Last night (Tuesday) at work, I put out a whole bunch of new mp3 players, and although I treat iPods and anything Apple creates as if it were a godsend, I've gotta say... Samsung and iRiver have some cool things out there as well. iRiver U10 is basically a video screen that you plug headphones into. Really neat looking. I still love iPod nano, and now that 5G iPod is out, the 2.5" video screen is really appealing. Who knows... I'd rather actually have a new Mac, and keep saving. Speaking of "saving," sucks that I rear-ended a guy on Saturday night. Hell, I don't think I'd even created this thing when I hit him. That sucked man. This has to do with "saving" because even though it only scratched his bumper and broke a reflector, he obviously got a $1500 estimate on repairs. I'm pretty sure the bumper won't need to be replaced. My theory is the estimate will be about $6 for a bottle of touch-up paint at Auto Zone. We'll see how that pans out. Pretty sure I'm not paying $1500 to replace some fucks bumper when although I'm "at fault" he shouldn't have stopped. Agh, doesn't matter.

It's now 2 minutes till 4, and I know I'm going to waste away my 2nd day off by sleeping away half of it. I'm curious to see how tomorrow pans out.

We are man!

2005-11-09T21:01:00.000-06:00

Man make fire.

Fashion is expensive.

2005-11-09T19:20:00.000-06:00

That thing was freakin 15 dollars. Yeah right.

I was at Greg's house.

2005-11-09T18:31:00.000-06:00

I'm not hungry.

Oh oh and i almost forgot...

2005-11-08T22:40:00.000-06:00

Wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man.

It's been a long day.

2005-11-08T22:18:00.000-06:00

My job here is done for the day. Hmm, it's rather warm and a little humid out this evening. Pleasant though. Home i go. Hopefully no accidents this time!

Objects may be closer than they appear

2005-11-08T14:44:00.000-06:00

Life's just a big blur sometimes... Then other times things come at you before you realize.

the Suffering

2005-11-08T11:58:00.000-06:00

I'm not going to lie Lindsey (if you see this) ...I was totally asleep when you called me, I was so tired. I'm supposed to be getting dressed so I can call you. But instead, I'm listening to The Suffering (Coheed and Cambria) play on Scott's Myspace profile on the other tab. I really like Firefox. In fact, I'm pretty sure everyone needs to go download Firefox. Google is the best company ever (that makes money.) Apple is number 2. Although they still reign number one as "coolest company ever." Motorola is neato. iDeN4LyFe.

I suppose I should really wrap this up and go get some lunch now. Or something. All this and on top of it I have to be at work at 3:30.

2005-11-08T02:46:00.000-06:00

Stop losing control and take command...

A damned word...

2005-11-08T01:27:00.000-06:00

I'm quite reluctant to actually create a "blog" account that I'll actually use. To date, this is my third try at some sort of public site, based on my current thoughts or... stuff like that. It's hard to have a journal like this when half of your friends hate the term "blog" and the other half don't know what one is. We'll see if this one actually ends up being useful, or if I stop posting on it about three months in.

What can I say? I'm just another Myspace addict and Xanga failure.