.......oh wait. I'm staying at the fabulous Air Force Inn for $30/night. Normally that's not a bad thing as the 'hotel' on Nellis Air Force Base is probably the nicest I've ever seen on a base. (Sidenote: Don't EVER stay on an Army base!) But they are struggling so far on this stay. My remote control doesn't work, no ESPN (seriously?), it took a half hour to check in, the internet is as slow as old-school dial-up, and I got a 6 a.m. wake-up call that I didn't order. That's a bad start.
Also, I'd like to share a little known Vegas fact. A section of it near the base actually smells worse than Terre Haute on its worst day. I kid you not, this place has a stench issue between I-15 and the base. Don't leave your vehicle unless it's an emergency.
I had an uneventful trip over here. And as excited as I've been about my new laptop, making my first trip with it has been even better. I packed for a week in a small duffel bag, mostly because my laptop is the size of a hardback novel. On the flight from Dallas (where I connected) they showed the movie '21'. That's the movie about the MIT kids counting cards and making big money in Vegas playing blackjack. It was obviously a fitting movie to watch on the way to Vegas, and was a pretty decent story. I'm sure they had to compress the technical details to keep the movie interesting, but I seriously doubt that counting cards is that efficient and effective. I'll try it tonight (jk), but tables just can't get 'hot' that easily.
So, ya know how I said I only travel about once a month? Yeah, about that......I'm suddenly booked pretty full for travel between now and Christmas with trips to Purdue, Univ. of Michigan (both to interview grads), DC for two meetings, back here to Vegas again, and my Alabama golfing trip now looks like poor timing. I think I only have about 15 days actually at my desk until next year. NO MAS!
OK, it's almost 7 a.m. here and I need to finish getting ready and head over for work. I may post again this week if anything interesting happens (that's fit for parents' and grandparents' ears, of course! ;-)
See ya!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Dental Arrogance, Reinforced!
(Text-only post warning. Taking pictures of myself isn't normal.....)
So, I haven't visited a dentist since before the first (stupid) Saw movie. For those not up on horror porn (slang term, not literally porn), the first Saw film was released in 2004. The FIFTH Saw movie comes out this weekend. So sad....(*insert your own anecdote about declining human morals here*)
Anyway, back to my dentistry story. I last visited the dentist in 2002, I think. It's been quite some time, anyway. Well, paranoia and my general attempt to take care of myself a little better led me to go to the dentist today. My main criteria for selecting a dentist was name-length and overall pronunciation difficulty. Bonus points if it sounds like you're putting a spell on someone with the name. Dr. Dibenedetto won the prize (Dr. Alakazaam was booked). Bottom line: no cavities. The claims that one should get their teeth cleaned every 6 months is possibly more ridiculous than the engine oil companies saying "change your oil every 3000 miles". Can I also ask why they tell you things like "your gums are going to bleed a little bit, but if you floss more and come in for more cleanings that won't happen."? Human beings shouldn't fall for tricks like that. Look at the weapon they are using. It's a sharp, bent piece of metal! Name any other part of your body that would stop bleeding if you jabbed it with pointed metal more often???? That just doesn't make any sense. Denstists are sadistic...
Not really. Deep down I know I should take care of these teeth. I will likely start going every 6 months now, but I'm not going to be afraid to cancel if I'm busy! (And I may get that weird front tooth thing fixed. Dr. Bibbity-bobbity-boo said it would only cost about $100 and be pretty easy to do.)
On to other news....
I'm not going to be able to come home this weekend because my final project is due friday night for my "Foundations of Effective Management" class, and I have to travel to Vegas monday. I won't complain about trips to Vegas, although it's pretty easy to be tired of traveling in general. I only travel about once a month though, so it's not a big deal. I get back on Halloween.
This year I'm helping coach an 8th grade basketball team. A guy I work with has a son that plays in the lower levels of competition and he asked if I'd help. They only practice twice a week, and these kids aren't even going to play in high school. They are just there for fun, and that's fine. I'm sure it will be a learning experience, and hopefully a good time too.
Alright, I'm typed out. I got sick (again!) this past week, but I'm pretty much back to normal. I think blogging may be weakening my immune system.....
So, I haven't visited a dentist since before the first (stupid) Saw movie. For those not up on horror porn (slang term, not literally porn), the first Saw film was released in 2004. The FIFTH Saw movie comes out this weekend. So sad....(*insert your own anecdote about declining human morals here*)
Anyway, back to my dentistry story. I last visited the dentist in 2002, I think. It's been quite some time, anyway. Well, paranoia and my general attempt to take care of myself a little better led me to go to the dentist today. My main criteria for selecting a dentist was name-length and overall pronunciation difficulty. Bonus points if it sounds like you're putting a spell on someone with the name. Dr. Dibenedetto won the prize (Dr. Alakazaam was booked). Bottom line: no cavities. The claims that one should get their teeth cleaned every 6 months is possibly more ridiculous than the engine oil companies saying "change your oil every 3000 miles". Can I also ask why they tell you things like "your gums are going to bleed a little bit, but if you floss more and come in for more cleanings that won't happen."? Human beings shouldn't fall for tricks like that. Look at the weapon they are using. It's a sharp, bent piece of metal! Name any other part of your body that would stop bleeding if you jabbed it with pointed metal more often???? That just doesn't make any sense. Denstists are sadistic...
Not really. Deep down I know I should take care of these teeth. I will likely start going every 6 months now, but I'm not going to be afraid to cancel if I'm busy! (And I may get that weird front tooth thing fixed. Dr. Bibbity-bobbity-boo said it would only cost about $100 and be pretty easy to do.)
On to other news....
I'm not going to be able to come home this weekend because my final project is due friday night for my "Foundations of Effective Management" class, and I have to travel to Vegas monday. I won't complain about trips to Vegas, although it's pretty easy to be tired of traveling in general. I only travel about once a month though, so it's not a big deal. I get back on Halloween.
This year I'm helping coach an 8th grade basketball team. A guy I work with has a son that plays in the lower levels of competition and he asked if I'd help. They only practice twice a week, and these kids aren't even going to play in high school. They are just there for fun, and that's fine. I'm sure it will be a learning experience, and hopefully a good time too.
Alright, I'm typed out. I got sick (again!) this past week, but I'm pretty much back to normal. I think blogging may be weakening my immune system.....
Monday, October 13, 2008
Short Ramblings from a BUSY Weekend
It has been a busy weekend! I just got done writing a 5-page paper for my 'Foundations of Effective Management' class, so if anybody is interested in ING's Asia/Pacific Insurance company's efforts to align their human resources with their strategic execution - I'm your man. Overall this was a reasonably crappy week, but those happen once in awhile.....
Friday I went out with friends for a bit of a 'going away' party. My friend Sameer is 'going away' (to DC). We ended up at the Soft Rock karoake establishment. While there I stumbled upon an undeniable fact. The song 'Poison' by Bel Biv Devoe has very forgettable verses and more rap than you think, and only sings the chorus (which everyone knows) twice. Don't be fooled into 'helping' on this little number. It's futile. A youtube video for your amusement.....
Saturday I went to Brett Pagel's wedding, which was lovely (what else is there to say about a wedding?). I skipped out of the reception a little early because another friend of mine recently went to DC to work for the FBI, and he made a surprise trip back into Dayton. So I met up with him and we went to "King's Table". There I learned 2 things. 1) Their skee ball game is not of regulation length. 2) Even though the small hole on the top right says '100', the game only gives you 50 points. Don't be fooled.
Sunday I became more constructive with my time, and helped a guy that I work with move into his house. Sadly when I showed up it was just him, his fiance, and one other dude, none of which weighed even 150 pounds. If I'm your 'muscle' for a move, you've got problems.
I got my fancy new laptop in the mail on wednesday! I didn't really know exactly what I was getting into with this thing, but it's actually turned out A O K. I had some Linux-y trouble the 2nd day when trying to update some software, but other than that it works like a dream. It is REALLY small, but just big enough to be able to touch-type with no problems. And it boots up in ~15 seconds. And, AND, it has a bootleg version of Tetris on it! All for $350! (And my other laptop is officially DEAD. The board is no good. I'll be using it to try my first sell on eBay as soon as I get a chance to post the dumb thing.....)
It's almost midnight, so I'm gonna mail this in instead of filling you in with more boring details of the last week. I might come home next weekend - TBD.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Going Green, Turning White (?), and Oozing Geek
It's basically been another uneventful week here. I'm not sick anymore and the dog hasn't had anymore seizures (or whatever that was). I did go see Jim Gaffigan, and the guy is still funny. He had all new material, other than doing his famous Hot Pockets routine. Here's a clip of his old stuff, if you're just looking to be entertained for 10 minutes.
On with the blog.....
*WARNING - Bad movie reference upcoming* I have blown up no less than 3 computers in the last 2 weeks. I think I'm turning into that guy from the movie Powder. For those that haven't seen this lame movie, the guy from Powder was an albino with superhuman intellect and extreme magnetic fields around his body, apparently due to his mother being struck by lightning while pregnant. The only part I'm referencing is the extreme magnetic field part. My skin is the same hue, and I don't believe I've gotten appreciably smarter or dumber recently.
Two of the 3 computeres were at work. Actually I destroyed the same one twice, but that's splitting hairs. The computer at work is a significant annoyance, but in the end it's no skin off my back. HOWEVER, the other computer was my laptop. I bought that laptop last spring, and it has been a piece of junk from day 1. I highly don't recommend Windows Vista Home Basic, and the same can be said of Compaq Presario laptops. Friday I gave it to my friend that works on computers to see if he can get my pictures off of it. Hopefully he's successful, but either way I'll be pillaging it for parts when I get it back. I can't possibly survive without a laptop, so I've purchased a replacement which I can't WAIT to get in the mail.
I bought something that has become known as a Netbook. It's possible many of you have heard of these before, but I wouldn't bet on it. The one I bought is the Acer Aspire One. Basically it's a super-small laptop (9" screen) with smaller memory and computing capability that is really just meant to be super mobile and used for basic internet surfing. Most, including mine, come with what is called a solid-state drive (SSD). This is what you find in smaller memory iPods, cameras, etc. The bottom line is that it doesn't spin up like conventional hard-drives. Blah, blah, blah. No one reading this cares.
Here comes the really geeky part. Since it only has a 16GB hard-drive, Windows is a bit much for it. So it has a Linux operating system (Linpus Linux Lite to be exact). Using Linux may actually make me more pale and I'll need to be alot smarter to be a 'power-user', so my Powder comparison could be coming true soon. Stay tuned.....
On with the blog.....
Going Green
OK, so I'm making the plunge. I bought some plastic tubs at Target, and I'm sorting paper from glass/metal/plastics. This is the only good thing that came from a couple of dates with a girl from Cincinnati. She was surprised I threw away beer bottles. Amy, if you're reading this, that was a valid point. See ya never....
Turning White????
*WARNING - Bad movie reference upcoming* I have blown up no less than 3 computers in the last 2 weeks. I think I'm turning into that guy from the movie Powder. For those that haven't seen this lame movie, the guy from Powder was an albino with superhuman intellect and extreme magnetic fields around his body, apparently due to his mother being struck by lightning while pregnant. The only part I'm referencing is the extreme magnetic field part. My skin is the same hue, and I don't believe I've gotten appreciably smarter or dumber recently.
Two of the 3 computeres were at work. Actually I destroyed the same one twice, but that's splitting hairs. The computer at work is a significant annoyance, but in the end it's no skin off my back. HOWEVER, the other computer was my laptop. I bought that laptop last spring, and it has been a piece of junk from day 1. I highly don't recommend Windows Vista Home Basic, and the same can be said of Compaq Presario laptops. Friday I gave it to my friend that works on computers to see if he can get my pictures off of it. Hopefully he's successful, but either way I'll be pillaging it for parts when I get it back. I can't possibly survive without a laptop, so I've purchased a replacement which I can't WAIT to get in the mail.
Ooooozing Geek
I bought something that has become known as a Netbook. It's possible many of you have heard of these before, but I wouldn't bet on it. The one I bought is the Acer Aspire One. Basically it's a super-small laptop (9" screen) with smaller memory and computing capability that is really just meant to be super mobile and used for basic internet surfing. Most, including mine, come with what is called a solid-state drive (SSD). This is what you find in smaller memory iPods, cameras, etc. The bottom line is that it doesn't spin up like conventional hard-drives. Blah, blah, blah. No one reading this cares.
Here comes the really geeky part. Since it only has a 16GB hard-drive, Windows is a bit much for it. So it has a Linux operating system (Linpus Linux Lite to be exact). Using Linux may actually make me more pale and I'll need to be alot smarter to be a 'power-user', so my Powder comparison could be coming true soon. Stay tuned..... The most relevant end-result of this purchase is that I can now create a Christmas list. Historically I have been pretty bad at giving people ideas for things I want for christmas. Even though I told Grandma on the phone that I usually don't ask for tech-y things for Christmas, I'm going to make an exception here because these are pretty cheap. Here are 3 things I would LOVE to have for my new gadget that are within reasonable price ranges for the Christmas (and birthday) seaons.
- 16GB SD Memory Card - I'm not set on this exact card if someone wants to get creative, but I'd like 16GB and it needs to be a 'class 6' card because it will need fast read/write rates. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220254
- External CD/DVD Drive - Netbooks are too small for internal CD drives. But it will still be super-handy to be able to copy things on and off of the machine via CD/DVD. Again, the exact drive isn't important, but the specs are what I'm shooting for. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151163
- 6-cell battery - The biggest strike against the Acer Aspire One is that it's battery only lasts for about 2.5 hours. This upgrade will take me to closer to 6 hours, and I'll still have the smaller one it came with. AWESOME! http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/04/6-cell-battery-emerges-for-acer-aspire-one-119-99-for-a-few-mo
Again, no big deal if I don't get any of these. If I don't, I'll probably just go buy them after christmas. But I will promise to NOT buy any of these before then. And if you aren't sure how to get one of these I can offer further ordering assistance.
I need to go read for class and hit the hay in anticipation for another monday morning. (I'm kinda sore because I got back into the habit of running this weekend.....) See ya!
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