Forgive me father, but it's been almost a month since...

I guess it's been a while since I last made an entry, although it's been a busy month, Digital Cable, Command and Conquer 3, cleaning up the apartment (and clean I did!). I found things that I haven't seen for a while and also reclaimed a lot of space, throwing out old law enforcement magazines. I'm hoping to move out of there and rent the basement of my friends house, which is in a lot better neighborhood and a lot quieter.

Also, I've been converting movies so that it'll transfer and play on my new media player. Last week I got a silicone skin for it and also a SD Card adapter so that I can transfer pictures from my camera (which I haven't been taking much lately) without having to wait till I get home and move them over to my computer, to the media player. I'm also looking forward to a new monitor, my friend offered to pay for it now and I pay him back later. I'll be getting a Sceptre 22" LCD DVI/VGA Monitor with a 2 ms response time from newegg.com. The current sale price is $248.00.

Next week I'll be gone, but will be back after that. Going to Colorado for a couple of days, I really need to get out of Minnesota for a little while. At least all my past issues are no longer current issues and thats less stress that I needed. I'm still debating on writing what they were, but for now, it's mine and mine alone.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Spring Cleaning

Spring is finally here and for some reason I got the cleaning bug. After of just piling my junk mail on the kitchen table, kitchen counter, living room shelves, on the floor and other places, I ended up sorting out what I needed to keep and dumped the stuff I should've thrown away. Part of the clean up is also a pre-cursor to packing it up and moving out of this place. A friend offered to rent out the downstairs part of his house.

His house is located in a quiet neighborhood with decent people and families living there. Now if he would only finish that part and if he's reading this, GIT 'R DUN!!! I'm just tired of putting up with all these inconsiderate unintelligent jackasses, with their loud parties till 4 or 5 in the morning, friends with their loud vehicles, gunning their engines, playing their music loud, washing laundry after 10 pm, slamming doors, disabling the security doors, throwing trash all over the place and even being lazy to the point of just dumping their garbage in the yard next door.

These are not people, they are animals, plain and simple. I moved out of downtown Minneapolis several years ago to get away from this kind of dumb sh*t, but it seems to have moved with me... I'm about to go to war with these people, I do have a full can of Freeze +P and am willing to use it all. I can get more and if possible, get the party version.

つづく ( To be continued... )

New mp3 (Portable Media) Player!

It's been a while, but Ihave been busy with work, lately it seems that after getting done with work, I just don't want to do anything or be with anyone... any way...

I recently got a new Portable Media player, a Creative Labs Zen Vision: W. It has a 60 gig drive, holds pictures, plays full length movies and a whole lot of music. Right now there isn't a lot of accessories available for it but I'll keep watching their site to see when it becomes available. I want to get a Compact Flash Adapter so that I can transfer my pictures from my camera to the Vision and also I'm waiting for either the leather case or a hard case instead of that cloth pouch that comes with it...

This past Friday, I went to see a movie with a friend, saw the movie Hills have Eyes 2 and I have to admit that I wasn't impressed with the movie, it's ok, a little bit of flesh (both ways, if you know what I mean), lots of blood and thats pretty much about it. What I really want to see and can't wait for is The Transformers Movie that is coming in July and Spiderman 3.

On the upcoming Friday, I'll be picking up Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, i've been playing the demo and am really impressed on the improvements that have been made since the first couple. It's a lot faster, both in play and loading and the graphics are very good. Don't get me wrong, I still play Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2: Special Forces, but I really enjoy a really good strategy, top down game. So if your ever online, look up tekbandit66.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Creative Labs and the Zen Micro mp3 player

On the 19th of this month, I attempted to contact Creative Lab's Technical support to fix a known issue with the Zen Micro and the Headset Jack. The headset jack is known to come loose from one of the solder points when the headset is accidentally yanked out from the plug. Well, the first time, I was able to RMA the Zen Micro This time, I knew that the Zen Micro is out of Warranty and I was willing to pay for repairs.

Well, I get an automated response to check the knowledge base, however upgrading the drivers or firmware will not fix the headset jack problem due to poor workmanship. I give them about a day or two to reply after responding to the automated email that non of the suggested resolutions are related to the headset jack on the 19th.

On the 21st, I still didn't hear anything from them and sent a follow up email inquiring if anyone is monitoring the emails coming in? Still no response, then finally on the 23, today, I sent this:

There was a time that I regarded CLI's customer
support really good, however recently it appears that
this is not correct.  No reply since my issue was
first mentioned and no replies to any of my replies to
the initial email that was automatically generated.

I was not looking to get the headset jack on the Zen
Micro fixed for free, but I was willing to pay for the
repair which is no longer needed.

I have been a creative labs customer since the late
80's and have continued to purchase creative labs
products without any issues, until now.

I would also like to mention that experience with
purchasing products within the past 2 years directly
from Creative Labs have been rather poor.  I get the
feeling that Creative Labs Attitude is "So what if you
have bought our stuff, go away and don't bother us."

At this time, I'm not really upset, but somewhat
frustrated because of the lack of response.  I hope
that this can be improved, I feel that Creative Labs
has the potential to come out on top and feel that you
have the best sound products out there.

Still no response...

I have since purchased another mp3 player, but not because of the headset jack, but because the new one (another Creative product) the Vision W in a 60 gig model. I wanted to get the headset jack issue repaired because I was giving away my Zen Micro to a friend and didn't want her to have to go through the trouble of the sound cutting out when the jack is moved...

If this is the way a company treats it's customers by ignoring them, then I think it's time to reconsider in future purchases of that company's products. I was pretty forgiving when I had made purchases directly from them and they got my order completely wrong, but I don't think I'll be as forgiving the next time, if there is a next time, which may not happen.

つづく ( To be continued... )

If I were to meet and date a Female Superhero, I guess it would be her...

つづく ( To be continued... )

New Stuff!

This past weekend, spent too much money, upgraded my cell phone and re-upped my contract for my phone. I picked up a new Microphone, Mic stand and Headsets for my podcast. Other than that, it was a great weekend. I'll also be looking forward to the middle of the month, I'll be upgrading my cable service to digital cable.

With the digital cable, I'll be able to watch programs from Japan (mostly Japan) but they also cover China, Korea and India. The AZN Television station has some really interesting looking programs, so I can't wait till it arrives. As for the Cell Phone, I upgraded from a Black Razor V3 to a V3xx, which doubles as a mp3 player and also has G3, which is what Japan currently everyone there has. The Mic, I recently got was a Audio-Technica dynamic mic with a stand and Pop filter to get a cleaner sound. I also picked up an AKG K 240 Studio quality headphones. I really like the AKG headphones, but am really impressed with the K 240's, I get a richer bass and the sound quality is crystal clear.

With the audio upgrade, I'm currently on working on this months podcast, which should be up by the middle of this month. It seems that I'm averaging about 20 hits a day. If those numbers increase, I'm considering on doing a live show, but that's later...

つづく ( To be continued... )

My Games Fever

My Games Fever
Originally uploaded by TekBandit66.

I guess people really do win... I called in on January 1st and answered the question correctly, it was a picture of the word hot and a picture of a Daschund, so the answer was HotDog.

The host at the time told me to hold on and an operator will take down my information. I was then told that I would have to fill out some forms before the money would be sent. I figured "Eh, if it comes, it comes, if not, then no big thing" this way I wouldn't be disappointed if it turned out to be a fake.

Well, about a week later, I get a note from FedEx saying that a package was supposed to be delivered but because I wasn't home to sign for it, another attempt would be made on Monday the following week. So I made arrangements to go down and pick it up at the FedEx pickup location. Well, it turned out to be just a shirt...

On the same day (Friday), a letter had arrived for me to notarize and send back, the release form. Well, did that on Monday and sent it in that day, that was on the 8th. I didn't hear back from then and pretty much gave up. Until Yesterday. I got the check!! $300.00!! Woo Hoo!! So, now it'll go into my account and sit there until next payday so that next Friday I can pick up a new mp3 player by Creative Labs, the Zen Vision: W in a 30 gig size. Right now I have a Zen Micro, but the headset plug is going, when add slight pressure in a certain way, the sound cuts out and I've had it for a couple of years now, so it's time to upgrade...

In the meantime, I have my DS and due to a co-worker getting me into New Super Mario Bros. I've been playing that quite often.

つづく ( To be continued... )

The Vicious Bed Bunnies and Evil Shoelace Snakes...

Samantha is my apartment guardian, protecting at night before falling asleep from the vicious bed bunnies that run rampant on the bed, under my sheets. She'll see them moving either towards or away from me and pounce on them before they can do whatever harm that they do. Once she catches them, she'll rapid kick and bite them trying to make sure that they don't return later at night when I am deep in sleep.

Samantha will also make sure that after a night of vicious bed bunny attacks that may have kept me awake during the night, she'll wake me up with the alarm clock so that I can get ready for work. Then as a safety precaution, she'll keep a lookout in the bathroom while I take a shower and makes sure that I shave and brush my teeth correctly. However, she hates it when I put my socks on cause she'll block my feet from putting on the socks or just that she feels that she should be petted for the good job she's done so far and to get her attention in before I leave the apartment.

As I'm putting on my shoes, she'll attack and tries to eat the Evil Shoelace Snakes, mostly because they wrap them selves around my ankle (or at least the around the top of my boots) and hide under the cuffs of my pants until I get home.

Later tonight, I'll have pictures of my pepper plants that I had planted seeds only last week and are now sprouting. I was surprised on how fast they were growing. I had seeds from a chili plant and a harbenaro plant. I had the peppers drying for a while and finally the original harbenaro plant passed away. I decided to start again from seed instead of from a plant. Well over the weekend, the sprouts started to show and I was pretty surprised considering I had just planted them last week.

Also, I hope to get pictures of the last remaining lights from the holidays, last night I had seen some that would make for interesting shots but didn't have my tripod with me.

つづく ( To be continued... )

My Games Fever

I'm not sure how many states are able to watch this program, but yesterday, I was just relaxing at home, getting over my self induced brain fog and was channel surfing. Earlier that day (real early in the morning) I had just completed and uploaded my Premiere podcast and was just seeing what was on and came across the show My Games Fever. It caught my attention with the current challenge that was on with a fairly good looking woman hosting the game and had guessed what the answer was when I decided to give it a try.

By the time I had called in, I had missed my chance at winning $3,000.00 and figured I'd just give up and see what else was on. I was watching Mike Rowe's Dirty Jobs when I got a call back from the show. It was a $300.00 question, the host asked for my name and location and I gave it, then he asked for the answer, which was hotdog. They turned me over to the operator, they got my information and informed me that I would have to fill out some paper work and also a t-shirt.

What a way to start the new year! I'm going to see if my luck continues... if it does, you'll read about it here.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Happy New Year / Omedeto Gozaimasu!

Here goes another year, yet to be seen how it goes. I've finally completed my Premiere Podcast and it is a bit large. I'm still looking for a different host... well, actually I do have one, but I'm still trying to figure out how to use it. Eventually the links will change once I have it or give it a try, it's used by a lot of people and its free. Click or right click here to listen or download the file.

I'll add the lists and information that I used in my podcast for those who want to read it. Mostly it'll be in romanji for those that don't or unable to read Kana. I also hope to upgrade my microphone for voice quality purposes.

Well, for those who didn't know, I used to work for a Japanese format radio station. I just may have to locate those pictures and put them on my flickr account. For the longest time, I've been trying to avoid having pictures of myself on here, but I suppose, since I do have a website, I might as well put my pictures there as well...

つづく ( To be continued... )

My Podcast Pilot

I've finally started my podcast. With the pilot now available by clicking Pilot Podcast either by right clicking and select "save as..." or by clicking on the link and listening online. This will give everyone that listens to it a taste of things to come. It's been a while so I'm a little rusty, not to mention working with new technology compared to what I used to work with... it'll be a short time to get better for everyones listening enjoyment.

Hopefully in the future, I'll find a better hosting site for these podcasts which for now, will be released on a monthly basis.

つづく ( To be continued... )

I am Cleric TekBandit

I've watched this movie that was released in 2002 and stars Christian Bale called Equilibrium, the synopsis of the movie is set in the future, in an attempt to end wars and maintain peace, humankind has outlawed the things that trigger emotion -- literature, music, and art. To uphold the law, a special breed of police is assigned to eliminate all transgressors, known as Clerics. They control emotions with drugs which suppresses all human emotions, any items that could invoke emotions are illegal.

Two issues in the movie that I found interesting, quite possible (maybe only in theory) and how could I apply it to my everyday life. One was the removal of emotion. Imagine how much more efficient a person could be, espcially in certain careers. One of those careers that come to mind would be law enforcement. Another would be the military and yet one other would be in computers.

I guess to a certain degree, I do have a lack of emotion. This keeps people guessing as to what I'm thinking, to some, somewhat uncertain of me. I guess this is why a really good friend and mentor to me once called me the Ice Man (although I prefer SubZero). However, because I am human (some people may think otherwise...) I do, at times exhibit emotions.

The other issue which is related to the first is the so called Gun Kata. I've been practicing martial arts for quite sometime now. If there were really such a thing as Gun Kata, I would be really interested in learning the technique. In order to be truly effective and proficient at it, a total removal of emotions is necessary.

The Gun Katas. through analysis of thousands of recorded gunfights, the Cleric has determined that the geometric distribution of antagonists in any gun battle is a statistically predictable element.
The Gun Kata treats the gun as a total weapon, each fluid position representing a maximum kill zone, inflicting maximum damage on the maximum number of opponents while keeping the defender clear of the statistically traditional trajectories of return fire.

つづく ( To be continued... )

To To To

Not very many Americans remember this day, to most, it's just another day. The title of this post was the attack code given to the Japanese pilots to commence the attack on Pearl Harbor which started at 07:55 with the 1st of 2 waves attacked several key locations in Hawaii, with Pearl Harbor as being the most memorable.

My aunt would tell me about it. She remembers sitting on the porch of their home and seeing the Japanese fighters flying so low to the ground, you could actually see the rivets.

NIITAKAYAMA 1208, Moichido 1208

A Day that will live in Infamy

IJVB (Internet Japan Virtual Broadcasting Network)

It's a late start but I've decided to join the Podcasting community and add one more to the mix. I'm hoping that this will stand out among the millions that are out there, mostly using my experience from the days of working for a Radio Station in Hawaii called KZOO radio. KZOO was a AM radio station, presenting a Japanese format radio station bringing music and news from Japan and also including some local fair as well.

Currently I'm working on trying to contact the major record labels in Japan and try to get them to send me promotional music from new and current artist that they would like to showcase either emerging artist or artist that have new albums that they have recently released or about to be released.

I believe that there is a market for this type of entertainment with the millions of Japanese nationals either immigrating, working or studying in the U.S. I would also like to showcase artists from Hawaii, both new and old artists. Right now, I'm in the planning and setup phase of my first podcast. I hope to start off with a half hour podcast and eventually make it an hour long show. If it eventually does become popular, I just may decide to make it live. For a live show, I'll need to see about getting sponsers to keep up with the cost of live broadcasting.

つづく ( To be continued... )

TekWar / IT Heirarchy

TekWar / IT Heirarchy
Originally uploaded by TekBandit66.

As I was sitting around late one night, I came up with the idea how IT is a parallel to IT. You have your CIO (Chief Information Officer) below him you have your department heads and so on and so forth. The image is from a quick org chart I created to visually state the relation between the two. Basically you have your daily battles of trying to keep the networks from falling apart, in order to do this, you have your soilders in a ever present, never ending battle with both technology and the ever elusive Murphy.

The mercenaries of IT are usually contractors, usually only there for the money, the "hired guns" of IT if you will. Mercenaries are also usually employees that stick around until something that offers better money (pay, salary, etc...) Below them, you have other types of people...

You could even modernize it and compare IT to the Military. However I like the Feudal Japan system better, without having to commit seppuku.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Stupid is as Stupid does... and NO, I'm not your pass around drunken bitch...

Here I go again... I hate it when people don't know the names of the tools of their job, the correct names. You don't go to a mechanic that calls an air wrench an air hose or you don't take your car in for repairs and say that your car has no gas when you need to get a new battery just because the car doesn't start. It really, really pisses me off when a person that is performing a job they were hired to do and don't know how to use the tools of that job. This is like being hired to be a firefighter and don't know how to fight fires.

Just because a person knows what it is and what it needs to do, that doesn't mean everyone knows what your thinking or thinks like that person. I may be intuitive, but I am not psychic and just because I work for a particular company, supporting equipment, that doesn't mean I know everything about everyones jobs. It's like a cashier working at a automotive repair shop, just because that person can ring up the bill, that doesn't mean that person knows how to fix a vehicle.

Now on to the other part of the title.

Another thing that really pisses me off is when you get a call (another clue to what I do as a job) and after resolving that issue, the person states that they have someone else there that needs to talk to you regarding the same or another issue, eventually you get passed around to just about everyone there. Just because they don't want to go through the phone menu and having to wait for someone to answer. You have a dozen other people waiting for someone to answer the phone and help resolve their issue and you'd rather make everyone else wait just to advance your own agenda. It's like standing in a line, waiting for your turn and someone in front of you lets their friends and family ahead of you to cut in line, that's rude and inconsiderate.

The other thing I really hate is those people that call you while their issue is being resolved, but they called so that they wouldn't have to spend time going through all the menu items and having to wait, so does that mean I'll have to waste my time waiting for the resolution or having to try and resolve the issue myself and maybe not having to deal with anything while I could have been help someone else with more immediate needs? You Selfish Bastard/Bitch!

What it boils down to is learn to use and the names of the tools of your job, don't waste my time, cause unlike you, I have other things that I need to be doing and don't have the time to be just waiting hand and foot on you. Get off your lazy asses and be considerate of other people cause unlike you, they have more pressing issues that need resolution. Also, if need be, take a computer class.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Upgrade almost complete

The upgrade is about 90 percent complete. I just have to install the last couple pieces of software and it'll be done. So far I've noticed an increase in perfomance while working with sound files. From the short time I played Battlefield 2, I've noticed a little more details, like now I can see rocks and particles when things are blown up, the puff of smoke with a shot hits something other than the target...

つづく ( To be continued... )

The new computer setup

The new computer setup 17
Originally uploaded by TekBandit66.

Samantha decided to watch me put my computer together, in order to get comfortable, she used the protective foam from the video card box as a bed. She didn't move until I was ready to plug in the power and start it up. It took about 3 - 4 hours total time to put it all together, I'm sure it would've taken less time if I worked straight.

While putting the computer together, I realized I was much happier than doing anything else. Then again, it's not everyday that I take apart a computer and put it together again, let alone upgrade a computer everyday.

Once I got the computer to power up, I had to switch the DVD drives's with the Hard drives from the motherboard IDE controller to the IDE controller card as I had intended to do. This was because, for some reason, the onboard IDE controller is setup like a secondary controller, so with the IDE controller card is like the primary. After swapping that, it booted up but before getting to the login screen, it would reboot. Turns out that I needed to reload Windows XP so that the OS would recognize the new CPU.

As of this entry, I'm slowly still installing programs that I had previously installed... So it's slow going...

つづく ( To be continued... )

IT'S ALIVE!

All the parts had arrived yesterday, picked them up from my friends house. After getting home, I wasn't in an extreme rush to get the computer up, so I took my time taking out the old stuff and replacing it with the new parts. I was basically planning out the install as I was doing it. Samantha decided that the protective foam for the video card was a good place to lay down and watch me work on the computer (got a picture that I'll put up later). Everything went well, almost well, after getting the CPU fan on the processor and tried to reinsert the motherboard tray back into the case, the fan hit part of the case, it was just a little bit higher than the opening. Ended up having to remove the fan, inserting the motherboard tray and then re-installing the fan.

I took pictures of all the steps that I took and should have them posted to my flickr account soon. I'll have to install a new copy of Windows, as soon as that is done, I'll have all the pictures up and back online for a round of Battlefield 2 or two.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Intel Core 2 Duo

Parts have been ordered on Friday, now, just waiting for the parts to arrive, selected 3 day shipping, so I'm guessing that it should be at my friends house on either Wednesday or Thursday, I just hope that the video card arrives at the same time as the rest of the parts. The bulk of the parts (Motherboard, CPU, CPU Fan, Memory and Power supply) were ordered through Newegg and the PCI-e video card was ordered through Crucial (Micron).

Why did I order the video card through Crucial and not have it all through Newegg? Well, the Radeon X1600 from ATI has GDDR2 memory installed on it, while the Crucial built card using the ATI chipset, which is also a Radeon X1600 has the GDDR3 memory installed. Also, for the same model with the better memory, it was $40 cheaper.

Now after this upgrade, I hope that I can save enough money to get the new Nikon D80 Digital SLR camera. I currently have an Olympus (as mentioned in my previous entries) and so far it's been doing a good job of taking photos, but I want to do more. Nothing like going pro but still, I find myself getting frustrated because of the limited features of the camera.

Well, found out that the video card has arrived, wasn't expecting that till tomorrow. Unfortunately, the rest of the parts won't arrive till the 19th, Thursday. I guess I've waited this long, I can wait one more day...

つづく ( To be continued... )

Excaliber

My Sleep pose is:

Find your own pose!

I was reading an article about sleep in the Star Tribune regarding couples and what happens and how it affects relations between couples. Pretty interesting article, according to the researcher, nothing of this type of study has been done before, which I find it interesting because we all do it, no one has really given it much thought as to how it affects couples.

Well, tonight is the night that the new computer get ordered.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Thank you Nintendo!

If it wasn't for Nintendo creating the DS Lite, I'd be losing my mind and wouldn't know what to do with myself... My computer is out of order, I did troubleshooting on my computer and at first thought it was the video card, I then thought it may have been the AGP slot that was going bad, but after switching out the video card with a known good video card, that was not the case.

I then pulled the DIMM's and found that the 2 512k DIMMs that I have in there were the type of memory I normally wouldn't buy, but not paying attention and being that they were cheap at the time, I bought them. The 1st is a Samsung module, the 2nd is a Kingston. I tried switching them around, then I tried them one at a time and now the computer doen't boot up at all.

So, the Motherboard is still in good working condition, just the memory is bad. I'm about 90 percent sure that if new memory modules were installed, the board will boot. I'll just go through with the upgrade. So, I'll have a Biostar TDK 478 Intel chipset motherboard, Intel P4 2.53 Mhz CPU with a Zalman CPU cooler, a Linksys 10/100 LAN card and an ATI 9700 AGP video card with 128k of Video RAM for sale soon, included or sold seperately, a Antec 300 Watt ATX power supply.

I know what your asking, what am I planning to upgrade to? Well, I'm going to upgrade to an Intel DP965LT Socket T (LGA 775) motherboard with the built in sound card and LAN card that does 10/100/10000, 1 gig of Crucial DDR2 800 Mhz memory, a Core 2 Duo 2.13 Mhz CPU, a Zalman CPU Cooling Fan, an Antec Smartpower 450W Power supply and an Crucial Radeon X1600 PCI-e with GDDR3 GPU and 256k of Video memory. The Crucial Radeon was 40 dollars cheaper than the ATI and it came with a better GPU than the ATI...

Going back to the DS Lite, last week I picked up the Lego Star Wars 2 and True Swing Golf. I've been more into the Golf than the Lego Game, I guess secretly I've always been a virtual golfer... One other thing I've noticed since the computers been out of order, I've gotten more house work done and also ironed my dress shirts intead of just wearing them and looking as if I slept in them the night before.

I'm not looking forward to the next 2 days of walking to the bus stop to get to work, the weather predicted for those days are rain and eventually turning into snow. I guess I'll have to wear the boots and the long coat... I'll have to use the water resistant spray on the backpack so that the contents won't get wet.

On a side note, I don't know what has been causing it, but I've been having some pretty bizarre dreams lately, I can't remember any of them but I do remember that it was very strange. Last week, I dreamt something that made me wake up crying... all I can say is that it had something to do with a child dying, I don't remember if it was my child or someone elses child, but the dream was so emotional. In the past, I have had this happen 3 to 4 times before.

This past weekend had been a relaxing one, no contact with people, just me, the TV, Samantha and the DS Lite. With the exception of my friend coming over briefly with his son to visit Samantha and deliver some food items for the week. The only difficult decision I had was to decide on playing on the DS or watching TV... What would have made it perfect is deciding on what type of bait to use to catch fish.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Giving last rites to my PC

Last week my computer would either get video corruption on the desktop, not boot or just randomly shutdown. Well, after switching out the video cards, it has been determined that there is something on the motherboard that is causing the issue.

Well... after looking around for a suitable replacement (which there was none), I've decided to do a major upgrade to the PC. So in the mean time, I won't have internet access from home or more importantly, play Battlefield 2 online. If it wasn't for the DS Lite I recently got, I'd be going nuts, not being able to play any games. On a side note, Samantha is much more happy cause I don't have a computer for now. Only because I've been paying more attention to her.

つづく ( To be continued... )

My life as a country song (except way cooler and more futuristic)...

My computer is not working the way it should, I suspect the video card is going on it, I keep getting video corruption on the desktop, the PC will shutdown either while booting, in the BIOS or while logged in. So, for now, no Battlefield 2, no email from home, no pictures to Flickr...

My car is basically falling apart, the Front CV shaft (front drive car), the boots have a split in them and are loose. The right side makes a clicking noise when I turn to the right, we (my friend and I) tried to get the disc brake off cause the nut wouldn't come off, he sprayed it with WD-40 and waited, tried to pound it off, even tried an air wrench... in the end, we gave up. The engine is leaking oil, the right side blinker is shorted out. There's a CD stuck in the player that won't eject... the CD will play, but I hate the music on it... The stereo, only 1 speaker works out of the 2, the 2 rear speakers are missing... I have to admit, I've had better cars for the same amount I paid...

Well, at least I have a Nintendo DS Lite, however the only game that I have for it is the Atari Retro games... I still have cable... I still have a bottle of Cuevo Black... Samantha is still with me... I suppose without the computer, I could spend quality time with Samantha, I've been neglecting her for Battlefield 2, so at least she'll like that. I could get other things done that I've been putting off for a while, like cleaning up the apartment.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Grilled Steak and Chicken

Grilled Steak and Chicken
Originally uploaded by TekBandit66.

This past weekend, I treated my friend and his family to dinner. Since the apartments that I live in doesn't allow grills of any kind and he had a grill, it was a good compromise. I made steak and chicken for our dinner, the steaks were from the Black Angus, a New York Strip, the chicken was this new type that Cub Foods started carrying that the chickens were raised without any drugs or vitamins.

Well, everyone enjoyed my cooking so much that just about everyone was stuffed...lol I have to admit, I really enjoy cooking for those who really appreciate it. Well, his son didn't care for the chicken so my friends Mom made him a cheese sandwich.. I didn't mind, I know that children can be fussy eaters, he did give the chicken a try though and I think he did try the steak... He did really enjoy the rice though...

After a meal like that, I was planning on making Kara Age chicken, but got lazy... so maybe Monday night, I'll pick up more chicken so that I can make it.

The weather is going to get cooler this week, I'm already planning on making red wine stew and Japanese brown curry. The curry, I want to make it with lamb, but the main markets don't carry it, so I'll have to see about going to a meat market to pick up some.

The Camry didn't get an upgrade this weekend, tried to take the CV shaft off the car, but the bolts holding in the brake pads were so stubborn, we gave up trying to take them off. I just hope that it'll last a while till I can save up for another car, till then, everytime I start out on a trip, I'll have to pray that the car won't give out in the middle of nowhere...

The Honey Crisp Apples made it into the stores, but the quality and the size is nowhere close to those at the farmers market, hopefully I'll still have enough money for the Famers Market this Thursday to get some.

I was also debating on getting a Nintendo DS for the bus ride to and from work, but somehow just can't justify the cost of getting one with a game, especially since there isn't a whole lot of a selection on games, oh well, guess I'll just stick with the mp3 player...

つづく ( To be continued... )

Honey Crisp Apples!!!

Tis' the season for Honey Crisp Apples, actually it's supposed to begin on September 15th, apparently there are some farms that have them early. Either way, I have to get them, they are so sweet, juicy and crunchy. The best ones are from the Farmers Market, cause they appear to be larger and those that you can get in the Market.

The weather since yesterday seems like fall already, the skies are mostly grey, the temperature has been a little cooler... I guess I prefer the cooler weather over the hotter weather, it makes it for better sleeping. I'd rather be bundled up and snug in my bed and blankets then being sprawled out all over the place, trying to get cool.

As I sit here at work, with a headache that doesn't seem to want to go away even after taking 2 tabs of aspirin. Riding the bus into work didn't help either. It seems the bus was busier than a week day. Then again, it may have been because of the grey, fall like weather. I don't mind riding the bus, mostly cause I save on gas, but some of the people on the bus should learn to use soap before getting on a mass transit system as a courtesy to the other riders. Sure occasionally you get your forever drunk riders that try to hide their alcohol in a soda bottle, but worse yet is someone who, lets face it, stinks.

By the way, contrary to what most people think, vodka does have a smell to it. No matter how you try to hide it or what others have told you, it smells like, alcohol, the rubbing kind. Why do I say this? I drink vodka occasionally and when I do, I prefer it either straight or on the rocks.

So far the Camry is still running, but I'm a bit worried about the CV joint, the clicking noise when I turn to the right, as I've been told by many people, is a sign that it needs to be replaced. Until I can buy a replacement part, I'll have to nurse the car as much as possible to avoid it breaking down a lot sooner than necessary.

Last night I made garlic bread with the rolls I picked up at the farmers market this past Thursday. I ended up eating about 3 pieces and Samantha didn't want to be around me for a while after that... I'm looking to make spaghetti tomorrow and I'll sautee' the mushrooms I picked up at the farmers market also. I'll sautee' them in butter and add some red wine, it'll be added to the marinara sauce.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Vehicle hardware upgrade version 90.00A

Little did I know that saving the screws from previous computer upgrades and builds would benefit my vehicle. The windshield wipers, from the previous owner was changed, apparently they took off the hardware for the wiperblades and tried to put the replacement blades directly on the wiper arm then put a screw in to hold the wiper blade onto the arm.

It was time for another replacement because it seemed as if the wiper blades were replaced previously about 10 years ago. To make a long story short, I was able to get both wiper blades off but ended up breaking the screw head off on one side, I got the new hardware on the arm but because I broke the screw on the other, at the time, thought I would have to wait till I got to a hardware store to get a replacement screw.

The next day after trying to figure out when I would be able to buy a replacement screw, it came to me that I have spare screws for the computer and thought that the size was pretty similar to the one that was broken. So, that night, after getting home, I had the hardware with me and picked out a screw that was pretty close and went out to the car, low and behold, it was the exact same size. What a relief that was...

つづく ( To be continued... )

The Human Walking Butt...

Oh the Joys of Public Transportation. On the bus ride home last night, a bus rider boarded the bus. Normally it wouldn't have caught my attention, less chronicle about the experience and or person, but (pun intended) he smelled so bad, either this guy was a sewer worker, never bathed in his life or just doesn't care. I'm going with the last two.

At first, after boarding the bus, mostly because I usually sit towards the middle of the bus, as he selected his seat, about 1 bench away... The stench from this guy was so bad, the woman in front of me eventually moved towards the back of the bus, trying to get away from his butt smell. Now I don't know if this guy uses toilet tissue after going to the bathroom or rubs his butt smell all over himself, but it was bad.

Now I can take smelling the occasional skunk scent when driving or walking past a skunk hiding off to the side, but eventually I had to open the bus window to let the air flow through and try to divert his funk away from me. This person appeared to be somewhat less than intelligent or stoned beyond reality. When he finally got off the bus, his funk stayed and seemed to get off at the next stop, to which I was so grateful, normally I would nap a bit on the way to the end of the line, but his funk kept me wide awake till about 3 stops after with the window open.

I think from now on, I'm going to do what I did in Japan, carry a bottle of cologne and a cloth handkerchief. You do that in Japan when your out doing the tourist stuff because if you have to use the public restrooms there, you'll be spraying the cologne into the handkerchief and holding it up to your nose and mouth while breathing through it. Enough said.

Thursday was a pretty good day, it was Farmers Market day in Downtown Minneapolis, I bought some really good red pears, really crunchy and sweet peaches, ginger, wild plum jam, the really, really good rolls and some Zucchini Nut bread. I wanted to get the potted basil plant, but decided not to. The habanero plant that I bought for a dollar about a month ago is doing pretty well now, got a sun lamp and some fertilizer for it, it looks as if more peppers are going to be coming out.

Now if I could pick up this RC vehicle that looks like a bug and shoots nerf darts called N.S.E.C.T for work... Nah, better not. I could just imagine starting something new, all these RC bugs walking around the office, shooting people. It might look like a scene out of the Movie Runaway starring Tom Selleck and Gene Simmons...

つづく ( To be continued... )

Engage Cluetrain blogospheres

I got a replacement vehicle, it's a 1990 Toyota Camery, missing the pipe from the Catalytic coverter to the resonator. It's a bit loud but at least now I can travel on the freeways instead of having to drive the back roads. It'll take a little work to get it in better shape, but at least it's mine, not the financial institution, but mine. Oh and the other thing I like about it, it's a manual transmission. I've realized that I like the manuals over automatics, mostly because you save a little bit more on gas.

Haagen Dazs has a really good flavor, a sorbet called Tropical Sorbet, it's a blend several types of fruits and it's SOOOOO Good! I ended up eating a pint of this sorbet all by myself. Oh, for you weight conscious readers out there, it's fat free. They also have a Mango flavor, which I am yet to try it out...

I also recently picked up a new set of headsets for my mp3 player, the sound is fairly good, the best part of it is, when I'm riding the bus, I can't hear anyone else but my music. For the price I paid for the headsets, it's pretty good, but not as good as my studio headsets from AKG, Shure makes the headsets which I was more familiar with the Microphones, but was a little hesitant about the headsets. They do have a better quality headset, but the suggested price was about 200 dollars... just a bit too much to use while riding the bus, but perfect for digital recording.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Flickr instead of textamerica

I found that Flickr is easier to use than Textamerica, plus more people that I know use Flickr, like my really good friend in Hawaii, whom I first met while I was a DJ for a Japanese radio station there. I ended up being his BBS tester whenever he added new features or upgraded his BBS. For those of you that don't know what BBS stands for, BBS is Bulletin Board Service. This was like the net of the dial-up days...

I've changed the slide show on the side from Textamerica to Flickr since I add more photos there than I do with the other.

Anyway, even to this day, every so often, my friend in Hawaii asks me to test things out on his website, which is now a forum for Firefly as well as other SciFi movies and shows. Now days he doesn't really have much time to add new things or upgrade his site because he's been having a house built in Hawaii, plus his job as a programmer for some kind of financial software (I think).

Also, since he does a lot of programming for Microsoft OS, I tend to ask him questions about Windows and such. As a matter of fact, without his advice and wisdom, I wouldn't be in computers, either building or trouble shooting them if it wasn't for him. Thanks Haken.

Catching a taxi the last 10 miles after the bus gets to the end of the line isn't all that bad, at least, if it wasn't for Uncle Pawlenty giving me money (Property Tax Refund), I wouldn't be able to do this and would've had to walk the last 10 miles. At the begining of the week, I didn't think I would've had enough money to do the 5 days of cab rides, but as it turned out and as luck would have it, I had just enough to get me through this work week. Now if my luck continues, that car that I was interested in hasn't sold yet, or at least I haven't gotten a call from the owner yet, I'll be able to check it out and also hopefully have my friend go along to check out the mechanical side of the car to make sure it's worth the asking price.

It seems that I'm lucky with finding vehicles and being able to purchase one, but it seems that I'm not lucky when it comes to owning them for very long. Since moving to Minnesota back in 1995, I have owned 7 vehicles plus 1 motorcycle, which I had shipped from Hawaii for a total of 8 vehicles... out of the 8, one of them was a brand new '96 Plymouth Breeze, which I really, really liked... Manual transmission, smooth ride, quiet and very economical fuel wise, but because I wasn't able to keep up with payments, the car got taken away. That's why since then I get used vehicles and pay for them up front instead of financing, this way, I own the vehicle and not have some financial institution own it and having to pay them for the use of it.

つづく ( To be continued... )

1 beats 10...

Well, I have to admit, walking 1 mile beats having to walk 10 miles... anyday. At least I know about how much it would cost to catch a cab from the Northtown Mall to the Riverdale Cub. I have the money to do this for at least 3 times and was thinking of walking the 10 miles on the 4th day. The difficult part would be taking in lunch that won't spoil on the ride into work. With the money that I would kind of save on the 4th day, I could buy stuff in downtown that won't spoil that I could keep at my desk.

Something to think about until I get to work tomorrow.

Hopefully that car that I found in an ad will still be available, if it is, I should have a replacement car by this weekend.

つづく ( To be continued... )

The next 4 days will be a test of endurance...

Tonight it shouldn't be that bad going home, just need to make sure that I can catch a cab from 41st Ave. in Columbia Heights, it'll be a bit more than the cab ride from my apartment to the Northtown Mall, which with tip came out to $25.00, but if I have to do this for the next 4 nights, it'll take me a while to make up the loss, not only that I don't have the money to do this because of the other thing that I need to take care of.

I figured that it'll come out to about $100.00 even if I were to take a cab from the last stop that the buses run to, which is in the Northtown Mall at the hour that I finish work and to make it there, if something urgent comes up at work, I won't be able to make it that far, cause the later buses only goes as far as 41st ave. There is no one that I can call for a ride or would ask for a ride because it is so way out of everyone's way that I know. My friend that lives in Blaine won't be able to do that because he has to be up by 7:00 a.m. and his wife is currently in the hospital due to very, very major surgery.

NOT HAVING A VEHICLE AND WORKING AT NIGHT IN A STATE WHERE THE BUS SYSTEM REALLY, REALLY, REALLY SUCKS... SUCKS!!!!!!

つづく ( To be continued... )

Good News, Bad News...

Good News: I potentially found a vehicle that fits my criteria, those are as follows:

1. Must be fuel effecient (gets at least 24 city and 30 highway).
2. Must be inexpensive (between 300 to 500 dollars).
3. Must be very minimal on maintenance (just have to do an oil change, refill fluids, filter changes and basic service of the vehicle).
4. If I finance a vehicle, I must be able to sign on my own for the financing without the need for a co-signer.


Well, I've found a vehicle that potentially fits my criteria, I just need to have my friend go along to check over the car, a 1990 Toyota Camery 4 door. From the photos it looks as if it has very minimal rust and the owner is asking $400.00 for the car.

Bad News: I don't have the full asking price available to me until Friday, the 18th of this month. I potentially have about half but while talking with the owner, it was apparent that he wanted the asking price in full before he signs over the car.

So for this week, I'll have to catch the bus to and from work, the only bad part of that is, that I work a 2:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. shift for this week until I can change shifts next week with a co-worker that would like to change shifts with me. This will allow me to catch the bus in and out of downtown, thus minimizing fuel consumption when I do get another vehicle, save money and give me a change of pace from working the late shift, not that it was bad, but I could use the variety of working a different shift now and then, to a mid-shift.

A friend of mine, whom I've known for about 8 years now has offered to rent part of his home to me for a little less than what I pay now, it's a great offer, plus the neighborhood is WAY better than my current place and it's a little or way closer to the bus route compaired to living in Anoka where the bus don't run at all on Sundays...

Which also reminded me, for today (Sunday), I'll catch a taxi to the Northtown Mall to catch the bus from there, then on the way back home, the bus I'll need to catch only goes as far as the 41st ave. in Columbia Heights, so I'll have to catch a taxi from there which is an additional 6 miles compaired to 10 miles from the Northtown Mall. I have to say, the bus system here in Minnesota really is awful compaired to the bus system in Hawaii.

つづく ( To be continued... )

No vehicle, no travelling, it's not that bad... yet.

Well, life after losing my truck, it's not that bad yet, however sundays are going to be a rough one, in order to catch the bus, I'll have to walk at least 10 miles to get to the Northtown mall to catch the bus into Minneapolis. Getting home the last bus going to the Northtown Mall is at 6, the last bus heading to 41st Ave in Columbia Heights is at 12 a.m.

I have been wanting to exercise, but this is a bit extreme to start off with. Can it get any worse? Yes it has. I won't get into that. I should just start begging for a new vehicle, other than the people that I know, if the occasional reader passing through, could you please donate a vehicle?
This couldn't have come at a worse time, a week before payday. There are a couple of vehicles that I am considering, but right now I don't have all the funds to get it.

I've also been thinking of adopting a friend/playmate for Samantha, but I'll have to wait and see till this vehicle crisis is over. My other concerns are that because she's been an only child and a spoiled one at that, she may not get along with a new friend...

つづく ( To be continued... )

The passing of Ms. Molly...

Tonight Ms. Molly passed away. I was just about to reach the Northtown Mall in Blaine, about 200 feet from the stop lights when there was a loud bang and then I had no control over the speed of the truck. The drive shaft finally broke. I was hoping that she would've lasted longer but since last night, I had a feeling it was going to go, just that I wished it was later and not tonight. So now I have to call the tow company, the ones that will tow for free and figure out a way of getting to work for the next 3 days and the following week.

Getting into work is not a problem, there are buses that run during that time, but it's when I get done with work, there are absolutely no buses that run past the Northtown mall, the walk is about 13 miles and takes about 3 hours.


つづく ( To be continued... )

Reviving things of the past...

In the past several months, I have been trying to get back into hobbies that I have not done for sometime... How long is sometime? Well, photography for one, I have not done since I was a photographer for the High School Newspaper and that was back in the Mid 80's. I guess I haven't really done much with that because of the cost of developing film. Unless you can do it yourself and have the time (which can be time consuming) it can still be more expensive than taking it down to your local drug store to get them developed. Plus the cost of actually buying film...

With digital camera becoming cheaper and also phones that have a camera built into them, it's getting easier and cheaper to take pictures. Currently I own a Olympus Digital Camera, the SP-350, which not bad for what it can do and the picture quality is very good. What I really want to get a Digital SLR camera. For those who don't know what a SLR camera is, as an example, the Canon Rebel or the Nikon cameras where you have to adjust the lens to focus and use 35mm film.

To see some of the pictures that I have taken, click here to see what I have captured. Also being a "Foodie" and a former chef, I take pictures of dishes I have prepared myself and food that I have purchased from different locations. I guess you can say that my picture gallery is an eclectic collection of images.

An update to the rebate controversies... I had decided that I would honest, but just enough to let Garmin know what a terrible company Paragon is in handling their rebates for products. That was on a Tuesday that I had emailed their company and by Thursday, I had gotten a call from Garmin saying not to cash the check. Well, too late. I went to a check cashing store, it cost me about 3 percent to cash the the check, but, Hey! What the heck, I still got about 90 plus dollars from it. At this point, I figured, let Garmin and Paragon fight it out.

Again, in the future, I'll never purchase an Olympus product again, only because their customer service is bad and only under threat of the FTC reporting did they "try" to contact me by having me call them... Why should I have to call them? They should be making every and any attempt to contact me, I'm the customer, I'm the consumer that purchased their product and they were the ones offering the rebate. If they didn't want to make it right, then they should've forced Paragon to do so.

By the way, anyone got a vehicle that they would like to donate to the TekBandit Foundation for travel? Unfortunately, it's not tax deductible (or maybe it can be, as long as I provide a reciept), I don't think that Ms. Molly (a '82 Mazda B2000 Pickup) is going to last another month, although I keep asking her to hold on for just a little while longer and so far she keeps coming through for me... It's that Ms. Molly has had a good life and now it's time that she needs a long rest...

つづく ( To be continued... )

SP350 Rebate Form

SP350-Rebate
Originally uploaded by TekBandit66.

Ok, just to be fair, I've added the form that I had to fill out for the rebate on the camera. I know that it's hard to see, but highlighted below the information that I've edited, is the disclaimer for the rebate. In the highlighted portion of the disclaimer it states to allow 8 - 10 weeks for delievery of the rebate. As I had noted before, I had sent in the rebate submission in the week of March 19th.

Here is the information from Paragon, whom Olympus contracts to handle the rebates:

Rebate: $50.00 Rebate Check
Rebate Information For: 18923XXXX
Promotion: Receive $50 Mail in Rebate on SP-350 Digital Camera at Participating Retailers
Submission Type: MAIL-IN
Date Received: 04-11-2006
Check Issue Date: 07-04-2006
Check Cleared Date: 07-13-2006
Check Number: 1595XXXX
Status Detail: Your rebate is valid. Please allow up to 30 days to receive your rebate.

Cleared meaning that I've cashed it. Well that took about 3 months to get to me which is far in excess of 8 - 10 weeks... Now here is the information regarding the Garmin GPS that I never bought:

Rebate: $100.00 Rebate Check
Rebate Information For: 19794XXXX
Promotion: Garmin GPSMAP 76Cx, 76CSx and 76CS Plus $100 Rebate
Submission Type: MAIL-IN
Date Received: 07-10-2006
Check Issue Date: 07-11-2006
Check Number: 1606XXXX
Status Detail: Your rebate is valid. Please allow up to 30 days to receive your rebate.

I got the check and ended up cashing it anyway, at this point, I'm thinking that this is Paragon's way of apoligizing for messing up the rebate with Olympus after I ended up filing a complaint with the FTC. I did make an attempt to contact Garmin but I guess they don't care cause it's been a couple of days ago. If large companies don't care about the waste of money that other vendors are causing them, well, I guess I shouldn't care and just hope that more incidents like this happen.. Free Money...

つづく ( To be continued... )

A Rebate for a GPS Device? but I didn't buy one...

Rebate
Originally uploaded by TekBandit66.

The pictures that I have been taking with an Olympus SP350 camera and posting the images on flickr, the camera had a rebate for $50, which I sent in during the week of March 19th after purchasing the digital camera before going into work.

I sent in the rebate with all the required materials and waited... and waited... and waited... After about 2 or 3 weeks I called "Olympus Rebate Center" and was told that they didn't recieve my rebate submission... I got pretty upset and asked to talk to a supervisor, to which I was told the same thing, I then asked to talk to a manager and was again told the same thing, that they didn't recieve my rebate, however about 2 days after calling I get an email notification that they had recieved my rebate submission on April 11th. Ok, so according to the rebate terms, it stated that I need to wait 8 to 10 weeks for them to send the money after my rebate had been processed and validated.

I waited as stated in the rebate terms and emailed Olympus to check the status of my rebate. I got a reply to call customer service and so I did, upon calling them, I was told that I had to call a different number, the number for their "rebate center" to check on the status of my rebate. I replied to that email and told them of my last experience calling for a status, however I don't think that they have a live person answering emails or they have a preset reply, cause it seemed as if they didn't read my email and got the exact same response the next time they replied. I even ended up emailing the parent company in Japan and was directed back to Olympus USA and didn't get a response then...

I was pretty frustrated with the whole situation. About a week later, about 11 and a half weeks after getting no where, I get an email again stating that my rebate has been validated and that they will be sending out a check, but to allow up to 30 days for it to arrive... NO WAY AM I GOING TO WAIT THAT LONG!!! It's already been 12 weeks at this point, why should I have to wait an additional 4 weeks to get a rebate that was supposed to get back to me in 8 to 10 weeks?

I ended up going through the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) web site and filed a complaint with them and also found about 2 sites that you can leave complaints on regarding a company that you've had troubles with and posted my issues with Olympus... About a day after that, I then emailed Olympus and informed them that I had filed a complaint with the FTC and posted my complaints on 2 other sites... Low and behold! I go to check the status of my rebate and find that it has been mailed on July 5th... then on July 10th, I get an email stating that my submission for a rebate has been recieved.

I go through the link to check out what it was about and find that it was for a Garmin GPSMAP 76Cx, 76CSx and 76CS Plus and that the rebate is for a $100.00. I then thought to myself, I didn't buy a GPS, even if I did, I would have remembered if I did. At this point I suspect that it was a mistake and that I'll be getting an email stating such, however I didn't, the next day I check the link, it stated that my submission was valid and that a check was being sent. Ok, so I still didn't believe it, not until I have the check in hand. Then on Saturday, July 15 (after the postal carrier arrived late), I got the check...

Now, I suspect that the company that actually handles the rebate, Paragon, messed up big time and someone from Olympus got on their case to resolve the issue. I don't agree with them going through another company to resolve this issue, but then again, I can't complain, basically I got a $150.00 off my camera, however I don't think I'll be getting another Olympus when I get a digital SLR camera.

I've been looking at the Canon D30 and the Nikon D200, the Canon is least expensive by about a thousand, it has the same megapixels as the Nikon... I'll have to do more research cause at first, I was leaning more towards the Nikon, but with the New Canon D30 available, it's looking pretty good.

つづく ( To be continued... )

A Dream so real, it almost seemed as if it happened

Last night, I had a dream that seemed like I was gone for about a week. It started off with me being back in Hawaii and somehow ended up becoming part of a flight crew for a space mission. Another person was bumped from the mission so that I could be on it, the vehicle was a new type of flight vehicle, I don't remember if it needed a rocket booster, but I do remember that it could land on it's own after re-entering the atmosphere.

The mission was to pick up another person at a base on the moon, troubleshoot a lunar surface surveyor and make sure that a flying surface probe was still functioning. We had found the surface surveyor but it had fallen over during it's mission, we turned it over while the other flying probe came over to investigate. The flying probe kept bumping into me and trying to scan me for some reason. Eventually we returned back to the space craft with the 3rd person and started back to earth.

The craft was kind of like an airplane, except that it had rocket brakes and could land vertically without having the need for a runway. I remember putting my helmet back on for the landing but didn't need to. After landing, all 3 of us went into a building back in Hawaii for a de-briefing and news conference. It turned out that our flight was not the only flight that went up, but another experimental spacecraft had also returned with their crew at the sametime.

I remember seeing a locker with my name on it and remember putting my helmet back into the locker, getting changed for the news conference... this is where I woke up, breathing slightly rapid as if I had actually done this. In the past, I have had other dreams where it seemed so real, even more real than this and still remember the sensation, a dream about flying. Not flying in an aircraft; but flying on my own power, the feeling of soaring through the air, the feeling of freedom, the sensation of the wind blowing past my face and through my hair.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Brand New Day

Last night I had apparently fallen asleep before the 9:00 pm news and woke up at about 3:45 this morning. I had decided to go out to the store before the early morning rush and pick up a few stationary and food items. Well, it's been a while since I had taken the time to just notice things around me and as I was walking to the store, it seemed that everything seemed different, even though it is the same store that I had been to before on many numerous occasions, located in the same area. Either that or I have been bound by some immense weight and it had been lifted recently. I don't know if it is because of my recent 6 day sabbatical that I had taken or the Zen meditation that I had done in those 6 days.

As the sun was rising, I noticed the sky, the landscape, it just seemed different, maybe a more peaceful, serene feeling. Then again, it maybe that I was finally able to tell someone everything that I have been going through that cleared the heavy weight that I had bared for so long now. I had just noticed today that for the past 2 days, I haven't had the urge to play Battlefield2...

Oh, I found this really interesting "pencil" that just recently came out, it looks like a pen, no, not a mechanical pencil, this has a liquid graphite cartridge and is like a #2 pencil. To some extent, the writing looks like it was done in pensil, I guess it needs to dry first to really make a difference.

Also, got Samantha a new toy, a mouse stuffed with catnip and it has a rattle inside of it. Since I gave it to her, she's been playing with it all day, right up until I left for work... It's funny watching her with it cause she'll lie there, all stretched out and just keep licking and rubbing it all over her face... I think I need to get her more catnip more often.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Back for now...

Last night I returned from an Unintended and uncontrolled trip which started exactly a week ago today. In a way it was pretty relaxing, but also at the same time very frustrating cause I was unable to make sure that I was able to have anyone check up and take care of Samantha. It's a good thing too because when I got back last night, she didn't have any water and food for about 4 days.

After trying to catch up on what had been going on in my forced absense, it feels like I've been gone for a lot longer than a week. Feels like I've been gone for about a month to a year. I need to do a lot of stuff here before anything else happens.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Oompa Loompa's, Kessel Run and Cherry Kool-Aide

YEE HAH!! Cherry Kool-Aide and Vanilla Stoli, Very Good!! Almost like drinking a Cherry Shaved Ice Cone with Vanilla Ice Cream in the bottom, or a Cherry Slush Float. Being drunk is fun, gotta make up for all the time I've lost till now. I think Minnesota has some sort of effect on people's psyche. I don't know what it is or what is causing it, but I've noticed it a lot lately.

Olympus Camera has a terrible rebate program, I wouldn't recommend getting a camera from that manufacturer. I sent in my rebate in March, the week of the 19th and they didn't recieve it till the 11th of March. The rebate form said to wait 8 - 10 weeks but it's been over that... I'm sure that they've recieved it in about 3 days from when I sent it in, but unless the USPS shipped my letter by Mule or Horseback, it doesn't take almost a month to get a letter.

Last night

Last nights walk was pretty nice, the wind was blowing, I made sure that I didn't have as much weight in my pack as I did the last time and it didn't take me as long to get home. I'm not as sore as I was the last time. So that I'm grateful for. Besides with the new diet that I'm on, it's helping me lose the weight.

Cherry Kool-Aide and Vanilla Stolichniya, a very good combination, especially when it's been in the freezer.

Idiots with sports bike, bad. I have this urge to run a thin wire across the parking lot so that when the idiot that keeps coming around and speeds in and out of the parking lot... well you get the idea.

Today on my voice mail, I was told I'll be getting a week "off", so I don't know if this a paid week or a week to start looking for another job that they don't do background checks. If that is the case, I guess I'll sell everything and see about hopping a train for a state that offers a better climate for living outdoors.

Nothing against my employers, they have been great. Trying to help me though this dark hour of despair, but there is only so much that they can put up with and then... well, you know.

Anyway, the vodka is doing the talking for me right now. Getting sleepy.

My Entry for Today

Walkin' through the Jungle wringin' wet
One half blood and the other half sweat
I saw somethin' movin' up ahead of me

he was tryin' to hide in a bamboo tree
I put my cross hairs on his chest
and his sorry ass to rest

Now you can tell his moma in old Hanoi
She just lost her darlin' boy

*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*

Scattered thoughts, random thoughts, not sure what to think anymore. So many issues and so little time. My head feels like it's about ready to explode with all these thoughts. I need to quiet them down with vodka and tequila. I think I maybe turning into an alcoholic, even though my family doesn't have a history of alcoholism, or at least I don't think... I would like to believe that I have been such a responsible person up until this point, but it seems that the feeling is leaving me. Thoughts of just dropping all responsibilities and selling everything, getting a laptop and just wonder about the country.

I do have an obligation to fulfill so I can't just do that now. I'm not going to slack off just because I want to leave. I'm going to continue doing what I have to do, at the same pace. Someday, maybe, you just might see me wondering the streets as that person talking to the imaginary companions with the long shaggy beard, pushing a grocery cart with Samantha in it. Instead of begging for money, I'd be begging for an internet connection and a power outlet to charge up my mp3 player and laptop.

I could train Samantha to hunt and catch wild rabbits and squirrels, then I wouldn't have to eat out of garbage cans. I definitely would keep my fishing pole, cause I could catch fish, just to mix up the diet.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Retreating back behind my walls

No more. I'll just retreat back behind my walls, do what I'm supposed to do, when I'm supposed to do and that's it. Only discussing the task at hand, no socializing. This doesn't mean I'm not talking to no one, just keeping separate what I should've in the first place. Everyone's tired of hearing me complain and I'm tired of complaining. I've fought this battle way to long and it's time to surrender. Like the veterans of Vietnam, re-upping for 2 consecutive tours, I'm tired, it's time to go home.

Anyway, continuing on... I have decided to switch my trackball with the one at work. I get a lot smoother response with the Logitech trackball than the Microsoft trackball. I used to really like the Microsoft trackballs before the quality went downhill. Now I'll be able to be more precise with the movement and when I'm mixing music, the program that I use, I'll be able to make micro movements with the speed control. It's been a long time since I've mixed music from the days when I used to be a disc jockey at a local radio station in Hawaii. There have been some songs out there that I have been wanting to mix to make a longer song and to just see if I can (still) do it.

I've been planning on getting a fishing license for this year and make sure that I take advantage of it. The last time I went fishing was about 4 to 5 years ago. Although, I do miss the days back in Hawaii when a group of my friends and I used to get together, make a bon fire and cast our lines out. Just sitting around talking, eating, drinking (only soda) and waiting for the bell to start ringing to let us know that something had taken the bait. Unlike fishing here, that was a lot more fun, here, you have fresh water and mostly need a boat...

Today, before going in to work, I heard some voices outside my apartment door. I took a look out the peep hole and saw my neighbor from across the hall selling drugs to his next door neighbor. You ask yourself, "How do you know it was drugs?", well, first off, he handed her something in a tin foil and got money in return, she asked "That's all you have?", so yes, it was and that's how I know. It wasn't so bad when I first moved in. The other night for example, I came home from work at about 11:45 pm and found 2 African-American males and 1 Caucasian male, all three in their early 20's standing outside and next to my apartment door... Doesn't one of them live around here and have their own apartment? I don't know or they maybe just living in the hallway...

The night before that or 2, a group of people standing outside in the parking lot at about 1:45 a.m. playing that bass music, talking and laughing loudly. Again, don't they have an apartment that they could do that in? I don't know. I want to move, but am unable to due to certain circumstances (no, not because of the lease). I'm just waiting for the gunshots to start ringing out cause some druggie or gangbanger had a deal go bad...

Right now, Samantha is in the other room, I should go bug her like she does to me... lol. Then again, she'll love the attention. The past year, everytime I get ready for work and at the time I'm putting on my socks, she'll keep pestering me for attention as if she didn't want me to leave for fear that I won't return. She's funny that way... and when I return home, just as I put the key in the lock, she'll be right there at the door, complaining, crying for attention and doesn't stop till after I change and sit down and start petting her.

I've been thinking of getting a bamboo steamer for the "Wok" (American version Wok). I've been thinking of Char Siu Bao. Char Siu Bao is a chinese steamed bun filled with red sweet pork in the middle. There are some other Chinese dishes that I've been wanting to eat, but because I don't have the proper utensils to make them, I've been putting off making it.

Previously I mentioned that I've upgraded my broadband connection, but after running a couple of tests, I found that I'm only getting half the speed that I'm currently signed up for, I suspect that I need to upgrade my modem and think that my current modem wasn't made to handle the increased speed. I'm debating on either replacing it with another Linksys Broadband modem or getting a Motorola SURFboard broadband modem. I really want to take advantage of the increased speed so that I can play Battlefield2 better.

Well, I guess I have to end this here, I have a long day ahead of me...

つづく ( To be continued... )

My Observations...

I give up. At work, this person that has been with the company for a couple of months now is picking up bad habits from another person. I am not going to say who, but it seems that after all the important people, supervisors and managers leave, this person will do nothing but look at google maps and take calls. Nothing else. Yesterday this person really, extremely got me angry by ignoring me when I asked this person to do something and all this person did was look at google maps. Only because this persons internet connection at home is slow, so, why not, come to work and use the faster connection...

I know that at times I don't pay attention to what I should be doing, but usually I'll keep checking back at what I'm supposed to be doing and not let it get out of hand. There have been a couple of times that I have been reminded but those times are far and few between. Why should I work when other people don't? Does this person think that they are better than everyone? Just because this persons "hero" does the same thing, it doesn't mean that they can do the same. A Full 2 and a 1/2 hours of just sitting there. Just because it gets close to the end of your shift doesn't mean that you don't have to do anything because the next shift is in. I've worked all the way up until it was time to go, there were times that I had missed the bus that I was supposed to catch because I was stuck working.

Screw this, no one wants to fix these issues, no one wants to listen to what I have to say, everyone is tired of hearing me complain. So, I give up. I wouldn't complain in the first place if everyone worked hard. If they want to claim that this is the best that they can do, then it makes me wonder whats the worse. I don't work as hard as I should or usually do because no one else does and I have very little to show for it. No one cares and those who should that do notice when I did work hard, it doesn't affect them to work harder.

These and several other issues have me dreading coming into work, well not dreading, but not motivated. Like they say, when the cats away, the mice will play and play do the mice around here...

つづく ( To be continued... )

I have seen fault in others, but have failed to see the fault within...

It is so easy to see the fault in other people but fail to see your own faults. I know that I have complained about other people but have never complained about myself, although I have never claimed to be perfect. At times I have tried to "force" my ethics on those people around me, but never seem to follow them myself. I know that in the past, there have been things that I have done that I am not proud of or ever speak of, nor do I have a significant other or children (at least that I know of) that I could bestow either what I deem as good ethics or positive direction. I guess because I do not, I tend to do this for those who do not want it (and no, the one thing that I am not proud of has nothing to do with my current issue).

I have tried to follow my own, but have failed so many times and now I know that people around me don't want to have anything to do with me anymore. In a way I care, but in another, I don't. I don't know if also this is a defense mechanism for being so trusting of people until those that want to take advantage of it, lose my trust. I have never trusted my own instincts until recently, but I feel that it is too late. I should have done so long ago.

Deep down within me is a paranoid, introvert, depressed and lonesome person that has a low self-esteem and so desperately wants to be liked by everyone, but knows that not everyone can be pleased. Those people that I feel that I can trust, I trust without question, those that I don't, well you get the picture. When I get really depressed, I lack the motivation and have a tendency to spend a lot of money, either on things that I don't really need or too much of what I need. It usually ends up to the point where I am doing without with what I truly need.

I know that there are a couple of people that I work with that do read these journal entries and there maybe others but rest assured, if I am going to hurt someone, its going to be me and no one else. I wouldn't be able to rest easily if I had hurt someone other than myself. Right now, I don't plan to because I've felt that there is something that I need to do, but still don't know what it is. I guess I'll know when the time comes.

つづく ( To be continued... )

My Russian Friend and I

My Russian friend came to visit this weekend, the first night she and I kept each other company. It was a quiet night that night, occasionally my friend from Mexico would join in. Last night, my Russian friend and I partied pretty hard, Ms. Stoli and I got trashed, she made my head spin and she stayed the night, all the way up until 1:00 pm today. My friend from Mexico, Ms. Cuevo, helped me cook before the party started, so at least she wasn't ignored.

Last night I made an enchiladas, I put the image here. I've been taking pictures of the meals that I made myself. Most of them were made by "scratch", meaning not premade. With the exception of the Chimichangas... I don't want to sound conceited, but I have been told that I am a good cook, personally I don't think so, I feel that at least it doesn't taste awful to me.

Well, the new joystick has been working out, got it configured for Battlefield2. I still have a hard time flying Helos in the game, but when it comes to the fast movers, it seems to be a lot easier, I still need to work on flying the tank killers... There is one technique that I want to get good at that I had seen during an air show long ago that involves the F-15. For the bombing run, they fly at High altitude, then when they are almost on target, they cut their engines and point the nose of the F-15 down. At about 5,000 feet, they drop their bombs, kick in the engines, point their noses up and hit the afterburners... Very effective and very cool.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Being drunk and posting in a journal...

It's not a good thing to post while your drunk. My friends from Russia and Mexico came over on Friday, my friend from Japan couldn't make it... by the way, got my joy stick, but not the one I had intended to get, I did get something better and it was way cheaper than the one I was planning on getting.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Not remembering how I got there...

Last night, I went to sleep in my bed, in the bedroom. However, when I woke up this morning, I woke up on the couch in the living room. The T.V. was off and whenever I do walk into the living room, I turn on the T.V. Now, I've never walked in my sleep, however for the past couple of months, I can only sleep for about 3 to 4 hours at a time. So I don't know if this or something else has been having an effect on me.

Well, on a positive note... I upgraded my broadband speed from the standard 4 meg service to the 8 meg service. After I got upgraded, I decided to give it a little test drive and did notice a faster page load through the browser, however I still need to play Battlefield 2 a little more to see if I notice a difference. The reason I decided on the speed upgrade was in prepriation for the Battlefield2 add-on called Armored Fury. In Armored Fury, they've added A-10's that you can fly... I like the jets, but the A-10's are my speed and just the way I like it, slow, low and deadly.

Hopefully, if all goes well, I'll be getting the add-on tomorrow and get a flight control system to make it easier to fly the fast movers and helo's. Either that or play drunk and get killed a lot... can't decide which would be more fun.... I'm also planning on making enchilada's for dinner tomorrow. I should have pictures of them up by tomorrow night. I'm also planning on making tempura for dinner the next night.

つづく ( To be continued... )

Management Documents

I finally got 2 out of the 3 documents completed. If your interested in reading them, I put them on this site, it may move in the near future. I hope to find a better place to put them. It was basically a refresher for me when typing up the documents as well as a challange, cause when they were Xerox'd, the quality of the copies were in fairly poor shape. Also I had them out of order and with the lighting at home, I had a difficult time putting them back in order and thought that I was missing some pages. I was able to better see them during the day time and had finally got it straightened out and typed up, also I put them in .pdf formats for faster transfer.

I'm not sure if I should work on the final document, mostly because it's basically out dated. I also wanted to make one thing clear, Loki - this is not about you... it's about someone else and also not about your 2nd in command... again, just wanted to make it clear to avoid any misunderstandings. If anything else, a lot of the information in the documents appears that you already know and do.

Anyway, continuing on... again, I'm looking forward to my Japanese and Swedish friend (or Russian) coming over and visiting... it'll be a good old time for 2 days, non-stop.

つづく ( To be continued... ) 若しかしたら...

This weekend...

I'm hoping that my two friends will come over to visit, my Japanese and Swedish or Russian Friends, this weekend...

つづく ( To be continued... ) 若しかしたら...

Leaving Las Vegas (Minnesota)

I want to be like Ben Sanderson (Nicholas Cage).

Ben, a man who has lost his wife and child, throws his job away, and takes all of his remaining money to buy as much liquor as possible and "drink himself to death" in the city of Las Vegas. He has given up all hope, with no wish to live, but for one reason or another, wants a companion to share in his misery, but not try to save him. He finds this companion in a hooker, Sera. They immediately form a strong relationship based on one night of talking about their lives. Sera in particular quickly grows attached to Ben, for no other reason than she has been alone her whole life and wants nothing more than to feel that want and need by someone.

Not sure about the whole synopsis, but I do like the part of throws his job away, and takes all of his remaining money to buy as much liquor as possible and "drink himself to death" in the city of Las Vegas. I'll need to work on that part in the upcoming days or months. I have started an image change, which is a start. When I first heard about the movie, I didn't have any interest in watching it, but did catch it on one of the channels one day and got really engrossed in the whole story. In a related story, when I was living with my father in a small house that was converted into a 3 room apartment. We once had this neighbor that would drink heavily, you could tell when he took out his garbage, cause the trash bags would clink with a lot of bottles in them. Well, one night I heard soft thumping and didn't think much of it, well about 2 days later, the landlord came around cause the guy hadn't paid his rent yet. When she opened the door, she found the tenant had drunk himself to death...

I remember seeing the coroner wheeling out the black body bag, the officers that showed up questioned me if I had noticed anything unusual and just mentioned the soft thumping noised I heard a couple days prior. I guess the thumping was him in convulsions.

I have been working on a personal project as of recent. All the materials that I had received when I was trained in as a manager I had received on paper, I'm converting over to digital format. There are papers that I have that I am unable to locate on the web or books from the lecturer that I hope to have up on the web soon. The people who trained me in were really good at management and those managers that I have worked under seemed to have been taught the same techniques that I have on paper.

These are the same materials that I have tried to follow even though I am not management and believe that there is one person that could use the information, cause this persons management style is awful.

Arrogance is the downfall of those who have potential.

I try to be humble in all endeavors, but I do run across a few people that are arrogant, either because they think that they are more intelligent than others or because they feel that now they have a higher position than others that they are better than the rest. I don't like being treated like this so I don't treat the way I hate. I usually give everyone that I meet the benefit of the doubt, but once someone does this and I try to help them but basically ignore me, I don't have anything further to help them, basically, let them hang themselves.

What it comes down to is this... I have met governors of states, Mayors, celebrities, CEO's of major companies and have done presidential details, I treat everyone the same. I am loyal to those people that treat me fairly and would give my life to protect those people. I don't pledge my loyalty to just anyone and would not lay my life down to those whom are undeserving, but there are those people that I could care less for that maybe I should, but if they want to belittle people, be it through words or actions, don't deserve my attention.

つづく ( To be continued... ) 若しかしたら...

Don't let yourself get attached

to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.

It seems that I have always lived by that saying, never staying in one place for too long, almost nomadic lifestyle. At times by choice and at times, not by choice. Once again I am faced with the dilemma of should I stay or should I just leave, giving up everything. I don’t know if this is brought on by the middle age thing, but I seem to have thoughts about it a little more frequently than I normally do.

One thing that has been bugging me lately is when someone flatly denies something, for example, there is an issue with a program not working the way it should, but the person denies that there is anything wrong right away… no questions about what commands were typed, no questions about the program, just right away, “No, nothing is wrong”. It has happened before, with another issue, but eventually I concluded that there was something additional I did not type in.

Now, this person has the attitude that the person is always right, the person knows everything just because they have been doing it longer, just because they have a higher rank. One of my BIGGEST pet peeves is when someone talks down to you or they have this talk as if they were of higher intellectual level than you. When I talk to someone, I try to talk to them as an equal or put them on a higher level than I do, that is only because of the previous training I have had.

Up until this point, I had let it slide, but it seems that lately I cannot and it is really getting to me. In addition, this person wants to play the good friend, but when the person does not like something, the person will antagonistic, where it is either this person’s way or no way, almost to the point of dictatorship. The point is, you want to alienate yourself, then keep doing what you’re doing. I respect those people that will look into the issue, but also actually do and then get back to you. Not all people are the way they look and just because of my interests, it does not mean I do not know anything about what I do.

つづく ( To be continued... ) 若しかしたら...

Wrong place, wrong time...

So, the game is what am I feeling... here are the clues:

1. I try to express myself through journals (online).
2. I tried Origami (that can only last as long as the paper does).
3. I do play video games (Battlefield2).
4. I've tried exercising.
5. I live in substantial social isolation (Like a troll under the bridge, I like it dark and when I'm not at work, I'm at home with all the shades drawn).
6. I guess I'm going through dramatic weight loss.
7. It seems like I'm heading for a job loss.


誰 誰 こ こ 私 そ 私 私 私 そ
も も れ れ 遅 し は は は れ
わ の は は く て 通 人 場 は
か 本 で だ 出 私 常 々 所 私
っ 当 あ け か が ほ に 及 が
て の る 影 け 出 と 対 び 生
い 方 か の る か ん 処 時 ま
る 法 だ 戦 で け ど し 間 れ
こ 知 れ 士 あ る だ な 両 た
と っ こ の る と れ い 方 こ
存 て の 方 。 き で で に と
在 い タ 法 最 も 大 場 場
し る イ 情 も あ い 違 所
な 、 プ 緒 快 る に い か
さ の 的 適 夜 よ 偽 ら
い 戦 愛 、 に り り 移
で 士 着 私 よ な る
あ 、 で が く く 間
る な 家 感 で 違
。 い に じ あ い
。 私 る る だ
に 。 。 っ
い た
る 。
と
き
、

つづく ( To be continued... ) 若しかしたら...