So I finally got my directv hooked up yesterday. Yippee! Now I can watch all kinds of fun and exciting things. It only took the guy 3 hours to get it installed because of the wiring in the building being all funky. Apparently the contractor didn't label anything in the basement so it was a jumbled mess, then there are issues inside. Also, for some reason the HD channels aren't coming in, so I have to get that fixed.
Speaking of HD. I got an high definition DVD player today. Actually, I got a PlayStation 3, but it has a blu-ray player, so I can watch blu-ray movies. Yeehaa! The odd/cool thing is that the PS3 costs the same as stand alone blu-ray players. Doesn't make a ton of sense to me. But I suppose they make up for it with the games being over priced. Right now, I'm sitting here waiting for it to down load the system update. Probably should have just started playing, but...
In my last blog posting I referred to becoming political... I just see so much stupidity in government and so much dishonesty. If I had to pick two common human failings which annoy me most, stupidity and dishonesty would be the ones. There should be more engineers in office, rocket scientists even more so. So in 2012, Petromagne for President! I'm proud of my real name, but I'm also proud of my Internet alias which I've been using as long as I could vote. So I'll be sure to get a lot of the young vote just for that. What do you think?
28 November 2007
22 November 2007
Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had an enjoyable day.
Last night/this morning, I drove to my Dad's for Thanksgiving. I was originally going to leave right after work, but... For one thing, traffic was absolutely terrible at that time and for another thing I was a bit tired. A coworker was surprised I was going to drive right after work and suggested going home for a few hours, taking a nap. After she said that, I suddenly got tired.
Anyway, I left about 10pm and got in this morning at 5am. The first four hours were through super thick fog. It was kind of spooky driving through fog that thick; I felt so detached from reality. When I stopped in NJ to get gas, I had a really hard time navigating the rest area. Especially trying to get back on the turnpike since I couldn't read the signs to tell me which way to go until I had nearly missed the turn. When I was supposed to get a ticket for the turnpike, I couldn't even see the signs that said which lane was which, and ended up picking an EZ-pass lane. It didn't really matter in the end since, I traveled the entire length of the turnpike and paid the same for a "lost" ticket that I would have paid if I had the ticket.
Speaking of fog... I heard that Steven King likes the new ending for "The Mist" that they made for the movie version. I actually read the book on the way to my sister's for her bonfire party. It was one of his short stories, so it was only about 200 pages. Anyway, I wasn't that excited about the movie's prospects until I heard about Steven King's reaction. Apparently he was quoted as saying that anyone who reveals the last 5 minutes of the movie should be hung from the neck until dead.
Actually, there are quite a few movies (suddenly) that I'm interested in seeing. This is going to make it hard for me to finish unpacking, but it's a price I'm willing to pay.
Oh, I've also failed to mention that I finally got the DSL installed at my condo. I actually had to come home from work twice to let the Verizon guys in, but I now have Internet at home. I also installed a new wireless router. My old router was rather unreliable so I went ahead and got a new one that seems to be working much better. I know it's not really exciting news, but it's a huge step for me.
In other news, I'm thinking about getting political. Not like super political, but at least a little bit. But I won't talk about a lot on this blog, at least not without posting a warning if I'm going to be saying something.
Last night/this morning, I drove to my Dad's for Thanksgiving. I was originally going to leave right after work, but... For one thing, traffic was absolutely terrible at that time and for another thing I was a bit tired. A coworker was surprised I was going to drive right after work and suggested going home for a few hours, taking a nap. After she said that, I suddenly got tired.
Anyway, I left about 10pm and got in this morning at 5am. The first four hours were through super thick fog. It was kind of spooky driving through fog that thick; I felt so detached from reality. When I stopped in NJ to get gas, I had a really hard time navigating the rest area. Especially trying to get back on the turnpike since I couldn't read the signs to tell me which way to go until I had nearly missed the turn. When I was supposed to get a ticket for the turnpike, I couldn't even see the signs that said which lane was which, and ended up picking an EZ-pass lane. It didn't really matter in the end since, I traveled the entire length of the turnpike and paid the same for a "lost" ticket that I would have paid if I had the ticket.
Speaking of fog... I heard that Steven King likes the new ending for "The Mist" that they made for the movie version. I actually read the book on the way to my sister's for her bonfire party. It was one of his short stories, so it was only about 200 pages. Anyway, I wasn't that excited about the movie's prospects until I heard about Steven King's reaction. Apparently he was quoted as saying that anyone who reveals the last 5 minutes of the movie should be hung from the neck until dead.
Actually, there are quite a few movies (suddenly) that I'm interested in seeing. This is going to make it hard for me to finish unpacking, but it's a price I'm willing to pay.
Oh, I've also failed to mention that I finally got the DSL installed at my condo. I actually had to come home from work twice to let the Verizon guys in, but I now have Internet at home. I also installed a new wireless router. My old router was rather unreliable so I went ahead and got a new one that seems to be working much better. I know it's not really exciting news, but it's a huge step for me.
In other news, I'm thinking about getting political. Not like super political, but at least a little bit. But I won't talk about a lot on this blog, at least not without posting a warning if I'm going to be saying something.
20 November 2007
Yeah!
I wouldn't normally write a blog entry from work, but this was too good to pass up.
IT'S SNOWING!
I'm doing a little happy dance.
IT'S SNOWING!
I'm doing a little happy dance.
17 November 2007
Too busy for movies?!?!?
I came to a rather sad realization a week ago, and have yet to rectify the situation. I haven't been to the movies since I've been in Boston. I didn't go for a week or so before I left, which means its been more than two months since I went to the movies! Two months, for a guy who usually never goes more than 2 weeks.
Of course, there are two reasons I haven't been to the movies. The first is that I've been a bit busy, what with moving and all. The second is that there haven't been many good movies to go to, since I would make time for something that looked appealing.
On a related note, I'm still on the antennae for TV! It kind of amazes me that it took me more than a week to setup my TV in the first place, but to still be on broadcast TV! Well, that isn't exactly my fault. I tried to get DirecTV but I didn't know how the system in the building works, where there is a deal with a company to set all of that up. So the Directv guy called the day of and canceled, and now its going to be another few days at least. Maybe by December.
I also don't have Internet yet. I'm borrowing wi-fi for the time being. Verizon was supposed to turn on my DSL on Friday, but they didn't. Oh, and the UPS delivery for the modem didn't go through because my name wasn't on the box yet. So I had to go to the UPS facility. It's 0.7 miles from me according to Google maps, so I thought I would just hoof it. Unfortunately half of those 0.7 miles are industrial, meaning overgrown sidewalks (weeds 4-6 ft high) where there were sidewalks, and no streetlamps. Anyway, I got the box and waited for the turn on date. Now the modem is sitting there saying there's no signal. I did all the troubleshooting the CD suggested, and called customer service. They wanted me to go through all the troubleshooting again! Eventually they agreed with my assessment that it hasn't been hooked up yet. So maybe on Monday.
Anyway, I'm making progress on unpacking. I think I might actually have as many boxes emptied as full. And that's saying a lot since some of the boxes I opened but I'm leaving full. I haven't figured out what sort of bookshelf situation I'm going to go for, so I'm leaving all my books in their boxes for the time being. Well, the books that were in boxes. The dozen or so that were in random boxes and the other dozen or so I've purchased since, are going on the shelves.
Of course, there are two reasons I haven't been to the movies. The first is that I've been a bit busy, what with moving and all. The second is that there haven't been many good movies to go to, since I would make time for something that looked appealing.
On a related note, I'm still on the antennae for TV! It kind of amazes me that it took me more than a week to setup my TV in the first place, but to still be on broadcast TV! Well, that isn't exactly my fault. I tried to get DirecTV but I didn't know how the system in the building works, where there is a deal with a company to set all of that up. So the Directv guy called the day of and canceled, and now its going to be another few days at least. Maybe by December.
I also don't have Internet yet. I'm borrowing wi-fi for the time being. Verizon was supposed to turn on my DSL on Friday, but they didn't. Oh, and the UPS delivery for the modem didn't go through because my name wasn't on the box yet. So I had to go to the UPS facility. It's 0.7 miles from me according to Google maps, so I thought I would just hoof it. Unfortunately half of those 0.7 miles are industrial, meaning overgrown sidewalks (weeds 4-6 ft high) where there were sidewalks, and no streetlamps. Anyway, I got the box and waited for the turn on date. Now the modem is sitting there saying there's no signal. I did all the troubleshooting the CD suggested, and called customer service. They wanted me to go through all the troubleshooting again! Eventually they agreed with my assessment that it hasn't been hooked up yet. So maybe on Monday.
Anyway, I'm making progress on unpacking. I think I might actually have as many boxes emptied as full. And that's saying a lot since some of the boxes I opened but I'm leaving full. I haven't figured out what sort of bookshelf situation I'm going to go for, so I'm leaving all my books in their boxes for the time being. Well, the books that were in boxes. The dozen or so that were in random boxes and the other dozen or so I've purchased since, are going on the shelves.
11 November 2007
Jiggedy-jig... Back Again
I made it back from the bonfire in one piece, nothing singed, and nothing frozen. For those who haven't attended a bonfire on a near freezing night, it is a constant war between being too close to the fire and feeling like you're cooking, and being too far and be freezing. The difference can even be as little as a foot or two, since while sitting in a lawn chair, my shins were definitely toasting, while my body was comfortable.
Although, apparently I wasn't nearly entertaining enough this year. So my sister had to bring out all the stories of my escapades from previous years, much to the delight of the fellow revelers. I did take the opportunity to set the record straight about the time I stepped over the log that contained the fire. I didn't almost fall into the fire, I did in fact step into the fire and then back out, without any harm done.
My flight back was a bit entertaining. Since there are no direct flights from Knoxville to Boston, I had to switch planes in DC. Originally I was scheduled for the 9:30PM flight which would have meant a three and a half hour layover. I asked for an earlier connection, since I knew that there was an hourly shuttle between DC and Boston. I did have to pay $25 bucks, but at the time I thought it was worth it. So, according to the new itinerary, I had about 5 minutes between when my first plane landed and boarding for the second plane began.
Landing 15 minutes early, I thought I would have plenty of time, enough to even stretch my legs. But then we were delayed 20 minutes while we waited for the bus to take us to the terminal. Apparently they don't plan on planes being early and can't arrange transportation for such contingencies. Anyway, since boarding is a 30 minutes process, I knew I would still be fine.
I get to the terminal and found one of the handy screens to tell me what gate my flight was leaving from. For a second I couldn't find it, until I realized I was looking at predicted departure times and not scheduled. My flight was delayed an hour an a half. So, in fact, the 7:30 plane was now estimated to leave before my new 6:30 flight. I thought about asking to change to the earlier flight, but when I saw the length of the line, and contemplated whether the frustration was worth 30 minutes, I decided I would wait for my flight.
Luckily, they moved the estimated time forward again, and it ended up leaving only about 10 minutes after the 7:30 flight. The really enjoyable part for me, was that so many people had switched to the "earlier" flight that my flight ended up being nearly empty. In fact, I had half the emergency exit row to myself. So I availed myself of the window seat which allowed my to fully extend my legs, while still maintaining the convenience of not having anyone sitting between me and the aisle, so I could make good my escape from the plane, and ease of trips to the restroom should they be required.
Anyway, it's past my bedtime.
Although, apparently I wasn't nearly entertaining enough this year. So my sister had to bring out all the stories of my escapades from previous years, much to the delight of the fellow revelers. I did take the opportunity to set the record straight about the time I stepped over the log that contained the fire. I didn't almost fall into the fire, I did in fact step into the fire and then back out, without any harm done.
My flight back was a bit entertaining. Since there are no direct flights from Knoxville to Boston, I had to switch planes in DC. Originally I was scheduled for the 9:30PM flight which would have meant a three and a half hour layover. I asked for an earlier connection, since I knew that there was an hourly shuttle between DC and Boston. I did have to pay $25 bucks, but at the time I thought it was worth it. So, according to the new itinerary, I had about 5 minutes between when my first plane landed and boarding for the second plane began.
Landing 15 minutes early, I thought I would have plenty of time, enough to even stretch my legs. But then we were delayed 20 minutes while we waited for the bus to take us to the terminal. Apparently they don't plan on planes being early and can't arrange transportation for such contingencies. Anyway, since boarding is a 30 minutes process, I knew I would still be fine.
I get to the terminal and found one of the handy screens to tell me what gate my flight was leaving from. For a second I couldn't find it, until I realized I was looking at predicted departure times and not scheduled. My flight was delayed an hour an a half. So, in fact, the 7:30 plane was now estimated to leave before my new 6:30 flight. I thought about asking to change to the earlier flight, but when I saw the length of the line, and contemplated whether the frustration was worth 30 minutes, I decided I would wait for my flight.
Luckily, they moved the estimated time forward again, and it ended up leaving only about 10 minutes after the 7:30 flight. The really enjoyable part for me, was that so many people had switched to the "earlier" flight that my flight ended up being nearly empty. In fact, I had half the emergency exit row to myself. So I availed myself of the window seat which allowed my to fully extend my legs, while still maintaining the convenience of not having anyone sitting between me and the aisle, so I could make good my escape from the plane, and ease of trips to the restroom should they be required.
Anyway, it's past my bedtime.
09 November 2007
Bonfire
I have been in my new place for less than a week, and I'm already leaving. Although it's only for the weekend. My sister is having her annual bonfire party which I have attended faithfully every year. Yes, even when I was on the left coast, I made it 4/5 of the way across the country to celebrate man's earliest invention: fire.
I should probably have spent the weekend unpacking. My place is... well, while there are pathways to and from everything, more than half the floor space is full of boxes or paper, or things that are more or less in their correct places. But I have time to unpack and arrange things. Although I really should get curtains soon. Walking around naked is so much more interesting when you forget to close your curtains rather than not having any. BTW, I'm kidding about that, I just want to get a good night's sleep without light pouring into the window. Really.
I should probably have spent the weekend unpacking. My place is... well, while there are pathways to and from everything, more than half the floor space is full of boxes or paper, or things that are more or less in their correct places. But I have time to unpack and arrange things. Although I really should get curtains soon. Walking around naked is so much more interesting when you forget to close your curtains rather than not having any. BTW, I'm kidding about that, I just want to get a good night's sleep without light pouring into the window. Really.
07 November 2007
First Night
Last night was my first night in my new place. I was debating whether to spend the night at the apartment I'm renting or go ahead and crash here. The problem with crashing here was that I had to unpack enough stuff to spend the night. But, I decided to go for it, and I'm glad I did. Even though I woke up a number of times during the night, I woke up more refreshed than I have in a while.
To get me through the night, and the following morning, I went to the store and bought the necessary things, like toilet paper, soap, and peanut-butter. I was so overjoyed that they had Peter Pan peanut-butter than I bought three large jars. To some that might sound extreme, but for me, it's par for the course. Of course, when I got back to my place, I realized I would have to find my silverware! It is very tricky making a peanut-butter sandwich without a knife! So I unpacked until I had a glass for my milk, and a knife for the sandwich. I also unpacked my bedding, and did a quick load of laundry, since some of it smelled a bit musty after being in storage and transit.
I think it is going to take me a while to unpack and get rid of all these boxes... Speaking of the boxes!
So yesterday wasn't just the first night in my place, it was also move in day. I got here about 8:45, since the truck was supposed to arrive between 9 and 10. In front of the building they had put up signs warning that there was no parking for the day, between 7am and 5pm. Oops, there were not 1, not 2, but 3 cars in the designated area. So when the truck came, he double parked them in. Then the cops were called. I didn't realize there was so much drama going on until I went back down to see why it was taking so long to get the moving started.
While the cop and the movers were figuring out what to do, the washer/dryer delivery men showed up to install my washer and dryer. When he looked at the closet for the laundry, he asked me if I wanted them side by side or stacked. I said I didn't think they would fit side-by-side, and he said he didn't think they would fit stacked. Uh-oh, I thought. The guy on the phone had said they were 36 inches each, plus 1 inch for the stacking kit. The area for the laundry has a shelf on top for the water heater, but with 74 inches of clearance. So after a couple of measurements to be sure, they finally went ahead and assembled the equipment, and without much further ado, they had my laundry machines installed.
So, in the time it took the appliance delivery men to haul in the washer and dryer, assemble them, install all the hoses and what-not, one might think that the other delivery would be sorted out. I went outside to check on the progress, and there were still two cars (apparently one guy wised up and left) the cop, and the two delivery trucks. After much more waiting, the comedy relief showed up. A guy in a huge black SUV with big chrome rims decided that the nice parking spot in front of the yellow curb and the no parking sign was a good place to park. He got out of his car and the cop flash his lights and flipped his siren on for a beat. He told the guy he was already going to have the other two cars towed. The genius actually kept walking toward the curb, apparently he didn't believe the cop. But he did believe the sign that he'd parked directly in front of. Anyway, eventually a couple of tow trucks came and took the offending cars away.
Don't worry, they weren't my neighbors. Well, the cars weren't registered to anyone in my building. Apparently the cops do check and knock on doors, just in case the signs weren't sufficiently clear.
The unloading thus didn't start until nearly 11am. So I didn't get to work until 2pm. I was going to try to get at least six hours in, but by 6pm the day proved to be too much. Oh, if I fast forwarded through the actual moving in... Well, it's moving things in. A few items were missing (like my dresser which apparently broke apart when it was taken off the truck from California), one of my floor lamps was broken (the staff broke), ironically I opened the box that had the glass bowl (randomly, really) and it was broken as well! And the TV, media center had the top taken off, and the pieces that hold the top to the bottom are missing. So there will be a claim for this moving experience.
Anyway, now it's about time for night 2!
P.S. I am stealing wifi because the DSL won't be ready until next week. And I won't get satellite until next week either (which is just as well since I haven't set the TV up yet).
To get me through the night, and the following morning, I went to the store and bought the necessary things, like toilet paper, soap, and peanut-butter. I was so overjoyed that they had Peter Pan peanut-butter than I bought three large jars. To some that might sound extreme, but for me, it's par for the course. Of course, when I got back to my place, I realized I would have to find my silverware! It is very tricky making a peanut-butter sandwich without a knife! So I unpacked until I had a glass for my milk, and a knife for the sandwich. I also unpacked my bedding, and did a quick load of laundry, since some of it smelled a bit musty after being in storage and transit.
I think it is going to take me a while to unpack and get rid of all these boxes... Speaking of the boxes!
So yesterday wasn't just the first night in my place, it was also move in day. I got here about 8:45, since the truck was supposed to arrive between 9 and 10. In front of the building they had put up signs warning that there was no parking for the day, between 7am and 5pm. Oops, there were not 1, not 2, but 3 cars in the designated area. So when the truck came, he double parked them in. Then the cops were called. I didn't realize there was so much drama going on until I went back down to see why it was taking so long to get the moving started.
While the cop and the movers were figuring out what to do, the washer/dryer delivery men showed up to install my washer and dryer. When he looked at the closet for the laundry, he asked me if I wanted them side by side or stacked. I said I didn't think they would fit side-by-side, and he said he didn't think they would fit stacked. Uh-oh, I thought. The guy on the phone had said they were 36 inches each, plus 1 inch for the stacking kit. The area for the laundry has a shelf on top for the water heater, but with 74 inches of clearance. So after a couple of measurements to be sure, they finally went ahead and assembled the equipment, and without much further ado, they had my laundry machines installed.
So, in the time it took the appliance delivery men to haul in the washer and dryer, assemble them, install all the hoses and what-not, one might think that the other delivery would be sorted out. I went outside to check on the progress, and there were still two cars (apparently one guy wised up and left) the cop, and the two delivery trucks. After much more waiting, the comedy relief showed up. A guy in a huge black SUV with big chrome rims decided that the nice parking spot in front of the yellow curb and the no parking sign was a good place to park. He got out of his car and the cop flash his lights and flipped his siren on for a beat. He told the guy he was already going to have the other two cars towed. The genius actually kept walking toward the curb, apparently he didn't believe the cop. But he did believe the sign that he'd parked directly in front of. Anyway, eventually a couple of tow trucks came and took the offending cars away.
Don't worry, they weren't my neighbors. Well, the cars weren't registered to anyone in my building. Apparently the cops do check and knock on doors, just in case the signs weren't sufficiently clear.
The unloading thus didn't start until nearly 11am. So I didn't get to work until 2pm. I was going to try to get at least six hours in, but by 6pm the day proved to be too much. Oh, if I fast forwarded through the actual moving in... Well, it's moving things in. A few items were missing (like my dresser which apparently broke apart when it was taken off the truck from California), one of my floor lamps was broken (the staff broke), ironically I opened the box that had the glass bowl (randomly, really) and it was broken as well! And the TV, media center had the top taken off, and the pieces that hold the top to the bottom are missing. So there will be a claim for this moving experience.
Anyway, now it's about time for night 2!
P.S. I am stealing wifi because the DSL won't be ready until next week. And I won't get satellite until next week either (which is just as well since I haven't set the TV up yet).
05 November 2007
Closed on my condo!
At long last, I finally closed on my condo. It only required signing and initialling about a hundred pages of documents and forking over yet another big check. But, in exchange for all the signing, I received a set of keys, keys which go to my new condo!
Another bit of excitement was that I finally drove my car in Boston! It's actually been an entire month since I've driven (not including driving my car 3 floors to park it at the office after it was dropped off outside my office). I drove it straight through Boston to my condo. It was also odd adding gas to the tank, since it has been well more than a month since I've done that. I was shocked at the price, then I realized that even buying the highest octane (instead of the middle) I paid less in Boston than I paid in California.
Another bit of excitement was that I finally drove my car in Boston! It's actually been an entire month since I've driven (not including driving my car 3 floors to park it at the office after it was dropped off outside my office). I drove it straight through Boston to my condo. It was also odd adding gas to the tank, since it has been well more than a month since I've done that. I was shocked at the price, then I realized that even buying the highest octane (instead of the middle) I paid less in Boston than I paid in California.
02 November 2007
Closing on Monday
Monday is the big day! That's when I'll be closing on my condo. Then Tuesday is the next big day when all my stuff gets moved in. It will be nice to have my things about me again (although saying that in that way reminds me of Maureen O'Hara in The Quiet Man. For those who haven't seen it, it's excellent and has a great brawl scene).
Then on Saturday of next week is my sister's bonfire party. I think I should get some kind of award for racking up the most miles to attend. The first year or two was only travelling from Virginia, but then two years in California and now from Boston.
In non-home related news, I took a trip down memory lane tonight. I stopped by my fraternity house for a visit. I had been delaying the trip for some sort of psychological reasons, but tonight was the night to stop by. I am glad I did, since they are close to completing preparations for the blacklight party. It has evolved since the days when I lived there, but these things happen. Although a lot of things have changed, many things have stayed the same.
Hrmmmm... I think that is about enough for tonight. Actually that is probably more than enough tonight, since the nice bartender at Whiskey's has been plying me with drinks all night. I'll chalk it up to practice for the bonfire, even if I don't plan to live up to the nickname "Timber."
EDIT: Oh, I actually knew that I was going to be closing on Monday yesterday, but I didn't put it in my blog because I didn't want to upstage my sister's birthday. Of course, she'll probably just hit me in the stomach for adding this edit...
Then on Saturday of next week is my sister's bonfire party. I think I should get some kind of award for racking up the most miles to attend. The first year or two was only travelling from Virginia, but then two years in California and now from Boston.
In non-home related news, I took a trip down memory lane tonight. I stopped by my fraternity house for a visit. I had been delaying the trip for some sort of psychological reasons, but tonight was the night to stop by. I am glad I did, since they are close to completing preparations for the blacklight party. It has evolved since the days when I lived there, but these things happen. Although a lot of things have changed, many things have stayed the same.
Hrmmmm... I think that is about enough for tonight. Actually that is probably more than enough tonight, since the nice bartender at Whiskey's has been plying me with drinks all night. I'll chalk it up to practice for the bonfire, even if I don't plan to live up to the nickname "Timber."
EDIT: Oh, I actually knew that I was going to be closing on Monday yesterday, but I didn't put it in my blog because I didn't want to upstage my sister's birthday. Of course, she'll probably just hit me in the stomach for adding this edit...
01 November 2007
Happy Birthday Melanie
Today's blog is dedicated to my sister Melanie, who had a birthday today. She's the best sister and best friend a person could hope for.
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