Thursday, April 29, 2004

You know, being the President, CEO, Project Manager, Senior Programmer, and only employee of your own software company is tough. I got so many ideas, but just a single man to hack out the code to make them work. If only I had some capital to hire people smarter than me. I will have my minions someday.

I want to consume a large quantity of food coloring for the sole purpose of turning my bodily waste an unusual color. I'm sure you don't need, or want, any details. I have to figure out how much I have to drink to see the effects, and whether or not that much straight food coloring is healthy for me.

I need to move to a country without "reality" television shows. I hate them so much. And they keep getting worse. Among the new ones, are the "Reverse American Idol" (I don't know what it's really called, but I don't give a F***!!) and "The Baby Game" (ditto). The former is just like regular "American Idol", but this time they're looking for the next William Hung!! The latter forces 5 married couples to compete for the chance to adopt a teenage mother's infant child. All of it, so very wrong.

Some kid at the University of Massachusetts tore into Pat Tillman, the NFLer turned soldier who recently died in combat in Afghanistan. What an asshole. One, speak well of the dead, especially when he died to protect your right to talk shit about him. Two, what have you done for America lately? Tillman sacrificed more than anyone could have asked for, turning down millions of dollars, playing in the NFL, and putting his life on the line. All for what he thought was right. You insult him, you insult the millions of Americans who's died for this great nation. Excellent quote from University president Jack Wilson about the kid's op-ed piece: "disgusting, arrogant and intellectually immature."

The kid later removed his head from the inside of his body cavity and apologized. He's still a dumbass punk who needs a swift kick in the rear.

I had an OS test on Tuesday. I thought I was ready for it. I was so wrong. I felt I was prepared for the test, but I forgot that this was a Dr. Juell test. You can never be prepared for those. I tried to BS my way through it, hoping to at least get 50 points and keep a C in the class. After I turned it in, he offered me a chance to retake the entire test open book. It would cost me 10 points. I spent a few minutes debating it. Wondering if there were any other strings attached. I retook the test. And I felt much better the second time around. I got them both back today. 78 the first time. 86 the second time. Guess I didn't do as bad as I thought.

I rather enjoy the discussion part of Juell's OS class. My class talks about the problems plaguing modern operating systems (mainly Microsoft) and how the things we learn in lecture apply to solving those problems. It's the lectures themselves that aren't so fun. They're kinda boring, mainly since he talks, and we don't. It's a good thing we discuss first, so we can eat up the first half hour or so. :)

OK, those remaining Weezer lyrics. From "Maladroit"...
-- "For the times that you wanna go and/Bust rhymes real slow/I'll appear/slap you on the face and/Enjoy the show" - Dope Nose
-- "Dead on my head/Wasting time on my own/Sleep rescue me/Take me back to my home" - Dope Nose
-- Keep Fishin' (another gem from the pen of Rivers Cuomo) - quite possibly my favorite Weezer song of all, thanks to the awesome video featuring the Muppets

OK, I was only able to deliver 15. Maybe someday, I'll finish the list.

It's bedtime for beautiful people like me. I got a presentation to half-ass in the morning. Later.

Sunday, April 25, 2004

So, appearantly, KFC is a big fat lie. The first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant was in UTAH!! As Carrie would say, "I know, tell me about it!"

Ed. Note: I have since been told that my source on this fact was incorrect. I checked it out on Wikipedia, and confirmed that the first KFC was not opened in Utah. Full Details - PFritz21, 8/21/05 5:12 PM.

I got a small Oreo Blizzard at Dairy Queen the other day. It cost me $3.17 (including tax). To be honest, I paid $1.49 for the Blizzard, and an extra $1.50 for the ass raping.

I hate people who treat animals like people. Like dressing up their dogs in cute little outfits. Or doggy yoga. Or bottled water for dogs. You people should be shot.

There's this new trend in Britian. You take your Bluetooth wireless device to find people to have anonymous sex with. Isn't technology great?

Were you as excited about Iron Chef America as I was? And then as disappointed as I was when you actually saw it? They took everything that was great about the original Japanese show and amputated it. It's an empty shell of its former greatness. So very wrong. A complete rant on this some time next week...

Great Weezer lyrics from the Green Album:
-- "If you want it/you can have it/But you've got to learn to reach out there and grab it" - Photograph
-- "And though my heart will break/There's more that I could take/I could never get enough" - Photograph
-- Island in the Sun (the whole song is great)

Uh oh. 3 + 6 + 3 = 12. I promised 20. I think I'm going to fall short by about 5 or 6. Oops.

In the words of Adam Sandler, "ALRIGHT ALREADY!!"

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Although I'm not a big fan of basketball, and I detest the NBA, I would like to see the Minnesota Timberwolves go all the way. KG is an amazing player. He definitely deserves the MVP. And with Latrell Spreewell, Sam Cassell, and Michael Olowokandi joining Wally Szczerbiak as the supporting cast, they have the skill to not only get out of the first round of the playoffs, but to go all the way to the Finals. And win.

I watched "The Breakfast Club" the other night. Is this what passed for a great movie 20 years ago? I wasn't impressed. The romantic ties between Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald and Emilio Estevez and Ally Sheedy seemed tacked on at the end (although the latter was a little more believable). The conversation between Mr. Vernon the Principal and Carl the Janitor could have been extended more. I guess the movie wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good either.

Ever see that Nike commercial where Lance Armstrong is a boxer and Andre Agassi is playing for the Boston Red Sox? I want to know how they did that!! It looked so realistic. Randy Johnson bowling that strike. Marion Jones hitting her vault. And they should make a sequel to that commercial. My suggestions: an MLB star and an NBA star as an NFL quarterback and wide receiver, a hockey player on the golf course (most hockey players ARE good golfers), Tiger Woods trying a few different sports. I'm just throwing out ideas here.

OK, those Weezer lyrics from Pinkerton:
-- "I think I'd be good for you and you'd be good for me" - El Scorcho
-- "How stupid is it?/I can't talk about it/I gotta sing about it/and make a record of my heart" - El Scorcho
-- "For all I know you want me too/and maybe you just don't know what to do/or maybe you're scared to say/'I'm falling for you'" - El Scorcho
-- "I'll bring home the turkey if you bring home the bacon." - El Scorcho (notice a pattern yet?)
-- "If everyone's a little queer/can't she be a little straight?" - Pink Triangle
-- "Screw this crap, I've had it!" - The Good Life

That's 9 so far by my count. The Green Album is on deck.

Sunday, April 18, 2004

OK, I'm back. Finally. I tried to do this blog thing because I thought it would be fun, after less than 3 weeks, it's become a burden of work. Just like my web site. I want to work on it, but I'm not patient enough to sit down and type for a half hour every night. *SHRUG*

I've got so much to say, but I always forget. I should write these things down...

I saw "Miracle" last night. Wow. Sure, I knew the ending, but it really hit me emotionally. Even before the start of the game against the Russians, I was getting choked up; wanting, hoping the US to win. It was a great movie. About as good as you could get, but it probably didn't even carry 1/1000th of the emotion of the actual situation.

It rained today. YAY!! I don't have to wash my car.

The Twins are back in first. It's where they belong. Still 150 to go...

Oops, I just noticed my 4/10 post only has 9 movies listed, instead of the 10 I promised. "Kill Bill" takes up that last spot.

OK, those Weezer lyrics. Let's start with the Blue Album. Here they are... (all lyrics by Rivers Cuomo)

-- "If you want to destroy my sweater/Hold this thread as I walk away" - Undone (The Sweater Song)
-- "Dear Daddy/I write you in spite of years of silence./You've cleaned up, found Jesus,/things are good or so I hear./This bottle of Steven's/awakens ancient feelings./Like father, stepfather, the son is drowning in the flood." - Say It Ain't So
-- "Oh no! What do I do?/Don't look now but I lost my shoe" - Buddy Holly

That's 3. 17 to go. Expect Pinkerton lyrics in the next post.

I'm not asking for much in life right now. Just a job after I graduate, someone to love, and a few thousand dollars to buy some neat toys. Um, that's not much, right?

Scotty, beam me out.

Monday, April 12, 2004

Congratulations to the 2004 Masters Champion, Phil Mickelson. Way to go, Lefty!!

P2P file-sharing networks are wrong. Computer viruses are wrong. But computer viruses that attack the web sites of companies that make P2P file-sharing software: NOT WRONG.

The Tigers leading the AL Central? WTF? Well, they should win at least 50 games this year. :)

A friend of mine got engaged this weekend. Another one bites the dust.

Fun music videos: almost anything by Weezer, D12's "My Band", The Darkness's "I Believe in a Thing Called Love", Yellowcard's "Ocean Avenue", The Black Eyed Peas' "Hey Mama", Nickelback's "Figured You Out", Jason Mraz's "You and I Both", and John Mayer's "Clarity".

Speaking of Weezer: a list of my top 20 favorite lyrics coming later this week (if I can ever narrow it down to 20).

I love soda. That intoxicating, brown, sweet, carbonated, caffeinated liquid. Just stick it in my vein!!

Oh, look, it's "Gary & Mike". They should bring that to DVD...

I'm outta here.

Saturday, April 10, 2004

OK, here's a short list of about 10 movies I want to see and why (no particular order):

1. The Girl Next Door - Elisha Cuthbert is hot, and the movie looks pretty good. And Cuthbert is hot.
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Let's face it. Jim Carrey is hilarious. He should have gotten an Oscar for "Man on the Moon". He should get one for this movie. Oh, and it has Kirsten Dunst, and she's hot.
3. Jersey Girl - Kevin Smith grows up and writes a more mature movie. Good for him. This movie KINDA stole my idea, but it did it really well. Affleck is good, Carlin has a sharp wit, and Liv Tyler takes a shower (while half-naked).
4. Walking Tall - The Rock beats people with a 4x4 piece of wood. Cool. And that part where he scares the guy into running into that support beam. I want to be able to do that.
5. Miracle - It has hockey. It has Americans beating the Russians. It has Kurt Russell doing a damn fine job of being Herb Brooks. U! S! A!
6. Starsky and Hutch - A buddy cop action comedy. With Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Need I say more?
7. Spider-Man 2 - The first one was amazing. The casting was perfect, the action intense, and the Kirsten Dunst. The second one looks to be more of the same, but better.
8. The Punisher - "You can't kill me, I'm already dead." One pissed-off guy with nothing else to lose brings punishment to the one who wronged him. Something I'd like to do very much. And was that Rebecca Romjin-Stamos? She looks good (which is rare).
9. Hellboy - Another movie based on a Marvel comic. It's kinda way out there, but the casting looks pretty good. Same goes for the action.

OK, so those aren't the best choices in the world. It's my money. I'll spend it however I wish, thank you very much.

Onto new business...

The Dallas Stars are screwed. They aren't getting past the first round. They can't win on the road, or get the offensive support they need. And Marty just can't cut it in goal during crunch time. I blame him for not winning the cup. Next season (whenever that will be) doesn't look too good either.

I really gotta get some homework done this weekend. Boo.

This is a test.

Damn, I've run out of things to say. Which angers me, cuz I got a lot to say. I just forgot all of it. Oh well. Save it for later.

Thursday, April 8, 2004

Oh, what a night.

We had our last session of co-ed intramural hockey last night. After playing like crap the first half of the pick-up game, I came back to score four goals and get an assist. Each time I scored, I was standing in front of the net cleaning up the garbage. I don't know how I found the back of the net so many times. I guess I just got those lucky bounces.

When we were done playing, we went over to Mick's Office in Moorhead. And we sat there and drank. We all got drunk. I had about 6 beers. We told stories about drinking, hockey, drinking, bodily injury, drinking, and puking. Then, as the bar started to close for the night, we decide to get something to eat. We go the the Fry'n Pan and ordered breakfast (except me, I got a Turkey Club with fries). No one got home until 3:30 AM!!

Joe Mauer needs knee surgery. He's going to be out at least three weeks. That Pierzynski trade is looking more and more like a brilliant move...

I need a new alarm clock. And I'm really only looking for two features. I want one with a CD player and a digital radio tuner. Is that really too much to ask? It must be, 'cuz the cheapest one I could find was over $50. Maybe Target has cheaper ones.

Wednesday, April 7, 2004

About time. The Twins took fifteen (15!) innings to beat Cleveland 7-6. But it was an ugly game. Mauer and Hunter both left the game with injuries. Santana only lasted 4 innings. No one could come through in a clutch situation. It's going to be a long season. Magic number: 160.

Here's how you can have fun in the kitchen:
1. Buy some ham (preferably between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch thick)
2. Fry it in a pan
3. Take a fork and orient it so the tines are parallel to the surface of the ham
4. Press the tines against the ham
5. Listen for the high-pitched squealing sounds
6. Laugh

Deep Space Nine is the Zelda 2 of the Star Trek Universe. Huh? That's right, you heard me.

I want to see a movie. Doesn't matter as long as I think it looks half-decent. A more detailed list of what I'd be willing to see to come later in the week.

Tired and at a lost for words, I'm done. Press me with the tines of a fork and hear me squeal.

Monday, April 5, 2004

It's Opening Day. The real Opening Day. And geez. The Twins had to come back from being down by 4 to win. In extra innings. Against Cleveland. Joe Mauer led off the bottom of the ninth with the game tied at 4. And he didn't end it with a shot into the seats. Pierzynski would have. OK, so I'm still bitter about that trade. Joe < A.J. He's a good kid, but he's still a kid. He can't even drink yet. Hell, I'm more than 2 years older than him.

But I shouldn't complain. Minnesota did win. Hunter didn't choke in a pressure situation (about damn time too). He tied the game in the eighth with a single that scored Mientkiewicz. Mauer made the tag at the plate to get Lawton out on Vizquel's double in the top of the 11th. And Shannon Stewart sent the fans hope happy with a three-run homer with 2 down in the bottom half of the inning. Only 161 more to go...

The vending machine that I like to frequent before class and during work no longer has Pepsi's with the iTunes caps. They switched back to the 1 in 6 chance to win a "Buy One, Get One Free." I'm so angry, although I've run out of songs I want to download. It's the principle, man!!

OK, about that review of Weezer's DVD, "Video Capture Device". The easiest thing to do would be to mention what I DID NOT like about it.

1. Navigating the Scene Selection menu. Each time you move the cursor up and down, the song playing in the background changes. And you have to wait for the song to load. ?? Here would have been the better option: one song for navigating the main menu on the left side. When you move the cursor to the sub-menu on the right, THEN change the song.

2. I guess this is more of a "1A." If the menu navigation was as I proposed, then it wouldn't be so bad. What am I talking about? Turning on the commentary. It takes over a minute to do so. It's the fifth option down on the main Scene Selection menu. So, you have to press down on the remote, wait for a different song to load and start playing before you can move the cursor again. And after you turn the commentary on, the cursor returns to the top of the menu (Music Videos). So, if you wanted to turn the commentary for a live performance on the third page of the "Documentary, B-Roll, and Live Stuff" submenu, you're going to want to beat your head against the wall before the whole thing is done.

3. Commentary problems:
3a. Where's Rivers? He's the frontman. I'm sure he has a lot to say about his band. It's his band (although I don't want to take away from Pat, Brian, Scott, Matt, and Mikey). He should have been there.
3b. Did anyone know who was talking when during the commentary? I sure didn't. I don't know if it was Pat or Scott or Karl (the band's video documentarian) half the time. The only time you KNEW who was talking and when someone said something like "there I am" when they were on screen.
3c. A minor, but very noticeable thing. During the commentary, the normal audio plays back at about half-volume. Not bad. But in the case of the "El Scorcho [Director's Cut]" video, the song suddenly (well, it seemed sudden) became off-synch with the video by a couple of seconds. Oops.

4. Not really a problem with DVD. Or maybe it is. Karl Koch threw some footage together for the "Slob" video. I don't like that song. It sounds so final. I hear that, and I'm all "Geez, these guys sound like they're break up, just forget the whole music thing, and get real jobs." It's so depressing in that angry kind of way. You know, they way you get when something good is over and you never wanted it to stop.

5. Not enough footage from televised performances. The only one they had was their August 4th, 1995 appearance on the Late Show with David Lettermann. What about any appearances stemming from the release of the Green Album and their return to stardom? Side note: I never saw their May 19th, 2001 performance of "Island in the Sun" on SNL. Comedy Central doesn't include that when they show that episode. That song totally renewed my interest in the band. Side note: I wish Comedy Central would show SNL again instead of Mad TV. Expect for any John Madden sketch, Mad TV sucks. I watch so much less Comedy Central now. I'd rather see a truncated, hour-long episode of SNL that I've seen 20 times than any complete episode of Mad TV.

Other than the above qualms, it's great. I can't stop watching the music videos. I even captured the audio from some of them and convert them into MP3's so I could listen to them on my computer. It's a cheap, acceptable alternative to buying the CD's for now. The live footage and such was kinda interesting. I would have like to have seen some more TV performances. And I love El Scorcho, Dope Nose, Pink Triangle, and Photograph, all of which I heard for the first time ever. The best part: owning a legal copy of one of the two best music videos of all time ("Keep Fishin'", the other being the Darkness's "I Believe in a Thing Called Love").

Wow, long post. That's a wrap people.
I'm waiting for Gary & Mike to come on Comedy Central. Until then, I wrote this.

There is definitely a trade-off between trying to keep your music collection legit and increasing its size. Money. If I had more, I'd buy a bunch of CD's. But I don't. And I'd kinda like to save it for more expensive computer toys. Free iTunes from the 20 oz. Pepsi bottles helped for a while, but I can't find anything else to download. I've been using them in situations where I only want a single song off of an album. I kinda hit the bottom of the barrel at the 30-song mark. Of course, I could download tons of illegal songs, but I don't want to mess with the RIAA or my school. So, until then, I have to stick with the 450 I got.

Who does farm chores while wearing a suit? I mean, really? You ever catch a glimpse of "Green Acres" while channel surfing? I did. Wow. What were the writers thinking? Or smoking?

So, about that iTunes vs. Winamp thing. Here it is...

Pros of iTunes:
---------------
**Play count keeps track of how many times each song has been played
**Playlists show more info
**You know when the last time a song was played
**iTunes Music Store - the only place to buy and download songs off the Internet (all others are vastly inferior)
**Smart playlists (although not so much a factor now cuz I don't have more than 15 songs by any one band

Pros of Winamp:
---------------
**Skins - particularly support for 2.0 skins (Winamp 3 sucked because it didn't support/properly display my TwinsAmp skin)
**Better keyboard shortcuts - my favorite is Ctrl-V (Stop after current)
**Minimizes to the system tray
**Less of a memory hog (about 1/4 the size of iTunes)
**Separate stop and pause buttons

Sorry that doesn't look very pretty. But I'm not allowed to create a table to put that stuff in...

Well, Gary and Mike is about to start in a couple of minutes. And I've run out of things to say.

Next time: a complete review of Weezer's DVD, "Video Capture Device"!!

Sunday, April 4, 2004

I bought a new toothbrush today. An Oral-B Plus Advantage. Using it has been the most enjoyable experience I've had in the field of oral hygiene. It's got these bristles on the outside of the head that massage your gums as you brush. It was a strange, yet pleasent feeling. I'm also starting to floss, and use mouthwash occasionally, even though my tongue feels like it's on fire afterwards.

I cleaned my keyboard today. This is the first time I've given it a proper cleaning. Taking apart all the way and using rubbing alcohol and Q-tips to clean it out thoroughly. It took about 2 hours. It's probably the last time I'll take my keyboard apart. The screws are starting to get a little stripped, and the plastic screw threads from the holes are starting to break.

As soon as I balance my checkbook and determine how I want to budget for some new toys (Mac, Linux, iPod, laptop, wireless network equipment, digital camera, etc), I must buy Weezer CDs. Pinkerton, the Green Album, and Maladroit, plus the Keep Fishin' single (it has the radio edit featured in the music video). I can't stop listening to them. I've practically lost interest in listening to the rest of my music. Rivers writes such great lyrics, the guitars fit the songs well, Pat does a nice job on drums, and the emotion is intense. Yeah, I think they're my new all-time favorite band. Not that I really had one to begin with...

I got a bunch of C++ to write tomorrow. I've been slacking in my self-paced C++ class lately. I've been more focused on my project. I've got about 8 programs to write for 2 assignments (one of which was due nearly a month ago). And all the stuff we're supposed to learn from these programs, I've already learned on my own from working on my project.

I should call my friends Carrie and Sandy. I think I will.

Next issue: Apple's iTunes vs. Nullsoft's Winamp!!

Friday, April 2, 2004

Welcome all my friends, to the show that never ends

What to write...

April Fool's Day was a moderate success. Changing the hosts files on the XP machines confused a few people. And the fun isn't over yet. I did manage to tape up some mice before I left work today.

I got a lot done preparing the next prototype for my capstone project. It's looking pretty good, but I'm sick of working on it. I learned alot about creating graphics, window layouts, and Java. Time for one of my other group members to pick up the slack.

I can't stop listening to Weezer!! Ever since I got their DVD last week (for only $5 at Best Buy), I've got Weezer on the brain. I'm either singing one of their songs while I walk to class, or checking out their web site, or watching the DVD, or playing their songs. I must go out and buy the rest of their CD's (I only have the original blue album).

I don't know what I'm going to do about my new date/time functions. The functions in C++ are worthless. They do me no good. I'm sure I'll figure it out, but it's exhuasting trying to figure out what to code.

The City of Fargo offered me an interview part-time job doing desktop support. My interview is on Monday. It's only 20 hrs/wk, and just $9/hr, but it's better than not having a job when I graduate this May. Plus, there's a chance I could move into a network engineering position in October. I'd like to wait for other offers, but they aren't exactly pouring in.

I kinda like this blogging thing. It's helping me clear my mind...

But I think that is enough for tonight.
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