I'm starting to really regret taking two online classes in one quarter. Even more than that I'm regretting taking 11 hours of classes as a "part time" student. I'm so frustrated and burnt out right now. Computer classes or not, this is just horrible.

So tonight I was taking an online test for one of my classes. The test was over Windows XP and Windows 2003. Silly questions that any A+ certified geek should already know. I was a little more than halfway done with the test when I (STUPIDLY!) clicked on a link on an external page. And.. suprise suprise, that link took over my current web browser window and sent me off to another website. Say buh-bye to the test and the answers I had already filled in. Now I'm locked out of the test too, so I can't retake it until my professor unlocks it for me. This particular professor has a very slow response time to email (36+ hours on average during a work-week) so who knows when I'll be able to take the test.

Stress? Yes, I know that word well. Its a shame I mostly gave up drinking because tonight would be a good night to alter my reality a little.

Less Than Jake rocked the house in Atlanta last night. The confetti explosions and toilet paper blowers (what? they don't have snow in Gainsville where LTJ is from?) were awesome as usual. This was my third time seeing them and I think I'll see them again :-)

They even did a 'crappy song' meddly. Yeah.. 1 minute each of 4 songs. So I did get to hear Boomtown, Dopeman, and Automatic, and Throw the Brick. They even played Plastic Cup Politics and they didn't play that last time they were in town.

Big D and the Kids opened for LTJ. I can understand why the call themselves "the Kids"... those guys were about 15 years younger than LTJ. Overall I give the lead singer a B+ for effort (I mean, com'on he was jumping all around the stage like a frog, or so said my gf). I give the band a C- overall. The horns section needs to lower the volume and they need to decide if they're going to be punk or if they're going to be ska.

Yeah. And I saw creepy dreadlock dude again. I've seen him at a few different concerts there at the Masqurade.. most notably the last Less Than Jake concert. The good news about him is that he always seems to be enjoying himself and he isn't a jerk, so I guess he's a good kind of creepy. As if thats possible somehow.

Next concert: Dropkick Murphys are coming to town in March.

I can't participate in Em Emalb's journal because I spent all 5 of my moderation points on the conversation :-)

Which is well enough. I don't need you guys hitting on me anyway ;-)

I'm scheduled to take two online classes this quarter. Operating Systems Concepts (CIS 103) and Program Design and Development (CIS 105). Both should be easy classes given that I've been programming for over 10 years and I've been interested in operating system development for the last 6 years.

40 hour workweeks, 11 hours of class, numerous hobbies, and a girlfriend. I guess I'm also going to learn how to juggle. This will be one heck of a quarter.

I hit on girls that won't give me the time of day.

I want to revisit that comment from my November 3rd post. I said it out of frustration and it was quite carthetic. Things have changed for me since then. I found a girl to chat with that is able to hold an intelligent conversation without sounding condescending. It seems like we're at the same point in our lives emotionally, intellectually, emotionally and economically. We get along great and we always end up laughing and smiling so much that our faces hurt -- in a good way of course. Things are going great.

Blinder's advice on girls was very helpful even if I didn't impliment said advice properly. Apparently asking a 'good girl' out on a date after exchanging two emails is 'moving too quick'. Eh.. you live and you learn.

I'm glad I can talk to her. I don't get choked up, she doesn't laugh at me (at least not when I'm around), and nothing has been difficult to talk about. I'm pretty sure this is how its supposed to be.

I know some of you don't read the front page. But there is a link to the Childs Play Charity on the front page and I think everyone needs to at least be aware of such a charity. It was started two years ago by the guys at Penny Arcade (an online comic strip that often focuses on computer gaming). In the last two years they have helped promote gamers to donate tons upon tons of money to childrens hospitals around the world. The money goes to buy different electronic devices to help raise the spirits of the children -- Gameboys, Gamecubes, Playstations, XBoxes, games, etc. Personally I think this is a great way for a gamer to give back to society and to help children that might otherwise be stuck in a boring hospital while waiting to recover. It gives those kids happiness, which is very important in fighting any illness.

In any case they already have my money and I know it'll make a difference.

Apparently I have bad luck when it comes to communicating with people. I often get stuck trying to speak with people that just plain don't care about anything I have to say. I hit on girls that won't give me the time of day. I don't know what words to use so I often use the wrong ones. My tone doesn't reflect what I'm trying to get across. And in general I have horrible luck finding willing partipants to communicate with. Only my long time friends put up with my babbling and nonsensical grasp of the English language.

So.. game over. I give up on communicating.

We're really swamped here at work. And hiding a hippo in a cubicle is difficult work.

How is everyone else making out today?

Man I wish I had a giant glass of 2% milk and some cookies. Not only would my heartburn go away, but I'd also get to enjoy eating some cookies.

Happy Friday!

Yes, I'm a few days behind on reading journals. And I don't feel like going through all of them. So would some kind soul please condense all the good bits into a single paragraph and post it here?

During Labour Day weekend the office I work in moved to another part of the building. Lots of packing, lots of heavy lifting, and now lots of lost items.

At home I've been cleaning up my room and the office/computer room. Lots of things have been trashed, and many items will be going to Freecycle'rs.

Which leads me to my current delima. I've been spending all my time packing, and moving, and cleaning instead of working on the speech that I have to give tonight at 6:00. Its the "final" speech, and we're expected to give a 10 to 12 minute speech. Except I just don't care, and I'm seriously thinking about giving a 2 to 5 minute speech and just accepting that I'm going to "fail" this speech. Even if I do fail this speech I'll still make a B in the class overall.

So why am I so worried about it? I have a B already.. anything else I do is just gravy

Jim Carroll wrote some awesome lyrics. If you have a few extra dollars and see 'A World Without Gravity' on sale at a used CD store, I suggest buying it.

Damn what a great lyricist.

All photos 100% work safe (unless your boss is deathly afraid of dental plaster, or mutilated paperclips)

unfinished Grey Ooze. Needs a coat of flat grey to tone the shineyness down, the stone needs some paint, and a coat of clear protectant over the whole thing.
unfinished Orchre Jelly. Needs to dry, then a few coats of dark yellows applied to it. Then the stone needs painted, and a clear protectant coat over the whole thing.
Yeah, I play with chainmail too. Hope to have more stuff done sometime in the next couple of weeks.

Any other slashdotters going to GenCon Indy this year? Its just a few days away, and I'm totally psyched about it.

Rakham Speed Painting, 2 RPGA games, Killer Breakfast, Terrain building, and oh my gosh is the road trip going to be fun.

Anyone else going to be there?

I just wrote 3.5 pages on the topic of genetically modified foods (Franken foods, whatever you wish to call them). This is the second paper I've written on this topic in the last 5 years. And quite honestly I'm sick of it.

At this point I'm writing the paper purely for the grade. Screw the ethical, moral or legal ramifications of GMOs. I just don't care. 60% of the food on the shelves in the US contains a food that was genetically altered. You've all eaten a GM food product in the last week (unless you're a vegan, and even then if you've eaten soy you probably ate GM soy). And thats why I'm sick of the topic. I couldn't change the situation no matter how hard I tried. Not that I'd want to change the situation.. the good far out weighs the bad, IMO.

Chances are that I'll write another page or so tomorrow while I'm at work, and then hand the paper in tomorrow night. Its a crappy paper, but I always tend to make high A's on English papers, so I'm not worried.