blog
From beneath you it devours
4/27/2008
Boredom yesterday made me finish off the end of Buffy season 7. It got to be so good that I just couldn't stop watching it. For those of you who don't know, the title of this post is from season 7. I don't want to post any spoilers on the end of the series, but it was definitely interesting. Unfortunately I spoiled a major part of the ending for myself by glancing over the overview for the season 8 comics. So Jackie, if you are reading this DO NOT read anything about season 8. Now that I'm done watching them all I kind of wish there was more. I guess I still have to finish Angel.
I guess the most important thing that's happened recently is the last class of my college career. It's a nice feeling being completely done with everything, although I still have one final and some research to do. I'm definitely going to be bored for the next week while I wait for graduation though.
I guess the most important thing that's happened recently is the last class of my college career. It's a nice feeling being completely done with everything, although I still have one final and some research to do. I'm definitely going to be bored for the next week while I wait for graduation though.
Various topics
12/08/2007
Well it's been snowing for about two weeks straight up here. I'd say this is probably the most snow we've received this early in the season since I've been up here. Mont Ripley opened yesterday, but I went out with some people from the department to a bar so I didn't end up going skiing. It was free yesterday, so it was probably really crowded anyway. I'm hoping they'll get all of the hill open next week so I can try out the new lift before the holiday break.
I know that I haven't posted in a while, but it will probably be like that for another few weeks unless I get sick of doing homework. I've got a bunch of stuff to do for the last week of school and obviously it's all due soon since the semester is almost over. In fact, I should be doing it right now but I decided I'd distract myself by posting something first.
I've been on a streak of watching terrible movies lately. Mr. Bean's Holiday was pretty terrible. Mr. Bean is hilarious, but two-thirds of this movie was horrible. Shrek the Third is a complete disgrace to the series. Very little actually happens in the movie and it's full of really bad humor, relative to the previous two in the series. Finally, last night I saw Good Luck Chuck with Scott and Angela and it was also pretty horrible. I'll admit I had a few good laughs throughout the movie but it was way too predictable and cheesy for me.
Charter decided they'd give me a reason to hate them more yesterday. I was trying to pay my bill online using their quick pay page, which I like because I don't have to create a login. Well they've decided that you can't do that anymore and you have to create a login now. That's fine with me, I kind of expected to have to make one anyway, but now in order to create a login you have to have your account number and a unique security code, which is supposed to be on your latest bill. Unfortunately, my bill does not have the security code/PIN on it. I saw a page on their site that mentions you can have it sent to you in the mail if you request it in their chat room. Here is the start of the chat room conversation I had with them:
---
Me: I'm trying to pay my bill online and I don't have the PIN number I need. It is not listed on my bill.
Charter rep: For identity and verification purposes, may I please have the phone number starting with the area code, the name on the account, the service address, the Charter Account number, and your account PIN code?
Me: I don't have an account PIN code, that's what I need to find. It is not listed on my bill.
---
Who do they hire to work at this company?!?! Eventually he told me if I "still didn't have the PIN" to visit my local Charter office to obtain it. I quoted the website and asked for it to be mailed to me and he said he'd process that, finally.
Things like this really make me want cable deregulation. Companies should be able to compete for your cable business instead of allowing a sub-par company (i.e. Charter) to be the sole provider. I don't know the main arguments behind the website I linked to above or those opposed to it, I just know I'm sick of over paying for cable service when they aren't providing people with reasonable content. Why cable companies don't carry NFL Network is a different debate, but why can't cable companies provide anywhere near the amount of HD stations that satellite does? Is it bandwidth restrictions? People shouldn't be paying the same price or more than satellite when they are receiving a lesser amount of content.
When I move back to Rochester, I'm going to do everything in my power to get satellite instead of cable as well as trying to get DSL instead of cable Internet.
I know that I haven't posted in a while, but it will probably be like that for another few weeks unless I get sick of doing homework. I've got a bunch of stuff to do for the last week of school and obviously it's all due soon since the semester is almost over. In fact, I should be doing it right now but I decided I'd distract myself by posting something first.
I've been on a streak of watching terrible movies lately. Mr. Bean's Holiday was pretty terrible. Mr. Bean is hilarious, but two-thirds of this movie was horrible. Shrek the Third is a complete disgrace to the series. Very little actually happens in the movie and it's full of really bad humor, relative to the previous two in the series. Finally, last night I saw Good Luck Chuck with Scott and Angela and it was also pretty horrible. I'll admit I had a few good laughs throughout the movie but it was way too predictable and cheesy for me.
Charter decided they'd give me a reason to hate them more yesterday. I was trying to pay my bill online using their quick pay page, which I like because I don't have to create a login. Well they've decided that you can't do that anymore and you have to create a login now. That's fine with me, I kind of expected to have to make one anyway, but now in order to create a login you have to have your account number and a unique security code, which is supposed to be on your latest bill. Unfortunately, my bill does not have the security code/PIN on it. I saw a page on their site that mentions you can have it sent to you in the mail if you request it in their chat room. Here is the start of the chat room conversation I had with them:
---
Me: I'm trying to pay my bill online and I don't have the PIN number I need. It is not listed on my bill.
Charter rep: For identity and verification purposes, may I please have the phone number starting with the area code, the name on the account, the service address, the Charter Account number, and your account PIN code?
Me: I don't have an account PIN code, that's what I need to find. It is not listed on my bill.
---
Who do they hire to work at this company?!?! Eventually he told me if I "still didn't have the PIN" to visit my local Charter office to obtain it. I quoted the website and asked for it to be mailed to me and he said he'd process that, finally.
Things like this really make me want cable deregulation. Companies should be able to compete for your cable business instead of allowing a sub-par company (i.e. Charter) to be the sole provider. I don't know the main arguments behind the website I linked to above or those opposed to it, I just know I'm sick of over paying for cable service when they aren't providing people with reasonable content. Why cable companies don't carry NFL Network is a different debate, but why can't cable companies provide anywhere near the amount of HD stations that satellite does? Is it bandwidth restrictions? People shouldn't be paying the same price or more than satellite when they are receiving a lesser amount of content.
When I move back to Rochester, I'm going to do everything in my power to get satellite instead of cable as well as trying to get DSL instead of cable Internet.
Labels: cable deregulation, charter, movies, school, skiing, snow
Break time
11/18/2007
Thanksgiving break has started and it's nice to be away from school for a little while. I've always thought it's kind of annoying having to go back for only another few weeks and then being done for the semester though.
There isn't a whole lot new with me. I've been really busy lately with school work, which kind of surprised me. I think I'm past most of the really busy sections of the semester now though. I'm kind of disappointed that most of the TV shows I watch will now be showing reruns until that writers strike is over. I don't know what I'll fill my time with now!
Mont Ripley started making snow for the ski season. There isn't a lot yet from what I can tell, but it's good they are starting early. I'm excited to get to start skiing so I can try out their new ski lift. Actually, I'm just excited for it to start snowing in general because it's kind of fun in the U.P.
I'm pretty sure I had more stuff I was going to say but I can't remember now that I'm actually writing stuff. I'll post more later if I remember.
There isn't a whole lot new with me. I've been really busy lately with school work, which kind of surprised me. I think I'm past most of the really busy sections of the semester now though. I'm kind of disappointed that most of the TV shows I watch will now be showing reruns until that writers strike is over. I don't know what I'll fill my time with now!
Mont Ripley started making snow for the ski season. There isn't a lot yet from what I can tell, but it's good they are starting early. I'm excited to get to start skiing so I can try out their new ski lift. Actually, I'm just excited for it to start snowing in general because it's kind of fun in the U.P.
I'm pretty sure I had more stuff I was going to say but I can't remember now that I'm actually writing stuff. I'll post more later if I remember.
New pictures
9/16/2007
As promised I've put up some new pictures. I never got around to posting pictures of the house I lived in last semester after coming back from my co-op. The house was pretty crappy and everything was old/broken. You can see the pictures here or in the pictures section. I also got around to taking pictures of my new place in downtown Hancock. You can see those pictures by clicking here or by going to the pictures section.
There isn't too much new going on with me. This is the smallest credit load I've ever taken so I really don't have much to do a lot of the time. I'm sure I'll get some CS projects pretty soon though, not that I want to do them or anything.
It was finally a reasonable temperature yesterday to go biking again, although still chilly. I finally found a place to ride long distance that isn't extremely hilly. It's really not a bike path but more of a shoulder on a not very busy road. Hopefully I'll get to do more of that before it gets too cold out.
Bioshock is a pretty awesome game. Now that my XBox 360 is back I finally am able to play it. I'm not entirely sure how far I am in the game (I'd guess about 3/4 of the way done) but it's been really fun. I think the game would be even better if I had my nice speakers here, but the apartment seems to have thin walls so I decided to keep them at home until I graduate.
There isn't too much new going on with me. This is the smallest credit load I've ever taken so I really don't have much to do a lot of the time. I'm sure I'll get some CS projects pretty soon though, not that I want to do them or anything.
It was finally a reasonable temperature yesterday to go biking again, although still chilly. I finally found a place to ride long distance that isn't extremely hilly. It's really not a bike path but more of a shoulder on a not very busy road. Hopefully I'll get to do more of that before it gets too cold out.
Bioshock is a pretty awesome game. Now that my XBox 360 is back I finally am able to play it. I'm not entirely sure how far I am in the game (I'd guess about 3/4 of the way done) but it's been really fun. I think the game would be even better if I had my nice speakers here, but the apartment seems to have thin walls so I decided to keep them at home until I graduate.
School is boring
9/12/2007
I'm all moved in at school now and we're in the second week of classes. After looking at my degree audit I noticed I didn't need one of my classes so now I'm only taking four and don't have class Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am working again Tuesdays and Thursdays though. However, like the title of this post says, school is boring.
The apartment here is pretty nice. The building is around 100 years old but the inside has obviously been renovated since then. There are more electrical outlets in my apartment than there were in the whole entire house I lived in last year. Eventually I'll get around to uploading some pictures of it as well as the house I lived in last year. The one problem is I wish that big trucks didn't drive downtown Hancock because it's hard to hear the TV or talk on the phone when you're near the window when it's open. I guess it won't need to be open for very much longer since it's been getting cooler out.
Microsoft finally sent me a repaired XBox 360. It was sent to Green Bay since they only ship to your billing address, but I should have it in the next few days. I'm glad it's back now because in 13 days Halo 3 comes out and I can't miss that.
I've found that biking here is a lot more tiresome than in Rochester. There aren't many bike paths here that are paved but even the ones that are have modest hills in them and I don't seem to ride hills very well. I've found a few roads that are a little hilly but are manageable that I've been riding on so I'll probably stick with those. Now that it's been getting pretty cold I've been shopping around more for a bike trainer. It looks like I might have to buy one online as the stores here aren't very helpful or don't know what I'm talking about.
The travel bug I sent out a while ago has made its way to Germany. I don't know if I mentioned that earlier or not, but someone took it from Texas to Germany and it has now moved around several times within Germany. I think it's pretty cool that it has wound up all the way over there. You can see where it's been by clicking here. I've done one geocache since I've been here that was around my apartment. I should look for a few more, since there are several within a short distance of my place, including one that is right across the street.
The apartment here is pretty nice. The building is around 100 years old but the inside has obviously been renovated since then. There are more electrical outlets in my apartment than there were in the whole entire house I lived in last year. Eventually I'll get around to uploading some pictures of it as well as the house I lived in last year. The one problem is I wish that big trucks didn't drive downtown Hancock because it's hard to hear the TV or talk on the phone when you're near the window when it's open. I guess it won't need to be open for very much longer since it's been getting cooler out.
Microsoft finally sent me a repaired XBox 360. It was sent to Green Bay since they only ship to your billing address, but I should have it in the next few days. I'm glad it's back now because in 13 days Halo 3 comes out and I can't miss that.
I've found that biking here is a lot more tiresome than in Rochester. There aren't many bike paths here that are paved but even the ones that are have modest hills in them and I don't seem to ride hills very well. I've found a few roads that are a little hilly but are manageable that I've been riding on so I'll probably stick with those. Now that it's been getting pretty cold I've been shopping around more for a bike trainer. It looks like I might have to buy one online as the stores here aren't very helpful or don't know what I'm talking about.
The travel bug I sent out a while ago has made its way to Germany. I don't know if I mentioned that earlier or not, but someone took it from Texas to Germany and it has now moved around several times within Germany. I think it's pretty cool that it has wound up all the way over there. You can see where it's been by clicking here. I've done one geocache since I've been here that was around my apartment. I should look for a few more, since there are several within a short distance of my place, including one that is right across the street.
Labels: biking, geocaching, hancock, school, xbox 360
Yeah...
7/29/2007
I know, I haven't updated in forever. To be honest, the only time I think about it is when I'm at work. I've been keeping fairly busy with miscellaneous activities. I've been biking quite a bit and watching a bunch of movies. Netflix is really nice to have but sometimes I end up renting movies that are just terrible. I'm glad it's a flat fee and not based on how many I rent per month.
In the past month or so I've gone to two Twins games (vs. the Tigers) with Sarah, Justin, and some other friends from Rochester. I also went to a few Rochester Honkers games with work and again with Justin and some others from Rochester. It's been a pretty busy month actually. While I'm on the subject of baseball, the Cubs are only a game or so behind the Brewers for 1st place in the division now. I'd guess they will take it over at some point this week.
School starts again in early September so I'll be finishing up at work in Rochester the last week of August and then my parents will come help me move my stuff back to Green Bay. The place I'm renting in Hancock is supposed to be somewhat furnished, so I won't have to worry about moving too much stuff this time.
The Office Season 3 comes out on DVD the first day of classes. Thankfully I don't have any class Tuesday or Thursday this semester so I'll be able to head over to Wal-Mart and pick it up. I'm sure I'll be watching it quite a bit. The Office is probably one of the only TV shows I'd ever buy on DVD. I think a TV show needs a certain charm in order for people to be able to watch it over and over and The Office definitely has it.
In the past month or so I've gone to two Twins games (vs. the Tigers) with Sarah, Justin, and some other friends from Rochester. I also went to a few Rochester Honkers games with work and again with Justin and some others from Rochester. It's been a pretty busy month actually. While I'm on the subject of baseball, the Cubs are only a game or so behind the Brewers for 1st place in the division now. I'd guess they will take it over at some point this week.
School starts again in early September so I'll be finishing up at work in Rochester the last week of August and then my parents will come help me move my stuff back to Green Bay. The place I'm renting in Hancock is supposed to be somewhat furnished, so I won't have to worry about moving too much stuff this time.
The Office Season 3 comes out on DVD the first day of classes. Thankfully I don't have any class Tuesday or Thursday this semester so I'll be able to head over to Wal-Mart and pick it up. I'm sure I'll be watching it quite a bit. The Office is probably one of the only TV shows I'd ever buy on DVD. I think a TV show needs a certain charm in order for people to be able to watch it over and over and The Office definitely has it.
Labels: baseball, moving, school, the office
Baseball
1/21/2007
Now that the Packers are done for the season I'm getting really excited for baseball season. The Cubs are vastly improved this season after adding Soriano and a bunch of other players. Rumor has it that they are up for sale and they are trying to maximize the value that they'd get for the club, but I hope it's just because they want to finally not suck.
My parents got me a brick from Wrigley Field for Christmas, I thought it was pretty cool. I'm assuming it used to be in the outfield area and was taken down after they added more bleacher seats last year. My dad made a stand for it too, it's pretty cool.
I'm disappointed that no one is making a realistic full-featured baseball game for the Wii. The Wii Sports baseball is really fun but imagine playing full games like that with real teams and players. The new baseball games seem to only be on the other consoles. Maybe I'll be forced to get it for XBox 360 instead.
The first week of school was interesting. It's different being off campus now. It's probably actually more productive for me since I have a lot of time between classes. I usually end up reading stuff for other classes in the computer lab. I think Computer Networks and possibly Programming Languages will be my favorite classes. The Computer Networks book is pretty interesting.
Skiing twice a week is pretty fun too though. The whole ski hill isn't open yet, but it's still been fun. Unfortunately, one of the times I have to go skiing is during The Office and Grey's Anatomy. I'll probably end up recording it every week and watching it when I get back.
My parents got me a brick from Wrigley Field for Christmas, I thought it was pretty cool. I'm assuming it used to be in the outfield area and was taken down after they added more bleacher seats last year. My dad made a stand for it too, it's pretty cool.
I'm disappointed that no one is making a realistic full-featured baseball game for the Wii. The Wii Sports baseball is really fun but imagine playing full games like that with real teams and players. The new baseball games seem to only be on the other consoles. Maybe I'll be forced to get it for XBox 360 instead.
The first week of school was interesting. It's different being off campus now. It's probably actually more productive for me since I have a lot of time between classes. I usually end up reading stuff for other classes in the computer lab. I think Computer Networks and possibly Programming Languages will be my favorite classes. The Computer Networks book is pretty interesting.
Skiing twice a week is pretty fun too though. The whole ski hill isn't open yet, but it's still been fun. Unfortunately, one of the times I have to go skiing is during The Office and Grey's Anatomy. I'll probably end up recording it every week and watching it when I get back.
Creepy
1/17/2007
So a lot of things have happened since the last time I posted. I finished my co-op in Rochester, moved everything from Rochester to Green Bay to Hancock, and started school again after a semester off. It's weird being back, I think I'm happy about it although nothing has really changed except that I have homework now.
It's too early to tell if I'll like any of my classes, but some of them seem interesting at least. I have huge gaps in time between classes every day though, so I guess I'll be hanging out in the labs a lot since it's not really worth it to go home for an hour. I'll probably just use that time to do homework.
The house Justin and I rented in Hancock is a mixture between creepy old house and a nice cozy place. I have no idea when it was built but it was obviously a long time ago. The light switches stick out of the wall and some of them are even turn switches. You might think that they are dimmers for the lights, but they aren't. You turn the dial and it eventually clicks and turns the light on/off. Here's a picture of a "modern" switch (on the left) and one of the old dial kind.
Unfortunately, the switch stopped working a few days ago and it's in the worst place possible... the stairway. We're having it looked at soon I think. Hopefully it gets fixed.
The basement is also creepy. To get into it you must go into the pantry and then open a trap door which reveals some very steep steps down to a spooky, dark basement.
There is also a large oil tank and an ancient furnace which sports a paint job which hints that it is from the 50s.
The most spooky thing about the whole place is the old cane that my dad found behind a door. We like to joke that the place is haunted, probably from some dead miner. I think he may have been warning us when he broke the light switch earlier this week.
It's too early to tell if I'll like any of my classes, but some of them seem interesting at least. I have huge gaps in time between classes every day though, so I guess I'll be hanging out in the labs a lot since it's not really worth it to go home for an hour. I'll probably just use that time to do homework.
The house Justin and I rented in Hancock is a mixture between creepy old house and a nice cozy place. I have no idea when it was built but it was obviously a long time ago. The light switches stick out of the wall and some of them are even turn switches. You might think that they are dimmers for the lights, but they aren't. You turn the dial and it eventually clicks and turns the light on/off. Here's a picture of a "modern" switch (on the left) and one of the old dial kind.
Unfortunately, the switch stopped working a few days ago and it's in the worst place possible... the stairway. We're having it looked at soon I think. Hopefully it gets fixed.
The basement is also creepy. To get into it you must go into the pantry and then open a trap door which reveals some very steep steps down to a spooky, dark basement.
There is also a large oil tank and an ancient furnace which sports a paint job which hints that it is from the 50s.
The most spooky thing about the whole place is the old cane that my dad found behind a door. We like to joke that the place is haunted, probably from some dead miner. I think he may have been warning us when he broke the light switch earlier this week.
Spring schedule
10/30/2006
Today I registered for the spring semester at MTU. I decided I should finish up the general education credits so I'm taking a few of those and then some computer science classes. I also still need four PE classes so I'm going to do two more of those this semester. Both of them are skiing of course.
Monday
CS4121: Programming Languages
CS4711: Intro to Software Engineering
Tuesday
HU3701: Philosophy of Technology
HU3120: Technical and Scientific Communication
CS4461: Computer Networks
Wednesday
CS4121: Programming Languages
CS4711: Intro to Software Engineering
PE0320: Advanced Downhill Skiing
Thursday
HU3701: Philosophy of Technology
HU3120: Technical and Scientific Communication
CS4461: Computer Networks
PE0220: Intermediate Downhill Skiing
Friday
CS4121: Programming Languages
Fridays will be nice with only one class. We'll see how it goes.
Monday
CS4121: Programming Languages
CS4711: Intro to Software Engineering
Tuesday
HU3701: Philosophy of Technology
HU3120: Technical and Scientific Communication
CS4461: Computer Networks
Wednesday
CS4121: Programming Languages
CS4711: Intro to Software Engineering
PE0320: Advanced Downhill Skiing
Thursday
HU3701: Philosophy of Technology
HU3120: Technical and Scientific Communication
CS4461: Computer Networks
PE0220: Intermediate Downhill Skiing
Friday
CS4121: Programming Languages
Fridays will be nice with only one class. We'll see how it goes.
Spooky time
10/27/2006
Halloween is quickly approaching and I think it might be one of the coolest "holidays". A bunch of scary movies are in theaters, scary video games come out, Halloween specials are on TV, and there are decorations on people's homes. This year my parents made this spooky looking fence for our house (picture below). Anyone who has seen my dorm room or apartment in the past two years knows my dad likes to make things out of PVC pipe, because it's easy to take apart and reassemble. Well this fence is made from PVC pipe. It doesn't look like it at all, does it? They did a great job. Oh, the picture was taken by my brother Todd.
Not too much else new lately. The Office was a rerun this week which totally ruined my Thursday. I've become addicted to that show after buying season 1 and 2. Getting the full story so far is a lot better than just part of it, everything makes more sense in the current episodes.
I register for the spring semester of school on Monday. So far it looks like I'll be taking two humanities courses, to get all of my required general stuff done, and then three or four computer science classes depending on what I think I can handle. I'm also going to take a bunch of PE credits because I need four more classes in order to graduate. Winter is the best time, in my opinion, for PE classes. I'm planning on taking intermediate and advanced skiing which basically means show up at the hill and then go do whatever you want. It'll be fun to be forced to ski 4 hours a week. I may also be taking another bowling class, we'll see.
It looks like I'll be able to see the Packers again this week since the Vikings play on Monday night. It will be nice since I just bought new speakers for my TV and since we get the digital Fox HDTV station it will look and sound awesome. Now the Packers just have to come through and beat a crappy team (Cardinals).
Not too much else new lately. The Office was a rerun this week which totally ruined my Thursday. I've become addicted to that show after buying season 1 and 2. Getting the full story so far is a lot better than just part of it, everything makes more sense in the current episodes.
I register for the spring semester of school on Monday. So far it looks like I'll be taking two humanities courses, to get all of my required general stuff done, and then three or four computer science classes depending on what I think I can handle. I'm also going to take a bunch of PE credits because I need four more classes in order to graduate. Winter is the best time, in my opinion, for PE classes. I'm planning on taking intermediate and advanced skiing which basically means show up at the hill and then go do whatever you want. It'll be fun to be forced to ski 4 hours a week. I may also be taking another bowling class, we'll see.
It looks like I'll be able to see the Packers again this week since the Vikings play on Monday night. It will be nice since I just bought new speakers for my TV and since we get the digital Fox HDTV station it will look and sound awesome. Now the Packers just have to come through and beat a crappy team (Cardinals).
Labels: halloween, packers, school, the office