Little By Little

One would think when your job is to break something it'd be easy. It's not. Try breaking something the same way so it can be fixed! It's a real challenge especially trying to document it all. I feel productive at least if rather challenged. Anyhow glad that I am kind of settling in.

Did you see the French rejected the EU Constitution? The irony here is that while the Brits were almost 100% sure to shoot this down they'll probably never get the chance. Now the Dutch are on deck to reject it as well. Nine goverments approved the the constitution without a vote but at this rate everywhere it's voted on by the people it will be rejected not just in Euro-skeptic areas. Really wish I could take this up again with my Soc. prof who was so sure it'd get passed because it was a triumph of human ideals (he's rather liberal). Not that I think the constitution is a bad deal for Europe, personally I think it'd be good for them, but I guess this is one moment where their leaders are as out of touch with them as my prof is. It might help that I've been in Europe fairly recently (meaning that my understanding of Europe is fading fast, should go again).

I was asked by my parents if I had a date for my sister's wedding. I do not. Think they were dissapointed I'm still single. Anyone want to go as my date? ;)

Here and Back Again

Work continues, going to have to almost literally learn how to work. It may sound odd, but how many of you know how to be totally productive sitting in an office for 8 hours a day? Anyhow think I am getting used to work, now need to work on that lovely C++!

Came home, it's been nice but too short. Here a couple nights then on the road again. I feel almost transient even though I'm not really going anywhere new. Just driving a lot.

Got tons of reading material! Yay, yay, yay! First off is Chronicles of Narnia. I'd intended to read them for a little while now but couldn't get ahold of the series til now. Mom gave me her old copy of the set. My parents have to be my biggest influence on my reading. Dad more so then Mom but both of them have caused me to keep reading and reading and reading. :D Anyhow started with Magician's Nephew and will work from there. I also got a new RPG book. It's a D20 system but they limited magic users a bunch so hopefully it won't be as unbalanced as D & D is. It's called Midnight and is a rather dark world. It mimics LotR some but not so much that it's no good. Still haven't gotten far into the setting tho. Either way more reading material! Also bringing home one of my history books: The Battle of Moscow. Won't get to that for awhile.

Enterprise is over. I barely even noticed. Just watched the last episode. It was alright. I remember when it started in the end of high school and I figured I'd watch every episode, my first Star Trek series where I saw the whole thing. That never happened. I've seen maybe half. Odd how things change isn't it? That's life.

Anyhow, time to hit the sack. Maybe read a little. Think I've found a way so the walls aren't blank in the living room of our apartment. It may be a bit odd tho, not sure I'll go through with it. I know Twism will find it strange. So prolly will everyone else. It's been awhile since I've made a map tho...

Work

Well I have joined the (adult) working world as a mere intern. Wow, yesterday was all massively overwhelming and today shows what the rest could threaten to be: rather boring but stressful. At least Andy is in the same boat as me, I'd feel really lousy if he totally knew what he was doing. Anyhow I think I will probably survive this summer but it's gonna be a lot different then I expected. For one my evenings will probably mostly start at 6:00 and end by 10:00. It's odd but I was completely able to crash at 10 last night and I am ready to crash now. Hope that to an extent this goes away, not that getting 8 hours of sleep is bad but I am totally fried when I come home. I can't do that for another 40 odd years of my life tho. Then again it is just day two, gotta wait and see what happens.

So let's see, what do I at work? Basically when it gets down to it I'll be programming in Visual C++. Please note this is different then the C++ I was taught a year or so ago at good ol' UWSP. We didn't have anything visual, we did it all through DOS. Noone use DOS for anything anymore. I want my tutition back. Now. However there is a fair amount of room for learning stuff here so I just have to batten down and try to figure out the gist of Visual C++ in 2-3 weeks. C++ is the same no matter the variation so at least I have syntax to an extent. Take some time to re-adjust to Visual Studio 6.0 too. Never thought I'd go backwards with programming stuff but that's what 6.0 vs .NET. Currently I am working on a testing (ie trying to break) a program for the Radiology department (since I am the PACS/Radiology IT subsection intern). Couldn't tell you exactly what it does beyond that it is used for invoices etc. That may in fact be all it is used for come to think of it. However the head of the Radiology Dept, whose also on the board of the Directors, is in charge (in the sense of pushing for the program/heading the non-IT side of it) so there's a little pressure to not screw up.

Ok, really, things probably aren't as bad as they seem right now. It's just all very new and very overwhelming. I feel small, dumb, and totally expendable. While I doubt this is an unusual expierence for IT interns it doesn't help much. In truth I suspect in a week or two things will have settled into a routine and I will be a quasi-happy cubical dweller. Anyhow I need to do a quarter of a million things here so that will have to be all.

Summer

Well summer is here. Work starts tomorrow. The apartment is down a roommate. Point is empty of most of its Pointers. Things are different. New routine. Welcome to summer.

Force is With Us

Internet's back. The CRV is not broken (hopefully). I survived another year on this crazy planet without dying or getting strange diseases (present situation does not count). Saw Star Wars. It was good. Not fantastic but a nice addition to the series! Go watch it, not a waste of your hard earned money! Anyhow I am going to go and read some history, spend a little time with God and try and rest up for this bonfire thing with Lena and Evie tonight!

Remember faith does manage :)

That's just *&#%* spiffy!

Well good news is got 93% on the Goulet project and I am done with 75% of my finals. Bad news is at 11AM today the internet died in the apartment. It was still dead at 5:45PM when I returned (although the whole time both computers said their ethernet connection was fine). Called Charter. 40 minutes later Charter says someone will be out to fix it Thursday. End result: no internet at home. So I haven't fallen off the face of the earth I just loss my ability to communicate with it for a day and a half. Not a huge deal really. Well ok, I hate it, but I will make due. Hopefully come Thursday morning I will be able to reconnect. Just one more frustration for these past two weeks. Oy.

Good luck with any remaining finals. After Wednesday I'll be in there quite a bit so stop on by (I don't need to go home now so I even have a modestly open schedule, albeit I should use it to get better).

Storm

Well this week has started off wonderfully. I have a nasty cold that is making me achey more then making my nose run. Now granted I'd prefer not to be sick at all but I can live with runny nose, it's a lot harder to function when I ache all over. CIS 323 continues to mess with me (and my partner and I think everyone else in the class). Gah. I hate this. Have to hand it in now. Not looking forward to this at all.

Having quite a few moments where I am either bad 6 or pretty much a 3. What a week, weekend, whatever. The storm snuck in the back door unnoticed. Shoulda seen that coming, can't stop it.

Plugging Away

This week has been kind of odd. Went in with fairly high spirits. Going out with kind of apathy towards it all. It could be worse just a lot things I was hoping for seemed to be dashed. I could be wrong, the weekend is fairly hard to predict, and I tend to be pessimistic towards things. We'll see how things go. My GPA is going to slump back towards a 3.0. Just how close (or how far below) remains to be seen but mostly now it's in the hands of my two CIS classes. Really I should be able to swing a B in both (don't think I can get an A in either alas) so I just need to sit down and study a lot this weekend.

It finally rained a lot last night. I got rather drenched from it (although more from someone jumping in puddles then actual water falling from the sky) but it was still nice to get rain. Nearly was snow, that would been scary considering the rain we got, that'd be a lot of snow! This has to be one of the chilliest springs I remember in a long time though, even for Point.

Maybe some decent academic news. I am nearly done with Bradshaw. Just need to tackle the glossaries and then Lena and I need to print several reams worth of documentation and put it all together. Hope Goulet is a nice grader on projects as opposed to tests!

Risk game sunday night. Timing could be better but it looks like everyone might be able to make it so have to go with it. Just means I need to study more the rest of the weekend. Stay focused!

Not sure my Exalted game will get off its feet this summer. Looks less and less like it will. Not really a surprise I guess, but a dissapointment none-the-less. Guess I'll get that for not having a large amount of gamer friends. I'm kind of an academic gamer. I don't play very much but I read a lot and am fairly well versed in a variety of systems. That's a geeky niche in life isn't it?

Contemplative Thought

Something I have to agree with Casey about something she said awhile back. I want a huge library. When my grandkids come over (if I actually ever have them I suppose) I want that the place they want to go because it's got that many books and it's just an exciting place to be.

Ok, more so I want it for me. I love books. I look at my bookshelf at home with great satisfaction. I look at my bookshelf here with similiar satisfaction. I've got nearly two huge book cases filled to overflowing! Everything from science fiction, fantasy, action/drama, to history (ie non-fiction) and reference books. It's so cool!

I already know how it'll look too :D

Must go study now. Wonder if she'll ever actually write back...

Bradshaw 50% Complete

All the physical work is done, now just need to print it out and do summaries then put it all in a binder. Whee. I know what my next work shifts will be. Geology test is 11 1/2 hours or so. Am I ready? Not really. I still have about 2 1/4 chapters to read plus review my notes. Late night for sure.

Anyhow, off to do rounds. One week of late Tuesday nights left!

My Roommate is Lost Near Tomah

Er, well actually think he is going the right direction towards home (ie here) now but I think he is homeward boundish now. Guess I better cancel all those eBay auctions of his stuff before he gets back. So much for some quick cash! Anyhow had a very good weekend. First Friday Fellowship was lots of fun, got to know some more of the people and that's always cool although a couple of them aren't coming back to Point next fall :( Spent Saturday the day doing stuff related to Charlie and Laura's wedding. That was interesting, it's been awhile since I've been to a wedding so I mentally took notes so I would be better prepared come August. Plus I am duly charged to report any weddings and what they were like to my sister the Wedding Commandant in Chief. Saturday the night I spent over at Lars watching movie's with him and the girls. Jaybez proceeded to flirt with all the girls and she almost tried very hard to steal away Lena's girlfriend :D It was amusing. I'd comment on Evie's pillow-fighting abilities but then I'd probably have to get her more straws... Today wasn't real bad either. Since I am less sleep deprived now that Goulet's class is over I actually made it to church and it was good times chatting with people. Got out on a walk with Allison and Julie and that was enjoyable if a bit hot since I was still wearing jeans. We stopped at Cone Corners (or somethin' like that) next to the Blueberry Muffin and that was decent refreshment in the way of a smoothie. Tonight is XA prayer meeting and then Gray's Anatomy. Not a bad weekend overall.

Two things up in the air: my sister took some of my chairs back home without asking. Not a big deal if she asked but I was going to bring some chairs up this summer in case I ran a game out of the apartment! Of course she takes the remaining nice ones too (and my parents decide to side with her as well too, rather unfair in my eyes, I don't steal her stuff).

Plus I've hit a moral conundrum although I can't explain further on that.

A rather event driven, not all that exciting blog entry I'll grant. Sorry, do better this week i swear :D

Blah

Ever notice that you are really stressed out and yer taking it out on other people? While pounding through our lovely CIS 323 project this morning I kind of realized it. It's rather odd too because I don't feel extremely stressed out but when I thought about it things do feel "off". Stupid Bradshaw. I blame this on it! Right, it's prolly not the only thing so hopefully this weekend I'll relax a little. I'm almost halfway done with all the diagrams I need to do so really assuming the Analysis stuff is as easy as Design I should be done with all that by Wed or so next week. Then I just need to write up everything (boring but should go fairly quick if I stay focused).

Relaxing these days between TimeSplitters (even getting sort of decent, plus they fixed Elimination, yay) and reading Exalted: The Autocthonians. E:Aut has been quite good thus far although I haven't delved much into Autocthonian society. I hammered through most of the 3 variations of the Locust crusade. Personally I liked "the quest for the source" the best especially the end. Can you imagine a point where everyone would pause and look up as the world visibly changed around them? Plus we get the Kukla (well in a different scenario) and who can say "no" to the Kukla? One of the coolest things is they paint scenarios where all the different types of Exalts gather together to fight and work.

Best line from the book comes the ol' Great Maker himself upon seeing Abyssals: "I see they got their hands on raw material." :D

Well to wrap this up, I just finished the 2nd Increment stuff for the Design portion of Bradshaw! Yay! Now just need to check with some people that I did it right (got questions, as usual) and then proceed to Analysis. Yes I'm doing them in reverse, forgot I had to do them both initially.

Additions

Added two new blogs (Mary and Katie) and moved some other down to the quiet section. Any complaints about who's where should be sent to my roommate since I let him make the picks (and then I pared the list down, he's pretty harsh on us blog/journaling types).

BTW I hate CIS 323!

Let's Split

Discovered TimeSplitters 3 yesterday. Roommate and I decided to pool our funds and acquire. Wal-Mart (curse those Waltons) did not have it. Had to get up semi-early on my first allowed sleep-in day all semester to go to Target and get it. Also got Evie straws. Will surrender them tonight if she goes to XA, don't ask :D

Anyhow, it's good stuff, better after we cleaned the tv so that the dust didn't dim it by a ton. Some very cool weapons and Twism finally gets a level he can snipe on. Vehicles can be driven although the controls aren't very spiffy for that.

Much more interactive environment. I drowned in a Venice canal several times (posit, how does robots drown?) and nearly fell off a zepelin. Alas due to CIS 323 I will only get to play a little bit between non and finals being done!

Anyhow time to do that stupid 2nd increment!

Proof

IMG_1052, originally uploaded by mirv120.

Spring in point. Yes that's snow blurring by, the camera just has a hard time catching it. It's a little more visible on the apartment roofs across the street.

Snow?!?

Yes, as if to prove that winter lasts until sometime in June or July at the shortest this morning I was greeted by fairly thick flurries. I'll have photographic proof later (if I remember to put the pictures up) although they don't do justice to the size of the flakes.

Snow.

Huh.