Absolutely intense!
Before it's official release on July 31, the long-awaited album is available as a continuous stream from Matthew Good's website.
What an awsome way to start the day.
And I want to wish Matthew Good a very happy 36th birthday! Hope he has an awesome even tonight in Vegas!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
I *might* have a slight problem here...
These are just the most recently used ones... Except for the big one, that is...
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Some random things...
Sometimes I come up with some strange quotes. They just sort of pop into my head. I wish I've written some of them down. However, today, I did come up with this one...
"Stalking is fun until someone gets hurt or slapped with a restraining order."
Or...
"maybe he has a stalker who's been stealing his clothes one article at a time and creating a shrine in his honor.."
For some bizarre reason, the word stalker kept popping up. Nothing serious. It's all good, clean fun. You can move along now, boys and girls.
"Stalking is fun until someone gets hurt or slapped with a restraining order."
Or...
"maybe he has a stalker who's been stealing his clothes one article at a time and creating a shrine in his honor.."
For some bizarre reason, the word stalker kept popping up. Nothing serious. It's all good, clean fun. You can move along now, boys and girls.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Gentrification
Lately, I’ve been chatting with a couple of people about the city I grew up in and the changes that have happened over the years. In a way it seems to go hand-in-hand with some of the stuff that Matt had written about Vancouver.
I grew up and went to school in Boston. And no, the “Bahston” accent never stuck on me. Anyway… Recently, my brother mentioned a few changes that have happened or will happen in some neighborhoods that use to have a particular charm or character, namely, Newbury St and Kenmore Square.
Newbury St., even when I was still living there, had always had it’s share of posh and swanky boutiques. However, as you headed further up Newbury St. (away from the Ritz-Carlton and Burberrys), you had some cool, funky small shops that sold some really interesting things. It was always nice to take a stroll up Newbury St. Newbury Comics was the place back in the day for your comics (of course) and for local music as well as other non-mainstream stuff. A lot has changed since then (we’re talking at least 10 years here). The posh shops have slowly inched their way up the street. The Tower Records at the corner of Mass Ave and Newbury gave way to a Virgin Records which will soon become a Best Buy. Newbury Comics is now a bigger retail player with multiple stores in the New England area.
Kenmore Square used to be a bit rundown back when I was still in Uni. But it had some character and some cool eateries that a lot of the area students used to go and hang out at. Sad to say, but over the years, the whole area seems to have undergone some gentrification. Gone is the Deli Haus, the Pizza Pad and the Capt. Nemos subs. Gone is the Rat. In its place is the posh Hotel Commonwealth which seems to be aimed towards visiting parents of kids attending the nearby university. What? Wasn’t the Howard Johnson’s across the way not good enough?
I guess one major trigger for this bit of nostalgia is wondering whatever became of Mr. Butch? Mr. Butch was a bit of a fixture in Kenmore Square. He never really bothered anyone. He just found a spot and played his guitar. As far as I can remember, he’s always been there. But with the changes in the area, he’s been driven out. It’s rather sad. He was one of those characters that gave Kenmore Square its character. But alas, it seems that it will be no more.
I grew up and went to school in Boston. And no, the “Bahston” accent never stuck on me. Anyway… Recently, my brother mentioned a few changes that have happened or will happen in some neighborhoods that use to have a particular charm or character, namely, Newbury St and Kenmore Square.
Newbury St., even when I was still living there, had always had it’s share of posh and swanky boutiques. However, as you headed further up Newbury St. (away from the Ritz-Carlton and Burberrys), you had some cool, funky small shops that sold some really interesting things. It was always nice to take a stroll up Newbury St. Newbury Comics was the place back in the day for your comics (of course) and for local music as well as other non-mainstream stuff. A lot has changed since then (we’re talking at least 10 years here). The posh shops have slowly inched their way up the street. The Tower Records at the corner of Mass Ave and Newbury gave way to a Virgin Records which will soon become a Best Buy. Newbury Comics is now a bigger retail player with multiple stores in the New England area.
Kenmore Square used to be a bit rundown back when I was still in Uni. But it had some character and some cool eateries that a lot of the area students used to go and hang out at. Sad to say, but over the years, the whole area seems to have undergone some gentrification. Gone is the Deli Haus, the Pizza Pad and the Capt. Nemos subs. Gone is the Rat. In its place is the posh Hotel Commonwealth which seems to be aimed towards visiting parents of kids attending the nearby university. What? Wasn’t the Howard Johnson’s across the way not good enough?
I guess one major trigger for this bit of nostalgia is wondering whatever became of Mr. Butch? Mr. Butch was a bit of a fixture in Kenmore Square. He never really bothered anyone. He just found a spot and played his guitar. As far as I can remember, he’s always been there. But with the changes in the area, he’s been driven out. It’s rather sad. He was one of those characters that gave Kenmore Square its character. But alas, it seems that it will be no more.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Another week
.. Another dollar..
Well, I managed to get through the week. Shopping on Friday wasn't that bad. I forget what my friend Mel got but I think she was a bit more spontaneous about her purchases than I was. :D At least I didn't buy a bag this time!!! XD I came away with 3 tops and a skirt.
*GASP!* A skirt?
Yes, a skirt. It's a simple black skirt. Nothing fancy about it. Now when I'd where it, I'm not sure. But it's nice to have in case the occasion does arise when I would or should wear a skirt.
Today, I went off to Future Shop to get $20 back on a cordless phone I bought last week that's now on sale. Then I wandered around the store a bit. This is usually dangerous because I would eventually come across something and buy it. I ended up buying two games: Final Fantasy III for the DS and WTF for the PSP. *sigh*
I swung by Winners to see what they had. I bought 2 packs of socks (yay). The clothing didn't thrill me, which was probably a good thing!
After all that excitement, I got home, eventually had some lunch, surfed the net a bit and then decided it would be nice to take a nap. Oooh, how I needed that nap! I haven't napped in soooo long. I had to boot the cats off the couch first though. Their tough luck, it's my couch! ;-)
Anyway, just finished some dinner. I think I'll go for a walk and maybe get some Haagen Dazs for dessert. I deserve it after such a long, hard day! ;-)
Well, I managed to get through the week. Shopping on Friday wasn't that bad. I forget what my friend Mel got but I think she was a bit more spontaneous about her purchases than I was. :D At least I didn't buy a bag this time!!! XD I came away with 3 tops and a skirt.
*GASP!* A skirt?
Yes, a skirt. It's a simple black skirt. Nothing fancy about it. Now when I'd where it, I'm not sure. But it's nice to have in case the occasion does arise when I would or should wear a skirt.
Today, I went off to Future Shop to get $20 back on a cordless phone I bought last week that's now on sale. Then I wandered around the store a bit. This is usually dangerous because I would eventually come across something and buy it. I ended up buying two games: Final Fantasy III for the DS and WTF for the PSP. *sigh*
I swung by Winners to see what they had. I bought 2 packs of socks (yay). The clothing didn't thrill me, which was probably a good thing!
After all that excitement, I got home, eventually had some lunch, surfed the net a bit and then decided it would be nice to take a nap. Oooh, how I needed that nap! I haven't napped in soooo long. I had to boot the cats off the couch first though. Their tough luck, it's my couch! ;-)
Anyway, just finished some dinner. I think I'll go for a walk and maybe get some Haagen Dazs for dessert. I deserve it after such a long, hard day! ;-)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
I am really trying my best to curb my spending. I came close to ordering a new HD for my Mac. I got as far as putting the item in my shopping cart but I did not hit the checkout button. Do I really need another HD? Can I clean up some space on the current HD? This is what I have been doing whenever there's something that costs over $100 tempted in buying. So far it seems to be working.
It's probably been almost a week since I last logged into that damned website. I really can't remember the last time I logged in and I don't care. Of all the sites of its kinda that one seems to bother me the most. I don't know why. Whatever it is, I want to sort of leave it there on the side of the road for now.
Meanwhile, I am trying to re-focus on stuff that needs to be done, like my on-line course. I managed to complete at least a lesson or 2. As I mentioned, my goal is to finish everything by the end of the summer. It might seem ambitious, but I've got to aim for something! :-)
After I've managed to do that I think I might go back and work on my Japanese. I would also need to exercise some self-discipline here if I am to accomplish something here. I have Vol. 1 and 2 of Japanese for Busy People, so I should be set for a while.
What else would I like to do? I'd like to find time to actually sit down and read about how to use Aperture to its full potential. I think I can do alot with the application if I knew exactly how to do it.
Anyway, I have such big plans, don't I?
It's probably been almost a week since I last logged into that damned website. I really can't remember the last time I logged in and I don't care. Of all the sites of its kinda that one seems to bother me the most. I don't know why. Whatever it is, I want to sort of leave it there on the side of the road for now.
Meanwhile, I am trying to re-focus on stuff that needs to be done, like my on-line course. I managed to complete at least a lesson or 2. As I mentioned, my goal is to finish everything by the end of the summer. It might seem ambitious, but I've got to aim for something! :-)
After I've managed to do that I think I might go back and work on my Japanese. I would also need to exercise some self-discipline here if I am to accomplish something here. I have Vol. 1 and 2 of Japanese for Busy People, so I should be set for a while.
What else would I like to do? I'd like to find time to actually sit down and read about how to use Aperture to its full potential. I think I can do alot with the application if I knew exactly how to do it.
Anyway, I have such big plans, don't I?
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Projects for the Summer
Well, after not doing too much of anything today (okay, I did go out and buy cat food and some stuff to finish some outdoor wood furniture), I've decided on the following projects:
1) Sand and varnish 2 folding Adirondack chairs. They have been sitting in the garage for over a year now. I'd like to make them more useful. There's also a small cedar table my ex sanded last year that just needs a coat of varnish to protect.
2) Finish on-line courses. Since I got back from Italy, I've been slacking off a bit. I would like to try to complete the 3 remaining courses this summer for the Systems Administration certificate.
3) De-clutter and organize my home office. I've made some feeble attempts to sort of clean up, but I think I usually end up just moving things around. I need to get more aggressive about this.
4) Stop making un-neccessary purchases! Well, this isn't really a project, but I have got to curb my spending. I just priced a possible itinerary for Asia in November and it seems that I can get it for about $1666CAD. That's pretty good for multi-destinations!
5) Catch up on some movies-watching.
In any case, we'll see how far I get with some of these projects.
1) Sand and varnish 2 folding Adirondack chairs. They have been sitting in the garage for over a year now. I'd like to make them more useful. There's also a small cedar table my ex sanded last year that just needs a coat of varnish to protect.
2) Finish on-line courses. Since I got back from Italy, I've been slacking off a bit. I would like to try to complete the 3 remaining courses this summer for the Systems Administration certificate.
3) De-clutter and organize my home office. I've made some feeble attempts to sort of clean up, but I think I usually end up just moving things around. I need to get more aggressive about this.
4) Stop making un-neccessary purchases! Well, this isn't really a project, but I have got to curb my spending. I just priced a possible itinerary for Asia in November and it seems that I can get it for about $1666CAD. That's pretty good for multi-destinations!
5) Catch up on some movies-watching.
In any case, we'll see how far I get with some of these projects.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Another week, another dollar
I don't know how I managed to get through the day, but I did it. It wasn't horrendously busy today, but I guess there were a few things I managed to accomplish.
One thing that I recently had issues with was my laptop at work just randomly rebooting. It had happened 3 times. It seems that it may be partly due to the fact that the laptop's 40GB HD had barely 2GB free! Uhm... So yesterday and today, I took some time to go through many directories and purged what was not needed.
I am such a packrat. I found that I had stuff sitting around for more than a few years. When was the last time I needed it? Is it still useful? No? DELETE. However, even after all that, I only freed up a gig. Then I went into the iTunes folder and killed off everything but the Matthew Good stuff. That freed up a few more gigs.
I tackled my archive folder in Outlook. I had at least 2 Personal Folders located on the HD. So I went into Outlook and purged mail folders that I did not need any more. Sadly, I had email folders older than a few years! This freed up quite a bit more space as some of the emails purged has huge attachments in some cases. Yay! I have approximately 12GB free now! Let's see if this is enough to make the laptop slightly more stable.
That's more or less my exciting day at work.
Meanwhile, the self-imposed ban on that website continues. I have not logged into that site at all today. Yay! Let the ban continue for a while longer...
One thing that I recently had issues with was my laptop at work just randomly rebooting. It had happened 3 times. It seems that it may be partly due to the fact that the laptop's 40GB HD had barely 2GB free! Uhm... So yesterday and today, I took some time to go through many directories and purged what was not needed.
I am such a packrat. I found that I had stuff sitting around for more than a few years. When was the last time I needed it? Is it still useful? No? DELETE. However, even after all that, I only freed up a gig. Then I went into the iTunes folder and killed off everything but the Matthew Good stuff. That freed up a few more gigs.
I tackled my archive folder in Outlook. I had at least 2 Personal Folders located on the HD. So I went into Outlook and purged mail folders that I did not need any more. Sadly, I had email folders older than a few years! This freed up quite a bit more space as some of the emails purged has huge attachments in some cases. Yay! I have approximately 12GB free now! Let's see if this is enough to make the laptop slightly more stable.
That's more or less my exciting day at work.
Meanwhile, the self-imposed ban on that website continues. I have not logged into that site at all today. Yay! Let the ban continue for a while longer...
Thursday, June 14, 2007
So I managed to cycle in to work again today. Woohoo! That's twice this week! I don't know if I will cycle in tomorrow. I'll have to sleep on it.
Meanwhile, I think I will manage to avoid that dreaded site. I've got some things I need to do this evening and perusing that site is very, very low on the list. Then again, I did say I would not go to that site for a while. Ergo, I will not go to that site at all. :-)
Today, I took a training course that would certify me in CPR/AED. It was interesting and it did not take up all day. I was back at my desk by 2:00PM. But what the heck do I work on mid-afternoon? I hate coming back from a meeting or something like that. I find it difficult to start on anything new so late in the day. Oh well. I just caught up on some emails and the like. Then I left around 4:30 for home. :-)
Ugh. I'm a bit pooped.
Meanwhile, I think I will manage to avoid that dreaded site. I've got some things I need to do this evening and perusing that site is very, very low on the list. Then again, I did say I would not go to that site for a while. Ergo, I will not go to that site at all. :-)
Today, I took a training course that would certify me in CPR/AED. It was interesting and it did not take up all day. I was back at my desk by 2:00PM. But what the heck do I work on mid-afternoon? I hate coming back from a meeting or something like that. I find it difficult to start on anything new so late in the day. Oh well. I just caught up on some emails and the like. Then I left around 4:30 for home. :-)
Ugh. I'm a bit pooped.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Trying very hard not to...
Since my recent frustrations with a particular dating site, I have decided that I will not login to that site for a while. Let's see how long it lasts...
Tonight I really conscienciously tried not to go there. And I succeeded. Instead, I was trying to keep myself busy checking out other things. I am also trying, very feebily, to clean up the area around my desk and computer. It's very cluttered and I don't like it cluttered. I have a very hard time tossing out anything I don't need. I need to really buckle down and just start tossing stuff. I've seen a few of those organization shows to know that if I don't keep up with my clutter it will get out of control.
Meanwhile, I went to IKEA hoping to find a couple of chairs for the deck. Alas, it seems that a lot of their summer furniture has already sold out! I just couldn't believe it. I guess for now I will have to live with just the 2 folding adirondack chairs I have sitting in the garage. I'll have to see if I need to refinish them or if it can wait until next year. There is also the small cedar table in the garage to. It has been sanded last year. It just needs a coat of some sort of protection.
Anyway...
Tonight I really conscienciously tried not to go there. And I succeeded. Instead, I was trying to keep myself busy checking out other things. I am also trying, very feebily, to clean up the area around my desk and computer. It's very cluttered and I don't like it cluttered. I have a very hard time tossing out anything I don't need. I need to really buckle down and just start tossing stuff. I've seen a few of those organization shows to know that if I don't keep up with my clutter it will get out of control.
Meanwhile, I went to IKEA hoping to find a couple of chairs for the deck. Alas, it seems that a lot of their summer furniture has already sold out! I just couldn't believe it. I guess for now I will have to live with just the 2 folding adirondack chairs I have sitting in the garage. I'll have to see if I need to refinish them or if it can wait until next year. There is also the small cedar table in the garage to. It has been sanded last year. It just needs a coat of some sort of protection.
Anyway...
I sometimes hate having to come up with a title for my blog entries. I find that I will end up with something that's just a variation of what I might have already used in an earlier entry. At times like these, I just say "fuck it" and not put anything for a title.
That said, I figure I would continue on a slightly cynical and at times bitter angle today. Why is that? Oh, I suppose it's a combination of things. I don't know if I should go into great detail about them, but I guess I could say that some of these things involve work and men, but not necessarily at the same time.
Work
I have been trying to complete some testing since last week. While I was away on holiday, some HW was swapped. However, I don't think anyone did any testing of the new equipment. When I came back to work, I pretty much immediately had to start work on testing some software that was just delivered for testing. So I proceed to prepare the equipment and load software for testing.
I managed to get through the initial set of test cases with very few problems. Then, when it came to test calls, that's when the shit hit the fan. Calls worked one way, but not the other. Why? Thankfully, one of the guys was around to give me a hand with some troubleshooting. That was last Thursday. We are Wednesday. He managed to find something, but the fix he came up with is just a workaround. It wasn't guaranteed. As proof of that, this morning I tried to make a couple of test calls, but they failed. Something else is wrong. *sigh*
Men
Okay, so what is it with some men these days? Maybe it's just my take on it, but it seems that as men get older they seem to want to experiment more with certain things. Case in point: BDSM. TWICE, I have come across men who want to explore their submissive side. Now, how is it I managed to be so "lucky" to hit upon two men like this? They're both in their mid to late 30's. The first one wanted to dress up in a French maid outfit and have me boss him around. O.o The second one for now seems to just want to talk in a submissive manner but has not actually mentioned anything about an encounter. Needless to say, both have been blocked/banned on the IM. It makes me wonder if I have some sort of subliminal label on me that screams Dominatrix. I really don't know if I would look good in a leather catsuit. Mreow?
I just think that some of these guys are hitting some sort of mid-life and want to get some of this out of their system.
Aside from that, I had a nice chat with a couple of female friends at work. My one friend agrees with some of the views I have when it comes to trying to find a guy at our age. Men around our age seem to fall into one of two categories: a) if they were never married, then they would want to find someone (usually younger)they can start a family with, or b) if they were married then they want to find someone younger anyway. Lose-lose situation for us women in the 30's, for we are not nubile bambis in their 20's. :-p
So what's a mature gal to do to meet single men? Obviously, it's a big gamble to try the dating sites. Going to bars and clubs is out. Do you really want to meet the love of your life at a bar? Probably not. The suggestion made is to go out and take up new activities. *sigh* I guess. But what to do?
Anyway, while I mull over these so-called options, I've still got some work to do today. :-p
That said, I figure I would continue on a slightly cynical and at times bitter angle today. Why is that? Oh, I suppose it's a combination of things. I don't know if I should go into great detail about them, but I guess I could say that some of these things involve work and men, but not necessarily at the same time.
Work
I have been trying to complete some testing since last week. While I was away on holiday, some HW was swapped. However, I don't think anyone did any testing of the new equipment. When I came back to work, I pretty much immediately had to start work on testing some software that was just delivered for testing. So I proceed to prepare the equipment and load software for testing.
I managed to get through the initial set of test cases with very few problems. Then, when it came to test calls, that's when the shit hit the fan. Calls worked one way, but not the other. Why? Thankfully, one of the guys was around to give me a hand with some troubleshooting. That was last Thursday. We are Wednesday. He managed to find something, but the fix he came up with is just a workaround. It wasn't guaranteed. As proof of that, this morning I tried to make a couple of test calls, but they failed. Something else is wrong. *sigh*
Men
Okay, so what is it with some men these days? Maybe it's just my take on it, but it seems that as men get older they seem to want to experiment more with certain things. Case in point: BDSM. TWICE, I have come across men who want to explore their submissive side. Now, how is it I managed to be so "lucky" to hit upon two men like this? They're both in their mid to late 30's. The first one wanted to dress up in a French maid outfit and have me boss him around. O.o The second one for now seems to just want to talk in a submissive manner but has not actually mentioned anything about an encounter. Needless to say, both have been blocked/banned on the IM. It makes me wonder if I have some sort of subliminal label on me that screams Dominatrix. I really don't know if I would look good in a leather catsuit. Mreow?
I just think that some of these guys are hitting some sort of mid-life and want to get some of this out of their system.
Aside from that, I had a nice chat with a couple of female friends at work. My one friend agrees with some of the views I have when it comes to trying to find a guy at our age. Men around our age seem to fall into one of two categories: a) if they were never married, then they would want to find someone (usually younger)they can start a family with, or b) if they were married then they want to find someone younger anyway. Lose-lose situation for us women in the 30's, for we are not nubile bambis in their 20's. :-p
So what's a mature gal to do to meet single men? Obviously, it's a big gamble to try the dating sites. Going to bars and clubs is out. Do you really want to meet the love of your life at a bar? Probably not. The suggestion made is to go out and take up new activities. *sigh* I guess. But what to do?
Anyway, while I mull over these so-called options, I've still got some work to do today. :-p
Monday, June 11, 2007
Transcript - Sometime between Sunday and Monday
Please read from the bottom up. That's the way the Community IM is set up! :)
# Glass : g'night Mr. Good.
# Dale Mugford : bye captain
# renatan : have a good night Matt
# Dave Mugford : ;) anyhow take care man!
# Dave Mugford : *though
# Dave Mugford : yes best to you too! i think we are suppose to walk our dogs tough?
# Matthew Good : anyway muggy number 2, I have to carry my now lame dog outside. Have sun in the Sahara. Best to your mom.
# Dave Mugford : wow was wondering if you would give me a ham of a joke
# Matthew Good : see, therein lies the distinction "human" rights.
# Dave Mugford : ummm i don't like your reality matt so i substitute my own in it's place.
# Dave Mugford : you lambasted me, harshly no doubt, odd for a human rights guy...
# Matthew Good : I didn't realize that they were referring to Mississauga as a desert now.
# Dave Mugford : hence i am lost, you follow me here what did you think was going to happen?
# Dave Mugford : no shit, i am in the desert man
# Dave Mugford : besides being in the desert truly is not all it has cracked up to be... I realize that now, but tell it to the next gentlement i see on a camel i will, i will hitch my first ride outta here
# Matthew Good : You have totally lost me
# Dave Mugford : and here you are rallying with me, but i've got the "smackdown"
# Dave Mugford : lamenting man, i am just letting it all go
# Matthew Good : Plus, you're in the desert. No one can see you.
# Matthew Good : It's okay to be less than good looking Dave. Seriously man, you just have to let all that hatred go.
# Dave Mugford : you masquerade as an angel, but your horns give you away man
# Matthew Good : But let's face facts. Your brother is just a better looking man. I'm sorry, but there it is.
# Matthew Good : It's not my fault man. I feel for you.
# Matthew Good : Now, now, David. Just because you're not her favourite, don't take it out on me.
# Dale Mugford : for sure. i had to make a facebook group for it.
# Dave Mugford : hey matt wipe your smerk off your face and put down that cigarate and drink... go to bed wake up and take those horns off...
# Dave Mugford : but now he confirmed it
# Dave Mugford : yeah shit i thought all this "i hear matt is an asshole talk" was just poking fun.
# Dale Mugford : they have that arms race everyday on Digg.
# Glass : It's the mac's man. They're like nukes. They get one, and then they think they can walk over anyone. Until they meet another mac user and then it's like a Mactacular arms race.
# Dale Mugford : And you thought you had a hard day before, eh dave?
# Matthew Good : It was you Fredo, I know it was you
# Matthew Good : actually her exact words were "I only have one son"
# Dave Mugford : damnit my own brother is bouncing that tune off my head
# Dave Mugford : see now that's plain rude man, i mean i meet you digitally for the first time and you pull the hes her favourite shit, ouch,
# Matthew Good : No, well, she told me that too Dale.
# Dale Mugford : Dave, you've always known that.
# munchkin : hi
# munchkin : hi
# Dale Mugford : Hello munchkin.
# Matthew Good : By the way, did I mention to you that Dale's her favourite?
# Dave Mugford : lets be cool about this.
# Dave Mugford : why do you have to do that, i hung up with my bro, she does not need to know about any of this, and she thinks i am at home, if you tell her i am in the middle of a desert with a macbook i think she might freak out man
# Matthew Good : I can't move the menu bar, and can't spell. But I'll tell you one thing...I'm calling your mom right now.
# Glass : Haha.
# Dave Mugford : it is my shaking hands
# Dave Mugford : shit hot sun, hot water, now matt's sad, and i screw up with grammar fuck
# Dave Mugford : i here i am in hot water now
# Dave Mugford : *love*
# Dave Mugford : able to the menu? read it over before you send it man
# Matthew Good : you're the one complaining about not being able to the menu, you're in the sahara, and on the phone with Dale who is giving you special powers to move it - I'm just saying...you\'re going to hell.
# Dave Mugford : ;)
# Dave Mugford : an angel amongst us all hail :p
# Matthew Good : well, I can't move the menu, and I designed the site. Yet I still call my mother.
# Dave Mugford : shit make it public thanks
# Matthew Good : so you canm call your brother from the sahara but you CAN'T call your ailing mother? You are so going to hell dude.
# Dale Mugford : the CIM: where shit flies fast.
# renatan : yeah that pause was welcomed
# Glass : Sorry. I'm still trying to catch my breath. Was laughing too hard.
# Dale Mugford : bump
# Dave Mugford : they have fed-ex out here, that shit is everywhere
# Matthew Good : hahahahahahahaha hahaaaa
# Matthew Good : hahahahahahahaha hahahaha
# Dave Mugford : (ps I can send you bifocals matt)
# Dave Mugford : call my mom? i'm in the sahara i don't have a phone, if i did, I would call her and tell her the menu is bullshit
# Matthew Good : no one can move the menu, that's the way we designed it
# Dave Mugford : im just as well sitting in sand i can't move a menu, what the hell can i do?
# Glass : Haha. Uh oh. Somebody's goin' to throw down.
# Matthew Good : tell him to hang up and call his mother
# Matthew Good : tell him to pound sand
# Dave Mugford : i don't like your menu power monger bullshit
# Dave Mugford : crap
# Dave Mugford : that is cra
# Dave Mugford : My menu won't move matt
# renatan : because it's entertaining us!
# renatan : hahaha
# Dale Mugford : good question
# Dave Mugford : this is bullshit
# Matthew Good : Why are we typing on this thing when I am currently watching you talk to your brother via video chat?
# Dale Mugford : yes...
# Matthew Good : can I ask you something?
# Dale Mugford : yeah
# Matthew Good : Dale?
# Dale Mugford : can't move the menu block, he said it's all bullshit.
# Matthew Good : so you';re the smart one then
# Dale Mugford : that's what set him off
# Glass : hahaha.
# Matthew Good : jesus
# Dale Mugford : he did
# Matthew Good : tell him to watch the fucking video man
# Dale Mugford : what do i tell him?
# Dale Mugford : he said he's a community guy, needs the community up there
# Matthew Good : hahahahahahahaha
# Dale Mugford : hahaha
# Dale Mugford : my brother's complaining he can't move the menu sidebar block...
# Glass : How much you want for it?
# Glass : Well, that just leaves one question...
# Matthew Good : or trade it in and get that much towards a new one
# Matthew Good : Ya, I could sell my Mac Book Pro right now for a few grand easy
# Dale Mugford : yeah
# Dale Mugford : 80-90%
# Matthew Good : less 15% maybe?
# Matthew Good : plus the resale value is like what dale?
# Glass : Haha. True enough I guess.
# Dale Mugford : haha
# Matthew Good : Some things in life have to come before food and gas
# Glass : Whichever one cheap corporations can get mailed en masse for as cheap as possible.
# Glass : Yeah. Where am I going to get all the money for that? I can barely afford food and gas.
# Matthew Good : which version of OSX though, Tiger?
# Dale Mugford : mmmmm Mac Pro double plus good.
# Matthew Good : four hard drives - 500 gigs each
# Glass : Haha. I'm hoping you were joking. Because I'm not. We got all our computers upgraded to OSX, but the company didn't bother to update the software (which doesn't run in OSX). So, in comes the computer tech with his magical solution: Emulation.
# Matthew Good : ramp it the max - 16 gigs
# Matthew Good : Time to get one of the new Intel Mac Towers
# Dale Mugford : ;)
# renatan : Eww
# Matthew Good : I just threw up in my mouth
# Matthew Good : that's scary as fuck
# Glass : Well, in my trade, we're still straddling the no-mans land between OS 9 and OSX. Emulators ahoy.
# Dale Mugford : had it for awhile with tiger
# Glass : Invert colours. Haha. Oh, they're going to hate me at the office tomorrow.
# Matthew Good : they have a function for everything my friend
# Glass : They have a function for that now?
# Glass : Jesus.
# Matthew Good : plus you have to put up with all that lame pixelated text - eeww
# Dale Mugford : On a Mac, choose Command+Option+C ontrol+8 to invert the screen colours : )
# Matthew Good : See, this is why PC's are a pain in the ass. When you dim the brightness on a mac is really alters the look. the other factor is that this is a massively content driven site. That would be like asking the New York Times site to have a dark version. They would never do it because when you read large bodies of text it's horrible for absorbing information as well as hell on your eyes
# renatan : they do
# Glass : Oh, they have it.
# Matthew Good : or don't Dell's have that
# Matthew Good : then you turn your screen brightness down
# Glass : Anyway, the reason I bring up the topic of user-chosen colour schemes - I hate looking at a white background in the middle of the night after driving home in the dark. Unless the website has an automatic feature to rollover to a night theme after a certain time, I like having the option of having a darker background with lighter text.
# Matthew Good : when it comes to amazing, yugop. com is considered by most to be the most cutting edge, but then again, I think flash is a dead issue, so
# Matthew Good : he's a developer, he developed Mint
# renatan : why is that you think ?
# Matthew Good : you should have seen his last site, it was amazing
# Glass : It's kind of like interior design.
# Matthew Good : in fact, there are a lot of sites out there that used to be very well designed but have turned into total crap
# Glass : Why would you do that, Matt? I just googled that site, and it damn near blinded me.
# Glass : Oh god.
# Matthew Good : and he's a fucking guru
# Matthew Good : but I mean, come one, even Shaun Inman's site looks horrible
# Matthew Good : I tried thata while back too, with Dave Kellam
# Dale Mugford : hahaha
# Matthew Good : but Muggy would kill me
# Matthew Good : colours
# Matthew Good : personally, I would nothing more to do a site that is just plain white text with default html
# Matthew Good : if I wanted to design it like this, then I never could understand having three other link colour options to choose from
# renatan : hahaha
# Matthew Good : no, I hate theme switching, it's gay
# Glass : Speaking of schemes though, have you ever considered user-defined schemes? Something like, you pre-design six or seven schemes and then let the use choose which they want?
# Dale Mugford : search the wbe for an updated one
# Dale Mugford : Chances are it's your color profile settings...
# Glass : Like I said. I'll look at it on my work comp tomorrow. Odds are it's just this comp.
# Matthew Good : Weird, I don't see how that could be seen as brown
# Glass : *pages being newspaper archives.
# Glass : Yeah. Looks the same pic vs. page. Maybe it's because I've been looking at old crusty pages through a camera lens all day long.
# Matthew Good : this is how it should look «link»
# renatan : the orange on the painting is brighter than the writing of the links
# Glass : Well, even so. The fact that I'm thinking it's brown means there probably something wrong. Likely on my end.
# renatan : well it's not bright orange though, it's toned down isn't it ?
# Glass : I'll try looking at it again on my work computer tomorrow. The one at work is calibrated to process digital photos, so if it looks brown there too, I know I'll need to get my eyes checked.
# Matthew Good : just sec
# Matthew Good : hmm
# Glass : It's, for the most part, still running factory default.
# Glass : I'm... not entirely sure.
# Matthew Good : is your display set to the highest rendering rate?
# Glass : I'm running firefox on a Dell, powered by a malnourished hamster.
# Matthew Good : and what are your monitor settings set at
# Matthew Good : what kind of browser/machine are you running
# renatan : I have to agree, those colour choice is smart
# Matthew Good : it's orange
# Matthew Good : in this context, blue would not have worked with the header nor the other thematic elements
# Glass : Or maybe I'm just colourblind.
# Glass : Orange? Okay... hold the phone for a second. On my monitor, it's coming out as a near-brown almost.
# Matthew Good : From a design standpoint, black, gray, and orange operate in the same combination field
# renatan : ok thanks
# Glass : Yeah. It's not people. It's just me.
# renatan : I am sorry it'a totally out of context
# Matthew Good : ya, go right ahead
# renatan : Matt, Is there a way I can use some of the pictures you have on your Flickr to do paintings with ??
# Matthew Good : yes
# Glass : Oh, as in the colour scheme?
# Matthew Good : I popped by because Dale was saying people had problems with the new link colour
# Matthew Good : others, like the one on the header, was done by someone in a set, and we just grabbed it. Open source rules
# renatan : oh Matt I had a question for you
# renatan : but that's really interesting
# renatan : I am no great web designer, I don't knwo anything about those things unfortunately
# Matthew Good : most of the small ones, like the one above, are used all over the place and are from famfamfam .com
# renatan : I see
# Matthew Good : so they float
# Glass : Well, I do most of my own clickables, but is usually uses a lot of my own photos and a copious amount of photoshopping.
# Matthew Good : Most of the buttons are from pro sites and then transfered into pixadex and then png'ed out
# renatan : that's my hand too
# renatan : yeah I don't like steeling icons on the internet ;)
# Glass : Cool. I was just thinking that, but I guess you had the same thought two years ago.
# renatan : yeah
# Glass : Hrmm. This is just a random though, but do you paint or pastel the images you use for buttons?
# renatan : yeah, paper, that'S what my life is all about
# renatan : it's already 2 years old
# Matthew Good : oh the whole thing is a piece of paper
# renatan : it needs an update I want it more exciting and professionnal
# renatan : www.melissabreau lt.ca
# Matthew Good : what is your url
# Matthew Good : they actually recently changed it, now it's a wood header and some pattern «link»
# renatan : I swear I did it first, people stole the idea from me, like in your song, people stole the side bar idea from you
# renatan : well, that's what's on mine anyway
# renatan : oh
# Matthew Good : the paper sidebar effect
# renatan : which effect are we talking about ?
# Glass : Unhh. I was wondering why the IM just lagged out.
# Matthew Good : actually, there are a lot of blogs that have used that effect
# renatan : Hi Matt!
# renatan : hehe
# renatan : yeah I wante dto do that for years but when I start a painting, I forget to stop and take pictures in the process!
# Matthew Good : last.fm has already beat you too that
# Glass : As well, I notice you don't have a section for works in progress. Not that you need one, but I love seeing a kind of step-by-step evolution of an artist's work.
# renatan : I want to put another piece or torn paper on the side and create a kind of side bar on the right that would always be there, wherever you go on the website
# renatan : yeah thats really great idea
# Glass : As well, if you have friends who are artists and have their own websites, you could have something like a "pals" section... or something.
# Glass : g'night Mr. Good.
# Dale Mugford : bye captain
# renatan : have a good night Matt
# Dave Mugford : ;) anyhow take care man!
# Dave Mugford : *though
# Dave Mugford : yes best to you too! i think we are suppose to walk our dogs tough?
# Matthew Good : anyway muggy number 2, I have to carry my now lame dog outside. Have sun in the Sahara. Best to your mom.
# Dave Mugford : wow was wondering if you would give me a ham of a joke
# Matthew Good : see, therein lies the distinction "human" rights.
# Dave Mugford : ummm i don't like your reality matt so i substitute my own in it's place.
# Dave Mugford : you lambasted me, harshly no doubt, odd for a human rights guy...
# Matthew Good : I didn't realize that they were referring to Mississauga as a desert now.
# Dave Mugford : hence i am lost, you follow me here what did you think was going to happen?
# Dave Mugford : no shit, i am in the desert man
# Dave Mugford : besides being in the desert truly is not all it has cracked up to be... I realize that now, but tell it to the next gentlement i see on a camel i will, i will hitch my first ride outta here
# Matthew Good : You have totally lost me
# Dave Mugford : and here you are rallying with me, but i've got the "smackdown"
# Dave Mugford : lamenting man, i am just letting it all go
# Matthew Good : Plus, you're in the desert. No one can see you.
# Matthew Good : It's okay to be less than good looking Dave. Seriously man, you just have to let all that hatred go.
# Dave Mugford : you masquerade as an angel, but your horns give you away man
# Matthew Good : But let's face facts. Your brother is just a better looking man. I'm sorry, but there it is.
# Matthew Good : It's not my fault man. I feel for you.
# Matthew Good : Now, now, David. Just because you're not her favourite, don't take it out on me.
# Dale Mugford : for sure. i had to make a facebook group for it.
# Dave Mugford : hey matt wipe your smerk off your face and put down that cigarate and drink... go to bed wake up and take those horns off...
# Dave Mugford : but now he confirmed it
# Dave Mugford : yeah shit i thought all this "i hear matt is an asshole talk" was just poking fun.
# Dale Mugford : they have that arms race everyday on Digg.
# Glass : It's the mac's man. They're like nukes. They get one, and then they think they can walk over anyone. Until they meet another mac user and then it's like a Mactacular arms race.
# Dale Mugford : And you thought you had a hard day before, eh dave?
# Matthew Good : It was you Fredo, I know it was you
# Matthew Good : actually her exact words were "I only have one son"
# Dave Mugford : damnit my own brother is bouncing that tune off my head
# Dave Mugford : see now that's plain rude man, i mean i meet you digitally for the first time and you pull the hes her favourite shit, ouch,
# Matthew Good : No, well, she told me that too Dale.
# Dale Mugford : Dave, you've always known that.
# munchkin : hi
# munchkin : hi
# Dale Mugford : Hello munchkin.
# Matthew Good : By the way, did I mention to you that Dale's her favourite?
# Dave Mugford : lets be cool about this.
# Dave Mugford : why do you have to do that, i hung up with my bro, she does not need to know about any of this, and she thinks i am at home, if you tell her i am in the middle of a desert with a macbook i think she might freak out man
# Matthew Good : I can't move the menu bar, and can't spell. But I'll tell you one thing...I'm calling your mom right now.
# Glass : Haha.
# Dave Mugford : it is my shaking hands
# Dave Mugford : shit hot sun, hot water, now matt's sad, and i screw up with grammar fuck
# Dave Mugford : i here i am in hot water now
# Dave Mugford : *love*
# Dave Mugford : able to the menu? read it over before you send it man
# Matthew Good : you're the one complaining about not being able to the menu, you're in the sahara, and on the phone with Dale who is giving you special powers to move it - I'm just saying...you\'re going to hell.
# Dave Mugford : ;)
# Dave Mugford : an angel amongst us all hail :p
# Matthew Good : well, I can't move the menu, and I designed the site. Yet I still call my mother.
# Dave Mugford : shit make it public thanks
# Matthew Good : so you canm call your brother from the sahara but you CAN'T call your ailing mother? You are so going to hell dude.
# Dale Mugford : the CIM: where shit flies fast.
# renatan : yeah that pause was welcomed
# Glass : Sorry. I'm still trying to catch my breath. Was laughing too hard.
# Dale Mugford : bump
# Dave Mugford : they have fed-ex out here, that shit is everywhere
# Matthew Good : hahahahahahahaha hahaaaa
# Matthew Good : hahahahahahahaha hahahaha
# Dave Mugford : (ps I can send you bifocals matt)
# Dave Mugford : call my mom? i'm in the sahara i don't have a phone, if i did, I would call her and tell her the menu is bullshit
# Matthew Good : no one can move the menu, that's the way we designed it
# Dave Mugford : im just as well sitting in sand i can't move a menu, what the hell can i do?
# Glass : Haha. Uh oh. Somebody's goin' to throw down.
# Matthew Good : tell him to hang up and call his mother
# Matthew Good : tell him to pound sand
# Dave Mugford : i don't like your menu power monger bullshit
# Dave Mugford : crap
# Dave Mugford : that is cra
# Dave Mugford : My menu won't move matt
# renatan : because it's entertaining us!
# renatan : hahaha
# Dale Mugford : good question
# Dave Mugford : this is bullshit
# Matthew Good : Why are we typing on this thing when I am currently watching you talk to your brother via video chat?
# Dale Mugford : yes...
# Matthew Good : can I ask you something?
# Dale Mugford : yeah
# Matthew Good : Dale?
# Dale Mugford : can't move the menu block, he said it's all bullshit.
# Matthew Good : so you';re the smart one then
# Dale Mugford : that's what set him off
# Glass : hahaha.
# Matthew Good : jesus
# Dale Mugford : he did
# Matthew Good : tell him to watch the fucking video man
# Dale Mugford : what do i tell him?
# Dale Mugford : he said he's a community guy, needs the community up there
# Matthew Good : hahahahahahahaha
# Dale Mugford : hahaha
# Dale Mugford : my brother's complaining he can't move the menu sidebar block...
# Glass : How much you want for it?
# Glass : Well, that just leaves one question...
# Matthew Good : or trade it in and get that much towards a new one
# Matthew Good : Ya, I could sell my Mac Book Pro right now for a few grand easy
# Dale Mugford : yeah
# Dale Mugford : 80-90%
# Matthew Good : less 15% maybe?
# Matthew Good : plus the resale value is like what dale?
# Glass : Haha. True enough I guess.
# Dale Mugford : haha
# Matthew Good : Some things in life have to come before food and gas
# Glass : Whichever one cheap corporations can get mailed en masse for as cheap as possible.
# Glass : Yeah. Where am I going to get all the money for that? I can barely afford food and gas.
# Matthew Good : which version of OSX though, Tiger?
# Dale Mugford : mmmmm Mac Pro double plus good.
# Matthew Good : four hard drives - 500 gigs each
# Glass : Haha. I'm hoping you were joking. Because I'm not. We got all our computers upgraded to OSX, but the company didn't bother to update the software (which doesn't run in OSX). So, in comes the computer tech with his magical solution: Emulation.
# Matthew Good : ramp it the max - 16 gigs
# Matthew Good : Time to get one of the new Intel Mac Towers
# Dale Mugford : ;)
# renatan : Eww
# Matthew Good : I just threw up in my mouth
# Matthew Good : that's scary as fuck
# Glass : Well, in my trade, we're still straddling the no-mans land between OS 9 and OSX. Emulators ahoy.
# Dale Mugford : had it for awhile with tiger
# Glass : Invert colours. Haha. Oh, they're going to hate me at the office tomorrow.
# Matthew Good : they have a function for everything my friend
# Glass : They have a function for that now?
# Glass : Jesus.
# Matthew Good : plus you have to put up with all that lame pixelated text - eeww
# Dale Mugford : On a Mac, choose Command+Option+C ontrol+8 to invert the screen colours : )
# Matthew Good : See, this is why PC's are a pain in the ass. When you dim the brightness on a mac is really alters the look. the other factor is that this is a massively content driven site. That would be like asking the New York Times site to have a dark version. They would never do it because when you read large bodies of text it's horrible for absorbing information as well as hell on your eyes
# renatan : they do
# Glass : Oh, they have it.
# Matthew Good : or don't Dell's have that
# Matthew Good : then you turn your screen brightness down
# Glass : Anyway, the reason I bring up the topic of user-chosen colour schemes - I hate looking at a white background in the middle of the night after driving home in the dark. Unless the website has an automatic feature to rollover to a night theme after a certain time, I like having the option of having a darker background with lighter text.
# Matthew Good : when it comes to amazing, yugop. com is considered by most to be the most cutting edge, but then again, I think flash is a dead issue, so
# Matthew Good : he's a developer, he developed Mint
# renatan : why is that you think ?
# Matthew Good : you should have seen his last site, it was amazing
# Glass : It's kind of like interior design.
# Matthew Good : in fact, there are a lot of sites out there that used to be very well designed but have turned into total crap
# Glass : Why would you do that, Matt? I just googled that site, and it damn near blinded me.
# Glass : Oh god.
# Matthew Good : and he's a fucking guru
# Matthew Good : but I mean, come one, even Shaun Inman's site looks horrible
# Matthew Good : I tried thata while back too, with Dave Kellam
# Dale Mugford : hahaha
# Matthew Good : but Muggy would kill me
# Matthew Good : colours
# Matthew Good : personally, I would nothing more to do a site that is just plain white text with default html
# Matthew Good : if I wanted to design it like this, then I never could understand having three other link colour options to choose from
# renatan : hahaha
# Matthew Good : no, I hate theme switching, it's gay
# Glass : Speaking of schemes though, have you ever considered user-defined schemes? Something like, you pre-design six or seven schemes and then let the use choose which they want?
# Dale Mugford : search the wbe for an updated one
# Dale Mugford : Chances are it's your color profile settings...
# Glass : Like I said. I'll look at it on my work comp tomorrow. Odds are it's just this comp.
# Matthew Good : Weird, I don't see how that could be seen as brown
# Glass : *pages being newspaper archives.
# Glass : Yeah. Looks the same pic vs. page. Maybe it's because I've been looking at old crusty pages through a camera lens all day long.
# Matthew Good : this is how it should look «link»
# renatan : the orange on the painting is brighter than the writing of the links
# Glass : Well, even so. The fact that I'm thinking it's brown means there probably something wrong. Likely on my end.
# renatan : well it's not bright orange though, it's toned down isn't it ?
# Glass : I'll try looking at it again on my work computer tomorrow. The one at work is calibrated to process digital photos, so if it looks brown there too, I know I'll need to get my eyes checked.
# Matthew Good : just sec
# Matthew Good : hmm
# Glass : It's, for the most part, still running factory default.
# Glass : I'm... not entirely sure.
# Matthew Good : is your display set to the highest rendering rate?
# Glass : I'm running firefox on a Dell, powered by a malnourished hamster.
# Matthew Good : and what are your monitor settings set at
# Matthew Good : what kind of browser/machine are you running
# renatan : I have to agree, those colour choice is smart
# Matthew Good : it's orange
# Matthew Good : in this context, blue would not have worked with the header nor the other thematic elements
# Glass : Or maybe I'm just colourblind.
# Glass : Orange? Okay... hold the phone for a second. On my monitor, it's coming out as a near-brown almost.
# Matthew Good : From a design standpoint, black, gray, and orange operate in the same combination field
# renatan : ok thanks
# Glass : Yeah. It's not people. It's just me.
# renatan : I am sorry it'a totally out of context
# Matthew Good : ya, go right ahead
# renatan : Matt, Is there a way I can use some of the pictures you have on your Flickr to do paintings with ??
# Matthew Good : yes
# Glass : Oh, as in the colour scheme?
# Matthew Good : I popped by because Dale was saying people had problems with the new link colour
# Matthew Good : others, like the one on the header, was done by someone in a set, and we just grabbed it. Open source rules
# renatan : oh Matt I had a question for you
# renatan : but that's really interesting
# renatan : I am no great web designer, I don't knwo anything about those things unfortunately
# Matthew Good : most of the small ones, like the one above, are used all over the place and are from famfamfam .com
# renatan : I see
# Matthew Good : so they float
# Glass : Well, I do most of my own clickables, but is usually uses a lot of my own photos and a copious amount of photoshopping.
# Matthew Good : Most of the buttons are from pro sites and then transfered into pixadex and then png'ed out
# renatan : that's my hand too
# renatan : yeah I don't like steeling icons on the internet ;)
# Glass : Cool. I was just thinking that, but I guess you had the same thought two years ago.
# renatan : yeah
# Glass : Hrmm. This is just a random though, but do you paint or pastel the images you use for buttons?
# renatan : yeah, paper, that'S what my life is all about
# renatan : it's already 2 years old
# Matthew Good : oh the whole thing is a piece of paper
# renatan : it needs an update I want it more exciting and professionnal
# renatan : www.melissabreau lt.ca
# Matthew Good : what is your url
# Matthew Good : they actually recently changed it, now it's a wood header and some pattern «link»
# renatan : I swear I did it first, people stole the idea from me, like in your song, people stole the side bar idea from you
# renatan : well, that's what's on mine anyway
# renatan : oh
# Matthew Good : the paper sidebar effect
# renatan : which effect are we talking about ?
# Glass : Unhh. I was wondering why the IM just lagged out.
# Matthew Good : actually, there are a lot of blogs that have used that effect
# renatan : Hi Matt!
# renatan : hehe
# renatan : yeah I wante dto do that for years but when I start a painting, I forget to stop and take pictures in the process!
# Matthew Good : last.fm has already beat you too that
# Glass : As well, I notice you don't have a section for works in progress. Not that you need one, but I love seeing a kind of step-by-step evolution of an artist's work.
# renatan : I want to put another piece or torn paper on the side and create a kind of side bar on the right that would always be there, wherever you go on the website
# renatan : yeah thats really great idea
# Glass : As well, if you have friends who are artists and have their own websites, you could have something like a "pals" section... or something.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Bleary-eyed and stuff
So another weekend has come and gone (almost).
Thursday, I thought I would be able to finish some stuff at work. But, nooooooo! There had to be some hiccups along the way. I suppose that this is what happens when you go away for 3 weeks. Not wanting to sound cocky or anything, but sometimes the guys just don't think about some things and the consequnces if some things are not done. Basically, I get to find out what the problems are and look into how to get them fix. And what does this result in? This results in my not being able to finish on Friday what I was suppose to do all week. What cheeses me off sometimes is when someone is working on one thing then has to go away, there's no handoff of the activity that he was working on. It gets stuck in limbo. No one has a clue as to what state things are in. And sometimes, the guy is not easily reachable. This sort of thing just makes my job that much more frustrating. I'm trying my best to be responsible and make sure things are done as properly as possible. I made sure that when I was gone that the guys knew how to handle certain requests. Anyway.. enough ranting.
This weekend has not been bad. Yesterday, I went to the Pig Roast hash. The run was out in St-Lazare. I made sure I had bug-repellant. I also packed with me a swimsuit and an extra pair of footwear. I didn't use the swimsuit, but the footwear came in quite handy! Part of the run took us through the woods and some rather muddy trails. Yuck! At some point, you just could not avoid it any more and had no choice but to just slog through it. Ugh! :p
Before heading over to the hash, I had gone over to Finnegan's market to hang out and spend some time with a few people. Many of the same vendors were still there. The lady who sold these ethiopian-vegetarian items was there. It was a really nice sunny day, so it was nice to walk around there a bit. I did end up buying a few items from that lady. Yummy! I also came away with two tomato plants courtesy of C. I gave her some issues of Canadian Gardening I was done with.
Today was a bit more lazy. Slept in a little. Got up and shopped for groceries. Found some trouble at MEC. Came home and had some lunch. Planted up the tomato plants and cleaned up the deck a bit. I think I need some new outdoor chairs. Worked on my online course a little bit. Perused the net some more. Made an online purchase. So uhm.. that's pretty much it. Not terribly exciting, is it?
Thursday, I thought I would be able to finish some stuff at work. But, nooooooo! There had to be some hiccups along the way. I suppose that this is what happens when you go away for 3 weeks. Not wanting to sound cocky or anything, but sometimes the guys just don't think about some things and the consequnces if some things are not done. Basically, I get to find out what the problems are and look into how to get them fix. And what does this result in? This results in my not being able to finish on Friday what I was suppose to do all week. What cheeses me off sometimes is when someone is working on one thing then has to go away, there's no handoff of the activity that he was working on. It gets stuck in limbo. No one has a clue as to what state things are in. And sometimes, the guy is not easily reachable. This sort of thing just makes my job that much more frustrating. I'm trying my best to be responsible and make sure things are done as properly as possible. I made sure that when I was gone that the guys knew how to handle certain requests. Anyway.. enough ranting.
This weekend has not been bad. Yesterday, I went to the Pig Roast hash. The run was out in St-Lazare. I made sure I had bug-repellant. I also packed with me a swimsuit and an extra pair of footwear. I didn't use the swimsuit, but the footwear came in quite handy! Part of the run took us through the woods and some rather muddy trails. Yuck! At some point, you just could not avoid it any more and had no choice but to just slog through it. Ugh! :p
Before heading over to the hash, I had gone over to Finnegan's market to hang out and spend some time with a few people. Many of the same vendors were still there. The lady who sold these ethiopian-vegetarian items was there. It was a really nice sunny day, so it was nice to walk around there a bit. I did end up buying a few items from that lady. Yummy! I also came away with two tomato plants courtesy of C. I gave her some issues of Canadian Gardening I was done with.
Today was a bit more lazy. Slept in a little. Got up and shopped for groceries. Found some trouble at MEC. Came home and had some lunch. Planted up the tomato plants and cleaned up the deck a bit. I think I need some new outdoor chairs. Worked on my online course a little bit. Perused the net some more. Made an online purchase. So uhm.. that's pretty much it. Not terribly exciting, is it?
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Waxing nostalgia
Sometimes I think about places I've been. Sometimes I think about returning to some places. However, it seems that some places may be best not revisited for some time until the right moment.
Why am I mentioning this? Well, I was perusing some photos on someone's Flickr page. They had some shots from Hawaii. It reminded of how wonderful the place is. It also reminded me how much nicer it is to visit such a place with another person. Anyway, I think you get the picture.
For sure, one day, I would like to visit some place like Hawaii again. But I don't see that happening any time soon.
Just a passing thought...
Why am I mentioning this? Well, I was perusing some photos on someone's Flickr page. They had some shots from Hawaii. It reminded of how wonderful the place is. It also reminded me how much nicer it is to visit such a place with another person. Anyway, I think you get the picture.
For sure, one day, I would like to visit some place like Hawaii again. But I don't see that happening any time soon.
Just a passing thought...
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Mid-week pulse check
Not sure what it is, but maybe it's just a combination of things. I feel a bit worn down.
Maybe it's the jetlag but that's slowly improving as I manage to stay up until at least 10PM before my head hits the pillow. Or, maybe it was the gardening I did on Sunday. I had to make a few trips up the back stairs bringing up plants and a bag of potting soil. On top of that, there was quite a bit of kneeling and crouching when I potted up the plants. Of course, having a cat sit on your stomach does not help either. Sad to say, but I sit in a slightly slouched position that allows this to happen.
Well, the week is half over. However, I feel that I still have about a week's worth of work left to do over the next two days. It gets busy at work in waves. The wave is cresting about now.
Tomorrow night my brother comes up for the Formula 1 weekend. I might take a short nap earlier in the evening since he'll be getting in late. Might try to have dinner with him and his friend Friday evening. Saturday is the annual Pig Roast Hash. I am going to try to go to that.
Anyway, I am pooped..
Maybe it's the jetlag but that's slowly improving as I manage to stay up until at least 10PM before my head hits the pillow. Or, maybe it was the gardening I did on Sunday. I had to make a few trips up the back stairs bringing up plants and a bag of potting soil. On top of that, there was quite a bit of kneeling and crouching when I potted up the plants. Of course, having a cat sit on your stomach does not help either. Sad to say, but I sit in a slightly slouched position that allows this to happen.
Well, the week is half over. However, I feel that I still have about a week's worth of work left to do over the next two days. It gets busy at work in waves. The wave is cresting about now.
Tomorrow night my brother comes up for the Formula 1 weekend. I might take a short nap earlier in the evening since he'll be getting in late. Might try to have dinner with him and his friend Friday evening. Saturday is the annual Pig Roast Hash. I am going to try to go to that.
Anyway, I am pooped..
Monday, June 04, 2007
Back to reality
Well, I was back at work today after 3 weeks of vacation. Nothing has changed.
The day started off with me realizing that I may not be able to remember my password to login to Windows on my work laptop. I had not thought about it until this morning just as I was leaving home. Of course, when I got to work, I tried at least 3-4 passwords before I was locked out. I had to call the IT Helpdesk to fix this little problem.
Once I managed to login, I checked email. I knew it was not going to be a pretty sight, so I went to get a coffee. I think I had something like over 400 emails to sift through, and that was after Outlook had already moved a few things according to some already-defined rules. Yay. So it took me most of the morning to sift through what was left. There were a few emails for some requests, but I will assume that they were taken care of.
By lunchtime, some software I was waiting to be released for testing was released. So I downloaded it and prepared to have it loaded on the test node. Luckily I hadn't encountered any mjor problems. The only thing I noticed that was different about this software was that there was an extra script that was part of the package. Hmm..
Anyway, I started the implementation of the software. I didn't come across any major hiccups with it, but I will still need to check the logfiles tomorrow to ensure everything was hunky-dory. In all, this thing took all afternoon for it to complete implementation. Yuck. Well, a friend did stop by my office and we talked about my trip and stuff. So in the end, I ended up leaving work after 7PM. Oh well.
Yesterday, I was pretty ambitious and seeing that the weather was going to hold (it was originally forecast that it would rain), I decided to head over to the local nursery to get some stuff for my little patio garden. I drove over and arrived there just as they opened. There were already some people there. I knew I wanted to get some geraniums (inspired by my trip to Italy), but what shade of red did I want? I decided to get the hot pink geraniums. It's not terribly garrish, but I did not want to get the traditional red ones either. I got some purplely-green grassy stuff to plant with the geraniums. I also picked out some ivy-type stuff. Since I really liked the violas, I got some violas and blue lobelias to plant together. As well, I got a whack load of herbs (rosemary, basil, thyme, sage) to pot up together.
After I got home with my haul, I took a breather before gathering enough courage to go ahead and do up the planters. The planters still had the remains of last years plantings. So they all had to get cleaned out. I had also bought a bag of potting mix. It turned out that I only needed to top-off a few of the planters and fill a few of the pots. I still have some leftover for when I get the tomato plants later.
So that has been my life post-Italy.
The day started off with me realizing that I may not be able to remember my password to login to Windows on my work laptop. I had not thought about it until this morning just as I was leaving home. Of course, when I got to work, I tried at least 3-4 passwords before I was locked out. I had to call the IT Helpdesk to fix this little problem.
Once I managed to login, I checked email. I knew it was not going to be a pretty sight, so I went to get a coffee. I think I had something like over 400 emails to sift through, and that was after Outlook had already moved a few things according to some already-defined rules. Yay. So it took me most of the morning to sift through what was left. There were a few emails for some requests, but I will assume that they were taken care of.
By lunchtime, some software I was waiting to be released for testing was released. So I downloaded it and prepared to have it loaded on the test node. Luckily I hadn't encountered any mjor problems. The only thing I noticed that was different about this software was that there was an extra script that was part of the package. Hmm..
Anyway, I started the implementation of the software. I didn't come across any major hiccups with it, but I will still need to check the logfiles tomorrow to ensure everything was hunky-dory. In all, this thing took all afternoon for it to complete implementation. Yuck. Well, a friend did stop by my office and we talked about my trip and stuff. So in the end, I ended up leaving work after 7PM. Oh well.
Yesterday, I was pretty ambitious and seeing that the weather was going to hold (it was originally forecast that it would rain), I decided to head over to the local nursery to get some stuff for my little patio garden. I drove over and arrived there just as they opened. There were already some people there. I knew I wanted to get some geraniums (inspired by my trip to Italy), but what shade of red did I want? I decided to get the hot pink geraniums. It's not terribly garrish, but I did not want to get the traditional red ones either. I got some purplely-green grassy stuff to plant with the geraniums. I also picked out some ivy-type stuff. Since I really liked the violas, I got some violas and blue lobelias to plant together. As well, I got a whack load of herbs (rosemary, basil, thyme, sage) to pot up together.
After I got home with my haul, I took a breather before gathering enough courage to go ahead and do up the planters. The planters still had the remains of last years plantings. So they all had to get cleaned out. I had also bought a bag of potting mix. It turned out that I only needed to top-off a few of the planters and fill a few of the pots. I still have some leftover for when I get the tomato plants later.
So that has been my life post-Italy.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
Back to our regularly scheduled programming
Well, I am back home again after nearly 3 weeks in Italy. Was it good? Yes. Would I go back to Italy? Very likely. What would I miss? The food!
So, what have I done since I got back? Not a helluva whole lot really. I tried to sleep in a bit, but got up early enough to hit the supermarket for some things before the usual Saturday shoppers showed up. Laundered my stuff from the trip. Read the Saturday paper at some point. Tried to get caught up with my Net browsing and emails. I still haven't checked my other gmail account and am afraid to.
Tomorrow I think I will head over to the nearby nursery to look for some plants for the deck. I'm not entirely sure if I want to or need to replace some of the planters, but the ones I currently have are starting to get a bit weather-worn. I'll see when I get to the nursery. They open at 9, so I'll probably head over there early.
Aside from that, nothing major really. It's been a rather quite day that seemed to pass by slowly...
Another day of rest before I go back to work... :p
So, what have I done since I got back? Not a helluva whole lot really. I tried to sleep in a bit, but got up early enough to hit the supermarket for some things before the usual Saturday shoppers showed up. Laundered my stuff from the trip. Read the Saturday paper at some point. Tried to get caught up with my Net browsing and emails. I still haven't checked my other gmail account and am afraid to.
Tomorrow I think I will head over to the nearby nursery to look for some plants for the deck. I'm not entirely sure if I want to or need to replace some of the planters, but the ones I currently have are starting to get a bit weather-worn. I'll see when I get to the nursery. They open at 9, so I'll probably head over there early.
Aside from that, nothing major really. It's been a rather quite day that seemed to pass by slowly...
Another day of rest before I go back to work... :p
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