N'awlins at heart

Monday, June 30, 2008

Out comes the evil!

Where to begin? Last week, Coworker S invaded my personal space. Really bad. I won't get into it, but he might as well have dug through my wallet as he had no business doing what he was doing. The down side is (for him anyway), Coworker S is a complete idiot when it comes to computers and networking. And messing with me opened a can of worms that he really didn't want to open. You see, he spends most of the day chatting on AIM and Windows Live Messenger. I don't know what he is chatting about, but it must be private, since he freaks when the cable modem is down. He will not use these chat programs over the corporate Internet. Open can of worms #1.

Due to my great dissatisfaction with his performance, and his general lack of any computer knowledge, I went ahead and "managed" the router for the cable modem. Basically, at 9:15 am all the ports used for these particular chat programs are locked out for certain PC's (via the MAC address). Around 11:00 am it starts working again. Until around 1:00 pm when they miraculously close again. Around 3:45 pm they open back up, but only until about 4:30 pm which is when they are down until 6:00 pm. From 6:00pm-9:15am they are good though. And the cycle continues day after day.

About the 5th time he rebooted the router barely containing my laughter) I asked if the Internet was working. Which really confused him. Because it did. (Those ports remained open). So how can the Internet and web surfing work all day, but the IM programs don't? Must be a bad connection, or maybe a software glitch. I think I'll give it a week before I recommend formatting the hard drive and reinstalling Windows.

He just picked a bad time. I was really pissed at him Friday (when it all went down) and when I got home the weekend continued it's downward spiral. There was a note on the door of our apartment stating iron gates were being put up at the entrance of our apartment complex, and the guards were being let go. I don't know about you all, but when I think of those apartment complexes with the iron unmanned gates, I think of the crime rate sky rocketing. No guards to give you that false sense of security, cops don't go through the trouble of going "in there". The bonus is, the first we heard of this was the note on the door Friday. Tomorrow (July 1st) they are supposed to be active (What is that, a litte over 96 hours notice?). So basically everyone had to go get their remotes this morning. Enter issue #2.

2.5 years ago we moved here after Katrina. We signed a year lease to live in these apartments. When the year was up we went on a month to month basis because the place was getting more run down day by day. The day we arrived was a Saturday. The management office closed at noon. So W1 headed here from NOLA at 5:00 am to get here in time to sign the lease. I arrived around 4:00 pm with H2 and the rest of our stuff. All was good, but I never thought about going and getting put on the lease.

Years down the road we now need these garage door opened things to get in and out of the complex. W1 went to get ours and was informed she was the only person on the lease so she only gets 1 opener. (Even though my drivers licence has the address and apartment number on it). They said she can purchase an additional opener for $35. Although that sucks, there isn't much we can do. So she said "fine". Well, they are currently only handing out one to each person on the lease so she has to fill out paperwork requesting an additional opener, and she should have it in a few weeks. I don't understand how this is even legal.

Their idea: Just have us renew the lease for another year and put both of our names on it. They apparently don't drug test their employees, as this guy is smoking crack if he thinks we're going to commit to living another year in this gated crime area. Especially since they have bent over backwards to be so helpful right now.

Maybe it's time to find the number for Houston's version of "6 on your side". Headlines read "Local apartment complex refuses working Katrina Victim access to his apartment."

Hey, I might be on TV!

Sunday, June 29, 2008

"Um, I'm almost 24."

So we stopped at the gas station on the way to the store. As we were walking out the door I heard the employee ask the guy behind us for ID since he was buying beer. His response was "Um, I'm almost 24." That poor old man. 24. He better start worrying about retirement.

Stuff I've been planning to discuss / point out:

Knight Rider GPS. That's right guys. You can turn your car into KIT.

WTF? I would pay good money for one of these. The kicker is that they had a "sample" plate on the DMV homepage. (I was unable to find it, believe me I searched.) I would consider getting a personalized plat with WTF on it.

Okay, an inmate left a toilet paper rose when he escaped. "When the inmate was discovered missing, authorities also found the flower, Howard said. When we asked him about that, he said he felt sorry for the captain for escaping, Howard said. (The flower) looked pretty nice." I was wondering if Jerrod taught him that trick. Ha Ha Ha.

Pamela Anderson auctioned off her Viper to help benefit PETA. Yeah, it's the full leather seats, steering wheel, and gear shift knob package. Moo!!!

Last weekend we went to Galveston. Shortly afterward we came home and found the surf report. Something very helpful before you make your beach plans. The waves were terrible. But it was a good time. We hung out and got some sun. No burns though. I was pleased about that. And we found salt water taffy. I don't know what makes it so delicious, but it really is!

Next weekend I finally get my bike back. I can't wait. I'm gonna ride that thing rain or shine. And I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again. But not looking forward to the drive.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

I call 'em like I see 'em!

And I call Bullshit! I was talking to W1 yesterday and she told me about an article she read. Apparently, some guy working on his Master's Degree wrote a paper on road rage. The paper got an A. I personally think this was a bullshit cop out. And let me tell you why.

The study showed that ALL people involved in incidents of road rage had done something to personalize their car. Whether it be a bumper sticker, Jesus fish, neon lights, or a license plate cover, they all did something. The point was, once this was done, the car was personalized and truly theirs. That meant, when they were in the situation that caused the road rage, they took it personal. Like the person did whatever to that particular person on purpose. Like, they were targeting me to cut me off.

My theory is a little different. When someone cuts me off it's not personal to me. I still get extremely pissed, but not because I was targeted. I get pissed because the person who did it thinks they are better than anyone else and don't have to look out for other motorists.

This is what set me off and made me think the whole study was a bunch of crap. The guy took a study in the obvious and got all sorts of praises for it. It had to be very easy to say EVERY person involved in road rage did modifications to personalize their vehicle. You know why? Because I would think 99.9% of car owners do something to personalize their vehicle. Whether it's a "My kid shot your honor student" bumper sticker, tinted windows, or their favorite stuffed animal on the dash board, almost everyone does something. Even the piece of crap civic we had (that I loved). I put chrome valve stem caps on the tires. (I can't say 100% because Coworker R bought a car a year ago and hasn't washed it, much less personalized anything. But he is the exception to the rule.)

Please stay tuned for my thesis. I'm doing a study on how every person who wears shoes has feet. I hope I get an A!

Friday, June 20, 2008

The Magical Mystery Truck...

Work, work, work... That is what has been going on. But it's still fun. I have been testing mainly webcams and gaming mice this week, so it's been pretty mellow. Next week is Wireless Broadband, Bluetooth headphones, and more mice. Hee Hee Hee.

Last weekend we were in NOLA. It was a nice trip and fairly uneventful. We were supposed to pick up my bike but it didn't happen. The things I wanted done were done well, and the bike rode and performed like a dream on Saturday. The only issue ws something that has been going on for a while, and just slipped my mind. The engine seems to be knocking. Not bad, but noticable. I was tempted to bring it back here anyway but I knew I would end up riding it. And I really didn't think I should. So it is back in Chuck's shop being diagnosed and hopefully fixed. Big thanks to H2 for bringing it back there.

Also big thanks to the Spinney's for allowing us to take over their home while we were in town. It was very peaceful to sit out back and relax with W1. I was trying to find a comment card from a restaurant while we were there so I could cross the name out and write "Spinney's" but I didn't have any luck. (I thought it would be funny to complain about the toilet paper or anything else that came to mind.)

Considering it was not our normal NOLA trip (i.e. we did not get drunk the whole time, only 1 glass of plum wine a piece at H2's B-day dinner) we were exhausted when we left. Then after crossing the Huey P, the roads were blocked off due to flooding. That added another hour to the trip, but it still was not bad.

I think i mentioned earlier about the oil change where the place did not put any oil back in the truck. I thought all was okay but I think I am now seeing the effects of the mistake. Unfortunately it was so long ago there is no way to prove what happened. When i noticed it (2000 miles after the oil change) it was bone dry. I added 4 quarts and it was full again. About a week later was the NOLA trip. When we got back I noticed my oil pressure gauge acting strange. I checked the oil and was low 2.5 quarts. In the last week since then I have added 3 more quarts. And when i checked this morning I was about a quart low, again. But, i have been checking my parking spot at work and the apartment and have not seen 1 drop on the ground. i also tried flooring the gas pedal to see smoke and that is not occurring either. But it has to be going somewhere. if I burned 3-4 quarts just this week there would definitely be smoke. (Trust me, I know this from experience.) I am hoping running it without oil didn't crack the engine block or one of the heads. I would hate for all my fresh oil to be sitting in my radiator or dripping out of the exhaust pipe. Maybe I will name my truck too. How about "Copperfield"? Watch the oil disappear.

Who knows? I guess all I can do for now is keep an eye on it and go from there.

On a funny note, Coworker r came to ride with us when H2 and GF were in town. His bike was stalling like crazy and we determined it was bad gas. (That's right, i said he had bad gas.) He used a brand new gas can his dad had just filled the day before, and was surprised it was acting that way. Well, he found out last night it was a can of Ethanol for the lawn mower. You know, that corn gas crap. A 1991 carborated bike does not take kindly to food gas apparently. Oh well, live and learn.

Friday, June 06, 2008

It's been a while...

Sorry for the delay in posting. It's been a bit busy here as of late. Work is still going well, and the bosses seem happy with my results so I guess that's a good thing. Last weekend H2 and GF came in for a visit. We all had a really good time. We rode both days on the weekend and got to visit a bike shop. My bike had a few things that needed to get done so it went back to NOLA with H2. He dropped it off at Chuck's shop to have the work done. So at least I know it will be done right.

W1 has been on vacation since Wednesday so I'm glad she is getting a chance to relax. It is long awaited and well deserved time off. Since she was off I drove her car to work Wednesday, then snuck off for about an hour and washed it for her. It hadn't been done since the Galveston trip so I thought it'd be a nice thing to do. Of course it was pouring rain today, but it still needed to be done. Since she had the time off she joined us for lunch. That was a nice treat for me. She hasn't been able to join me for lunch in a long time, and she use to do it a lot.

We are bikeless this week so I'm not sure what the weekend has in store for us. We were considering another Galveston trip but W1 still has 2 bad burn spots from our last trip, so I think it'd be better to llet her heal before we go out and do it again. I am currently reinstalling Windows on 2 test systems so I have Scariest Police Chases on TV. Funny stuff I have to say. Sometimes my job is just awesome.

Other than that there hasn't been much going on. We've gotten a little Guitar Hero time in here and there. I can't wait for the Aerosmith version. And from the looks of it, they're coming out with a Metallica version too (Even though they tried to sue them. Who would have thought? Metallica suing someone?). And a Guitar Hero On Tour. I don't know what that's about but we gotta have it We just do!