I've been crowned

Okay, so apparently I'm the "King of Pad Thai," so proclaimed by this newborn blogger, and someone I happen to know from the physical world. (A co-conspirator in this effort.)  I learned how to make pad thai a few years ago, when friends of mine hosted an Iron Chef dinner party.  At about noon on that fateful Saturday I decided to try making pad thai, went shopping, got what I needed, and by 5pm or so i had a completed dish.  I didn't win the contest that night (never knew so many friends were such good cooks), but I continue to enjoy cooking pad thai now and then, have been able to perfect my recipe.  And I must say the last time I made it, it came out excellent: the same time the aforementioned new blogger last ate it.  

Eat this, Motorola

I dropped my RAZR, then it started going berserk.  Blank screen...dropped calls...frozen screen...and just plain not working at all.  I visited my friendly neighborhood Verizon shoppe, and the associate does what everyone warned me they would do: she opened the back and immediately concluded it was WATER DAMAGE!  Why, because that little sticker dot turned red.  

Let me say again:  I DROPPED the phone (on the floor, not into a lake), and right then and there it stopped working properly.

So, since I was in the mall I walked over to Radio Shack, to see if they had those teeny-tiny funny-shaped screwdrivers I need to take this phone apart.  They didn't, but when I showed the people what I needed it for, they both said I have water damage.  One guy said it was severe.

Anyway, I got the tools I needed from Home Depot.  I took the phone apart (not entirely, just the first stage).  Water damage, you say?  Corrosion? Nope! Dry as a desert inside.  Rather dusty, to be honest.  I figured, when it dropped, it loosened a wire or two, and that was just it.  I snapped some loose connections, put it back together and it works like a charm.

The dot sticker is hardly a indicator of water damage to the phone.  It merely shows that the the sticker itself has been exposed to moisture.  

Subscription for life

Hey!  I'm blogging and using Safari!  When did this happen?  Blogger didn't previously support Safari.  (Safari is a web browser...created by Apple.)  I used to have to go into Firefox to get the full features of the Blogger post editor, but now I can stick to my default browser for everything.  

Amazing!

I just got the new Mac OS 10.5 "Leopard."  Maybe it's the new version of Safari that's compatible.  Or maybe it's because I haven't posted in several months, that I haven't even thought to check up on these things.  And it's a cool upgrade, although it's rendering almost everything else obsolete.  I couldn't launch my old version of iPhoto, so I had to buy the latest version of Apple's iLife. And all my old versions of Adobe/Macromedia products don't seem to be compatible either.  I'll have to buy new versions of those eventually. 

Upgrades beget upgrades.  Purchases lead to more purchases.  New upgrades require more memory.  You can pay off your car, but you still need new brakes, tires, oil...Pay off a house, but then you need a new roof, windows, carpets.  My cell phone has been crapping out since I dropped it a few days ago.  I'll need a new one of those soon, too.

It seems everything in life is a subscription with mandatory renewal.  

Amazing.

So close

Thought I had won the lottery, the New Jersey Lottery, that is.
The numbers were drawn:
15-16-20-28-30
I had one one my boards:
15-16-21-28-36
That's the Jersey Cash5. Choose 5 out of 40. You can see how the placement of the three matching numbers, along with the similarities with the other two, was enough to make me gasp at first. But it was a short-lived moment, and I missed the $225,000 prize. But it still pays $11 for three numbers, so a $6 net gain on a $5 investment is not too shabby.

So back to my crazy life. One of my barista co-workers disappeared the other day and stopped showing up for work. Scheduled for 5 days this week and 5 days next week. Oh...and the manager is on vacation. So we're fending for ourselves at Starbucks. Just like the good old days.

And then my car wouldn't start last night. WTF? I was leaving the movie theatre (Oceans 13, pretty good, btw) It started fine there, took the scenic route back home. Stopped for gasoline, and could not leave the gas station. Attendant tried to push start me, but it didn't work. So I called my brother at 1AM to get me. Mommy and Daddy are out of town. (Oh yeah, I still haven't fledged....but that's another post) I went back myself to try jump starting and it worked. Drove it back home today. Yep..more auto-repair expenses (where's that lottery ticket?)

Woke up this morning with one bitch of a sore throat. I hate being sick. But I think some people like to be sick; sympathy, excuses, IDK? But for that reason, i fear, that when I'm sick, people think I'm using it as a reason to slack off, give a little less, or withdraw completely. I don't like that.

Anyway, 56 hours of work this week, split between Starbucks and the Wedding Mill. Plus the undercharged battery, short staffing, a sore throat...
...but topped with a token lottery win...

Oh...and how I could I forget...all this damn laundry!

I'm still here

Really...I am.
So much fucking laundry. It never ends. Why is that? I'm a single guy for crying out loud. It shouldn't be.

Re-Starbucked

Where have I been?
Who cares! I won't waste your time with excuses.
Well, I am back at Starbucks. I have been since October. Came back to join the opening crew of a new store that was supposed to open in October but then got pushed back to after Christmas. So, I was placed in a crazy-busy store until the new store opened. And now I work at a store that no one has found yet. It's like being on vacation!
But that's no excuse not to post here. Here's hoping I can be consistent. (HAH!)
I still bartend weekends at the Chanticler, but not this weekend, there's nothing scheduled.
Instead, I'll be in Rochester, NY for the Francis Dykes Bonspiel once again. (recall: bonspiel = curling tournament) Last year we were 4th event winners. This year we hope to remain in the 1st event.
...I can smell it...I really can...
I figure this will be my last year in this bonspiel. I mean, I still can play next year, it will my fifth year curling. But two of the guys i play with won't be able to, and I figure I'll be doing the masters degree full time, so I won't be able to take off long weekends.
Oh! And I met Winter. He's the guy who travels to all the Starbucks in the world. I saw on his blog that he was coming to New Jersey just when the new store opened and wanted to be sure I was working when he made his visit. He's got a documentary coming out called Starbucking.

Testing this new service

Testing Gabcast

Cam Sham

Why did ever get me this iSight? I thought I'd open myself up the wonderful world of video chat only to realize that no one else has a webcam. AIM has had this feature for two years now and it hasn't seemed to catch on one bit. Did anyone else grow up watching the Jetsons? Didn't you dream of a day when people could hear and see each other on the phone? Well, you can!...Now! And you don't have to have a Mac with an iSight, just any computer with a cam and a mic and an AIM Screen Name, and you're all set.
Reminder: It's the 21st Century, kids!
(...and now I search for a wrist phone...)

Summer bummer

I had to drop my summer class. My Probability class. Well, I didn't have to drop it, I chose to. After getting a lousy grade on the first exam (stupid, stupid, stupid errors!), I put my faith into doing exceptional on the second exam, which I got an okay grade on, not enough to equalize the first. Now I could have put my faith into doing exceptional (again) on the coming final exam; but here's the story: the instructor (a grad student, mind you, not a prof) is so far behind, that with three(3) class periods left, he's left with THREE WHOLE CHAPTERS to introduce! Now, there is no doubt in my mind that I can grasp the concepts in the course, but to rush through three chapters in a week, leaving us students with the burden to go over examples by ourselves, with the task of trying to absorb three chapters in one week's time, as well as prepare for a comprehensive final exam, that I have to do exceptional on in order to equalize my low standing...I don't think so.
I can take it again this fall and get an A.
Not to mention summer classes have more of the brighter students, which sets the curve unnaturally high.

I Hate MySpace

(Edited to show further hatred.)

What a fucking waste of time...that piece of shit. And no, I'm not just saying that because I regret spending too much time on it....I'm hardly ever on it actually, and I only have a page out of necessity. Consider This:

Scenario 1 -- Friend sends MySpace comment:

1. Receive and read email notification of MySpace comment.
2. Click on link to open MySpace in browser window.
3. Log in to MySpace.
4. Click on "New Comments" in MySpace profile.
   
5. Click on the new comment in the list of comments.
6. Read message from friend.
7. Go to friend's profile.
8. Click on "Add Comment"
9. Type comment and submit.
10. View and confirm comment.
    

Scenario 2 -- Friend sends email directly:

1. Read message from friend.
2. Click on "Reply."
3. Type and send reply.
   

Which of the above scenarios make more sense to you?

Dominoes?

So, I've been watching the FIFA World Cup soccer(football) the past couple days, trying to be a worldly American. We're not used going 45 minutes without a commercial break here. But after ESPN's coverage of the soccer(football) games, they aried World Championship Dominoes. No kidding. A sports network...showing guys sitting around a table playing some hybrid of a card game, a dice game, and Scrabble. Don't get me wrong; games like chess and contract bridge are masterful games, and are "mind sports" recognized by the International Olympic Committee, I'd like to see them on TV. But Noooo.....we get Dominoes.

and don't get me started on that Texas Hold 'em bullshit....

Oops...Don't listen to this

Bonspiel!

I've found myself a small moment of solitude, during my stay here in Maryland this weekend. I'm one again playing in the Francis Dykes Memorial Bonspeil, and we're still in the first event. (This means we haven't lost a game yet. In curling tournaments, a.k.a. bonspeils, when you lose, you move into 2nd 3rd, and 4th events as you lose, and stay in the event as you keep winning.) We're in the semifinals for the top spot. Cool, to say the least, as i sit here in "business center" of the Holiday Inn were staying at. Next game tonight at 7:45.
Nap time...

Crazy Dave

I met "Crazy Dave" yesterday. I was sitting by myself at the Starbucks in Gillette, NJ, and this guy gets a drink, and sits next to me in the other comfy chair. He introduces himself as "Dave, ...Crazy Dave." He asks, what the name of this place, and writies it down in his book, and than starts asking me about my life story like why i'm here at this time and place and if i'm married with kids, etc., etc. Amusing to say the least.

Boredom

First day of Spring Semester. My two classes meet Monday and Thursday (one additionally meets on Tues.) The annoying part of that is that there's three hours between classes. So I'm sitting here bored in a computer lab, blindly surfing the web. And, what's more, I barely got any sleep last night; I don't know why, I just couldn't sleep. It's early in the semester, I guess eventually this would be ideal time to do homeworks and stuff like that, but there's nothing to be done now other than the web and AIM buddies, and blogger.

You Left Your Blinker On, Idiot

How do you communicate to someone on the road that their turn signal keeps flashing for no good reason? If you beep at them, they don't know why you're honking. I've tried beeping and getting their attention and making some hand gesture but they probably thought I was some pervert. A few times, I've moved in front of the offending vehicle and started sympathetically blinking, but they didn't get it (and neither did I when someone did it to me). So, I've decided there needs to be some universally accepted sign to commuicate that "You left your blinker on." Whether we should decide on a hand signal, or maybe a special honk (how about three short beeps? "bip-bip-bip"?) , there needs to be some simple and easy way to say "Hey, dude; your signal's on."

Stop Means Stop

Happy New Year.
You know, I'm continually perplexed by gas station attendants who insist on "topping-off " my gasoline. The pump stops because the tank is full, but then you guys have to try to squeeze every little drop of gas in. What difference does it make? Okay, maybe you're trying to round it to a nice figure, an even dollar, or quarter; it's easier to make change. But I pay with credit card! You know that...I gave you my card and you already swiped it! Stop overloading my tank!
Or, better yet, LEGALIZE SELF SERVICE IN NEW JERSEY!

Fortune Bust

I had Chinese food the other day and I got this fortune that said, "We should not expect from others what we cannot do ourselves." And I thought, that's difficult, because everyone can't do everything. Let's say one day I want to have children. I am incapable of bearing children. I don't have a uterus. Most guys don't. I will have no choice at that time other that finding someone else, most likely a female with a uterus, to bear me children. I just can't do it myself. Everyone contributes to the world on their own special way, we all help each other out the way we know best. So, the fortune is fundamentally flawed; but I guess I see the underlying spirit of the message: Be grateful. 2005 will be over in less than 8 hours. We've made it through another year. I'm heading to a party at the curling club, bringing some home-cooked pad thai. I'm not Thai; I'm not even Asian, but I love the cuisine.
Have a Happy New Year everyone. Best wishes for a prosperous 2006.
Lucky Numbers: 13, 19, 20, 32, 35, 45

Hometown Pride

Well, guess what I finally did. I contributed to Wikipedia. And I didn't just edit someone's missated fact, or correct somebody's spelling. No, I started with a bang; and created a entirely new article. Find it here... Now i've joned the ranks of those people you trust for your most crucial information. Scary, isn't it?

Ouch

my elbow. Actually the muscles just above my elbow. I was lifing weights the other day. Something I never do. Maybe I overdid it, or maybe I aggravated it when I was carrying my keyboard case later that night. That's about 50lbs. To go weightlifting and then cart that monstrosity around in one hand. That's just it...my right arm is fine. I don't think it was the wieghtlifting alone. So, I have limited use of my left arm which sucks because i'm a lefty.
I'll resume working parties at the Chantlicler next friday. Nice to have something to rely on. Never burn your bridges. I'll stick with Chanticler while I keep on searching for a worthwile a la carte bar job.
Just steer clear of national chains.