blah blah blah

Chair

The chair at my desk is begining to cause back problems (as well as the seats that they have in the lecture halls). Look for a possible replacement when I return from spring break; it definitly would be easier to replace mine than try to replace all of the seats in the classrooms.

Oh yea, I was wrong, it wasn't a V70AWD it was a XCV70. grrrr.

another thing I almost forgot. Someone brought up the subject of dying hair the other day to me. I'm vaguely entertaining the possability of turning mine a different color when I return from spring break. Any suggestions?

Good Things

In what is hopefully a sign of things to come things today are looking really good. I towke up and it was beautiful out (even at 630am). The Microsoft interview went well (see the question they asked in my earlier post). Followed by my OS course where I made the professor laugh repeatedly.

The seats that they give to students for classes are really fucking horrible so I signed up for a massage. The last one I got was a gift, but this one I decided would be a treat. The sign-up for the massage was followed by my decision to skip a meeting and head to Wegmans, partially because I was hungry and partially becasue I didn't have any more food.

Checking out I get a phone call from a number in Boston. Turns out it was a person from BBN doing a phone interview. I told him I would call back when I got to my apartment (a supermarket checkout line isn't the most appropriate place to do a job interview). Two interviews on the same day and both (hopefully went well). I have more faith in the second one, probably because he said the hiring manager would be contacting me in the next day or two to set up a face to face meeting.

On top of that its still sunny and above freezing in Syracuse. This day couldn't possibly get better. I think I might blow off another appointment tonight to go running if its still above freezing.

---------
It did however get a little weird when I found out my grandmother is having a private dinner with the Governor of Massachusetts. Thats a little strange. I didn't remember her having pollitical connections like that. :-/

Microsoft Interview

that was a weird interview.
Total number of questions asked ONE

Question:
"So I’ve got this problem, last year I moved to Seattle and I was putting up Christmas lights for the first time (I'm originally from SoCal so I hadn’t done that before). I'm up on the roof putting up the lights and I attach 4 or 5 strands together. I climb down off the roof and plug them in. For some reason one strand doesn’t light up. How do I go about fixing that one strand?"
-------
I’m posting this question in the form that it was asked of me; if you want to try to solve it, go right ahead. If you want more information about the problem leave a comment and I will answer the question in the same way that the interviewer did.

----UPDATE TO INFORMATION
in response to Pete's question regarding how they are connected here is the answer
They are the 'old fashoned bulbs' meaning one goes out and all of the bulbs in that strand go out. In terms of how the strands are connected, they are just connected end to end, like normal christmas lights, so you have several strands like

[house]+[---strand1:ON---]+[---strand2:ON---]+[---strand3:OFF---]+[---strand4:ON---]

I don't know

Yesterday before one of my classes started I was talking to someone in the store about literature and it turns out we knew a couple of people in common at Harvard (actually we had both taken classes from the same professors). Anyway she left to go back to her office and I stayed there trying to finish up a paragraph on an essay about the sexuality in Dracula. …fast forward to today

I’m in Starbucks at 810am or so continuing to work on the same essay (I’ll post it after I hand it in) and in walks the person I was talking to yesterday. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was sitting and she turns around and asks “Did you even leave the store yesterday?” Turns out I was sitting at exactly the same table with the same books out in front of me as when she left.

class clCss, clASS. I can’t describe my feelings of HATRED I have for cis655. I think the professor is a complete moron and the foreign graduate students in the class all cheat flagrantly and the professor doesn’t seem to care, despite making us sign honor pledges whenever we hand in a piece of work. This is pissing me off to such a degree that I have started drafting a letter to my department chair and the dean of the college telling them of my disgust at the whole situation. (side note about me: I don’t bother taking intermediate steps when there’s a problem, I usually jump directly to the people that can cause definite change)

Weeeee, order placed for a new shirt and sweatshirt today. I should be getting them in a week or so (this is a bit of a guess though. It'll definitly be before spring break though)

Currently listening to: DanceMania - "Non-stop megamix" (its a compilation of DDR stuff)

I can't remember anymore

Last night was weird. Ended up playing with the power washer at the Physical Plant, got to respond to 2 calls including one that required patient transport. After that it was over to Dan’s for some wine/cheese and a couple of episodes of West Wing. So 2am (or something like it rolls around) and I need to leave so I can get some sleep before training today and my car won’t get out of the freaking driveway…even in 4wd-lo. End up needing to do a 12 point turn on an icy slope (the car kept slipping back to the original position so it was more like a 30 point turn) before I was able to get it turned around and was able to floor it out of the driveway.

Breakfast consisted of some bacon, cup of tea, slice of pizza and a Late from my favorite store. One of my friends walks in and we end up having this huge discussion about music which lead to his telling me about the demise of the mix tape that was published in The Village Voice which somehow morphed into a discussion about movies then into a discussion about German Cabarets which ended up in my getting a new band to listen to Palast Orchester mit seinem Sanget Max Raabe. If you search for this on Kazza or WinMX you’ll most likely have success if you search for “Max Raabe.”

He (they?) do remakes of pop-culture songs like “Oops I did it again” and “Sex Bomb.” Quite frankly the voice is a little scary. It sounds like what you would imagine a sex-offender singing like. I can’t really describe it more than that, if you want to understand what I mean, try download a track or two.

Interview with Microsoft on Thursday before my OS class. Regarding what to wear, I’m vacillating between dressing really nicely or going in looking like I just rolled out of bed (which is a distinct possibility). Thoughts anyone?

Now off to finish work that should have been finished several days ago.

Thanks

I wanted to extend a huge thanks to the volunteers (all of them unwilling) and RMS who helped to make last night interesting. I'd tell you more, but than I'd have to kill you. I think Friday nights are definitly going to be more fun from now on :-)

Oh yea

Oh yea, I'm working the overnight at SUA tonight so don't bother trying to get in touch with me until tomorrow.

I found out today (althought I probably jsut forgot about it earlier) that The Nields are playing in Syracuse tonight. Actually its sort of funny cause there were origionally 4 of them and they tought science at my highschool years ago. I forget the whole story but one of the men started sleeping with the others wife or somethign liek that and they broke up. Now its just the two Nields sisters. If I had realized that they were in the syracuse area I would not have signed up for the shift tonight.

Friday Five

When was the last time you...

1. ...went to the doctor?
This happens far more frequently than I care to think about. I had a physical about a week or so ago, and before that it was because I had a really bad cold they gave me pills for. In the future though I’ve got an appointment on the 8th to get some prescriptions redone.

2. ...went to the dentist?
Its been too long. Made an appointment yesterday to have this done over spring break

3. ...filled your gas tank?
wow that’s an easy one. Yesterday. My Jimmy goes through gas like a bunch of freshmen go through beer at their first house-party of their college years. This is also the main reason I want some other type of car. This’ll probably happen after grad school is done though

4. ...got enough sleep?
no idea. Actually im sleeping like shit lately. I can’t sleep more than 3 hours in a row without having to get up and either work or get something to drink. Going to the doctor to see about getting some pills to help me actually sleep through an entire night.

5. ...backed up your computer?
Ummmm, the cdrw is broken now, although I do back up selected work onto my iPod. I haven’t done a full backup in about a year.

Freaking family

Post Removed

Fly away

Newsflash, the emails I keep getting from them are getting more and more distracting. If I get too many more I might just pack my shit and go over for a few days. But hey, airfare and meals are included so how can you turn it down…plus its still the winter sports time of year.

This is probably going to turn in a bitch post, but then its my blog so I’m entitled to do that occasionally. Misread the clock today and ended up being two hours early for an appointment. Got made fun of by one of my professors for my choice of drinks in front of most of the class and almost got run over by a guy who decided to run a stop sign (I was talking to someone from the said earlier class). I ended up knocking on the guys door as he almost hit he and the ass got out and started swearing at me…for walking in front of him even though he didn’t bother to stop at the sign until he decided to swear at me…anyway.

Friday night: Hope you don’t see me tonight cause that means you’re in some sort of trouble. That’s right Henry is on duty overnight at the ever-popular Sigma Upsilon Alpha

Back to the bitch session; my Tuesday night class is one of the most boring imaginable, there’s no way to stay awake through it. I’ve tried drinking HUGE amounts of various liquids, eating stuff, candy and no mater what I do I feel myself slipping into unconsciousness due to the professors droning. From now on I have decided to sit in the back with one of my ETS books and actually be productive (meaning get a hundred or so pages of reading out of the way)

Weekend

where to begin, where to begin...

Sarah, your parties are always a blast. Nicole, great time at your place tonight, too bad more people didn't show up. SUA, a blast as always. Next friday should be fun, I'll bring some movies and other toys to play with. Van Wilder was a hoot, I definitly know someone who acts more or less like him.

Week of firsts: First time at the skating rink, first time i've been in an ambulance while concious (the other 3 times have been under less than ideal circumstances), first time at the physical plant, first song bought for iTunes, first beer in 5 or 6 months (no cider dosn't count as beer) and first major migrane of the year :-(

current song: Thrice "The Artist in the Ambulance"

Note: Je dois pratiquer mon français un peu, ainsi si n'importe qui le sait
me contacte.

Comments

Some changes were recently made to the MT installation that powers my site. Because of these changes people havn't been able to post comments. This has been fixed (as of now). YOu need to enter a security code on your comment post (it is a 6-7 digit number featured on the form) in an effort to reduce spam comments.

10 reasons you know you’re an ECS student at Syracuse University

(10) You’ve spent the night in Link on at least one occasion

(9) You’re lost without your calculator

(8) When you’re in a room with people from other majors you always insist yours in the hardest of them all

(7) By sophomore year your classes have taught you the entire Greek alphabet

(6) You’ve never saved anything to the desktop of your ECS computer, but it tells you that you have every 10 minutes

(5) While others rush to register for classes you don’t because there’s never a waiting list to get into your 400-level engineering classes

(4) You wish you could go back to calculus because at least it was easy

(3) Lectures that don’t have symbols, numbers or equations in them make no sense at all

(2) People at home ask you what you’re majoring in and after you tell them, their jaws drop to the floor

(1) You’re never cold in wintertime because Link is always warm

Summer update:
I sent emails to a number of family friends today in an attempt to get a job (of any type this summer). They all depend on grants and funding that’s given out during the winter for some reason. While I am loathe to rely on family contacts to get an internship, I have finally realized its time to milk the family and friendships of my parents for all they are worth.

As a backup thing I think I might try to get my EMT-B certification this summer and then work at either the local hospital of the local fire department. (I sooooo want some sort of employment that pays something more than goodwill though)

life as usuall

went to bed last night with a serious migraine (thank god I don't get those very often)...anyway got up this morning ass was well in henry land (as well as normal anyway). Had to go back to the Health Center to have my TB test read (yea I think i'd have breathing problems or something if I had TB....) they said it was negative (DUH!). Also had a physical this morning...fuck I wish I could have come up with a lie faster but I forgot what day it was and was a few days outside of the 12 month time period for a physical, so the trolls in the HC felt me up in an unpleasant way. Surprise I'm healthy. :-)

Now to the normal Friday shit

1. Are you superstitious?
sometimes. It depends on what’s being discussed. If you are meaning the 'black cat crosses in front of you' type of superstition, then no.

2. What extremes have you heard of someone going to in the name of superstition?
I can't really think of any of the people I know going to extreme lengths lately, unless you count the Catholics going to mass every Sunday morning (and a few other times during the week)

3. Believer or not, what's your favorite superstition?
luck with a four-leaf clover. Actually this one is pretty great now. Its warming up and shit here in Syracuse. I can actually see the grass in a couple of places. Plus with all of the chemicals in the air there are bound to be numerous mutations in the genes of clovers.

4. Do you believe in luck? If yes, do you have a lucky number/article of clothing/ritual?
Nope. I do have a couple of jackets that make me feel nice though. But its more of a temperature nice sort of way, rather than a lucky sort of way.

5. Do you believe in astrology? Why or why not?
Not sure. Sometimes I read the horoscopes while waiting in line at Starbucks, but other than that I don’t have any experience with astrology so I can't make a clear decision.

Fun fun fun till spring

Why snow is fun :-)

ParkingLot

Feeling better

I popped onto CNN tonight and found THIS article on the earning power of several different degrees. When I hear about the unemployment rate among people I still get nervous, but with an undergrad degree in CS completed and a Masters most of the way through I'd like to believe that I can expect mid50's->low60's range.

TimeLimit

Yea, so if I didn’t already have enough stuff on my plate, my application to join SUA and become an EMT just got activated. It’s a 10hour a week commitment plus the training time that I need to put in. The first meeting was tonight and there’s another thing I need to show up for at 1030am. The people I’ve met (so far) have been really fun people who seem to know what they are doing. If nothing else this might give me something to do over the summer when I’m back in Concord (if I can’t find a paying internship). My plans are to stick with this for the next three semesters; something I feel is completely reasonable.

The perks: I can use a parking pass that lets me park behind the Health Center, free laundry/dryer machines, some cool clothes, a nifty badge and the opportunity to do something good for the university (If we transport you to the hospital its covered by your student health fee, if you get RuralMetro its going to cost you at least $400).

SuperWhat???

For those of you who didn't happen to catch it, there were antics like always on the superbowl. Many thanks go to Justin and Janet, random streaker guy, and those wonderful Madison Ave. types that brought us brilliant advertisements yet again :-).

Note: These links arn't suitable for the workplace.

streaker
Sportsline about the above link ewwwwwwwwww.

Janet1

Janet2

"I am sorry that anyone was offended by the wardrobe malfunction during the halftime performance of the Super Bowl," Timberlake said in a statement. "It was not intentional and is regrettable." YahooNews

Wardrobe malfunction my ass. Justin was probably sick of working with the bitch.