February 25, 2004
Grave Follow Up
Broke down and asked dad about just when was it that his father died. He was kind of perplexed and had to think about it. The rationale was it happened not long after getting back to his hometown from the Army, after his cousin returned because he borrowed her car, and before he started dating my mom. So about this one particular year.
February 24, 2004
Grave Musings
Visited my father's mother's grave Sunday. That prompted me to wonder.... Where is my father's father buried? The story I remember is that he was down in Orlando and killed in a bar fight while my dad was just a teenager.
However, my mom recalls a different story. She recalls my dad lying about his father being dead in Orlando. He apparently went to Jacksonville and was killed there 7 or 8 years after she married my dad. That would make me about 5 or 6 at the time he died. Pretty hard blow to someone who thought this grandparent was not alive in their life time.
So...... which was it? According to my mom, the first story (the one I got) was concocted so that they could get parental consent in order to get married. If his father was dead, then they would not need his consent. Giving your kids up and dropping off the face of the planet is like being dead, right? If they had tried to find him, then they might have had to delay getting married for a couple years or more. Maybe not. There is family down there. Would think someone would know where he was.
Gotta sit down with my dad and have a talk.
February 23, 2004
Trouble Sleeping
Really hit some random dream last night and night before. Problem is thinking as I fall asleep, IMHO. Too much on my mind, I guess.
For instance, I was about to leave my mom's house when her neighbor comes to a stop from an insanse speed just behind me to block me in the spot. Finally convince him to to move. Only to find my dad's truck blocking me. So I go through the ditch.
February 21, 2004
Call Me
Call me if you've seen my cell phone. Oh... wait... you can't!!
Some Consistency Please
I like consistency. Should I find some thing or place I really like, most likely I will try it again. For example, this pizza restaurant / bar in town had pretty good pizza. Best I'd been able to find here. Eat there probably twice a month at least. At there tonight.
The sweet tea was bad. How can you screw that up? The pizza was burned. The pretzels (pizza dough slices shaped like pretzels) were 1/2 the size they used to be and not as good. The waitress was apathetic and really did not want to be there. She brought her cigarette to the table when she brought a refill. WTF?
What is the likelihood I will be back to eat there any time soon? Zip. 
Runaway Car
Last week, someone driving too fast around a curve near my mom's house hit the hump in front of hit and took out the hump sign on the wrong side of the road. I heard the scrapping of sliding tires (trying to stop on a we road?), a rough crunch (bottoming out on the hump), a metallic crunch (hitting the sign), and lots of scraping (sign being drug?). Smell of gasoline was very pungent. Some pics of the sign that was taken out.
War Movie Satuday
Started off the morning with something pretty violent. Full Metal Jacket probably should not be watched at 8:30 AM?
That put me in a mood to watch more. So I popped in We Were Soldiers. Not Oscar worthy, I know. Very violent.
Now watching A Bridge Too Far with Sean Connery, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkin, Lawrence Olivier, etc. Good 70s war movie.
Probably will finish up the day with The Thin Red Line.
Happy day. 
February 18, 2004
28.6% Faster
Saved 28.6% of my driving time to work this morning. It dropped 4 minutes of my average 14 minute drive. How? Easy... almost no red lights. In just winging it, I slipped through residential areas and avoided the main roads. Had to stop for 1 and slipped through 3 greens compared to my usual 5 red lights and 1 green.
Will have to try that route for the rest of the week.
February 17, 2004
Wooaah Now!
Emails from strange teenage females of a suggestive nature are not appropriate. Ever! Go to college, grow up just a lil bit. It will do wonders for ya, I promise!
New MSN Name
My new MSN name is:
Ezra -- "Now I'll Never Get To See Sporky Dorky!"
Cute, aint it? Don't understand? Watch The Cowboy Bebop Movie.
February 15, 2004
Online Training
In 2 weekends I have completed 4 online training topics for work.
- HTML Authoriing (Level 1)
- HTML Authoriing (Level 2)
- HTML Authoriing (Level 3)
- Web Development with CSS
- Photoshop 7.0: Level 1
- Photoshop 7.0: Level 2
- Photoshop 7.0: Web Production
- Photoshop 7.0: Artistic Effects
- FrontPage 2002 (Office XP): Introduction
- FrontPage 2002 (Office XP): Advanced
- Dreamweaver MX: Level 1
- Dreamweaver MX: Level 2
- Dreamweaver MX: Level 3
- Windows XP Professional Level 2
February 14, 2004
Happy S.A.D.
Happy Single's Awareness Day!
Was going to a symphony tonight. Decided the company was not worth the excursion and backed out of it. Just not in the mood for getting yelled at, I guess?
February 12, 2004
Tall != Good Always
Stood in front of a water fountain far enough away that I could drink out of it. No button? Oh... motion sensor. Placed my hand in front of the sensor. No dice. Took a 1/2 step closer. Took another 1/2 step closer. The water started. Contorted myself, but I was able to get a drink.
Wasn't very good water. Maybe it was the aching rib?
Sound Like A Form Letter
Apparently my writing has gotten so impersonal that people think my emails to them are form letters. That could be a good thing, right?
Post 201
Wow... that last post was my 200th post. Maybe I should post a whole bunch of them so by the time I've had this thing for a year I will have 365?
Bouncy, Bouncy, Bouncy
Was trying to remember something as I was falling asleep. Do not recall what it was that I was attempting to remember.
Of course, I do not vividly recall what I dreamed last night. However, I recall some strange impressions. Multiple incidents of a cell phone ringing. More than once I dropped it trying to answer it. Multiple incidents of sneaking around to eavesdrop on conversations.
No more thinking before falling asleep!
February 11, 2004
No Beethoven or Mozart?
Tchaichovsky and Pagininni are the 2 classical composers I like the best. Vivaldi, Wagner, Brahms, and Chopin are all great. However, I don't really care all that much for Beethoven and Mozart are well... eh. Will listen to them because it seems like the are the most accessible. Not saying their music is horrible. Just... I like the others better. Wish I could get my hands on the others as easily as I can the "popular".
Several years ago, I hit a jackpot. Camelot music (now FYE) had these CDs with classical music for only $4 a CD. Each paycheck I picked 5 of them. Tried to be fair and get some of everything. However, the collection quickly reduced itself to Beethoven and Mozart. So I ended up with more of those 2 than I would have liked.
Isn't that how things work? Try to do the right thing... be fair and balanced. In the end, it does not work out how the plans as originally envisioned? Hopefully, it is better. Some times things just... fall apart. It sucks that what will be cannot be so easily seen. Those "half-full" people probably would retort the lack of foresight is why life is so grand. Maybe.
Well, I listen to Swan Lake, The Four Seasons, the noctures, and the symphonies. Better soothing than the fast paced Techno. Not quite as wandering as Ambient. It works.
Happy Birthday A
Happy birthday! Hope you got good presents.
February 10, 2004
Smoking Bans
Georgia is considering a state wide smoking ban in public places. This is sure to rile up lots of controversy and argumenation.
Valdosta's city council recently approved such a ban. Every smoker I know is furious. As a non-smoker who grew up with a smoker and has no immediate side affects, I don't really care whether or not there is a smoking section. However, as the son of a mother who gets ashma attacks when exposed to cigarette smoke, I have to make sure that I don't have exposure to the stuff before I see her. Also, I have to convince hostesses that non-smoking includes away from smoking.
February 09, 2004
Batting A 1.000
Let us just say I have a knack for finding "tells" that let me know a girl is involved with someone. She does not have to even mention him or talk about her love life. (Or maybe that is the tell?) In any case, I thought maybe I was wrong for once. Glad to know the skill is still there.
Grad School
Have decided that I am going to grad school to get a Master's degree in Library Science. While there is a program here, I want to leave myself open to the opportunity to get a Ph.D. The likely correct career path is to get a Master's, work at least a few years, and get the Ph.D. Going directly to the Ph.D. could cause my resume to have too little experience to get a decent job with the Ph.D..
My favorite choice of schools is Florida State. Next, might be University of South Florida. Will have to investigate programs and see where to go. Have to take the GRE. Perhaps I might be able to swing a computer tech job wherever I choose?
February 06, 2004
Feels Good
Someone left the air conditioning on with it being 66F outside. Feels like upper 50s or lower 60s inside.
February 05, 2004
Why I Question Getting Up in the Morning
IN PROGRESS:
- Migration of whole university (20,000+ pges) to a consistent look and feel.
Thankfully, most of those web pages are done by others, managing web designers is like herding cats. Everyone wants to do their own thing. Have their own personality in their web site. - Migration of all courses (500) in WebCT to WebCT Vista.
The faculty will be changing their courses. Thankfully I do not have to do the training sessions except maybe as a proxy. However, I am and will continue to be the target of their questions. Maintaining the server will fall on my shoulders. This thing is supposed to be a temperamental beast. Expecting to have to restart the thing at least once a week. - Migration of Campus Pipeline to Luminus III.
Hopefully, I will not be expected to do much with Luminus? - Development of workshops for training maintainers of web sites.
People want training on how to make web pages. That is the one thing people want. No one else wants to provide it so they look to me. - Creation of strategic plan for Web Services.
Have to figure out my goals. Also have to figure out how to implement them. Then I can write a plan. - Creation of Policy and Procedures Manual.
Have to figure out my policies and how to implement them so I have a PPM.
All in all? Think I need about 3 clones. Maybe 4?
February 03, 2004
Blog Comment Spam
The net is a bad place. People do things "just cause". At times I want to to just leave it to its miseries and go back to watching TV. At least there I know the people are trying to screw me over and do not create messes that I have to work to correct.
Deadly Ponytail
This is from a dream Friday night/Saturday morning.
It was dark and foggy and outside. Recall tall grass and the moon struggling to peek through the clouds overhead. Saw a light ahead and a door to a big house. I opened the door and entered. A knife slashed at my throat. Somehow I was not decapitated though I did get a good cut on my jaw. Fled. Caught sight of a blonde ponytail as I fled.
Pretty sure I know who this was supposed to represent. The fog represent confusion (can dig that). The knife could represent a betrayal, self-inflicted injury, cutting away unwanted parts, worry, domestic troubles with disgrace, or personal problems. Seems bad in any case.
February 02, 2004
Movie Quote, Movie Suggestion, and Music Trends
"I've always said how a man treats his car is how he treats himself." Tarconi, The Transporter
Better start treating my car better.
Today is a good day to watch Bill Murray's Groundhog Day, I think!
On music trends, I think I am starting to listen to more Rock and less techno.