Staticfree Blog

On a more interesting note, I finally got my laptop. It arrived (thankbloody goodness) earlier than the date they claimed it would. After poking at the filth they ship on it (WindowsXP) and determining it all worked correctly, I put a real operating system on it. Tried Gentoo, but there were issues with the IDE stuff (which you can find info online on how to easily correct) and I was impatient and had a Debian Potato disk laying around. So, for now, it's running Debian.

Things are great! Nearly everything is working on it. Thanks to a most incredibly helpful resource, and Dyfri's kernel config, I have gotten all but the modem and front accessory buttons working. Havn't tested the firewire yet, nor then wireless adaptor, but i suspect both work just dandy. I should be able to try the wireless out today, so that should be good. Even DVD playing in linux works just dandy with mplayer.

All in all, I'm amazingly pleased with this laptop. The screen is addictively clear (I look at CRTs now and cringe a bit. ah well), I can yank it's power cord out, head off to work, listen to music on it all day at work, and still have juice to warbike on the way home :-)

Carolyn and her sister put together a fiesta last weekend. There were decorations, burritos, margaritas, and all sorts of stuff. It was good fun and I got to see a bunch of the Amherst crew for the last time this summer.

My heart monitor has been removed. I got frustrated with the electrodes making my skin break out, so I simply removed them last friday. I suppose I need to send the kit back to the co. at some point before I head back to Rochester.

In going to Rochester, I need to pack. It seems like there's so much to pack, but the bulk of it is my big workstation. Clothes are mostly packed anyway, as they're all in containers that I can dump into my suitcase :-) My dad is letteing me take the air mattress that I've been using all summer as padding for my futon. This is wonderful, as I would have simply gone out and bought my own air mattress if he didn't - it's an amazingly comfy combination. Once packed, Carolyn and I will head back to Rochester. It'll be good to just hang out there for a bit before school starts - visit with friends, get computers set up, get used to schedules.

Now all I need to do is just finish up the week at work and get paid.

it rained. i was at work, hearing word of thunderstorms all afternoon.

15:35

Coworker mentioned black clouds, so i left early

15:42

I arrived home. 15 mins since i walked in the door, it started pouring.

16:05

Got home, cooled off from the heavy biking and suited up in rain gear. I decided to leave early to avoid as much rain as possible.

16:35

arrived at train stop, bunch of people waiting.

Apparently there were delays on the tracks due to the signal electricity being out. they were trying to turn a train around on the line (switch it to the other side of the tracks and reverse its direction) but couldn't power the switchers which were apparently on the signal power lines. don't they have manual override on that kind of thing?

17:30

went to payphones in attempt to contact care tried with coins, weird tones then what sounded like a collect call system. keypad didn't work to use prompts. $1.00 was put in and returned. Telcos are severely screwed up. 14.4 on calling card, no use.

17:32

missed train as there was a wall of trains on the other side blocking crossing. made it to other side just as train was leaving. 7 cars backed up

17:50

scheduled to meet care

17:58

gave up on train, went to phones again

17:59

2/3 dialed correctly, but keypad wasn't recognised when cc service was tried

18:00

got to the "add money" prompt, entered cc num, # and said "process canceled"

18:02

tried trains again, borrowed cell from guy while waiting, got through when train came, heard care was on greenline, quickly returned phone and ran off train before it left. Almost forgot to return cell.

18:04

waiting for care at train stop

18:18

realized care might be on inbound train. fuck. Got on next train. hunted for someone with a cell.

18:48

saw someone on a cell, asked to borrow after she was done.

"I don't think so. that's sorta weird"

People are weird. Calls are not like cigarettes. People don't seem to be too open to borrowing them out, or permissive towards bumming a call off someone. Even though with high tobacco taxes, they're pro'ly worth the same monitarily. It's pro'ly because they're so personal. all calls are logged, cc's are charged, physically it's an expensive device which you bought.

Maybe it's the confrontation. the guy i successfully borrowed a call from was male. the other person i tried was female. maybe it was just that i obviously was watching her, to see when she was done, etc.

It's pro'ly that i didn't have enough confidence.

19:19

after many more unsuccessful attempts with the pay phone, went to red line. gave guy singing there money as at least i could attempt to make his day better in a little way. plus, he wasn't too bad.

19:24

will just go to porter and wait there. not enough time to risk missing the 19:45 train to waltham by stopping at central to check pearle. She should be there eventually.

19:48

called kate (which i should have done before). told her to call care and go as planed to waltham i'll call kate as soon as i get to waltham. there'll be a 5 min window between getting off and a train back to porter when i can try a call to kate and sort stuff out. Walked to pink stucco and enjoyed the rest of the evening partying.