xmas!

I am typing this post on my new netbook. Sweet Felecia bought me an EEE netbook for xmas. YAY!!

I farkd up

yeah, i farked this post up good. oh well, the captain has to sink with the ship.






BLAP!

Workin' Man Blues

I am listening to George Jones and Merle Haggard. I got the workin' man blues. 6 beers into a night, feelin' good.

shhh.... I'm in here.

I am hiding from the woman party in the other room. Felecia is hosting the Christian Girlfriends night tonight. This is where the women from the church get together and chat 'bout stuff. So, needless to say, I have some good tunes pumping through my headphones (artist: Ohgr Album: Welt), a Marley firmly situated on my lap, a sixer of newcastle within easy reach, and a glass of scotch in my belly. No girl talk can infiltrate my defenses now!! muhahahhahhahaha.


I finished up season 2 of the IT crowd tonight. SO FARKING AWESOME!!! I love me some IT crowd. Moss is my hero.

Fall Hike

Yesterday I hit Mill B south for hike up to lake Blanche. I was originally shooting to scramble up to Sundial peak, but the snow was a bit too slippery for a safe go. I hit the trail-head about 8:00am so there was nobody around, awesome. There was a truck with a smashed out window in the parking lot, which was a bit discerning as I was the only other vehicle in the lot, but I figure the shits who did it probably are asleep now or have scored more meth and are good for a few hours. fuckers. Anyways, the hike itself was awesome. A nice southerly breeze was my only companion on the way up as Felecia did not want to venture out at ass-early on a Sunday morning, but it kept me company listening to my crazy thoughts. I hit the lake at just the right time as I didn't see a soul anywhere near the lake so I chucked my crap on a boulder, laid down and listened to nothing but the sounds of nature. Heaven. I snapped a few pictures, check them out below, the one of me is a self timed shot that came out reasonable well, a bit out of focus, but not worse than some of my other photos. Man, I really think yesterday was the single best hiking day yet this fall. I hope next weekend shapes up the same way.

a nightmare in the forest of tangle and rot.

This week has been full of uppers and downers, blues and reds. Sometimes I feel like a complete retard at my job, then 10 minutes later I pull off an amazing 3 point shot to win the game. I have been working on a large project at work that has tested my strengths of database wizardry. These types of projects are a good reminder that you aren't all that, and there is always something to learn. It has been a few months since I have had a good kick to the cerebellum, so this week has been kind of fun in a stressed out way. my big to-do was to build a reporting system that could show for an individual, team-lead, or manager a dashboard of current and closed requests - pretty boring eh? yeah, I about fell asleep in the design meeting - also breaking down where a request went in the system and how long it stayed in various areas. Well, 8 stored procedures, 4 functions, 6 tables, and numerous destroyed pens later I am finally at the end of journey to the land of beta. Just tonight I finished up the serious of reports that users in the company can view to determine who's holding up requests in the chain. Sounds pretty glamorous eh? yeah I know, snores-ville. But that is the work and the glory of a corporate data cowboy.

well, I reckin' I best be off to tend to the campfire, you folks have yourselves a right nice night then.

a small victory

So for about a year or so my computer monitor, a Samsung SyncMaster 204B has had a neat little problem, occasionally it will just flicker off then back on. Quite an annoying problem. For the longest time I figured it was hardware related, some chip getting too hot and flipping it into off mode just long enough to cool down. This comes after much troubleshooting device drivers, monitor settings, and the browsing the internets for any help (yeah, I probably could have called tech support, but I am lazy) but to no avail. So I have just dealt with it being flaky, it was after all not dead, and the flicker was really only a medium annoyance. Yesterday however I stumbled upon a quick fix for this problem. Apparently the monitor is just fine. The real problem lies in the monitor's inability to handle the full 60hz refresh rate that my video card and all NVidia cards throw out the DVI port. I found just some random forum post that explained how to fix this very issue. roll on into the NVidia control panel and set up a custom resolution ala 1600x1200 using a setting called CVT with blank, or some garbage like that. basically that last setting throttles down refresh rate to 59.8HZ, just enough to keep the monitor from overloading. BAD ASS. To make a boring story short, my monitor works great and I am so happy. Now, if I could fix my choppy scrolling problem in firefox I would be set.

My Fair Lady

This is our new cat Marley, we have had her for about 2 months or so. She was the replacement for Vino, but with Vespas passing she is our sole cat.
She is quite the little lady.

RAID

I have been dicking around with my computer trying to get my raid 5 array to work. no such luck yet. I can build it, and it reports healthy, but windows refuses to see it. After reading numerous posts on problems with Nvidia nForce chipsets and raid, I think I have seen enough to not even farking bother with it. Which really sucks ass, I mean, yeah - it's only an onboard raid system, but it should work as advertised, not just suck ass. at this point I have two options: 1) install win2k8 server and set up a software raid, or 2) Buy a dedicated Sata RAID card. Given that I have already spent money getting my disks and crap (see previous post), I doubt that the finance committee would spring for more kit (finance committee = wife :) ). So, option 1 it shall be, until I can find a better solution. At least by the end of this weekend I will be on server 2k8, and have mo' storage for mo' movies and music.

--A

Computer love

Newegg delivered a golden egg this afternoon at my house. new kit!
today I got: 2x 500 gig drives, 1x Nvidia 8800 GT, 1x 4 gig ram kit.

So, now to post my boast.

Mobo: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe (nForce 570 chipset)
Proc: AMD Phenom X4 9850 black edition (AM2+) (Quad Core)
Memory: 4x1 gig sticks, DDR2 800mhz 4-4-4-12 (although, XP BSOD's when I set all of these, I currently have it at 5-5-5-12, maybe 2k8 64bit will solve that)
Disk: 1 250 gig sata300 drive for the os (someday I will mirror), 3 500 gig drives in a raid 5 array. ~ 1 terabyte DVD/music/App storage.
Video Card: Nvidia 8800 GT 512MB DDR3.
OS: as soon as I get my raid finished, i am going full bore with x64 Windows server 2008, I will create Hyper-V instance of XP for using the VPN into work.
Case: Antec brushed aluminum full size.

Not bad for a cobbled together rig. I can now play Bioshock at full everything and nothing is getting worked. at some point I want to get Crysis and see just how good my rig is.

yep, Geekin' out tonight. w00-h@@ g0tz j0r b1+z 1n (h3ckz!

on the lighter side

I just finished up my third day of running. going pretty damn good, I am finally winning out over my annoying side splints (annoying pain in your connective muscles around your diaphragm, caused by jostling of internal organs), I am now able to complete my runs without resorting to jamming my fist underneath my rib cage. Yay running! No pain no gain.

You know what really bugs me about running on the streets is? Well let me tell you. Hecklers. Everyone is a fuckin' comedian when you are running down the street. In the past 2 nights, I have been heckled on both occasions. always such good classics like "Who wears short shorts?", well you know what? I FUCKIN' WEAR SHORT SHORTS ASS-CLOWN!! or better yet, the all too original "Run Forest Run!" GODDAMN IT!! I wanted to chase that fat-fuck down and beat him with his cheeseburger. Not so much for the heckle, hell I can handle that, more for using such an overused and played out line. For shit sake, can't anyone be original?

Anyways, Rant=off. I like where I am headed, I feel better, and now I don't feel too guilty when I take back a tall-boy at the end of the night.

cheers
Forest "short shorts" Gump. ...fuckers...

RIP Vino 2003-2008 (better days? you here yet?)

We had to put our cat Vino down today. He was just not doing well at all, he can't poo, he was peeing orange urine, poor little bastard. I am going to miss the little shit, he was the tenor in my meow concert at feeding time, and my little beer drinkin' buddy (Only cat I have ever known to lick the top of a beer). anyhoo, I am going to pour one on the curb for him tonight.






I hope they have good litter boxes and tasty treats in kitteh heaven. peace homie.

--A

better days ahead

My Grandpa passed away Wednesday night. I feel torn up inside when I start thinking about it, but I cannot show it, that's just me. I know I will probably loose it tomorrow at the viewing or when I see my Grandma, but what can you do. it's called being human, something I am typically not very good at. I do have some very good memories of g-dad, mostly of fishing, hunting, and him calling me Andy-Bear. heh. As a little kid, it's cool to be called anything bear. sounds, manly. I will admit the last 5 or so years have been tough to get close to him, we are truly two worlds apart. he is a staunch straight-ticket republican voting Mormon. I am scotch drinking, beer swilling, liberal democrat. we didn't really see eye-to-eye. I guess that's how it goes when you are really 2-3 generations apart, he has a much wider focal length than I do. ah, crap, I hope I don't catch the right-wing bug when I get older. is that genetic?

I really hope his last weeks here on this mortal coil weren't too bad. I know he was hooked up to the morphine machine and probably didn't feel anything. just kind of crappy to have to be in pain for your last days.

Godspeed Mr. Barrett, I wish I would have visited you one last time. See you on the other side. I am going to miss you greatly.



--A

Mt. Olympus

OMG, I am freakin' worn out. woke up this morning at 6:00am to go hike Mt. Olympus. I got to the trail head at 6:50 and it was already busy (WTF!?!?!) there were at least 10 people getting ready to roll when I pulled up. GAH, I hate crowds. I pushed past the last slow-pokes about 1/4 mile in, that first section certainly weeds out the people that probably shouldn't be hiking (but for some reason, I still see people I don't expect to make it 30 ft, making it to the top.). After I got past the general riff-raf, I got into my hiking zone and started to chew up the altitude. For those unaware the trail to the top of Olympus is 3+ miles long (depends on the crow and the time of day) and climbs a little over 4000 vertical feet (that's a lot! kind of like climbing stairs for a few hours). Finally breaking out of the bottom scrub oak area, I found myself about 1/2 way, by tolcat stream, it's nice to see that is has some decent water coming down. I have founds some hikers that are keeping a good pace for me, if I see them disappear then I know I am moving so, or if i catch them up, I know I am probably pushing too hard. that was nice as it gave me objectives and kept the time going by.

Once I hit the final ridge before the summit wall I left everyone around me in the dust, I wanted to bag that bitch, and i wanted it badly. So, I put 'er into 3rd gear and started the scramble to the summit, unfortunately I got stuck behind some freakin' Zoobie troop from provo taking their sweet ass time going up. Hey, Zoob, this ain't timp! move the fuck out of the way when parties are going faster than you! FFS! Once I smoked past them in a fit of all out climbing there was nothing stopping me... well, except my lack of routing finding. hah, I ended up damn near circling the summit before I found a small ramp to some boulders just shy of the top. after some fancy fanangaling I found myself on top of the mountain!! I was victorious!!! and so were about 20 other people. :( Nothing beats getting to the top of a challenging mountain to see 3-4 small kids and a herd of middle age men from the ward house. kinda takes the sweet victory away.

But anyways, I managed to beat the shite out of the mountain, stomping to the top in personal best of 2 hours 10 minutes. I was out and back by 11:20am. well before the days heat kicked in. I feel pretty damn tired right now, I also had to go help Felecia at the World Refugee day, which zapped the rest of energy away.

below are some pictures from mah hike.

Reggae Motion!

hehe. I got a kick out of this song.

http://www.mediafire.com/?2ev0mbwzzgv

I lay wood

Today Felecia, Parents and I laid down a new hardwood floor in our living room/entry way/dining room. total of about 460 sq ft. The Dad's were a huge help, I don't think I would be even close if I didn't have their help. at this point, I have some custom cuts to finish, but I will be finishing that tomorrow. I am glad that we did it. the floors look fookin great (those o's are long vowels).




Now, I just have to swifter dust and pick up mah tools. I love home improvements.

out to go consume beverages of an adult hue.

Freakin' Slacker

hehe. I am such a slacking B-logger. I have had too much going on as of late, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. Work is ramping up with a new project looming in the near distance, We are fixing up the house to sell in the next few months, and I am trying to fit in hiking/camping/running etc... into the mix. Rar! livin' life to the fullest.

Yeah, anyways, we went down around Goblin Valley a few weeks ago. that was pretty chill. went on a hike, ate campy hotdogs, and got mad at how windy it was. oh well, it was totally worth it to get away.

as you can see, I got in some sweet climbing. I was like 500' up this super hard route, free climbing of course.



well, maybe not 500' feet... but there was some serious exposure... well.. uhm.. hmm..

the only bummer is I got popped down 85 in a 65 on I-6. that REALLY put a damper on my mood that weekend, mostly because I then had to do 65 the rest of the way AND all of the fuckers I passed got a good laugh as they passed and saw me pulled over. fuckers.

Extreme Fire Danger!!!

I shot this photo back in December up City Creek. I didn't know snow was so flammable.

walker Andy ranger.

I went out for a hike this morning. It was good to get out and stretch my legs as this is the first time since February that I have been out. I made it just about 2 1/4 miles up the canyon past the gate about half way to the top of the ridge and the antennas. I want to make it to the top, I just haven't had the ~3 hours in which to do it. maybe if i had rolled out of bed sooner :). I ended up with some unwelcome blisters on my feet which is very irritating. I definitely need to get some insoles for my boots. I swear no one makes a boot for narrow feet, the boots I have now seem to cradle my feet, but it just seems that it is not enough and I usually end up with some classy blisters on my heel. oh well, just have to get some nice calluses built up.
Well, enough of my dribble, I am off to bed.

Oh, on a side note, if anyone who reads this is looking for hiking partners this season hit me or Felecia up. We want to do a schload of outdoor activities this year, so hit us up.

Death

lots of death around the office lately, co-worker lost his dad, and another's wife had a miscarriage. I don't like hearing that kind of news, it just hits home how you can just snuff out at any moment. it's going to be a rough week.

Scooter ride 5¢

Fired up the old scooter today for the first time this year. Lots of wonderful blue smoke came pouring out of the exhaust after I got her going after a few kicks. Getting the scooter down my ice ramp of a driveway was a bit of trick, but i didn't lay it down so that counts for something. It was a short ride down past Liberty park and down 5th east for a bit, but man, it was sooooo needed. This winter has been a bit on the harsh side, and having temps above 40 is a nice break from the ice queens grip.

Felecia and I are headed down to Vegas next weekend for the rally, and I cannot wait. I only have 4 days to work next week and it is going to be a real bugger to get through.

when I post again after the rally, hopefully I will get some choice pictures.

Cheers for now.
--AB

There is no God, Only Chelada.

Yes, I am a consumer whore. If I see some New, shiny, something-er-other I just have to get it/try it. Although, I think after this experience I will be a bit more picky.

God made Beer, or more precise God gave man (and woman) the ability to make beer and it was good. God also told man how to grow tomatoes and how to harvest clams. I have it on good authority that God never EVER told ANYONE to put all three together. So, I can only assume that the devil had his hand in the futuristic beverage named so lovingly "Chelada" or Budweiser and Clamato.

So without further ado, let's get down to sampling this fine beverage.

step one: admiration.
Look at that fine advertising on that can. woo mama.





hmm... gonna drink that whole thing...


Here comes the pour!!!





Oh yeah... let's see if it passes the sniff test... seems ok...





...uhhhhhhhhh......



OH DEAR LORD!! NO!!!! WHY?!?!??!?! <*YACK*> >HEAVE<







HOLY SHIT that is nasty!! Please.. Please. PLEASE DO NOT EVER DRINK THIS!!! I have suffered enough for everyone.

Ok, that is enough for now. I am going to go rinse my mouth out with Killians.

Cheers to GOOD beers.

-_Andy
certified Beer expert

2008 aspirations

I refuse to set resolutions, so I am working toward aspirations in 2008. (aspirations won't leave you feeling empty and sad when you fail to accomplish them)

#1 top of the pile is to continue exercise regiment, I kept everything in check over the holidays and managed to drop a pound! I am also going to bring my drinking level even further down. for most of the past 3 months I have only drank on the weekends, which is good, but I want to further refine that down to only drinking maybe once a week and only moderately. I am getting way too old for hangovers.

#2 Complete home improvements. We kicked it up a notch and have almost finished our crown molding project, I just have to punch the nail head past level and DAP the holes. I suspect come summer our hacienda will be fit for sale.

#3 I want to log about 30+ miles of actual hiking/biking/snow-shoeing/x-country skiing every month in 2008. that will get me close to 360 miles in the year. I have some catch up to do...

#4 Career oriented aspirations will be set once I figure out what is going to happen w/ certifications and SQL server 2008. 2005 ushered in a new set of exams more geared toward different areas of the DB world. so, I am really curious what is going to be next. I am also gearing up to finally learn me some ASP.net and C#. I have the basics down, but I need the guts and glory to be more proficient. I am going to work up a bunch of admin pages at work that should give me a lot of practice, course, these will have to come second to my real work load which currently is growing steadily and shows no signs of slowing. fun.

well, that should keep me busy for another 365.