There is something magical about a big blast of sunshine in the middle of November, at least in this part of the country. I think it’s Mother Nature’s way of saying, “Yes, I’m still here, now brace yourself bippee, because you’re in for a ride.” She then showers up with lots of snow. Lots and lots of snow.
Whatever the reason, I’m enjoying the interlude of sunshine today. I’m drinking it in and sharing it with as many folks as I can.
Life isn’t meant to be gloomy.
When Earl is out of town on business I tend to bring the PowerBook to bed with me. I wonder how he’ll feel about the extra company in bed when he gets back.
With less than a month in this less than stellar semester at school, the professors are discovering that the syllabus wasn’t some sort of weird nightmare and that we all have to get cracking if we are going to be ready for the next Big Test. Professor Frightful and his cast of characters that live in the chalk board (and only speak to him) decided that our next exam will be extra long to catch up with the syllabus, but as a bonus we’ll get to take it home so that we can share the merriment with the family. This may save me. Please disregard the bags under my eyes when that day comes.
In Surveying class we are running speed trials on how fast we can set up equipment that is so obsolete it has a built in abacus. Earl is constantly reminding me that I must learn the basics so that I can appreciate the technology that is available to a budding engineer such as myself, and when my classmates share my complaints I remind them that Rome was built without a computer and I suppose we could do the same just so we can appreciate the good old days. Besides, I hear Caesar was hot.
For the past two hours I’ve been struggling with inverse coordinates in coordinate geometry. The method we are using is for checks and balances purposes. I have numbers that are positive. I have numbers that are negative. I have numbers that dance on a calculator and I have numbers that dance in my nightmares. I know they’re matching with something out there and I’m confident I’ve drawn my required maps properly, I just can’t prove it. To keep the mood giddy, we have a quiz on all this tomorrow.
Maybe I’ll go raid the stash of cookies in the cupboard. Just don’t ask me to find the diameter of a Lorna Doone.
I’m often commenting on how I feel that the abuse of current technology is sort of ruining our society. Well maybe “ruining” is too strong a word, perhaps “changing it considerably” is more applicable. People are engaging in less face to face interaction and are relying more and more on the latest technological advances through instant messaging, social networking websites and the likes of all that.
While I often harp on the negative aspects of the introduction of this medium to everyday life (ignorant drivers on cell phones, etc), there are a great deal of positive spins on this as well. For example, I have been a “roadgeek” all my life. Roads, transportation and to an extent, networks of just about anything, fascinate me to no end and it’s because of this fascination that I returned to school earlier in the year for a civil engineering degree. Growing up I thought I was the only one in the world that took photos of road signs and begged my parents to drive through construction zones. With the internet explosion, I discovered that I wasn’t alone in this passion and I regularly chat with others with similar interests and I maintain my roadgeek website documenting our little corner of the world. Technology has given me the opportunity to network and share with others interested in the same subjects as I.
The same holds true for the gay, and to a bigger extent, gay bear community. It was through the olden days of the BBS (bulletin-board service) that I first met like minded individuals online back in 1986 (let’s hear it for the Commodore 64!) at 300 baud and today Earl and I enjoy the company of many people we have met recently that have similar interests as we do. I mean, think about it, as I sit here at my computer, I am able to chat with my friend Steve in Buffalo and carry on as if we were sitting across the supper table from one another. We can see each other if we want to, or we can just type little quips back and forth. Back in the day we’d have to let our fingers do the walking and wait until the rates dropped after 5.
This weekend was another example of bringing people together through technology, as Earl and I met up with Greg and Bob in Connecticut. Greg and I have chatted for a couple of years online and we have met up for lunch and whatnot on several occasions. Last night was the first night that all four of us met up as a group and quite frankly we had an outstanding time. Earl and I would have never met Greg and Bob if it weren’t for the technology available to us.
So I have to remember that when I complain about the occasional gross abuse of technology around me, there’s also a great benefit for many others.
Now if we could just do something about the La Cucaracha ring tones.
Earl and I have installed ourselves in Danbury, Conn. for the evening. We’re going to hit the town with some friends tonight. After we get some chow.
Ciao.
With less than five weeks left in this semester and the bulk of my required projects done I am eagerly looking forward to my next semester which starts at the end of January. The college began class registration this week and I was online nice and early to make sure I had the prime seats I had my eye on.
I’ve mentioned before that my experience with my math professor has been interesting in that he has a unique teaching style that could be summed up in one word: “null”. Last I knew my grade in this class was decent (he hasn’t returned homework, quizzes or tests in two or three weeks) but I’m confident that I’ll at least get through the course and not have to repeat it. So I went ahead and scheduled myself in the next required math course in the sequence, which is also my (thank the universe) last required math course.
There’s one class available with 30 seats. And guess who the professor is! Naturally it’s Professor Frightful and his cast of voices that live in the chalkboard. I can’t even escape to the sanctuary called distance learning over the internet.
Many of my classmates are skipping the next math class next semester but I really can’t do that if I want to graduate on time so I’m going to have to suck it up and do my best.
I’m still looking forward to the next slate of classes. My schedule is a little more balanced next semester and I believe I’ll have ample time to devote the time necessary to my coursework.
One of my favorite workout songs and one of the first tracks I played as a baby DJ, here’s “Right Back Where We Started From” by Sinitta, from 1989.
Earl is out of town on business this evening, though just moments ago he surprised me by saying he was taking a late flight tonight instead of coming home tomorrow afternoon as originally scheduled. Naturally I’m delighted by this news. Unfortunately he isn’t arriving home early enough to join me for supper. I wasn’t really in the mood for popcorn and beer though I did briefly consider the temptation. In the mood for an internet cafe experience I ended up heading to our local Panera, where I have been irked on several occasions earlier this week.
I guess I’m a glutton for punishment.
The restaurant is packed to the gills with people this evening. There’s a wide selection of screaming kids, big haired women and hyper macho men that think talking as if they’re from Brooklyn makes them exceedingly sexy. What do I know, perhaps the big haired women like these guys. They’re not my cup of tea though.
The cutie bear that was working on his PowerBook this past Monday night in the corner is still there tonight, even though it appears that he changed his clothes. I am seriously considering taking a picture of him with the iPhone though I fear that may prove to cross some line that I’m vaguely aware of.
I did notice that the “courtesy” cups I mentioned from my last visit here at no longer available. So much for giving the customers a free cup of water. I guess the old adage of “You abuse it, you lose it” holds true in this case.
I have to admit that I love eavesdropping on the conversations around me. I guess that’s why I don’t have bionic hearing, I’d probably abuse the privilege. Since I have plain ol’ human hearing (that’s holding up quite well) I’m forced to limit my eavesdropping to the tables around me but the chats I’m hearing are quite interesting. I’m intrigued by the liberal use of the f-bomb at a table seemingly populated by a family. Now I use the word quite a bit in everyday conversation but these are going quite crazy with it. This is interesting to me because the family looks like the type that was offended by Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction that seriously fucked up broadcast television and radio.
The other thing I’m noticing with these conversations around me is the accent. Aside from the Brooklyn wannabes, there’s the overpowering flat “a” sound that’s quite common in this area (merry, mary and marry all sound the same here). I guess that’s to be expected, since I’m the native land of that sound, but there’s also quite a bit of what I call “fake Italian” going on, where they drop the trailing vowel off of every word that ends in a vowel. “Cannoli” becomes “canole”, “ricotta” becomes ricott, marinara becomes “mon-non” (both syllables rhyme with “on”) which I don’t find in Upstate New York outside of our immediate area. I’ve never been to Italy so maybe what I perceive to be “fake Italian” could be the real mccoy but I’ve never heard anyone portraying an Italian character on television speak this way.
I guess this Panera experience has moved up a notch from frustrated/irritated to perplexed. The feeling isn’t unpleasant.
It’s officially snowing here in the Mohawk Valley. Nothing is sticking to the ground yet, but there’s flakes in the air. The higher hills have snow on them.
I’m officially iMachias all over, the last transition being made last night when Microsoft came out with the @live.com e-mail addresses. I don’t use the service, but I do use Live Messenger once in a while (to keep in touch with my family who also use it), and I didn’t want another @hotmail.com address on there. So imachias@live.com it is for Windows Messenger.
We officially did not make Rosie and Friends in NYC last night due to a last minute scheduling conflict. Earl is out of town for rest of the week and it would have made it quite difficult on both of us to try to squeeze in a quick trip to New York. The money for the tickets went to a good cause, so there’s no harm done.
I’m officially catching up on my homework and quite pleased with myself.
Earl and I like to go out to supper after we do the voting thing. It’s become a tradition of sorts and we keep the dinner low key.
Tonight we went to the local Panera.
I’ve mentioned before that I find our Panera to be a little frustrating. Actually, I find the customers of the local Panera to be frustrating. True to form, the queue was 15-20 people deep and few knew what they were going to order before standing in front of the register with their mouth agape. Tonight’s featured question was “What’s gorgonzola cheese?”
Panera has been kind enough to put out “courtesy cups”, these little plastic cups for patrons to use for little sips of water. They’re smaller than those Dixie cups that used to be dispensed in the kitchen (and there’s no jokes along the side to read.) Many feel that these cups are for iced tea and pop, even if it involves 8, 9 or ten trips to the soda fountain to refill them due to the size of the cup.
I found this infuriating.
I also noticed that several people just left their garbage on the table instead of taking it to the trash bins as most of the other customers do. While we were waiting in line to order I glared at a woman who left her garbage spread out all over the table. She looked at me defiantly. I continued to glare and she softened her return stare. She didn’t do anything about the garbage but I made her feel sufficiently guilty. When another party left their garbage I proclaimed loudly, “Why don’t they just rip down the Panera sign and serve nothing but Happy Meals since everyone is intent on making this place a DUMP.” That garnered a few startled glances that made me feel quite proud of myself.
All in all the meal was enjoyable, the company was extraordinary (Earl is always a good date) but the clientele was frustrating. Earl says I can’t change the world but I’m going to keep on trying.
Just a guy with a husband. We’ve been together 28 years and he still makes me see fireworks on a daily basis. Hiker. Storm Chaser. Private Pilot. Tech Guy. Hackerish.
Weird? Eccentric!
