gigamatic

while sometimes i might hate the idea of a gay wedding, i do feel it is the right for two people who love each other to enter into a legally binding agreement with each other to profess their love. whatever. people should be able to do whatever silly thing they want, in that sense.

so, in the spirit of friendship, i have agreed to be a part of my friend ray's wedding. not sure what part, or how this whole thing is gonna go, since it's a gay wedding in Vermont, but he's one of my oldest college friends, and he's the happiest I've ever seen him. And Bill, his partner, treats him right. So, who am I to say no.

this wedding has the added bonus of taking place in new england, meaning i can schedule vacation time around it and get to see some family and friends while I'm up there... since they'd all be within driving distance. kick ass, say I. double whammy! get to celebrate with the friend from Ohio, and go see friends and fam as part of the deal.

now i just need to somehow get my car to barnesville this weekend and find a ride back here so i dont waste the time away... kristy is broke, so Ikea with her is out. link's going tomorrow.

nala thinks i should stay there for a while. 48 hours with the family will drive me nuts. really. there is nothing for me to do there. sorry, watching 3 channels of tv and reading local news is bo-ring. or getting lectured on money. that's always fun too. ugh. one day, sure. two days... UGH. no. not when there is so much to be done here.

Posted by gigamatt at 9:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I finally hit the 5 week mark on my vacation time. Wow. That's one good thing from today... and once I deposit my paycheck, I can pay my life insurance and my car payment. Unfortunately, the insurance has to be a check or I would've paid via phone.

And tonight, pizza for dinner. Yes, high in nasty fats. We'll see how Mr. Sludge feels afterward. Right now it sounds oh so good.

Posted by gigamatt at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

something is most definitely bugging me. in fact, a lot of things are. A LOT of things. most of which have to do with money. and other things I cannot control.

$1050 $650 to fix my car. What a deal!

So, it's scheduled in for service Monday. Hopefully my dad can help me work things out with arranging a drop off and pick up... maybe a quick swing thru Cowtown to get it, and then back to drop it off next week?

So, I'm not quite bankrupt. Yet.

Posted by gigamatt at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, I scheduled my car in for service at Monro this morning. While telling the guy at the counter what was wrong, he stopped me. "Wait a minute. You say the 'Trac off' and 'check engine' lights are on? You'd better go somewhere where they have a diagnostic tool. We can't tell you what's wrong with it."

According to my book, those two lights in combination mean there's something wrong with the exhaust system.

"Why did your rep tell me to bring it in, if now you're saying you can't work on it?"

Argh.

So now I called the dealership, who screwed up the exhaust system on my last vehicle before I brought unholy hell against them and got them to pay to fix it. My car is sitting waiting to be "diagnosed".

$70+tax just to hook it to the damn computer to tell me what's wrong.

And then, the phone call to tell me how much it will be to fix it.

Posted by gigamatt at 7:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

so, the new plugs and wires didnt fix my car completely, and so, we didnt get to the nursery or Meijer to get groceries.

and here i sit, pondering our backyard, my vacation, work i need to do, and my car, listening to some bad cds i bought at goodwill for pennies, so i could try to mix that last Toxic mix I talked about a couple weeks ago, and it's bringing back memories of 1995. *shudder*

Posted by gigamatt at 7:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, the other evening, I stopped by Goodwill, and managed to pick up quite a few things... including this lamp for the corner of my (eventual) home office. I had wanted one for a long time, and they had one for $11. And, I found another one of these for $4. And a small red wall clock for $1. Now, some weekend, I plan on venturing to the wonderland of Ikea to get a pair of "Vika Artur trestle with shelf" table legs for my desk, and maybe... the Jutta Ruta set of curtains. Haven't decided yet.

And I got one of these poker sets for $14 for the "poker night" we wanted to start.

And some fodder for the yard sale, after realizing post-purchase that some of the things were broken. Poop.

Posted by gigamatt at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So, aside from fixing my car, Saturday looks to be a fine day to work outside and clean up the dead crap from last fall's lawn and garden and proceed directly to the mulching...

Yes, I know, there's a billion other things to do, but the last thing we need is another yard and garden full of weeds. If we can clean it up and make it presentable, I'll be happy enough with that. We don't have to start the vegetable garden.. in fact if we could just keep that area weed free for a year, that would be awesome. The same with the sides of the yard... mulch in bulk sounds like the way to go. Once I get my car working, we could go pick up a couple dozen bags of mulch.

It's even supposed to be nice enough to have a cookout. What do you think of that, broccoli?

Posted by gigamatt at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

You know what the real tragedy of this day is? I'm not even supposed to be here today!

New spark plugs and new spark plug wires. Of course, it's raining today and tomorrow, so I probably won't be able to fix it till Saturday.

So, no Athens for me. I was looking forward to the time away. Instead, here I sit at my desk, finishing odds and ends of web development before this afternoon's network meeting, which I may not go to, depending on whether my coworker can run me home afterward. Oh wait, I could catch the bus from there... Hm. I'll have to decide that after lunch.

Posted by gigamatt at 8:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

so, my car weirdness.

i got fed up and took it in. this time the misfiring didnt go away. turns out one of my plug wires was broken. in half. and close enough to the distributor to make the terminal corrode. in addition to this, the oil-change guys spilled oil on the engine, and it's pooled next to a spark plug. the one which probably is now the remaining problem.

so, i'm not Athens bound tomorrow. I'm missing a training opportunity at a conference there.

it's all par for the fucking week.

Posted by gigamatt at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well... let's see.

Today, I have to mail some things out, cash a check, pay my car payment and my life insurance, build some shelves, redesign a website, watch 2 episodes of Buffy, finish some pillows, buy some groceries.

So, in essence, nothing new.

On a side note, we're eating healthier, for certain. I need to pick up some more salad fixins at the store tonight.

Posted by gigamatt at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

saké, saké, sakÉ
saké, saké, sakÉ

Last year, it was a toaster.

My notes for 2002 say there were lots of little gifts.

2001 was toast.

Let's see what tonight brings, aside from saké.

Posted by gigamatt at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

it's one of those up and down weeks.

today i got my new replacement Sidekick, which didnt completely solve my network problem. i also ordered a new Sprint phone... I should know tomorrow which one they're sending. I didnt have a choice. That's how the replacement policy works.

I also found out I WAS RIGHT about a clients internal network issues, thus proving the jerk from last weeks meeting WRONG! WOOHOO! I'm waiting to find out if I was right about the other things.

And, I got an A- (3.7) in Anthro. Which doesn't quite kick ass, but means I must've done ok on the final to bring it up from a solid B.

I've got some other things I want to talk about, but I'll wait till the weekend, at least.

Posted by gigamatt at 2:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey, Juice (and other old Basso friends), I realized two weeks ago that Catherine, bartender at Rigsby's or Snapper's or somewhere, (used to have short short hair, kinda cute in a slash-your-throat kinda way, had broken her foot at one point), is in my Anthro class. And of course, she's sitting a row in front of me, as I'm typing this, 15 minutes before the final.

That's right. For the first time this quarter, I'm using my wireless access. $2.01 per month, and I'm just now using it to tell you this tidbit of trivial info.

Also, I left my books at home, so no studying right now. I pray that I can remember the Hardy-Weinberg equation. Oh, wait, it's the quadratic. Nevermind. Thank goodness this test is multiple guess. I remember lots of little things, but sometimes I need a reminder.

Posted by gigamatt at 7:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

if i seem a little (stressed)
well, that's because i am...

Yeah. It's that wonderful time of year again, and this year, I have an added pain in my side from the new marketing guy who seems to also think he's the web manager.

You know, griping anonymously about work is usually a good thing. But lately, I'm not so anonymous. And lately, I'm griping fairly loudly at work.

So dont listen to me. It's just the stress. I mean, I'm showing progress, getting work done, surprising everyone with my newfound efficiency (it's called getting your shit organized, and I'm TRYING.) Oh, and being able to concentrate my studying solely on work helps too.

That's not to say that a small amount of stress doesnt help things along. The bad thing is, it's both my happiest time at work and my worst. In this job, at least. I feel like everything is on a roll, but it's one hell of a bumpy ride, and I'm not sure if the whole wagon is gonna break.

And with that, I'm off to bed. Here's hoping the weatherman is wrong.

Oh, one more thing I remembered, before closing down... My navigation is going to be overhauled as soon as I finish the new work project.

Now... to bed. Minus earplugs. Must get up on time and get to my final... I barely make it to work by 7:30 anymore, and they expect me to make it to class??? Ugh.

Posted by gigamatt at 9:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Snow sucks ass.

At least between the snow and the moving, I shouldnt have to go to the gym for a few days.

My nose isnt bruised, but it is sore today... I was joking with the guys that it would've been painfully funny had my nose been broken at work by a stack of cds that I shouldn't have been moving in the first place.

Posted by gigamatt at 8:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

ugh. spent all day moving stuff from one end of the building to the other. not even my stuff. arms hurt, neck hurts... a 3-foot stack of cds came crashing down on my head, starting with my big nose.

yargh. my big nose. it's been broken over half a dozen times.

thankfully it didnt break again today.

Posted by gigamatt at 5:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Interesting opinion... Brokaw as VP choice? (from WSJ).

Um. I think he would be easy to dismiss as a viable winning candidate based on the fact he doesnt have any sort of political history. But interesting nonetheless.

And, surfing the web I found out another old coworker from the radio station is gay. What the hell? I thought he was just crazy and eccentric. And, thru him, I found my psycho-stalker's ex-roommate, who then was a lesbian but is now identifying as bi, and married, and in grad school. Who knew. Good to some kinderqueers have moved on.

Posted by gigamatt at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, you all probably know I'm a fan of custom pc's, and I frequent mini-itx.com as one of my favorite custom sites, but they just posted this collection of teeny pc's, of which I find the P50x Spider most interesting.

With an 800MHz Power PC, up to 256MB of RAM, and 1G of SD storage, a Linux install could run this digital mini-powerhouse (even from the 64MB Disk on Chip...). Don't forget the size... measuring around 3"x3"x2", even with the optional attachments.

Posted by gigamatt at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Not only is Martha going to jail and losing her company, but her syndicated Martha Stewart Living show is being pulled from Viacom and UPN affiliates.

Rumors are that outlets for Martha Stewart Everyday products will be rebranding them to "Everyday Living".

In other news, Spalding Grey's body has been found, two months after an apparent suicide, in the East River.

Posted by gigamatt at 7:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am human and I need to be loved
just like everybody else does

Smiths are now stuck in my head again. Woohoo!

(Of course, AFTER I remixed Kylie and BSB AND Dead or Alive with Boobney. I'm such a friggin loser... Jgo would be proud.)

You are sleeping
You do not want to believe

God, this is a strange day. My head is floating (goddamn sinus meds), and I'm on the edge of nausea... I have reports to finish, and estimates to give.

I wonder to myself
Could life ever be sane again?

Posted by gigamatt at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm addicted to you
Don't you know that you're toxic?

This pop-musical addiction of mine is really friggin annoying sometimes. I HATE Britney (just like I hate WalMart), but is she such a necessary evil in my life?

Posted by gigamatt at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

so... i've been thinking.

the more i kick around the idea of "collecting" transformers gobots for baby acadia, the more i see opportunity for spoiling her.

i mean, saving them up for when she turns 3, complete with toy chest would be an awesome gift. can you imagine being a kid and getting a whole set of toys for your birthday???

my favorite (and now not-so-favorite) aunt once got me a whole noah's ark complete with animals. she also got me a huge farm set, also with animals. for several of my young years, not even really knowing her, i got huge gifts from her. i used to get a present every year from her, and they were some of my all-time favorites.

so... i guess what i'm wondering is... can I become the uncle who gave her the cool toys?

on another note, my boss didnt get to take his vacation day today. sad. i'm feeling a new cold in my sinuses. fun. and finishing up eom reports. depressing.

my sidekick just had full bars and data signal. and then lost it again. i wish i had better understanding of the things which could be affecting it. hopefully the new unit will fix the issues.

our new carpet is finally in at work.

and i need to run to garden ridge and lowes this weekend... and i want to go toy shopping for the baby.

i also want to sleep. SLEEP.

this has been your disjointed post of the week.

Posted by gigamatt at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So... my new sidekick hasnt had data access in 2 days. I called tmobile, and they're sending a replacement, but it may be 2-3 weeks in getting here, due to backorders.

This on top of my old cell phone, which i still need to turn in for replacement ($35), but still works everywhere but the black hole which is my home.

Yargh.

Posted by gigamatt at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

McD's dumping the SuperSize.

So, my question is, are they bringing back the small? Because now you can only get medium and large, if supersize is gone.

Posted by gigamatt at 2:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So, I walked in today to no carpet being done. Fun. So we're dealing with working around renovations for another day.

In other news, my car stalled twice and the "check engine" light came on. This sucks. Must check the oil and then get it to a service place IMMEDIATELY.

Posted by gigamatt at 9:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

so, I have voicemail from my friend Ben (who got married two days after Christmas):

"The honeymoon worked! Stephanie is 11 weeks pregnant!"

Everyone around me is having babies. Maybe I'll be a godfather.

Posted by gigamatt at 7:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Konan University in Kobe accepts only 15-20 foreign students per year.

This year, my old roommate, Mark, was one of them, and if he can raise the extra $12k tuition, he will be participating in one year of "study abroad."

Congratulations, Mark! I can't express how proud I am of your scholarly turn-around.

Posted by gigamatt at 8:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So... I'm REALLY sick of these carpet guys. If I tried to tell you what was going on, it wouldnt make sense. It's just stupid.

Posted by gigamatt at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, I am expected to move my desk and everything else out of my office by 2pm today, despite the fact the room we were supposed to temporarily move into is now being recarpeted and won't be usable till tomorrow...

The good news is, all my computers will be disconnected and I'll be unable to check my email or do any work for the rest of the day.

Posted by gigamatt at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)