My ramblings...

cancrine (KANG-krin) adjective

1. Reading the same backwards as forwards, palindromic. For example,
  "A man, a plan, a canal: Panama." (letter cancrine)
  "So patient a doctor to doctor a patient so!" (word cancrine)

2. Crab-like.

[From Latin cancr- (stem of cancer) cancer + -ine.]

J.S. Bach's Crab Canon is an example of cancrine music:
http://www.derek-hasted.co.uk/takeaway/free-guitar-music-gifs/crab.html

I got there shortly after 10 and ended up closing the bar down. I had a great time.. lots of people though. I didn't drink much, as a matter of fact it has been way too long since I was totally drunk.. maybe this next weekend.

School:
My software engineering class is picking up. We have the first iteration of the program due in about 3 weeks. Getting the group to communicate with each other seems to be slightly difficult. I did sign us up for this online project management site. We get our own webpage and have a discussion section and everything. I think it is kinda' cool, I just don't know if we will actually use it.

6 Degrees of Francis Bacon:
So, I worked all day Friday and Saturday. Unfortunately the internet was down all day Saturday. That gave me nothing to do, I couldn't even work on homework that I had planned on doing that day. So, I ended up spending the day watching TV between calls. I am a fan of the
History and Discovery channels and can watch them most all the time. Most of the day was fairly typical Modern Marvels and Mail Call. But there was one show 6 Degrees of Francis Bacon. A little history of Sir Bacon, he is thought of as the father of modern science. He
introduced and was the first to practice and propose science using empirical and inductive principles. So, long ago he was a big wig in the science community credited with our current thought process. Anyway this show uses his principles and theories that all items have
a direct cause and effect. This episode showed how the repair of the Hubble Space Telescope was related to the woolly mammoth. In case you didn't know when the Hubble was launched in 1991 it was screwed up. They was an error in the main mirror of Hubble making all of the
images blurry. This show showed in "6 logical steps" how these two items were related. This might get a little long but I thought I would share.

We start with the wooly mammoth (#1) and the ice age. We all know about the ice age and how the cavemen (and women) were initially gathers and as the ice age developed gathering was not an option so they started hunting. The glory prize of the hunt was the wooly mammoth. This hunting change led to the development of new weapons specially the harpoon. The harpoon (#2) was used by the whaling industry. The whaling industry was interested in harvesting whale oil (#3) used in those days as a fuel source for lights. As the whale population decreased and the harvesting of whales declined and became illegal the need for lights arose. This drove Thomas Edison to the lab and ultimately developed the light bulb (#4). Now, light bulbs have filaments sealed in a vacuum (the absence of air). Edison noticed something (the electron, although he didn't know that since the electron had not been discovered) was collecting on the inside of his light bulb and decreasing the light produced. He found that if he put a small metal plate in the bulb and charged it that the stuff collected on the plate rather that the glass, there by clearing up the glass. What Edison created was the vacuum tube (#5). Vacuum tubes were used extensively until transistors were developed. I actually missed part of this last transition but the vacuum tube led to the understanding and ultimately the development of the space suit (#6). My idea is that the vacuum tube was used as the computing power used by NASA in the early years to develop the suit. With the suit, astronauts were able to exit the shuttle and work on the telescope. Once this occurred they could repair the Hubble.

I thought the show was interesting. It took way to long for them to develop the connections but found it interesting how someone could make the connections. I think it was a stretch and you could probably do it with about anything if you tried hard enough. What killed me was the phrase "6 logical steps" because I didn't think they were that logical. Anyways, I am tired of typing and should probably be paying attention to the teacher anyways.

I do have some Medieval fair pictures to post that I will try and get up this week.

- Larry

anachronism (uh-NAK-ruh-niz-uhm) noun

1. The error of placing a person, object, custom, or event in the wrong
historical period.

2. A person, thing, or practice that does not belong in a time period.

[From French anachronisme, from Latin anachronismus, from Greek anakhronismos,
from ana-, (backwards) + khronos (time).]

I know I missed my update window on Tuesday. I got out of class really early and decided to leave campus. So, while I would have normally been sitting in the lab with nothing to do except update my blog I was driving my roomate around to get some blood work done. She apperently let something sneak up and bite her, and I though James had all of his shots. Anyways, I guess she will find out soon what the hell is wrong with her and perhaps they will fix her. Well below is my post that I should have wrote yesterday.

Stupid people..
We all know and love them right!!!
My story begins like this, it was a bright and sunny morning. The crusties were thick in my eyes since I only had about four hours of sleep. The alarm sounds and I spring from my bed. The day before I had placed a call to the local Dodge dealership where I purchased my truck very recently. I was to have a trailer kit installed as part of my purchase and it had yet to be scheduled. I spoke with the sales manager who called parts and the service departments to make sure that everything would run smoothly when I brought my truck in. I made my way out the door that morning expecting to only be at the dealership for a couple of hours I mean how long could it possibly take. I arrived at about 0845, a full fifteen minutes before my "appointment". I walked in handed the guy (Brian) my keys and told him that I was there to get a trailer hitch installed. Now perhaps this was my fault I will get back to this in a few minutes. I also had a complaint about the way it was detailed... IT WASN'T. So all of this was to be done on my truck. I walk into the waiting room and settle in for my 2-3 hour stay. A little after 11 they come tell me that my truck is done and tell me how much it is going to cost. I look at Brian and tell him I have already paid for it. He gives me a puzzled look and says "you have?". I tell him the story and that it was part of the purchase. He then looks back at me with the same puzzled look and tells me "I don't know anything about that". I tell him that we should go find David (sales manager I talked to). He agrees and off we go. David tells the kid what to do.. Brian looks at me and says that he will go take care of the paperwork and come get me in just a minute. I sit back down after standing for a solid 15 minutes, expecting him to come get me. He finally reappears and hands me the keys, he walks out to the truck to see if the detail was done to my satisfaction. I open the door and promply tell him that it looks the same damn way it was when I gave him the keys this morning and pointed out the trouble spots. He takes the keys again and I retire to the comfort of the waiting room. Brian appears again this time after noon, tells me the truck is done again and I am relieved. I had several things on my agenda to do before I went to work at three. I got in and it looked much better. The probablly only cleaned the spots I pointed out.. but atleast they cleaned them and not me. I get in the truck crank it and am about to pull out when I think about the hitch. How could they screw that up I think to myself. The hitch looks great... but there is no freaking wiring harness to hook trailer lights to!!!! Oh I am livid at this point. I walk back into the office and throw my keys at the guy. He looks back at me with that same puzzled look I had become familiar with already. "What is wrong?" I explain the lack of wires that should be visible from the rear of my vehicle. At this point the service manager chimes in. "I thought it was strange to be getting a hitch and not a harness too." I glare and he tells Brian to get my truck back on the rack. Once again I retire to the lovely waiting room. Almost two hours latter that have finished my truck.. really finished this time. The manager brings me the keys and I ask "You guys are faster with oil changes right.. cause I bought the maintainance". He assures me that they are and he asked Brian if that was correct and to come check with me while the truck was still on the rack. I glare again and get in the truck and drive off. By now it is 2:15 I am going to be late for work, I haven't had lunch and I didn't get any of my errons done. It was not a good day!! I was in a really really crappy mood all day!

That was my rant.. now I have to get ready for my evening. It is ladies night... ladies beware!

- Larry

hesternal (he-STER-nuhl) adjective

 Of yesterday.

[From Latin hesternus (of yesterday).]

There's an equivalent term for "today": hodiernal.

Oh yes, the fast pace weeks I am almost forgot about have returned. I only wish I could hit the pause button every once in a while. I really have no idea what happened to the weekend. I did buy the truck but that was only one day and only about 1/2 of it. Now it is already Tuesday and Wednesday is close in sight. What sucks even more about that is that I have to work late and get up at the crack of dawn. I couldn't tell you the last time I sat at my computer and chatted with any of my online associates. I have over due emails to answer and a ton of stuff to do at work. I am still not sure what I am suppose to be doing in my two classes. I can't wait until the summer... I am not even considering taking classes!!!

I do love my truck though. I have a little buyers remorse but I think that is associated with the cost more than anything else. I am sure I will make ends meet but it will be tough. I also decided that it was time I spent some money on something I wanted and a truck is something I have wanted for some time now. Now I need to get a kayak rack then I can pick up and go whenever I want to.

I am about to release my trainee.. which means I have to figure out what my new work schedule will look like. I have a part-time job offer to help a guy with radio equipment instalations if I ever get back with him. That will help the money situation but absolutely eliminate all of my (what little I have) free time. So, I haven't decided if I want to do this considering the large group project that I have this semester in software engineering. Speaking of which.. starts in just a few minutes, damn it is so tempting not to go!!!


- Larry

So, I decided to go ahead and get a new vehicle. I went to the dealership yesterday and came home with this...





A 2005 Dodge Dakota QuadCab.
More latter....

- Larry

I am going to work on improving my vocabulary and I think you should join me. So, what I am going to try and do (don't hold me to this) is post a word as my title and then the definition/usage in the first part of my message.

rident (RYD-uhnt) adjective
Laughing; cheerful.
[From Latin ridere (to laugh) which is also the source of ridiculous, deride, and risible.]
"Mamma was gracious and happy. Hetty was radiant and rident." William Makepeace Thackeray; The Virginians; 1859.

Yeah school has started back. I am currently between classes and had nothing better to do. I have worked from campus burning up my cell phone minutes and digesting my lunch and yet I still have almost an hour before my next class starts. I got out early from my first class otherwise the wait would have only been about an hour. Anyways, so far I will be busting my ass learning the stuff I have forgotten from Calculus four years ago. Basically my Numerical Analysis class teaches us how to program some of the complex mathematical formulas such as derivatives and logarithmic. My other class Intro to Software Engineering should be a rehashed version of all my CISE classes so far. More to come on these as the semester rolls on.

I got very little accomplished this weekend. It was nice! I did go and talk to my insurance people. Almost $2000 in damages. Luckily I do not have a deductible! I cleaned my room, got everything ready for the semester ahead since when it starts I don't usually stop. Sunday was cool, went and got my textbooks, cooked dinner and ginger bread cookies. Ruth and Andy stopped by to pick her car up, but unfortunately it wouldn't start. Poor Ruth.

Monday came and the flooring people finally showed up. It looks great. I am glad to see it has finally happened. Now Heather will leave me alone about it. =) They got finished and then it was time to get ready for work. I am working all this week and possibly next 1800 - 0200. Sucks when you have stuff to do during a despite like communicate with normal business people, but there is NO brass what so ever there that late.

In other news...
For those of you who don't know I broke up with Janet the other day. Not the best of separations I have had and something I could have controlled but it is done and over now.

Karma...
1. The total effect of a person's actions and conduct during the successive phases of the person's existence, regarded as determining the person's destiny.
2. The effects of a person's actions that determine his destiny in his next incarnation

If you read this it has very little to do with how one event leads to another. Cause and effect type situation which a lot of people use as the definition. But Karma is actually a long term cause and effect not because you did this mean/bad thing then the next mean/bad thing that happens to you was a direct result of the mean/bad thing you did.

Sorry, about the aside. I heard someone use it the other day and of coarse it was used incorrectly. So now we all know the official (Dictionary.com) definition and can use the word correctly.

Still have half an hour but I have run out things to type about. So, until next time.

- Larry

Goes unpunished. I really wish this wasn't the case. I like doing good deeds. Thursday, my trainee had to put her car in the shop over night. She thought she had worked out transportation home but it fell through and she didn'’t know when she was going to get home. So, being the nice guy that I am I offered to take her home. It was out of my way but I figured what the hell. Off we went. I dropped her off and set out for the interstate so that I could get home. Well I rounded a corner and what is standing in the roadway, Bambi. I wasn'’t going super fast and I did have some reaction time so I managed to avoid serious damage but still ended up with quite a bit. I just called my insurance company, I will be meeting with them soon to see how much they are going to give me. I doubt it will happen but the guy I talked to said they might total my car since it doesn'’t have a high resale value. If that is the case then I have to go car shopping and will end up with another car payment that I really don'’t need right now. Time will tell, I really don'’t expect them to do that since I don'’t there is $3000 worth of damage, but we will see. There are some pictures below for your viewing pleasure.

- Larry

If you look closely you can see my car's new eyebrows.

Study Oportunity

I think I need help with this study!
I didn't realize that there was scientific evidence to be gathered either. I really don't think 4 hinnies is an accurate population sample.

Stupid Criminal
Alough this guy isn't as dumb as some of the folks I have delt with or read about he still ranks up there pretty high.

Exotic Pet
If any of you are interested in adding this guy to your collection of exotic pets you might want to head over to eBay very soon. I checked and as of this posting he hadn't made it there yet.


Not much going on, just thought I would share.

- Larry