Reading (For Dummies)

Daily Orange

Look for a letter to the editor in tomorrow's DA by yours truly, bitching about the harassment I suffered while dressed drag at Darwin's bar & grill.

...Back to work.

Update October 30th: Link corrected.

My friend Murphy

My friend Murphy came knocking tonight. Not on my door, but on my car. Specificially, my car's CV joints. They're knocking like a raven on Edgar Poe's door. Again.

Funny, I just finally got my own car insurance this afternoon.

My mom warned me about the Subaru, specifically the CV joints. I guess that Subaru did something fishy with the design of the joints (actually probably the boots, since the boot is off again). I wonder why that is...

Anyway, looks like another weekend under the hood. At least this time I'm not broken down. Just a bummer...

I think I'll do the joint myself this time, though, assuming NAPA can find the parts...

Quiet Evenings

After the last week's party-party-party, I'm relaxing and detoxifying for the next few weeks, concentrating on staying in the #1 place in all my courses (I've slipped to the #2 spot in two courses gradewise, not good. Need to show these bastards...).

In the the meantime, I'm drinking plenty of Chai, listening to dead poets like Nick Drake, and the more recent to join the club like Dave. Yes, it's a quiet acoustic love affair while the sun sets at 5pm. The kitchen arrangement has become quite nice for this, with a southern-facing window that you look out through from the tea-nook, music playing from behind, dark and solemn little faces inside from chilly weather.

In the slowness comes knowledge and contemplation. I came to a realization about this psuedo-book I started writing while in Germany. The story is an interesting (in my opinion) look at language communication and relationships. More pieces fall into place as I think about my communication skills (or lack thereof) that lead to the downfall of The Relationship. I've decided that, since I'm not much of a writer, I'd begin posting something in some kind of web format.

I have a bunch of bizarre ideas about it. I picked out a domain that I've been eyeing up for a while (I'm always eyeing up a good domain name...). I even have an idea to incorporate a style similar to a dead Wightman. Nothing revolutionary, but I was thinking of releasing the book in blog format as it revolves around a few of the personas that have been occupying the same (as in exact) meatspace as yours truly. Maybe that idea won't pan out. Guess I'll post the URL as soon as the registration goes through and I get some kind of format established.

Party Time

What a weekend. Friday partying with Kei and Kyong Mi downtown, Saturday bike riding with Keisuke and Lindsey in the morning, partying at the Red House at night, Sunday partying with the Asian Gang at Dr. Oh's.

The Sunday party was typical Asian faire (if you call that typical).

Cute women and good food: Miyake-san shows off one of Keisuke's dishes

Chef Reid prepares some mashed potatos

While dinner was in the oven and on the stove, we headed downstairs to Jae's sparring pad (the basement floor is cushioned, with padded walls and some training equipment).

Kyong Mi practices her shuffle side-kick, Keisuke holding the board

Jae's parties are always a blast...they're even more fun with members of the triathlon club representing. Henry even came this time, we're getting quite an elite little group going. I do miss being the only native English speaker, though...and Jae and I didn't get at each other's throats about religion and politics, even. Next time, Gadget...next time.

PK SMTP Idea

I love my iBook. My only complaint about it has nothing to do with the fact that it's an iBook, and everything that has to do with it being a laptop. Specifically, it has to do with it being used all over the place, using a variety of service providers for 'net access. The real problem? Sending mail while on the road means figuring out what mail server to use.

Fortunately, Exim supports this lovely feature of doing SMTP Auth and using SSL to encrypt the connection so the world doesn't read what you have to say (ie AUTH data). I'll get around to installing this all this week, but here are some great instructions for doing so.

So, basically it boils down to, I'll have my mail server hanging off the cable modem, which does this secure relaying to Time Warner's central mail server. Now if only all the world did this, we wouldn't have so much freaking spam. Then again, we'd also have absolutely no anonymity.

Happy Halloween

Saturday meant Halloween party at the Red House. The Red House is an artsy little shithole of a red house right near campus. Their parties are always exquisite...two years ago I walked in the door to my first Red House party (also on Halloween) and was propositioned not five minutes in the door. This year was no exception to the free love rule. I met an old friend who couldn't keep her hands off my chest hair, this time cooing how she would be coming back to campus in the Spring, and that we need to, er, 'hang out.'

I also met up with the other Adjunct Anizer, James Howison. He was there with his girlfriend. Very cute couple...

James and Ankeen

I spent quite a bit of time hanging out with James/Ankeen and some beer, and also with my group of fly girls.

Morgan, Sarah, Pat, and Megan

I should probably mention my costume for the evening was a mini-skirt, fishnets, a very Rocky Horror corset, and a lady-of-the-night jacket. I also wore a blonde wig reminscent of Julia Roberts' in Pretty Woman. Yes, I was a working girl.

The interesting bit of this anecdote was that we went to Darwin's, a shitty little bar on the SU hill. First time I've ever been to a bar near campus, and likely the last. It reminded me just how conservative this town is, even the college students.

Not five minutes in the door of Darwin's, I had a fine freshman gentleman questioning me as to why I was dressed the way I was. The particulars of the conversation are lost on me, but I do recall him saying, "What are you, a fucking faggot?"

I ignored him as coolly as I could. In a sense, it was quite humorous. Picture a drunk punk saying that to me when I have one girl (Kate) handcuffed to me and another (Lenore) hanging on my other arm. Still it took a little force of will to keep myself from punching him in the balls.

Lessons of the evening? Red House = good. Syracuse = bad.

Cameras

Anybody want to buy my Nikon Coolpix 995? I think I want to sell it and buy one of these...

Amazing, a 6 megapixel digital SLR body camera that doesn't cost a fortune. I want. I want. *drool*

Dies...

Of course, as much as I want one of these things, I think my brother needs to give one a shot. Film is dead, Erik. Long live digital pixels :).

Realization

While picking up my bike tonight, I also got a pair of (discounted, thanks Ken) clipless bicycle shoes.

I just realized...I own a pair of rock climbing shoes, a pair of biking shoes, a pair of hiking shoes (which are really uncomfortable to wear for very long on paved surfaces), and a pair of cleats. I only own one pair general, all-around wear shoes.

Yep, I'm definitely male.

Weeks gone by

Been a busy couple of weeks. Since the New Jersey trip two weeks ago, I've been on a handful of psuedo-dates (still trying to figure out wiat's up with Lauie, too). I've also had a barrage of exams, projects, and programming assignments.

I lost the ability to sleep two weeks ago, after the New Jersey events went down. I talked with Matt and he suggested a way out.

Whiskey and Pancakes at 2am

It was strange. After finishing with my projects, and having everything completed, I was having trouble sleeping. Even visiting the gym didn't help. "Drink yourself to sleep," Matt said. It worked the first night, and I haven't had to do it since...been sleeping more or less well since then. So thanks, I guess.

Exercise has been a bit difficult to come by. Luckily, Keisuke and I have gotten back in touch.

Drinking at Pastabilities...

Kei, Kyong Mi and myself had dinner at Pastabilities, a fine little Italian-style place down in Armory Square. What a small place Central New York is...Keisuke originally suggested to Leah (the proprietor of Syr-A-Juice) to start buying bread from Pastabilities. And, of course, I almost did Leah's wedding for her (sadly, she's been married by an old county-clerk-style friend). Still bizarre how we all fit together...there aren't even enough people to have six degrees of separation, it's like we're all 2.5 degrees apart or something.

Anyway, on the exercise thread, it's been six weeks since I ordered my Felt Bike. I've been pestering Ken at Open Road for weeks as to its whereabouts. I finally threatened to cancel the order when it magically arrived...

It's here!!! Like, in my living room!!!

He finally delivered. I feel pretty miserable about the whole deal. I lied to him, saying that I had a race in Madison, Virginia (Annie's hometown...hard to think of any place that might be warm these days in driving distance) to compete in a race this weekend so he would expedite the assembly. Still, he'd been telling me for weeks, "It'll be here tomorrow," so I guess I can't blame myself. Hopefully I don't run into him on tomorrow's ride through the parts south of Syracuse, though...

Anyway, my dealings with Ken made me wonder why I bother at all dealing with local businesses. Doug and people like him find the deals of the 'net all too appealing. I realize I could save a bundle buying everything on the internet. Still, you have these little mom and pop local shops that try their damndest. And, darnitall, I like "pressing skin." It was kind of fun to go into Ken's store yesterday and say, "If you don't deliver the bike tomorrow, I will cancel payment on it." I got to see his reaction, test his poker face. If we all buy stuff on the 'net, we won't get this chance to deal with people on the bartering level anymore. That'd be a damn shame. I'll take slow service and a little extra money spent if I know a couple of guys will eat tonight because of it. When is the last time Amazon treated its employees well?

Anyway, yet another picture-update has turned into a family-values-conservative business rant. Will be nice to share this one to my grandad when I go down to Florida.

Dating Around

I had my first virtual date this evening, thanks to messages zipped back and forth via Spring Street Personals (also carried by the Nerve and a bunch of other places).

The lady I met was pretty cool. An activist medic who goes around doing first aid at political rallies, she also works as a model for the University.

It was the sort of "hi what's your function?" affair. Dating outside the bounds of one's social infrastructure is often strange that way. Conversation lopes at first, as we try to find common ground and common language, unsure of whether or not wording or phrasology will bring offense. We got a little more rolling towards the end, but it was a short date; hard to say who is thinking what at the end of the day. Like all things in Syracuse, no hugs. Central New York can be quite chilly this time of year, unlike Jersey where body heat likes to propogate...

AOL Blacklists

AOL has blacklisted Syracuse University. Let the happy times begin.

I wonder when the spam problem will be cured, instead of treated?

Two Days in the Alley

I stayed in the computer lab for just about 42 hours straight. It was most enlightening. The smell was some bizarre combination of cum, feces, and spicy funk that makes one have nightmares of anal sex between cave men.

In reality, we've been forced into programming for 24 to 48 hour sessions every day for the last week in a small, cramped room with windows that don't open. The only foods regularly available are coffee, bean burritos, and wheat crackers. The former provide for frequent urination and flatulence, the latter for regular bowel movements. We don't have time for showers.

One of the guys in the lab left for the bathroom. He came back a few minutes later smelling faintly of sex. The people involved in these sorts of things never get mentioned. Their identity does not leave the lab. I suppose that marines have a similar code of conduct surrounding the combat jack: it is assumed that a participant has the decency of washing his hand before picking up his rifle again, in case someone else might need it later on. I try not to think about it as I put my own hands back on the keyboard...

Anyway, we finished the project...we as in the "royal we" or the "editorial we" and finished as in "it didn't work but it looked cool anyway." The TA seemed to appreciate the fact that our implementation was completely different from anything ever done before. Basically, everybody else just copies each others' code. That would be an impossibility in our case...I don't think anyone in their right mind would make all kinds of additional data structures inside the kernel just to get a scheduler working.

German brief

I remember I was at party in the Sachsen Haus (Ferri's fraternity in Dresden), talking to the German version of a Sorority Chick. I was quite drunk at the time, in fact that was the first and only time I've vommited due to alchohol consumption.

Anyway, I argued with this chick that Germany didn't have free speech. I was quite the gadfly when I said, quite loudly, "Yeah, when's the last time Germany had a neo-Nazi rally? Do you think you could say 'Seig Heil' on the streets and get away with it?"

I flirt with people in the strangest ways, and it usually gets me in trouble.

Well, I was reminded of this Reid-in-Germany anecdote by this story on my usual "Oddly Enough" run (taking a break from coding).

And on that note, does anyone know where I can find a copy of this book in the US? I might as well learn German for real.

Radio Silent

I'll be radio silent through the end of the week, barring some miracle that lets me finish my OS programming assignment tonight or tomorrow. Entirely too much stuff going, including that, an exam tomorrow, and an exam most of the day Sunday (yes, Sunday). It's going to be a gruelling week.

If the world ended today...

One time some years ago, Erik and I were in a bar in Philadelphia. He was half-flirting with this chick. All I can remember is that she had this shirt that said, "I'm from New Jersey..."

"...Where only the Strong Survive."

I guess there is some truth to that in all species in the state, like the poor stink bug above who was half-eaten by ants, yet crawled away (probably not to survive for too much longer, though).

I drove down Thursday evening with my buddy Hemant (from India). I wandered around New Jersey not much this time...exams meant I had to spend my days studying for the OS midterm. A few funny things did happen, though.

Fresh Fields exterior, walking to my car. I hear a sort of giggle behind me, so I turn and look. It's some vaguely cute woman with blond hair. "Groovy shirt, man," she says in hippy (obviously not her native dialect), "where'd you get it?"

I look down at my shirt. It is tie-dyed, a shirt from an Allman Brothers tour.

"Thanks, I think I found it in my closet," was my more-or-less response. "Well," she says, "if you ever find any more, give it to me, alright?" At this point I was in seek-and-destroy mode, "Only if you tell me your name and your phone number." Her name is Jen, and her number is now sitting somewhere in the back of my brain, encoded in neurons, the way that only humans know how.

This may very well have been the strangest phone number pickup of all time. I'm still confused about how it happened.

When I got back home, I looked at the back of the shirt. Mushroom Express is written on the sides.

While it would be amusing to have a date that I met for no more than five seconds in a grocery store parking lot, I won't call her. Druggies aren't really my type. And for reference, nope I've never done anything more than the occassional hashish smoking (my previous reference to psychedelics was for storytelling effects only). Perhaps I should give my gonzo reporting a check.

Anyway, I went back to Syracuse, stopping to pick up Hemant and some computer parts from my pal Chris.

I now have 4580VA of battery-backup

I officially have far too many UPS' after the visit. He bought me a lot at an auction a few weeks ago: 2 400VAs, 3 300VAs, and one 1440. I already have a 1440 here. A few of them need new batteries, but they might make nice presents for family with non-laptop computers. Working through Northeast power failures can be a good thing.

I should also mention other things collected on the trip: A table with chairs (thanks, mom), some polypro undershirts (thanks, dad), and some blue balls (thanks, Lauie). I'll spare the details on that last bit.

So I've lived to tell the tale of another New Jersey visit. Let's just hope I survive the rest of the week as projects and midterms roll through.

MT-SPAM?

Who made the MT-Spam plugin for movable type? Since I've been away in New Jersey (more on that later), I have received 15 "comments" linking to such fabulous sites as "Naked, Wet, Hemaphroditic Teens" and Life Insurance garbage. Is this intended to raise companies' google rankings or what?

Ohwell, luckily there are nice advantages to using mysql as the backend, such as "delete from mt_comment where comment_author='Lolita';"

Travelling, again

Yesterday morning I got phone call. I was asleep, but the ringing was not entirely unwelcome. I overslept and had to be at class in 15 minutes. More importantly, it was Erik.

I receive two types of phone calls from Erik. One occurs in the evening. These are usually more annoying than friendly. They involve computer problems, or hearing his slurred speech as he regales me with tales of slapping celebrity limousines with slices of pepperoni pizza. Then there are the morning calls, which are generally invitations for an exciting adventure.

"Yo, you rang?"

"Hey Reid, Aunt Janet is heading to Paris for New Year's. You wanna go?"

My Aunt Janet is, well, I don't know what she is 'cuz I don't even know her. Our family suffered a self-destruct when my mom's parents passed away years and years ago. I've managed to repress most of my memories of the situation through a strict prescription of alcohol and occasional use of marijuana and LSD. I have some idea of the series of events leading up to the destruction, which I won't outline here. It's not only that my parents might mind, but I get sick of reading about all that crap. I certainly wouldn't want to write about it, especially not publicly.

Jeez, suddenly I feel like I'm writing an introduction to a JD Salinger book.

I thought about it for a minute. Paris. New Year's Eve. Mistletoe. It's called French Kissing, right?

Plus, women with unshaven armpits always turn me on.

Maybe it would be nice, but only if it involves macking it with one of these French cuties and having the privacy to get away with it uninterrupted. But money? Not so nice.

Still.

"Why the fuck not? Sign me up."

Looks like I'm heading back to European Union (for a week). Pray that I don't get arrested when we land.

A letter to Dan Savage

My letter to Dan Savage

Dear Faggot -

Bob In Bathhouse

I wonder if it will get published?

I am no Sage Advisor

Does weary mean wiser?

I've turned back into a real geek. It took a month.

In the last two days, I have implemented two solutions for our first OS assignment. I'll be finished with a third by next week. All three are quite interesting and novel solutions, I think.

While walking back from class, the physics of my bag became clear. The downward pressure of the books on the bottom of my backpack draws the sides of the bag inward, which compress the books slightly. Their compression lowers the surface area contacting the bottom of the backpack, causing the bottom to stretch more, lowering the books further, causing more inward compression. Luckily, friction takes over, and prevents my laptop from breaking.

Must sleep...

Things You Never Knew...

Another issue of "Things you never knew about Reid..."

Kat and my ex-girlfriend have a big thing in common. Often when I would be non-talkative, they'd ask what I was thinking. I would answer, "Nothing." Neither would believe me. I guess I should confess that they were both right.

Last night I walked outside in the 30something degree air that is Syracuse this time of year. I thought what I always thought when I walk outside, but I stuck with the thought process a little longer. "The sky is up. That's space. But what's really up? I'm looking toward/away from the sun (depending on time of day), while moving around it."

I decided to run with the idea. I have decided that the definitions of up, down, top, bottom, to the side of, and other such things are really aspecific. Better defintions might be, "the part furthest from the gravity well" (top, up), "the part nearest the gravity well" (bottom). You get the idea.

But the definition needs more refinement. After all, there are a lot of gravity wells in the universe, and they're all influencing everything else if they are within the same light cone. So how about "the part furthest from the gravity well with the strongest influence" (top, up).

That won't do, either. What if that part is actually closer to another, more massive object than its other side? "The part furthest from the gravity well, X, with the strongest influence, such that that part is still influenced most strongly by gravity well X."

Yes, that definition will do nicely.

I've gotten on this recent kick of defining technical things with more precision after a late-night conversation with my cousin last week. We were trying to define the word, "word." (n, "The act of making verbal communication"). Then looking up the definition of "verbal" (adj, "of, relating to, or consisting of words"). If we put together the definitions by simple substitution, the definition of "word" is "The act of making communication of, relating to, or consisting of the act of making communication of, relating to, or consisting of the act..."

Alternatively we can define word (n, "Something that is said"). Said, the past form of Say (v, "To express in words"). Combined, we get "Something that is expressed in something that is expressed in something that is expressed in..."

Rats. So, basically, it's a term that can't be defined. I've been looking for other technical definitions that fit into this sort of category. I guess it's my new, er, hobby.

The Gay Doctor

So the new Dr. Who is going to be played by Eddie Izzard, and directed by the Queer as Folk guy. And you thought your favorite Time Lord was, well, I don't want to say iffeminate and flaming...perhaps British is the term I'm looking for.

The Onion has Magic Powers

Take this Onion story (published last week), with this story about poor Roy.

Anyone buying a mac?

Doug bought himself a new tiBook (of the 12" g4 variety) and told me about a nifty deal. If you buy a mac, you get a nice discount on ipods. So if anyone in the friend/family network is planning to buy a mac, I'll make it worth your while to buy me an ipod (paying for it + something extra).

And it's beginning to snow

Yes, that song again. It flurried a bit today in Syracuse, the temperature hanging in the low to mid-30s. Someone please remind me again why I'm here?

Oh, right, the $2,400 stipend check (which arrived today).

Today had more than just that good news as far as the NSF SFS scholarships are concerned. We had a little dinner to attend.

I'm an alpha male and just don't know it...

Somehow I always end up with the ladies surrounding me at these events. This, despite my best efforts to unattract members of the opposite sex by wearing my hideously ugly gold curduroy suit with a flannel shirt and umatching tie this time. I mostly wore this getup because one of the scholarship winners was bossing us into all dressing up. Forceful personalities be damned, the hyper-intelligent techs will not stand for you trying to inflate your ego!

Doug and his Mommy

The (dare I say) cutest thing about the dinner had to be Doug and his mother (who he brought as a guest). The last time I saw something like this was that Spider Man episode where Peter parker brought his Aunt Mae to the newspaper christmas party. I'm kind of surprised that Doug didn't have the ladies mackin' on him.

Of course, they wouldn't mack on him in front of his mum. They'll probably rip off all his clothes and rape him in Maxwell auditorium sometime next week, as they all catch word of the event. Go get 'em, tiger.

Anyway, a highly amusing dinner with open bar (read: Reid had 4 or 5 glasses of wine then started laying into his professor/advisor about process calculii and the university's internal bickering). At least I didn't spill my wine all over the place like she did, though.

Medical Scare, part 2

Hooray. The doc at the Syracuse Urology Consultants gave me a clean bill of health today. Reid: 1, Cancer: um, I guess a lot of people have died from that.

Anyway, that ends that little medical scare. On the down side I can't claim to be as cool as Lance Armstrong...Kind of weird to note that he was diagnosed on October 2nd...

Anyway happy happy joy joy, now time to go study...