“Triceratops!”
2 minute read
April 17, 2009, 9:20 PM
So this Friday, I wore my new Power Rangers t-shirt to work. And here I am, at my desk, as seen with my office Mac’s camera:
Continue reading…Categories: Clothing, Power Rangers
So I’m getting a 22″ LG monitor…
2 minute read
April 17, 2009, 12:05 AM
So I found a new monitor. After eleven years of the 19″ CRT, that new screen is on its way, and I’m $179 poorer for it. I ordered a 22″ widescreen monitor by LG, and ordered it through PC Connection.
I previously had ordered them once before for work, and while the transaction itself was fairly painless, the aftermath was hell, as it took the better part of a month to finally chase off an overzealous account manager, especially after this person sent a promotion to everyone and didn’t conceal the list. Oh, that was awesome, as people Emailed back to the entire list about how much of a jackass this account manager was. I was inclined to agree with them.
So now I went back to them for the monitor since they had the best deal on a brand that I believe I can trust. I’ve had LG phones before, and there’s an LG microwave at work, and I’ve never had a problem with any of them. So we’ll see, I suppose. But today at work, I got a call on my cell phone. It’s PC Connection, trying to establish a relationship with me. Arrrrgh. I told the woman pretty plainly – I am familiar with their company, and I am placing this order for myself and not representing any organization, and not to assign me an account manager since, “I’ve already chased off one account manager and don’t want to have to chase off another one.” Think she got the point? With my experience with this company before, though, they seem pretty dense, but hopefully I won’t hear from them again, especially since I was pretty straightforward about not wanting to hear from them again.
Categories: Computer
GENTLEMEN!
5 minute read
April 12, 2009, 10:19 PM
No one expects the Inquisition. And this time, Anonymous, as part of Operation Inquisition, raided the Scientology “Mission” in Richmond, under the theme of “Operation GENTLEMEN”.
Richmond was a little different than most, because in Virginia, wearing a mask is illegal. Seriously – it’s a class 6 felony. Thus Anonymous went unmasked. That’s not to say, however, that people didn’t go to this raid completely out in the open. While some people didn’t care about being seen and photographed completely unmasked, others used fake facial hair to disguise themselves. One Anon wore a set of “Groucho glasses” with a fake nose and mustache, while the women used spirit gum to attach fake mustaches and goatees to their faces. And so here we are, raiding in Richmond:
Categories: Project Chanology, Richmond
Eleven years is pretty good for a computer monitor…
2 minute read
April 12, 2009, 12:08 AM
And eleven years apparently is where it’s going to stand, because my old 19″ VX900 monitor apparently has become too old to continue working properly. Everything now has a nice yellow tint across it. Still, considering that thing has had eleven years of continuous use, I think that’s pretty darn good. Now, of course, I have to get a new monitor, and that’s going to set me back a pretty penny. But having lasted that long, it’s pointless to repair it. For the cost of repairing a monitor that old, I could just get a new monitor, after all.
But yeah, eleven years is pretty good. That monitor came with my old Gateway, which I got back in 1998 when I was a junior in high school, and it has served me well all these years, so I can recycle it with no regrets. Let me tell you, though, one thing I won’t miss about it is how much that thing weighed. That thing was a real b—- to move back and forth between college and Stuarts Draft, and was equally rough carrying it up the stairs at my place in Silver Spring. But its being heavy was only about half the story. That monitor was also pretty big, since after all, this was a 19″ CRT monitor. Not a flat-screen by any means. That thing was very much a two-hander when carrying. Not like those nice flat-screen monitors they have nowadays, which are light enough that you can carry two of them at once. This was one of the OLD styles.
Categories: Computer
No offense, but I really don’t want to shake your hand…
3 minute read
April 8, 2009, 9:22 PM
Those who know me in person know that I place a high value on personal hygiene. I make sure that I am very clean in the morning, and attempt to maintain that level of clean throughout the day. Likewise, I think I probably wash my hands on average about once an hour, or whenever I think that my hands are starting to feel dirty.
Seriously, at work alone, I think I probably wash my hands about seven or eight times a day. Then outside work, I still wash a lot – after using the restroom, before eating, after eating, after sneezing, after riding public transportation (one of the first things I do when I arrive at work is wash my hands post-Metro), after driving the car, after shopping, plus if I just generally feel like it needs it.
And thus we come to the part of our culture that I absolutely hate – the handshake. Skin to skin contact with a part of someone’s body that handles a lot of things, and not all of it something I would want to touch. In my 27 years in this world, I’ve seen too many people in many, many men’s rooms either leave the restroom entirely without washing after doing their business, or putting their hands under a faucet for about half a second and considering their hands washed. And people wonder why I don’t like shaking hands with people. Seriously – if you go to the restroom, touch your crotch as part of the normal course of things in there, and then leave the restroom without washing (or do the aforementioned poor excuse for washing), don’t even think about offering to shake my hand. I don’t want to go near your hand.
Categories: Myself
An appointment, and a trip to Shady Grove…
3 minute read
April 7, 2009, 8:09 PM
So today was interesting. I had an eye appointment today in Chevy Chase, and so I only worked half a day, and spent the other half going to the appointment.
I decided to try something different today as far as my commute, to see if a different method worked better. Since my appointment was a block away from Friendship Heights station, and work is at Dupont Circle, instead of taking the 51 to Glenmont and taking the train like I usually do, I drove over to Shady Grove and took the train from there.
First of all, the drive over to Shady Grove from my house wasn’t too bad. I know the way quite well, traffic was moderate and moving, and so I just kind of zipped over and found a parking space. Then I got Rohr 1068 going in. Now that was kind of fun, since I got to see a lot of stations I hadn’t been to since 2006(!). After all, same destination as always – Dupont Circle – but coming from the other way. So instead of my usual run of stations, I got to ride through the other side. It’s been a while since last I saw all of the four-coffer arch stations on the Shady Grove side of the Red Line, and even longer since last I saw the outdoor stations out that way. And it’s very strange hearing “Red Line to Glenmont” in the morning, I must say, since of course, coming from Glenmont, I’ve become accustomed to hearing “Red Line to Shady Grove” first thing, and hearing “Glenmont” means I’m coming home.
However, the fare was a bit of a shocker – $4.50! Ouch! It’s only $4.00 from Glenmont, you see, so this was an added hit. But then from there, it was business as usual, walking the rest of the way to work.
Categories: Personal health, WMATA
Friends don’t let friends wear mullets…
2 minute read
April 2, 2009, 9:26 PM
Categories: Family, Some people, State and local politics, Washington DC, WMATA
It’s the world of Monsieur Stenchy, where even a skunk can come out smelling like… a rose!
2 minute read
March 31, 2009, 11:45 PM
I think that phrase, from an episode of Power Rangers Zeo, could be used to describe my apartment. Seriously. Mom’s coming over tomorrow, and so I made sure this place was in tip top shape. I dusted, I scrubbed, I shined, I mopped, I swept, I vacuumed, you name it. Anything to make the place look less “lived in”. After all, you really don’t want to show your mother how you really live. I carefully control the way my mother views her little boy’s apartment. Any time my mother comes to visit, the place is all shined up and looking awesome. And that’s important, after all.
Plus it’s kind of nice to have the house smelling all clean, too, since otherwise, it can kind of start to smell like whatever, and what “whatever” is depends on many factors, and it’s not always a pleasant thing depending on what’s going on. This time, the cleaning wasn’t to the extent of the total clean I did in December, where I really went to town on the place including shampooing carpets, but that’s a once-a-year kind of cleaning, and we’re not there yet. Nonetheless, I want to make sure Mom is comfortable here while she’s in town for the Virginia Writing Project, where teachers meet in Washington to meet with legislative offices and such, to promote writing in schools. And for the Virginia Writing Project, I find it amusing that Mom will be spending NO time in Virginia whatsoever, since all the activity will be held in the District of Columbia, and she’s staying with me in Maryland.
So I’m excited. And then Mom and I are probably going to hit up IKEA on Saturday after all the writing stuff is over with. Whatever happens, though, my mother will see a neat apartment. After all, I have made sure that it’s like being in the world of Monsieur Stenchy, where even a skunk can come out smelling like a rose.
Categories: Family, House, Power Rangers
Anonymous DC does Philadelphia…
5 minute read
March 30, 2009, 1:21 AM
On Saturday, March 28, Anonymous DC pulled off a surprise raid outside the Church of Scientology in Philadelphia. We told no one, not even our own parents. We called it “Operation Inquisition”, because no one was expecting us, just as no one expects the Inquisition. And at 9 AM, we departed, arriving in Philadelphia just past noon. Thank goodness for HT’s GPS, which guided us straight to our destination without problem.
And having parked the cars, our raid began outside the Church of Scientology in Philadelphia. This was a very different experience than raiding outside our own local Founding Church of Scientology. For one, we have more room in DC. We have the sidewalk in front of the Founding Org, as well as the triangle across the street. In Philadelphia, we had half of a somewhat narrow sidewalk in front of – get this – a “storefront church”. Yes, the Org in Philadelphia is a storefront location, with two “Free Stress Test” signs on the door. How fail.
But regardless of what it might have looked like, we raided it. The cops, who came out to see what was up, even noticed that we weren’t the usual Anonymous that raids outside this Org. Yes, we were from DC, and Philadelphia Anonymous had been “pwned”.
The storefront Org.
Categories: Philadelphia, Project Chanology
Happy birthday, Metro!
2 minute read
March 28, 2009, 4:56 AM
As of yesterday, it’s been 33 years since Metro first graced Washington with its presence. And I would say Metro had one hell of a birthday this year. According to Metro, a Red Line train derailed near Bethesda station, and the train being used to recover the first train subsequently derailed as well, causing a major delay on the Red Line for the evening commute.
So when I, walking to Dupont Circle station with our IT manager, arrived at the station, what a crazy scene it was, as the station was like mad crowded with people. As usual, my knowledge of Metro worked to our advantage. Rather than just guess at where to stand or otherwise randomly pick a spot, we stood right where a door was going to land. In the station on the Shady Grove side was a train that had just offloaded its passengers, because it was being turned to service the other side. Unaware of the derailment at the time, I thought that the train being turned was the cause of the delay. But no, it just crossed over to the Glenmont side just north of the station, and became a Glenmont train (I would have been royally PO’d if it had come into service as a Silver Spring train), which was packed to standing room right away. Though due to my knowledge of where to stand, we got a seat. That worked out, since I had a long ways to go. But amazingly enough, despite the major delay on Metro, on the Red Line, I got home on time. And for less, too, since I believe Metro adjusts the fares during major delays, since my normally $4.00 ride cost $3.35.
Categories: WMATA
Can I do the door announcement a little too well?
< 1 minute read
March 20, 2009, 3:07 PM
You know, my friends and coworkers say I can do Metro’s door announcement a little too well. So I’d like you to take a listen to my impression of Metro’s current door announcement:
And then compare this with the real thing, seen here on Breda 2007:
So what do you think? Is it a good impression, or do I do it just a shade too well? You be the judge…
Categories: WMATA
And this is why we don’t normally write Journal entries in the early morning…
2 minute read
March 18, 2009, 11:09 PM
So I was reading over the previous Journal entry, and I remembered why I don’t normally write Journal entries in the early morning. Yeah, I was a bit scattered, as my writing was kind of all over the place, there. I don’t even remember writing about the conservatives being back on their meds, for one thing, but there it is, and then I kind of went off on a shoe tangent at the end.
Lesson to take from this: Writing Journal entries while still half-asleep is bad.
But nonetheless, I’m excited for tomorrow. Funk the War ought to be fun, as long as I’m smart about my cameras. It’s supposed to rain on and off, and after losing Big Mavica in a rainstorm, the policy is that as soon as it begins raining, Duckie becomes the active camera immediately, even if it means I am denied use of the Canon at a protest for the second time in a row. So we’ll see what happens on this final day of winter, as we, like, rock out in the streets and denounce the war.
Categories: Anti-war, Schumin Web meta
Two demonstrations in three days?
3 minute read
March 18, 2009, 4:50 AM
Yeah, I’m going to two demonstrations in about three days’ time, which is something unusual for me. Usually things aren’t spaced so closely, but this is what happens sometimes.
Thursday is the sixth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War, and that day will be full of activism in DC for it. I’m planning to attend another Funk the War demonstration with DC SDS, and hopefully, unlike last year, all my equipment will come out intact this time. The Canon didn’t get to come out for the Anon raid last weekend, so Funk the War will be its first protest, provided the weather cooperates. According to AccuWeather, it will be in the mid-50s, and raining on and off throughout the day. Thus it might be Duckie’s time to shine again, but hopefully I’ll get to see how the Canon does in the bouncy conditions of a protest. Duckie, meanwhile, is a known quantity at protests, and does quite well in the daytime, as it was pressed into service, by necessity, as the primary camera for the NSM Counter-Protest last April.
Then on Saturday, March 21, there will be another march on the Pentagon, sponsored by ANSWER Coalition. This hopefully will not be a repeat of the March on the Pentagon from two years ago, but we shall see, I suppose. Recall that I described the previous Pentagon march as a poor idea, since it was in not-very-visible locations, and the final rally was in the Pentagon’s somewhat-isolated north parking lot – in front of an office building that would be mostly empty on the weekend. Of course, what a difference two years makes otherwise, though – last time, I had received numerous threatening messages from right-wing wackos just ahead of the event, and this time, I seem to have slipped in under the conservative radar. And when you consider that the de facto leader of the Republican party is Rush Limbaugh, of all people, they have more pressing matters to worry about than threatening activists. And with the right-wing wackos safely back on their medicine, AccuWeather indicates that it will be sunny and again in the mid-50s on Saturday. Excellent!
Something about the rain that keeps people home…
4 minute read
March 15, 2009, 10:39 PM
Anonymous had its March raid on Saturday, and those of us who came out to brave the cold and the rain had a great time protesting the Church of Scientology. It was raining on and off all day, and it was a bit cool, which makes for cold rain. It was enough to where I had to leave the Canon in the bag and shoot with Duckie all day. I had kind of figured that the Canon’s first protest would be an Anon raid (specifically, this one), but it looks like that distinction will go to a Funk the War demonstration later this week.
Nonetheless, though, for those of us who came out, we had a blast, “celebrating” L. Ron Hubbard‘s 98th birthday. And of course, we got photos…
JB got us started on the right foot, with a “Honk if you oppose Scientology” sign for MaidofWin to troll the cars with. The use of “oppose” was new this time, since consensus was that the previous “Honk if you hate Scientology” was playing too much into the Church of Scientology’s hands. We don’t hate them, after all, and we would welcome any Scientologist who escapes the cult with open arms. We oppose Scientology’s practices.
Categories: Project Chanology
You know, I understand the whole concept of wanting to promote good health while the economy’s in the dumper, but…
3 minute read
March 12, 2009, 7:46 PM
Indeed, I understand about wanting to promote good health while the economy is in the can, but I think we’ll all agree that this is probably not the way to do it:
Categories: Advertising, Safeway