Archived News starting from 09-29-2003 and earlier
BlogThe last few weeks have been interesting in terms of weather. We've had quite a few
rainbows and some
cool looking cloud formations. Quite a few
spectacular sunsets as well. I attribute it to the time of year, but the leaves haven't turned yet so it looks surreal. Unfortunately it also means winter will soon take over, and I begin my hibernation routine.
It's tradition to visit at least one apple orchard during the fall in Michigan, so today my
girlfriend and I went to
Plymouth Orchards. We went on a wagon ride,
visited the
petting farm and bought some cider and doughnuts to share with whoever we happen to run into. Today it was my girlfriends brother, my dad, and Keith and Lindsay. Tradition complete, now comes winter.
Every year, the last Saturday in September is
Hazardous Waste Dropoff Day in Redford. Last year I filled my pickup with various chemicals left behind by the previous owners and was surprised when I showed up and 3 people swarmed my truck. They had all of it unloaded and processed before I could even get out of my truck to help. They were so efficient that this year I was excited and filled up my truck with hazardous junk I had accumulated since then. Apparently word got out better this time since it took me a full 30 minutes to get through the line. As a self proclaimed earth hippie, I always feel better dropping off chemicals instead of throwing them in a landfill. From the amount of people doing the same, I think earth hippies are becoming more and more common. Here are some photos from
check in and
processing.
Today my
girlfriend and I celebrate our 2nd anniversary. For two years she has put up with my strange friends, obsession with mechanical things, and anal personality. Anyone who still stands after 2 years of that deserves recognition. What kind of recognition is between her and myself, but unfortunately for her, the payment is to tolerate yet another year.
I finally finished setting up my
new computer. I was pretty frustrated with BSOD's until I figured out my memory can only run at 80% speed. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that the video card shares memory with the system. At any rate, it's
performance triples that of my
old system, even with the memory at 80%. It's also
smaller than my older computer, which gives me more room to store stuff underneath it. I can also
shut the door now making it completely silent. In case you're wondering, the light is from a
blue LED fan I've had laying around and finally hooked up to the side of the cabinet. The computer gets really hot so it's definately needed to keep air flowing around the computer. The cord was long enough so I plugged it right into the motherboard. I can monitor the RPM's of the fan, and it turns on and off with the computer. It all adds up to one happy computer user.
It started raining today at around 4:30am and has been going nonstop ever since. This is the most continuous rain I've seen all summer, and it's not even summer anymore. Time to get a rowboat and row myself home.
This weekend was my family reunion and while I was there my dad told me a story of when he was a supervisor at a ford plant. An employee was upset about an injustice he believed he was suffering and wanted something done about it. My dad talked to the person in charge of the employee and apparently justice had already been served for the man. So my dad listened to the employee vent out his frustration. When he was done my dad said "I agree you're a dedicated worker and you deserve better than this, so tomorrow I'll be at your work station to meet you with a cup of coffee for you." The employee didn't quite know how to react to that so he went home. The next day my dad was at his work station at 5:30am waiting with the coffee. The employee shows up and thanks my dad, then says "I talked with my wife lastnight and we both came to the conclusion that it's silly to get upset over such a trivial little thing. I appreciate you taking the time to help me realize it." My dad knew the employee was a dedicated worker, and he was just looking for some recognition. Instead of ignoring his problems my dad did what he could to help the man and that little bit of effort made all the difference to him. I thought it was a great point of view for the situation and hope I can take time out not only for my friends, but for people who need a little attention as well.
Mercury is in Retrograde which means all kinds of wacky stuff is going to happen if you believe in astrology. I like it because I now have a convienient excuse for everything. If something doesn't work, or turn out right, it's because Mercury is in retrograde! Don't worry, it's not the end of the world. Just an optical illusion from our vantage point here on earth.
A friend and I go mountain biking on a fairly regular basis. On our way back, we always pass the Novi rest area, which recently put up a sign saying "Novi Rest Area Permanently Closed." Curious, I went online and
found out why. A new proposed onramp jeopardizes safety, and the area is no longer rural (so no longer needed). Immediately under that result, I found a
reaction from the gay community. I guess the rumors are true.
A
family is suing the makers of
Grand Theft Auto claiming their children were influenced to kill random strangers after playing the game. The fact that they have access to a .22 rifle doesn't seem to concern the parents as much as what videogames they are playing. I pray to whoever can sway the verdict that the judge tosses this out. Kids that can't differentiate between reality and fantasy have some serious parental education issues. I'm not going to blame the parents though, these two idiots immediately said "the video game made me do it" so they probably heard a story somewhere earlier and said "Hey, we can make money if we blame it on the video game!" To them I say: thanks for contributing to the sea of lawsuits. You've helped make our world a better place.
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