I’m desperate at my desk if I could just get the rest,
Of this shit off my chest, again, stuck in this slum,
Cant think of nothing, fuck I’m stumped,
But wait here comes something,
Nope, it’s not good enough, scribble it out, new pad,
Crinkle it up and throw that shit out,
I’m fizzling now thought I had figured it out...
"Run, Rabbit, Run" Eminem


This is what it feels like right now, trying to write some stuff.  It sucks ass.  It took me 20 minutes to compose an email to someone.

More adventures in home security systems.

I call ADT to cancel my account with them, since I've found a local place that is $20 cheaper a month.  The first person transfers me to a second one, who starts reading off of her cue card.

"Our accounting system is down, and won't be back up until next week."

NEXT WEEK?!?  Excuse fucking me?!?  What the fuck kind of system is down for a WEEK?!?!?

I get a fax number.  I am SO out of there...

 I need to clean up some of the virtual clutter in my life.  I need to ask Jeremy if he's ever going to wrestle again.  I need to kill the Corner of Insanity, since I don't have a need to work on it.  I need to talk to Janice about the Tribute page, since we haven't worked on it since the end of last year.  I need to just delete Dem's page, since he hasn't talked to me about it in month.  I need to get rid of what's not necessary, because I don't need the nagging guilt in the back of my head.

I've read the first bit of the 9/11 Comission's report.  Despite what my boss said ("Completely partison", he snarled), so far it's been nothing but a very damning recitation of facts.  Nearly everyone got caught with their pants around their ankles, and the amount of wrong information that floated around the FAA is appalling.  More as I have time to print out and read more, it's 585 pages.

HOLY SHIT, it's Dark Phoenix!

"Bourne Supremacy" ROCKS. Excellent movie. Go see it. Makes sure it kills "Catwoman" dead this weekend. ;-)

So far this morning I have taken a shower, done the grocery shopping, changed the cat pans, and helped Mom weed out my garden. It's one of those days when I have a ton of energy and no appetite. I figure I'll call in a pizza when the places all open at noon.

Added my pitifully small list of DVDs to the links on the left.  Just for fun.

NETFLIX HAS THE CHRIS BENOIT DVDS!!!!

*adds them to the queue*

I'll move them up when they are actually released next week.

I think I forgot to mention I beat FF VII over the weekend.  I absolutely love the open-ended ending. 

This morning, I popped in FF VIII and was like, "Ah..." Old friends, re-met.  Poor Quistis, irrational Seifer, moody Squall.  People I fought with and for and against, when I had this on my PC.

You have to care about these characters.  The story leaves you no other choice.  That's what seems to set the Final Fantasy franchise out above the others.

And it's the problem I'm having with Kingdom Hearts... I just don't care enough about Sora to want to help him find his friends.  I play it sometimes for an hour or so, just to see who I see next (so far: Wakka, Tidus (altho I didn't recognize him), Selphie, Squall, Yuffie, and Aeris), but that's about it.  Also, the fighting controls are TEH SHITS, and the camera is TEH MASSIVE SHITS.  Incredibly frustrating.

I am Jennifer Sigman, class of 1999, and I killed Rupert Gaddy.
 
Then he turned around and killed me.
 
We did this as often as he could get away from some of his other duties and join myself, Dr. Cockrell, and Todd on our private little Quake server.  He said it was great for stress relief.
 
Rupert certainly wasn't like most of the rest of the professors at Newberry College.  He chain smoked, two or more packs a day.  He cussed.  He never bothered to try to keep his stringy grey hair neat.  He married a woman (a former student!) nearly 30 years his junior and had a son 20 years younger than his other children.
 
But he was a great teacher.  I wanted to be in his speech class so bad, I cooked up the colitis excuse so I could drop out of the speech class I had been slated for and took his over the summer instead.  He got great things out of the students when he directed plays.
 
Newberry just won't be the same without him.
 
And, by the way, Rupert, I'm still winning the frag-fest.  Send me your IP address when I get up there, and we'll go another round.  Or two.  Or three...
 
 
My memorial for Professor Rupert Gaddy, who died Saturday.  Raise hell, dude.

Adventures on home security...

I get a bill from ADT for a service call last week. "Hell no, I already paid for this, I'm not paying twice!" says I. So I call them. Beep through their phone system until I get a person on the line. "Ignore the charge, the technician must not have filed it yet." says she.

Then I ask, "So when does my contract expire?"

"Let me check... July 18th, 2004."

(looks at the calender) "You mean yesterday?"

"Yes, July 18th."

"So I'm not under contract now?"

"No, now you're month to month."

"So when were you planning on telling me?"

After some hemming and hawing, she finally says, "We don't tell you when you go month to month."

o_O

Needless to say, tomorrow I will be talking to my boss about the local folks he and his wife use at their home.

Oh, Gods, now CNN.com has a poll asking if you think IRAN had any involvement in the 9/11 attacks.
 
So, what's the over/under on invasion?

New pictures, down toward the bottom of the link.  The three kitties for now. :-)

You speak eloquently and have seemingly read every
book ever published. You are a fountain of
endless (sometimes useless) knowledge, and
never fail to impress at a party.What people love: You can answer almost any
question people ask, and have thus been
nicknamed Jeeves.What people hate: You constantly correct their
grammar and insult their paperbacks.

What Kind of Elitist Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla.

OK, WYSIWYG my ass. My typed post did not have all those damn extra space in between the lines. And it makes FireFox lock up. Off to find the complaint box...

Hmmm... interesting new stuff here on Blogger. Not sure if I like it all or not. We'll see.



Been busy today...



1) Bagged 4 bags of yard trash while Mom mowed

2) Took Mom out to IHOP

3) Went to Goodwill, dropped off clothes that no longer fit (goodbye, size 4) and bought ones that did (hello, size 6)

4) Came back home

5) Did 2 loads of laundry

6) FINALLY BRED A DAMN GOLD CHOCOBO in FF VII

7) Am now leveling up Cloud & Co. to 70ish before heading to Sephiroth and the One Winged Angel showdown.



I've also been downloaded a ton of cool new music, reading (Drizzt is
my new obsession), and generally enjoying myself. Go figure. ;-)

I am killing trees for a lawyer.

His secretary calls, can't open something on a CD for a deposition that's today. She calls about 4pm yesterday. It's an Access database, and not everyone has Access installed. No problem, I think, I can handle that.

6 CDs later, full of Access tables that have reports that don't work, we've probably printed off 3 or 4 reams of paper.

Happy birthday, Sean Waltman. It's all your fault I got back into wrestling in 1993. I hope you're taking better care of yourself then when you last got a story on the Internet.

They want to delay the election to ward off terrorist attacks.

Bull. Fucking. Shit.

After using FireFox for a week, I'm in love. And that's just with plain FireFox, no extensions or themes or plug-ins. IE can kiss my ass. ;-)

I need a new keyboard... this one has cat hair all in it.

4 flights of stairs, twice daily, up and down.

2 flights of stairs extra most days, for getting to and from lunch.

I look at my legs, and I wonder when I got so damn self-conscious about them. I used to wear shorts, tight shorts, short shorts that would be forbidden in school. Now it takes an effort to see past the dark body hair and multiple scars to see the beautiful muscles and strong bones.

What happened, I wonder.

John Kerry has picked John Edwards as his running mate.

Smart man. He might actually win the election despite himself.

Well, here I am, keeping up my geek credibility by using FireFox 0.9.1. So far, so good. Favorites have imported OK. If I keep liking this, I may see how Thunderbird does with my email. ;-)

3 (or is it 4, I'm not sure) shots later, and I realize I have not publically worshipped Nobuo Uematsu in a while, so...

*bows in his general direction*

I should be watching my Deep Space 9 disc, especially since the next one is already in the mail to me.

I could be in FF VII, catching chocobo's and dumping Tifa off in Mideel.

Instead I am in front of the computer, with a bowl of Mayfield's Moose Tracks ice cream (I pity you who don't have Mayfields ice cream in your freezers) and a more empty than not bottle of Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Burbon Whiskey.

Should be fun. :-p

I have read the most awesome fantasy series in quote some time. The Old Kingdom trilogy, by Garth Nix comes highly, highly recommended by me. I can only hope he'll write more in this series soon.

You belong in House Gentian. You're intrigued by
dreams and mystical phenomena, you seek what is
pure. Your motto is "Truth and
vision."


Where in the Night Court do you belong?
brought to you by Quizilla

20 Questions to being a better person (both taken from Jeannie's blog, who got it from Tam, the Goddess of these things)

Your score as a human being is 77.3.


Middle of the road, eh? Does that mean you're yellow? Yellow as a salamander frying on blacktop? Yellow as a urinal cake? Yellow as a delicious marshmallow Peep? Mmmm. Peep. Sometimes I think if it weren't for Just Born candy, I would just expel my life force and expire. Hot Tamales. Mike and Ikes.

But I digress.

Nicely done. You are robustly average, and I approve of it.

20 Questions to a better personality
You are an SECF--Sober Emotional Constructive Follower. This makes you a hippie. You are passionate about your causes and steadfast in your commitments. Once you've made up your mind, no one can convince you otherwise. Your politics are left-leaning, and your lifestyle choices decidedly temperate and chaste.

You do tremendous work when focused, but usually you operate somewhat distracted. You blow hot and cold, and while you normally endeavor on the side of goodness and truth, you have a massive mean streak which is not to be taken lightly. You don't get mad, you get even.

Please don't get even with this web site.

Whoa, that last one is pretty dead on

I'm jealous of Dawn and Tam. They're writing. I have ideas and scenes rattling in my head that scurry away like rats when I try to put them down. I hate that.

Between the weather and the non-existant workload, my brain is turning to mush.

Meet your new local library volunteer. :-)

I, being a Virgo and therefore somewhat anal about such things, am in the process of re-ordering all 494 entries in my NetFlix queue. Should take me at least the rest of the day. :-p

Sent back "Samurai X: Reflections" unwatched. I just cannot make myself watch Kenshin and Kaoru die.

"Deep Space 9: season 1 disc 2" and "Final Fantasy Unlimited: disc 1" are at home.

Next 10 in the queue:
1) Cadfael: The Holy Thief
2) DS9 season 1 disc 3
3) Metallica S&M disc 1
4) Out of Time (Denzel Washington rules, no matter what he's in)
5) DS9 season 1 disc 4
6) Ghost in the Shell (the sequal should be hitting American shores at some point; I fully expect Columbia NOT to get it)
7) Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury (maybe; the wait on this one is pretty long, I may see it at Janice's when she rents it before NetFlix gets it to me)
8) DS9 season 1 disc 5
9) Justice League (I keep hearing good things about this cartoon)
10) The Emporer and the Assassin (Chinese movie)

Work has been sucking ass. I won't go into details, but I will say I'm seriously starting to eyeball my resume and the classified ads. I can't work if no-one there will talk to me and keep me informed on what's going on.

I'm back in FF VII. Just met Cait Sith and ended up in Corel Prison. I spent nearly an hour running around getting Yuffie before we hit Junon. I was determined to get her before we moved on, no matter what level I ended up at. Yuffie does some kick ass damage out of the box, more than Tifa or even Barrett. Plus, I renamed her after my neice Raven, so I have to use her. ;-) Vincent will definitely be renamed Izzy (for the 3 people who read this who'll get it).

I've restarted Final Fantasy VII, and it suddenly hit me: the guy in Cloud's head, talking to him, is Zack. When the voice says, "I haven't slept in a bed like this since that time." and you flashback, it suddenly clicked. It doesn't explain everything, but it's a start.

Watched the first of the Deep Space Nine discs. I'd forgotten how much Avery Brooks kicked ass as Commander Sisko. Can't wait for more to come in.

Stephanie: Is it OK if I steal her at 11 for lunch?
Me (thinking): Sure, if that's when you'll really leave for lunch.

Considering the pattern from the past week, I think they might get out at 11:45.

At 11:20, my co-worker instant messages me, asking if her leaving at 11:30 for lunch would interfere with my lunch. No, I say, I go to lunch at 1pm.

It's now 11:50 with them still here, and her lunch break is damn sure going to interfere with mine, considering that when they go out, they can't keep it to an hour.

Stephanie brought her son to work again. Apparently, he just didn't want to go to daycare, or something. So now I'm in charge of babysitting?

I think I've done something wrong with my chocobo breeding in FF VII. I can't seem to get Good and Great Cho's anymore... all I get is average. I may have to quit this, play something else, then start over.

I also need Vin Diesel posters. *nods self*

How to make a Jennifer

Ingredients: 3 parts success 3 parts self-sufficiency 1 part joy

Method: Combine in a tall glass half filled with crushed ice. Add a little sadness if desired!

Username:

Personality cocktail
From Go-Quiz.com

All right now, these damn things need to stop reading my mind...

How to make a JLSigman

Ingredients: 5 parts intelligence 1 part crazyiness 3 parts

Method: Stir together in a glass tumbler with a salted rim. Serve with a slice of lovability and a pinch of salt. Yum!

Username:

Personality cocktail
From Go-Quiz.com

I have to laugh at the last one... 3 parts what? I'm sure others can fill that in in many different ways.

RIP Ray Charles. Thanks for the music.

I am looking at a $1100+ raise. :-)

The firm loves me.

Now, if I can just get the network guys to trust me, I'll be fine. :-p

Time for me to start getting on the ball about watching my NetFlix DVDs... the first disc of the first season of "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" is on the way. I plan to make my way through all 7 seasons, one disc at a time. I've got them coming every 3rd disc, with much anime one-shots and movies in between.

And I'm on disc 3 of FF VII, with FF Tactics, FF VIII, and Xenosaga waiting in the wings.

And I'm one of the leaders of my clan on Aardwolf, which means I do have to log in there at least daily to keep up with things.

And I need to go to work. And sleep.

I think I need at least 5 more hours in the day. :-p Or I need to hit the lottery.

Holy crap, I'm listening to one of the coolest CDs on the planet. "The Black Mages", a band that I think Nobuo Uematsu has a hand on, playing rock version of Final Fantasy battle music.

Dawn, when I get paid next week, I'll finally get that CD out to you I've been meaning to. Really. :-p

Nichols more committed to religion, sister testifies, so everyone should be nice to him.

Fuck off. Him "finding God" doesn't change the fact he helped bomb 160+ people to death.

(bows in Aaron McGruder's general direction)

$50 and two hours later, I have a diagnosis of Phlebitis in my left wrist area and massive antibiotics to counter it.

No, I never do anything half-way, why do you ask?

Bah, now I know why I woke up in a foul mood... I should be in St. Petersburg at the Jefferson Memorial tournament, seeing Jeremy Lopez wrestle for the first time in almost 2 years.

Instead, I'm stuck here with negative personal leave.

"And you know, if you should ever call my name
I'll be right there"
Anastacia, You'll Never Be Alone

I deal with a lot of #3 and #18 at this job... ;-)

The Washington Post's Style Invitational once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

Here are this year's winners:

1. Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

2. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

3. Bozone (n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

4. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.

5. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period.

6. Giraffiti (n): Vandalism spray-painted very, very high.

7. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it.

8. Inoculatte (v): To take coffee intravenously when you are running late.

9. Hipatitis (adj): Terminal coolness.

10. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (This one got extra credit.)

11. Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer.

12. Decafalon (n.): The grueling event of getting through the day consuming only things that are good for you.

13. Glibido: All talk and no action. See also, Amarosa.

14. Dopeler effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

15. Arachnoleptic fit (n.): The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

16. Beelzebug (n.): Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at three in the morning and cannot be cast out.

17. Caterpallor (n.): The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you're eating.

And the pick of the literature:

18. Ignoranus(adj): A person who's both stupid and an asshole.

*glares at the phone* I am not in for another 30 minutes.

And even then, I don't think I'm in. I slept like shit last night, and I'm barely functioning now.

But, on the good side, this three-cheese pizza from the Rising High Bread Company is pretty damn tasty.

Final Fantasy VII rant ahead, do feel free to skip if you're not interested.

I'm just at the beginning of disc 2, and my main thought is, "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!?!?"

Jenova isn't an Ancient, but an alien? So Sephiroth is maybe half-Ancient half-Jenova? And WTF is up with Cloud? "You are..... a puppet." A puppet for whom? I'm so confused...

And I hope my snowboarding time/score doesn't have too much of an effect on the game. Man, I brought teh suck to that. ;-)

It's ba-ack...

BOOK 11:
Goddess of Hate: Hey, Greeks, go kick some ass!
Greeks: You got it!
Rest of the Gods: *pout*
Zeus: *gets popcorn and settles in to watch*
Agememnon: *kills a lot of Trojans*
Zeus: OK, Isis, tell Hector to hang back until Agememnon gets hit. Then he should
come up and fight and I'll let him drive the Greeks all the way back to their ships.
Hector: OK *riles up Trojans*
Koon: *stabs Agememnon*
Agememnon: OUCH! *kills Koon* OK, that's it, I'm outta here
Hector: Alrighty, then, let's kick some Greek ass!
Trojans: You got it!
Hector: *kills a lot of Greeks*
Odysseus: Come on, stand your ground!
Diomedes: We'll try, but Zeus hates us today
Zeus: *slurps a soda*
Diomedes: *dents Hector's helmet*
Hector: Ouch! *runs off in chariot*
Diomedes: Cowardly dog!
Paris: *shoots Diomedes in the foot*
Diomedes: Damn elf!
Odysseus: *pulls out arrow*
Diomedes: *heads for the ships*
Odysseus: Damn. If I run I'm a coward, if I stand I'm dead. Guess I'll stand.
Sokos: *stabs Odysseus*
Odysseus: OUCH! *kills Sokos* Help!
Menelaus: Coming!
Ajax: Me too!
Paris: *shoots Machaon*
Machaon* OUCH!
Nestor: We are SO out of here... MEDIC!
Hector: Charge!
Zeus: *eats some Milk Duds*
Ajax: Ah, crap...
Achilles: Hmm, looks like the Greeks are getting their asses kicked... Patroclus!
Patroclus: What?
Achilles: Go find out who Nestor just brought in.
Patroclus: Hmmm, it's Machaon
Nestor: What does Achilles care? Hey, why don't you go put on his armor, you're just as good as he is?
Patroclus: Ooh, sounds interesting...

I took the time to go through my NetFlix queue, and I ended up deteling about 10 - 15 films. If I went, "What movie is that?" and then looked at the synopsis and said, "Why the heck did I pick this?" I removed it. Down to 487 now, I think. ;-)

I also sent a freebie trial to my parents. Might as well share the addiction. ;-)

I think I'm going to have to send "Seven Samurai" back unwatched. I've had it since the end of April, and simply cannot find 3 1/2 hours to sit down and watch a film. I'm too distracted by other things right now.

Nice thing is, once it gets back there, I just put it back in the list and maybe reshuffle it somwhere.

Wow, Final Fantasy VII is... very dark. I've left Midgar and stowed away on the President's ship to the Western Continent. Along the way I've learned a bit about Sephiroth and the Cetra, and Jenova, and this is going somewhere completely insane by the time it's over. Should be a hell of a ride.

MY INCISION ITCHES!!!

GAH!

Must... not... scratch...

Climate movie favors fantasy over fact.

Well, no shit, Sherlock. It's A MOVIE. MOOOO-VEEEEEE. Ya know, not real? As in, doesn't have to favor fact?

Sheesh...

From my evaluation -

Additional Comments: Jennifer came to us with a wealth of experience plus an undergraduate degree in Math & Computer Science. Her experience and education far exceeds that of her peers and in the position she presently fills. This has resulted in some conflict, petty sniping and some exclusion in social situations from her peers. In all of this she has never complained nor has she let it affect her work or demeanor. She is very well thought of and respected by her upper echelons and most users. Her personality tends to defuse hostile and stressed situations. I’ve had many positive comments about her from attorneys in particular.

Jennifer displays great leadership qualities & I am hopeful we can retain her here for a long time.

Well, did it. Hit 500 on NetFlix. I think I need to not go to that webpage for, oh, a year. ;-)

OK, I think I've got the comment thing worked out. If not, Blogger's getting an email. ;-)

Testing... your attention please... the tension soon as someone mentions me...

(checking the comments thing)

Added a comments thing. We'll see how long it lasts.

Whoo! Made it most of the way through the day (I'll probably get out of here 30 minutes early). That's despite the main server crashing twice in the last 90 minutes, and the web server taking frequent smoke breaks. I don't feel too bad, actually.

Found this on Kurt's blog.

Informationi

JLSigman is a restricted area. Authorised personel only

Username:

From Go-Quiz.com

Troy in 15 minutes or less

Holy shit, this is funny. I shouldn't be laughing this hard, considering I got cut open a week ago, but I can't help it. Go read it.

Watching Raven try to play Mario Kart (or something like that) at the Game Stop yesterday was too cute. She's 6 1/2 (and very insistant on the 1/2) and quite the adorable blonde freckled little girl. One of the guys in the shop showed her how to hold the controller and move the thing around, and hilarity insues as she careens off walls and goes very fast in the wrong direction. Then we went to the library and she signed herself up for the summer reading program. Then we go to the Thai Lotus for their lunch buffet and she uses chopsticks.

I'll be heading in to work today... we'll see how long that lasts. ;-)

The removal of the staples was about as pleasant as you can expect. :-p Fortunately, my wound did not start stretching open immediately afterwards, so I can look forward to 2 - 3 weeks of steri-strips over the site.

The stitches around the stoma dissolve in a couple of weeks.

I'm crazy/bored enough to try to go to work tomorrow.

RIP Owen Hart.

I wonder what you'd be doing now.

Sorry I didn't type more while I was in the hospital, but it's hard to do so when you have an IV needles stuck in the back of your hand.

I'm doing OK. I'm in some pain, but not a lot of pain, and it's getting easier to move each time I try. I have staples from my belly button on down, stitches around my stoma, some scratches and abrasions on my abdomen, a hellacious bruise on my right arm from a heparin shot, and a smaller bruise on the inside of my right elbow from a blood draw. My stomach muscles are weak (coughing is a joke), and my back muscles are tight from holding myself funny.

But the fistula is gone. Removed. Not coming back. And there's no sign of inflammation anywhere else, so it wasn't Crohn's. I'll pay this price gladly.

twiddling thumbs

I hate waiting for the doctor...

Surgery went fine.

I should be home tomorrow.

I've got 2 1/2 inches of staples in me.

Will type more once they take the IV out of the back of my hand.

The bills are paid, I've showed and shaved, I'm packed.

"Let's get it on!"

I'm here slowly enjoying my last cup of coffee. It'll be days before I get another one, or at least another decent one. Sorry, but my coffee is NOT a clear liquid. Neither is Dad's, who taught me to make coffee. Neither was Grandma's, who's coffee was perfectly capable of more intelligent thought that most people.

I'm alright
Nobody worry 'bout me
Why you wanna give me a fight?
Why don't you just let me be?

Things to do today: (other than the prep stuff, which starts full force at noon) watch "King of Texas" or "Seven Samurai"; watch "Kenshin"; shave (it's the polite thing to do); finish up some laundey (so I have all my scrubs to take to the hospital); update my MP3 player.

And if the prep gets bad, I've got Phenergan, anti-nausea medicine that is gaurenteed to knock you out.

Damn, I wish I had DSL right about now... I'm feeling the need for some random JPop. Inspired by FF X-2, no doubt.

A report from the University of South Carolina says the state needs to do more to assure racial equality.

Well, no shit, Sherlock. You taken a peek inside the upper echelons of state government lately? Or the rosters of the biggest law firms (mine included, unfortunately)? How's about who's on top in USC?

Egads... there has either been some weird reverse-evaporation of this old whiskey, leaving nothing BUT the alcohol behind, or I'm WAAAY out of practice drinking this stuff...

NOAA says we're all gonna die this summer or something. Didn't they say this last year?

*pours a shot*

I figure this is my last chance to get drunk for a while, might as well take it. ;-)

Oh, and I'm ticked at myself. I didn't even think to check about whether or not old PS1 games could save on PS2 memory cards. The answer is no. I'll have to get one and start FF VII over.

BOOK 10:
Agememnon: Damn, what am I going to do? Menelaos, wake up!
Menelaos: What, you want someone to go look at the Trojans?
Agememnon: We need a plan. Go wake up the captains and meet us by the sentries.
Menelaos: OK.
Agememnon: Hey, Nestor wake up!
Nestor: What?
Agememnon: We need a plan.
Nestor: OK, go round up Diomedes, Aias, and the rest and let's go plan. Wake up, Diomedes!
Diomedes: What, damnit, I was sleeping.
Nestor: Meeting time
Nestor: OK, let's send a couple of folks out to the Trojan camp to spy. Any volunteers?
Diomedes: Oh, me! I'll go!
Nestor: OK, pick a partner
Diomesdes: I choose you, Odysseus!
Odysseus: Sweet, let's go! Athena, watch over me, OK?
Diomedes: Yeah, me too
Hector: Hmmm, we should send someone to go spy on them. The winner will get a chariot and two good horses from the Greeks after we kill them all.
Dolon: OH! Pick me!
Hector: OK, have fun
Odyssues: Hey, who's that sneaking off? Let's go get him!
Dolon: EEEK! *runs*
Diomedes: *throws spear and pins him to the ground*
Dolon: *cries* Don't kill me!
Odysseus: We won't if you tell us what you were doing out here.
Dolon: Spying! Hector would give me a prize for spying!
Odysseus: Oh really? Where's Hector?
Dolon: Holding a meeting over behind that funeral mound
Odysseus: And how is everyone camped out?
Dolon: Well, these Thracians just showed up ove there... Now, can we go so you can hold me for random?
Diomedes: SUCKER! *kills Dolon*
Odysseus: OK, there's the guys like he said, let's kill them and steal their horses
Diomedes: OK
Thracians: *die*
Nestor: Hey, what am I hearing, a lot of horses?
Odysseus: Lookit what we did!
Greeks: *cheer*

DAD HAS A JOB!!!!

Thursday I couldn't get to here from work, Friday I was home feeling sorry for myself, Saturday was Wildside, yesterday was Troy.

Life happens.

Today is a long day at work, tomorrow is prep, Wednesday is surgery.

Life goes on.

BOOK 9:
Agememnon: OK, let's go home
Diomedes: Say what?
Nestor: Look, let's go eat and hold council.
Greeks: OK
Nestor: Ya know, you should make up with Achilles, we need him around.
Agememnon: You're right. I'll give him 7 girls, tons of gold, one of my own daughters to marry, and 20 girls other than Helen when we sack Troy.
Nestor: Sounds good. OK, Phoinix, Aias, and Odysseus, go talk to him
P, A, O: OK
Achilles: Dudes! Good to see you! Here, eat something.
Odysseus: Thanks. Now, look, Agememnon is gonna give you a bunch of uber-l00t, will you come back a fight?
Achilles: No
Phoinix: come on, Achilles, I raised you from a baby boy, you know better than this, come back!
Achilles: No
Aias: Oh, the hell with him, let's go
Achilles: Yeah, go tell Agememnon he sucks and I won't come help.
Agememnon: Well?
Odysseus: No go.
Diomedes: That jerk! Well, we'll just do without him.

BOOK 8:
Zeus: All right. I'm going to go down there. Anyone else come down there, I'll kill you. Comprende?
Athena: *pouts*
Zeus: *holds up scales* OK, today the Greeks lose. *zaps Greeks*
Greeks: *flee*
Diomedes: Hey, come back here!
Zeus: *zaps Greeks*
Nestor: Diomedes, let's go
Diomedes: But they'll call me names!
Nestor: Who cares, let's GO!
Hector: You wimp!
Diomedes: grrrrr...
Zeus: *zaps Diomedes*
Diomedes: OK, we go
Hector: Woo-hoo! Let's go get 'em!
Hera: *whines*
Poseidon: Nope, not crossing Zeus, don't even ask.
Trojans: *kill*
Agememnon: Come on, you dogs, fight!
Zeus: OK, enough interfering for one day
Agememnon: Teukros, can't you shoot Hector?
Teukros: I'm trying, but he's cheating *kills Gorgythion*
Hector: ARG! *kills Teukros*
Trojans: *kill*
Greeks: *flee*
Hera: DAMNIT, I can't take anymore! Let's go, Athena
Athena: Sounds like a plan
Zeus: Isis, remind them that that's not a good idea.
Isis: OK. Have you two lost your minds? Hera, this is normal for you, but Athena, you really should know better.
Hera: Um, change of plan, let's go
Zeus: Awww, are you two pouting?
Hera: Shut up, old man
Zeus: Oh, calm down, it won't go on forever
Hector: OK, night time, let's party out here
Trojans: Sounds like a plan!

Boss walks in loftily telling me that a document someone's having problems with is not an old document, and that "looking into these things with VNC helps".

FUCK YOU. FUCK YOU. You know fucking well I don't pass on shit without VNCing someone. Besides, how the fuck did I get the screenshot of the error on her screen if I wasn't VNC'd into her computer?

I need a new job.

I'm in a bad mood today. Probably the thunderstorm that's been going on for the last three hours. Probably also the fact that users are being rude and about to make me want to kill them. Probably also because I'm broke and want to go eat out, but I really don't want to put any more on my credit card than I already have.

I want to go home. I've got the FF X soundtrack playing. I want to go back to Spira, see Auron, smack around Seymour, and shelter Yuna.

Ieyui
Nobomeno
Renmiri
Yojuyogo
Hasatekanae
Kutamae

BOOK 7:
Paris: *kill*
Hector: *kill*
Trojans: *kill*
Apollo: Athena, look, let's have a champ from each side fight
Athena: Sounds good to me
Helenos: Hector, I heard the gods talking, challenge one of the Greeks
Hector: OK. Hey, Greeks, pick someone to fight me
Greeks: *cower*
Menelaos: Y'all suck, I'll do it
Agememnon: No, you can't! We'll get someone else to do it.
Nestor: Man, y'all suck. If I was younger, I'd go kick his ass.
Agememnon: OK, we'll draw lots.
Aias: Sweet! I win! I get to kick his ass! Hey, Hector, that moper Achilles isn't our only champion!
Hector: Aw, shut up and bring it.
Aias: *fight*
Hector: *fight*
Idaios: Hmmm, this could go on forever, and it's about eating time. All right, boys, break it up, that's enough!
Aias: Make him stop first
Hector: OK, it's chow time, we'll do this again later. Here's my sword.
Aias: Here's my loin-cloth, see ya later.
Trojans: *feast*
Greeks: *feast*
Nestor: Ya know, we really should do something about all those dead bodies out there.
Greeks: Good idea
Antenor: Let's give Helen and all the treasure back, we're gonna lose
Paris: I'll give back the treasure, but Helen stays
King Priam: Look, let's go eat. Idaios, go down to the Greeks and see if we can spend a day getting our dead.
Idaios: Hey, Greeks, we'll give up the treasure, but not Helen. And can we burn our dead tomorrow?
Agememnon: We take all or nothing. And yeah, take a day to burn the dead.
Greeks: *burn dead*
Trojans: *burn dead*
Greeks: *build moat and wall around ships*
Poseidon: They built a wall and didn't sacrifice to me?!?
Zeus: Would you shut up? You can tear it down when they're done.

Whoops! Forgot to give the answers to these. ;-)

1) "For time will catch us in both hands / To blow away like grains of sand / Ashes to ashes, rust to dust / This is what becomes of us" - "Primitive", Annie Lennox, Diva
2) "Powers, keep on lying / While the people keep on dying" - "Higher Ground", Red Hot Chili Peppers
3) "From this fire there's no returning / No escape, your heart is burning / Love becomes a lethel weapon / No-one is too smart in affairs of the heart" - "Affairs of the Heart", Emerson Lake & Palmer, Black Moon
4) "So don't mind if I fall apart / There's more room in a broken heart" - "Coming Around Again", Carly Simon
5) "Emptyness is filling me / To the point of agony" - "Fade to Black", Metallica, Ride the Lightning
6) "But just like things, they can't afford credit / Time catches up and you have to pay" - "Glamour Boys", Living Colour, Pride
7) "Have you ever loved someone so much you thought your little heart was going to break in two?" - "Baby Did a Bad Thing", Chris Isaak, Eyes Wide Shut soundtrack
8) "Can't you see me here, mama / Mama / Mama / Mama, please / Can't you feel my heart? / Oh, can't you feel my heart?" - "Mama", Genesis, Genesis
9) "Feeling like I have no release" - "Freak on a Leash", Korn
10) "Here we belong / Fighting to survive / In a war with the darkest power" - "Princes of the Universe", Queen
11) "You've given me the best of you / Now I need the rest of you" - "This Is the Time to Remember", Billy Joel
12) "I never forgot it / Confusing as it was / No fun with no guilt feelings" - "Forgiven", Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill
13) "What was his mission? / Where was he going? / Why was his heart-light always glowing?" - "Rocketown", Michael W. Smith
14) "Turning, I return him to some second place and time" - "Take My Breath Away", Berlin, Top Gun soundtrack
15) "Feeling alone / And your all alone / Flesh and blood by the telephone / Pick up the receiver / I'll make you a believer" - "Personal Jesus", Depeche Mode
16) "How can you just walk away from me / When all I can do is watch you leave?" - "Against All Odds", Phil Collins
17) "History shows again and again / How nature points out the follies of men" - "Godzilla", Blue Oyster Cult
18) "Love, if you're there come save me / From all this cold despair / I can hang when you're around / But I'll surely die if you're not there" - "Thieves In the Temple", Prince, Grafitti Bridge
19) "How much difference does it make?" - "Indifference", Pearl Jam
20) "Time's up / Workers have no life / Time's up / The world is full of strife / Time's up / The sky is falling / Time's up / The Lord is calling" - "Time's Up", Living Colour, Pride

MORE Iliad! ;-)

BOOK 6:
Greeks: *kill*
Trojans: *die*
Adrestos: Don't kill me! Dad'll pay you random!
Menelaos: Oh, OK
Agememnon: Don't be stupid: *kills Adrestos*
Greeks: *kill*
trojans: *flee*
Helenos: Hmmm, Hector, go tell our mother to offer some sacrifices to the gods
Hector: OK. Trojans, hang on a second, I'll be right back!
Diomedes: Who are you?
Glaukos: I'm Hippilokhos's son, decended from a god
Diomedes: Hey, cool, your grand-dad and my grand-dad were friends! Let's not kill each other. Here, take my armor. I'll take yours.
Glaukos: OK
Trojan wives: How's our men?
Hector: Go pray to the gods
Hekabe: What're you doing home?
Hector: Mom, go pray to Athena that she'll stop Diomedes from kicking all our asses while I try to pry Paris out of Helen's bed.
Hekabe: OK. Hey, Athena, cut us some slack!
Athena: *ignore*
Hector: Paris, get yer ass out and fight!
Paris: I will, I will...
Helen: Why didn't I die at birth? Hector, come sit with me.
Hector: Um, no. I'm off to find my wife.
Andromakhe: Damnit, you're going to leave me all alone and make our son an orphen!
Hector: Sorry.
Paris: OK, I'm ready to go
Hector: I think I'm getting a migraine...

Closed the Dell Preferred account. Looked at the last statement and realized that the interest is 26.25%. Also, if I end up needing to finance a new heating and air system, I don't need that account (which I haven't used in forever) hanging out there.

To be honest, I don't really like any of the new templates, so I'll keep this one. I'm also lazy, so that way I don't have to re-do all my linkage. ;-)

Whoa. This new Blogger set-up might take some getting used to. More later.

I've either been too busy or too brain dead to do much of this today...

BOOK 5:
Greeks: *kill*
Trojans: *die*
Diomedes: OUCH
Pandaros: Damn I shoot good
Diomedes: Athena! He's cheating!
Athena: Go kill them, then!
Diomedes: OK *kills Trojans*
Aineias: Will you kill him?
Pandaros: I'm trying, but he's cheating!
Aineias: Get in the chariot, we'll do a drive-by
Pandaros: OK, homes
Aineias: *drives*
Pandaros: *misses with spear*
Diomedes: Yoo suck *kills Pandaros* And yoo, too *tries to kill Aineias*
Aphrodite: Not my baby! *spirits Aineias away*
Diomedes: Damnit! *stabs Aphrodite*
Aphrodite: OUCH!! *cries* *runs away*
Dione: Baby! Who hurt you?
Aphrodite: Diomedes is a meany!
Dione: Athena r suxor, and Diomedes will die soon
Hera: Wimp
Zeus: Aphrodite, butt out of the war
Diomedes: Damnit! *stabs at Apollo*
Apollo: Is you crazy? Ares, go stir up the Trojans to kick his ass!
Ares: OK
Trojans: *kill*
Agememnon: Come on, you lousy Greeks, kill!
Greeks: OK *kill*
Tojans: *kill*
Diomedes: Um, retreat!
Greeks: *die*
Hera: *whine*
Zeus: Oh, fine, go kick Ares's ass, Athena
Hera: You Greeks suck, go kick their asses!
Athena: Diomedes, you OK?
Diomedes: I'll live.
Athena: Good, now let's go get Ares
Ares: OWIE!!! Zeus, he hurt me, go get him!
Zeus: Shut up

BOOK 4:
Zeus: Can't we all just get along?
Hera: Trojens r suxor
Zeus: Oh, fine, do what you want
Hera & Athena: Whee!
Athena: Hey, you, shoot Menelaos
Pandaros: OK
Menelaos: OUCH!
Agememnon: Yoo dead! I sorry! I avenge!
Menelaos: It's just a flesh wound
Agememnon: Is there a doctor in the house?
Makhaon: Yup
Agememnon: OK, let's go inspect the troops. Odysseus, yoo suck!
Odysseus: Piss off
Agememnon: Just kidding, you da man
Greeks: *kill*
Trojans: *eek*
Apollo: Trojans, ya'll suck
Trojans: Sorry, *kill*

BOOK 3
Paris: I'll fight any of you!
Menelaos: OK!
Paris: Um, except you *flee*
Hector: You wimp!
Paris: Yup. OK, I'll fight him, but alone, winner take all
Hector: That's my boy! OK with you?
Menelaos: OK with me!
Isis: Go watch!
Helen: OK
King Priam: Who dat?
Helen: Aegememnon
King Priam: He cool. Who dat?
Helen: Odyssues
King Priam: He cool, too.
Servant: Let's go watch
King Priam: OK
Agememnon: *kills sheep* If you win, we go. If we win, we take all and then some.
King Priam: Paris is doomed. I'm leaving.
Aphrodite: Mean Menelaos, don't hurt pretty! *spirits away Paris*
Aphrodite: Hey, Helen, he's alone in bed
Helen: Piss off
Aphrodite: Don't make me hurt you
Helen: *eek* Hey, Paris, whatcha doing home so early?
Paris: Oh, shut up and come here, I'm horny
Agememnon: You cheated, therefore you all dead

I am never ordering from Jimmy John's again.

First, the guy shows up and tells me they don't take checks. Um, since when?

So then he calls in my debit card number. Now, 30 minutes later, he hasn't shown up with the slip for me to sign.

I finally (thanks for taking a 20 minute break when I go to lunch, Sandra) take a sip of the tea, and it's sweet tea, not unsweet. I call them, they say the guy has already left. She waffles about what they can do about it.

I know what I'm going to do about it...

edited to add: OH! And the fuckers don't bring napkins.

CHARACTER LIST (QUITE helpful!) I've printed this out so I can keep track of who's who. Working on Book 3 now. ;-) When I'm done, I'll clean it up and have it up in order for you to ignore. ;-)

The Iliad, Book 2, the short form

Zeus: *sends dreams*
Nestor-dream: Leave here, Agamemnon
Agememnon: Dream says leave, see ya!
Soldiers: Huh?
Hera: *whines*
Athena: OK, I'll stop them. Hey, Odysseus, don't let them leave
Odysseus: OK. Ya'll stop.
Thersites: Yoo suck, I wanna go home
Odysseus: *whack*
Thersites: *cries*
Odysseus: What's up, Agememnon?
Agememnon: It's Zeus's fault! We'll stay.
Soldiers: Huh?
Agememnon: *slaughers ox* Hey, Zeus, yoo rule, can we win?
Zeus: We'll see.
Greeks: *march on Troy*
Isis: Hector, go kick their asses!
Hector: OK

I'm reading The Iliad, and I think I can make it into a thing like the Silmarilion in 1000 words of less thing.

BOOK 1:
Agamemnon: Want chick!
Khyses: Give her back
Agamemnon: Want chick!
Khyses: Apollo, he won't give daughter back!
Apollo: *kills Greeks*
Achilles: Give chick back!
Agamemnon: OK, but give me your chick instead
Achilles: *pouts* Mom, he stole my chick!
Thetis: *sigh* Hang on. Zeus, punish Agamemnon
Zeus: *sigh* Hera will hate me, but OK
Hera: ZEUS!
Zeus: Shut up, Hera

OK, this one takes a little explaining, so bear with me. A week or so ago, a user sent an email to the Help Desk saying that every time she turned on her computer, she got a bunch of errors before she could log in and it was making her late clocking in. I called her, but she couldn't remember what any of them were, so I told her to call the next time she tried to log in so we could see them.

Monday I sent her an email asking if she was still having problems, since I hadn't heard from her. She said they were still coming up, and to get around it she simply never turned off her computer. And that point, I turned it over to my boss, since she wasn't being cooperaive.

The person's boss, a really bitchy lawyer, sent an email to my boss saying that I had told the user to print out the errors, and that I often didn't have answers so they would go to Stephanie.

Mr. Bill is ticked. He says that if they were going to Stephanie, she should have been coming to me or him. He thinks that she's putting me down again to other people, like she did right after I got here.

And there's no other jobs for me to leave here and take instead. *sigh* I hate this shit.

20 more lyrics! This time I'll follow Rich's path and just skip the instrumentals.

1) "For time will catch us in both hands / To blow away like grains of sand / Ashes to ashes, rust to dust / This is what becomes of us"
2) "Powers, keep on lying / While the people keep on dying"
3) "From this fire there's no returning / No escape, your heart is burning / Love becomes a lethel weapon / No-one is too smart in affairs of the heart"

skip instrumental

4) "So don't mind if I fall apart / There's more room in a broken heart"
5) "Emptyness is filling me / To the point of agony"
6) "But just like things, they can't afford credit / Time catches up and you have to pay"

skip instrumental

7) "Have you ever loved someone so much you thought your little heart was going to break in two?"

skip instrumental (yes, I have a lot of these)

8) "Can't you see me here, mama / Mama / Mama / Mama, please / Can't you feel my heart? / Oh, can't you feel my heart?"
9) "Feeling like I have no release"
10) "Here we belong / Fighting to survive / In a war with the darkest power"
11) "You've given me the best of you / Now I need the rest of you"
12) "I never forgot it / Confusing as it was / No fun with no guilt feelings"
13) "What was his mission? / Where was he going? / Why was his heart-light always glowing?"
14) "Turning, I return him to some second place and time"
15) "Feeling alone / And your all alone / Flesh and blood by the telephone / Pick up the receiver / I'll make you a believer"
16) "How can you just walk away from me / When all I can do is watch you leave?"
17) "History shows again and again / How nature points out the follies of men"
18) "Love, if you're there come save me / From all this cold despair / I can hang when you're around / But I'll surely die if you're not there"
19) "How much difference does it make?"
20) "Time's up / Workers have no life / Time's up / The world is full of strife / Time's up / The sky is falling / Time's up / The Lord is calling"

See the ThinkGeek banner up top? Buy stuff from them through that link, and I eventually get a very small kickback. Feel free to support your local sick psycho wrestling-fan chick type person. ;-)