(no subject)

Something funny I noticed. When I boot into Windows 2000, the startup screen informs me that Windows 2000 was "built with NT Technology." But the thing is, since NT stands for "New Technology," that's actually redundant. It's saying "Built on New Technology Technology."

Well, I thought it was funny, anyway...

A friend challenged me to a game of Laser Squad Nemesis tonight, so I downloaded it and booted into Windows to try it out. It looks like fun, sort of like a more-advanced version of the email Xcom game we used to play--however, my emailed turns aren't making it through to him for some reason; I don't know if it's that the game server is down or that my SMTP thing has some problem, but either way, no matter what I do, the turns don't seem to be getting through to him.

I guess we'll try again tomorrow or something. Right now, I need to go to bed. Have to drive down to Cassville tomorrow.

bleh

I may have to postpone my excursion after all; I just woke up nauseous, and subsequently had to, um, make an oral sacrifice at the altar of the porcelain god. Bleah. That hasn't happened in a while.

Have to see how I'm feeling in a few hours. I hope it's just something I ate disagreeing with me, and not an actual bug.

Status Report

Well, I didn't seem to have any relapses or other illness episodes after this morning. I guess it really was something I ate. In a way, I'm sort of glad I had to feed the toilet. It sure made me a lot more grateful to be feeling reasonably healthy the rest of the day so far!

And here I am, logging in to leave some remarks from the old homeplace. The parents aren't home, though; Mom's at work and Thursday is marktime's day to do the town stuff. Luckily, there's a spare house key. :) Depending on when Dad gets back, I might not even see him. I'm sure he'll be sorry to have missed me, if so, but it's not like my visits are exactly rare occurrences. Besides, I'm visiting here to pick up some things, anyway, not for a home visit. There'll be time for that later on.

I started down at about 11 to visit the Cassville courthouse and get some things done. Then I headed back in to the parentals' house by the back way. Well, actually I always thought of it as the front way back when I was going to school here, but it's the back way now since I use the former back way more often. I don't often get to drive that stretch of road anymore since I no longer live with the folks; it was interesting to drive it again. The really interesting thing was how "tame" it seemed compared to the roads around where I now live and normally drive. Part of that is that I live in a city, of course, but I guess part of it is also that I'm intimately familiar with the road. I know its every curve, so to speak.

As I drove it, I thought about all the time I spent on that road riding the school bus in and out and in and out of town. Must have been hundreds or even thousands of hours sitting there on those green-upholstered seats. I have to wonder if, if I hadn't lived an hour and a half away from school, I would have read as much when I was a kid. Back in the day, there really wasn't much else to do for all that three hours a day of bus ride. But it was a great time for reading, I'll say that. I almost wish I had that time again, now that I've got a whole stack of books I ought to read but not much time to do it.

Another oddly random thought, that came to mind as I was filling up on gas for the drive down and back--isn't it funny how gas prices are? We'll drive through town, looking at gas prices on the placards, playing the "priceline" game of trying to decide whether to buy here or wait and maybe get it for a little less later on...but you know, when you stop and think about it, the difference between $1.279 a gallon and $1.259 a gallon is less than a quarter when you're buying 12 gallons. Is the hassle and worry really worth that? And yet, I'm as guilty of it as anyone else. I suppose that in a world of many costs and bills, the notion that there's a bill we have at least partial control over is enough to drive us to behave a bit irrationally.

Anyway, now I need to rummage through my room and find a bunch of old books I can mark with the BookCrossing labels I have in my car and leave or donate places. I need to be heading back up to Springfield in an hour at most in order to get the car inspected before the auto center closes, then up to Park Central Square to register it. Oh, and pick up my paycheck and scribble down my work schedule for tomorrow and Sunday, too...hey, why am I wasting time journalizing?

As Invader Zim put it, "I have much to do! Soooo much!" So, later!

Running around

It's been a day of annoying runaround all around, it has.

After I left the folks' place, I headed back up to Springfield, arriving at about 3:00 the franchise of my retail chain positioned in the southwest of town--it's the only one that has an auto center, and thus the place I headed to get the work done, employee that I am and all. When I got there, the guy behind the counter said they were two hours behind schedule, meaning they wouldn't get to it 'til an hour after they stopped doing them. He suggested I take the car across the street to the auto dealership/repair shop, and have them do it.

When I got there, the guy took one look at the car and told me straightaway to save my money, because there was no way they'd pass it with the broken out left front turn signal lens. So I went up to the junkyard in the northwest part of town to get one. When I got there, the junkyard guy took one look at the car and told me there was no way that the turn signal lens could be installed, as bent as the front bumper and plate were. So I'd need to get a replacement front end--to the tune of $150--and then find someone to install it.

I don't know where I'm going to get that kind of money; I've already just borrowed another $100 from my parents, and my budget is about at its limit. But the car's registration expires in just a couple of days, and I need that vehicle for transportation to and from work. Darnit, I need a job. :/

Anyway, after that I went down to my own franchise store, in the far southeast of town. (Yes, that's right. I went from northwest to southeast. I pretty much circled the city. Well, half the city, at least.) I didn't want to, but I had to pick up and deposit my paycheck so that the check I mailed for insurance the other day wouldn't bounce. And tomorrow I pay my rent, leaving me with just over $100 in the account--and that's including the money my parents loaned me. Two more weeks to the next paycheck...

After that, I headed back to the southwest of town, to visit a used bookstore and see about trading some things in. I picked up David Weber's The Armageddon Inheritance, a sequel to a book I'd quite enjoyed earlier, and am now reading it. Later tonight, I need to get around to doing my taxes. (Thank goodness--or at least Gnutella--for TurboTax, and its electronic filing!)

Then work tomorrow...off Saturday...work Sunday...and Monday through Thursday for jobhunting. I'm going to set to it with a vengeance this time--with a new slim & trim resume following the advice of the lady at Career Services. I'm going to try the hospitals in town, for one thing--I have a pseudo-uncle who works in computers at one of them; maybe he can help me out. We'll see.