Random Babbling Post #105

Remove all ads!

2:30am. Last post of the day...or is that first

 

OOps my bad, must've read it wrong. Anyway, I agree that pictures would be nice. Christmas in three days, how the hell did that happened? Seems like yesterday it was September!

 

I'm beginning to come to terms with a serious study period in my life.

I had expected (from my rather lazy behavior lately) a lot of whining and mindless arguing, some cursing, maybe even a few phone calls home to complain to my mom about it. Instead, I'm more or less ok with it... as long as I don't think about it.

New year is around the corner - time to consider getting presents.

 

Seems like yesterday it was November. What happened to my holidays?

 

I think I have enough junk food to get me into the new year. I just hope I can lose those last 3 to 5 lb before the 31st...

 

Cold here this morning. Low was 6F, about -14C, and high only made it up to 26F, -3C. No big deal where I used to live in Vermont, but a very big deal in East Tennessee. About fifty miles from here a large dike holding back an ash waste retaining pond at a coal fired power plant broke last night, perhaps weakened by recent weather (at least that's the power company story ) and took out 15 houses and a railroad, trapping a locomotive pulling coal cars to the aforementioned power plant. Amazingly, no one was seriously hurt.

ION, I am grumpy. That is all.

 

Hehehe...I have successfully pissed off my wife and my parents while trying to shop for me. All 3 of them are mad because, "I am so difficult to shop for!" The funny thing is, if they would have just bought online through Amazon.com...which is where I complied my Xmas list...they wouldn't have any problems at all. However, none of them were willing to do so, so they learned the hard way that most stores don't have the things that are on my list. My wife went to 6 different stores trying to find me a 8GB SanDisk Extreme 4 CF card...well apparently, it's so new that only Amazon has it.

So take note people...if someone hands you a wish list that was made at a specific place...do yourself a favor and shop *there* instead of the local shops.

 

I have to go into town tomorrow.. with no wheelchair, in crap weather. Will also attempt to arrange my student overdraft that was meant to be in place last year

 

Bit late aren't you?

 

It amazes me how people are reluctant to buy stuff online, even with trustworthy websites (such as Amazon). I, too, listed some items probably only purchasable online, and I have the distinct impression that "Santa Claus*" won't bother to bring me this book, meh!

I understand the fear of people with divulging credit card information, but some websites are as secure as internet shopping can be, so what's the deal? Plus it's just so better to shop online, for many reasons

1) You don't have to go to any stores
2) You don't have to deal with seller who, most of the time, knows little about what they sell. I corrected so many Future shop's seller on technical informations about computer stuff one can wonder what the hell they are doing in this department
3) You can easily and rapidly find the best price for a particular item
4) Some items are only available online
5) Most of the time there is comments on the product by other customer, which helps in choosing the right thing.
6) You don't deal with people! That alone makes it awesome.

We're in the freakin' 21st century folks, the internet is not your enemy...

* Apparently mother decided that the tradition of hiding the presents until the 25th is BS this year, so they are already under the tree... Not that I care really... All I really want is funds to continue University. Knowledge and the chance at a good job is more important to me than some book, video game, of whatever. Well, not I don't like presents, but I can live without.

[RANT]

This year, instead of the family gathering at my parent's apartment (I.E where I live, since I don't have money to get my own place yet). We're all going to my sister's newly bought house. In itself, it isn't bad her house is easily thrice the size of here and I won't get dragged into the usual cleaning madness before receiving family. The problem is it's in a little town 45 minutes of car drive away from Montreal. And that my parents apparently can't talk to themselves without arguing just about everything, so in reality it's a 45 minutes of bickering and arguing and really crappy music

Dad: I hate winter!
Mom: Please stop that,
Dad: Can't I say my opinion?
Mom: Of course you can, but stop saying you hate winter all the freakin' time!
Mom: wait did you missed the turn?
Dad: No I didn't
Mom: I'm sure you did! We're going to be late again!
Mom: Change the lane this one is too crowed!
Dad: People can't drive nowadays!
Mon: Flix, don't drink too much wine, be nice to your Aunt, Blah blah blah (more useless crap) yeah, like I don't know that a family reunion isn't the place the get drunk, or that I won't be nice to my Aunt, DUH!


Urgggh.... just the thought of it.

On top of that, for better or worse I smoke cigarette and sometime I indulge with come Cuban cigars, but my sister has become even more paranoiac about smoking ever since she has got her baby. I don't care if I have to go outside to smoke, I respect that she won't allow smoking in her house. What I can't stand is the look on her face as if I'm some kind of monster in doing so.

Also, obviously, people are going to ask me questions about University, stupid questions about University. I don't want to sound snob or whatever nor do I want to insult any family member, but currently I'm the most educated person, that is simply a fact. My field of study makes people "uneasy" to say the least. They don't seem to think studying History is a worthwhile experience or that it will get me a good job. From the look in their face, it's rather clear they don't understand why someone would want to study that. For example, I can't wait for my class about the Antonian Dynasty (Roman Empire era), but how can I relate with them, without going into specific details why this particular class intrigues me? My cousin who studies some sort of Industrial mechanic...thing... now that's a good field of study! So in short, my uncles, cousins, dad all have thing to say about mechanic (a topic that I frankly don't give a **** about ). However, they obviously can't talk about History. Thanks goodness I can at least talk about it with my sister...

And of course, there's the inevitable question of why I'm still single...

[/Rant]

Sorry didn't realised the length of this rant

Oh well... there's always the wine

 

After reading that I think I appreciate my family more. Because they do none of that.

 

Oh no, don't get me wrong I don't hate my family. I concentrated on the negative side on this rant but it isn't that bad either. Once you get used to it

 

It's a little late because I was supposed to be coming hom earlier where the shop I was going to go to was.

As it is my mother talked me out of going into town and has just started eating the gift she got for me to give Mary

 

Ah, Christmas, in all its wonderful facets. I despised spending that time with my family for years, and then I guess I got used to it. Now most of the older members are long gone. This year I won't be visiting family at Christmas - can't get the extra time off work I usually manage to wrangle. I'll miss that.

But, I know family is a blessing and a curse both, and at some times, it seems all of one and none of the other. I don't know if time gave me more perspective or if everyone in my family began to age gracefully, but the way I felt about them at 30 was way better than the way I felt about them at 20.

There, I'v gotten all serious when I should have been babbling. Babble on, everyone.

 

Then perhaps in ten years, if BOM and I are still around, maybe I'll change my rants

On the other hand I realised this morning that I joined this forum six years ago ! In December 2002, I was 14! I've been re-reading some of my oldest posts, it seems to me now that they were written by a completely different person. Has it been really this long?

 

Yes, yes it has. April 2002 here

 

Whoa, Flix, six years! And from age 14 to age 20 really is a long time, more, I think, than from age 49 to age 55 - ahem, shuffle, blush

My only claim is that I have nearly reached 1,000 posts. Not very close to you, huh?
Ah, however your Christmas goes, may be it be, at some level, a merry one.

 

We'll I'm personally trying not to think about Christmas and have instead delved into the world of Adobe AfterEffect. Presently I'm converting a home music video into weird liquid images.
Earlier in the day I added some more blocks and spheres to my ice-room sculpture and I refilled all the ice containers.
Creativity is the best way to keep yourself from thinking about the things you don't want to think about.

 

Good morning all of the babbling persuasion.

 

Good morning, and good night