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Posted 12 years agoFurry Fiesta 2013 is in the books and by all accounts it was a success. We had nearly 1,500 attendees and raised almost $12,000 for our charity C.A.R.E.
In case you are wondering, that is over 10% of their minimum yearly operating budget. To say they were pleased would be a huge understatement. Props to Isty and Jace for pulling this off, it was an amazing weekend for the charity. Well done. :)
For me I spent almost all of the convention in registration since I was staff this year. The short version is that even with a large attendance Diddy, Simba and myself along with a whole slew of volunteers managed to get folks in and out fairly well. We had one snafu with badge printers right as opening ceremonies was going on and that prevented quite a few people from getting their badges. That got sorted out pretty quickly and that proved to be our worst hiccup of the weekend.
Outside of registration I wandered around, attended the GoH dinner and sat in on the Charity Poker Tournament. Didn't quite live up to my Evil Pony nickname from 2010 but I did manage to hang in there for a 12th place finish out of about 35 people. New blood this year, 2011 and 2010 champions went down early on.
The cards and the goddess of luck were not kind to me, HorsesGhost took me out with pocket aces when I had ace, king down. Considering the low amount of money I had at the time and the cards it was a good risk. At least I lost to a fellow hoofer, right?
TFF ended for me early Monday morning when I picked up some A/V stuff to return to the rental company, thus ending my workhorse role for the weekend.
Had lots of fun, saw lots of friends but had little time to spend with anyone outside of the registration staff. :P
Storm
In case you are wondering, that is over 10% of their minimum yearly operating budget. To say they were pleased would be a huge understatement. Props to Isty and Jace for pulling this off, it was an amazing weekend for the charity. Well done. :)
For me I spent almost all of the convention in registration since I was staff this year. The short version is that even with a large attendance Diddy, Simba and myself along with a whole slew of volunteers managed to get folks in and out fairly well. We had one snafu with badge printers right as opening ceremonies was going on and that prevented quite a few people from getting their badges. That got sorted out pretty quickly and that proved to be our worst hiccup of the weekend.
Outside of registration I wandered around, attended the GoH dinner and sat in on the Charity Poker Tournament. Didn't quite live up to my Evil Pony nickname from 2010 but I did manage to hang in there for a 12th place finish out of about 35 people. New blood this year, 2011 and 2010 champions went down early on.
The cards and the goddess of luck were not kind to me, HorsesGhost took me out with pocket aces when I had ace, king down. Considering the low amount of money I had at the time and the cards it was a good risk. At least I lost to a fellow hoofer, right?
TFF ended for me early Monday morning when I picked up some A/V stuff to return to the rental company, thus ending my workhorse role for the weekend.
Had lots of fun, saw lots of friends but had little time to spend with anyone outside of the registration staff. :P
Storm
Furry Fiesta 2013
Posted 12 years agoStolen from 
gckami and 
aliciadragon
All about what you will be doing at TFF 2013
ARRANGEMENTS:
Q: When will you be arriving and leaving?
A: I will be around the hotel starting Thursday sometime early and should be there through Monday afternoon.
Q: Where are you staying?
A: I live close by so probably home but I'm still considering a room at The Crown Plaza where the convention is located.
Q: Who will you be rooming with?
A: If I get a room then it will more than likely just be me. Unicorns are reclusive you know. ^.~
Q: Who will you be hanging out with?
A: This will be my fourth Furry Fiesta and other than registration I will be all over the place.
Q: Where will you be most of the time during the day/s?
A: I will be working registration during most of the con. If you're looking for me then odds are you can find me there.
Q: What/where will you be eating?
A: No idea yet. Would be nice to have a quiet dinner out with a few friends after we close registration for the day.
Q: Will you be having a room party?
A: No. If I get a room then it'll be to crash in.
Q: Will you be going to a room party?
A: Maybe? Depends on if I get invited or not.
Q: Will you be drinking and/or getting drunk?
A: Probably not much unless I get a room and even then not to excess.
PERSONAL STUFF:
Q: What is your gender?
A: Male.
Q: How tall are you?
A: 5'9"
Q: Are you nice?
A: Generally yes. Horses don't kick and bite....too much.
Q: How can I find you?
A: You can either find me in registration or loitering in con-suite consuming large amounts of coffee.
Q: If I see you, how should I get your attention?
A: Wave, flail your arms, say hi, etc.
Q: If I approach you, will you chat with me?
A: If I'm not busy with something then absolutely.
Q: Are you taken? Are you looking for a 'mate'?
A: Taken yes. We celebrate our 20th anniversary this year.
PERMISSIONS:
Q: Can I talk to you?
A: Of course.
Q: Can I touch you?
A: Kind of an odd question. If you don't already know the answer then I would say no.
Q: Can I hug or snuggle with you?
A: Pretty much the same as touching, I'm not really touchy feely with strangers but thanks for the interest ^.~.^
Q: Can I buy you drinks?
A: Probably not, if I do drink then it will be in small amounts.
Q: Can I give you stuff?
A: Nah, I don't need anything. :)
Q: Can I visit your room?
A: Probably a no but then again I may not even have a room.
Q: Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
A: Sure, if I get to know you a bit and would like to have your company then I don't see why not.
Q: Can I look in your sketchbook?
A: N/A
Q: Can I draw in your sketchbook?
A: N/A
Q: Can I take your picture?
A: *shrugs* Up to you. I don't consider myself to be too photogenic.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Q: Will you be going to any panels?
A: Doubtful unless they are late night. I'll be working most of the con.
Q: Do you do do free art, trades, commissions, badges?
A: I have two left hooves, you don't want me drawing.
Q: Do you have a table in the Artist Alley / Dealer's Den or a panel in the Art Show? If so, what are you selling?
A: N/A
Q: Do you own a fursuit?
A: Nope.
Q: Will you be suiting?
A: N/A
Q: Do you plan to volunteer?
A: *snorts in laughter* You're kidding right? I volunteered so much they made me staff.
Q: How many furry conventions have you attended?
A: Furry Fiesta 4 out of 5 years. :)
Q: What's your goal for the con this year?
A: Have fun, spend time with friends and hopefully make your con experience a pleasant one.
gckami and 
aliciadragonAll about what you will be doing at TFF 2013
ARRANGEMENTS:
Q: When will you be arriving and leaving?
A: I will be around the hotel starting Thursday sometime early and should be there through Monday afternoon.
Q: Where are you staying?
A: I live close by so probably home but I'm still considering a room at The Crown Plaza where the convention is located.
Q: Who will you be rooming with?
A: If I get a room then it will more than likely just be me. Unicorns are reclusive you know. ^.~
Q: Who will you be hanging out with?
A: This will be my fourth Furry Fiesta and other than registration I will be all over the place.
Q: Where will you be most of the time during the day/s?
A: I will be working registration during most of the con. If you're looking for me then odds are you can find me there.
Q: What/where will you be eating?
A: No idea yet. Would be nice to have a quiet dinner out with a few friends after we close registration for the day.
Q: Will you be having a room party?
A: No. If I get a room then it'll be to crash in.
Q: Will you be going to a room party?
A: Maybe? Depends on if I get invited or not.
Q: Will you be drinking and/or getting drunk?
A: Probably not much unless I get a room and even then not to excess.
PERSONAL STUFF:
Q: What is your gender?
A: Male.
Q: How tall are you?
A: 5'9"
Q: Are you nice?
A: Generally yes. Horses don't kick and bite....too much.
Q: How can I find you?
A: You can either find me in registration or loitering in con-suite consuming large amounts of coffee.
Q: If I see you, how should I get your attention?
A: Wave, flail your arms, say hi, etc.
Q: If I approach you, will you chat with me?
A: If I'm not busy with something then absolutely.
Q: Are you taken? Are you looking for a 'mate'?
A: Taken yes. We celebrate our 20th anniversary this year.
PERMISSIONS:
Q: Can I talk to you?
A: Of course.
Q: Can I touch you?
A: Kind of an odd question. If you don't already know the answer then I would say no.
Q: Can I hug or snuggle with you?
A: Pretty much the same as touching, I'm not really touchy feely with strangers but thanks for the interest ^.~.^
Q: Can I buy you drinks?
A: Probably not, if I do drink then it will be in small amounts.
Q: Can I give you stuff?
A: Nah, I don't need anything. :)
Q: Can I visit your room?
A: Probably a no but then again I may not even have a room.
Q: Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
A: Sure, if I get to know you a bit and would like to have your company then I don't see why not.
Q: Can I look in your sketchbook?
A: N/A
Q: Can I draw in your sketchbook?
A: N/A
Q: Can I take your picture?
A: *shrugs* Up to you. I don't consider myself to be too photogenic.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Q: Will you be going to any panels?
A: Doubtful unless they are late night. I'll be working most of the con.
Q: Do you do do free art, trades, commissions, badges?
A: I have two left hooves, you don't want me drawing.
Q: Do you have a table in the Artist Alley / Dealer's Den or a panel in the Art Show? If so, what are you selling?
A: N/A
Q: Do you own a fursuit?
A: Nope.
Q: Will you be suiting?
A: N/A
Q: Do you plan to volunteer?
A: *snorts in laughter* You're kidding right? I volunteered so much they made me staff.
Q: How many furry conventions have you attended?
A: Furry Fiesta 4 out of 5 years. :)
Q: What's your goal for the con this year?
A: Have fun, spend time with friends and hopefully make your con experience a pleasant one.
Twas The Night Before Yuletide
Posted 13 years agoTwas The Night Before Yuletide
C.C.Williford
Twas the night before Yuletide and all through the glen
Not a creature was stirring, not a fox, not a hen.
A mantle of snow shone brightly that night
As it lay on the ground, reflecting moonlight.
The faeries were nestled all snug in their trees,
Unmindful of flurries and a chilly north breeze.
The elves and the gnomes were down in their burrows,
Sleeping like babes in their soft earthen furrows.
When low! the earth moved with a thunderous quake,
Causing chairs to fall over and dishes to break.
The Little Folk scrambled to get on their feet
Then raced to the river where they usually meet.
"What happened?" they wondered, they questioned, they probed,
As they shivered in night clothes, some bare-armed, some robed.
"What caused the earth's shudder? What caused her to shiver?"
They all spoke at once as they stood by the river.
Then what to their wondering eyes should appear
But a shining gold light in the shape of a sphere.
It blinked and it twinkled, it winked like an eye,
Then it flew straight up and was lost in the sky.
Before they could murmur, before they could bustle,
There emerged from the crowd, with a swish and a rustle,
A stately old crone with her hand on a cane,
Resplendent in green with a flowing white mane.
As she passed by them the old crone's perfume,
Smelling of meadows and flowers abloom,
Made each of the fey folk think of the spring
When the earth wakes from slumber and the birds start to sing.
"My name is Gaia," the old crone proclaimed
in a voice that at once was both wild and tamed,
"I've come to remind you, for you seem to forget,
that Yule is the time of re-birth, and yet . . ."
"I see no hearth fires, hear no music, no bells,
The air isn't filled with fragrant smells
Of baking and roasting, and simmering stews,
Of cider that's mulled or other hot brews."
"There aren't any children at play in the snow,
Or houses lit up by candles' glow.
Have you forgotten, my children, the fun
Of celebrating the rebirth of the sun?"
She looked at the fey folk, her eyes going round,
As they shuffled their feet and stared at the ground.
Then she smiled the smile that brings light to the day,
"Come, my children," she said, "Let's play."
They gathered the mistletoe, gathered the holly,
Threw off the drab and drew on the jolly.
They lit a big bonfire, and they danced and they sang.
They brought out the bells and clapped when they rang.
They strung lights on the trees, and bows, oh so merry,
In colors of cranberry, bayberry, cherry.
They built giant snowmen and adorned them with hats,
Then surrounded them with snow birds, and snow cats and bats.
Then just before dawn, at the end of their fest,
Before they went homeward to seek out their rest,
The fey folk they gathered 'round their favorite oak tree
And welcomed the sun 'neath the tree's finery.
They were just reaching home when suddenly it came,
The gold light returned like an arrow-shot flame.
It lit on the tree top where they could see from afar
The golden-like sphere turned into a star.
The old crone just smiled at the beautiful sight,
"Happy Yuletide, my children," she whispered. "Good night!"
Happy Yuletide to you all, may the holidays and the year ahead of us be filled with happiness.
Storm
Furry Fiesta 2012
Posted 13 years agoNow that my crazy work schedule has calmed down some I actually have a bit of free time to blog.
Texas Furry Fiesta 2012 was last weekend and while I won't go on in great detail or do a con report I would like to share a few thoughts.
Work reared it's ugly head and kept me from attending and volunteering as much as I would have liked. Basically I had to work until 6 or 7PM both Thursday and Friday so I was unable to be there for my friends and help load, unload or set up. Was also not able to help Celyddon with registration set up and operation as I should have. Due to the odd bit of bad luck she lost both her 'seconds' due to work aggro. Thankfully there were others kind enough to step in and help out. Granted I was able to lend a hoof all day Saturday but I missed out on the big rush Thurs/Friday. Sunday I had to be in the office so I missed that day entirely.
Couple of highlights for me were picking up my badge and other assorted artwork from Heather Bruton. I just love her work and horse art, pretty much every piece I own was done by her. Was really tempted to bid on the snazzy unicorn piece that she had in the art show but I'd spent plenty already. ^.~
The other major highlight for me was simply seeing my friends, both local and not so local. It's really special to walk into a room and see someone's face like up and yell 'Storm". Happened a few times over the weekend and it really made me feel welcome.
Only one snafu that I saw and by the time it happened there was little that could be done. I don't think it caused any major issue but annoyed a few SuperSponsors. Beyond that I only heard positive things
Not sure what next year will hold for me, at least one or more staff positions are changing so I've no idea where I'll land in the volunteer realm. Kinda hard to dedicate myself to certain duties for the simple fact that work must come first and can often rear its head at the last moment.
Talk later,
Storm
Furry Fiesta 2011 Day 3
Posted 14 years agoIt's Sunday morning and the last day of the con. I'll write more later on and let you know how it all went but the short version is that it has been a huge success and record breaking yet again.
Just a couple of highlights for me:
I earned the name "Evil Pony" at the Texas Hold-em charity poker tournament last night when on more than one occasion I knocked out 2 or 3 of my competitors at the same time.
Heather Bruton said here comes that pretty horse again, shook my hand, and complimented my taste in art. *speechless*
Later y'all, time to get presentable and make my way to the hotel. ^.^
Storm
Busy hooves but no lane closures this week.....
Posted 14 years agoSince we were fortunate enough to have near summer like weather here this weekend it proved to be the perfect time to get out and work on some projects around casa de unicorn.
Saturday morning Kevin and I got out bright and early to check manufacturers and prices of replacement windows at Home Depot and Lowes. I think that out of the two we prefer the lines that Lowes carries and will probably call them out soon to measure so we can get the order placed for the 11 windows in the house. While we were at Lowes we picked up the plywood and siding to further our patio cover replacement project. Over the course of a few hours, with no injury mind you, we managed to cut and fit the 5 sheets of plywood that form the base of the roof for the patio cover. All that is really left to do at this point is to put down the felt and lay shingles on it. Sadly that little chore is going to have to wait a few days to a week or so since we ran out of time, energy AND we've got weather coming in. Also fired up the pressure washer and cleaned out the patio area itself. It hadn't been cleaned in a few months and it was amazing how much dirt had collected and stained the concrete. *hooves crossed* Hopefully this coming weekend we can finish out the roof, if not then it will probably be the weekend after.
Sunday was a bit of a lazy day since Kevin didn't feel all that grand. That sort of scrapped plans to work on the roof as well as cut the 4 x 8 sheets of siding down to size and fit onto the walls of the patio cover. Couldn't really do that one on my own so I played house unicorn of sorts by dealing with the dishes, laundry, floors, etc. Did manage to get the icicle lights down off of our neighbors house. Took hours and hours to put up but only a few minutes to take down. I think from start to finish the whole dismantling process took about 30 minutes. :P
>.< Got up today to much colder weather than we had over the weekend and the news is either all about the upcoming superbowl or the impending icepocalypse. I swear every time I turn on the news there is something on about the game this coming Sunday. Don't get me wrong, I think it is great that DFW is the host city this year but I will be glad when all the fanfare is over. It's also got us restricted at work. No lane closures allowed this week. So no blaming me cuz your commute sucks....wait until next week then go back to blaming me.
Supposedly we are in for anything from just cold and rainy weather to a serious ice storm. No matter what though the media and news has almost made this into full blown panic. OMG, we're going to have bad weather just in time for the Superbowl. Really? These two teams are from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. I bet they know how to handle cold and bad weather. The really funny part of this is that ESPN radio is broadcasting live all week from Sundance Square in Ft. Worth.....outside....with little to no protection from the weather. *snickers* I can't help but laugh at that poor planning.
Later y'all...stay safe...and warm. :D
Storm
A horse named charlie
Posted 14 years agoHoly shit but that hurt. After dinner last night I was sitting at the desk in our office watching TV with Kevin and dabbling with stuff on the PC when straight out of the blue I get this intense muscle cramp in my left leg. It spasmed and tensed up all the way from my hip down to my hoof it felt like. I jumped out of the chair after saying a few un-unicorn like words and within a minute or two it finally relaxed. Still stiff and sore this morning but that is typical for me when I get a charlie horse. I'm sure that standing on the tips of my toes bent over the engine compartment of the Firebird didn't help.
Speaking of the screaming chicken...
I did manage to get all of the spark plug wires fitted yesterday. In the end I think it took about an hour and a half which wasn't too bad in the grand scheme of things considering I had to put it up on jack stands to be able to slide up under it. Such the fun little chore, each wire required me to get under the car at least twice but all in all it wasn't that hard to replace them. Sadly the new wires did not change the engine performance so I still have to figure out why the car runs like crap when it gets warm. I think the next step is to take it to Firestone for a diagnostic since I'm just about out of ideas.
Besides working on the car I did manage to get the Ram cleaned up but did not work on getting the lights off our neighbors house. They have company for a few days so I will probably deal with their decorations over the weekend or perhaps early next week.
Supposed to be 70F hear today and maybe even a bit warmer, nice weekend too then we may get slammed with another round of bad weather. They are calling for a chance of ice next week and at the very least the temps will be down below freezing. Ah well, it is the end of January after all and it is supposed to be cold right? Should be a quiet day in the office. No plans for tonite but I do think Kevin and I will hit up the DIY stores tomorrow. We need to pick out windows since my income tax check will be going to fund new windows for the house. Should be getting just enough back from the IRS to cover the cost. Also need to pick up plywood so we can put the roof on our patio cover. ^.^
Y'all have a great weekend....
Storm
Ow, ow, ow....
Posted 14 years agoWith the weather being a tad warmer in the evenings I've gotten back in the swing of running with Nikolai on a daily basis. Now mind you we don't do a lot of serious running but our trek covers a good mile and a half or so with me attempting to run at least half of it. At this point I can safely say that it seems nearly impossible to outrun or even tire a sled dog. My legs and bum knee are paying the price for all of this exercise today. Ah well, no pain no gain right. :P
Half day today then it's off to run errands and deal with some chores around the house. Need to wash the Ram since it is filthy, have to get the icicle lights off the neighbors house and I might even dabble a little with the Firebird though that project will likely wait until the weekend. I have to jack it up in order to be able to get under it (no matter how thin of a pony you might be you just can't slip under one of these vehicles) and finish installing the spark plug wires. While I doubt this will solve my engine issue(s) its something that needs to be tended to and certainly cannot hurt performance.
Oooh 10:00am already...another hour or so to go and I'm free for the day.
Later
Stormy
Work, work and more work
Posted 15 years agoFirst I would like to thank everyone who chimed in yesterday on my keyboard question(s). I think I have more or less decided to go with a Logitech G110 or G510. The Logitech Illuminated Keyboard that Caly recommended was actually the perfect solution but I noticed a flaw when I went back to look over the choices. From the pictures it appears that this particular keyboard has its keys fairly flush to the surface of the keyboard which would be somewhat similar to a laptop. I've had one of these types at the office and I got rid of it as quick as I could. I just couldn't type very well on it compared to the a keyboard where the keys stick up a bit more. Yeah I'm odd I know. :P
Yesterday was crazy busy at the office. I spent almost the entire day building an electronic submittal for one of our design packages. Basically we have to get our cadd files pulled together in a fashion that is usable by the agency should they decide they want to open them. A slow and tedious process to say the least. After all of that I have a new appreciation of what our CAD Manager was doing.
Today I had to tweak a few things with the package I mentioned above and there is another design package that needs a similar process performed on it. Thankfully my designer is in the office today and he is taking care of this one which leaves me free to tend to the day to day issues with our submittals and document control.
In other work news it looks like I will be at my current location through the end of February then I should transition to our new office on the tollway in Addison. Good and bad to this little move but more good than bad I think. The only bad part is that I will be in a more formal environment and won't be able to as easily get away with blue jeans. The good side is that my commute will be cut from 60 miles a day down to around 20 miles. Much easier on the pocketbook. :P
Been talking to Kevin about wheels and it sounds like the current plan will be to get the Firebird up and running then sell it. The money from that sale will be used to partially fund the 2007 Honda Interceptor I have my eye on. As far as I can tell Honda of Grapevine still has it in stock and even if they don't then they aren't all that hard to find used. This one of course would be my first choice since it has maybe all of 10 miles on it. ^.^
That's about it for now. Going to be a pretty week here in north Texas and up almost to 70F by the weekend. Can you believe that shit, the end of January and it's going to be sunny and 70F. :P
Later
Storm
Gaming/Illuminated Keyboards
Posted 15 years agoI've been keeping an eye out for an illuminated keyboard and in general I think I have narrowed the field down to two manufacturers; Logitech and Saitek. I've always been pleased with the hardware I've gotten from Logitech but some of their gaming/illuminated keyboards get scathing reviews for the lack of control over the brightness and a few other things. Saitek seems to get better reviews in regards to their illumination features but they aren't as gaming oriented. Personally I am more concerned about a solid, dependable keyboard that I can use in low light conditions and still be able to see the letters on the keys clearly.
Any advice, suggestions for other brands or recommendations for certain models of Logitech and Saitek would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Storm
The Kingslayer?
Posted 15 years agoWell not quite but more on that later.
Friday was a bit of an angry day for me as my supervisor called me early in the day in an attempt to save face and clue me in as to why raises were poor or non-existent this year. I was polite and professional but I did get my point across that the system and process had failed us. He's lucky that he was just on the phone with me, had it been face to face I would probably have slapped him when I mentioned that I had not had a review in 2 years (his fault) and wondered if I would have one in 2011. He made a joke about it. o.o I let him know very quickly that it was no laughing matter and that it was in poor form to joke about it. I'm going to compose an email and schedule an appointment with HR. This problem is bigger than just him. Enough about that though.
The weekend was not hugely productive for various reasons but I did manage to get another coil pack replaced on the Firebird. This means that all three have now been replaced since the car was new, I replaced two under my ownership with the third being replaced prior to me buying the car. Sadly the misfire still exists and it's pretty obvious that it is occurring the worst when the car warms up. It is making me think that it has to be sensor related and I'm back to leaning towards by oxygen sensor(s). Also picked up new spark plug wires but I haven't fitted those yet.
WoW stuff:
So Saturday night we finally got our regular raid crew back together and went after the 'The Kingslayer' achievement from ICC. Most of the group (including me) had never been past Professor Putricide so the fights after him were a bit interesting. All in all though it was a good run and we really did not have much trouble until the Lich King encounter. The fight is not complicated but it does require the group to perform the combat tactics correctly and if they don't then it is a raid wipe. I think we probably did this combat about half a dozen times with us generally getting better each time. The final try at about 1AM and after being in raid for about 5 hours at this point we managed to get him down to 17%. Close to the end someone oopsed and didn't get out of the way of the defile he drops on the ground and it consumed an area large enough that it wiped most of the party. The rest just couldn't handle the fight on their own. We called it for the night with the knowledge that we CAN do this and will come back to finish him off this weekend probably.
Not sure how the work week is shaping up but I'm certain there will be crazy busy parts of it since all four of our design segments have a plan submittal this week. Should be the last big sets of packages going in before design/revision to design wrap up. Got a meeting in an hour with the movers to go over details of how we will transition from our current offices into the new one. Pity I can't just go home after the meeting since I will only be 10 miles away but with it being an early meeting that's not really an option.
*glances at the time* Eeep! I gotta get my tail in gear and get on the road.
Later.
Storm
Stormy
Posted 15 years agoYep, that's the kind of day it's going to be. Stormy weather (sorta) and stormy emotions.
Woke up to 50F and a light rain but by the time I was out the door and on the way to work a north wind was howling and the temps had dropped nearly 10 degrees. Supposed to be a chance that the moisture will hang around and we will get hit by icy conditions. Thank the goddess that I only have to be here a half today and trust, I'm galloping out the door just as soon as I can.
Work has me angry at the moment. I'm not even sure angry is an adequate term here either to describe just how bitter I am at the moment. These emotions are focused squarely on one target, our District Manager who also just happens to be my supervisor. Raises will be shown on our paychecks tomorrow. All indications are that I got zero, zilch, nothing. This is on the heals of no performance review for two years now and to add insult to injury he doesn't have the balls to say anything to anyone. Apparently he is quite content to let people find out what their raise is simply by seeing their paycheck. Very unprofessional in my opinion. I think what really chaps my ass is that once again we see emails from corporate about how well the company has performed, how we exceeded our goals, etc. but when it comes times to raises I guess they expect us to have forgotten those emails and buy into the party line of "It's been a tough year and we don't have much money for pay increases."
Now I should be clear on something. I make A LOT of money. I didn't write this for sympathy because I didn't get a raise. I don't HAVE to have the money but a raise would have been nice. I wrote this moreso to just rant and get it off my chest. It just pisses me off that idiots rise to positions of power and they can jack around with employees and get away with it. I'm going to have my say though. I will be going over his head to HR and informing them just exactly how our manager has failed me and other employees. Nothing will likely come of it but maybe he will get a good ass chewing over it.
Later...
Oh fun...now it's down to 34F. Time to start seriously thinking about getting the hell out of here. :P
Stormy
My Strange Addiction
Posted 15 years agoFor those of you who want to see the potential train wreck....
The episode with a furry named Lauren will air on TLC tomorrow night at 9:00PM Eastern.
She is airing on the same episode as a chick who eats couch cushions. Maybe the fandom won't actually come off as the crazier of the two. ^.~
Storm
If you lie down with dogs...
Posted 15 years ago...sometimes you don't sleep very well. :P
*yawns* Morning! Slept like crap last night which I have to partially blame on Niko but the rest on an unhappy tummy. With all the damp weather we've been having it has been impossible for the yard to dry out so that means the snowdoggy stays in the house at night. Guess where he sleeps? On my side of the bed of course. I mean it is really cute and all to see him tapped out with his head on my pillow and tucked in between Kevin and I but it can be maddening trying to fight him for bed space. All that hair does wonders for my allergies too. :P *hooves crossed* Hoping todays warmer weather will dry out the yard some and it will be dry enough so I can at least put him out back tonite and perhaps sleep better.
As I mentioned above, it's been pretty damp here recently. Never really rained that much over the weekend but just damp. with that being the case we really did not venture far afield this weekend. Piddled with a few chores around the house and that was about it really. Managed to seal the leak in the new gutters. Yay! Managed to successfully install a new (additional) SATA HDD in our desktop so now we have a terabyte of storage space dedicated to movies, music and porn....so much porn.
WoW Update:
Heroics are hard. Tried my hand at The Vortex Pinnacle (heroic) with some guild folks on Saturday night and it was an experience. We actually did quite well all the way up until the second boss. To say he kicked our asses would be an understatement. I don't think we ever got him more than about 25% down before we started dropping like flies. Far too many tornadoes to deal with and people getting thrown off the platform then one-shotted. Ah well, we gave it a good shot and it showed us just how rough these dungeons are going to be. My guildies need some work too, we ran a regular dungeon yesterday and their dps is just not up to par yet. Bosses were staying up far too long.
Had some Naxx fun later on in the evening though. Did a guild run for the weekly boss then hit up Sapphiron and Kel'Thuzad. Picked up achievements too: Sapphiron's Demise, Kel'Thuzad's Defeat and Just Can't Get Enough - Guild Edition ^.^
Ok, enough chatter. I've got to get my tail in gear for what will be a slightly busy Monday.
Later
Storm
Updates....
Posted 15 years agoWow, I guess it really has been about a week since I updated this thing.
Picking up from where I let off:
The gutter project is basically complete. With Kevin's help last Saturday I managed to get the remaining 2 - 10' sections installed and everything connected. Just in time too since it rained/snowed the very next day. Only one leak and that is where the gutters make a 90 degree bend. No biggie, now that it has dried out from all the ice and snow I can get up there and seal up the joints a little better. Not a perfect job by any means but all in all I'm pleased with how it has turned out.
Ran some fuel injector cleaner as well as 93 octane fuel through the Ram and it seems to be a bit happier right now. Doesn't appear to be running nearly as rough and *hooves crossed* the power steering fluid leak seems to have slowed/stopped after the addition of some stop leak to the system. At least I can delay any serious work on it for a bit while I focus my energies on the Firebird and other open house projects. Of course with night time temperatures dipping down into the teens and the highs during the day barely reaching the freezing mark I've held off on any more work outside. :P Once it gets warmer though Kevin and I will get out there and deal with finishing out the patio cover as well as the retaining wall. ^.^
Off work Monday due to the snow and ice around the city. We really didn't get all that much but it was enough to snarl traffic around the city. It just wasn't worth trying to deal with that and a 30 mile commute into the office. So we all stayed in for the day other than to take Niko out to play in the snow. :D
Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty hectic around the office since I actually had some design work to deal with for a change along with my other office duties. Tuesday night I met up with Gwaland and Max to celebrate Gwa's b'day. Had a nice turnout and it was great to see everyone and be able to hang out for a few hours.
Today is a short day for me at the office then I have to head over to our north Dallas office to meet up with some staff there to look over project files/plans that either need to be trashed or at least gone through prior to our move. We're consolidating offices as of the end of February so it's getting close to panic time. :P Really looking forward to the new office since it will put me back to having a 10 mile commute instead of 30 miles. It's going to be much easier to commute to Addison than it currently is to Grand Prairie.
Not sure what is on tap for the weekend. Gaming is on hold indefinitely due to schedule issues with one or more players. Probably going to end up just doing some stuff around the house, weather depending.
WoW Stuff:
Still slogging along. Finally got two of my guys to 85 and one of the theoretically ready to run heroic dungeons. Really hoping we get back to raiding on a regular schedule since that gave me something to focus on instead of everyone just running off and doing their own thing.
*rolls eyes* I really love how a lot of people are trying to make the shooting in Arizona out to be politically motivated. A tragedy yes but from a report on the radio this morning it sounds like the shooter was just pissed at the world and couldn't give a rats ass if the people shot were R's or D's. Funny how the media managed to figure that out and not the local police. Of course maybe this is still just a theory but sounds credible since it came from an interview with his best friend.
Safe travels to all of those who are at or heading to FC. Have lots of fun!
Storm
Projects...
Posted 15 years agoYesterday I had the afternoon off so I decided to tackle the gutter replacement on the back of the house. Not a huge project but after a few hours of it I can assure you that I'm not a fan of installing gutters. Good experience though. Didn't have enough time to finish so I will try to wrap that one up this afternoon or more than likely over the weekend. End result was about half of it installed and I managed to bloody one finger with the hammer, dropped said hammer on my head and got hit in the ear by the end of the gutter when moving it off the sawhorses. All in all a good afternoon. Can you imagine what I would be like with heavy machinery? ^.~
Was looking into replacing the plugs on the Ram this weekend and I got blindsided by some automotive info that I'm still not sure I buy into. The Ram has a 5.7L V-8 345 horsepower Hemi engine. Of course I assumed that being a V-8 it would require 8 spark plugs. No big deal right. Wrong. These engines have 2 plugs per cylinder for a grand total of 16 spark plugs. Ffffffuck! While I can still probably manage to get to them and change them out easily it is going to be a much longer process than I originally thought. This is the price I pay for having high performance toys. Ah well, I may just pick up some part for the Firebird and work on it instead. After the 70$ fuel bill for the Ram this morning I decided it's time to try and get the car back on the road and cut that gas bill down.
Back to it, I've got plans to CADD up and get out the door for a QC review.
Later, enjoy the weekend!
Storm
Surely it's better to re-write the past...
Posted 15 years ago..than to face it and understand it for what it was.
I'd heard rumblings in the past about this but some friends on Twitter today brought it up again. Apparently NewSouth Books is planning a re-write for Huckleberry Fin to eliminate 'nigger' and 'injun'. o.O <a href="http://www.examiner.com/mark-twain-.....c-rewrite"; target="_blank">Here</a> is a link to the story if you're curious.
Personally I find it appalling to do something like this which basically amounts to re-writing history in an effort to be more PC and coddle our youth. Surely they can't be exposed to such racism and learn from the past. Oh no, they can't have the ability to think for themselves and form their own opinions. /sarcasm
This is but a small example of how we are slowly erasing our past. Yes it can be an ugly past but what is the point in eradicating it in an effort to make us look better?
Think about this too....
How many religious people believe the scripture, of whatever religious document, to be exactly how it was written hundreds and thousands of years ago. If we as a society can re-write Mark Twain in this day and age then what prevented publishers in the past from re-writing religious documents to suit their own liking. Think about that the next time you quote chapter and verse in an attempt to beat someone down with your religious book. >.<
Stormy
Politics and stuff....
Posted 15 years agoThis has been in the back of my mind for a bit and today seems like a good opportunity to hit on a few political things that have gone on recently. First I want to stress that I don't know all there is to know about these topics and my thoughts on them are generally based on how they touch my life and nothing else. If you feel like voicing a different opinion then by all means feel free to do so but if you resort to name calling and being a dick about one of them then well....you were warned weren't you?
1. Repeal of Don't ask don't tell. (DADT) - On the surface this seems to me like it will be a good thing. From what I hear it brings us in line with many other countries who allow homosexuals to openly serve in the military. Now it has been at least 30 years since my grandmother retired from her job with AFEES so I've not been exposed to the military on any sort of regular basis since that time. I've no idea how this will impact the troops but hopefully it won't turn out badly. I can say that John McCain and others simply came off as angry, prejudiced and out of touch old white men when they spoke out against repealing DADT. I think I would put more stock in what the active members of the armed forces say than something some gray haired old white dude has to say about it. (John McCain was merely an example here of the opposition I saw).
2. Continuation of the Bush Tax cuts - I love how the media and most everyone else keeps portraying this as a tax break for the rich. The quick and dirty of it is if they had not done something then EVERYONE would have seen their taxes go up. I seriously don't see how anyone could claim that this would be a good idea. From a purely personal level this is a big plus for me. I won't see my tax rate go up and the one year 2% payroll tax break should net me something along the lines of an extra $2,000 for the year. I realize that there are plenty of people out there who thought the tax cuts should be allowed to expire and that's fine, you're entitled to your opinion. Personally I don't care to throw more money at a system that seems to do a rather poor job of managing the money they get now. What makes you think they will be any better with more money to play around with?
3. Net Neutrality - This one just happened and it is something I am certainly not up to speed on. From a quick glance it does not seem like they are heading in a positive direction here. It looks as if they are allowing ISPs to dink around with bandwidth and possibly even block their users from accessing some sites that they, the ISP, might find objectionable. *waits a moment* Now, has that sunk in yet? On the surface it might sound like a great plan, an ISP could block sites that pushed child porn or other reprehensible content. The reality of it is that they might actually be able to impose their own personal beliefs into those filters. Give them the ability to block one thing and the next thing you know they are blocking sites that deal with kitties just because the owner of the ISP is a dog person. Seems to me they are throttling free speech. Maybe I've misinterpreted what I have read so far but we'll see. I've not looked into this one too much yet.
Now for personal stuff....
Mid week here at the office and it has been crazy busy for the week before Christmas. I guess everyone wants to get their plans in and wash their hands of them prior to the holidays. With a few of our folks out it has left several of us hopping to pick up the slack. As the week winds down I anticipate things to take on a calmer tone. Got several design packages sitting here awaiting QA approval before I can turn them over to the contractor. Most all of the paperwork is done so know I sit twiddling my thumbs waiting on other people to do their job. :P Friday is a holiday for us and tomorrow will be a half day for me so almost a 4 day weekend. Actually going to have two long weekends in a row and that is certainly a good thing. ^.^
Later...
Stormy
Twas the night before Yule....
Posted 15 years agoTomorrow marks the Winter Solstice and in keeping with tradition I offer this....
Twas The Night Before Yuletide
C.C.Williford
Twas the night before Yuletide and all through the glen
Not a creature was stirring, not a fox, not a hen.
A mantle of snow shone brightly that night
As it lay on the ground, reflecting moonlight.
The faeries were nestled all snug in their trees,
Unmindful of flurries and a chilly north breeze.
The elves and the gnomes were down in their burrows,
Sleeping like babes in their soft earthen furrows.
When low! the earth moved with a thunderous quake,
Causing chairs to fall over and dishes to break.
The Little Folk scrambled to get on their feet
Then raced to the river where they usually meet.
"What happened?" they wondered, they questioned, they probed,
As they shivered in night clothes, some bare-armed, some robed.
"What caused the earth's shudder? What caused her to shiver?"
They all spoke at once as they stood by the river.
Then what to their wondering eyes should appear
But a shining gold light in the shape of a sphere.
It blinked and it twinkled, it winked like an eye,
Then it flew straight up and was lost in the sky.
Before they could murmur, before they could bustle,
There emerged from the crowd, with a swish and a rustle,
A stately old crone with her hand on a cane,
Resplendent in green with a flowing white mane.
As she passed by them the old crone's perfume,
Smelling of meadows and flowers abloom,
Made each of the fey folk think of the spring
When the earth wakes from slumber and the birds start to sing.
"My name is Gaia," the old crone proclaimed
in a voice that at once was both wild and tamed,
"I've come to remind you, for you seem to forget,
that Yule is the time of re-birth, and yet . . ."
"I see no hearth fires, hear no music, no bells,
The air isn't filled with fragrant smells
Of baking and roasting, and simmering stews,
Of cider that's mulled or other hot brews."
"There aren't any children at play in the snow,
Or houses lit up by candles' glow.
Have you forgotten, my children, the fun
Of celebrating the rebirth of the sun?"
She looked at the fey folk, her eyes going round,
As they shuffled their feet and stared at the ground.
Then she smiled the smile that brings light to the day,
"Come, my children," she said, "Let's play."
They gathered the mistletoe, gathered the holly,
Threw off the drab and drew on the jolly.
They lit a big bonfire, and they danced and they sang.
They brought out the bells and clapped when they rang.
They strung lights on the trees, and bows, oh so merry,
In colors of cranberry, bayberry, cherry.
They built giant snowmen and adorned them with hats,
Then surrounded them with snow birds, and snow cats and bats.
Then just before dawn, at the end of their fest,
Before they went homeward to seek out their rest,
The fey folk they gathered 'round their favorite oak tree
And welcomed the sun 'neath the tree's finery.
They were just reaching home when suddenly it came,
The gold light returned like an arrow-shot flame.
It lit on the tree top where they could see from afar
The golden-like sphere turned into a star.
The old crone just smiled at the beautiful sight,
"Happy Yuletide, my children," she whispered. "Good night!"
Happy Yuletide my friends. :D
Storm
Words....
Posted 15 years agoBeen about a week since I updated so I figure I'm due to write something. :P
Off work all day yesterday instead of just a half day. For calendar year 2010 my company adopted a floating holiday policy probably in an attempt to be more PC and respectful of various cultures. We are able to choose one day from the rather long list of various holidays which are generally cultural or religious in nature. As a good wiccan I had originally planned on taking Halloween but project duties conspired to have me at work that day. Well, since this is a use it or lose it type of policy I was facing only two more choices before the end of the year. So I 'celebrated' Islamic New Year which is the Saturday the 18th. Being a Saturday I would be getting Friday (today) off but project needs put me in the office on Fridays so I took it yesterday.
All in all it was a very productive day. We got out of the house early to finish holiday shopping as well as to pick up some artificial snow for the last remaining tree that was awaiting it's final touches. *snorts* Five stops it took to find this stuff. I can't believe that a week before Christmas and all the stores we hit had next to nothing left for holiday decorations. I swear they bring it out earlier every year and have less and less each year right before the holiday. *shrugs* Ah well, we finally found it and managed to brave the mall early to pick up a gift for my mom and to nab Kevin some stuff. Out of stock on the bluejeans I <s>wanted</s> need since my favorite and most comfortable pair now have a hole in the crotch leaving them less than totally suitable for work. *chuckles* I had to laugh at the sales guys..."We can order those for you!"...Sorry guys, I totally know where the interwebs are and how to shop there. :P
Other than that we managed to finalize all of the holiday decoration, pack up the remains and organize the garage so I could get that car back in.
Should be a fairly short day at the office. Most of the planned submittals are being delayed for various reasons. Looking like I have to try and get one report turned in today and that should be it. Going to probably stop on the way home and pick up a copy of Civilization V and perhaps a joystick. Been dinking around with Flight Sim X and it's a pain in the tail to fly with a mouse. :P No big plans for the weekend now that decorating is done. Need to get some cards mailed out but nothing really looming on the agenda.
Not much to update on the WoW front. Slogging my way through quests on my pally, hunter and shaman. Not getting in any big hurry with anything so I haven't done that much with any of them to be brutally honest. The shaman has been the worst so far since he basically just hit 80 when Cata dropped so his gear was none to great to begin with and his dps sucks. PvE is a real pain and slow going it alone. Making a small fortune on alchemy and mining stuff though. ^.^
Y'all have a great weekend.
Storm
Religious intolerance...
Posted 15 years agoI tweeted about this but I've kind of got a mind to blog about it as well.
This week the <a href="http://www.the-t.com/Home/tabid/36/.....ault.aspx"; target="_blank">Ft. Worth T</a> announced that atheist ads would begin running on it's buses starting next week I believe. The slogan that will run on the side of the bus is basically "Millions of Americans are Good without God". My knee jerk reaction to this was a big good for them for giving ad space to an organization that does not believe in God. Irregardless of what I believe it is nice to know that groups are allowed equal 'face time' on the side of the buses as long as they pay for the ad space.
This story has more or less run on each and every network and on almost every news show all week long. This morning was no exception and you can imagine that the Christians are bent out of shape about it. Now I get that they are upset that someone is running an ad that basically says we believe God doesn't exist and we're happy about that. What I don't get is how these so called Christians get off on saying that they are offended and the ads should be taken down. What makes them better than the atheists? Surely the atheists, or any other non Christian, would be potentially offended at religious ads.
So the Baptists (big surprise) are planning a protest because they are offended. So fucking what. You're not better than any of the rest of us so why do you get to throw your toys out of the baby pram and cry about it? Don't the atheists have just as much right as you do to tell people what they believe?
/rant
In closing I just want to say that this is not a pro-atheist entry or anti-Christian entry. It's more so about equality and the fact that I get infuriated when Christians have the audacity to think they are the only ones who are right and everyone else should just forget about believing anything that contradicts their belief system.
Stormy
A lot of random thoughts...
Posted 15 years agoWoW:
Holy crap shit changed...a lot. All kinds of bitching and moaning going on and I guess I can understand why. I'm not happy with all the stuff they did but what are you going to do. And really Blizzard? Did a trash mob spider in Heroic AN just hit me for 27k of shadow damage which basically one shotted me? I'm waling around in there in T10, ICC and generally high level gear. That shit ain't right. :P
TSA and flying:
Several of my friends have expressed their views on this touchy subject and I respect their thoughts. However, I also have to respectfully disagree with most all of them and take a different stance. In my humble opinion there is nothing anywhere that says you have the right to fly and to not have your privacy violated in doing so. You are entering a Federally controlled secure area and as such you are subject to their rules. You're right to not be touched does not outweigh my right to not die in a ball of fire when a plane explodes from a terrorist. Yes, I will agree that TSA does an awful job at securing the airports. Yes, I will agree that they have probably never stopped any real threat. Yes, I will agree that their procedures suck ass and they have made major mistakes in screening people.
Yes, yes, yes it's a flawed system and needs fixing but unless you are flying for business then you are probably making a conscious choice to fly so if you don't like the screening process then get to your destination another way. As a business traveler I can assure you I have had my fair share of checks at the airport and while I may not like it one does not generally say no when your job likely depends on you traveling. And as far as the protest today goes...screw you. I've flown the day before Thanksgiving (for business) and it sucks as it is. We can't all afford to stand on our soapbox like you can. STFU and get out of the airport and line if you don't like it. Don't screw it up for the rest of the traveling public.
Health:
Over the past year or two I've seen several friends and family members go through bouts of poor health. The problems have been related to a variety of problems from age, diet, weight, smoking, drinking, etc. As I continue to level my greymuzzle status it makes me realize just how short life is and how easy it can be to shorten it due to various influences. It's basically served as a wake up call and kick in the ass to at least try and lead a somewhat healthier lifestyle. Over the past two years I've quit smoking...cigarettes..., tried to eat slightly more healthy and most recently have taken to running/walking a mile to mile and a half with Nikolai six out of seven days of the week. No it's not easy, no it's not always fun but dammit I will be a thin and healthy unicorn if it kills me. And dammit, I'm going to go into old age kicking, screaming and biting at every chance I get. :P
I guess what I'm trying to say is if you can do something to be healthy then do it before it's too late.
Whew. /rant
I know some of what I wrote may come off as dickish and feel free to disagree. My journal, my opinions.
Y'all be safe out there if you're traveling for the holiday. The mate, malamute and I are in for the long weekend with no plans to go anywhere other than perhaps gaming on Friday though I don't know yet if that is still on due to it being a holiday weekend.
Later..
Storm
No Subject
Posted 15 years agoA recent round of drama here reminded me of some that had occurred in the past and then later when some friends posted about friendships in general it really got me to thinking. This post isn't really about anything that has gone on here. Most all of the stuff here has been none of my business and I've generally kept quiet about and intend to continue to do so. However, what it all made me think about is how we define who is or isn't a friend, what the term friend means to people and do you really ever know who will or won't have your back when the shit hits the fan.
Over the years I've seen people come and go from my life for various reasons. Recently someone who I've known for a VERY long time but haven't talked to in like forever removed me from their LJ friends list. It was odd since we were so close at one time and even odder still that I seemed to be singled out for removal on a journal that has not seen a new post in a year or so. It reminded me of what some of my friends have written. You can't just assume that if you were friends 5 years ago that you are friends now and you have to actually work at maintaining a friendship instead of letting it sit on the sidelines to be picked back up when it suits you.
Something else that also holds true is you can't just assume you will be friends with or get along with someone just because you both are furries. It's not an instant ticket to friendship. I've had a few people come and go simply because after an initial getting to know each other a little phase one or both of us realized that we had very little in common and don't see eye to eye. Damn. Writing that reminded me of people who have tried to judge me based solely on my religious views, politics, views on life issues, perceived racism, etc. Then again I understand it too since often we only see very little of the people we interact with on the interwebs. If you never see someone face to face then often all you have to judge them on is what they write and that can often be a minuscule part of what makes that person tick.
LOL. I'm not sure where I was going with this post and it probably comes across as me just rambling but that's ok too. Sometimes it's nice to just write and get some things off your mind.
Oh yeah, now I remember. The point was to me and that I need to make a more conscious effort to maintain and cultivate friendships instead of just assuming things are ok.
Storm
Over the years I've seen people come and go from my life for various reasons. Recently someone who I've known for a VERY long time but haven't talked to in like forever removed me from their LJ friends list. It was odd since we were so close at one time and even odder still that I seemed to be singled out for removal on a journal that has not seen a new post in a year or so. It reminded me of what some of my friends have written. You can't just assume that if you were friends 5 years ago that you are friends now and you have to actually work at maintaining a friendship instead of letting it sit on the sidelines to be picked back up when it suits you.
Something else that also holds true is you can't just assume you will be friends with or get along with someone just because you both are furries. It's not an instant ticket to friendship. I've had a few people come and go simply because after an initial getting to know each other a little phase one or both of us realized that we had very little in common and don't see eye to eye. Damn. Writing that reminded me of people who have tried to judge me based solely on my religious views, politics, views on life issues, perceived racism, etc. Then again I understand it too since often we only see very little of the people we interact with on the interwebs. If you never see someone face to face then often all you have to judge them on is what they write and that can often be a minuscule part of what makes that person tick.
LOL. I'm not sure where I was going with this post and it probably comes across as me just rambling but that's ok too. Sometimes it's nice to just write and get some things off your mind.
Oh yeah, now I remember. The point was to me and that I need to make a more conscious effort to maintain and cultivate friendships instead of just assuming things are ok.
Storm
No Subject
Posted 15 years ago(This is a test post of sorts since I never blog on FA but I do have some FA only friends so...)
After being off work for 4 out of the last 5 days it was a bit of struggle to make myself get up and after it early this morning. However, for the first time in several days I actually got a full nights sleep so I at least finally feel rested.
Accomplished a lot of little things around the house over the weekend and my two days off. Finally got off my butt and shampooed the seats and carpets in the Ram. It finally is almost free of the smoke smell that it has been carrying for ages. Kevin still smokes so it will always probably have a cigarette smell to it but it has been majorly reduced. It also looks like the Firebird's days of being my commuter ride are over...at least for the short term. On the way home from work on Monday it developed a rather nasty misfire of sorts. The car has always run a little rough and the check engine light has been on for almost all of the past four years but this was a new twist. I've parked it in the garage until such time as I can get it in for a tuneup and new O2 sensors. That will probably take care of the problem but spending the $200-400 on it right now just isn't a priority.
Speaking of cars, it looks like we may be getting a 2004 Chrysler 300. This is still in the kicking around and talking about phase but it sounds like Kevin's parents want to gift him their car since they really don't use it anymore. Not a bad deal if it pans out. I could sell the Firebird, after some minor repairs, and use the proceeds from that to partially finance the Interceptor that I am drooling over. ^.^
Work has been REALLY slow this week which is part of the reason I didn't force myself to go in on Tues/Wed when I didn't feel 100%. Looks like it will be a typical busy Friday though. I guess that isn't too bad since it does help make the day go by faster. Should be back to DnD tomorrow night as well after a week off due to DM illness. The weekend looks to be shaping up to be rather quiet and mostly chore free since I got a lot of things out of the way this week.
Oh and by the way, for those of you of the Wiccan or pagan persuasion yesterday marked Mabon and today is the first day of Fall. It was kinda cool to see the almost full moon coincide with one of the pagan holidays. :D
Talk later
Stormy
Cross posted to:
http://shadow-stallion.livejournal.com/ (friends only)
http://shadow-stallion.dreamwidth.org/ (friends only)
After being off work for 4 out of the last 5 days it was a bit of struggle to make myself get up and after it early this morning. However, for the first time in several days I actually got a full nights sleep so I at least finally feel rested.
Accomplished a lot of little things around the house over the weekend and my two days off. Finally got off my butt and shampooed the seats and carpets in the Ram. It finally is almost free of the smoke smell that it has been carrying for ages. Kevin still smokes so it will always probably have a cigarette smell to it but it has been majorly reduced. It also looks like the Firebird's days of being my commuter ride are over...at least for the short term. On the way home from work on Monday it developed a rather nasty misfire of sorts. The car has always run a little rough and the check engine light has been on for almost all of the past four years but this was a new twist. I've parked it in the garage until such time as I can get it in for a tuneup and new O2 sensors. That will probably take care of the problem but spending the $200-400 on it right now just isn't a priority.
Speaking of cars, it looks like we may be getting a 2004 Chrysler 300. This is still in the kicking around and talking about phase but it sounds like Kevin's parents want to gift him their car since they really don't use it anymore. Not a bad deal if it pans out. I could sell the Firebird, after some minor repairs, and use the proceeds from that to partially finance the Interceptor that I am drooling over. ^.^
Work has been REALLY slow this week which is part of the reason I didn't force myself to go in on Tues/Wed when I didn't feel 100%. Looks like it will be a typical busy Friday though. I guess that isn't too bad since it does help make the day go by faster. Should be back to DnD tomorrow night as well after a week off due to DM illness. The weekend looks to be shaping up to be rather quiet and mostly chore free since I got a lot of things out of the way this week.
Oh and by the way, for those of you of the Wiccan or pagan persuasion yesterday marked Mabon and today is the first day of Fall. It was kinda cool to see the almost full moon coincide with one of the pagan holidays. :D
Talk later
Stormy
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