Deezil.us

I’m gonna pound on the keys until I get it right.

Let’s try for a non-trivial update, shall we?

Lot’s happened since the last time I properly blogged. Sure, I gave you the funny anecdote mid-October about the customer who was basically dumb. That’s not the best story I’ve got, but it’s one of my more favorite short ones.

First, I’ve ditched Windows. And I believe it’s for good. I installed Vista around the time I moved into the apartment in early May. I knew that something in the back of my mind kept me from fully trusting Vista. I kept all my data on my external hard drive, and refused to let it go anywhere near that hard drive. Other than the sheer volume of crap I have on my Western Digital My Book 500GB model, I could never put full faith and trust in an operating system that felt like a kludge. It felt like they tried to stuff cool graphics and some extra (annoying) security into the mold of XP, and broke it all horribly. And at that time, I wasn’t even dealing with it at work. Now that I have seen it full circle at work and seeing what issues it can cause with an otherwise normal system, I can say that I know I made the right choice.

Vista’s gone, and Ubuntu is here to stay.

After Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) came out, I promptly took what little data I had on the hard drive, threw it on the external, and wiped it clean, vowing never to put this rig back into the throes of Windows. Other than a couple of small issues getting things to my liking, I haven’t regretted my move to Ubuntu yet. For those that are tired of Windows, www.ubuntu.com . Get a CD, stick it in, and play with it, without installing (yes Virginia, it will be a little slow. An installed copy will go much faster). If you like, reboot, take out the CD, back up everything you own, and get to installing Ubuntu. For all those Linux detractors out there, I can play my games fine in Linux. Diablo II and Half-Life 2 both work wonders under WINE, and that’s all I really played in the PC gaming world. If you’ve got a must-have app in Windows, I would venture a guess that you can find an app of the same caliber (maybe not as polished as some professional Windows applications) that would suit what you are doing with it in Linux.

Work.

Ugh.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my job. Absolutely love most of the people that I work with, and most of the customers that I deal with on a daily basis.

But with any data set, there are outliers. And the people at work, they lie way out there. I’ve been in a constant struggle with co-workers after some things didn’t go correctly with a project I had been assigned. And while the message preached by my bosses was that “we’re not trying to place blame, we just want to get the wrongs righted”, the sermon sounded much more like fire and brimstone than redemption. Well, I think I’ve got my soul right (we’ll see after tomorrow) and maybe I’m going down the right path. Other than that, work is busy. Especially this time of year. Except for Monday where I had to work until 2:30 and took one call. They would have gotten out of Christmas Eve cheaper by telling us all to stay home for the day as a half-day paid holiday. Their money, I suppose.

Speaking of Money, I’ve realized something that will put my money right for a while. I’m moving back to Murray. In May, when this lease is up, I will be heading back down to where I came from. I’m down there just as much already, I can help save the environment by carpooling with a co-worker, and there are people and things to do. I can spend just as much money as I do every month by living there or here in Benton. Compare the cost versus benefit (negligible added cost, much more benefits as far as social benefits, and a much more kickass apartment) and see that I come out on top. So, I’m Murray-bound once again.

It’s that time of the year that I promise to work on myself for the upcoming year. But this year is different. I’ve got motivation, I’ve got a game plan, and I’ve got a goal to shoot for. I want to go to Nashville on my birthday in 2008. I want to buy a new wardrobe for my trip, and I want none of the sizes to be similar to ones that I am already wearing. It’s gonna take work with what I’m eating and what I’m doing, and how I am taking care of myself. I have to cut back on some of my vices (fast food and booze) and realize that I can go out and have fun and still make sensible choices. It’s not that I have to quit, it’s just that I have to modify what I am doing.

I also want to get rid of this cold.  As well as get to bed.  I leave it to you, gentle readers.  Have a wonderful night.