"Basra the Freedom Tortoise" written by Paul on estrip.org

Category: pets

04/29/06 02:39 - 59ºF - ID#32584

Basra the Freedom Tortoise

I let Basra run free this afternoon. He ate lots of hay and dandelions and violets. Everytime I pick him up he freaks out because he just doesn't want to go inside. I feel bad for him. I wonder if he can possibly understand that it is ever is "not nice out" because we only take him outside durign the warm months. I wonder if he thinks that it is always nice out but we just keep him imprisoned most of the time in his very own bedroom.

At least I will able to pick him up when he is 150 lbs, although not if he is kicking, as he likes to do when you try and take him inside. In case you are wondering what his name is about, we got him on the day they bombed basra to "free it."

Permalink: Basra_the_Freedom_Tortoise.html
Words: 143
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: work

04/28/06 09:59 - 47ºF - ID#32583

Life coaches and a tower

I started to work on my thesis for ten minutes when I dicovered I am not meant for editing and re-editing words in human language. To me right now, human language is such a totally inefficient to express what my project was about. I have already written about 300,000 lines of code and 2034 journals encompassing 326,085 words. When is enough, enough?

Anhow, so on to the interesting stuff, life coaches. I don't want one but the TV show I was watching in the background involved 3 straight men going to a life coach (the actress who also plays Dr. Quinn) to learn how to get women to love them. What is this life coach business all about? Is it even real. So i typed it into google, just google it (GOOGLE - life coach). It seems like it is all the rage and maybe it will give someone here a career option they hadn't though of. Is it just a fnacy name for a therapist or is it just something for rich people with too much time.

If I ever get a life coach, please just kill me. Please.

On a side note:

After months of disputes over the future of ground zero, state and city officials finally brought in the heavy equipment and began construction on Thursday on the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower that will rise at the World Trade Centre site.

Just thinking about that building makes me shudder. There is no way I wouldn ever go in it. In fact I would rather use the microwave when slightly open. Why build something that is screaming target so much.

Permalink: Life_coaches_and_a_tower.html
Words: 272
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: dreams

04/27/06 01:49 - 46ºF - ID#32582

Codeless Dream

I had the craziest dreams last night. For one I didn't fall asleep in the throws of programming. Instead I watched Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman TIll I fell asleep.

My dream started out hiking but at some point I was with (e:liz) and realized we were in the midst of some sort of fantasy like war zone. (e:terry) was playing warcraft next to me when I fell asleep, so that might explain it. So in the dream there were these rolling hills of grass and people of the opposite hill were thowing very gold guilded balls of gun powder which rolled toward us and then exploded. We had to run and jump over them like in some sort of video game. Untill we realized their entire army was on some sort of giant red blanket.

Once we realized, we decided to light it on fire and they all started to blow up. We ran over the hill and down to a creek. When we got there we realized there was no way back accept through some crazy maze like environment that requires an extreme amount of balancing and puzzle solving. Their were lots of characters to ask questions to, but most of them were trying to trick us and their were corrupt police we had to avoid.

At some point we moved across a plank over a pit and on the other end was my nonna's living room. Inside was (e:zobar) and (e:dragonlady7) and they were smoking what looked like a big bag of marajuana but smelled more like pine.

I asked them what they were smoking and (e:Dragonlady7) said "don't be silly, it's not marajuana, it is pine but we sprinkle a little ecstacy on it to give it a kick", as she curshed up a little red pill and liberally sprinkled it into the pipe.

After smoking with them, I just don't remember anything else accept that at the end of the maze we ended up in New Orleans were I was presented with the dilema of having to wash some giant plastic tub like thing, although, I full well knew they were rationing water and I shouldn't be doing it.

Normally, I dream about code. I seriously wake up in order to take notes sometimes because I have the best coding ideas in my dream so this dream was truly out of the ordinary.

Permalink: Codeless_Dream.html
Words: 403
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: programming

04/25/06 07:45 - 44ºF - ID#32581

Where do the days go?

I have developed an insane amount of new code for really cool DHTML/AJAX interface kind of stuff but it seems I never have time to implement any of it. Today I had a biweekly meeting with my boss about what i was working on and I decided to print out some of the stuff from this week. There were like 30 pages of javascript of every flavor.

It was so weird to see so much work printed out on paper. It really quanitifies programming while destroying the enviroment at the same time.

Lots of fun with math this time. Math is definately not my strong point but I am getting a lot better at it each day. When that's done I am going to learn italian and then finish editing my thesis.

On another note, I am glad to see someone is graduating (e:holly,139)

I really wish it was me. I guess I will try for the summer. This is getting so fucking ridiculous because (e:strip) was my final project and I would say it has "done enough" for about a year or two. Now I just need to say something about it.

I made so many form widget, but this one is my favorite followed by the adjuster widget which iterates through arrays.

The cancer viewer using some serious flash AS to manipulate image vectors and change brightness, contrast, hue, saturation, blur as well as zoom - all of then which communicate with the client via javascript sliders that auto save their positions between use.

An rss reader that uses surebert and poser

to bring rss feeds live to the web page on timed animation sequence.

A javascript based motion capture object that can record and playback animations that can be saved for late ruse on a web site or to push drawings back and forth between user in realtime using surebert

Permalink: Where_do_the_days_go_.html
Words: 331
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: housing

04/25/06 12:48 - 38ºF - ID#32580

$7000 freakin dollars of paint

My dad just called after meeting with the painter for an estimate on painting the house that (e:matthew), (e:terry) and I own and rent. Looks like it is going to cost $7000 to paint the rental property. You can see a picture of it here (e:paul,3373) I think instead I will just spend the next few weekends paiting it myself accept for the high peak. I figure buying even expensive ladders and tools will be worth it because we will need them for our own house at some point anyways. My father is calling aroudn today to see if we can get a better quote. I think that quote is outrageous seeing as the whole first floor is brick.

(e:terry) hates paint and (e:matthew) doesn't want to do any work on it which leaves me kin dof alone although i bet hey will change their mind when they see it cost $7000. I rememeber my grandmother telling this story about how on the other side of the house, where there is no porch, that my grandfather painted the peak by having my grandmother sit on a plank out the window while he walked out on it. He was much more of a daredevil than me. Three stories up on a small plank over a concrete slab backyard sounds like an easy way to die.

Permalink: _7000_freakin_dollars_of_paint.html
Words: 227
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: food

04/25/06 12:09 - 44ºF - ID#32579

Jimmy Macs and Panos

I wen tto Jimmy Mac's the other day for a hamburger. There hamburgers have always been huge but this one was insane. There hamburgers are so freakin' tasty, I wonder why there is almost never anyone in the restaurant.

Pano's has lots of rules now. I had their chicken soulvlaki. Whiel I thought the meat was good I would never eat it again as the salad was a disgusting blend of white and brown yucky iceberg lettuce. I didn't think anywhere served that kind of junk lettuce anymore.

jenks writes at 08:56:52 04/25/06 - Comment #7008: yeah like peter said- I just always forget jimmy macs is there. But every time I HAVE eaten there, it was awesome.

metalpeter writes at 07:32:26 04/25/06 - Comment #6999: That Burger looks awesome. I'm guessing one reason it isn't that packed is because people like myself forget it is there. I never knew they served food before the outdoor patio it looks like a bar and with those dark windows you can never tell if it is open or not.

Panos: I think those rules are for the late night crowd who come in after drinking and continue the party there by putting tables togather and getting 7 differant bills and then leaving a tiny tip or no tip at all, that is my guess at least. I love iceberg lettuce its crisp and crunchs and to me tastes much better but that is just me.

dragonfire1024 writes at 09:08:33 04/25/06 - Comment #6977: LoL. You went in last night when I was working...you probably saw me. Those rules are just overnight rules. Some are stupid. As for the lettuce, I will have to talk to somebody about that,.. We are very much known for our Slouvaki so I am sure Pano would like to hear who is screwing up. If ypyou did see me, I was wearing the black hat turned backwards :)

mrdt writes at 01:21:51 04/25/06 - Comment #6970: That is a fine lookin burger
And to answer your question... Do you remember yesterday when I was talking about the people that I have worked who don't have a clue why their restaurants are successful. well, this is one of those people. while extremely intelligent, actually received his undergrad from wharton's business school in economics, he lacks the fundamental knowledge to make customers happy and other resources that makes businesses successful such as a good internal/external marketing plan. Not to mention he pisses people off all the time by charging people $20 a head for a reservation over five not cancelled within 48 hours or the times he has called people at midnight, drunk, to find out why they blew off their reservation. He's just not customer orientated.
Hey, Mothers is successful so Jimmy Macs should be successful. Right??? Wrong. They are two totally different animals and what the guy doesn't understand is that the paradigm is at Jimmy Macs is completely different. The viral or buzz marketing that he relies on at Mothers doesn't work for Jimmy Macs, even with all the smoking controversy. It didn't help either that when they reopened they were under staffed with unknowledgable but extremely hot employees. It was mayhem and chaos, I don't think they will recover for a while. I offered my help and in response was asked, "why would I need your help?" I guess he'll know the answer to that when I get the call for my pricy consultation services.
Long story short, if you piss off the people who are paying your bills you won't be around for too long. What goes up must come down.

Permalink: Jimmy_Macs_and_Panos.html
Words: 94
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: food

04/24/06 09:43 - 46ºF - ID#32578

Sushi Place

I have been wanting to go to this Sushi place in Williamsville for so long but I could never remember where it was located. Finally, I remembered who I went with lasttime and contacted them (e:rzoo) about the directions. Turns out it is on maple road. They have this really cool wooden furniture when you walk in. The last time I went a squirrel came in from outside and it was all crazy. I find it hard to believe it didn't get on my journal but I think it was around this time paul,3245

Does anyone want to go tomorrow night?

Fuji Grill (MAP TO: 736%20MAPLE%20RD)
736 Maple Rd
Williamsville, NY 14221
7166886199

My usersound is this cheesy techno song by Scooter, an english DJ that was popular in Germany circa 1996. I love it when he says super muschi and the way he laughs. He kind of reminds me of (e:terry).

Permalink: Sushi_Place.html
Words: 149
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: music

04/23/06 04:30 - 49ºF - ID#32577

ipod to rest

My ipod got washed and dried today. While it is now a shinner white than ever but dead. I remember how happy I was the day I got it (e:paul,3148)

Wow soon I will be able to refer to everything as a journal entry in the past.

Here you can see it's ghost rising from it's body.

I have to go buy a new one right away because otherwsie cardio at the gym is not happening. Thank god it was only a shuffle.

scott writes at 09:43:46 04/25/06 - Comment #6978: For future reference, you can get waterproof iPod cases...

:::link:::

Might save you from a repeat tragedy in the future.

;)

enknot writes at 10:48:45 04/24/06 - Comment #6959: Dude! Don't be crazy. Put the broken one in the fixed one's packaging and take it back to the store....NOW! As long as you didn't get it at the apple store they will belive you. (those apple people are sticklers and they check the friggin' serial number)

kara writes at 10:31:06 04/24/06 - Comment #6956: Last summer I washed, and dried, J's cell phone. I was all proud of myself for doing the laundry, and as we'd just gotten them a few weeks before I was so made at myself.
A little rubbing alcohol (to help evaporate the water) and a few hours in front of the fan, and the thing is as good as new.

southernyankee writes at 12:58:15 04/24/06 - Comment #6935: Paul, You know that I know how you feel about the demise of your IPOD buddy. Remember my Post#168 & 171...
Vacuum Cleaners, Washing Machines, etc... They just don't seem to take to kind to the Mr. Apple Ipod.
Oh well, my condolences anyhow.
-Southernyankee

jason writes at 12:35:32 04/24/06 - Comment #6933: Haha, I got a kick out of the anthropomorphic view of the iPod. =D

decoyisryan writes at 11:15:13 04/23/06 - Comment #6906: hey paul, hopefully the new ipod worked out well at the gym today. sorry i couldn't really say hello today at target but it was crazy busy

theecarey writes at 11:09:41 04/23/06 - Comment #6905: lets all take a moment of silence..

mrmike writes at 04:55:42 04/23/06 - Comment #6873: My condolences on the death of the Ipod, mine does yeoman's work making up for the poor quality of buffalo radio

paul writes at 04:44:46 04/23/06 - Comment #6870: journal ID# and number of journals is not the same. A journal id is a unique identifier for a journal entry that remains "Taken" even after a jorunal has been deleted. Say you had 18,19,20 and deleted 19. Your total would be two. But your latest entry would be #20 because you cannot move it down to 19 without risking messing up any link to it.

jenks writes at 04:37:40 04/23/06 - Comment #6869: Sorry about the ipod... may it rest in peace. I would be sad if mine died. But paul how come it says this is journal 4306 for you, but up top it says you have 2029?

Permalink: ipod_to_rest.html
Words: 86
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: deleware park

04/22/06 11:52 - 53ºF - ID#32576

Happy Earth Day

I went with (e:matthew) and (e:terry) on an (e:matthew,725) photo hunting adventures. I hadn't been to deleware park yet this year and what better a day for explorer city nature than earth day. I have to say, just as (e:libertad,17) had mentioned there were lots of dead fish. In fact I don't think anything can live in that lake anymore. It seriously needs to be dredged. It is so sad that a waterway can be so totally damaged.

The river runs though it - Scajacquada Creek

At least the surrounding park is beautiful.

As everyone is talking about, the businesses seem realy sad about the hotel. You all know how I feel about it. If not just search my journal for hotel.

What is the key to these tree tags?

I haven't been on elmwood in a long time apparently, as I did not notice this place before or maybe tehy just didn't have the flasg before?

This tulip was so bright that the red sensors on my camera could not deal with it.

On another note, I am going to be way hot be beach time.

My butt is getting so buff.

libertad writes at 08:46:56 04/24/06 - Comment #6922: maybe the fish need some suppliments. Obviously there immune system is too low. I suggest we each go get a bottle of Ecanatia and Zinc lozenges and dump them in the lake. Hmmm maybe they need Creatine too? We don't want any scrawny fish around.

mrdt writes at 06:03:38 04/23/06 - Comment #6880: I think those people get saggy cause the skin lose's its elasticity over time and the muscle breaks over time.
I was just suggesting, I think creatine is pretty cheap - $16 for about 4#'s of Optimum Nutritions preload w/ transport, which lasts for two cycles.

jenks writes at 05:28:40 04/23/06 - Comment #6877: hey i heard that... my point is not to pick you apart, but just to prevent the propagation of misinformation.

paul writes at 04:24:23 04/23/06 - Comment #6865: Wow, this is really funy because this jorunal was really about the dead fish but . . .

I took creatine before when I used to work at feelrite (for about 2 years 1994-1996) I guarantee that it does work. On the other hand, I am over it. I don't need anything else that costs money at this point. If the body can't do it with increased food and my three time a week workout, then I don't need it. I seriously have no interest in being mega buff, just svelt and not dependent of health food store supplies. I have already been there before and it is like a drug addiction. At least it was when I worked there. I can't tell you how many "supplements" I ended up on and frnakly I feel just as healthy now-adays on my eat healthy well balanced meals and workout plan.

The money I save in supplements I can re-invest in better food.

What I am most afraid of is pushing my body to some unnatural level of buff because I see what happens to those people when they are old and that is they have flabby hanging skin that used to cover their huge muscles. There are so many of those people at the gym. I figure if I don't stretch it too far I won't have to worry.

mrdt writes at 04:14:18 04/23/06 - Comment #6864: I only recommend 3 things:
multivitamin, whey protein high in bcaa, and creatine. everything else can be achieved through diet unless you're restricting calories.
libertad, creatine is naturally found in your body and in the foods you eat (especially beef). by takin creatine you are mainly giving it a vehicle to be transported through your body while increasing the amount found in your tissue. all it rely does is force your body to retain water, which brings on the bloating, but more importantly...actually I'm not going into the science of it for fear that the doctor will pick me apart. you can google it. but I can tell you it is extremly affective when administered properly.

libertad writes at 12:58:50 04/23/06 - Comment #6844: I say whatever. You are obviously getting results without all that bullshit they sell, so just go with it. My friend takes all that stuff and I don't see how it could be good for him. And hey thanks for posting pics of lake. I didn't have my camera while I was counting dead fish.

boxerboi writes at 10:21:21 04/23/06 - Comment #6818: H O T! Paul!

mrdt writes at 12:21:02 04/23/06 - Comment #6810: wow, nice seperation and peek. for an even bigger pump try loading creatine.

Permalink: Happy_Earth_Day.html
Words: 228
Location: Buffalo, NY

Category: movies

04/21/06 04:47 - 78ºF - ID#32575

Silent Hill Inspiration

Today, I went to go see Silent Hill with my boss and co-worker. It was a pretty lame storyline but got me curious if it was based on any sort of real town. Turns out it is and that town is called Centralia, PA (WIKIPEDIA - Centralia%2C_Pennsylvania) and has been on fire for years.

you can see it here on gogle maps

in 1981, 12-year-old Todd Domboski fell into a sinkhole that suddenly opened beneath his feet. He was saved after a relative pulled him out of the hole, which was estimated to be hundreds of feet deep. The incident brought national attention to Centralia, and in 1984, Congress allocated more than $40 million for relocation efforts. Most of the residents accepted the buy-out offers and moved to nearby Mount Carmel and Ashland.