Now in full surround sound

I picked up (that is, I chose and my mom paid for) a new audio receiver. It's sexy. I'm really happy with it EXCEPT for the fact that the remote control situation is dire. The remote that came with the shaw digital terminal can't control the audio receiver, and just about every other universal remote in the world can't control the shaw box. I phoned Shaw and the lady on the phone said there were other models of remote controls that shaw sells, further confirmed by their website. The lady that works at the kiosk in the mall, however, is a dirty lying whore and says they don't have any other ones. After that I started looking for a nicely designed programmable remote. The Sony store had one for $60, Walmart had one for $40 (but it was friggen huge), and Future Shop's cheapest was a hundred bucks.

I figured I'd head off to the shaw building tomorrow after work, but eBay had a good offer. I picked one up for just a bit over $50 CAD, but $27 is paid for by my Sega Master System I sold on eBay. Once I get this remote set up, my home theatre setup will be pretty sweet. The new receiver is better than the 10 year old one I used to have. I even went so far as to use S-Video cables for all the video components.

I had my 'birthday party' the other day. I invited a whole slew of people, but only the regulars showed up. Most of the night consisted of playing card games. Grant and I played golf yesterday, but it was raining. Terrible day to play.

Well, there's my update for the week. More stuff happened, but that's all I'm typing tonight.

Listening to... Bob Dylan and Tom Petty - Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Link of the moment... Now I just gotta wait a few weeks

21 Revolutions around the sun

I'd just like you all to know that I had a naughty dream last night. It was awesome. Too bad I've never seen any girl naked in person, nor will I for likely another few years. Actually she wasn't naked in my dream, but it was still saucy.

It was my birthday yesterday, but it seemed like any other day since I was working. My mom bought me a George Foreman grill for school next year. Between car repairs, a cell phone, glasses, and the grill, my parents have spent way too much on me since I got back. My sister also got me That 70's Show season 1, but I'm gonna send it back and see what else they have there.

I've downloaded a lot of CDs lately. New System of a Down, Nobukazu Takemura, Bloc Party, Gorillaz, Danko Jones, Our Lady Peace and Queens of the Stone Age. I have so many files that my new stuff isn't getting into the rotation very well, so I'm listening to some of the cds with no shuffle.

I sold my Sega Master System, but after shipping it I only made about three dollars profit. But then again, I got it out of the basement at the same time. My Spiderman boxset came in the mail yesterday, which was a good birthday gift. After watching the one episode, I'm disappointed that they didn't make more of the new MTV Spiderman series. They actually made Peter Parker a lanky kid in that series, and spiderman fought with agility rather than brute force.

I'm not sticking with my workout schedule per se, but I'm doing pretty well considering. My legs are really sore today from work, so I'm giving myself a break. Hopefully I'll have some results by the end of the summer, so I can look nice and studly for Tunde. I've talked to her on MSN a few times, and I think she's warming up to me a bit.

I guess I should find some food so I'm not hungry for poker tonight. I haven't walked away with more money than I came in with any of the times that I've gone to play. Well, it was my birthday yesterday, so logic dictates that I'll win lots today.

Listening to... System of a Down - Radio Video
Link of the moment... I love watching AFV

And the cycle of self degradation continues

Wow! Done my first week of work. Today was intensely boring. All I did was sit in the basement and played with laptops. I was pretty well falling asleep the whole time.

Tonight I went to Chanel's surprise birthday party. She was thoroughly surprised. I didn't know the majority of people there, but I dragged Christina along with me, and she made for some good company most of the night. I brought swedish meatballs, and they were a big hit. I forgot my dish there, but meh.

I met what may indeed be a cute girl at the party. We didn't talk much at first, but when I found her sitting next to me, I tried to strike up some conversation. We gave each other a glance every now and then too. She went out of her way to say "bye Kevin, nice to meet you" before she left, so perhaps I didn't leave a terrible taste in her mouth (figuratively, of course). I let Christina and Chanel in on my little secret, and Chanel is going to get some insider information for me. Of course, I shouldn't let myself get any sort of hopes up, because we all know that ends in temporary misery, should the result be not desirable.

I told Vic to phone me after she got off work (9 PM), and I was expecting Adam to call me when he got back in town (assuming he came back tonight). Neither of them called, so I don't really know what happened. I had fun (for the most part) at the party, so it's not a big loss that I didn't get to see either of them. I suspect I'll track them down before the weekend is through.

Don't know what else to talk about. Honestly, I just feel like blabbing about meeting a new girl tonight, but there's not much to say. I really hope Chanel gives me some good information. My hope is that Chanel and Grant can go see a movie with the two of us, double date style...but of course I'm getting way ahead of myself with this. I've just gotta bide my time.

Listening to... In Flames - Dark Signs
Link of the moment... Likely next on my list...if I can find it cheap

I won! I finally won!

I had Chris, Sandy and two of their friends over last night for some tournament style poker, and I actually cleaned them out! I played a few hands really well, so maybe I'm actually getting a bit better...although I can probably attribute it to luck. I made thirty off of them, so let's see if I can make another 30 tonight to get myself even again.

Work today was decent. Yesterday I worked from 2-8. I was absolutely famished by the end of my shift, and thirstier than hell. Today though, I finished off a school and headed back to the board office by 10:30. For the rest of the day I just had to put an image on a bunch of laptops. Oh man I was just sitting on my ass for the rest of the day, typing in a console once every half hour. I also picked up a mileage sheet so I can get reimbursed for running across town.

Well I've got not much else to do for a while. My birthday is coming up soon. I don't really know what to do, but I hope I can get lots of people together. I'd still like to go out for supper. I wonder if Adam has Monday off as well. If he does, I think Sunday night would be a good (although busy) night to go out.

Listening to... AFI - But Home is Nowhere
Link of the moment... Born on May 24th...only famous one is Bob Dylan

My legs are numb

First day of work today. eMacs are fucking heavy. After work I worked out on the Orbitrek, and that thing is fucking exahusting too. I hope to use it every day after work, pending my physical status. I'm hoping to get some leg muscle, definition, and build up my endurance. I'm tired of gasping for air climbing up the stairs in the math building.

I picked up my glasses today. When I put them on, I feel like I lose all depth perception, so I might steer away from using them while driving. They should be good for watching movies and such though.

The basement is getting cleaner. I put my Sega Master System up for bid on eBay, and it's up to $10.50 (plus $8 for shipping and handling). So far that's a three dollar profit, assuming I can ship it for 8 dollars. There are still six days left on the auction, so here's hoping I can get some cash for it.

I had Martine, Adam, Vic, Chris and Christina over the other night. We just sat around watching TV and the Incredibles, and later we went out for pizza. Frankie's was closed (I still haven't tried their pizza yet), so we settled for Pizza Pizza. Adam just about ate a whole large pizza by himself, while Martine, Vic and I shared a medium.

I asked Chris Hanley for a raise, but he gave me the "I would if I could" speech. He says the wage is set by HR, so there's nothing he can do about it. I'm a little annoyed that I'm working with kids who don't know the difference between a mac address and an IP that are making ten bucks an hour under the table.

I've been playing way too much Ragnarok Online lately, and neglecting games that I'm partway through (as usual). I just got my character up to a crusader though, so all the skills are fresh.

Well I'm gonna go relax and try to get some feeling in my legs again.

Listening to... Mom's piano student upstairs
Link of the moment... I hope I'm using it right

Just to spite myself

I went to bed at about midnight last night, and didn't fall asleep until about 2. Then I woke up at about 6:45 and couldn't fall back asleep, so I had an incident with my body:
Body: "Bwahahha you loser, I'm not gonna let you sleep in!"
Kevin: "C'mon man, it's been a rough week. I start work on Monday and need to get some good rest."
B: "What? Fuck you asshole!"
K: "FINE! Fuck it! I'm getting up, I'm going to my computer, and I'm not going to take a nap today!"
B: "What? SHIT, I was just kidding man! Stay in bed!"
K: "NO! Fuck you, you brought this on yourself."

Hopefully that'll teach me.

Big news in the last few days. I got my eyes checked and I'm getting a pair of glasses. They should be in next week. Like I've been saying, it's cheaper than getting a high definition tv, and has the same effect for me. I saw Catrina working there, and she was helping me find some sexy frames.

Yesterday I picked up a cell phone. It's a Motorola V220 with Rogers. Cameraphone and all that shit. I had to pirate some software to be able to exchange data like ring tunes and pictures, and now I can synchronize it with my Outlook. Of course, Outlook is a POS, but it's better than typing everything in by hand in the cell phone.

I've already loaded some video game ringtones, and pictures for caller ID. Adam gets "The Decisive Battle", one of the best tunes from FFT, and everyone else has "Lucca's Theme". There's also a quiet mode, where the ring is just a beep. Next, I should find (or program) some good games.

Chris Hanley came crawling back, and wants me to start on Monday. I had no choice but to say yes. It may not be ideal, but it's as good as I'm going to get anytime soon. I should bring up the topic of a raise though, for my own good. Extra money is always welcome. Starting so early means another thousand bucks by the end of the summer. Besides, Grant is working full time, and Adam might be starting full time any day now. I have nothing better to do than work.

The quest for a less cluttered crawl space has begun. It's already looking a bit better.

For the third week in a row now, I've lost $20 playing poker. On the second hand alone, I made ten bucks from Adam's Cousin, but from that point on, my thirty bucks trickled away. I made a lot of all ins. They were all on decent hands, but I think I should try to find a medium between my over-aggressive and under-aggressive play. Or, I could just give up poker and put the twenty bucks a week towards something other than other peoples' pockets.

Listening to... Iron Maiden - Purgatory
Link of the moment... My new toy.

Happy mother's day

What's new...today is mother's day. I got to the mall with Victoria yesterday and got my mom some Laura Secord chocolates. I had to make sure I didn't get anything I liked so I won't eat any if she offers.

Well, Phil's gone. Who knows when I'll see him next. I wish him the best in Calgary. Things won't be nearly as fun without him around.

I got my old computer back from him, and it was bogged down pretty badly. Some people just don't know how to handle computers. I treat mine like I would a child. Clean behind the ears once a week. Anyways, I put on a fresh install of Windows XP and I'm trying to install SP2 on it right now. It's taking damn well forever.

My plan is to replace my dad's computer and set up a user account for him, and one for me. it'll hopefully keep people from messing with his user settings, and I'll get a 19 inch monitor for playing games.

Speaking of games, I'm also trying to download the newest Ragnarok Online files, since the ones I have on my computer are oudated. However, downloading a 700 MB file isn't as easy as it sounds. It doesn't seem to want to be downloaded. Loading up computers is fun. You know once windows is updated, it's as clean as it possibly can be. No third party software anywhere.

I must have set a personal record for most times slept in past noon in the last two weeks. My sleep schedule is definitely screwed up royally at the moment.

There was something I was supposed to do, but I forget what it was...meh.

Listening to... Hoobastank - Remeber Me
Link of the moment... I've got some Silver City gift certificates to use up. Too bad there's nothing good out.

Hold 'em or Fold 'em again

I lost yet another $20 playing poker. I've lost my touch. Grant went with me too, and he lost $25.

I went to Sport Check and bought a set of 300 11.5 gram chips. I'm pretty sure they're plastic composite (that is, no clay in them), so they still have a bit of a plasticy feel to them, but they're better than the plastic chips I was using before, and they look sexy in the briefcase.

Looks like tomorrow, Chris and I are going guitar browsing. We're both looking to invest in a decent acoustic guitar.

Back on the topic of poker, I had a game at my house a few nights ago. The roster included Phil, Adam, Gen, Chris, Sandy, and myself. Chris won, and Adam came second. I got two bad beats in a row though, both times having three of a kind. It went til about 1:45. I like how my table turned out, but the top wasn't secured very well so I went out and bought some white glue and it's setting right now.

Some guy helped me with my DC++ connection, and I downloaded a good 12 or so CDs. I've only just now added them to my playlist, so I don't know when I'll actually hear them all.

I got a haircut today, and I like how it feels so far. I wonder what ever made me want to grow my hair out? Short hair is much lower maintenance.

I haven't seen Victoria on MSN in AGES. I have no idea what's happened to her. Every time I phone her, there's no answer or the phone is off. I seem to have a really hard time getting in touch with people. One day, I hope I can get lots of people together. I want to have a good poker game at my house too, but I already play twenty bucks every Wednesday. Of course, I've bought the chips, so I've gotta use them. It's just hard to have everyone with small bills to cash in.

X-Men Legends is damned hard, but it's pretty fun. It's one of the few good games that you can play with four people. I think I'm going to look for some gameshark codes that keeps people from dying, or gives you infinite "potions". I don't care if it will make the game too easy, I just want to have fun with friends.

Listening to... Hopesfall - Breathe From Coma
Link of the moment... Grant's trying to get me addicted to this. He might be successful.