More California Stuff
Things are going really well here I'd say. It may be 10 degrees warmer in Boulder and sunny, but the rain here is like a summer rain. People here complain like it's the depth of winter, but it's been quite nice all things considered. I've decided I really like where I live, despite people warning me that Sunnyvale was a family overrun suburb. When people said that, I pictured Louisville or worse, Superior; but it's not like that. I live within a block of an Albertsons, Starbucks, Pizza hut, a donut shop, a KFC, a Bread place (I guess they serve breakfast) a BBQ place, a barber shop, dry cleaners and a gas station. I'm probably within walking distance of Murphy Street (the local downtown with no less than 4 irish pubs, some sushi places and Target) but I haven't tried yet. I was sick this weekend when I would have tried that ~1 mile hike.
I also heard that class-ism was big here, but it's not so bad. My car and/or clothes aren't great, but I don't feel like anyone looks down on me for it. People are way to self centered to care about other people. Still working out a definitive plan for meeting people... I'm going to try the Irish pubs like I said, but if they're anything like Boulder it'll be old married people. Kristen told me to try churches with strong singles groups, which despite loving Jessie very much might be worth while. I'm looking to meet other people in their 20s in professional careers but preferably not programming ;)
I'm coming home this weekend! Give me a call if you want to hang out.
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Blogger
I am now using Google's blogger system, and I'm parsing it into my web site. What does that mean to you? Well if you're on the website, old posts are going to look funny. I wanted to provide an archive, but I didn't want to support the old method any longer so I just copy and pasted old posts into new posts on blogger, dated, well yesterday since it is now 30 seconds past midnight. If you're using an agregator such as the wonderful Bloglines you will have needed to change your links (but you already knew that, or else how did you get here?)
Yes, I liked the challenge of writing my own RSS editor, but when Google came out with a dashboard widget to post to their blog so simply... I couldn't resist. Plus this way I can link back to blogger and get the ability for people to comment on posts, legitimate dates and gaurenteed validation in the xml. This is what we in the computer industry call "code reuse". Why re-write it when you can use someone else's service for free?
Yes, I liked the challenge of writing my own RSS editor, but when Google came out with a dashboard widget to post to their blog so simply... I couldn't resist. Plus this way I can link back to blogger and get the ability for people to comment on posts, legitimate dates and gaurenteed validation in the xml. This is what we in the computer industry call "code reuse". Why re-write it when you can use someone else's service for free?
moved, again!
Feb 26, 2006++++++When I left Boulder, I went to U-Haul online and saw that I could rent a truck, and tow my car behind it. I reserved it all with one easy click and I figured that would be all. Moving day comes along, I show up at the rental place and they say, "well we have your tow hitch, but no truck. Your truck is up the diagonal." So I wasted precious packing time to drive up, get my truck, drive back to the hitch place, and the lights are broken so I have to come back that afternoon. Two weeks later I'm using U-Haul again, because it's an in town move, no hitch and they can't POSSIBLY screw it up again. I bring my credit card, driver's license and proof of insurance just as they ask but "nooooo we can't rent a truck to someone with an out of state drivers license. You could call someone who lives here and verify you live here." Okay... Ryan's cell number is 303- "Wait no, it has to be a local number." Uh great, the only local numbers I know are office numbers and it's Sunday. Well thanks to my fabulous buddy Ryan, who offered to put the whole thing on his credit card and rent the truck himself (he has a California drivers license) we were able to finally get the truck and move everything up the 3 floors to my new home.
Other than that, life has been pretty good. I played volleyball on Friday with some work people and last night I bought X-Files season 1 and built a new bookshelf/plant stand thing. Next I need to find a couch and finish unpacking and I can finally have some people over.
Other than that, life has been pretty good. I played volleyball on Friday with some work people and last night I bought X-Files season 1 and built a new bookshelf/plant stand thing. Next I need to find a couch and finish unpacking and I can finally have some people over.
New Style
Jan 27, 2006++++++In honor of CU, which has treated me well for four and a half years, my website now has new colors. Check it out!
Moving to California, Part 1
Feb 17, 2006++++++Okay.... I'm posting again which means I'm stable enough to spare some time to do so. When you just moved you go into killer ninja, survival-of-the-fittest, fight-or-flight and shower-if-you-have-time-to mode. But last night, I cooked my own meal for the first time in 2 weeks. Being self-sufficient is an important thing to the survivalist, which is why I was so happy to move out of the Motel 6 and into my apartment last Wednesday despite the fact that it meant having to sleep on the floor and use tee-shirts as towels. Each example of forthought becomes a small personal victory such as the small roll of toilet paper I almost put into a big, unidentifiable brown box but instead threw into the back seat of my car. I find it important to have someone to share those moments with, as well as the moments not so well thought out, and Jessie has been that to me for which I am eternally greatful. I arrived in California exhausted from driving at least 22 hours over 3 days and sleeping in the cab of the UHaul the night before. I searched all over for the self storage place I had found so easily online and unpacked my entire truck in 2.5 hours. Packing that same truck took 7 hours with help from Jessie and my neighbor Marc. With an hour to spare before the UHaul place closed, I took my empty truck back to navigate this new city I'd soon call home only to get terribly lost. I arrived 7 minutes after 5:00. I did what they recommend not to, and left the truck and hitch there so I didn't have to drive 14' of truck plus 10' of my own car through downtown San Jose. From there I went to the Motel, where I had reservations but my credit card was rejected! I was able to shorten the stay and it cleared but that was the last straw. Jessie was there for me just a phone call away and it made all the difference in the world to hear her voice. Anyway, all that is behind me and things are looking good for the future. I'll be posting more because I had a lot of time to just drive and think on my way down here, so I want to share those thoughts with you, my friends. I sincerely hope that you are all in good health, and I will see you soon.
Powerful
Jan 31, 2006++++++So last Sunday was my last time at church before leaving. After the service the Sunday school teacher came up to me and told me she was talking about who is powerful in her class that day. Some of the kids said "Troy is!" That made me laugh. Then she told me why... because I work for Bill Gates?!? I'm going to have to learn those kids a thing or two about Apple. I guess stupidity is a common affliction, a dorm neighbor of a friend of mine a few years ago said that Gates was the head of Apple. *sigh*
Big News!
Jan 18, 2006++++++For those of you who do not know, I've been offered a job at Apple. w00t! Now, I'll have to find out where I fit in a state which is governed by the Terminator, where people describe where they live as time from something rather than distances to; and a half million dollar property is a "fixer-upper". But while the transition will be hard for me, it's always harder for those left behind. I should know, I've been in Boulder all my life and I've seen more than a couple friends move away. Well my thoughts and prayers will be with you and I would love to hear from you, for any reason. Stay tuned, party eminent :)
Hello from Cupertino!
Jan 12, 2006++++++Update from Troy: I'm sitting in the Cupertino Inn (exhausted) after a full day of interviews at Apple. I did well, I think so now time will tell. San Jose is not as bad as I pictured. I remember LA which seemed like miles and miles of highway with no attractive destination. This has pockets of life. Lastly, Apple seems to be just as attractive as everyone believes to work for, except the hours would indeed be long. Can't get my hopes up, but the fact that I made it here, this trip, this interview, this opportunity speaks well of me and I can be happy to say I had the balls to try.
Sandwich
Jan 6, 2006++++++I could really go for a good sandwich right now.
Yep, just when you thought I was getting personal on my blog, really spilling my guts, I devoted an entire post to sandwiches. That's just the crazy sort of guy I am.
Yep, just when you thought I was getting personal on my blog, really spilling my guts, I devoted an entire post to sandwiches. That's just the crazy sort of guy I am.
Success
Dec 21, 2005++++++What is Success? When I was little my parents played volleyball at the South Boulder Rec center and there were frequently college aged friends playing volleyball, drinking beer and playing cool music on the radio. I never realized how much I wanted that until this summer when it occurred to me that I had become those young adults, and it's an incredible feeling to recognize your own success. It was a real eye opener to me when it happened, and it was then that I noticed young kids building castles in the sand, watching us play.
When I was a little older, going to school and dreading every homework assignment, I really wanted to be done with school. I looked at all those grownups who went off to work and I thought it would be so great to be done with school so I could work. This past summer, I again realized that my goal was met and unlike those sob stories of people who realized they hated work more than school, it was actually great. Sure the job was stressful, but evenings and weekends were spent outside, or programming or vegging out in front of a DVD.
When I started college, I had no car, a terrible job at Target and had to share a bathroom with 40 other guys on my floor. I decided that a metric for my success would be never needing a room mate after I graduated. I actually reached that a little early, I now have a one bedroom apartment of my own and a car as well.
Now I'm looking at career stuff, and I'm trying to decide how it all fits. Do I head West to work in Silicon Valley with an impressive company and bragging rights galore? Do I stay here where I can still hike far enough from town that I can forget civilization for a while, and be back in time to meet my girlfriend for lunch? I've also been going to school for 16.5 years, should I travel a bit before deciding to stay in one spot for the next 3-5 years? Everyone I know pushing me to be successful, when is anyone going to tell me exactly what that is?
When I was a little older, going to school and dreading every homework assignment, I really wanted to be done with school. I looked at all those grownups who went off to work and I thought it would be so great to be done with school so I could work. This past summer, I again realized that my goal was met and unlike those sob stories of people who realized they hated work more than school, it was actually great. Sure the job was stressful, but evenings and weekends were spent outside, or programming or vegging out in front of a DVD.
When I started college, I had no car, a terrible job at Target and had to share a bathroom with 40 other guys on my floor. I decided that a metric for my success would be never needing a room mate after I graduated. I actually reached that a little early, I now have a one bedroom apartment of my own and a car as well.
Now I'm looking at career stuff, and I'm trying to decide how it all fits. Do I head West to work in Silicon Valley with an impressive company and bragging rights galore? Do I stay here where I can still hike far enough from town that I can forget civilization for a while, and be back in time to meet my girlfriend for lunch? I've also been going to school for 16.5 years, should I travel a bit before deciding to stay in one spot for the next 3-5 years? Everyone I know pushing me to be successful, when is anyone going to tell me exactly what that is?
Finals coming
Dec 7, 2005++++++Finals are coming, and I'm pretty excited. No I don't have a sadistic facination with 2.5 hour tests. No, I don't enjoy waking up early for a 7:30AM test ON SATURDAY and then going back to school ON SATURDAY for a 7:30PM final. I'm more excited for what happens after that. Nothing. I graduate and I have the first real "free-time" since Highschool. W00t go me.
Bad Sony!
Dec 1, 2005++++++Haven't blogged in a while, I keep thinking I'm going to update my blogging software but alas... has not happened. Instead you get this:
For those of you who haven't heard, Sony put software on CDs designed to stop you from copying them. That's not bad, it's their right but it's your right not to use it as long as you know about it. What was bad, is that they created software that creates a huge security hole in your computer, uses other people's software without permission and makes it impossible to remove. Let's be clear that as a libertarian, I do not support any sort of government regulation on this and many other matters, but I believe free markets can regulate companies by selectively boycotting them if they screw up. So if you were thinking about buying a Sony/BMG CD this season, think twice and they'll soon get the message.
For those of you who haven't heard, Sony put software on CDs designed to stop you from copying them. That's not bad, it's their right but it's your right not to use it as long as you know about it. What was bad, is that they created software that creates a huge security hole in your computer, uses other people's software without permission and makes it impossible to remove. Let's be clear that as a libertarian, I do not support any sort of government regulation on this and many other matters, but I believe free markets can regulate companies by selectively boycotting them if they screw up. So if you were thinking about buying a Sony/BMG CD this season, think twice and they'll soon get the message.
More Stuff
Nov. 18, 2005++++++Just because I feel like I should post, here's more stuff I've done over the ages that my regular viewers may not have seen and potential employers might enjoy. A Trumpet rendering(Blender 3D), Chicago Wallpaper(Illustrator, Photoshop), Carona(The Gimp), and a logo for my church softball team(Illustrator). I'll put up more as I think of it and remember where I put it.
Job applications
Nov. 3, 2005++++++Horray for job searching! I feel productive, yet stressed out at the same time. If you are visiting for the first time and looking for work samples, I recommend you follow these links:
My Pirate Bulletin Board Coded in PHP and MySQL from scratch. Images done in photoshop, borrowed (academic fair use!) from Disney.
Terminal emulator A flash project to test the power of actionscript.
Flash animation Just weird animated stuff, representing the theme "Patterns"
iDental My senior project. This is not a web based project, but you can see the icons I made in illustrator on this page. It is a OS X native application for chairside dental charting on a Mac. There's more, which I'll probably link up here when I think of it.
My Pirate Bulletin Board Coded in PHP and MySQL from scratch. Images done in photoshop, borrowed (academic fair use!) from Disney.
Terminal emulator A flash project to test the power of actionscript.
Flash animation Just weird animated stuff, representing the theme "Patterns"
iDental My senior project. This is not a web based project, but you can see the icons I made in illustrator on this page. It is a OS X native application for chairside dental charting on a Mac. There's more, which I'll probably link up here when I think of it.
October 24
Oct. 24, 2005++++++So on top of everything going on last week, my grandmother passed away and the funeral was this weekend. The thing that got me choked up wasn't how sad her passing was, but the number of people who have been there for myself, my mother, my grandfather and the rest of our family. I truely appreciate everyone who has been concerned, or offered a hug during this last week. I know my grandma would have done the same, so it's nice knowing that there are other people in the world as kind as she was.
Rafting!
Oct. 17, 2005++++++This weekend I went to Grand Junction with Jessie to go rafting with her family. It was lots of fun and her family is way cool. I managed to stay on the raft through all the rapids, but right after the biggest one I tried to jump to a rock to tie down the raft and fell in. burrr. Other than that and a little head injury while helping her dad with the deck, it was a good trip. Which is good because last week kinda sucked. After taking my car in to replace spark plugs and wires for $265, it started overheating so I'm going to take it into the shop tomorrow to see if I can get that fixed. This is the reason I never took my old car in to get it's oil changed. Once you take it in once, it's a downward spiral of unending headachs. _Then_ I discovered that someone's been using my credit card online. I can contest the charges and I doubt I'll be liable for any of it but I had to cancel the card and wait 7-10 days for a new one. When's the last time you used cash for all your transactions for a whole week? I hate going inside to pay for gas. I sure hope the repair shop will accept a check, I'd rather not pay in a wad of $100s :-/
White trash party
Oct. 10, 2005++++++Is there anything wrong with being a cute couple? Especially when it's just starting... If you can't be cute then, when are you ever going to? I'll spare you the details, lest I encourage you yak on the keyboard; but sufficed to say that Jessie and I are way cute, way perfect and way fun. In other news, this weekend was a white trash party for one of Jessie's friends. I wore a pink bathrobe, wife beater and camouflage boxers. She wore a hot, one-piece denim number with heels that made her nearly as tall as me. Good times.
Handwriting
Oct. 5, 2005++++++Recently I've discovered that I have some peculiar handwriting habits. For example, when I write a lower case "h" followed by "e" the h looses the curve and the right-most leg and combines directly with the e. Because of this, the h character looks more like a backwards checkmark or a laem l which has stubbed it's toe. I'm sure you're thinking, "Big deal, Troy. Your handwriting sucks anyway" but it's crippled my note taking ability. Every time I write "the" or "another" I stumble over the words and I contemplate the evolution of my handwriting. If I'm aware of it, I can't do it the same and that slows me down even more. As a final blow, I've begun loosing the game every time it happens and I cheat because I'm in class and I don't want to interrupt. Can you say senioritis?
Tea Pots
Sept. 30, 2005++++++Corpse Bride: cool.
Buchannan's Thursday Art night: way cool.
Teapot catching on fire: not cool.
k, maybe it was a little cool.
Buchannan's Thursday Art night: way cool.
Teapot catching on fire: not cool.
k, maybe it was a little cool.
Why bother?
September 27, 2005++++++It's always weird to blog when the people you're blogging about are readers. I just have to say that I've met a girl who is beautiful, smart and fun to be around. I'm hoping things work out, but here's usually where the rug gets pulled out from under me.
I was listening to Weezer and the lyrics are pretty fitting.
Why bother
It’s gonna hurt me
It’s gonna kill when you desert me
This happened to me twice before
It won’t happen to me anymore
I’ve known a lotta girls before
What’s the harm in knowing one more?
Maybe we could even get together
Maybe you could break my heart next summer
Not that I'm looking to settle down or anything, I just hope things work out for the best is all ;)
I was listening to Weezer and the lyrics are pretty fitting.
Why bother
It’s gonna hurt me
It’s gonna kill when you desert me
This happened to me twice before
It won’t happen to me anymore
I’ve known a lotta girls before
What’s the harm in knowing one more?
Maybe we could even get together
Maybe you could break my heart next summer
Not that I'm looking to settle down or anything, I just hope things work out for the best is all ;)
Not so bad
September 17, 2005++++++Maybe girls aren't so bad, had an excellent time at the People's Republic of Boulder on Saturday. Thanks for a good time :)
1337
Sept 9, 2005++++++w00t. y3sterd4y we h4d |3uild 1337 a7 w0rk. 7hat $pe11s "leet" sh0r7 for "Elite" in h4x0r ta1k.
Korean Church
Aug 28, 2005++++++Today I went to a Korean church service where the entire thing was in a language I didn't understand. I thought I would be bored but it was really quite interesting. I felt quite welcome and everyone was happy to have me there. I brought my friend Kristen to my church during Lent last year and it was a very traditional, dark service. I think she felt less welcomed and more confused than I did today. It's funny to think that a service done entirely in english could be harder to understand than one where even the written material contains letters you've never seen before. After the service they served lunch, and it was quite excellent.
Classes with girls
Aug 24, 2005++++++First day of classes yesterday, looks like a lot of fun but Artificial Intelligence and Russian are going to kick my arse. My goal for the day was met though, I met a girl in 2 out of 3 classes. The only reason I didn't meet a girl in my AI class is there's only one and I already knew her so I said hello and just paid attention to the teacher for once. Alice in my Russian class already knows how to speak Russian so that should be a valuable asset, and Britney in my Philosophy class is very bubbly so both those were fun people to meet. One more class to attend tonight, but it's User Interface Design, another engineering class so odds are poor for meeting girls there. I think I'm finally becoming less shy.
Party Sunday
Aug 18, 2005++++++If I missed anyone, you're invited to my apartment on Sunday night for a party. I'm really excited to throw this party, it reminds me of being 4 again and the anticipation of all my friends coming over to eat cake and play duck duck goose. People I haven't seen in a while like Steph B and Patty are coming, as well as Sharon who is returning from CA that afternoon.
I moved!
Aug 4, 2005++++++Everytime I move I think about materialism. This time I was considering a box of school text books that I've had since freshman year. They were expensive books, and have a lot of good information so if I ever need them, I don't want to have to buy them again. The box is about 1 foot per side and I haven't opened it all year. My new place is 480 square feet and I pay $525 per month so If I continue to keep that box without using it, that costs more than a dollar per month to store them. Time to think about what you really need, isn't it?
fotos
July 23, 2005++++++I posted a link a couple months ago about a camping trip I went on, now I'm using the same program to post photos of my friends. PLEASE write comments, it's completely anonymous. It's only fun if people write about how funny everyone looks. More will be added as time goes on.
qualcomm
July 21, 2005++++++For those of you who are wondering what the heck I do at Qualcomm, I found out that all the information I've been hiding from people because it might break my NDA is online. Here's some photos and information about the phone I'm working on. They don't mention the shortcuts specifically, but I'm sure that's like their number 1 selling feature. Here's a link.
Dodge Neon
July 16, 2005++++++As many of you know, (because I've been whining about it ever since it happened) my car died. It's my own fault for not taking care of it like I should. But the weird thing is I tend to have good luck streaks, and I'm in the middle of one now. Work on Wednesday and Thursday was great, I won a pair of tickets to a concert worth $40 each and a cute girl is going with me on Friday, and I'm just having a great summer. So when the car thing happened, I was initially pretty angry, embarrassed and sad. But now that I think about it I think it'll turn out all right. I got a pretty good deal on a car 6 years younger than the old one, and it has a working radio and no cracks in the windshield. It sucks that Argo had to die, but I'm glad it did when I have the money to replace it, near enough to the weekend that I could shop around and at a time when I had my friends around to support me and my Dad was able to come pick us up in Denver. My new car is a white Dodge Neon, and I'm thinking about calling it Argon (get it? Argon and Neon are both noble gasses. I crack myself up.)
What does your Birth Date mean?
July 7, 2005++++++This is kinda cool: What Does Your Birth Date Mean?
Your birth on the 19th day of the month adds a tone of independence and extra energy to your life path.
But at the same time, it poses a number of obstacles to overcome before you are able to be as independent as you would like. The number 1 energy suggests more executive ability and leadership qualities than your path may have indicated.
A birthday on the 19th of any month gives greater will power and self-confidence, and very often a rather original approach. However, a somewhat self-centered approach to life that may be in conflict with some of the other influences in your life.
This 1 energy may diminish your ability and desire to handle details, preferring instead to paint with a broad brush.
You are sensitive, but your feeling stay somewhat repressed.
You have a compelling manner that can be dominating in many situations.
You do not tend to follow convention or take advice very well.
Consequently, you tend to learn through experience; sometimes hard experiences.
The 19/1 is a loner number and you may experience feelings of being alone even if you are married.
You may take on a tendency to be nervous and angry.
Your birth on the 19th day of the month adds a tone of independence and extra energy to your life path.
But at the same time, it poses a number of obstacles to overcome before you are able to be as independent as you would like. The number 1 energy suggests more executive ability and leadership qualities than your path may have indicated.
A birthday on the 19th of any month gives greater will power and self-confidence, and very often a rather original approach. However, a somewhat self-centered approach to life that may be in conflict with some of the other influences in your life.
This 1 energy may diminish your ability and desire to handle details, preferring instead to paint with a broad brush.
You are sensitive, but your feeling stay somewhat repressed.
You have a compelling manner that can be dominating in many situations.
You do not tend to follow convention or take advice very well.
Consequently, you tend to learn through experience; sometimes hard experiences.
The 19/1 is a loner number and you may experience feelings of being alone even if you are married.
You may take on a tendency to be nervous and angry.
story time
June 25, 2005++++++Well children, another weekend... another story. Gather close while I tell the tale. Once upon a time there were a group of friends who went to Coldstone. Being bummed that a certain someone was leaving for the rest of the summer, I was being pretty quiet and detached from the group. Behind us in line was a cute girl, as there often are in Boulder. After standing in line for some time, I see Jay giving me the ol' wink'n'nod towards her so I distinctly remember thinking about not thinking about it (still with me kids?) and I took one long step backwards. I have no idea what I said, something about are you here alone and she said no so I pretty much let it drop. It's true, I don't know how to flirt. I went and got my icecream and then realized she said she was getting icecream for her sister who was outside. Now I'm kicking myself for a missed opportunity. The guy hands me my icecream and asks if I want anything else so I said, "yes, I'd like whatever she wants." She made the polite protest, let me pay and I got her phone number. Yes it was a truly uncharacteristic moment for me to recover from my blunder but the look on Jay's face was more than worth it.
adventure at the bars
++++++Last night was awesome. I went to the bars as DD for 3 girls. Every time we entered a bar I got awesome looks from people as I had a girl under each arm and a third leading the way. As a bonus, I dressed up for the night so I looked like a total pimp. I'd say this is uncommon for me, except that last time I went to the bars was for Mel's party and I was attacked by Mel and her friend Lindsay before we left and they left big lipstick marks on both sides of my face. Just look how happy I look at the end of the night.
self_confidence++;
++++++Status update on Troy: Finals are done. Senior project is done. Qualcomm starts on Monday and I've had 3 dates in the past 7 days. Even better, it was two different girls and that doesn't include going drinking with Ali last week or hot tubbing with two gorgeous women last night. I also had a photoshoot today and met a beautiful girl who was nice enough to pose for some shots with me. When asked if she was photogenic she said sheepishly, "oh, I'm a model. Part time, just to pay for school." I don't want to jump to conclusions, but the way she said that didn't lead me to believe she was a hand model or even swimsuits. Even if she's out of my league I should have asked for her number, just to make the story better. This weekend is volleyball and graduation parties for two girls I know. I haven't been lucky with the ladies in the traditional sense of the word, but I haven't been told recently "I just want to be friends" so life is good.
Nice Guy continued
May 1, 2005++++++You know who gets girls? Gay men. They're well dressed, sensitive and society allows them to be nice guys. If only I were a better dresser I could pull that off. Oh yeah, and the fact that I like girls kinda gets in the way.
Nice
April 29, 2005++++++So a little while back I was eating dinner with a girl and her room mates and the topic of nice guys came up. I had always thought that girls like nice guys, it's just a matter of time before they realize it. They all said that nice guys are no good because a.) They're boring and b.) there's nothing to change. Well the boring part I can overcome because it's just not true. But how do I get past this need in women to change a guy? Or more importantly since I'm not perfect, how do I expose my faults without looking like a jerk, looser or mental-case? Curse you girls!
Obstacles
April 20, 2005++++++Regarding girls: The first obstacle is convincing girls that not all guys are jerks. Convincing them that all guys are, *except* you is the second and more difficult challenge.
Romance
April 19, 2005++++++Because of my last post, I have been accused of lacking romance. Again I have my own take on this word, and I'm going to tell you whether you like it or not :) Romance to me is perfecting the moment. You can have romance over candlelight, or you can have it watching a ballgame. It can be a two person thing, or a group thing, or an alone time. I would call myself a hopeless romantic, because I like things to be more perfect than they could ever be. One thing that romance is not, is boring. There must be a spark for romance to burn. I just wanted to make it clear that friends can share a romantic moment and not be romantically involved.
My thoughts on dating
April 16, 2005++++++Relationships are hard. I'm still young and "figuring it out" but here's my general feeling about relationships right now. If I had my way, I'd never have a girlfriend ever again. I'd get to know my female friends by talking to them or hanging out and one day I'd ask one of them (or be asked by one) to commit to being my friend forever and start a family. Dating is fake and superficial because you're trying to fool the other person into liking you. But a friend is someone you really know. This has nothing to do with being cheap and not wanting to pay for dates. I'll pay the penny for your thoughts, and I'll even spring for the icecream later. But why do we need to classify that as a date? I guess I'm just irritated with girls who say, "I just want to be friends." because I don't see the distinction between a female friend and a girlfriend. It's all about getting to know people, being there for them and having someone to be there when times are rough for you. If everyone thought like this, there would be much fewer feelings hurt.
Volleyball
April 7, 2005++++++I love volleyball :) First things first. I woke up feeling refreshed and early enough to cook eggs for breakfast. Then I left with an hour to get to class (usually takes 40 minutes) so highway 36 was actually relaxing. I was turning left from foothills to baseline and the chick next to me veered into my lane, but a second later I hear a siren from the unmarked police car next to me and she gets busted. Later in the day, I go to my 5:00 class and it's in Hale so it has windows! but the professor had to close them for the projector, so I got up and left. I talked to 4 people about going on a hike but none would go with me so I went by myself, feeling all lonely to stick my feet in boulder creek. Coming back, I see 5 guys playing volleyball and I ask to join them and we end up playing till dark. Volleyball is my favorite thing in the world. And this was great because they were all good players, but I was just slightly better than all but one guy :) So that's easily the best day I've had in a long time. (could be that it didn't involve any girls??)
Live is good
April 2, 2005++++++Life is so good right now. Kristen claims boys don't cry, but I was brought to tears on my drive home last night over how beautiful the world is. Yesterday I walked around campus at sunset taking pictures, Boulder is awesome this time of year. I have great friends and a job I enjoy. Here's some other things I was thinking about last night which made me realize how beautiful life is: Apples, thunder, walking barefoot, girls who wear their hair up in ribbons, sunsets, writing and drawing... Why would I cry over my problems when I have so much to be thankful for?
Finally did it!
++++++I'm a senior at CU, and it has taken me four years to figure out how to send email from Mail.app using the CU SMTP server. I had always made the mistake of putting in my password or clicking on the SSL button, but apparently that's not necessary. ITS finally made their documentation clear enough to follow.
Robot
Feb 6, 2005++++++New animation. It's a study on character walking so don't expect much. Robot walking.
Safari coolness
Feb 4, 2005++++++I haven't seen this documented anywhere, but it's kinda cool. In CSS you can set the border color and width independently for the side and the bottom. I created a test page with a 50 pixel right border and a one pixel bottom border. In Firefox, the bottom border stops half way across the left border where one would expect it to join with the side border if they were the same width. See an example. On Safari, they do a neat thing. They fade out the bottom border as it comes to meet the left border. For example. As I say, I couldn't find this documented by anyone when I google'd it so it might be worth noting if you do CSS work.
Gmail
Feb 3, 2005++++++Anyone who would like a gmail account... let me know. I seem to have 50 invites now.
New design
Jan 15, 2005++++++Svveet, I finally got this up. This new style represents a complete rewrite to the underlying structure of the site. The other pages will follow soon, so please be patient but I wanted to get this up so that I felt like I was making progress. If you didn't notice, you can change the theme and the theme will be remembered next time. More themes to come.
You are being WATCHED.
Oct 29, 2004++++++Here's a fun project I did with the express purpose of being analyzed. View it first if you like to form your own opinions. Now like the MTV sheep you are, let me tell you what to think. I went for highest amount of tension, as presented in class by Dave Underwood. There is a lot of high contrast in this image and crowded gridlines. In fact once I decided on the text I decided to make the lines look like barcodes (or perhaps jail bars?) Nothing is centered or justified, except the eyes which are centered. The text pushes the edges of the lines trying to get out which also creates stress. Finally, the text is read in a counter clockwise motion which is generally upsetting to english readers. I hope you enjoyed that!
Empathy
Oct 26, 2004++++++I really don't understand empathy. I think it's a lie. I don't think people can really understand what I feel like, nor can I understand what you are going through. If you want to tell me not to have a drink during homework, do it when you've been working 18 hours straight. Don't tell me you have a lot of homework and then ask me if I saw the debates or the Ashley Simson thing on Saturday Night Live. And especially don't tell me to relax, because I love every moment of it.
Links
Yay fall break!++++++I must be f###ed in the head. It's the first day of fall break and I am up late coding. I reason that this is personal stuff so it's "fun" but the holiday designed to stop freshman suicides isn't doing much for senior CS majors. Good news though, it's finished and ready for primetime (beta). Visit the "Links" button above and have fun! This program is PHP accessing a MySQL database. But converting my existing bookmarks from xml to a format I could get into the database was the real trick.
Site re-design
I'm learning more relevant stuff this semester than I ever have. Now if only I had time to implement it...++++++New site design. One of these days I'll make it so you can choose your own design, kinda like a choose your own adventure game. Why did I change to spring pictures when it's fall, and toss the Broncos colors right as they start playing again? Who knows. I was listening to some Vivaldi and trying to start getting over someone, so I guess I'm just a bit confused right now.
Quote for the Day
++++++Next time we better stock up on beer in case this "Sunday" catastrophe ever happens again. --My room mate Justin Meyer
New things: cost=soul
email me for my new cell number++++++So I got a couple new things aside from my car. I got a new place to live and it's really a nice place. I'm living with my co-worker but it's all the way out in Louisville. That's why I just got a new car so I could get to school/work/out of the residential area. Louisville seems like a nice place but there's houses everywhere, and anywhere you want to go takes a car, which sucks for me because I love being self sufficient. Also, the house doesn't have a phone (that I'm aware of) so I got a cell phone. I hate phones more than anything so having one on me all the time is strange. I'm getting to like it tho, it's got a lot of cool blinking lights. Lastly, I got a GMail account. I'd like to spend a whole topic talking about that, but for those of you who don't know about Google's new email service, it's 1000 megabytes of free* email storage if you don't mind the fact that Google reads your mail and inserts adds based on what people are writing to you about. My address is the7roy@gmail.com but don't discuss with me our plans to blow anything up. All this new stuff is pretty cool, but am I the same person I was a month ago when I could go 3 months without driving, three weeks without being in a car, 2 weeks without talking on the phone etc.? What is the price of giving in for the sake of simplicity or cost?
New Car
++++++I got a new car, so all y'all should call me because you wont have to drive my ass to whatever we do. I have been feeling bad lately whenever I suggest something to do because it had to be done at my house, or someone had to pick me up. Thanks, everyone who drove me places (especially old room mates) and thanks everyone else who will invite me to parties now. I'm waiting...
"Mouse" Davies
School is Back!!++++++My first class today was Object Oriented Programming and Design. The professor, who was late coming in looked a lot like Jim Carry, and later I found out he talked like him too (lots of movement.) Anyway, he came in and set a huge black plastic bag down on the table and asked for 2 strong volunteers. In a class of CS majors, there aren't many but finally two came up and the teacher said, "Alright, we'll be right back. Dig in." Looking around at eachother, we finally went up to open the bag, expecting some sort of handouts (but the bag was far too large.) When the first student finally did open the bag, we found 5 boxes of pizza and the teacher who later introduced himself as "Mouse" Davies and the volunteers came in with a cooler full of soda. We spent the first part of class eating pizza and introducing ourselves and talking about Olympics. I bet you've never had a better first class.
Blogger 2.0!
In other news: I'm moving. I currently have no phone or internet service (uploading this will be a trick, eh?) Room mates gone, no phone or IM -- Lonely has a new definition in my book.++++++Well, it hasn't been too long since my blog v1.0 came out but here's an update. This is closer to being primetime because I have a better user interface for it. The old one felt flimsy so I didn't want to use it fearing that something would break. The next step is to implement the archives, make it multi-user compatible and upload it for my church website. [July 22, 2004]
Camping Trip
You can see all the pictures I took here: Camping Trip Photos.++++++This weekend I went camping with a bunch of my friends. It was a great time, we had awesome weather (people complained anyway but that's the way of things.) Being deprived of computer for 48 hours prompted me to write a program to create a photo gallery automatically.
Creative Commons License
Mon Jun 7, 2004++++++ I've been toying with the idea of putting a Creative Commons badge on my site for a long time (cc). Creative commons allows an artist to choose a copyright license that isn't as strict as the traditional "All rights reserved" license. The (cc) in it's self doesn't mean anything in particular but it means I can pick and choose different restrictions. For example, I could choose the license that allows anyone to use my picture as long as they give me credit. Or they could use it as long as they don't sell the work. The advantage of using their license is that it has legal backing so it's more professional than the old "use my stuff, but be nice" slogan I was using before. Unfortunately, I still haven't done the proper research but it's coming. Just wanted everyone to know that.
Blogger 1.0
Fri May 21, 2004++++++Welcome to my new website. It doesn't look new but believe me, many hours went into this update. I have been learning CGI (common gateway interface) and with it I implemented a blogger. This system is cool because A.) I don't have to mess with HTML B.) Old entries are saved forever so I don't have to worry about loosing old stuff. C.) I am Fr34king l33t.
In other news, School is out and my summer job is programming so I'm a happy camper. I have time to work on my own stuff, which will include more programming, animation and drawing. Check back here for cool stuff as I post it!
In other news, School is out and my summer job is programming so I'm a happy camper. I have time to work on my own stuff, which will include more programming, animation and drawing. Check back here for cool stuff as I post it!
Weird Dream
Monday April 26, 2004++++++What an odd morning. I got to work today late, which hardly ever happens. Why did I get to work late? I woke up at 8:15 (I usually leave at 8:10). Here's what happened:
I was swimming in the ocean and I was two dimensional. That was not strange as I was in a children's cartoon. I met my friends the magical dragons who live at the bottom of the ocean and the purple one asked me to help dig up some magical dragons who had been buried in an earth quake. He started explaining to me how the mid atlantic ridge is a divergent plate boundary but the fracture zones cause strike slip earthquakes of magnitudes up to 8. (This is all stuff from my Geology class.) Then I helped them dig up the other magical dragons and one of them started talking to me in a language I couldn't understand. I thought to myself that it sounded a lot like my alarm clock, except under water or in the next room. Then I realized it was Ben's alarm clock (my room mate) which usually rings as I am leaving the house. So I took a shower, got dressed and was on my bike within 10 minutes down the bike path to work. Now I'm hungry, sleepy and sad that all the magical dragons got killed.
I was swimming in the ocean and I was two dimensional. That was not strange as I was in a children's cartoon. I met my friends the magical dragons who live at the bottom of the ocean and the purple one asked me to help dig up some magical dragons who had been buried in an earth quake. He started explaining to me how the mid atlantic ridge is a divergent plate boundary but the fracture zones cause strike slip earthquakes of magnitudes up to 8. (This is all stuff from my Geology class.) Then I helped them dig up the other magical dragons and one of them started talking to me in a language I couldn't understand. I thought to myself that it sounded a lot like my alarm clock, except under water or in the next room. Then I realized it was Ben's alarm clock (my room mate) which usually rings as I am leaving the house. So I took a shower, got dressed and was on my bike within 10 minutes down the bike path to work. Now I'm hungry, sleepy and sad that all the magical dragons got killed.
Copyright
I spent a long time on everything on this site and as such I hold the right to copy. It is my right to allow you to view, download, print and share all of my work but if you do, pleaseemail me. It's as easy as that! ++++++It's really unfortunate that people get so cross about copyright. It's not all that scary. Just because I give you permission to use it doesn't mean I've given up any rights as an artist. My work would be terribly worthless if nobody saw it. Speaking of which, there doesn't seem to be a better place to link to it, so Here is a link to my animation entitled "Teddy Bear Love." I hope you enjoy!
Other Sites I've done
email me++++++ Please visit some sites that I have done. Cranny Rentals, Dimensional Photos, Saint Ambrose.
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