June 14, 2008
What I've been doing in foggy Monterey
Over Memorial day and previously, I explored a small part of the Sierra National Forest with buddies. Specifically, I went hiking around Hell's Half Acre and the Mammoth Reservoir area. It's really beautiful, and hopefully I'll be able to get some pics up - I don't have a good digital camera, so I'm going to try to convince the guys who went with me and had cameras to put photos online. I've pretty much given up on using my Pentax SLR, the film hassle just isn't worth it to me (and I'm currently too poor to get a nikon dslr :) ).
Class had been going OK - we took our second test, the first hard one, and I did fairly poorly. However, we've started scheduling additional speaking hours which should help me with my speaking, listening, and vocabulary retention - all things I need help with. I'm also spending more time in the computer lab, which should make it easier to use things like rapidrote and read bbc arabic.
Dating hasn't been going very much - I went out a few times with a girl from my class, but decided the age difference really wasn't going to fly right now. I've been keeping fairly current on movies, in fact I saw Ironman again last night, along with The Hulk. Last weekend I saw The Fall, and it was full of win.
Gas prices out here are retarded, and it'll soon be breaking $80 for me to fill a tank, if it isn't already.
Class break should be from October 13-17, so I might be going back to TX for it :)
Posted by jeff at 12:31 PM | Comments (0)
March 29, 2008
Leave? Who knows.
I put in for leave from end of business Monday (31st) for a week, in order to fly back home and get my vehicle and some necessities (DVDs, etc ;). I put it in sometime last week, but haven't received an absolute positive response yet. I went ahead and got my ticket, though, in the hopes that noone is going to be unreasonable. If all goes well, I'll get into Houston on Tuesday in the early afternoon.
From there I'll have until about Sunday to get back to California, so shoot me comments if you're going to be around H-town/BCS/wherever and want me to come by and say hi :)
Posted by jeff at 04:02 PM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2008
May you come to the attention of those in power...
The group I'm with until I pickup classes has apparently come to the attention of those in power. Everyone knows this is a Chinese curse, but I'll give you a detailed explanation of why it is a Bad Thing ™:
Friday morning, our hardy group of 25 or so did landscaping duty. Not a big deal, the weather was close to perfect and the work needed to be done. I also managed to snag the lawn mower with a working self-propel drive.
We broke for lunch, and were told to come back in woodland trousers and our sweatshirts. Kinda odd, but several of us figured it was probably for painting. And then, when we got back, we were told to hydrate. And then told to go grab flak vests and rubber rifles.
Well crap, it looked like we were going on a run. And then an officer came out. And then a sergeant explained that we were doing fireman team carries a quarter mile up a hill to where the running track is here. Well, that sucked (I insisted on not being carried, being heavier than the other guys in my team. So myself and the 150lb guy traded off carrying the 140lb guy). After we got to the track, we ran around and did pull-ups, flutter kicks, bicycles, and jumping jacks. Then we did prone buddy drags across the soccer field. And then we did this godforsaken excersise known as a barracks crawl (I can't find a description online - basically, 25 people form an arch on their hands and feet, side by side. The person at one end crawls through and continues the line) back across the field. Then we did squad fireman carry races up an even steeper hill, then squad pull-ups (100 pull-ups done by a 12 man squad, in this case).
Yeah. So never come to the attention of those in power, it's just painful.
Posted by jeff at 01:54 PM | Comments (0)
March 13, 2008
Barracks sweet barracks
I arrived in Monterey on Tuesday evening, and I'm checked in to the barracks. I found out that despite being assigned Arabic in my MOS, it's not actually that certain of a thing. I'll probably find out Monday from the gunnery sergeant what language I'll actually be learning. It can take classes a while to pick up here, too, and I'm hoping to get permission to take leave before classes to get my vehicle and personal effects. Who knows, at this point though.
I do have regular interweb access again, but until I suck it up and buy a laptop, probably no gaming.
Posted by jeff at 02:36 PM | Comments (0)
March 02, 2008
MCT et cetera
So I lucked out, and my MCT training cycle is only 3 weeks. The poor bastards in the cycles after me (well, not the very next cycle, but all after) have to be here for 4 weeks. I'll graduate March 11. If you know the significance of that, shaddup :)
Regarding pictures of my high speed low drag hairdo: that'll probably have to wait until I get to Monterey. Yes, I could take pictures right now, but honestly I can't be bothered. Too much other stuff to do on my precious liberty time.
EDIT: Here, I put a pic up
I found out that I did get Arabic as my language, and I'll get my orders March 10. I don't know when the next Arabic cycle starts at DLI, so I don't know if it'll be possible for me to take any leave to bring my truck up to Monterey. I really hope I'll get some time, as I have dick for civilian clothes handy. I do plan on linking up with Baby Phil, so he can introduce me to hot Air Force womens.
Posted by jeff at 06:02 PM | Comments (1)
January 23, 2008
I'm baaaaack
Hey intertubes, I'm back in action. Actually, I've been back since January 11th, but now I'm ready for the red-carpet debut, instead of the limited preview.
My new cell number is 979-595-8462 (oh shit phone number on the interwebs - PS, I'm a hot girl too). Stop calling my old number, it's pissing off the guy who replaced me.
Boot camp was interesting (sometimes), fun (sometimes), and a huge challenge (very often. Occasionally the challenge was to keep from laughing).
I'm not sure if I'll ever write down all of the stories I have from boot camp, but I do have fun telling them. I go to MCT (combat training) on February 22nd, for 17 days. Then I head to Monterey, CA for language training. I should have occasional cell access at MCT, and full intertron access at MOS school.
Ooh Rah
Jeff
Posted by jeff at 08:35 PM | Comments (2)
October 05, 2007
I'm outta here
This is the last day I'll have reliable internet access before I leave, so... BYE!
I'll be back in a little over three months.
Posted by jeff at 05:44 PM
September 20, 2007
Moving out
This morning I stopped by my apartment managers and let them know that they would be needing to replace the carpet in my place (cats and a dog and spilled drinks and way, way too many water incursions) and asking how much I should be on the hook for, for that. He said it shouldn't be a big enough deal to require charging me an additional amount, but that I shouldn't expect to get my deposit back - which I am 100% cool with. He also said he'd get the A/C guy out today to clean the coil (so I might have air conditioning for a couple weeks before leaving, yay :)
I also just got off the phone with USAA, changing my insurance to storage after I leave, and changing the location to my dad's lake house in Livingston. This past weekend I got a 5'×10' storage unit and loaded a few boxes worth of books, I'll probably try to bring another load by this weekend.
Posted by jeff at 02:21 PM | Comments (0)
September 06, 2007
Not shipping early
The recruiter called Tuesday to let me know that they could get me a $4k bonus if I was willing to ship on the 17th of September. My response was basically "no", but there was some mention of shipping on the 24th.
My biggest problem with my particular recruiter is that he simply does not keep in communication very well. He's actually the recruiter for Brenham, Texas, as well as working here in College Station. This means that he's frequently out of the local office. He tends to not return phone calls, and doesn't remember to notify me about local recruit functions.
I mention that because he called me Tuesday, and when I was a bit wishy washy about shipping on the 24th, he told me to sleep on it and he'd talk to me Wednesday. I went by the local office Wednesday morning, and found out he wasn't expected in, and his boss was not around either. I left a message with another recruiter, but also SMSed my recruiter asking him to call me when he got a chance. Which he never did. So I dropped by today after lunch and talked to his boss, who explained that the bonus wouldn't hold until the 24th, and hence to the point of this blag entry: it is extremely unlikely I'll be shipping early at all, at this point. Which is not a bad thing, really.
The OTHER thing my recruiter's boss mentioned is that there is a recruit event on Saturday at 8am. Of course, my recruiter had utterly failed to mention it to me. Just for the record, I don't think my recruiter is bad. He just has real communication issues.
Posted by jeff at 04:12 PM | Comments (0)
August 01, 2007
Errands
So, I gave notice to my apartment manager that I was going to be out by October 15th.
I cancelled my auto insurance with Farmers, as my USAA insurance is now active.
And, I cancelled my Verizon account (landline and DSL). I couldn't easily remember the last time I'd used the landline, and my DSL usage is infrequent indeed.
Posted by jeff at 05:00 PM | Comments (0)
July 22, 2007
Career change
So, because I finally got the chance to tell my father and stepmother in person (my mother and stepfather had to make due with a phone call, driving to Alabama can bite me...), I can make a general announcement in my blag.
I've enlisted in the Unites States Marine Corps as a linguist. To be technically accurate, I swore in to the Delayed Enlistment Program, and while I'm currently on an open contract with an October 15th ship date, I will get my job changed to linguist before I leave.
I've already told most of the people who needed to know personally from me, well, personally :) For the rest of you, if you're curious about reasons then I'll write about a few.
First, I truly want to serve my country. If I had my college degree, there might have been other agencies I would choose first, but I absolutely respect the Marine Corps, and I'm excited about the chance to become a Marine.
Second, I'm sick and fucking tired of working with computers. My job is best described as a "computer plumber", and while it has interesting aspects and possibilities for significant compensation, I have been unhappy with my work for well over 6 years. Not the people I work with, mind you, but rather I've been unhappy being a puzzle solver that doesn't feel his work is really all that useful in the bigger picture.
Third, counter-intelligence has interested me as a field for... well, a very long time. This job in the Marines will give me some exposure to that world, and let me decide if I'm interested in making a career of it.
I'm currently intending to be an Arabic linguist. No, I didn't have any previous experience with the language before deciding. Since DEPing in, however, I have gotten a Rosetta Stone account to try to pick up some basics.
Posted by jeff at 03:24 PM | Comments (3)
April 26, 2007
What all this fool's been up to
Just some updates on what I've been up to the past few weeks... er months... er probably close to a year, now.
After raiding with Fist of the Horde for more than a year, I finally quit earlier this month. Everyone else was leaving, and I'd been planning on quitting anyway. I ended up giving my account to a couple of guildmates. I could've sold it for a decent amount, but I would've felt bad about doing so.
For my (28th) birthday, I bought myself a pistol (Kimber UltraCarry 2). It's a nice little gun, and I've been trying to make it out to the range twice a week or so to shoot. To facilitate this, I went ahead and got a range membership (and a lot of practice ammo from an online reseller).
Last week I got a membership at the university's student rec center. I've been going there during the time I would've otherwise been playing a video game of some sort, and it's been nice. I found out that I'm a lot more out of shape than I really thought I was, and it's been painful getting back into the swing of things. My immediate goal is to get down to a 9 minute mile, which is not something I've ever been able to really do. Since I'm there anyway to jog and use the stationary bikes, I've also started working on my arms, abs, and legs. I'm significantly older than I was the last time I tried to get in shape, and stuff repairs slower, but I think I'm making some progress.
Those are the big things going on with me right now. If I have any interesting updates, I'll try to make a post :)
Posted by jeff at 06:54 PM | Comments (0)
October 06, 2006
New vehicle
I traded in my 1995 Toyota Corolla for a 2006 Nissan Xterra. I loved the old car, but I had started thinking about all of the bad places I've taken it (desert dirt rodes in Utah, up rocky trails here in Texas, down dirt rodes in Arkansas mountains), and realized I'd really like something more appropriate. So I figured out what I wanted (4×4, ability to seat 4 adults on a long trip, and enough storage for dive gear, hiking gear, or bikes) and it came down to either the Toyota FJ Cruiser, Tacoma, or Nissan Frontier or Xterra. I drove all of them but the FJ Cruiser (good luck finding a Toyota dealer with one on the lot for a test drive), and the trucks unfortunately didn't make the cut (awful back seats in those models). The performance differences between the FJ Cruiser and the Xterra are marginal, and so the Xterra won by virtue of price and having 4 normal doors. I'd put up pictures of my new baby, it looks like every other gray Xterra on the road (which I'm ok with... my Corolla looked like the 3 other blue mid-90s model Corollas I've seen in this town on a regular basis).
Posted by jeff at 07:31 PM | Comments (0)
December 14, 2005
VoIP
I went ahead and got a Free World Dialup number, and hooked it up to an Asterisk VoIP PBX.
So far, these are the ways to contact me via the internet:
FWD: 730638, 3930112358 (second one's my vanity #... Fibonacci 4 life)
iax://cepheid.org/6001
iax://cepheid.org/jeff
sip:jeff@cepheid.org
This is mostly for playing, right now. Eventually I'm going to see if it's feasible to provide voicemail and PBX features to Cepheid.
That said, feel free to call me on it, leave insulting voicemails, etc. I'm trying to give it a shakedown test :)
Posted by jeff at 09:52 AM | Comments (0)
September 23, 2005
Rita "fun"
Yesterday, I went with Sancho to meet his mom coming back to CS from Houston. Met her a bit south of Waller. We actually made decent time coming back... a 45 minute trip under normal conditions took maybe an hour and fifteen minutes. If you've heard the stories about 290, you know that's miraculous :)
I've finished my hurricane preparations. Almost. I picked up the rum, beer, and mixers but forgot the triple sec. Yes, of course I have food and water as well. I had THOSE things without needing to go to a store. It looks like the winds here will probably peak in the 30mph range... perfect weather for a hurricane party.
For an example of a couple people who AREN'T having a hurricane party, take my father and stepmother. Due to the trouble getting out of town yesterday, they've decided to weather the storm in Baytown.
Some important facts to bear in mind:
Baytown is from the latin "bay" and "town" - literally, "town on the bay". It is somewhat close to water.
The low end of the runway at the airport in Baytown (KHPY, for the curious), is 27.3 feet above sea level.
This is the current observations at Southeast Texas Regional which is about 50 miles east from Baytown.
This is the prognosis (sorry it's not decoded, but the real gem is winds of 90knots expected to gust to 110 knots.
or, for maybe a graphical expression of my concern:
Rita's track
Helpful Texas map
really, the saving grace might be that the eye is passing to the east.
In conclusion, not having parents evacuated who bloody well should be, sucks.
Posted by jeff at 05:09 PM | Comments (0)
August 18, 2005
Updates
I guess I've been successfully avoiding any updates.
Let's see. I got a kitten . His name is Gato, because the other cat was already named Cat. I'm really not intending to become a cat lady, but my coworker's kid found the thing abandoned, and I offered to take it in after it lived a few weeks. He's an unholy fucking terror, and I find myself locking him out of my bedroom. Cat seems to like him OK.
I'm scheduled to take my practical flight test the 28th of August. I'm a bit worried, there are some things I'm just not sure I'm good enough at, yet. I'm scheduled for some pretty intensive flying this weekend (scheduled the planes for 6 hours, but it'll probably end up being 3-4 in the air) to brush up. Next week I'll probably take a mock practical with another instructor to make sure I'm ready. The examiner's fee is $350 (and the airplane rental's on top of that), so I really want it done right the first time.
I haven't seen much of Summer. I saw her briefly at Andy's party in H-town on the 30th, but we didn't hang out much and she ended up leaving to hang out with some other friends.
Sancho's gone back to nights, and that shit can't end soon enough. His prospects for daytime employment are very good indeed, and I expect he'll probably be at a job working days, somewhere, by the 7th of September.
The trip to New Mexico this month ended up being cancelled. Leonard's sister moved up north, and the logistics of it combined with flight lessons just hurt my head too much.
I've been a bit "mopey". My days are consisting mostly of waking up late (10-11am, usually) and heading into work. Then, leaving work late (8pm or later, normally) and heading home. At home I'll dick around on the computer or read a bit, then go to sleep. There's certainly things I need to get done - I need to study more for my flight practical, for instance. I need to finish up the ConDFW site for next year. I need to clean the apartment. I need to go exercise. But I'm not finding the energy for any of it. I think I'm tired of computers, but I don't know what else I'd do.
Posted by jeff at 11:20 PM | Comments (0)
July 22, 2005
General life-like update
So, things have been going OK for me. I took a beginning statistics class in June, and pulled a C in it (would have been a B if I did my homework). I finally read Diamond Age and discovered that Stephenson's writing is really that bad (sorry Mr. S, if you happen to read this... hah.)
I haven't gone flying in more than a month, and I really need to get up in the air (and I should look at going this weekend.) During June I just didn't have the time, laziness aside I was just exhausted at the end of the day. This month, I was still sucking up paying for tuition from June... that said, late June and early August should be good for me for getting my license.
My apartment's a bit of a wreck right now. When I'm not entertaining guests and not actively cooking for myself ("coasting", as it were) I have a dangerously high tolerance for messiness.
At work, I have a programmer coworker leaving in early August (wanker). I put together a proposal for an entry-level SAN system, and have been working on a Nagios management UI (written in sh and dialog). Otherwise it's mostly the same business of dealing with server requests from the programmers (like "make the server load not climb to 15 you bloody wanker!")
Huh. I really have a lot more updates and a lot more detail to go into... that's what I get for ignoring the weblog for so long. It just gets too much like work, and then I see something shiny.
Posted by jeff at 12:06 AM | Comments (0)
May 16, 2005
So that was weird
Just an odd mini-dream. Coming soon, Ozarks trip report.
I had a dream about dynamic web coding. Which I think is pretty odd to begin with, BUT it led into a mini-dream in which jgsmith was explaining to me that he'd managed to make pckizer finish up the last 5 hours of his civil engineering degree (I honestly have no idea if that was ever phil's degree plan in any decade) or he'd volunteer him into the Army. Then cut to me talking to Phil who was confirming it. He had some weird mic pickup for his cellphone attached on the bottom left of his eyeglass lens.
Not a nightmare, not by any stretch of the imagination (for me, who knows what pck or jgs would say :) ) but it caused me to almost instantly wake up and go "shit, that was an ODD dream".
Posted by jeff at 04:40 AM
April 29, 2005
New level of fucked up dream
So, I rarely dream, even more rarely remember my dreams, and even more rare than THAT do I feel they're worth recording. After the cut.
I walk into an old room, something like a tourist gift shop at first glance. I'm there with a girl I think. The setting has some historically significant log stairways on the east and west entrances of the shop, which becomes less shoplike and odder, with a pit in the middle the stairs descend one level into, although they continue up. We're given a warning of some sort about going up, some adomition. We go up and up and up. It turns out my father and sister went up the stairs on the other side. Near the top of the structure, which leads out to some cliffs, we encounter my father coming from the other side, and going down. At some point one person I was with has turned around and headed back. I try to head out to the cliff to see how my father could have possibly crossed, but there's no way and I head back down. I head down rather quickly, and should have passed the people I knew, but I saw none.
I arrive down in the shop, and it no longer seems to be a shop, just a break in the forest with a cooking fire. I head up the stairs on the other side to try to find those I know. I travel up for some time, to no avail, and head back down.
I sleep for the night, and when I wake I ask a witch there how to find the others. She does not reply, but shares her breakfast. I set out to the west, with the sun at my back. I walk until noon, with no luck, and head back. I decide not to stop, but continue heading east. Eventually I come across my sister or a friend, who begs me to take her back. I scream for the others, and some come. There are others still missing, and I am told of the death of one, and of another wandering out of this world. I want to go get the lost, but I'm convinced to return with those I found to the witch.
When I arrive, I make to return East to find the lost, but I'm told by the witch that one is dead and the other cannot be recovered, ever. Furthermore, if I go I will lose those I've already found.
And I awaken.
Posted by jeff at 09:46 PM
April 20, 2005
Don't Panic
I moved to MoveableType. Hopefully this will be the last bit of blog software changing for a long while. WordPress wasn't being updated, and my comments were being spammed ridiculously.
The old blog is still available at http://www.cepheid.org/~jeff/oldblog/
The old site is still at http://www.cepheid.org/~jeff/old/
Posted by jeff at 05:36 PM