Sunday was a rather eventful day for me. Aside from nursing a rather light hangover from the previous night’s festivities, my day was devoted to a rather interesting encounter with my computer hanging itself.  No, it didn’t try to commit suicide, however, it did force my hand on reinstalling the Windows 7 Professional that had previously installed with no hiccups. While I’m not at all certain as to the cause of the hang, my assumptions revolve around running two IDEs while modifying a single file … and a ninja update that happened while I had both IDEs open during a Microsoft Security Essentials Scan … oh, and I turned off the computer because everything had apparently froze when I tried to close out Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Professional. Far fetched, however, Microsoft is notorious for having the weirdest glitches.

2100 Sunday evening was my deadline for the homework that I needed to turn in for my C/C++ Programming I course. So, at 1900, when several attempts to run the Startup Repair and System Restore utilities both failed to grant me entry into my Windows 7 Professional box, I made the decision to reinstall the operating system and applications.  2030 arrives and I’m finished installing the operating system and by 2100 Ninite has installed all my preferred open source applications.  I also had Visual Studio 2008 Professional reinstalled, however, I ignored a particular error because it didn’t seem as though it would’ve interrupted my ability to get my homework turned in … besides, I ran a repair and it indicated that nothing was amiss.

So, homework is turned in an hour late. No sweat … a mere 5 points off my perfect score of 100 otherwise. Nice to know that all these years casually reading the books worked out just fine. I turn in afterwards as I let Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007 install – blissfully unaware that my IDE was b0rked.

0800 rolls around and I groggily return my beloved digital companion. Today, I decide to read up on this week’s reading assignments and follow along by inputting the code myself and tweaking with the exercises.  All was going well until I decided to compile the example.  “Error spawning ‘rc.exe’” was the ominous message in my compiler’s output dialog. A quick hop to Google.com revealed to me that somehow I needed to get ‘rc.exe’ into my application search path. “No problem,” I thought to myself, I’ll just search my system and add those directories to my environment … “File rc.exe not found” … great. And then it dawned on me, the install didn’t complete properly.

It’s now 2130, 24-hours since I technically got this system back on its feet and still no Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Professional. This ominous error with Microsoft SQL Server Compact 3.5 for Devices is still happening and none of the resources on the ‘net has been of any help. The install is currently going on, I finally came to the conclusion that I will attempt to download each package that fails to install and see if that will help at all … here’s to hoping my VS2008pro will work.

So, I've made the plunge to Windows 7 Pro.  Install of the operating system was, in fact, painless.  It seems like yesterday I was dinking around with Windows 3.11 for Workgroups and coping with the headache that was the config.sys and autoexec.bat files that were necessary to load the correct drivers for the CD-Rom drive, RAM drive (if it was necessary), mouse, joystick, special keyboard, graphics board, and a myriad of other necessary settings to get the most out of the system.  In comparison, these setups are virtually a godsend … but they do feel considerably dumbed down.

What promtpted this change? Curiosity, mostly.  The other major change that this OS install is moving to a 64-bit OS and as odd as it sounds, I want to know first hand any oddities that are brought about by using 32-bit applications in a 64-bit environment.  In the process, I did find a nifty website Ninite.  Ninite allows a user to select from a collection of popular open-source or freeware applications to create a bundle that will be downloaded and installed automatically.  Another, rather painless procedure for a task that would've taken me a better part of the morning to complete.

I'm currently installing all my development apps:  Visual Studio 2008, Code::Blocks w/ MinGW.  Ninite already installed Python and the JDK.  Next on my list will be to install World of Warcraft and the millions of patches that come from that.  To follow will be to transfer back some of my documents so I can finish out this week's worth of schooling.

Browser: Firefox v3.5.7 (released 01/05/2010)
Web Software: WordPress 2.9.1 (released 01/04/2010)

Problem: After updating both the browser and the CMS software, it appears that adding a new post or editing an existing post causes the browser to reload. The result of this reload is a bar of web form buttons akin to those used when viewing the HTML of the post.

Current Workaround: Use Google Chrome for posting.

UPDATE (01/06/2010) – Tinkering with the plug-ins revealed that the Myspace extension was messing things up.  Disabling Myspace & the OpenID extensions resolved this issue.  Also, updated the default post/page editor with FCKEditor.

It’s already day 5 of 2010. This weekend sort of blew past me and Monday continued to be intense with my continued conditioning, tae bo, and my weekly geeky ritual. So what’s now Tuesday has been spent vibrating at the speed of life … fueled by caffeine. About two weeks ago I stopped drinking soda and started to drink a lot more water supplemented with orange juice. If I could stomach it, I’d drink more milk … it’s not that I’m intolerant of milk in the physiological sense … more that I’m intolerant of the taste and texture of the fluid. I know … let it out …

… are you done laughing?

Okay, so yeah … I stopped drinking soda for the most part which also means I’ve cut out caffeine in my daily regimen. So, I woke up tired today which prompted a desire to drink coffee. I make my coffee fairly week – 1/8 cup to 4 cups … but damn. I’m only now recovering from the buzz I got from drinking just four cups of coffee … I sorta felt strung out which prompted a rather anti-social reaction to today’s activities. So, instead of calling and talking to people like I had wanted, I decided to learn how to create logon scripts to map networked drives (admittedly, in an insecure manner). I know, not entirely significant since all systems administrators should know this already, but it was a little win for me since I designed the script to be slightly intelligent in mapping resources to the necessary drives and making sure those drives weren’t already mapped to something else. The more significant revelation is that in my attempt to distract myself from the fact that I felt completely disconnected from the world around me due to my caffeine buzz, I become extraordinarily focused and experimental with tools that I’m not completely confident in using quite yet. I suppose I’m just happy to have been able to learn something through trial and error and actually produce something useful.

I’m glad a friend forwarded this to me.

USED vs LOVED

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked up a stone and scratched lines on the side of the car. In anger, the man took the child’s hand and hit it many times not realizing he was using a wrench. At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures.

When the child saw his father with painful eyes he asked, ‘Dad when will my fingers grow back?’

The man was so hurt and speechless; he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times devastated by his own actions. Sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches; the child had written ‘LOVE YOU DAD’. The next day that man committed suicide…

Anger and Love have no limits; choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life & remember this:

Things are to be used and people are to be loved. The problem in today’s world is that people are used while things are loved.

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character;
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

So this is it. The last week of 2009. This year marked some key milestones in my life. January, I finally decided to bite the bullet and started my schooling again. This time I’m I decided to chase my dream of becoming a game programmer. February my life turned upside down – in a good way – with the addition of Kandice-Leilani, my beloved daughter. August I came to realize that the family financial situation wasn’t as well managed as I was constantly reassured it was. September I made the decision to join the Army to put myself in a position to be able to allow Mona options and to make sure my wife and daughter are taken care of.

The decision to enlist has also prompted a change in my chosen major – instead of game programming, I’m going to switch to network security. I’ve also become considerably more active though my weight would betray my newfound active lifestyle. I’ve become less interested in gaming overall – though that’s more because I’m trying to spend more time with my family. Family is something that I’ve never been quite used to – seeing as my childhood was one of an only child living with two parents who were wrapped up in their work … so, to accurately portray it – close familial relations is something new to me.

This year has been rife with successes and failures … though I can’t complain too much. Most of the “failures” I’m experiencing is because I didn’t listen to my moral compass and failed to find the backbone to stand up to my father. I still can’t … because I understand yet don’t understand what he’s going through all the same … and he’s unwilling to talk about it in any serious capacity. Because to do so would mean he’d be held accountable for his actions.

The successes, however, have come from this family thing that I’m not entirely used to. I’ve been spending more time with my father – albeit on weekends and sometimes on weeknights watching football and some of the shows he likes to watch (like NCIS). I’ve found that I’m a very lucky man with my wife, Mona … who, really, has taken to motherhood seriously. A bit more seriously than I’ve taken to fatherhood – though I’m trying. I’m thinking of take Mona and Kandie-Lei to the beach this week. And Kandie-Lei is such a good girl and always so happy when she isn’t tired or hungry. She has a sense of boldness that I envy … a type of boldness that comes from being both naive and wonderfully curious about everything.

This year has been marked with some major changes in my life … however, this only marks the beginning of those changes. This coming year I will be leaving the rock and living someplace else doing something entirely different than what I’m doing now. I will share my home with only my wife and daughter later next year. My life feels like it’s only now beginning, after 34 years of living under my parents’ shadow. Tomorrow is looking hopeful, even if I’m a bit anxious about all these changes.

The spirit of celebration has not touched our household this Christmas Eve. This house is silent, more silent than the year we lost mother. This year, we worry about keeping ourselves afloat. I’m waiting to ship off – even looking forward to it since it means that some money can start coming in … some of the family debts can be taken care of. And that’s really the crux of it. Debt looms over our household like a reaper, threatening to steal the life out of my mother’s legacy.

And I know this weighs heavily on my father, such that he’s been going to sleep drunker than the night before. He’s still not over the pain of losing my mother nor the humiliation of that parasite of a woman, Lorraine. I worry that his will to continue has buckled … and I’m clueless as to how to get him back on track. He needs to get back into church … as odd as that may sound, coming from me, but His Word did a world of good for my father. I just don’t want to see him hurt anymore.

Tomorrow Mona and I will be celebrating Christmas with her side of the family. I’m looking forward to it. I wish my pops would join us – if anything to get out of the funk with me, but he’ll be staying home and maybe visiting mom’s resting place. If I had any wish for this Christmas, it would be that all the uneasiness that seems to hang over our family be dispelled and replaced by an unwavering spirit of hope – that the brighter tomorrows become today.

You Are Carefree and Passionate

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You’re always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can’t handle you. You’re very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you’re likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself.

You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous. You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things. Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless – and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You’re most comfortable when you’re far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble.

You are very charming… dangerously so. You have the potential to break a lot of hearts. You know how what you want, how to get it, and that you will get it. You have the power to rule the world. Let’s hope you’re a benevolent dictator!

You are usually the best at everything … you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic “Type A” personality.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don’t get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are very open. You communicate well, and you connect with other people easily. You are a naturally creative person. Ideas just flow from your mind. A true chameleon, you are many things at different points in your life. You are very adaptable.

Source: http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyournameshiddenmeaningquiz/

Building the smart home wirelessly.  This stuff is pretty frikken kewl.