"Like a graveyard...

I think that I've been having a failure to post lately for a few reasons. A major one is that work is keeping me busy and keeping me away from computers (unlike the kind of busy that college kept me).

So let me tell you what I've been up to lately. At work I've been running a lot of tests on my new test bed. It's cute but fancy. I can give you some details in person, but I doubt any of you care what a "Linker" does and why it's cool I have one, even with so few radios. [PS, CS geeks, it's not the kind of linker you think it is.]

After work I have one of two things: Tae Kwon Do, or school. TKD has been good, mostly, although lately I had a crisis of confidence after a string of three practices with major flubs (completely forgot my form, kicked someone in the head, and something else, although I don't remember what that incident was). I worked through that, and ended up covering most of a Fordham class for Pat without a single flub, except for my usual speedy pace. School is good. I've just finished my fourth and fifth classes in a ten-course Masters, and it's only taken me a year to get this far. A two-year part-time no-charge-to-me Masters would be delicious. Let's hope I can keep up this pace.

This entire week I have off (support your local union), so, aside from the xmas extravaganza (Erin's extended family, followed by my extended family, followed by mass with Erin's immediate family, followed by sleep, and presents with each of our families), all I've had is TKD practice with angst_pirate. It's been lovely, but I still cannot seem to wake up not sore, and a little tired. I do believe it's largely the bed, but I'm worried that some of it may be linked to the new snoring that Erin's been hearing, so perhaps sleep apnea, which is scary shit.

My back's been very stiff the past few days, but it has been improving. Just gotta keep flushing my system with NSAIDs, keep my range of motion, and minimize impact.

Anyone have any particular beds they recommend? I'm thinking of possibly upgrading to a King.

Time to run! Have the fun.

PS: This entry brought to you by my lovely wireless USB keyboard and my good old Wii.

So I was reading this Digg post about Ahmadinejad saying that there are no homosexuals in Iran. There was the predictable "Check the closets" line, and some rumblings about Tom Cruise and mass murder. Of note, however, was the following exchange^*:

In America - we just ignore their rights

Jesus, you're dense. America ignores gay rights? We have hate crime laws that apply to gay people. We have a huge gay population which vehemently lobbies and pushes for gay rights. We have gay people on tv, in the movies, everywhere and they aren't being oppressed. Just because they can't "legally" be married doesn't mean their rights are ignored. I'd be willing to be that any gay person in Iran would happily trade places, with any gay American. If you really think it's bad here, go to Iran and see what it's like to have no rights based on sexual preference.

You people will say/state anything that takes a jab at America yet we have it so good, regardless of what you think. If you think I'm wrong then why does everyone want to come here? As cliche as it sounds this is the land of freedom, in all forms, and also the land of opportunity. Go open a gay support group (non-profit) in Iran and tell me what happens. They'll probably just kill you, but at least you'd be free of American oppression....your comment and those who digg you up is proof that most Americans have no appreciation or idea on how good they have it. Well, some of us do and we don't take it for granted.

YEAH. FUCKING. RIGHT.

I work in a corporation. I am white, hetero, and single. I have no special interest group that gives a shit about me. There's a gay/lesbian group, african american group, latino, etc.

Along with the aforementioned hate crime legislature, it seems minorities, including gays, have grabbed special rights, not equal rights. Granted I am not as likely to be effed-in-the-a by a cop, I am more likely to be should I end up in court.

THANK YOU, POLITICALLY CORRECT AMERICA!

Oh yeah, you poor dear. My heart bleeds for the rich white men; there is no justice for them. Why don't you go arrange a straight white man pride parade? Oh yeah- you don't have to because you have everything already.

I think the last poster in the thread misses the penultimate poster's complaint entirely. He says "I have no special interest group that gives a shit about me." The reply is "you have everything" so why should you? The key difference here is the penultimate poster wanted a group, while the last poster wants things/rights/justice. Maybe I'm completely off-base here, but I often envy my GBLT friends for their ability to draw a community out of [what appears to me to be] thin air [but is likely out of shared repression &c.].

The penultimate poster also mentions all of this second to "I work in a corporation." The irony there is, he does have a group of people like him working toward a common goal, but this goal is not community, not rights, not justice, but money—which our dear poster will never see his proportional share of. If he works extra hard he might get a promotion, but he'll more likely just get his slightly-lower-than inflation "merit" raise. If he even has a track for promotion, his most likely community, his co-workers, are in direct competition with him for those precious few seats at the top, and will not be there for him as a community.

Perhaps I am very much the poor little rich boy that the last poster mocks, but I can understand the penultimate poster's issue, and I'm afraid I don't have much of a solution out of it. Personally, I ape at the Queer community through my Bi girlfriend and Poly lifestyle, and while I enjoy friends through Tae Kwon Do, often I feel a certain disconnect from them. Often the only thing I have in common with them is the Art, which is fine and all, but I like a certain level of social discourse and connection.

Of course, in the end, we are all alone in our trip through life, and perhaps all this striving towards community is false and silly and temporary. But if it has to be false and silly and temporary, I at least want to get some good hugs out of it.

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^* I nested two comments where I believed they went as I believe they were unintentionally posted unnested thanks to what many Diggers complain of as "The New Comment System". Also, I'm lazy and deleted their usernames.

Saturday morning will be the last time I am able to receive email or phone calls reliably until next Saturday, the 25th. I'm going to Tae Kwon Do in the Mountains this week, so I'll not be able to get email at all, and only check voicemail/texts sporadically.

Have a great week, all!

I'm at work, slowly working. Fun is happening a lot lately: new friends, exhibition/promotion test today, sleep dep silliness and
other goodness.

So machines have been hating me recently.

Last night I went to the laundromat with shoujo_mallet, and what happens, but the card machine eats my $10 bill. And I'd have to go there during the day to get my money back. You know, when I have work. Luckily, the attendant there will try to remember Erin (as "Red") when the latter goes back this weekend (while I'm away).

This morning I wake up to take a piss, flush the toilet and the chain comes undone from the lever. This has happened before and is easy to fix — with the light on. So I turn on the light, and BAM, blue flash and the bulb is blown. I try to wake up Erin to get her to tell me where the lightbulbs are. She tells me two places but they aren't there (that I can see). In the interests of getting out of the house on time, I get to eating breakfast and then bother her again. She looks and cannot find them. charleniehead wakes up and wants to use the bathroom, but can't because Erin's in one and the other is broken. I ask her if she's seen the lightbulbs. She has, and I find them. I put the bulb in, fix the toilet and get dressed.

It's my last day at Cneebg today (ROT-13-ed for Google protection). That's good. Immediately after work I'm heading up to the Summer Black Belt Trip.

Then I have my week off.

Then I start at VGG. I'll be in the N/PQ working on modelling digital radio algorithms. Actual Engineering work. I'm excited and nervous. It will be my first real engineering job. Can I actually engineer? The closest thing I did to engineering a device was my Miniscale Energy Generation senior design project.

Oh, and today I started Numbers Don't Lie by Terry Bisson. Which, now that I've started reading it, I realize I've read before. Which is funny because just about a month ago I thought I had discovered Terry Bisson for the first time, but I think I read this in like Jr. High or HS. Edit: I have found out why I know it. The first piece of the book is also published as "The Hole in the Hole" — a short story published in 1994. When I checked the copyright page I was very confused as to how I could remember reading a book from 2005 in HS.

I skipped running today because I felt my lower back yesterday getting very angry about some of the impacts I've been subjecting it to of late (stomping around on a rather unforgiving floor in Pat's TKD class). I am also thinking about skipping the headmaster's class tonight for the same reason.

Yesterday I had to get up early to get to work for an early conference call (that was a half-hour late). Nick needed the shower, so I went to my parents' bathroom to shower. That's where I found out I was a little over 235lbs. I think that's quite a bit overweight (not obese, of course) for someone who is 6' 5". This was the final push to get me running again (I'd been thinking about it, even saying things about it, but it wasn't happening.)

( Wherein the nitty-gritty details are discussed, logs are important to success, or something. )

Don't tell anyone but this post was devoid of useless meme drivel, driving the suck content of this LJ down slightly.

Going to the mountains.Will be unreachable until Sunday night. Have a great weekend!
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