Gentoo

I've been installing Gentoo on my laptop lately. It's a Linux distro built around a pretty neat concept: everything is compiled on my machine...most distros use binaries to install packages, which means they are generalized to work on the most machines...I've noticed a very large performance gain from using this...it's just a lot harder to set up.

I learned on Sunday that I can apparently do a backflip off of a rock into the water...also learned why frontflips are done much less....you wind up with welts on your back =\ Meh...whatever, it was a lot of fun. I somehow wound up with some pretty ridiculous bruises on both shins...I don't know how that happened. While we were riding some rapids in some inflatable boats, I capsized and smashed my hip on a rock...that's a pretty rough bruise too...fuck that.

I've been working out lately...apparently I weigh about 175, which isn't too bad. I'd like to get in slightly better shape (just really burn some of the fat) but that's such a tedious process...we'll see if I lose my motivation or not.

Other than that stuff, I haven't been up to much at all...just around. Playing some guitar here and there...hoping to get better at that. Kerstan and I are entertaining the thought of trying to record an album and play some shows afterward...I don't know when we'd start that or anything, though.

I don't feel like dancin'

I got a B in my History class, but I got an A in my Gov't. I took a break from my blog because, in my gov't class, I was required to keep a blog. I only did 3 of the 4 assignments, and still got an A, though. Screw that. I just didn't have the motivation to blog my own stuff while being forced to blog current events.

Erin and I went to Hamilton Pool a few weeks back. It was really neat. I want to go back sometime with a snorkel and try to reach the bottom...but I don't know how deep it is. Kerstan and I have still been hiking every Sunday. We went to San Marcos to swim in the river a few weeks ago and that was sweet too. Last Sunday, we went to the lower leg of Barton Creek and had a great time. We even climbed some rocks so that we could jump off about 12 feet. We're probably going back this next Sunday with a flashlight to explore this neat cave we found...maybe we'll bring towels and park a second vehicle so we don't have to walk 2 miles down Lamar back to our car =\

Lately, I've mostly just been working. That's about it.

sony esp car discman

Elliott's going away party was Saturday. I think it's finally dawning on me, though...not just Elliott, but everyone. Amber's in the Houston area, Emily's in California, Omar is in Washington state, Lauren is still here for the time being. Kerstan moved up to Austin (he starts at UT this Fall) so that's one in the + column. I just hope that everyone is happy with where they are in life. I am content, but I worry/wonder about everyone else.

The party was fun. I mostly just chatted with Amber, Lauren and Beth, though...some crazy guy yelled at Lauren, and the police showed up after everyone left...kind of hilarious.

Sunday, Kerstan and I went hiking. I love the outdoors, and I'm glad he likes the hiking stuff, too. We did some of Bull Creek. Hopefully we can make this a pretty frequent thing. Erin might come along, too, sometimes.

I've ordered parts to build a fairly simple analog synthesizer. I ordered extra parts to build a couple other projects and it all totaled something like $50 + supplies to etch the circuit board. If that works out pretty well, I may toy around with more advanced circuits and patch together my own...also, the x0xb0x project looks really cool...but I imagine I'll work it together on my own, rather than paying $330 for the kit. Also, I think I want to build these neat firefly jar things I saw on instructables...I'm just feeling electrical.

I finished my history summer school course. I will wind up with a B in the class because I didn't have time/the initiative to do a 12 page research paper....screw that in the first place. It's a distance learning class and I work 40 hours a week...and the class was 5.5 weeks long. No way. Sucks that I have an A average, but get a B...feel like I worked too hard.

I've meant to post for a while

Grades: Yeah, I know it doesn't matter now, but I made all As last semester.

Couch: Erin and I bought a new couch. It's really sweet. It's the Tysoland from Ikea...a loveseat on one side and a chaise lounge on the other...a seude-like tan fabric covering. It really makes our living room feel more...livable.

I started painting a fender strat body that Artie had given to me kind of a long time ago...I got the basecoat on, and it looks really good. I need to put the clear top-coat on it now. So far, the paint is really good, and the color is so sweet. I'm wondering now if I can actually mount a neck on it well enough to make it playable (the person who had it before Artie really wallowed out the neck...for some reason)

I'm finally going to get into making some circuit boards. I've wanted to do this for a long time, but just never got into it. The first things I'm going to try to make are electronics equipment...synth, maybe a mixer...analog stuff. I'd like to just learn more about that stuff.

Kersten moved to Austin, and I've hung out with him a couple times now. He's into the same music equipment stuff as I am, so I will probably be doing a lot of the construction at his apartment (at least silk-screening the layouts onto the boards)...

I'm working again now, and I like it. The worst part is when there isn't a lot for me to do....I just sit around and try to kill time...like now.

Oh, Magnolia Electric Co's disk Nashville Moon is really really really good.

283 infringements floating in a summer sky

And Erin said she was happy to be using Linux because she didn't like using illegally obtained software....whoops!

As many of you know, I use a Linux-based OS (Fedora 7, these days, although I was a fan of Ubuntu for a long time). Erin's computer is also set up with a Linux based OS (Ubuntu on hers). I like it for many reasons, including stability, security and manageability, to name a few. Microsoft has, for a couple months, been on the warpath claiming that "Linux infringes on a bunch of our patents" and whatnot...The Linux community responded with a petition that basically said, "Tell us which ones. Either you're lying, or we'll fix it"...now Microsoft replies with some study group saying Linux potentially violates 283 patents, but they STILL haven't listed which patents.

In the community, we refer to this as FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt). Basically, they realize that Vista is, for the most part, a piece of steaming crap; It isn't selling the way they want it to and Linux is getting to be more accessible (Dell will sell Ubuntu-loaded desktops and laptops starting soon). The hardest hurdle to jump when making the switch is the installation of the OS (which many users have no clue on how to perform this task); by having it done for them, it should be a much easier switch. Back to the point; Microsoft is upset about all of this, so they want to steer the gullible bitches of the world away from what is, in effect, an amazing alternative by spreading the idea that, by buying into Linux, you will be no better than a software pirate. Ubuntu comes pre-loaded with Open Office (which is, in my experiences, just as functional as MS Office, minus the ridiculous price-tag), Firefox, and a slew of other software.

This update sucked, I'm sorry.

Grades update

History: A
Gov't: A
Distributed and Concurrent Systems: A
Computer-aided Integrated Circuit Design: A [unconfirmed](I got a freakin' 98.67, how can it NOT be an A?)
Digital Signal Processing: B [unconfirmed](The professor gave out a preliminary "non-binding" grade assignment and I was .79 points away from an A =\ maybe he'll lump me in?)

I'm pretty disappointed I wasn't able to pull that .79 points off in DSP...this would have been my first all As semester...and would have felt REALLY good given the drastic amount of work I did for my classes...

ach schade.

School's out.

I'm incredibly happy this semester is over. It was just a lot of work. The last Thursday of classes, I spent, literally, 18 hours in the 5th floor lab working on a project. I didn't go home that night, I presented the project on Friday in the same clothes I wore to class Tuesday morning. I had been on campus for almost 33 hours, by the time I got to go home...

As far as grades go:
History: A
Government: A
VLSI: A (I ended up with a 98.67 in the class...supposed to be one of the tougher subjects in school)
Concurrent and Distributed Systems: unknown - I had a final in there, but it hasn't been graded, neither has the project I spent 18 hours in the lab on...
Digital Signal Processing: unknown, but probably a B. The prof gave tentative grade outlines and the cutoff for an A was set at 81...I have an 80.21 =\

The semester was so hectic because VLSI had REALLY long labs, Concurrent and Distributed Systems had very involved and incredibly poorly explained projects and Digital Signal Processing was a sequel to the class at UT that I've hated the most, subject-wise. History and Government were just busy-work classes.

I go back to work on the 21st and I'm working straight through to December. I hope I perform well there (and they offer me a job for after school). I only have one more semester (sorry Emily, for not seeing the comment) and I'll be doing that next Spring. I will be taking 2 classes via correspondence over the summer (but through ACC) to get the gov't and history requirements out of the way; my last semester will actually only be 2 classes. YESSS!

Wednesday, Erin and I are going to go buy a couch. I'm excited to get rid of the one I have (it's falling apart)

end transmission