I geeked out some last night. Got the UPS Chris gave me hooked up to my server and setup. It can now turn it self off gracefuly if the power goes out for an extended period of time. Also I can see the status like load%, approximate run time, battery voltage, battery charge % all from a webinterface using apcupsd. I thought about doing a write up for it but decided against it because there is plenty of good info out there of how to set it up.

I am considering a configuration for MRTG to track load% and battery charge%. If I do I would most likely make a write up for that process/config.

I have yet to get my dynamic DNS working. But thats ok that will get worked out soon enough. Maybe.

I got paid. I'm not gonna have much or any left come next payday between rent, Shasta payback and seeing the dentist and paying my comshaft bill. Oh well.

I also singed up for google talk for some damn reason... benDC1 would be the way to contact me on it.

I'm back. I've been back for a couple of days now.

I've got a ton of pictures I have yet to review. I'm not sure I like my 58mm polarizer. I may need to get a circular polarizer instead. Lots of pictures of people on the trip on the wating skiing or wakeboarding. Not much of anything else. So I may not upload many if any of them. There is just less than a gig of images. This is after conversion to JPG from their raw format.

I got much better at wakeboarding while at Shasta. I even got a lesson from John Steiner. I can now stay up on the board rather than get up out of the water and promptly fall on my face or ass. So I made leaps and bounds of progress in wakeboarding but I've got a long way to go. I think I would be at crawling maybe walking if we were to compare wakeboarding to running.

I'm mostly ready to go. Just have to pack my laptop up and maybe something to read. Maybe a wired or 2 for the trip down. A couple DVDs may be worth while as well for the evenings.

I've exchanged a few emails with the author of roadnav he is going to look into adding the external text LCD support I reqested as a feature. If he does then I shall find a way to get it into my car. Which also means I will need a computer for my car. Perhaps I will resurect my briefcase computer for the task.

I also got a dental esitmate back for the work they are going to do on Sept 12th. I'm not going to have enough money for what my dental coverage cover. At least I don't think I will. Gonna have to wait and see how things work out.

I went home sick from work today. I Selpt until 2 once I got home.
I had a dream I was at some park. There was this really neat man made water fall that fell in to a lowered field area and then I guess flowed around the field which was very well groomed and trees up on top of the mounds that made the field lowered. I looked up saw the flow of water and noticed it wasn't a full flow of water and then people in the field in front of it. It was a photo needing to be taken, so I ran to get my camera, scrambled up the hill to a treed area I left my camera where someone I sorta knew had been thinking about taking then when they found it was mine they were glad they didn't. Once I woke up I was sad that I have not actualy seen this place or photographed it.

I spent 10 hours working today. So 11 hours at work total. I have decided to drink to deal with my frustration. While it may not be the best choice it still doesn't seem like a bad idea. I'm too poor lately to afford to do it often or enough to have it be a problem.

Work needs more closers like I have been saying for months.
My training will help some. I will no longer have to deal with the moron small biz customers who cant tell me their OS.

I've got to get ready for going to Lake shasta. This includes Cleaning my place up, Empting Murray's litter box, Empting my camera, Packing, getting stuff for the trip (floation device, PC to CF card reader for my laptop. sun screen, etc...).

Now the list doens't seem large. But to do the list in the time after work and get the other stuff done that I normaly do it may be a bit pressed on time.

I hope to get some fun/decent/good pictures while gone.

So I've spent the day with my books, playing a little xbox. But still no dynamic DNS. I'm workin on it but it seems my host record is not getting updated for somedamn reason. I fear this means I will need to read more. I know nobody needs Dynamic DNS for their home network with a hand full of machines. But I wants it, it's a status thing.

So far what I think is going on is the DND server isn't able to or getting the update commands/info from the DHCP server. DHCP server seems to be fine. I've staticaly mapped the IP of my Xbox to another address out side my normal IP range and it worked.

I'm thinking about poking around in my car today. Seeing if my Car alarm will do remote start. Maybe looking at the nolonger locking fuel door.
I just looked over some of my wiring stuff I don't have the pieces I need to tap wires already in my car so I most likely wont be playing with the remote start stuff today.

I also really want a navigation system for my car. I'd like DYI project for it but most of the DYI solutions are too ugly and more work than they should be. I found a promising open source GPS Navigation system called roadnav. I emailed the devloper reqesting an interface to a text LCD like the ones from crystalfontz or matrixorbital this would be much more flexible for a car installation. I don't need all the grapics. I just want to see turn left on Main st in 200ft or Meters or miles or other trip info. I don't need no stinking map, usualy.

My DNS books showed up. I think I may spend the day with those.

From the Eugene Weekly "I saw U" Section.

LOVE YOUR SIGNS Thanks to the person(s) who do the yellow signs high on poles around town with the great messages! If everyone would only heed your words. Keep up the good work! VM# 6238

That another local has
nocited
the signs as well.

Someone is sort of attempting to seak out the one responsible for the signs. I must say I am a bit curious as well. Is the person old, young, male, female, lonely, popular, employed, hygenic, car or truck, what kind of ladder or tree climbing skills, 16, 24 or 32 OZ hammer used to nail those things up, Safety gear used when putting signs up.

3 days of work left until vacation time.

I realized I've been doing so much over time within the last few months that when and if things get slow at work my checks will be smaller than what I have been getting the last few months. But roumor has it many will be getting raises to what everyone else in the same grade is making who was hired sometime after the revison. Which would be totaly sweet. But I have to wait until at least october for that to happen. Then in december something else crazy is supposed to happen with our pay.

I don't think I got enough sleep. Between topgear and murray being as vocal as he was last night for what ever damn reason it was.

I soo want to call in sick tomorrow and not deal with the insanity that has been work for the bulk of the week.

So I went to bed after watching topgear. After a while Murray just mews and mrrrews and meaws and mews. After getting up serveral times to give him more food, pick him up and giving him attention, place him on his table with his food/water, taking hostage to bed and eventualy letting him go, and flicking a little water at him. He still just mewed away. I didn't turn music on before bed which I normaly do. So I did. It seems to have worked he joind me on the bed and slept. Now if it was the music or if he just got tired or if he decided it was bedtime because music was now on.

I just got word from Nathan who has been at work for about 20 min now that they are already burried in calls.... This means another long day, most likley a half hour lunch and staying another 45ish min after work to get rid of all the stupid callers that don't know what to click when.

Washed my car today. Got all the nasty nasty crap off my windshield, insde and out. Also found my fule door isn't locking as it should. I know it used to lock so I gotta look into that at some point. Just another thing to add to the list. Assuming its a mechanical problem vs an electical problem, but that will have to wait until later. I also should replace my splashguard sometime too which will most likely be cheaper.

I'm ready for the weekend. Then ready for vacation. I'm gonna be going to shasta and going to attempt to learn to wake board, do some camping, hopefuly take some decent pictures.

My books nearly arived today. but USPS is a bunch of pussys and wouldn't leave it at my door. Hopefuly they will soon.

Also top Gear is on tonight. That show rules.

Sean is off to NY at the end of the week to be with his girly, Lisa. Sean will be missed by many. Sean met up with Sean and Eddie at Nathan and I at Nathan's place. We hung out. BSed watched some WoW videos. I can't say I understood much of what was happening in the videos as I've never played WoW.

Got an hour of OT at work today. All of it after 5pm. Which kinda sucks but will be good come payday.

I'm sleepy.

Looks like another Eugneninan has taken more interest in the signs than I have. Someone has too much time on their hands. At least they are doing something that is not destructive and tring.

I've been getting a creative urge to build something. But what I don't know what or how. But eventualy I'll make somethin new. A page, a toy, a something.

So no coast today. Gonna do it next weekend I think...

I did attempt to help Nathan with is wrt54g which I still kind of want but don't want enough to pay for. So if someone wants to buy it for me I will um be forever grateful. Damn I'm never gonna get one for free unless I come up with something good... Perhaps we could work something. Name your stakes and we will see what we can arrange.

Well there goes my pay check. My phone bill for the last 2 months because apprently I forgot to pay last month, my car payment has yet to be paid, my insurance payment will come out on the 25thish, I paid $100 on my over draft protection that kicked in because I was low on funds when my tooth was pulled (I should get a little money back from that). So I may end up having to dip in to my over draft protection again this month. But thats ok because I will be going to shasta and that will be worth it.

There have been a hand full of "inspirational" signs popping up around town with shit like "Feel", "Dream", "Say I'm Sorry", "Be the Rain", "Stay out of the bushes", and "Love your husband". This town is weird, fuckin' pinko commie hippies.

The plan is to go to the coast this weekend. I'm hoping for some good photo ops. Not counting on it though. I also decided I want some more filters, like colored filters, graduated filters, and a Neutral Density filter. The problem again cost and how often would I really use them. Idealy I'd use them all the time or freqently enough but would I? I'd like to think so considering the freqency I use my polarizers for outdoor shots.

I got a new t-shirt that will be arriving tomorrow. It has only one pocket and it's isn't hidden but it is load bearing and has it has wire paths for things like head phones and hands free...

I also ordered a couple books on Amazon. My O'Reilly stash will grow to a count of eleven.

I managed to get up 3 times on the wake board tonight. Never for very long. Once I was up I didnt know what to do really other than hold on. I have to learn what it feels like to be up. Once I was up I can't really recall seeing much just feel... Now just to stay up and learn what it feels like and what to do once up.

I'm gonna be all sore tomorrow and most likely the rest of the week. Hopefuly I will be in the right kind of shape by the time Shasta rolls around.

Moved my location at work today. It's very strange my new seat is nearly a mirror of my old one, backwards, facing the wrong way, and weird. I scored a wireless head set though. Now I can wonder around harrass people in near by cubes while on a call. Maybe even get a soda or snack from the vendo.

I got up on the wake board last night. Where previous efforts had been less sucessful. It took at least a half dozen attempts this time, if not more. But I got up for a few seconds. Then I went right back down. I called it quits at that point. I had been feeling a bit cold since before attempt 1. Had we not been the shade it may have been diffrent.

I miss my laptop. I left it in Portland on Saturday at Chris' place. It's coming back tonight.

Also yesterday I got my polarizer for my Sigma and a second battery for my battery grip at Dot Dotson's. I'm also thinking another memory CF card. Maybe a 4gig micro drive. Considering it's close in price to most  decent 2 gig cards.

So while at work I decided for some reason I should start tring to use the raw format of my camera. I think the idea has been churning in the back of my head for a while now. I've found a few good tips at the Digital Photography blog. There is plenty of other good stuff there for photographic, tips and gadgets etc.

It turns out raw is a bit of a pain. But worth it. File sizes are pretty large. I used up most of my 1 gig CF card with less than 200 pictures. But There is a lot lot more flexiblity and quality. I think I need more and or bigger memory cards if I am going to keep shooting raw.

I also want a 55mm Polarizer for my Sigma Lense. I've got one for my 58MM cannon lenses already.

I still want my toploading lowepro bag.

Got my hairs cut by Nathan last night. So I'm no longer shaggy, infact quite the opposite. Now I'm more fuzzy with my 1/2 inch hair.

Not sure what I'm gonna end up doing this weekend. Portland? Salem? Wax my car ? Sleep? clean my place up? Order a new splash guard for my car? Play with my computers? Play x-box? Take pictures? Take a nap? many possiblitys but no plans yet. Ideas anyone?

My location at work is being moved next week. Because I'm getting trained in other products. I'm gonna miss my desk. But not too much.

Slept good last night. Still a bit sleepy. Working again. Still bleeding a bit... 3 day work week for me and a bouns check causd the company did well last quarter. Over draft protection is good.

My tooth has been removed. The pain is gone but now no crunchy foods for the next couple days. I need to pickup a rinse and maybe some vicodin. I feel much better but that could also be attributed to the right side of my face being numb.

Hopefuly I will be ready for work tomorrow. 1 I don't want to miss any more. 2 it is suppsed to get to be super hot tomorrow. 3. my jelly bellys are at work.

Tooth pain. Called out of work. Seeing dentist. Hopefuly he can fix it. If not I wait until tomorrow. I wish I didn't wait this long to do something about a known problem tooth but I simply am unable to afford everything that needs to be done. I'm not sure I can afford what needs to be done now but after losing like 2-4 hours of sleep...

update
They pull it tomorrow. But still not going into work today. I'm no good to anyone minus the sleep and add the pain which I some how doubt will be feeling better at the end of the day. I should head to a store and get advil, aspin, something. But I'm not so sure that will help considering the type of hurt it is.

They are gonna train me. The products I would miss training on are not even supported anymore. Why they still train it is a mystery to even a couple supervisors.

I got a new(to me) APC UPS from Chris. It's a 1400 I've got a 1000 right now but I may wait until um "shedulded maint" to put in place. I'm gonna see about get the power management portion of my machines to shutdown when a power loss is detected.

I also paid my bill for comcastshaft today. The thing is I had to call. Because I don't remember my username or password. So I just paid over the phone. I didn't bother with the getting my password or name cause I don't plan on using my comshaft email account, ever. So I will most likely just call to make payments when the time comes.