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Damn, compiling qt is taking a while. But I want it for doing kernel configs in X.
A co-worker gave me a Dell Inspiron 2650 without a disk a couple of weeks ago. I managed to find a disk on Craigslist for $40, and set out to get the machine going. I settled on Crux as a Linux distro because I'm trying to wean myself from RedHat / Fedora, which is getting bloated. I considered NetBSD for a while, but I figured that since this is a laptop, I'd go with Linux as sometimes non-Windows operating systems and laptops can be a bit tricky, and I definitely have more of an idea of what I'm doing when it comes to Linux.
Guess I'm driving the El Camino tonight. I had Mitsubishi take a look at the sluggish 3-4 shift on my Lancer tranny in addition to the 30,000 mile service. Sure enough, the service advisor calls back to let me know that they're replacing some of the clutches in the tranny. Sure glad I have a good warranty. After that, he then mentions that I need new front brakes, and it's time to get the tranny fluid and coolant flushed. He can fix me up for $575. I then ask him for the breakdown. He tells me:
In an inverse situation from the second winter season that I lived in the Seattle area, where it rained every day for months on end, my second winter in Phoenix has had no rain. For 145 days. Really.
Until today, where it not only is raining and setting records at the airport weather station, but it's below 40 degrees. It's snowing in the higher elevations of Scottsdale.
I'm moved in to the new place. Box unpacking is about halfway done. I need to set up the computer and stuff next.
Never mind *why* I'm up right now, the fact is, I am.
Played two pretty damn decent shows with the Andys this weekend, but I was too out of it to notice because I felt like crap. And Neil says I never get sick. Right before Friday's show, I had a splitting headache out of the blue that 4 ibuprofen wouldn't kill. Then I just felt weird and woozy, culminating in some praying to the porcelain god as soon as I got to Kari's that night. I felt immediately better afterwards, and I assumed it was food poisoning or something.
The El Camino now has seat belts.....what I thought would be a few hour project turned into the better part of the week, but I had to do some improvisation. Not to mention take care of more than a little bit of rust. The can of rust neutralizing primer that I bought when I was with Neil is gone; I used it all on the floorboards, which are, really rusty.
So now it has seat belts; lap belts actually, but that was what I could find. I'm OK with that; it makes Kari a lot more comfortable now.
Met up with Neil on Saturday for what seemed like the first time in ages. We were originally going to take a look at why the front fuel tank in his truck doesn't work but he didn't want to. So, we ended up working on the El Camino instead. It was a productive time; I replaced the valve covers with chrome ones, put in new valve cover gaskets, replaced the tranny dipstick tube and sealed it with RTV, changed the oil, and replaced the air filter.
Less than three weeks until I move....I've got to get going on clean up and other arrangements. I did manage to get most of my other stuff ready though, like getting the power service established, phone switched, etc. BTW: I will have a new phone number when I move, since I'm moving to a spot served by a different exchange. I'll let you know when I know what it is for sure.
Last weekend my friend Erik came out on the last leg of his vacation road trip. We didn't get to spend a ton of time together, but we cruised over to Ecology Auto Parts to grab some stuff for the El Camino. Basically what happened was a little over a week ago, I shut the driver's side door to the El Camino, and the door glass shattered! It didn't come as a huge surprise; the glass had a few nicks, and the window never rolled up properly to begin with. I thought the window regulator was messed up, but it turned out that who ever had put in the previous window hadn't installed it properly, and the glass wasn't riding in the door track correctly. Anyway, I thought this whole deal was going to cost me big bucks, then I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that A., the glass was $16.95, and that B. it was half-price parts day! So I walked out with the glass, a new door track, and a El Camino logo (to replace the one that fell off) for under $15. A few hours later, and I had it installed. It fits much better than the old window did; I hope it doesn't break.
For stealing the stereo out of my El Camino in front of Kari's house Friday night. Surely you felt that since it was a gift from a friend, that I wouldn't be quite as heartbroken to find it missing. I hope you're enjoying the Buzzcocks CD that I just bought too, although you probably just scored some meth or something with the proceeds.
I must say that I was touched that you left me your flashlight as a consolation prize. I needed one for that car; having it will let me pull the Mag light I had in it into the house so that I might be able to use it to beat you the next time you come around for more handiwork.
My friend Travis is in town for a Libertarian convention. So I get a chance to see him.
Staying busy otherwise. Blades are dropping like flies at work. When it rains, it pours.
The new company is now catering in every lunch. Apparently the German employees get this, and now we do. I'm pretty happy with that; I think that's going to save me quite a bit of money.
Started doing my taxes yesterday....and wouldn't you know it; I owe the man again for the second time in a row. The thing is, when I look at my withholding, it looks about accurate. I think I'm feeling a simply increased tax rate. I was making very near the same money a few years ago in the Navy, and I paid nowhere near this amount of tax.
When I was in nuclear field "A" school in Orlando, FL, our friendly Navy Exchange installed another soda vending machines alongside the regular ones that dispensed cans. The 12 fluid oz. cans from the normal machines cost $0.50, but the new machine dispensed 20 fluid oz. plastic bottles of the same soda for the low low price of $1.00. This pricing scheme really didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I'm sure 1 plastic bottle was cheaper than 2 aluminum cans, but why were we being offerred a chance to pay the same price for less soda? What made the case more confusing was that the machine had a sign on it that read "Better Value!" Huh? By whose accounting? Seriously, why wouldn't I just buy two 12 oz. cans of soda for the same money and get more soda?
Get Perpendicular! I don't know whether to love this or hate the fact that this is what a storage vendor has to resort to in order to get management types to understand anything related to tech.
Spent six hours on Saturday at Neil's place installing a tachometer in the El Camino, and a stereo that Neil gave me (Pioneer CD player.....just like the Camaro).
The driver's side is definitely in need of a new window regulator too. Trips to the junkyard are close by I think.
2006 is being pretty good to me so far. I have a girlfriend and a sweet El Camino. I really can't complain.
Last weekend was sweet. Played one of the best shows I've ever played (the best being the 5 or 6 song set that I rocked with Slow Goat Riot at a dive bar in Tacoma a couple of years ago) with The Andys last Friday. The sound guy, Jack Maverik (I'm not making this up) was actually intelligent and ran sound for us *very* well. After the show, I had some late night Denny's with some friends and chilled.
The stock buyout money for my company came yesterday. I'm way excited.
With it, I want to try to get the following stuff:
Just got done taking care of a bit of an albatross. Notably, getting the "production" version of Oracle (10.2g) to install on RHAS 4 (update 2) for PPC. Anyway, here are the snags I hit and how to fix them.
