Sunday, June 30, 2002

A new entry in Reckless. I transcribed the interview I held with the girl who does my tattoos earlier this week.

posted by pookzilla at 4:57 PM - 0 comments

Adjusting to life without anti-depressants is quite a challenge. I don't FEEL any different, but I'm tired even more than I was before. I've been sleeping like a rock and I sleep hours and hours longer than I would've before. Stupid drugs. I don't know why I went on them to begin with. Drugs can't make you happy. Now nookie... that'd make me happy.

I ran across a story this morning which made me feel quite ill. How people like this (and I use the term people very lightly) should even be allowed to have children is beyond me. Reading stories like this makes me all for totalitarian government, if only for a short time. Fucking subhumans. *spit*

posted by pookzilla at 1:44 PM - 0 comments

Friday, June 28, 2002

TGIF

It looks like we're going to have a GORGEOUS Canada Day Weekend. This is welcome coming after a record-setting amount of rain in June. We had 230mm+ of rain in June where the average hovers around 70mm. In fact, we had more rain in June than we usually get for June, July and August combined. It's made for some incredibly lush lawns (and incredibly flooded roads).

The comment system is still down. :( As soon as I can get to its database on portent I'll get it shit hooked up. I could restore now from an old backup but I'd rather not lose any comments.

posted by pookzilla at 7:47 AM - 0 comments

Thursday, June 27, 2002

The current Portent outage has recommited me to moving the comment system off of there ASAP. I've been slacking on that pretty bad.

Not only is Portent down but I can't reach ICQ either. Bugger it all. I think our DNS is futzed. If it's not one thing it's another.

I played Eternal Darkness for a few more hours last night . Great fun. No regrets for this purchase whatsoever.

I aim at listening to nothing but RUSH today. I've been neglecting the boys as of late...

posted by pookzilla at 8:34 AM - 0 comments

Wednesday, June 26, 2002

You all thought I was weak and stupid when I gambled my hard earnt cash away on the World Cup. Well, out of my three bets on who would win, France got knocked out without scoring a goal but Germany AND Brazil are in the final. This guarentees that I at the very least double my money. Just call me the bastard son of Statto. :P

And more cause for celebration; the gym was empty today. Hurrah.

posted by pookzilla at 4:31 PM - 0 comments

The tattoo session on my back went very well yesterday. I tried some an anesthetic called Emla to see if it'd take the edge off of the discomfort (which is hell for me on my back). Not only did it take the edge off of the experience, it numbed it completely. For a good 45 minutes I felt NOTHING on my back. It was amazing. I'm a total convert - I'll be using this every time from now on.

While there I finally managed to ask her the questions I had planned. It'll take a few days to transcribe them and then they'll be up on Reckless.

On the way home I picked up Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requim for Game Cube. This game was the reason I bought the Cube in the first place - from the early descriptions I could tell it was going to be seriously awesome. Oh boy does it live up to my expectations! You can definitly tell this game has been years in the making. There isn't a single detail that isn't significant to the story in some way. I could give a half-assed review but there are already plenty of glowing reviews out there already - I'll leave it to the pros. Normally I can't play a game for more than an hour or so before my hands cramp up or I get a headache - I stopped after 2 hours last night (which seemed like 20 minutes) only because of how late it was. I could've played until morning.

posted by pookzilla at 8:53 AM - 0 comments

Monday, June 24, 2002

I just had blood tests done. Seven vials of blood. I feel a few pounds lighter.

I had a dream last night where Buffy(the Vampire Slayer) was my girlfriend. She was very annoying and clingy and I couldn't get rid of her. It was more of a nightmare really. God I hate Buffy. It's become such pap.

Time for a nap. Must.. regrow.. plasma..

posted by pookzilla at 8:49 AM - 0 comments

Sunday, June 23, 2002

While lounging in my own stink I was watching Much Music (like MTV, but Canadian eh?) and saw an add for an upcoming concert. Tool. In Ottawa. Like a priests pecker at a kiddie-swim I jumped up as fast as I could, ran to the computer room, and booked tickets. WOO! TOOL! I can't believe they're actually coming to Ottawa. NO ONE comes to Ottawa!

posted by pookzilla at 3:41 PM - 0 comments

A new entry in reckless.

Now that I have that out of the way...

*dies from excessive heat*

It's absolutely GROSS here today. The air is totally saturated with moisture. Sweat no longer evaporates - I have a small ocean forming in my bellybutton. My goal, for the remainder of the day, is to remain utterly motionless. Starting...

...now.

posted by pookzilla at 1:12 PM - 0 comments

Friday, June 21, 2002

Thanks to Wil Wheaton I now have the following:

South Park Me: South Park Me

Lego Me:Lego Me

posted by pookzilla at 11:13 AM - 0 comments

Sometimes an omen isn't an omen, it's just a cake.

(TGIF)

posted by pookzilla at 9:46 AM - 0 comments

Brazil 2 - 1 England


Well, the better team one. We had one real shot on target and we scored. The delivery was poor and Brazil deserved to win.

It's not all bad though, we've got a young side and most of them will be back for Germany 2006. And we got a lot further than the likes of France, Argentina, Portugal and at least we didn't get beaten by South Korea like Italy did. :D

We are a bit of a Tottenham though. We string a few wins together and suddenly we're hailed as world beaters. We're close but not there yet.

posted by pookzilla at 4:53 AM - 0 comments

Thursday, June 20, 2002

I wonder if one of these little guys could go fetch my groceries. Hrm... This story is both cute and terrifying at the same time. Odd.

Oh yah. ONE MORE DAY TILL THE WEEKEND! I think I may go see Scooby Doo this weekend. It looks vaguely amusing, and I had a dream about Scooby (and Spider-Man) last night - I can't very well ignore the movie now can I?

posted by pookzilla at 8:01 AM - 0 comments

Wednesday, June 19, 2002

Yesterday: I lose $20.

Today: I find $20.

Equilibrium is a beautiful thing.

posted by pookzilla at 1:02 PM - 0 comments

Tuesday, June 18, 2002

How to screw up a day in 1 easy step:

Drop your interview questions and a $20 into a sewer grate while fumbling through your pockets.

Sigh. At least I got another good hunk of my back finished. I'm all payed up - I won't have to pay anymore regardless of how much longer it takes. I don't agree with that - she's putting a lot of work into this - but what can you do. She stood her ground. I can't very well chase her around trying to stick $20s in her knickers.

I'll be going back in soon. The questions will have to wait until then I guess...

posted by pookzilla at 6:32 PM - 0 comments

England vs. Brazil.


I don't know about you but I can't wait. The best defence in the World Cup vs. the best offence in the competition. Mouth watering stuff. When Americans complain about how boring football is they usually point out the low scores. However, for a lot of experts the England vs. Brazil match in the 1970 World Cup was the best World Cup match ever, and it ended 1-0. Both teams were totally on form and playing fantastically. Both England and Brazil are on form in this World Cup too and both look virtually unbeatable.

It should be an unmissable game and should decide who eventually goes on to win the World Cup.

posted by pookzilla at 4:30 PM - 0 comments

Guh. My appreciation for .NET has decreased somewhat. It's most likely that there is some subtle COM+/.NET interoperability rules that I'm not seeing, but I just can't get the .NET ThreadPool to work from within a COM+ object (written in .NET). It throws some utterly meaningless exception and I can't find reference to the error number anywhere. Maybe I should've started with something easier - I've only been using the framework for a few days. :P Ah vell. At least a) this is something new and b) something that is minorly challenging.

I just finished a frickin' 'uge chicken sandwich. The mom and pop place across the street sells amazing deep fried chicken sandwiches. You feel pretty heavy afterwards, but they're great when you're eating them.

Pardon me for the rambling. I'm just trying to chill out before I go in for the torture. :P

posted by pookzilla at 12:36 PM - 0 comments

I'm going in for more back work today. At the rate I'm going I should be done by the time I turn 40 or so. Oi. I wish I could tolerate longer stretches on my back. I took the initial 6.5 hour outline easily enough, but I can't handle the colour work for more than 2 hours at a shot back there. It's quite frustrating - I really want them finished so I can move wholeheartedly into new stuff! :)

K had her forearm finished yesterday. It looks FANTASTIC. The colours are amazing. I'm sure she'll have pictures up just as soon as I bring the batteries home for the camera. :)

posted by pookzilla at 7:51 AM - 0 comments

Monday, June 17, 2002

There's something that has come to my attention recently, and it's somewhat sad: There is only one show on TV (currently in production) that I still want to watch on a regular basis - Nero Wolfe. Why does TV have to suck SO much?

There was a fire alarm in our building this morning at 6:30 or so. Like a good little person who's scared of fire I got dressed and made my way down 25 flights of stairs while K waited upstairs for a call from me saying whether it was a real fire or a false alarm. You can tell which one of us cares about fire alarms.

Anyway... after making it downstairs I found out it was a false alarm. There were about 50 people in the lobby waiting for the elevators to take them back upstairs. I figured I could wait 20 minutes for an elevator, or climb 25 flights of stairs, or go to work early (and somewhat stinky). I chose work.

posted by pookzilla at 7:48 AM - 0 comments

Sunday, June 16, 2002

Home: rearranged.

Back: in exquisit agony. Pinhead would cringe.

I'm too sore to do much of anything so I'm just sitting on the futon banging away at some .NET code (and liking it despite myself) and watching Columbo. Such a lazy day. I'm going to start up on my interview questions soon - I must be prepared for Tuesday. I don't want to come off looking like a bigger tool than I actually AM.

posted by pookzilla at 12:28 PM - 0 comments

Saturday, June 15, 2002

The sun is shining, England won 3-0, everyone is happy. You couldn't really wish for anything more, could you?

Oh, and I'm going to see Spiderman tonight. In the words of Jamie Oliver; happy days! :D

posted by pookzilla at 11:34 AM - 0 comments

Friday, June 14, 2002

I'm forced to learn some .NET stuff for work - we may be using it for a small piece of our software. For a MS initiative it really isn't that bad at it's core. Mind you the crap they're trying to build on top of it is doomed to failure. But I won't get into that, it'll feel too much like work - I'll leave that to a co-worker who's opinions are far more informed (and lucid!) than mine.

Oh yah, TGIF! This week has dragged on like a legless horse. The weather this weekend is supposed to be pretty poor so I think I'll do some painting and furnature re-arranging. The bed really does need to be in a bedroom - I have two of them for gods sake!

posted by pookzilla at 7:47 AM - 0 comments

Thursday, June 13, 2002

Today we get a brief respite from the rain. But from tomorrow until Sunday we'll be drowned again. Glee. Last night I discovered that Canjet is back in business - this means cheap flights to Halifax again. I'm thinking about going down for a visit. It's been almost 2 years and I'm feeling a tad bit homesick. Well, to be honest, I just miss real donairs, pizza and deep fried clams. But if anyone asks I'll say I'm homesick.

posted by pookzilla at 9:02 AM - 0 comments

Wednesday, June 12, 2002

Dreaming of homicide has given me an appitite. I'm starvin' marvin' right now. I want something hearty for lunch... I'm torn between pho and Indian. Oh the dilema...

I'm also bored out of my mind. I just can't seem to focus. Someone, anyone, do something to entertain me. :(

posted by pookzilla at 10:52 AM - 0 comments

Dreamtime:

I'm with my old friend Aaron who I knew in Junior Highschool and Highschool (not the limey we have posting to this blog :P). We're attending some type of adult education school - we're standing in line trying to sign up for a course. There is a group of women near the front of the line who are talking and joking with one another. They sound like the 'rich bitch socialites' you'd see and hear on soap operas.

Into the scene arrives another woman. She looks similar to any one of the women in the first bunch. Upon seeing the length of the line a look of disgust washes across her face. With confidence she walks up to Aaron and I and butts in line in front of us. Aaron and I look at each other in bewilderment and I ask her what she's doing. She informs me this line is too long for her. I tell her to get bent and get the hell to the back of the line like anyone else. She looks at me like I have no right to talk to her at all, let alone in such a disrespectful way. She huffs, turns around, and ignores me. So I grab her by the arm and throw her out of the line. She's absolutely infuriated now. She starts to come back into line but then she sees the other group of women near the front. She veers off to them and starts talking and laughing with them and joins them in line. She looks back and gives me a dirty look.

At this point I don't quite remember what was happening but we'll eventually be in yet another line. People in this line are picking up some supplies. She's at the front of this line along with her friends. When she gets her supplies she walks back up along the line and when she reaches me she drops them on my feet. They're quite heavy. Her and her friends start laughing at me. And then I flip out.

I start wailing on her with all of my strength. I smash her face open in a dozen places. I crush her nose to a pulp. I break her jaw. I close her eyes. I get her down onto the ground and start stomping on her. I make a point to go for the knees and other joints. I hear ever so satisfying snap snapping sounds every so often. I kick her head as hard as I can. I stop when I realize she's no longer moving. After what I've done she MUST be dead and I feel joy at what I've done.

The other people in the line are in stunned silence at first. They're just staring at me and the mess I've made of the woman. Eventually Aaron congradulates me. Others do the same. Her group of friends is in hysterics.

I eventually wake up feeling oddly satisfied. Mmmmm homicidal mania.

posted by pookzilla at 7:34 AM - 0 comments

Tuesday, June 11, 2002

There is a McDonalds very close to my office. It has a main enterence that opens on to Rideau Street (what passes for a main drag around here). They have a problem with teenagers and homeless people loitering or even sleeping in their doorway. They've tried several solutions but nothing seemed to work. The new plan? Blasting classical music into the doorway at earsplitting volumes, 24/7. It seems to be working. I discovered this out while walking through the place this morning... I also discovered a looney old man in a very swank beige suit throwing over trash containers and cursing at the employees. The cops were arriving just as I left.

And who said Ottawa was dull???

posted by pookzilla at 7:02 AM - 0 comments

Monday, June 10, 2002

I am not an expert when it comes to computers. I am knowledgable compared to the average person but I'm no Linus Tvoldard or whatever his name is. But anyway, I decided I wanted a dual boot system: Windows XP and RedHat 7.3. I use Linux at work quite a lot and I've always wanted to learn it properly so I thought that this might be my chance. I've tried it in the past with varying levels of success but now I think I've cracked it.

The aim was to have it running RedHat 7.3 as an internet gateway and file server. I'm not quite there yet but I'm confident of success. The computer used was a PII-400 with 320MB RAM, 8gig primary hard drive, a 20gig seconardary hard drive and a 20gig tertiary hard drive full of mp3s. I also have a dreaded winmodem but since I've got a lucent chipset winmodem, all I needed to do was download the latest drivers and I was away! What I'm about to describe will probably horrify some Linux gurus but it worked so I don't care. :P

Step 1: Installing Windows XP

After reading some literature I decided this was the best course of action. When prompted I deleted all partitions on the primary and secondary hard drives (I didn't care about the data on them, I did mind losing my mp3s though) and added the following (expect the ones marked * which were created during the RedHat installation using DiskDruid). The breakdown was like this:

Primary HD:

1. 7.2GB FAT32 partition on which XP was installed
2. 32MB ext3 /boot partition for Linux *
3. ~640MB /swap partition for Linux *

Seconard HD:

1. 8GB ext3 / partition for Linux *
2. 12GB NTFS partition for Windows XP/Linux (housing important files like game patches, updated drivers, etc)

Some of the documentation I found said it would only work if the primary partition was FAT32 so that's what I used (the advice was probably out of date but I didn't really want to risk it). Also, I had to make sure the /boot partition was within the first 7.5gig on the primary HD. This was probably where I went wrong before.

Step 2: Install RedHat 7.3

Next up, I installed RedHat 7.3. I choose RedHat because it's the distribution we use at work, it's pretty easy to use and it's widely supported. I created the partitions marked * above and choose to install LILO on the first Linux Partition (/boot) rather than in the Master Boot Record. I made sure I created a book disk since RedHat isn't on the MBR, I needed someway of booting to it.

Step 3: Mounting the Windows Partition under Linux

By default RedHat can't see Windows partitions so you've got to tell it to. The easiest way is using linuxconf which is defaultly installed. The guide I used can be found here. Pretty simple stuff.

Step 4: Using Windows XP boot loader

I know, I know. I should use GRUB because it's l33t but I couldn't get it to boot Windows XP when I tried so I used the following method. The first thing to do is to go into RedHat (using the boot disk) and copy the /swap partition to C:\ under Windows. This is easily done using the command:

dd if=/dev/hda2 bs=512 count=1 of=/mnt/win/linux.bin

Where hda2 is the /swap partition. If you're not sure you can usually guess using the command:

fidsk -l

And that should copy your /swap partition to a file called linux.bin in C:\

Now that you've got that file done, reboot to Windows XP. The next part confused and annoyed me for quite a while. With 95/98/ME there was a file for controlling the boot loader called boot.ini. While it still exists it is impossible to locate in XP. Instead you have to go to My Computer (right click) -> Advanced -> Startup Recovery Settings and then click on edit file. Then you add the line:

C:\linux.bin="RedHat 7.3"

et viola, the next time you boot it should give you to boot to Windows XP or RedHat. Lovely. :P

That's really as far as I've got. The next steps are:

- Configuring the network
- Installing and configuring Samba
- Installing and configuring Diald

I should have it all done by tomorrow, though I doubt I will. :P


References:

1. Dual booting Linux and Windows 2000
2. Access Windows partitions from Linux
3. Linux: a File and Dial-up Server for Windows Machines
4. Linux Winmodem Support

posted by pookzilla at 10:53 AM - 0 comments

It really is a shame that Eminem is such a culturally retarded dumbass because he can really lay down great songs when he wants to. Without Me (his new single) is pretty damn clever and has a wicked beat to it.

Mental note: If ever I visit Japan I must remember my manners.

posted by pookzilla at 7:39 AM - 0 comments

Sunday, June 09, 2002

What a fucking unproductive weekend. :P

Our home network has been b0rked since about Thursday and I've been trying to fix it. I ended up formatting the server AND my computer to see if that would solve it (I'm not much of a techie) and it didn't. I spent the entire weekend trying all these different things and NOTHING worked. My computer could see the server and the server could see my computer but the speeds were ridicously slow. It turned out to be the fucking network cable. Fucking piece of shit. :P

Oh well, at least it's fixed now. :P

posted by pookzilla at 4:15 PM - 0 comments

Saturday, June 08, 2002

I made the mistake of going shopping for clothing today. I left the mall wanting to cry. A reminder that you're a truely monsterous creature is never easy to swallow. I thought it'd get easier with time, but go figure.

posted by pookzilla at 6:51 PM - 0 comments

Friday, June 07, 2002

Excuse me, but HAHAHAHAHAHA! My GOD there are some real fruitcakes out there...

PS: another update to reckless

posted by pookzilla at 9:18 AM - 0 comments

I figured stuff like this could only happen in Japan. I guess I was wrong.

Oh, by the way, TGIF! This week has dragged on so badly, the last few days in particular. This weekend will be good... pho, drawing, painting and enhanced loafing in general.

posted by pookzilla at 8:13 AM - 0 comments

Thursday, June 06, 2002

God bless pop stars. And shemale realdolls. OI.

posted by pookzilla at 12:54 PM - 0 comments

There is something immensly satisfying about leaving for work at 6:15am. It's so nice out at that time. The sun is just creeping up over the horizon, the birds are chirping and there is still dew on the grass. I must start setting my alarm clock earlier.

For a morning funny I suggest you check out this tale of audioerotica.

posted by pookzilla at 7:36 AM - 0 comments

Wednesday, June 05, 2002

I'm addicted to gambling.

The World Cup came along and I thought I'd have a friendly bet on Brazil winning since the odds were very good (11/2, they're now at 11/4). But then France lost their opening game and their odds shot up to 11/2 (from 3/1) so I thought I'd bet on them too. And I saw Germany at 15/1 and couldn't resist.

I'm so weak. :P



I bet Argentina win now. Well, not literally. :P

posted by pookzilla at 3:06 PM - 0 comments

Oi. Today is moving like cold molasses. I feel like I should be going home, but it's only 12:20pm. :(

posted by pookzilla at 12:20 PM - 0 comments

Renegade nuns on wheels can't be far behind...

Robocop 2 was on last night. I forgot how satisfying well done stop-motion animation was compared to flashy CGI. Not only is the animation cool, but I found out that it was written by Frank Miller! Miller was a longtime writer for the Batman comics among others (Sin City in particular). I found that extremely cool. He's only really credited on two movies - Robocop 2 and 3. I wonder how he got hooked up with them... odd.

PS: I posted my first real entry in Reckless.

posted by pookzilla at 7:45 AM - 0 comments

Tuesday, June 04, 2002

I've started a new blog with a very specific focus. I don't know how much use it will see, but I thought it prudent to keep a blog strictly for this topic in particular. That topic, of course, would be me mulling over the possibility of entering into the tattoo industry in some capacity.

posted by pookzilla at 3:21 PM - 0 comments

A gem found by one of the guys at work. OI. I wonder what working in an office with only women is like.

posted by pookzilla at 10:26 AM - 0 comments

It is night. The stars are out. I'm naked in a field of wet grass, carrying a huge and headless dead fish. I am surrounded by humanoid mushrooms who are watering strange plants that grow into giant hamburgers.

These are my dreams. Fear me. Pity me.

I guess it could be worse. It could've been about a horny dolphin.

posted by pookzilla at 7:51 AM - 0 comments

Monday, June 03, 2002

I thought about just posting this as a reply but since I don't blog enough anyway....

The world + dog loves football. North Americans, on the whole, don't like it. I think it's because you don't have the skill and fitness to play a real sport. You also get offended that more than two nations take part in the world championship. :P

Football isn't about goals, it's about the build up to them. It's about 40 yard pinpoint passes, Cryff (sp?) turns and curled free kicks from the edge of the area.

You say it's not exciting because the scores are low. By that logic then, cricket is the most exciting sport in the entire world! :P

All the American sports are too artificial. You need an ice rink or a large glove or a fuck load of armour to play it. The beauty of football is you can play it with nearly anything, anywhere. A small ball, a couple of coats as goal posts and you're there. You can play it in the slums of San Paolo and you can play it at Old Trafford. You don't have to be rich to enjoy it.

You North Americans have no taste. :P

posted by pookzilla at 6:54 PM - 0 comments

Only in Texas could a sleeping defense lawyer in a murder one trial not equate to inadequte counsel.

posted by pookzilla at 3:19 PM - 0 comments

Aha. This has been a very productive day.. one of my little side projects is finished and I've found the cause of some quirky little issues we've been having with Tomcat. The solution(s) have been quite mechanical but I've really enjoyed fixing them for some reason. Some rapid typing, very little brainwork and the Misfits really makes a day go fast.

posted by pookzilla at 1:22 PM - 0 comments

This past weekend was such an abortion. I had so many things I had planned on doing and I did but a fraction of them. The cable box is still sitting in my living room...er... bedroom... er... whatever it is. I missed out on a co-workers party. I didn't get much exercise in. Terrible terrible terrible.

I came into the office today to find that the air conditioner had been turned off and it was 30C in the shade. Our office gets a lot of sun in the mornings (the walls are windows and we're on a corner) and it can really heat by 7:45am. The AC is struggling to bring the temperature down. I've been in the office for over 50 minutes now and it's only managed to get it down to 27C. It's going to be an icky day here to be sure.

The new tattoo is itching nicely. It's pure agony above my knee, but that's a good sign. Itching means that it's healing itself. I still want to gouge out a hunk of flesh though.

I've been putting more and more thought into actually taking up the tattoo trade. I'm pretty sure I want to pursue it to some degree now. I guess it all depends on how one gets a foot in the door. If it requires heavy commitment then I probably wont make it - I've been living like a fatcat for too long and I have obligations I can't shrug off. If I can learn part time then that'd be super.

posted by pookzilla at 8:23 AM - 0 comments