Nerd Werd

You are the Hanged Man

2006-11-20T15:37:00.000-06:00

You are the Hanged Man

Self-sacrifice, Sacrifice, Devotion, Bound.

With the Hanged man there is often a sense of fatalism, waiting for something to happen. Or a fear of
loss from a situation, rather than gain.

The Hanged Man is perhaps the most fascinating card in the deck. It reflects the story of Odin who offered himself as a sacrifice in order to gain knowledge. Hanging from the world tree, wounded by a spear, given no bread or mead, he hung for nine days. On the last day, he saw on the ground runes that had fallen from the tree, understood their meaning, and, coming down, scooped them up for his own. All knowledge is to be found in these runes.

The Hanged Man, in similar fashion, is a card about suspension, not life or death. It signifies selflessness, sacrifice and prophecy. You make yourself vulnerable and in doing so, gain illumination. You see the world differently, with almost mystical insights.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Still Alive

2006-08-03T17:27:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted anything here for a while. I'm still alive though.

Next week I'm going to Disney World.

Slideroll

2006-02-12T02:34:00.000-06:00

Here's my quick slideshow from Slideroll. Some of it didn't work how I wanted, but I gave up playing with the controls.

View Photo Slideshow

Make a Free Flash Slideshow

Bonus Weird Habit

2006-01-20T16:20:00.000-06:00

Since I didn't tag anyone, here's a bonus weird habit.

I can't pick favorites. There are things I like more than others, but I couldn't tell you my favorite color, movie, song, etc. Maybe there are just too many things that I like equally well to point out just one as the favorite. A lot of people might say their favorite colors are gold and silver, but there can be only one when you're talking about favorites and I can't pick only one.

Tagged - Weird Habits

2006-01-18T16:25:00.000-06:00

The first player of this game starts with the topic "five weird habits of yourself," and people who get tagged need to write an entry about their five weird habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next five people to be tagged and link to their web journals. Don't forget to leave a comment in their blog or journal that says "You are tagged" (assuming they take comments) and tell them to read yours.

---

First, I'm not tagging any people because I hate chain-letters.

1. I compulsively check nerd news sites. It used to be slashdot, but lately I like digg better. When I work at home it gives me some sense of interaction with the outside world.

2. Computers must not make noise. I hate un-asked for noises. The first thing I do with every computer I get is turn off the stupid noises. There's no reason I should be audibly notified every time I click a web link or an error occurs. This includes websites that make noise. No websites should have sound.

3. I chew my lip. Sometimes I get chapped lips. Usually this leaves little bits of skin that I then chew off or pull off with my fingers.

4. Showers have an order. First is the shampoo and rinse. Then the conditioner. Leave in the conditioner until I've finished with the soap. Rinse body soap, then rinse conditioner. Then I have time to stand around and enjoy the hot water and sometimes shave.

5. I pace when on the phone. I have a hard time standing still while on the phone. I usually walk all around the house.

Tralala

2006-01-12T16:05:00.000-06:00

Funny song that I kinda like
http://dingdingdong.ytmnd.com/

Also here
http://www.youtube.com/?v=fWV1sEHyWUI

And here
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/dingdingdong.html

The Meat

2006-01-10T13:31:00.000-06:00

So I've been asked to explain "the meat."

Short Story: An unknown person knocks on my door. He offers me a discount on meat which he has in his car. I buy the meat.

Long Story:
I hear a knock on my front door. I know it's an unknown person because no one I know would knock on my front door. When I get to the door, there's a guy walking away towards the neighbor across the street. He comes back and explains his situation.

He works for a meat delivery company, similar to Schwan's but only for meat. He's just made a delivery to one of my neighbors up the street. Now he has extra meat. It's unclear to me why he has extra meat. Perhaps my neighbor didn't buy all they ordered or maybe someone wasn't home to accept a delivery. Either way, he's got to get rid of this meat and his boss has told him to sell it for "a couple dollars per cut." This price is important.

He brings the meat in the house so I can see it and make my decision. I expected a few chunks of meat, what he brought in was two medium-sized boxes of meat. One box is chicken and one beef, each box containing 6 smaller boxes of meat of different cuts and flavors.

Once all the meat boxes are opened, my kithcen floor is covered with frozen meat. He tells me that the normal price is $440 for the beef, but he'll give it to me for the bargain price of $400.

$400! What happened to "a couple dollars per cut"? I was expecting maybe $50. Oh, but he'll give me the chicken for free. The chicken is normally $260. This deal is starting to look decent. There's still one thing that bothers me though - I don't know this guy and yet he wants me to trust him enough that I'll buy a large quantity of meat for a significant price.

I tell him that I just don't need this amount of meat right now. He assures me that this meat is good for at least a year in the freezer and it'll take me that long to eat it all anyway. Just to get rid of the meat, he'll call his "boss" and see if he can give me more of a discount. He goes outside to get his phone and make the call. I went outside as well and hear him talking to his "boss." I'm pretty sure he wasn't talking to anyone because he was talking bullshit. Either way, his "boss" says he can sell me the meat for $360. Great.

I'm still not sure. I've been told, "There better not be $400 of meat in my freezer when I get home."

He makes his final plea. If I don't buy the meat, he's got to take it back to the warehouse 30 miles away then drive home, which is somewhere near my house. Additionally, he'll have to pay a $20 per box restocking fee. To avoid this driving and restocking, he'll take off an additional $20 for restocking and $10 more for the gas money he'll save.

So where are we?
$440 beef + $260 chicken original price = $700
$400 offering price - $40 "boss" discount = $360
$360 - $20 restocking - $10 gas = $330

So, we're about 30 minutes into this negotiation, $370 less than the original price, $70 less than the offering price. I think I'm doing pretty well so I decide to buy the meat.

The guy gives me a flimsy, home-printed business card for "The Cattle Exchange," takes my credit card information, and gives me a receipt.

Here's what I ended up with:
6 boxes of beef - 2 tri-tips, 4 t-bones, 8 filets, 14 hamburgers, 8 new york strips, something else I can't remember
6 boxes of chicken - I can't remember all the flavors, but they're all breasts and thighs except one box of bbq drummies.

This is all premium meat. It's one step up in quality from what you're likely to get at the local supermarket. The meat is identical in quality to what is on offer at Omaha Steaks.

Now that I have more meat than I know what to do with, I have a couple problems. First, my floor is covered in frozen meat and I have a small freezer. Second, I don't know if I've gotten a good deal until I try the meat. The first problem lead me to the additional expense of purchasing a chest freezer. The second problem was quickly resolved at the first taste of the meat. It's good! This is by far the best meat I've ever cooked myself.

Buying meat from random people on the street isn't all bad, after all!

Painted

2006-01-05T18:46:00.000-06:00

Today I painted a room in my house. There was a lot of crap in the
room in the beginning, but once I got that cleared out and bought some
supplies, it went smooth. It still needs to be trimmed, but it looks
nice.

I went to the store to get less then $10 worth of paint supplies. What
I left with was about $50 of paint supplies and $50 of other junk I
didn't need. While I was at the store a guy approached me and told me
he had returned some stuff and all they would give him was store
credit, but he needed cash. He told me he'd take $30 cash for a $42
card. So, I verified the card's value at $42.70 and handed over the
cash. It was a weird situation, but not more weird than the time I
bought $350 of meat from a random guy that knocked on my front door.
Ask me about it sometime.

Christmas

2005-12-27T10:39:00.000-06:00

Christmas stats:

1 sweater which I'll probably return because I don't wear sweaters.
1 mini fondue set to share with my girl.
1 collectible bowie knife. I don't really collect knives, or other things, so it'll end up in a box that will likely remain in my basement for many years.
1 set of wine glasses in a convienient storage box (it says so on the box). I like wine, this is a good present.
1 euro translator. I'm not sure I need a language translator or to convert from Deutch Marks to Euro, but now I can!
1 giftcard for Barnes and Noble.
1 Christmas tree ornament. Yet another thing I don't collect and will put in a box indefintely.
1 bottle of wine which I'll share with the giver.
3 blocks of cheese that I'll eat while drinking the wine.
1 jar of hot mustard for spreading on pretzels and eating while drinking the wine.
1 giftcard to amazon.com which I combined with other giftcards and a small amount of cash to obtain a Sony PSP Value Pack and accessories.

3 dinners
~50 relatives
180 miles driven
150 pictures taken

1 love to share it with

New stuff

2005-12-23T01:40:00.000-06:00

About 3 weeks ago I got contact lenses. I no longer have to wear glasses. This has lead me to purchase sunglasses for the first time. I think they look ok. I'll have to get a picture of them on here soon.

Also, I just updated my website.

I still haven't organized all my pictures, but I will get to it someday.

Lazy

2005-11-28T03:12:00.000-06:00

I've ignored this weblog for a long time, but I guess I could add some things.

I've been home for a few weeks now. I usually don't do anything useful with my time. Sometimes I watch TV. Sometimes I do some work (stuff that I get paid for). Sometimes I clean a few things. Mostly I'm lazy. I sorta wish I wasn't so lazy, but I am. I accept it now.

Toby and Lily

2005-06-03T09:07:00.000-05:00

Toby and Lily

Toby

2005-06-03T09:05:00.000-05:00

Toby

Sad

2005-05-20T16:16:00.000-05:00

Today I was sad that my Lily died.

Lily

2005-05-19T18:15:00.000-05:00

Today my Lily died.

The Crown

2005-04-03T21:00:00.000-05:00

Location: Belfast, Ireland

I went to the best bar in Belfast, The Crown Liquor Saloon. Finally, I've had a Guiness in Ireland.

The Crown Liquor Saloon

Dog

2005-03-31T10:43:00.000-06:00

Location: Essen, Germany

What type of dog are you?
(Click the Game link)

I'm a German Shepherd (Alsatian)

Origins:
Germany. Originally a German farm dog, this breed was founded in the 1890s by a German Cavalry officer, Captain Max von Stephanitz who aimed to create a superior herding dog with looks to match. Today it is used in search and rescue, police work, army duties, sentry posts, scenting, guide dogs for the blind, help for the disabled and as a loveable domestic companion.

Personality:
Favored for its intelligence, trainability and fortitude this dog has abilities that rival most humans. Its superior guarding ability can get it into trouble because it can misread a situation and shoot first, asking questions later. Which makes it an ideal police dog.

Holiday Over

2005-03-28T11:26:00.000-06:00

Location: Lindau, Germany

Holiday is almost over. Time to head home. This is the lovely new car Roman drove around for four days and I sometimes slept in.

Schloss Neuschwanstein

2005-03-26T23:53:00.000-06:00

Location: Hohenschwangau, Germany

If you look closely you might see Mickey Mouse wavaing from one of the windows.

Easter Bunny

2005-03-24T11:56:00.000-06:00

Location: Essen, Germany

I found the easter bunny! He appears to live in a very small house, but at least his lawn never needs trimming! Also, he didn't appear to have laid any eggs today.

Roadtrip

2005-03-24T08:59:00.000-06:00

Location: Essen, Germany

I'm going on a roadtrip!

Since this weekend is Easter I've got 4 days to waste - or adventure! So, I've teamed up with my local German friend Roman (who is not from Rome) and we're headed down the autobahn to Neuschwanstein Castle. You may recognize this famous landmark as the Magic Kingdom in Disney World.

New Swan Stone (Neuschwanstein for the rest of us!)

Coal Mining

2005-03-23T14:38:00.000-06:00

Location: Essen, Germany

I've decided computers aren't for me. So I'm joining these miners in search of coal.

Edit: I've found the plaque for this sculpture. It's all in German, of course, but translated it seems to be called Steep Storage. I'll try to translate the rest later.

Out

2005-03-22T11:37:00.000-06:00

Location: Dusselsorf, Germany

I haven't kept up with this as much as I would have liked. I thought that by writing a small amount in each entry I'd be more likely to write every day. I've been very lazy especially during my last couple of weeks at home. Now I'm out travelling the world again. I supposed I'll try to put a picture on here most days as that's always more interesting than text.

Domain

2005-03-10T15:24:00.000-06:00

Location: Home

I now have a domain for my weblog.

Check it out!

You may not notice anything happen because it will just redirect you back to this page.

Gambling

2005-03-09T23:18:00.000-06:00

Location: Home

I went to the casino tonight. This time I didn't win any money, but overall I'm ahead by a little. This is the first time I've been recently and didn't win though.

Coffee

2005-03-08T23:28:00.000-06:00

Location: Home

I keep trying to make turkish coffee, but it just never comes out right. I've only tried making it twice though, so a little more practice would probably yield better results.

Nothing

2005-03-07T22:33:00.000-06:00

Location: Home

I did almost nothing today. I thought about doing things alot though.

Lights!

2005-03-06T23:07:00.000-06:00

Location: Home

My kitchen is brighter today. I finally put in a light fixture that we've had for two years. I wasn't sure how it should go up, but it was a lot easier than I thought.

Then I got fancy and put in some under-cabinet lighting too. Now it's super bright in my kitchen. Bring your welding mask if you're gonna cook in there.

Ceiling Done

2005-03-05T19:54:00.000-06:00

Location: Home

I've finally finished putting insulation and drywall in one room of my house. Only 5 more to go!

Nerd Humor

2005-03-04T09:09:00.000-06:00

Location: Home

Science Made Stupid

Be sure to check out the glossary.

circular reasoning : see reasoning, circular
Loschmidt's number : (415) 767-1678
programmer : person with a natural sense of algorithm
unit of power : watt - I said, unit of power : watt - I SAID . . .

Credit

2005-03-03T23:39:00.000-06:00

Location: Home

If you live in Missouri (and other states) you can get your credit report for free online once every 12 months.

Get your credit report here!

I know this seems like some sort of scam (pyramid, referral, spam) but it really isn't. I don't think an email address is required.

It's a free service offered in accordance with federal law. You could probably accomplish the same thing by going directly to each of the three credit reporting agencies, but this place makes the process easier.

Cookies

2005-03-02T10:33:00.000-06:00

Location: Home

I bought cookies. That candy I've been eating for the past two weeks is starting to rot my teeth.

Nerd Score

2005-03-01T09:38:00.000-06:00

Location: Home

Broken

2005-02-28T06:17:00.000-06:00

Location: Home

My internet connection broke for a long time today.

Construction

2005-02-26T23:15:00.000-06:00

Location: Home

Today I put a ceiling fan in my bedroom. It works!

First

2005-02-25T03:51:00.000-06:00

Location: Home

This is for me. I need a place to write.