Tim's blog - Friends

A couple updates

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:58:40 -0500

So when they say winter quarter at Rose is hectic? They're not kidding. I just found my first solid chunk of downtime since I came back to school two weeks ago. What have I been up to, you ask?

For starters, the Festivus, Christmas, and New Year's celebrations that occurred over my last break were all most excellent. This year was the fifth consecutive Festivus celebrated within the group, and it was by far the smoothest a Festivus has ever gone. The Airing of Grievances was trouble-free, the introduction of a white elephant gift exchange went smoothly, and our Feats of Strength involved that classic game Set. For Christmas a few days later, hordes of relatives (from both sides of the family) descended on the house for almost an entire week all told. (Most hilarious was our cousin Keith, who's two and just being ridiculous all over the place. He got an iPod Touch for Christmas. He's two.) Lastly, New Year's went well overall, despite some illnesses on part of a couple of the partygoers. Mario Kart is never so hilarious as when played sleep-deprived at 4am.
Continue reading "A couple updates"

In stitches

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 10:13:24 -0400

Our floor is a pretty boisterous one, and the guys who live here are prone to getting into certain predicaments that most dorms might not encounter. So when I hear someone running down the hall screaming "We have to go to the hospital!", I figured it was only a matter of time, really. But that shouldn't stop me from going to see what the fuss is about.
Continue reading "In stitches"

Big Cats, Part VI

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:01:34 -0400

Snow Leopard, the sixth iteration of Mac OS X, came out today. Being the good little Apple fanboys that we are, Chris and I decided to go get copies as soon as we could, which meant when the Apple Store opened at 9am this morning.

So we drove down to the store, getting there around 9:10 (Chris overslept slightly), and walking in to a very sparsely populated store with no visible employees, except for one sketchy guy who darted into the back as soon as we came in. The doors were unlocked, though, and there were several people inside who were just playing with laptops or waiting at the Genius Bar, and it was one of these people who eventually told us: the store doesn't open until 10.

I was mildly upset.
Continue reading "Big Cats, Part VI"

Summer summary (summery?)

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:56:22 -0400

So wow. Summer's gone. I head back to school the morning of the 30th, then dive right in with freshman laptop orientation the 31st and a Learning Center tutor "retreat" (two-hour meeting) on the 2nd. Classes begin the 3rd.

In light of all that, I thought I'd take a moment and recap what my summer was like this year.
Continue reading "Summer summary (summery?)"

Hello Germantown

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:30:46 -0400

Jessica and I, reunited after two months apart

Long-distance relationships are hard. So when Jessica and family offered to have me visit for a few days, I was only too happy to oblige.

I stayed in Germantown, TN for a total of four days and three nights. I took the Amtrak both ways, and got back home with just enough time to do laundry, repack, and head off to Pennsylvania for the family reunion. (More on that later).

I left home at around 4pm on Saturday, July 25, taking the Metra from Barrington into the city for a 9pm departure from Union Station. Apparently, due to the boat parade, it was the fourth-busiest day of the year for the Metra into the city, and everyone was drinking on the way. Through random happenstance, I wound up sitting next to a few soon-to-be-partiers that knew Aiello from the high school. They seemed reasonably surprised that he turned out to be a teacher - "the last thing," one of them declared, "that I thought he'd wind up being."

Once in the city, I stopped at Garrett Popcorn to pick up a two-gallon tub of delicious popcorn for Jessica's family, by way of a thank-you gift. Regrettably, the store in Ogilvie was closed on the weekends, so I wound up hauling a backpack and duffel bag eight blocks by foot across the city to get the popcorn, then carrying it all back ten blocks to the station. I was reasonably tired by the time I got there.

The train left Union Station pretty much on time, and but for a distinctly mean and unhelpful conductor, the ride was pretty standard. I wasn't able to buy business class like I was on the way up to MSU - this train, the City of New Orleans, had no business-class cars - but it was mostly empty, so I was able to stretch out across two seats. There was also an electrical outlet right next to me, so I could charge my phone and laptop and get a meager amount of work done on the train. I slept about half the 10.5-hour trip, and arrived about a half hour late in Memphis to Jessica and her father, who were awaiting me at the station.
Continue reading "Hello Germantown"

How to Vacation on Less than Ten Dollars a Day

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:46:39 -0400

The title might not be exactly fair, given that I only spent one day at IU Bloomington, but I did spend less than ten dollars, so I think it counts.

The backstory goes something like this: U of I and Tulane were both on spring break right now, so Randall, Jessica, and Natanya were all at home. It was the perfect opportunity to come down to Indiana and spend the weekend with Sam, Griffin, and Crissi, who were still in school. And it just so happens that Terre Haute is more or less between LZ and Bloomington, so why not pick me up and take me along?

Randall/Jessica/Natanya drove down here Friday morning, arriving just as I finished my DISCO II test. We had lunch on campus; they were able to meet Jessica and Catherine, but wanted to hit the road shortly thereafter, so they didn't get to meet the rest of the gang (including Jarek, who was on an FTX). I packed up the bare minimum amount of stuff for one night, and we were off.
Continue reading "How to Vacation on Less than Ten Dollars a Day"

Happy Holidays

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:28:55 -0500

Another holiday season has come and (almost) gone, and I thought it'd be nice to take a few minutes to look back on my week and see what went on.

Christmas was obviously the dominating event of the past few days. Among the big gifts I got were a terabyte hard drive (for the RAID array - more on that in a minute) and a nice new office chair to replace the one I have at school. Rose provided a batch of chairs in all the dorms, but they are pitiful excuses for seating apparati, especially considering the amount of homework and coding that is intended to go on in them. So my parents got me a big new padded black leather executive wheeled chair that I can take with me, and I put it together yesterday and tested it out. It's not quite an Aeron, but it's good.

Another big chunk of my time has been spent working on a new iPhone app. I won't say exactly what it is, but it's a big departure from my previous utilitarian apps, and I think it should be a fairly big hit. I will say that it's an adaptation of a preexisting game, and that it involves pretty much every feature of the device I could get my hands on (accelerometer, orientation sensor, sound facilities, and multi-touch capabilities, to name a few). Regrettably, it's still a ways away from being done. Although most of the functionality is there, a huge amount of polish has yet to be applied. In a few days, I'll hunker down with Photoshop, GarageBand, and Audacity and see what I can accomplish. demonic laughter

Back to the RAID. You may recall that I promised a big, in-detail look at the array around Christmas. This is that entry. Be warned.
Continue reading "Happy Holidays"

Coldplay, live in concert

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:37:00 -0400

The entire saga began about a month ago, when I found Coldplay tickets still on sale for their United Center concerts. I bought four, on the assumption that I could find at least three other people to go with. I had no idea how hard that was going to be.

I found two pretty quickly - Steffi and Kyle were both excited to go (it was Steffi's first concert ever, so there was pretty much no convincing required). The fourth ticket, however, sat unsold for weeks on end. I actually started to get worried about having to scalp the thing outside the United Center. Matt, however, took a stunning last-minute reversal on the ticket, solely on the basis that he got paid the same day as the concert, and could therefore afford the outrageous $93 it cost to attend. Thanks for making me drive through the bank, Matt. Always a pleasure.

We got to the Center at about 6:30pm; the show allegedly started at 7:00. Curiously, we ran into Greta, Kyle's sister, in line to buy T-shirts; Kyle had taken her to the train station just before we picked him up, and she and a few of her friends had beaten us there. We killed the time in line discussing Kyle's newly acquired faux-hawk. Turns out Greta had actually styled Kyle's hair at a party two days ago, and he saw no reason to remove the 'do.
Continue reading "Coldplay, live in concert"

Are you dead or are you sleeping?

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:02:14 -0400

Never has a Modest Mouse lyric been more appropriate.

I was rudely awoken this morning by Marissa, who called to demand I post up some pictures I've taken over the past week or so. It was about 10am; I usually sleep past noon, so this was quite unexpected. Anyway. After about five minutes of haranguing, I staggered out of bed and started wandering around the house, where I remained in a half-asleep state until I got another call, about an hour or so later. It was Steffi, with some rather unpleasant news:

Matt was missing.
Continue reading "Are you dead or are you sleeping?"

Relatives

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:40:39 -0400

So there it is, 3am in Bryan's basement, and we've just finished the first half of a brutal and grisly campaign against two Empire Earth automatons set on the hardest difficulty level. The game's gone on for a good three or four hours at this point, and we're all exhausted. Plus, Bryan has to work in the morning. We decide to save the game, get some sleep, and pick it up again at a later date. Bryan wanders off to his room, and Sam and I prepare to bunk down for the night. When suddenly, we hear footsteps. Eerie.

I turn around to see a middle-aged woman in a nightdress standing on the stairs grinning at us. We exchange a little small talk, and she heads off towards the bathroom. As soon as she's out of sight, my head whips toward Sam, who is standing with a look of complete befuddlement.

"You know her?" I mouth.

"No," he whispers back.

We stare for a moment longer, then crack up with laughter. Two minutes later, just as we start to calm ourselves down, the shower starts. At this point, it's about 3:30 in the morning, and for no discernible reason, an anonymous woman is taking a shower in Bryan's basement bathroom. I'm still laughing.

Sunsets and sunrises

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 05:29:58 -0400

Turns out an all-nighter isn't that hard to pull if you stay active.

I spent the night at Bryan's, along with Chris, Matt, Griffin, and Sam. And while the rest of them drifted off to sleep between 3:00 and 4:00am, I'm still going. We spent most of the night playing board games (Risk and Monopoly being tonight's choices), then watched Harry Potter 5.

The sunrise over the pond is really a beautiful thing. There isn't that much sun, but it just rained, and the air has that humidity and freshness about it that just makes me happy. I was thinking about loading up iTunes and playing some very mellow music - Train's "I'm About to Come Alive" crossed my mind - but the birds in the woods pretty much stopped me in my tracks (pun intended). Check out the view:

Bryan's backyard at about 5:45am. Yes, there are some inconsistencies along the center; deal with it. Photomerge isn't perfect.

Moral of the story: watch a sunrise. You'll be glad you did.

Two parties

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Mon, 26 May 2008 22:59:11 -0400

I went to two parties today. The first was Steffi's combination graduation/birthday party; the second was Movie Night with "the group." And I noticed a significant difference between these two parties.

Steffi and Karen on the Astrojump

I really enjoyed the first. I showed up at Steffi's at 11:30, when the party started, and hung around for about eight hours. They had rented an Astrojump (some off-brand of a Moonbounce), so we spent a significant portion of our time in there. And Steffi's mom is famous for her cooking. There were about 75 people there, and she had cooked enough to have leftovers. I ate virtually nonstop for hours on end.

I didn't even know about half the people there, but I had a fantastic time. We hung out, discussed everything ranging from finals to summer plans to colleges and beyond, and sat around in the Astrojump when we got too tired to jump any more. Looking back, it was the most fun I've had in quite awhile. Big thanks go out to Steffi and her family for the planning and execution, as well as everyone else who showed up and made it as fun as it was.

Bryan and Marissa argue about a Russian accent

The second party may or may not have qualified as a party - there were about a dozen of us that got together, supposedly to watch a movie. The event started at about 7:30, but everyone didn't show up until well after 9:30. Then there was the argument about which movie. The original idea was to watch Borat, but Chris and Griffin had pretty strong (and very loudly voiced) oppositions to the selection. We wound up going to Blockbuster to find something new, and settled fairly quickly on License to Wed.
Continue reading "Two parties"

Prom

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 18 May 2008 08:27:31 -0400

Several hours, a huge ID hassle, and $187 later, prom ends. And, against all odds, I enjoyed myself.

Leading up to the dance there were a lot of problems. For example, I had never filled out a guest form for someone before, so I had no idea that a school official from their school had to sign the form, nor that they had to provide a copy of their ID. Ms. Tanking wound up holding my tickets for almost a week before I was able to get all the pieces in place and then go pick them up from her (thanks again to you, Ms. Tanking). And the tux fitting was borderline ridiculous: I didn't think there were that many choices involved. I must have made snap decisions with absolutely no prior information on at least a dozen things (pleats? number of buttons? vest? tie? kitchen sink?).

The photo session started at six at Sam's, and of course took way too long for my liking. We were there for about 45 minutes, and it rained a little in the middle, but Sam's parents did an excellent job preparing - there was a room set aside with nice lighting and a good backdrop for photos, and they had made plates of hors d'overs for us to feast upon. The photo session also marked the first fight of the night between Randall and Jessica. Randall had chosen not to wear a tie or vest, and Jessica was, to put it mildly, somewhat upset.

Nick and Natanya drove us down to the Westin, and we hung around outside for twenty minutes or so waiting for, believe it or not, Randall and Jessica. They had gotten lost coming off Lake Cook, and so we were giving directions by phone and trying to ignore Rubenstein, who kept telling us to check in and move inside. Somewhere around this time, the VIP photographer (the company, not the designation) came over and posed Marissa by the window. Apparently it was a good shot, but I never saw it. Yearbook people, get me a copy.

The dance kicked off with some light music and a salad, followed by some kind of chicken plate with garlic mashed potatoes and a few green beans. Dessert consisted of some chocolaty substance that I couldn't readily identify, but was delicious nonetheless. Dancing began promptly at 9:17 with a stirring rendition of "Bring 'em out" and continued more or less unabated for the next two and a half hours. I managed to make the rounds to a certain extent, and I think I got everyone's promised dances in except for Kaper's. (But he wanted a slow dance, so I'm pretty OK with missing it.)

We wound up back at Chris' around 11:45 or so. Randall and Jessica wound up entangled in another fight in short order, but Bryan, Marissa, Chris, Nick, Natanya, and I all started watching American Gangster. I fell asleep; everyone else left; now it's 8:30 the morning after and I'm writing an entry.

Legal adulthood

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 12:20:48 -0400

So there we were in the mall last night, wandering around, when Chris decides it's the night for him to get an ear piercing. This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision or anything; he knew he wanted one, but he hadn't decided on when yet. Until last night.

And lo and behold, there's a "Piercing Pagoda" directly in front of us. What luck. And - to sweeten the deal - they give free piercings with the purchase of one of a select range of studs. We go over and start chatting with the bored-looking worker in the booth, asking various questions about the process. Turns out they do the piercing right there in the middle of the mall for all the world to see. Then Chris makes a startling discovery - he has to keep the stud in for a month after he gets it. The rest of us knew this, for whatever reasons, and I was a little taken aback that he hadn't found this out about the piercing process ahead of time.

This, plus the fact that the Pagoda only sold paired studs and charged a fee to split a pair, made Chris decide to try alternate locales. We wound up ten minutes later in front of a Claire's, staring in through the window as some preteen girl sits in the piercing chair, hovered over by her parents, and tries to nerve herself up for the piercing. Chris goes through a similar process as he decides whether or not he actually wants to enter a Claire's.

The girl chickens out. Chris doesn't.

The five of us (Chris, Bryan, Griffin, Kyle, and myself) walk in as a group as the girl walks out with her parents. I take the initiative.

"Hi. We need a piercing," I say to the manager. (The manager! Very important! Doing piercings herself! She must be really good, we reason.)

"Who for?" she asks. "This one right here," I reply, pointing to Chris.

Then the other shoe drops.

"OK. Are you 18?" she asks.

Crap. We hadn't even thought about that.

"No," he sheepishly admits. And no, he doesn't have a parent or guardian. And no, Bryan (who is 18) won't suffice. Sorry. Come back later.

That pretty much put an end to the idea of a piercing that night. But Chris did resolve to get one on his birthday. And we all promised to hold him to that. I'm very excited for the 19th.

Boredom!

nospam@example.com (Tim) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:31:50 -0400

Also known as spring break.

The first thing I did was housesit Don's again Thursday evening, which was the high point of this little debacle of a spring break. We Sardines'd again, plus played Rock Band. Good times.

Friday, I shoveled the five inches of snow (five! inches! spring break!) that'd accumulated on our driveway. Meh. Since then, I've been watching House and celebrating Easter with relatives. Like I said: boredom. I can't even muster the energy to post something more in-depth.

Other updates:
- Joel had a good post about the upcoming IE8 problem. I highly recommend it.
- I no longer get a hotel room for WYSE. Instead I have to drive down at 4:30am. More meh.