by Matt | Sep 29, 2003 | Imported Entry
This entry could go on and on but I’ll try to keep it brief and stick to the bullet-points.
Hopefully no one has booked plane tickets for Friday yet (Jason and Nagle) because there’s been a slight twist. The rehearsal needs to be pushed up closer to 1-2pm because of scheduling conflicts with the minister. This simply moves the time table forward so dinner would be before 5.
Also, it just occured to me that you guys might not have a ride to the airport once Lauren and I leave. I’ll try to find you rides (my folks are staying in town for a day or two) but someone might consider renting a cheap car. Something to think about.
I move into the apartment this week. It will have no utilities because I can’t contact the electric company because their phone system is messed up. Yippee.
Still no word on where my stuff is. Matt’s getting angry.
Work is good, I have weddings every weekend until, well, my wedding. We just got a new monitor for me, a new graphics card for Paul and a new external DVD writer for both of us. It’s one of the nice Sony duel formats. Very slick.
I need Chip’s Dad’s mailing address. I have an invitation to mail him. Speaking of invitations, they went out earlier this week. You should have them shortly if not already.
I want a Tivo.
Half Life 2 is delayed. Not surprising. That sucks.
I also had some political things to ramble about, but The Screen Savers is on, so it’ll have to wait.
That is all.
by Matt | Sep 22, 2003 | Imported Entry
At least that’s what everyone would have you believe. If you’re a Perry that is. Apparently, the disorganization of my family (extended, not immediate) is finally getting to them in the form of travel arrangements for my wedding. There are some very simple facts that nearly all of them have over looked and/or forgotten to even ask me about. First, there are 2, count’em, 2 hotels in League City TX. One is a “suites” style hotel that is expensive. The other is a Super 8. No one wants to pay for the suites and alternatively, no one wants to stay at a Super 8. This has cause quite a panic. They wanted to get some group rate at a Hilton or Marriott when there simply isn’t one. This is a very small city, Milford sized. They should be happy there’s a Super 8. So, I’ve looked up several alternatives for them in hopes that one of them might be acceptable. The problem with those is that they’re too far away and they’ll require a map just to figure out where they are and where they’re going. One aunt wants to get a group rate somewhere. One uncle wants to stay IN Houston, which I’ve advised against already. The rest of’em are just plain disorganized and have no idea whats going on.
At least my parents are back on the path to organization. They’ve found a piece of land they like and are trying to figure out the logistics of putting a house on it. My mom also promises to be shipping all my belongings this week. That in itself is a huge joy and relief because on the 30th, I’m moving into my new apartment. I’ll actually have “stuff” to move. That also means I’ll have all the modern conveniences I’ve long needed. An alarm clock for instance. Chairs will be nice. As will my computer and the toaster. This also means I’ll be able to update regularly and start back in on personal projects I had going. A new website redesign for this journal, logos for Chip for the “Save the Hindenburg” café press store, etc. It also means I’ll have me blessed music collection back. Something I’ve missed dearly for far too long.
This should be a very stressful week though. Moving in, plus invitation shenanigans, wedding plans, hotel reservations, money (and lack there of), work. It’s going to be rough. This week we have to:
-finish addressing invitations and mail them
-have 3rd meeting with Steve, the preacher
-transfer electric for new apartment
-set up cable, water, etc
-get personal belongings moved from shipping receiving center to somewhere
-move in to the apartment
-finalize plans with DJ
-make hotel reservations for wedding night
-work all day, every day
and a whole host of things I’m sure I’m forgetting.
So. That’s my life. How’s yours?
by Matt | Sep 20, 2003 | Imported Entry
Wow. How messed up is that? It’s taken me a year or two but I’ve reached the 1000 entry mark. Damn. That’s a lot of mindless rambling on my part. I had planned on a “greatest hits” entry but I really don’t have the time to search through the entire journal for entries I remember enjoying writing. Well, there was that Harry Potter one…
What I will do however, since Chris specifically asked me to, is to repost the list of places where Lauren and I have registered. We did that way back in March/April and people have probably forgotten… or maybe it’s just Chris, who knows. 🙂
Alrighty. First, let me just say that we registered at multiple places because the stores here in TX are different than the stores in NH and Canada. For example, we don’t have many Dillards Dept Stores up north. Here, they’ve all but taken over for JCPenny. That’s just an example. So, with that in mind we registered at places we thought would be in both regions and if worst came to worst, online as well. All these places can probably be found nearby and if not you can always order things online, which I figured all my techy friends would want to do anyway.
In no particular order:
Bed Bath and Beyond – Wedding Registry Page
Instructions: put my full name into the search box. we should be near the bottom, registry # 1033055.
Target – Registries Page
Instructions: same thing. Click “groom”, put in my name. Look for Lauren and I.
Dillards – “Find a Couple” Registry
Instructions: same as above
JCPennys – JCPenny Gift Registry
Instructions: Click “wedding on the left. Select “View/Purchase from existing registry and click next. At the top, in “Search by Registry number” put in “00140297” and click GO. Double check to make sure its ours.
That’s all I can remember off the top of my head. I’ll ask Lauren when she gets back on Sunday if we’ve registered any place else. She’s out of town at the wedding of our friends Liisa and Josh. Which, I should congradulate since they probably going to be married in about an hour or so. I’m sure they will be infinately happy together. They were made for each other.
Let’s see. Other than that everything is pretty much normal. Workin’, day in and day out. The new computer is working out well. Very slick system. I’ve had some random video issues but I’m pretty sure its just ATI sucking. They were fixed with a patch. I also picked up Star Wars: Jedi Academy the other day. Fun game. Same complete lack of compelling story just like the frist game but multiplayer is fun. I think it was a little short changed on features though. They added a few multiplayer game types but they’re nothing special. They also boast about how you can make “your own custom character and light saber”. Well, there’s about 5 different combonations you can make and most of them look pretty similar anyways. About the only cool thing in the addition of duel light sabers and double-bladed light sabers. I just wish they would have taken a little more time on the small things, like death animations. They’re pretty much limited to a) guy falls over backwards b) guy falls over forwards c) guy loses arm and falls either forward of backwards. Thats it. Now, lemme get this strait. I’m weilding a friggin light saber. A device that can cut through solid rock like butter. You’re telling me you couldn’t have come up with an animation for slicing through storm troopers more elaborate than “oops, his arm fell off”? Come on guys.
Oh well. Still fun multiplayer.
That’s pretty much it. Later.
by Matt | Sep 16, 2003 | Imported Entry
I’m sitting here typing into a quick-notes pane on my new Dell XPS Gaming System. Ok, so technically it isn’t “mine”, but it’s damn nice anyway. There are a few downsides I won’t get into but it’s more than adequate for inter-office gaming and getting some occasional work done. Actually, in all seriousness, it kicks some serious butt in Photoshop. A gig of RAM will tend to do that. Or, at least it’ll tide us over until we put 2 Gigs into it next week. Did I mention is has an ATI Radeon 9800 Pro? Umm, yeah… a lot of work is going to get done on this puppy.
Actually, until this morning I forgot how many programs I use on a daily basis, when I had to install all of them on a fresh computer. I usually run StyleXP, a blog tool of some sort, IrfanView, Quick Notes, ieSpell, YzDock, Firebird, Google-Bar, Proxomitron, Win Patrol, Outlook, Icon Packager, Winamp, WinRAR and a whole host of different customizations like icon sets, custom cursors and of course a huge wallpaper collection. I have none of those. Well, that’s not completely true. I did just install Quick Notes and Winamp. I’ll have to pick up the others as I hunt around the web to find them again since, obviously, I don’t have my 600+ bookmarks. That reminds me. I needed a bookmark manager.
If anyone has any recommendations as to different programs to use in lew of one of the above, please let me know. I love trying out new software.
I should also add that we got the Jedi Academy demo running on the puppy this morning… holy crap. At 1600×1200 with every option turned on, it purred. I actually think it purred. Forget gaming from home, I’ll just stay late every once in a while and game here. That is, if it’s ok with Paul…
…who I’ve now gotten addicted to Jedi Academy and who I’ll be picking up a full copy for tomorrow since it was released today.
Joy.
by Matt | Sep 15, 2003 | Imported Entry
Recently, through observation of others, I’ve become increasingly aware of how lucky I’ve been internet security wise. I’ve never had a major virus, I’ve never been shut off by my ISP, I’ve never been traced, hacked, attacked, etc. I will now knock on the nearest wooden object. Watching my employer deal with virus after virus and watching Lauren’s parents computer be completely controled by spyware apps, I’ve become increasing suspiscious of just about everything. Also, off-hand comments made at work lead me to believe that internet logs are being compiled and checked.
That’s why I’ve decided to compile a total package of applications to keep me safe, sound and completely annonymous. These are just a few programs I’ve been trying out on Lauren’s computer to see if they’re worth purchasing and/or using (since some of them are free). First up is McAfee Internet Security. Although I’m behind a hardware firewall already, it never hurts to have a little redundancy. Not so much for incoming traffic but for monitoring outgoing traffic easily. McAfee was feature on the Screen Savers this week and I have to say that I agree with the review. It’s a very very robust firewall with all of the features you could want.
Also, to be completely annoymous at work and at home, there’s always Anonymizer. This thing has gotten better reviews than just about anything I’ve ever seen. I haven’t had a chance to try it out but it’s seems like an interesting idea. It has both an install version and a plugin version that you can activate whenever you need it. So, essentially, you can install it at home and also run it, google-bar style, at work if need be.
There’s also a whole host of things that I already run which I will continue to do so. WinPatrol, AdAware, SpyBot, Windows Washer and Proxomitron. Those should be enough to take care of just about anything you run into.
I’ll link those later.
Anyway, I don’t really know why I’m making this update, I just kind of felt like it. I’m going to go watch some Tech TV and eat some dinner. Probably in that order. Later.
Matt out.
by Matt | Sep 8, 2003 | Imported Entry
Well, it’s Monday again, which means I actually have time to rest and relax. Not really though since Mondays are quickly becoming my “errand and chore” days. See, since people like to have weddings on Saturdays, I have to work Saturdays. Thus, I have Sunday and Monday off. Sunday you can’t get anything done because stuff either closes early, isn’t open in the first place, or you’re too busy being lazy and/or spending time with friends/family/etc. So Monday becomes my Saturday. It’s nice to have a day off obviously but I don’t get to spend it with Lauren because she’s working. Going places like the mall are nice because they’re completely empty, but it’s boring to go by yourself all the time. It’s going to take some getting used to.
Speaking of errands, today I need to go pick up my license plates and get a small crack in my windshield looked at. Stupid rocks.
Work is going well. We’re really swamped with and working very long hours to keep up. It’s both pageant and wedding season and we’re getting slammed with both. I’ll be getting a new Dell Uber System in the next few days and that’ll help speed things up a bit. A big beefy desktop with a geforce FX and 2G of memory. I’ve also gotten my boss addicted to Battlefield 1942 and both of the new Star Wars games. That system should come in handy for some lunch-break fragging.
If my parents would ever get around to it I might actually have MY system before the next ice age. It’s not really that hard to call the shipping company we’ve been talking to and schedule a pickup. Seriously. Everything, with a few exceptions, is already packed in boxes ready to go. It would take them maybe a few hours on a Saturday. Maybe.
I don’t want to seem ungrateful for everything they’ve done for me but they really don’t seem to be behind me 100% with my move to TX and with the wedding planning. Lauren’s family is paying a lot of money to get this to go off without a snag and they’re arguing with us over 4 (!) extra people at the rehearsal dinner, the only thing they actually have to pay for. Sometimes I really don’t understand them.
Lets see, oh yeah. Gaming.
I’ve gotten a free second to play the demos for both SW: Jedi Knight – Jedi Academy and Call of Duty. Jedi Academy is what Jedi Outcast should have been. It’s exactly the same game, only better. The light-saber battles are better, you have tons of character customization options, the multiplayer is more extensive and the bugs have been worked out. We got a good deal of game-play out of Jedi Outcast and I can’t see this one being any different.
Call of Duty is being hailed as the next Medal of Honor. I played through the demo and with a few small exceptions I thought I was actually playing MoH. The demo was only one level so I didn’t get a real complete look at it but it’ll definitely be worth checking when it comes out shortly.
It might not be a “one game” season after all.
Matt out.
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