Stuck at work

I don’t mind staying late at work but this project is taking way longer than it should because Access is being difficult. Anyway I’m staying after to get this thing done that I just got today. I just got it today because my boss just got the answers from the client today oh and by the way they need it tomorrow. It is still a fun project and I’m still learning which is always good, but I want to go home and veg before I have to go to bed.

That and I’m kinda hungry and I’m fresh outta vending machine money.

Less Funky

Maybe it was just a good night’s sleep, but I’m feeling less funky. This morning I got to show off my 1337 User Lockout system for MS Access to my boss. She loves it because it means that she can automate a butt ton of stuff that she presently has to come in early to run by hand. Woo hoo! Go me! I’ll probably post the code up here soon because someone out there may want it and I certainly used a lot of web-community help to create it.

Meg has also been doing her best to cheer me up and it has worked well on both ends. Mom also sent me an email reminding me that she and Dad went through a lot of the same stuff and that everything is always changing so not to freak out, but stay the course.

I’ve got a new project due at the end of the day, and well, it’s gonna be tight so we’ll see.

In a Funk

I don’t know what the deal is, but something isn’t right. It’s the emotional equivalent of feeling like you might be sick. I don’t know what the deal is, but I know that something isn’t right. Tonight I had half of the beginner class cancel, so by the time it was 5 minutes before class and no one was there I resolved to leave. I ran into the other half of the class on my way out and explained that I couldn’t stay.

Part of it may be work. I just finished the last project I’ve been given. I know there are more, but it is the first time I’ve not had a half dozen things to do since I got there. I’ve also been wondering how long my position there will last. Nothing has changed, just I’m thinking about Christmas and spending lots of money and how that’s not gonna fly if I’m unemployed again. Just the uncertainty kinda eats at me a little I suppose now that I’m finally feeling secure in my life, in being independent.

Nothing is wrong with Meg and I. Eveything is great actually. I have been traveling a lot. Work and fencing kinda cut into my free/personal time. I haven’t ever done a lot with socal activity, but I like to veg out with the TV or chat it up online. But no one is online anymore. I hate the phone, that’s just how I am.

Usually writing helps. It doesn’t feel helpful. I’ll be okay, I just want to get out of this funk.

Clint & Jacqui Apartment R0×0rz!

Well it is Sunday and that means a lot of things. First of all this means that the weekend is over. It also means that the weekend is over. Yeah.

Wednesday I packed my bag and went down to Cinci to hang with Meg. We went to her coffee shop, Highlands, where I got to meet some of her friends and I managed to get Clint & Jacqui along with Whitey (Kyle) down there. It was good to see old friends.

Thursday up to Monticello after a short stop in Lafayette. Thanksgiving dinner was the biggest it has ever been at the Read household. Usually it is just the four of us, but this year we had 2 girlfriends, two relatives, and three girlfriend’s family members for a grand total of 11. We then looked over after thanksgiving ads and compared to xmas lists. I don’t think my brother had a single thing on his list for less than $100. Mom had no list to give. So the conclusion was that there was no need to endure the shopping crowd.

Meg and I retreated to my place for the night (woo hoo!) and slept in late Friday. We found some yellow gloves for my costume of Ayato for Ohayo Con. We then linked up with my family for dinner at Trails and evening at Wolf Park. It was a repeat weekend of when my grandmother came to visit. While at my apartment we all cracked open a bottle of wine that Meg brought for my parents that was most exquisite.

Saturday morning we took off for Dillsburo, IN where Meg’s parents live. We enjoyed a wonderful lasagna dinner (more wine) and just enjoyed talking. There was a brief intense mother daughter moment that kinda gave me a glimpse into their relationship, but nothing we couldn’t move past. We also got Dunkin’ Donuts somewhere in here, twice.

Sunday I slept in late because I didn’t sleep well at night. I was awoken when Meg got a phone call saying that her car had been broken into. Fortunately the total damage was a broken window and her CD collection (lots of burned stuff). The radio was still there and stuff was tossed about. After that chaos we went out to eat a late brunch, then ice cream, then off to dinner. Dinner was at Hamburger Mary’s with Clint, Jacqui, Whitey, and the Funk’s! Woo for more time with good friends.

Afterwards Meg and I went to C & J’s place. It’s a huge apartment (in comparison to what I pictured for a downtown place). They’ve done some neat stuff with the wall paint and the room partitions don’t go all the way up which makes it feel a lot more open, like a cleverly disguised studio apartment and I really liked it. If you haven’t been to visit them (and you know them) go do so! Hopefully next time we can spend more time there.

Blogroll

I’ve updated the blogroll once again. One added, one removed.

Ya got to keep it updated (or at least have some content showing) if you want to stay up there. *shrug*

Dinner with the GD

So the GD came though on his promise to catch me on Monday as he was driving from Cinci/Indy/Chicago. It was good to see him as always and get the update. Apparently work has proven interesting for him these past few months with huge changes in management. he’s also been making his own projects up that save the company he works for, Unilever, millions of dollars. That’s pretty hot if you ask me.

Anyway we got to talking a bout women as is always the case. I mentioned to him my problem with remembering Meagan’s name at critical times and he didn’t have a whole lot to offer, but just in talking to him I realized what I needed to do. Dickerson is always good for wisdom and guidance, and even just being a damn good sounding board.

I can’t wait till the next time I get to hang with Matt. Who knows, maybe he’ll set up a blog one of these days and everyone can bask in his awesome.

Back In the Saddle (Part II)

So to finish my post from yesterday bout the weekend, the pool was only 6 fencers, two from Purdue, one from Chicago, one from Notre Dame, and one from Dayton (the other male).

I lost to the Notre Dame gal and the guy from Dayton. It wasn’t terrible, but I could have beaten them. But then I fenced this leftie, Offerle from Chicago. I had fenced her before. I had watched her bout against the ND woman. I was ready. I found I could avoid her parry with a simple disengage from right to left (6 to 4), but I couldn’t depress the tip all the time to get my light to go off. I think the pool bout ended 3-5 in favor of her. So overall in the pools I went 2 and 4. Not great, but I knew I could take Offerle, I knew it.

So while you mentally wait for the pool scores to be tabulated and DE seeding prepared, let me tell you that the USFA has pushed down some changes to the scoring equipment. One is to lengthen the debounce time, which is the time the tip has to be depressed to register a valid touch. The other is to shorten the lockout time, or the span of time that both people can register a touch (ie. both people attack, both lights go off).

So my first DE was against a Purdue fencer and I gave up a few more points than I should have but I was warming up for my next DE. I was matched up with Offerle of course. My disengage still worked against her but still they weren’t sticking (mainly because I wasn’t accustomed to the new debounce timing). I also found I could get in a quick jab as she prepared to attack and the new lock out time prevented her light from going off, so we were both at an equal advantage/disadvantage. We went point for point and the score was 13 – 14 (fence to 15 in a DE). I wasn’t going to loose.

I fleched (running attack) to her right, missed.
I fleched again to her right, missed.
I fleched again, but this time to her left. I landed, just like I planned. I set it up and it was mine.

14-14, we call it “La Belle” in fencing, basically “game point”.

I feint from left to right (4 to 6).
I feint from right to left (6 to 4).
I feint left to right, then back to left, extend, lunge… my tip is all over her lame (valid target area).

I look up, my green light doesn’t go off ever on that side, but I see the red is on, I’m sure I landed.

I turn around. No green light. No point. I lost. But I set that last touch up and I had it if I had just pushed it on. It was the best loss I’ve ever had. I finally feel like my brain is working with my fencing instead of against it. I’m back in the saddle!

Website Redesign

Finally, I updated the look of the site. I’m not done but it is way past my bed time. Hope ya love it.

Back in the Saddle

This weekend was great! Friday night I got my new fencing equipment for River City so I spent the evening assembleing it and marking it as club equipment. I also talked online with Meg and finished up Witch Hunter Robin (anime, so good, escecially after the second disk). Brittany did not call which was ok by me since I had plenty to do and needed my sleep anyway, so I hope you had enough fun without a Will on hand

Saturday I got up at 7 and drove to Northwestern University in Evanston, IL where Purdue was having its first team event of the year and grabbed some Dunkin’ Donuts on the way into town. I gave each team a little note pad in hopes that they would use it to keep track of opponents and strengths and weaknesses. Some of the squads did a great job with the note pads, some squads… not so much, but that’s cool too, they had fun. I had fun. I think most people appreciated having me there and it was nice to be thanked when I made a bread run for lunch.

Somewhere in there I got talked into driving two directors to South Bend, IN where we were heading after dinner. I said ok because they were two directors I’d like to see recruited for our own tournaments and a friend from Northwestern asked it of me as a favor. Well they weren’t too keen on the 2 hours it takes 24 people to eat dinner, and there wasn’t much in the way of conversation, so I kidnapped Jay and all was ok, though I think I got made fun of in Polish a few times for making so many U turns.

We spent the night at Erin’s parents place (she’s one of the fencers) where the was much snacking and much DDR and Kareoke Revolution. I was forced to sing “Like a Virgin” and I bombed the song terribly. My kareoke skill lies in torturing the audience, especially when captive. Then it was a round of Euchre with Big Joe and Nads. We realized we were all way too tired and got ready for bed, but when the lights went out we had that good layin around with nothing to do conversation time. Nads and Joe mentioned how much they enjoy reading my blog which was good to hear from them. Apparently Big Joe found my blog while trying to look up another fencer on the internet. Go google go!

Sunday was the Turkey Shoot (fencing tourney hosted by the Indiana Division). No donuts that day, but alas, once a weekend is more than I’m used to. PaulG was there and everyone of course was glad to see him. I fenced in the foil event at the end of the day. It was underwhelming because it was only six people, four women who had their own event, myself, and one other guy and that certainly did not justify the $5 increase in registration fees over last year’s event.

[Edit: there was more here but it got eaten, I'll finish this up soon]

I can’t explain it so don’t ask

I’m really excited about the band-aid on my right pointer finger.