scottsimpson.net

and, at long last, i blog

So, yeah. Fun week or so. Where to start? I suppose the beginning is best. When did I last blog? Well, I suppose it was Sunday. Not too long ago, but that blog didn't really count. The weekend was fun, beginning Friday, what with the TNS (Telecom and Network services -- monkeys with wires that 'run' the network here). They broke the whole system Friday evening (put up ACL's, Access Control Lists, blocking ports that the Blaster worm uses to spread. That's a good idea. The bad idea was blocking the port that the system uses to give out addresses, and thereby, access.) Three thousand people without their precious internet access is not a fun thing to deal with. Oh, and it was Labor Day, so the TNS people were less than prompt about fixing the whole thing. Fast forward.

Monday was neat. Went to Adelle and Lisa's to watch the VMA's. Had fun.

Tuesday began school, a bittersweet note. The beginning of school in college to me is always somewhat bittersweet, because if it were completely sweet, I would be a complete geek. It's the end of summer, the end of no-people-on-campus, the end... the end... of the innocence. Guess what I'm listening to. What makes the nascent schoolyear fun in prospect, aside from taking new classes and meeting new people, is the promise of ... shall we say ... entertaining persons. I've started watching that Queer Eye for the Straight Guy show, partly because Mike/Lisa/Adelle made me, partly out of sheer curiosity that the Bravo network has a worthy show, and partly because there's nothing else interesting on at that time slot. It's given me some interesting insights into the people i see around campus:

Greasy hair, adolescent mustache, coke bottle glasses, backpack stuffed beyond its physical limits -- No.

Your 'Viva La Raza * Wal-Mart' neck lanyard is a bad choice. Always.

Button-down shirt -- Good. Salmon button-down shirt with Jerry Garcia tie -- Bad.

In my little personal jihad (yes, jihad -- look it up) against Political Correctness, I've run across some minor victories:

I have friends in wheelchairs, but none are nearly so inconsiderate as the shining gem of a citizen in my History class today. He parked his chair in the doorway and sat there, oblivious to the fact that people wanted to travel both into and out of the classroom. Someone finally grabed his handles and moved him. He looked offended. No right to be. Sorry if it's insensitive, I had to go to the restroom.

If animal rights activists wanted true equality, we should see more movements to open the prisons to tourists. Who wouldn't want to munch on cotton candy while watching a murderer scratch himself? Some people like the animal prisons. I think they're depressing. Everybody's got quirks, that's one of mine.

I provide a Wireless Access Point in my room and by consequence, the surrounding area. I don't mind if people use it. But if you're going to complain to me about my service and then get offended when I point out the fact that you have the same access in a little convenient wall jack, don't get mad. I'm not the moron.

For the last time, people, you don't have Windows running on a Mac. Nor is it 'your' internet. AOL doesn't run it, either. You don't need AOL to use the internet. How the hell do you think you're downloading the AOL file? Magic? And the message on my voicemail says to leave a local number to call back. LA is not local. Nor is Orange country, nor San Francisco. And I'd like to get a hold of the person who thought a Washington DC area code counted. Moron. AND NO, I CAN'T EMAIL YOU THE INSTRUCTIONS TO SET UP YOUR EMAIL. Gah. I bet youuuuuu've never had over a hundred and forty voicemail messages.

Rock, not noodle.