Home Again, Home again, giggady gig

So I'm back in RI. Its weird. This really doesn't seem like a summer term. The fact that I'm still technically in the process of moving out of my apartment in Worcester. Then there's the whole staying in Worcester for the middle part of the week. Plus the weather has been much cooler than the typical summer term.

I suppose this is a bigger issue with life. Humans, I believe, like separation. Like personally if I'm starting something new, like a summer term, or more importantly, an MQP, I wanted to feel like there was some sort of starting gun. A big beginning, but like many things in life...it sort of just kinda started and is picking up speed and well...at some point you just kinda realize its underway.

I know that not every MQP is like this. In fact most of them probably aren't, but I do feel like its contributing to my feeling of well...weirdness. I still feel like I'm inbetween two "things." I'm sure once I settle into a routine both here (Rhode Island) and in Worcester doing my MQP that I'll get over this feeling.

As for now I'm doing what little "room setting up" as I can at night when my parents are sleeping almost directly below me. I have to keep the noise to a minimum. One of the trade offs of living at home.

For The Geeks:
I'm currently borrowing a laptop from a friend for an extended period of time. This means I can envoke specialization of labor with my PCs. I have the main box, DuckBox, which I'm using to write this message. That's going to be mainly for "work." Work being defined as any purposeful activity I'm engaged in. Writing this blog counts.

Then I have the borrowed CowTop. That is a slightly old Gateway® Laptop. That machine's main purpose is to meet my constant internet demands. AIM, checking e-mail, message boards, news sites, the weather. Things like that. Its particularly useful if I'm working on ECE stuff with this machine. The ECE software tends to be very demanding and doesn't play nice with other software. But if I have CowTop going, I can maintain my internet fix and code PIC assembly at the same time.

Then there's the black sheep over in the corner. Its a work in progress. "Blockbuster." My media PC. Currently I'm installing Windows. It has a TV tunner card and some TV outs. It has a tendency to lock up. We'll see about that one.

And that's all she wrote.

Bowling for Credit DAY 3

Stealing an idea directly from Ego,

"Set um up, and let um fall." - BTE [King of New Orleans]

Today was a spectacular bowling day despite the continued abscence of Mr. 40. The first game was a wash. No 40 and no one else really, so I played a string by myself. The next game however, was a personal triumph. I stared off with three strikes. What? I have never done that beforeand man it was a pick-me-up. I followed that with three spares. The rest of the string was so-so. But it did leave me with my top score to date: 159.

Of course the next game was total crap by comparison. I think I got like a 79 or something. That's ok though. I have 9 more games waiting for me next week.

Bowling for Credit DAY 2

So Day 2, nowhere as cool as Day 1. The only good thing about today's class was that my high score improved. It now sits at 117. But that's about it. And that was only because I hit a good groove for a little bit.

So here's the deal. I show up a smidge before 10. No 40 yet. No big deal. I sign in, get my shoes go back to my lane and start entering in names. Me first then 40. A few minutes later a kid comes in, asks me if he can use my lane, I mention I'm waiting for a friend so he grabs the next lane over. No big deal. Its about 10am, 40 should get here in a few minutes.

Another kid comes in. I recognize him from the neighboring lane yesterday. He starts putting his name in on the that lane. Now for some reason he doesn't know how to work it, and just added the letters from his name to the end of the other kid's name. Rather than fix it, he comes over to my side, erases 40's name and adds his own, then he starts the game. I tell him I'm waiting for a friend, he mumbles, "Ok."

It's now 10:05am. No 40. I'm content to wait but this other kid is getting a little pissed, so whatever, I say, "Ok. Lets play." I forgot to mention already that I've gotten the blue and yellow balls I used yesterday and put them in the rack. Well I bowl my first frame or whatever its called. The other kids goes. Now its my turn again, and I notice, no blue ball. This is because another one of the kids I remember from the next lane over, yesteday, is back, bowling next to me, with my ball.

He proceeds to use only that blue ball for the rest of the class. PFFFFFFFFFFFF. FIne, whatever, I'm not going to make a scene. Bitching about that is what this blog is for anyway. But to top it off, this kid is a "lobber." Now WPI has a very up-to-date, modern bowling alley, I t was renovated like...two years ago. One of the few things it lacks is a "no lofting the ball" sign above each lane.

Each time this kid bowls. Each and every time, he heaves the ball onto the lane. Not only is the loud "bang" annoying as hell every time he bowls, it is also a remind of the permanent damage this kid is doing to the lane. And the kid bowling with him wonders why he did so badley. Bowling balls tend to not go straight as they roll through dips and crators in the lane.

Last thing. 40 never showed. Not the end of the world. I mean, hell, I missed the first two classes. It was just less fun holding back all my anger today instead of making retarded comments to someone I've known for all of college.

Now its time for MQP. MQP for the rest of the day, and beyond.

Bowling for Credit DAY 1

So I made it to my bowling class today. Its being "instructed" by a short man who looks just like what my Dad would look like if he was a short, obviously athletic wrestling coach.

So I'm waiting around near the shoe area and who walks in? Mike 40. Sweet. This bowling class is already awesome. He proceeds to edge my out of every game, but! I kept pace with him. I managed a strike in each game. (I was using my lucky lane, never gotten a strike anywhere else.) All in all I think it was a good class. I believe my personal high for the class is a 98. I hope I can get that up a little higher.

For now I'm off to do several things. Bah.