I decided earlier today that the root of all of my current problems is that
the last book I read was Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment
. In this
novel, the protagonist, Raskolnikov, withdraws into himself during hard times
and eventually gets funny notions that allow him to murder. He also sleeps a
lot too.
Well, I've been a bit withdrawn, and I always have funny notions, but I haven't murdered anyone. I've committed small crimes though. Nothing illegal, just the sort of stuff I'd not do were I in a healthier frame of mind.
But I'll hopefully straighten out a bit over break. A break. Hrmm, gotta make some quick cash if I can. I've got little more than two empty bank accounts to rub together, $1400 yet to pay the University, and the car insurance is out on Monday. I'm going to grab a cheaper downstate rate if I can. After talking to some more people, sounds like Chicago's one of the priciest places in the country to insure your car.
So next week, well, tomorrow I suppose, headin' up to the UP with dad to visit Grandma. Then I'm heading back to Chicago to grab a paycheck from EnterAct, although this time the check will say 21st Century, because they've been merged or acquired, depending on who you ask. This is the same check I've been waiting on since January, that has been lost in the mail twice.
Then I'll come back to town, create a nifty control center
for my
client to administer his web sites, collect a fee, I reckon, and polish off
the Usenet images mirror and turn that live and see how well that works.
Maybe I can do some stuff for EnterAct too. I'll want to at least interview
for a position in May. Then I also have classwork to do. Some reading, some
overdue writing, and for the next CS 338 MP, I have to implement reliable
transmission over UDP by employing a sliding window algorithm. Promises to be
hard, but rewarding, and that's the kinda shit I like in a CS class. Assuming
it's not too hard, of course. I think I can knock this bitch down without a
partner, though it'll be nice to be in Chicago and ask Vernell for advice
about threads.
The other night a new friend dropped by on a visit from Chicago. We spent the better portion of the evening cruising through vacant plowed fields. We talked and talked, and the Volks just purred the whole way. It was around that day that I finally agreed with an earlier epiphany that she should be named Lucille, or Lucy. I'm not entirely sure why I picked that name, although it reminds me a little of Aunt Lucille - it just seemed right. So, Lucy Blue Beetle. Gotta take care of her.
I was pretty disappointed, PeterB's did not handle so well the diagnosis and repair of the Volkswagen. They seemed pretty professional throughout, but it just reinforces my notion that until I've become one myself, I've got to specifically seek out hard-core bug people to help take care of her. They did replace the gas cap the second time, and as far as I can tell, there's not gas leaking out of the engine no more. They cleaned the engine off really well though, so ... just a matter of paying attention. Since they wanted to tackle the leaky valve covers, I let them adjust the valves as I had intended to. Been running almost great.
I think the covers are going to usually leak a little. I threw a half quart in the other day, but she wasn't leaking like a sieve like the good old days. From reading RAMVA, I'd suspect that the covers may be slightly deformed, and could bear to be replaced sometime. My hunch though, is that this can wait until I've got money.
Deferred maintenance - just the sort of thing a 27-year old automobile is probably a little used to. I've got three gas caps now though - the one that didn't work so well, the locking one that PeterB's put in, and the one I just received from Rocky Mountain that isn't a pain in the ass to open because it's non-locking. Anyone need a Beetle gas cap?
So, last weekend, I think it was, was the big h0l party. Basically a geek clique that gathers periodically to celebrate something at h0l - the hous3 0f l33t. Yeah, anyway, I went last year and had a great time. There was again punch, and good beer, and smoking beyond the porch. I got to talk with a good number of geeky folks, and while the women were few and far between, Beth and Ginny dropped by to pay a visit. Nevermind the ones that accidentally spent some time at h0l by mistaking it for the bigger party next door.
I visited next door as well, and ran into, of all people, Rachel. Rachel remembered me from the rave that Mark invited me to last year. She remembered me exactly because she had ridden in my newly-acquired Beetle and we'd had a minor accident that night. Kinda weird, I was merely crossing the room and all and outta nowhere this girl remembers me. Also cool was that Mark had emailed me the week before mentioning her. She's down here studying, and she and Mark apparently spend some time missing each other. Sweet.
Later I decided to drop by Dave Hoffman's party, which was a few blocks over. I got there around 3AM, having called cadence to myself so at least a tiny part of my mind was sober enough to watch for cars and all, the rest was occupied with marching in time. Well, Dave had run outta beer and folks and closed up shop and gone to bed. I crashed by his neighbors who were winding down from their own party and preparing for bed. One girl was a little offended at my anti-chief teeshirt, or not offended so much as bothered by it. I didn't want to get too into the debate in my state though. A little while later, I saddled up and marched my ass home.
A good night indeed. I should get smashed and crash parties more often.
2 March
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