/dev/zero

For some reason the various images I use on the main index page have stopped appearing when I view my page with Firefox. Everything looks normal when I use IE. The LiveHTTP Headers plug-in for Firefox tells me Firefox isn’t even attempting to download the images. I can right click on an image and select “view” and it displays it, but if I go back to my blog, nothing there.
There are at least 5 images that should always be there: The God Hates Shrimp banner, the book cover image from Amazon, the Weatherpixie box, a small geourl box and a small Zempt banner.

Now I’ve missed 2 days of this math class. On the way to class this morning my car overheated. Luckily I was able to get off the freeway to a gas station. They didn’t have a water station, so I had to just wait for the engine to cool down, then move to another station, shut down, cool off, move on…
I was able to get the car home that way, then called a tow to take it to the garage. I bought some coolant at one station and put it in the radiator, but it didn’t make much difference.

The problem is, this math class is only 2 weeks long. Missing 2 days of class is 20%. I didn’t have much choice though. I COULD have made it to class, but then I wouldn’t have been able to deal with the car until past noon. The earlier I got the car into the garage, the better the chances that they could get it fixed today. TOMORROW is an exam, so having a functioning car to tomorrow’s class is higher priority.
Of course, with my luck, it will be a busted gasket or something. I’ve got my fingers crossed it’s just a hose.

Betty

At the rates I pay for MY cell phone, this would be no savings…

From Go-Quiz.com

I just checked my grades and my Gov. teacher FINALLY got his grades entered.
When I spoke to him on Thursday before the final, he pointed out that I still hadn’t turned in a couple of homework assignments, but that if I got them to him on the day of the final, he would still accept them and I could still pull a C in the class. No problem, they were easy assignments. I got them done and turned in, along with one other I found that I hadn’t done. So I turned in 3 assignments with my final exam. And I know I aced the exam, just like all the other tests in that class.
And he still gave me a D!
Asshole son of a bitch Texas hick from hell who can’t string a complete sentence together to save his life…
I wasn’t expecting much, but at least a C.
At least with two As this semester, my GPA is still above 2.5, so I still qualify for financial aid.

I just found a section of the Student Services page at CCCCD that breaks down all my course work and tells me what degree requirements are satisfied and what I still need, and how my course work transfered from previous schools has been credited.
I did NOT NEED TO TAKE GOVERNMENT I THIS SEMESTER!
My Political Science course at De Anza satisfied the government requirement at CCCCD! I didn’t need to take Gov I. I thought I did because the course is “U.S. and Texas Government” and there is a state mandate in Texas that you have to have a credit in Texas history/government. I thought I had to take the course since my previous poli-sci/gov course work did not cover Texas. I still have to take 2 history courses. 1 of the 3 that will satisfy the requirement is Texas history, but I don’t HAVE to take it. I can take U.S. History I and II.
I am annoyed that they didn’t give me any credit for the theater classes I took, or the other poli-sci course. But oh, they transfered both of my archery courses! Gee, I’d have been soooo disappointed to lose those 1/2 credit classes. NOT! But classes I actually had to work for? Not even mentioned.
There’s also no mention of the two computer courses I took at Cabrillo in ‘03.
The good news is I don’t have to take the brain-numbing Composition and Rhetoric I. The D I got in that class at De Anza (I’d forgotten I’d even taken the class) satisfied the requirement. I DO have to take Comp/Rhet II however. Hopefully it will be at least a little more interesting. Then I can move on to Lit. classes, which are much more interesting than writing classes.

Well the semester is officially over. Photo I went better than I expected. I got about the same criticism I expected. Not much central theme to my project (”Nature”), but individually my photos were good. Well framed, good exposure, good prints with proper exposure, texture, contrast, etc.
I expect an A in the class (upgrading from my previous expectation of a B.) 2 As, a C and I expect a B in Gov. I. That adds up to a 3.25GPA for the semester and just under a 3.0 for the year.

I love being able to access my grades online, instead of having to wait weeks for a report card from the school.
My most worrisome grade, Micro Economics, is in. I passed. I got a C. Whew!
Still waiting on Gov. I and Photo. I. Of course, my Photo. I final isn’t for another 2 1/2 hours.

Well, Chef Otto was was true to his word. He turned in grades already. I got an A in Intermediate Food Prep. My other instructors haven’t turned in grades yet. I’m not holding out too much hope for Micro Econ. I expect a high C or possibly a B in Gov. Final for Photo I is tomorrow night.

Stolen from

1. Who are you?
2. Are we friends?
3. When and how did we meet?
4. Do you have a crush on me?
5. Would you kiss me?
6. Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
7. Describe me in one word.
8. What was your first impression?
9. Do you still think that way about me now?
10. What reminds you of me?
11. If you could give me anything what would it be?
12. How well do you know me?
13. When’s the last time you saw me?
14. Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn’t?
15. Are you going to put this on your LiveJournal and see what I say about you?

The final for GOVT-2301 was even easier than I expected. I expect I got 99%. It wasn’t even required. We had to show up. That was it. Anyone who didn’t want to take the test didn’t have to. It was more a “If you’re worried about your grade, take the test for the extra points. If you’re not worried about your grade, you don’t have to.” I took the test, since I missed an exam earlier in the semester and all the homework. I turned in 3 of 4 homework assignments just before the test, at the prompting of the instructor, so I think I’ll get at least a C, possibly a B.

But talk about easy, CULA-2301 (Intermediate Food Prep.) was, as predicted, a cake walk. I think I got about 98% on the written exam and I know I got 100% on the practical. He gave us all the questions for the written last week, and the answers. He doesn’t even write the exams. He just uses the exams written by the head of the department. He throws out about half the questions as being too subjective (”Describe the color, taste and texture of your favorite item prepared by a group other than your own in class.”) When grading (we grade each other’s exams) he just tells us “If there’s something written there, give them credit.”
Some of the other questions were a LITTLE tougher. “What are the 3 principal ingredients of in a sauce Bordelaise?” (demi glace, a reduction of red wine, poached beef marrow), “What is the difference between a hollandaise and a bernaise?” (A bernaise is a hollandaise with the addition of tarragon and shallots), “Name two small sauces that can be made from a hollandaise” (moussaline, Maltaise).
After class 3 of us went out for dinner. Usually Chef Otto joins us, but we got out earlier than usual and he had had a big lunch, so it was just the 3 of us. We usually o to La Finca, but decided to go to this Thai place instead. I had some really good pad thai. Their thom kha ghai was good, but not the best I’ve had. I’ve still not found a thom kha ghai that tops the little hole in the wall thai dinner down on 1st and Montague in San Jose.

Now I have to get myself off to the photo lab to finish up printing my pictures for my Photo I final project. They’re apparently closing the lab early today to fix some plumbing and won’t be open again until next Tuesday. Since my last class is tomorrow night, I have to get everything done today. Fingers crossed.

Well, my first final exam, Micro Economics, has come and gone.
I didn’t bomb as badly as I thought I might. There was a section of questions where I was lost (that’ll teach me to not crack the book all semester and skip classes), so I just guessed on those, but I think I did OK on the essay questions. They were easier than I was expecting.
I didn’t do so hot on the makeup exam I took last week. I only got 50% on two of the essay questions, 0% on one of them, and didn’t even answer the 4th since I was so clueless about it I couldn’t even BS my way through it. I got 24 of the 30 multiple choice / true/false questions right.

I just finished typing up my 3 past-due homework assignments for GOVT-2301 (talk about cutting it down to the wire!) and I have that exam in 30 minutes. But that one will be easy. It always is.

Finally I have Intermediate Food Prep this evening. That will be a cake walk (pardon the pun). I don’t even have to wear my uniform.
My last final, Photo I, is on Thursday.

I caught a break at school yesterday.
I was worried I was going to pull a D in Government I, mostly because I missed almost all the homework assignments. With the way Sullivan talks, it’s hard to figure out what the assignment IS, let alone when it’s due. And I’ve always been bad about homework.
Apparently there was a quiz on Tuesday which I missed, so he invited me to stay after class yesterday to make it up. He noted that at the moment I had enough points to pull a D, but if I turned in two of those assignments I might make a C. He noted that I always scored well on all the exams and quizzes and seem to know my stuff when it comes to in-class participation (hell, I could teach his class. It’s all basic Constitutional civics anyway.) He didn’t want me to have to take it over again.
I can easily do those two missing assignments (Write a 2 page, double spaced, paper on a 3rd political party. Include it’s history, major leaders and platform. Do a brief write-up of a special interest group, including it’s goals and any successes it’s had in achieving them. High school freshman stuff.)
I think I still have the paperwork for the first assignment as well, so maybe I can even pull a B. We’ll see.

Meanwhile in Photo. I, I keep flip-flopping on if the teacher is an ass, or just has no “bedside manner”. It’s photo ONE, but he wants to see us produce “art”. Personally I think photo 1 should be about learning how to use your camera, exposure, composing the image, etc, developing the film, making a quality print. He basically trashed ALL my negatives because they didn’t meet his standards for “art”. When he looked at my contact sheets, he started to tell me why all the photos on one sheet were “boring” and violated all the rules for “art” before I could even tell him to ignore that sheet, those pictures were only taken to test the built-in light meter in the camera and the photos themselves would never be printed. Ironically he complemented the photos on another sheet that was also taken only to test some camera equipment (a Canon body and lenses bought on eBay).
Yesterday I showed him the prints I’d produced so far for my final project. Apparently my prints are acceptable. I just don’t have any good material to work with, in his eyes, but I manage to make decent prints. Gee thanks.
Anyway, I have to jet over to the camera store to buy more paper. I bought a box of 100 sheets of Agfa 8×10 RC paper online, but if I use 8×10 paper for my final project, I have to mount the photos on matte board. If I use 11×14 or larger, I don’t have to mount them. Going that large, I might as well use fiber paper instead of RC. It’s more expensive and more difficult to work with, but I’m finding this means I tend to work a little slower, more carefully. Less paper is wasted and in the end I produce good prints faster than with RC.

I wasn’t feeling up to going to classes today, so I spent the day in front of the TV with a blanket over me. Slept through most of it, especially after my shower. Dad came home and we went to Waffle House for dinner. Mom had a late meeting. That’s about the only time we can go to Waffle House, since Mom doesn’t like the place.
I did go to the last half of my cooking class though. I was feeling almost normal and my temp was back down to normal, so I went for the final exam review session. I timed it just right to. I got there just as they were finishing the cleanup from the night’s cooking. I grabbed a mop and helped mop the floor, then we sat down for study.

…I’m done.
My fever is now over 102. 102.6 to be exact.
I shouldn’t go to class tomorrow, but I’ve already skipped too many days. I can’t afford to miss any more. I will have to skip food prep tomorrow evening however. I don’t think it would be a good idea for me to be touching food others will eat.

It’s official. I’m coming down with something. I’ve been feeling “off” all day. I’ve been feeling like there’s something up with my sinuses since I woke up (soreness behind one eye, slightly stuffy and runny at the same time, etc). Throughout the day I’ve gotten a bit of a headache and sensitive skin. Sure sign that I’ve got a cold coming on.
Sure enough, I get home and take my temp, 100.6. And the headache is spiking about every 1/2 hour.
But I just got notified I’ve been selected for the second beta of MT 3.0. Gives me something fun to do tonight while I watch TV.

<creeeeeeeeek!>
Hello? lo? lo? lo…?
Anyone in here? ere…? ere..?
Wow. Look at all this dust! ust… ust…
Hang on a sec. Let me fix this place up a bit… it… it…

<buuzzzzzzZZZZZZzzzzZZZZZzzzzZZZZZz!>
<bang!><bang!><bang!>
<swish><swish><swish>
<vooooooooooooooooooooooooommmmm>

<tap><tap><tap> Is this thing o<SCREEEEEEEEE!!!!< OW! Sorry about that.

So. Yeah, been a while since I’ve used this place. I’ve still got my condo over at pure-chaos.com, built by MT, but my family knows about it and there’s just some things I don’t want to say in front of them. I suppose if I was living on my own I wouldn’t care so much, but when you move back in with your parents during financial dry spells, you walk a speak a little softly when you talk on certain subjects.
So let’s get a couple of them off my chest right off the bat:

How many of you were told by you parents “chew with your mouth closed”, “say ‘excuse me’ when you burp or break wind”?
Apparently it’s OK to ignore the “rules” in front of your adult children.

Mom can’t seem to make up her mind which TV programs she likes and which “disgust” her. One night she’s telling me she doesn’t like My Hero and for a while, every time an ad for Queer Eye came on I would here how “obnoxious” and “disgusting” she thought the concept was. Another night, she’s laughing her ass off at My Hero, another at Will & Grace, which she also says “disgusts” her. (The obvious theme being that “gay” humor disgusts her. Not sure what her objection to My Hero). One night I come home from class and she’s watching Queer Eye. “Oh, there’s a Korean boy on tonight.” (She’s really into Korean culture since my brother’s marriage to a Korean woman. Her interest has survived the divorce.)
And now that she’s walked in the door she reminds me of another gripe: It is impossible to watch TV while she’s in the room but not concentrating on her computer. She will start talking to anything and everything ABOUT anything and everything, at sufficient volumn to drown out the TV. Usually she’s talking to the cats.
Anyway, she’s sitting right beside me now, so I’ll leave it at that for the time being.
Don’t get me wrong. I love my parents, and I love living with them. I just have peeves I needed to get off my chest.