Meandering Chatter

Ooo, the new Dashboard is cool.

More later,

–Raf

So much for keeping this thing up-2-date.

I just managed to get myself out of a busted Gallery update.  I’m now going to try to update WordPress.  If I don’t succeed or if I can’t easily recover, this might be the end of this blog.

–Raf

Not only have things been busy at work, they’ve also been busy at the homestead.  Once I have some time I’ll take the time and try to update properly (which is going to probably be a pretty long post).

Laters,

–Raf

Hrm, this is only a test.  There are some WordPress changes that I either didn’t implement or have disappeared?  Makes no sense to me, but I’m looking into it.

My iPod is experiencing a hardware error earlier this week. I’ve come across this error before, and it was able to miraculously survive. I’m just going to have to wait and see.  Last I wrote, I submitted my taxes, well yesterday my tax return arrived. I already have plans to put that money into a savings account which means I’m going to have to put off purchasing a new iPod (and PS3) for a while.

UPDATE – my iPod is feeling much better now, thanks for asking…

Work is busy, and getting busier by the moment.  I’ve been working on JumpStarting three SunBlade 100’s.  Two of them are on-line and are pretty much complete, except for a few patches and SDS config.  I’m finishing the 3rd one now.  Once I can get that in the rack and networked, I’ll still need one more round of patches to install before I can consider it production ready.  Hopefully, getting it in the rack, powered, and networked won’t take as long as the lasts ones.

I’m also working on the installation of two HP DL360 G5, a Dell PE1950, and a Promise VTrak M310i.  I got everything in the rack some time late last month (or early this month), I finally got around to providing them power and getting config info for them.  I’ve downloaded the latest RHEL 5.2 ISO and will begin installing that on two of them (one HP & the Dell) before the end of the week.

At home, the windows are about 40% complete.  We installed 3 out of 7.  The entire process isn’t too difficult, and it really isn’t too labor intensive.  Unfortunately, for us, it can get quite messy, more to the point dusty.  I anticipate continuing this very soon so that we finish them before the end of the summer.

That’s about all for now, gotta get back to work…

–Raf

Just extremely busy.

March has been an extremely busy month, both at work and at home. Spring break brings with it much work to be done behind the scenes at Haverford. We added network infrastructure in our server room to support additional servers. A new rack, and a few new servers. Much of the time during spring break was used to run power and clean up any improperly run cables, which we’ve come to refer to as “crack-cidents”. We also removed Unixmail from service, which opened up just about an entire rack for future use. I’m still in the middle of reorganizing and re-populating that rack with new equipment.

At home, Mali and I have been hard at work. We finally got around to painting the front room, Asparagus Green. We reorganized a bit, and threw a brunch get together to celebrate. We also got around to mounting shelves in our entertainment room for the DVD and video game collection, however I still need to paint the shelves and fully populate them. Additionally, I need to sit down and properly cable the entertainment center components. That room is coming together nicely. Our latest accomplishment was the procurement of a sleeper sofa and its reupholstering. All I have to say regarding that is that it is not a three hour process.

More later,

–Raf

Well, it looks as if HD DVD is out for good.  It took two years, and a few casualties, but it appears as if the end is finally here.  That’s all the news I need to really put the pressure on getting me a PS3.  We’ll see how that develops later this year.

Syrup !?

‘Earlier last week the Los Angeles County coroner announced the cause of death: promethazine and codeine, key ingredients in prescription cough syrup, which may have combined with his sleep apnea to stop his breathing. This was especially grim news because it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Prescription cough syrup — sometimes diluted, and often called “drank” or “lean” or “purp” — is the recreational drug most closely associated with Houston’s fertile hip-hop scene.

Syrup often seems inextricable from the slow and sometimes psychedelic sound of Houston hip-hop. (This is a city where record stores sell cough-syrup-flavored air freshener.) DJ Screw became a local hero — and an inspiration to producers around the country — with his syrup-friendly slow-motion remixes; he died of an overdose in 2000. The Houston rapper Big Moe, whose output included a great 2000 album called, “City of Syrup,” died after a heart attack last October. On the back cover of a new Houston mixtape, “Keep On Stackin 3,” the rapper J-Dawg delivers a message: “R.I.P. Big Moe,” inscribed on a plastic-foam cup, the vessel of choice for syrup sippers.

It would be disingenuous — maybe even unfair — to pretend that Pimp C had no connection to syrup. (After all, his own rhymes were thrillingly unexpurgated.) One of UGK’s biggest hits was “Sippin’ on Some Syrup,” a brilliant and hallucinatory collaboration with Three 6 Mafia and Project Pat. One of his most recent solo singles was “Pourin’ Up,” from 2006. In a track from more than a decade ago, Pimp C claimed he was forsaking syrup in favor of Dom Pérignon. But last year, on UGK’s triumphant double-album, “Underground Kingz” (Jive/Zomba), Pimp C still mentioned “sippin’ drank.”’

I’ve been meaning to write, honestly I have. . . However I’ve been tied up with work and what not. There are plenty of topics for me to write about, I have 3 or 4 goods ones that I really would like to hash out in a post, however I just need to make some time to do so. Honestly, as soon as things let up I’ll sit down and write something.

–Raf

So, my day started off pretty good and quickly turned into trouble. It wasn’t all that bad, however I was kept busy for most of the day.

Arrived around 8:30 and started the morning check routines. Once complete, I took a look at my Apple Certs cuz I was reminded that I would need to re-cert soon. Turns out that my certs expired TODAY. So, I started taking the re-cert exams around 10 AM. Breezed throuh the OS exam because I only had to rehash through the 10.4 stuff. The hardware took 2 tries, but I managed to finish that up around 2 PM.

Started to work on an iMac hardware case. Put all the paperwork together and submitted the order.

I started to do tape work on the replacement StoreEdge L7. Ended up getting a cleaning tape stuck in the replacement unit. Need to open another ticket w/ Sun to rectify the situation. I think its pretty silly that there isn’t a manual way to remove a tape and that Sun has to totally replace the unit. Oh well, that’s why we pay “protection money”. So, after finishing up w/ tapes, I took off… 6:30 PM.

I didn’t have much to do at home (a complete lie) and Mali and I were talking about possibly spending sometime together in the studio. I was only going to be there for moral support. I was starting to worry since I couldn’t get a hold of her and since she has a new phone hasn’t setup her VM. So, like every good boyfriend, I waited… For about 30 minutes. Luckly, she called…

Since we really didn’t have a dedicated plan (remember, I was only there for moral support), I went to the Penn BookStore, grabbed a coffee, and looked at books. Mali eventually made it up and we then returned to the studio to pick out some choice pictures for her project. Afterwards, we grabbed dinner from WaWa and made our way home… 10:30 PM

Upon reaching our house we realized that something was different. I didn’t see it as I was kinda tired, but Mali pointed it out. There it was, our tree from UCGreen had been planted… Mali was very excited, she called her mom and told her the good news.

So here I am, 11:30 PM. Typing away at this contraption, having just had dinner, feeling tired, and trying to think of a clever way to end this post so that I can clean up and get to bed.

Its been that kind of day.

–Raf