|
|
|
July 9th, 2007
12:25 pm - More Car Woes
Was driving back from the bowling alley last night, when I heard some pinging in my engine. Then, just as I'm (thankfully) getting off the Highland Park bridge, the check engine light comes on and the engine dies shortly thereafter.
I'm able to coast off the bridge and pull onto the sidewalk/non-existent shoulder. I ended up just across the street from the last time my car died. This time I was able to get a tow truck in about an hour (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) jano lent me her DS, crosswords make the time fly).
( The Damage after the cut )
|
May 2nd, 2007
02:38 pm - Diseased
So, I've been sick for the past week. It started as just a throat tickle last Monday, but quickly became a full blown sore throat on Tuesday. I then developed a lovely dry cough that's been making it rather difficult to sleep.
So I stayed home Wednesday and Thursday, but went to my group meeting on Friday morning. Apparently I manged to infect my advisor and at least one other student during that brief (3-hour) encounter.
Health services thinks it's just a virus, and gave me some prescription strength decongestant and some cough syrup. I thought it was helping, but coughing kept me up last night, and I feel pretty lousy today.
This is all flurious's fault, since he had something similar the week before. He got over it much more quickly, the bastard.
So if anyone I saw at gala gets sick, my apologies in advance!
|
April 21st, 2007
01:16 pm - Chain Letter
I got an actual chain letter today in the snail-mail. It's your typical pyramid-scheme "send-a-buck to the names at the top of the list".
The twist is, they claim it is legal because you're selling the letter, not just sending money to get rich.
( Some of the more hilarious excerpts below the cut: )
|
March 29th, 2007
07:52 pm - Bad Cat!
Poor flurious. I don't know what he did to piss her off, but Aki keeps pissing in his room.
|
March 6th, 2007
12:34 am - NREC Protest
So, I had a meeting on campus so I wasn't able to personally witness the protest of NREC last Friday. Our plan of action was basically to lock the building down really early, and just ride it out, and there was no way I was getting there before 6am.
Anyway, looks like someone posted the videos on youtube. The first in the trilogy can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGQmPGdZUTo
I have to say, since the protest dispersed by 12:30, I think their resolve was rather weak. I mean, a lot of people don't even come in until noon!
*Edit* Pittsburgh Organizing Group has a link to all media related to the protest: http://organizepittsburgh.org/m2/media.php
|
February 26th, 2007
12:19 pm - I was on the news today...
It went something like this: "Disabled vehicle on Butler St. just west of Highland Park Bridge".
I wondered what the helicopter was doing hovering over my car for 10 minutes.
Mad-props to flurious for getting out of bed at 6 am to get miriya52 to the airport for her flight on time. I owe him a solid.
Boo to Amica road-side assistance for not being to get a tow-truck out to me in 4.5 hours. I finally gave up and let someone who stopped to ask if needed help call his friend. This guy had originally stopped at 6am, so when he saw I was still there he knew I was having problems.
I think a total of three (unique) cars stopped to see if I needed help. Oddly enough, the cops never came by and tried to get me to move.
I'm hoping it's just the axle half-shafts, because if it's the transmission it's going to be pricey. Boo. Automatic spell checking is pointing out that "Axel" is actually a male-given name, and not the correct spelling for the car/wagon part.
I'm glad whatever it was chose to break before I got on the bridge or 28, because that would've been a real mess.
*EDIT* My mechanic finally got a chance to look at the car. The right side axle assembly separated from the transmission. That repair should be reasonable, but he doesn't know if there was any damage done to the transmission, and won't know until after he replaces the axle.
If the transmission is damaged, it'll be time for a new car. Ugh.
|
February 15th, 2007
09:05 am - What we'd be doing with Robots if it weren't for lawyers
Riding Robots.
|
February 3rd, 2007
05:39 pm - A new low for telemarketers
I got a call this morning. I pick it up, and I hear: "Please hold for our associate" followed by music. After I hung up, they tried a second time.
So now, not only are the telemarketers calling you at home, but they're trying to put you on hold also.
|
January 18th, 2007
01:25 pm - lulz
NREC is being protested! http://www.organizepittsburgh.org/
Never mind the agricultural, de-mining and education projects at NREC, apparently we're only dealing out robots of death.
I'll be sneaking in the back gate that day, and taking pics. I wonder how many are going to last the 1.5 mile walk in the March cold.
|
December 13th, 2006
08:52 pm
|
November 21st, 2006
04:17 am - Bunch of Savages in this Town, Part II
It looks like someone broke into our apartment today between noon (yes, I'm lazy) and 6 pm (broad daylight!). Around 10pm we started noticing things missing, and then saw that the back door had been pried open.
Casualties:
-My Canon G3
-Anna's Canon S200
-Anna's Cell phone + charger
-My 1Gb mp3 player
-Anna's 256Mb mp3 player
-Anna's headphones
-My Gameboy color and Gameboy Advance (they left the socks I kept them in though!)
Untouched:
-Both our computers
-PS2, TV, Home Theater System
-My headphones?
The police came and took a report. When we were initially looking for Anna's cell phone, I called it a couple times, and the dudes actually picked up. Hopefully the cops can activate the GPS feature and find them, and/or track the items to the various pawn shops in East Liberty.
When Anna asked me if I had borrowed her headphones, and we couldn't find them anywhere, I thought she had just gone crazy and forgotten moving them. Then we found the broken back door. Mea Culpa! That sounds so much better than "my bad".
I think we need to get a new guard kitty.
|
October 17th, 2006
01:59 am - Aggressive Marketing: not just a euphemism for a scam..
... or is it?
A couple of weeks ago, at Bloomfield Italian Days, I foolishly entered a drawing for a GMC SUV. Today I get a call, saying that while I'm still in for the drawing, I have been "selected" for a 3 day, 2 night trip to Orlando or Las Vegas, including airfare and accommodation.
The catch, of course, is I have to go in (with my significant other) to listen to an hour long sales pitch. Sounds fishy, but maybe worth it. So I tentatively agree to go, and drag Anna along, this Thursday.
Well, I did some digging on google for the company, Sun Stream Vacations (their site is only a link to a drawing), and learn that they go by several different names, Sun Quest, Sundance etc, all based out of Wilkes-Barre, PA. There's a 16 page thread on Scam.com here about their "marketing techniques."
Needless to say, there are some caveats to the trip. Namely, the sales pitch is to sell you 30 weeks of vacation to the tune of $11,000, plus fees. The trip requires a $50 "good-faith" deposit when you book the trip, and the two nights at a hotel are actually non-consecutive, and 30 days apart. Plus the usual "subject to availability" Sunday-Thursday nonsense.
So yeah, I don't think I'm going to be driving out to Cranberry to collect my "free" trip.
Alright, I think I used enough sarcastic quotes for night. My work here is done.
|
September 29th, 2006
12:49 pm - I'm moving to the Netherlands...
...since the Senate approved suspending Habeus Corpus for detainees. Along with allowing some "aggressive" interrogation...I guess we won't have to fly our suspects to Syria to be tortured anymore.
Seriously, do we have to resort to facism to fight terror? I'm still trying to decide if this is worse than not letting me carry my toiletries in my carry-on.
p.s. I've picked the Netherlands based on a number of factors, including: 1) Libertarian polices regarding a certain herb. 2) The Unversity of Utrecht has some people doing robotics stuff 3) The Dutch the world's tallest pepole..
|
September 27th, 2006
05:31 pm - Pittsburgh passes smoking ban 14-1...
...and NYC considers limiting trans-fatty acids in restaurants.
Welcome, friends, to the slippery slope.
|
September 12th, 2006
September 10th, 2006
August 29th, 2006
12:04 am - For your bulk bereavement needs...
Costco sells caskets
|
July 26th, 2006
11:52 am - Bunch of savages in this town...
Last night as I was moving some stuff out of my old apartment, I came down to discover someone had vandalized my car.
They had thrown a large glop of dog poo on my driver side back window. I do not know what I did to offend the poo-flinger, needless to say it was not a pleasant experience.
|
July 5th, 2006
09:24 am - Weirdest-thing Evar
Beast Enders
|
June 15th, 2006
04:11 pm - The Furries are Coming!
That's right kids, Anthrocon 2006 is being held right here in Pittsburgh at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center June 15-18.
Let me bid a warm welcome to all the furries and plushies to our fair city.
|
|
|
