So I'm cheating. Anyway, web publishing gives better access than email. "Welcome to the next edition of getting to know your friends. What you're supposed to do is copy (not forward) this entire e-mail and paste it onto a new e-mail that you'll send. Change all of the answers so they apply to you. Then, send this to a whole bunch of people you know *INCLUDING* the person who sent it to you. The theory is that you'll learn a lot of little known facts about your friends." So here we go... 1. WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING? You're going to kill me *g*. Anywhere from 9am to noon. I really try to make it not later than noon, because it's very difficult to get back to waking up "early" after that. 2. IF YOU COULD EAT LUNCH WITH ONE FAMOUS PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE? to quote RJA: JKR. 3. GOLD OR SILVER? Silver. Definitely. Slyth beats Gryff anytime! ;) 4. WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM YOU SAW AT THE CINEMA? I don't remember. Let me check my wallet (I keep movie tickets). Minority Report. My next one will be CoS, but I really don't know when I'll watch TTT. Oh, and I will definitely watch (and be disappointed by) both Matrix sequels, and Nemesis. 5. FAVORITE TV SHOWS? I don't watch TV. Actually, I don't even have a hooked up TV set right now, and I don't notice the loss. Of those that are currently running: Enterprise. Of past shows I've watched on TV: Babylon5, DS9, TNG, ER, Law & Order, and I've forgot some good ones I'm sure. Of those I've pirated: "Undergrads", by far the best thing on TV, ever. Get it on Kazaa, 13 episodes all together; it will rock your world. 6. WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR BREAKFAST? What ever I find in the fridge that can be eaten without being chewed. 7. WHAT WOULD YOU HATE TO BE LEFT IN A ROOM WITH? My mom :-O. I love her, but we can only tolerate each other for short periods of time, then we start to get on each other's nerves. I hope to grow out of this stage soon, honest. 8. CAN YOU TOUCH YOUR NOSE WITH YOUR TONGUE? Damn. That's an important courting skill, that is! I must practice. ;) 9. WHAT INSPIRES YOU? people who "made it" relying solely on their own abilities. It reminds me that it can be done. 10. WHAT'S YOUR MIDDLE NAME? look it up in the thread. 11. BEACH, CITY, or COUNTRY? if it has running water, gas, electricity, broadband and a self-refilling fridge, I don't care here it is. Since usually these requirements are easier to get in the city, I choose that. 12. SUMMER OR WINTER? Spring :p. if I must choose -- summer, but somewhere farther from the equator than here. 13. FAVORITE ICE CREAM? plain vanilla. 14. BUTTERED, PLAIN, OR SALTED POPCORN? no popcorn, please. 15. FAVORITE COLOR? solid non shiny black. 16. FAVORITE CARS? canary-yellow Lamborghini Diablo, probably. No, wait, I know! A McLaren F1. But I could never drive one even if I owned it. I think I'll aim for a Volvo. 17. FAVORITE SANDWICH FILLING? hummus in a pita. With pickles. 18. TRUE LOVE? fairytale. Hope dies last, though. 19. WHAT CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU DESPISE? hypocrisy, dangerous carelessness and laziness. 20. FAVORITE FLOWER? saguaros Selenicereus grandiflorus (Queen of the Night cactus) 21. IF YOU HAD A BIG WIN IN THE LOTTERY, HOW LONG WOULD YOU WAIT TO TELL PEOPLE? lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math. 23. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHROOM? when I'll design mine, I'll tell you. My parents' bathroom what light cyan (I think). Anyway, I'm male and colorblind. I can only name 7 colors. :P 24. HOW MANY KEYS ON YOUR KEY RING? 3 :-( 25. WHERE WOULD YOU RETIRE TO? a cabin in Montana ;) (RJA: you're invited, as soon as there's viable peace in the region) 26. CAN YOU JUGGLE? IF YES HOW MANY? Only two, which I don't think counts. 27. FAVORITE DAY(s) OF THE WEEK: Sunday. Because my parents go to work. I am a bad person. 28. RED OR WHITE WINE? mineral water, please. 29. WHAT DID YOU DO FOR YOUR LAST BIRTHDAY? absolutely nothing. This year I'll go visit my friends in the dorms and watch Leslie do 7th grade algebra. -Wolf550e

Responding to this. The sorry state of English grammar seen in technical documentation and the lack of a good grasp in basic computer usage skills exhibited by literary enthusiasts leads me to believe lit. geeks and tech. geeks should get together more often (in and out of clothes and wedlock*). Thus coders can learn the difference between there, their and they're and fantasy readers can learn how to successfully utilize WinZip, Outlook Express and the Yahoo!Groups web interface. This is my plan for both bandwidth conservation and suicide prevention. And to wrap it up: everyone who doesn't know what "win3.11" is, please leave a comment. I want to know how many of you I'm dealing with. Yes, I'm being a condescending prat. It's a technophile's occupational hazard, same as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. * - that makes for "c) controversial" ;)

This "Internet" thing is more dangerous than I thought. Using alternative search engines I was able to find my other email address, my birthday and my hardware configuration.

My computer just restarted due to lightning. I can't afford a UPS right now. :-(

I know, I know, but Cassie's LJ is the funniest thing since May 11th 2001. Her stuff inspires others. Just look here.

Will you look at that! The XML Bible comes not only with the New Testament, the Old Testament and the Quran but also with the Book of Mormon in its examples. What seems like the entire works of Shakespeare looks handy as well. I love XML.

LyricsAMP R0X! Nuff said.

I can't chew, and I'm losing weight. It's not good for me. This hurts. I'm going to shush my male ego and get me some Midol. Alex, next time I see him, better lock away his tools.

Oh, and another thing. DV is no longer the ambiguously gay fic. It's just gay now.

Personal - Future Prospects Uncertain

I've failed the "job interview". They were quick with it. I'm glad.

Curious as I am about what they want to do with me next, I have no idea who to ask. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

Now that I've finally downloaded the TTT trailer (I think doubling the article is not redundant in this case, like in saying "the alcohol", furthermore, I believe the first article is for the "trailer" part), I can say I like it. But, I'm not sure I like what they've done with the Elves. Prof. Tolkien didn't write what Elrond (what "gift of foresight"?) thought about giving his only daughter to a <Quark>human</Quark>, and I'm not sure sacrificing canon-correctness to make a better story (the parents of the bride must work against the groom, it's so romantic... *bleh*) is a good thing.

Personal - Broadband

I. Have. DSL.

I also have an appointment with my orthodontist, who is now 2 hours away.

I have been led to believe the problem was complete lack of communication between the front end and the backend @ Bezeq. The nice but ignorant and incompetent front-end interface assured me it was the backend API's fault. I believe it is a filthy lie, because the backend API is not only overly prompt (2 hours since first hearing about me, I have connection), but is also multilingual.

ex-Russian techs: 1
Stupid sweet-tongued bitches: 0

ETA: Here, we can observe the initial signs of the subject's deep rooted disrespect and dislike of help desk personnel. The causes of such a condition have not been satisfactorily explained to date.

No broadband for me this weekend, it seems. Might as well go to the beach. Oh wait, I forgot - It's an hour drive! </sarcasm>

I should have DSL by tomorrow afternoon. But of course, tomorrow is a Friday, so if it's not ready by noon it will be done on Sunday. How much would you want to bet on it not being done by noon?

Been promised I'll have DSL within 48 hours. For the 3d time in the last week. In other news, the beta version of the new Quotes System should be online in a minute. Check it out.

We went to a park to hang out, grill some meat and drink some beer (aka male bonding). It turned out pretty well, although I think lighting a fire should not be such a difficult task for two physics majors, two com.sci. majors and a military coder/tech. And I hate beer. And we were camped some 10 feet away from some very hungry wasps' nest. And the future weapons development officer was... himself (entertaining, granted, but also, putting it mildly, tiresome). Also, they stole all my CDs, swearing they'll return them by my birthday, but I'm telling you now - I've erased those from my inventory list. BTW, they've forgot to bring me my toothbrush and left a pen and a beer bottle (those will probably still be waiting for their return, but only if they bring my CDs back. And I don't mean the pr0n). Still no DSL, been told the local chief is handling it now. If it's not available here I'm renting a spare room at my friend's house and paying for it. In other news, the current winXP partition is showing all signs of needing a wipe and reformat, urgently.

Monster is the cutest. I loff Caitlyn's work.

Unless I get a definite answer by evening about my DSL line, tomorrow I'm going to go there in person and demand to see the techs who are working on it. The "get lost" lines from their secretaries are getting pretty old.

Emily, remember on your blog you ranted about not going swimming because you can't see anything without your glasses? I sympathize. I and my friends were at a water park today and I was without my glasses most of the time. Been told I've missed quite a lot, but really, I can't stare when it's too obvious - it's embarrassing the girls who already have to go out of their way to behave as if they're not noticing anything.

Personal - Moved

Hi all!

I'm at the new place (my computer, unlike some other stuff, has been thankfully unaffected by the move), making the first uneasy steps in the new town. It's not that bad so far.

The utter incompetence of the national telecommunications company is simply staggering. It took them 4 days to connect a phone line on perfectly good though recently disconnected hardware. Not only that but they have been experiencing "mild technical difficulties" that have been preventing them from connecting the DSL for 2 more days (and still counting) while I suffer from full-blown withdraw symptoms.

In the mean time I have been out celebrating my new place, my two friends' completion of basic training and my three other friends' move to Tel-Aviv University's dorms (quite worthy of Teri's pen that procedure was, let me tell you!).

On Oct. 1st I've been to the final (I think) stage of my own "job hunt". You understand why I Siriusly cannot elaborate on that, but I suspect that I have royally screwed it and will probably be kicked down to a position slightly lower on the coolness factor scale. Since my mommy is not marrying the second heir to the throne any time soon, I think I'll do fine without the emperor's personal com. card, so I'm not complaining. ;)

I did not yet have the time to check up on my net life, but I will as soon as I can.

Take care,