Whatafreak – The Blog

So, here I am in San Ramon, waiting for the humiliation to begin. The competition starts at 4pm and is supposed to last for a couple of hours. I really can’t wait for this thing to be over with. I like to think that I am pretty good at thinking on my feet, improvising and adapting easily to rapidly changing situations. I have absolutely no idea where I am supposed to go or even if I need to register somewhere and there are fewer than 30 minutes until the competition starts. I don’t mind doing the actual competition, but I really loathe knowing almost nothing about what I need to do or where to be.

Oh well, I am sure I will get informed at the last possible second. I’ll post again later tonight with news of my spectacular failure in the competition.

* Edit *

Okay, so I ended up not being as monumental a failure as I originally intended to be. I ended up getting 2nd place in the Cable Jeapordy competition, and 1st place in Meter Reading. I blew the other participants way out of the water in Meter Reading, and I knew it after I had finished. The next closest person to be 100% correct was over a minute slower than me. We had 5 minutes to complete the task, and I was done in under 90 seconds. Booyah!

I thought that I had made a good showing with those two awards, but seeing a couple of the other guys get 3 or 4 medals in the individual events caused me to discount myself as a possible contender in the “Overall” category. It was surreal when they announced my name as 1st place overall. I was blindsided, didn’t expect it at all. I am now in the running to receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Philadelphia for the national SCTE Expo and accompanied Cable Games. It’s not a sure thing yet, but there are a total of 4 of these competitions in this district. I have won 1st place overall in 2 of them so far, lol. They will compare my scores with the overall winners from the remaining 2 competitions to determine who gets to go to the expo. I hope that I get selected, it would be a fun trip.

That’s it for this post, I just wanted to get the information out there.

If it isn’t already apparent, I have decided to change the theme I am using for my blog. I don’t know if this is going to be the theme I end up using, but I like it for now and am giving it a trial run.

Interestingly enough, I have been accepted to George Fox University against all my prior expectations. I am awaiting some correspondence from the university that should get the ball rolling. Currently, the ball is moving at a glacial pace. I was beginning to become concerned about my application status, but a quick email to my admissions adviser resulted in a phone call from the same informing of my acceptance status. Good news, to be sure. (I wonder if my email resulted in a review of my application or if it was just some happy coincidence that the two happened nearly simultaneously?) I would be daft if I said I was not excited. Knowing that my time here is now on “limited” status is appealing to say the least.

Working for Comcast has been a financial boon for me, but I hate the job. No really, I do. I am hesitant to state this due to the possibility that someone might come across this and my career would be ended shortly. I feel like I need to get this off my chest though and my family has heard enough from me, I am sure. I don’t want to sound like a whiner as I know most people hate their jobs as well, but the endless promises of change with resulting total inaction from superiors is depressing at the least and maddening at the most. We are constantly reminded not to get overtime if at all possible, and yet are expected to complete 8 or more hours of work (as estimated by Comcast itself!) in 6 hours or less. If we get off of work on time, chances are that we haven’t done 8 hours worth of work. If we complete 8 hours of work, chances are that we got overtime. It’s a frustrating circle to be a part of. Both situations can result in a comment or two from supervisors or a full-blown “coaching” in an office with the door closed.

A quick note, I am currently working on a few small projects. I have purchased and built a small computer to act as a media center. I have it working right now, but not with all the features I eventually want. I still have to install the TV tuner card and tweak a few things in order for it to become the DVR/Media PC of my imagination. I also just ordered a slew of things to construct an electronics workshop of sorts. I am getting a new soldering iron, flux, solder, and various cleaning materials to begin experimentation and dabbling in electronics. I will probably start with some pre-made kits to get the ball rolling and move on from there. If anyone has any ideas, feel free to suggest in the comments.

Well, it’s time now for my annual update to the worlds most boring blog. I am your host, Whatafreak, and I will be taking you on a riveting and stunning (not really) journey through mediocrity.

Yes folks, put down your crack pipes and beer bongs and pay attention. It’s Robot Party Week.

First off, a quick automobile update. The Hachi is doing fine. The same problems still exist including the gauge lights in the dash not working when the headlights are turned on. I attribute this to a faulty switch or connection inside the dash, but I have neither the tools nor the time to attempt a repair job on my own. At first, I could smack the dash a few times and the gauge lights would come back on, however now the problem seems permanent. I haven’t been able to get the gauge cluster to light up in weeks. I still can’t down-shift into second gear without the car having been warmed up for about 10 minutes first. Apart from a myriad of cosmetic challenges, the car is in remarkably good shape considering the circumstances. She is still mechanically sound. I have few doubts about the performance of the car itself, it just looks like the ultimate rice-mobile going down the road. At least, that’s how it feels when I drive it. I have created a user on Craigslist, haven’t used it yet. I have thought extensively about comments made by SlowTEC in the past. I may put the car up for sale with a starting price of $7000 and see if anyone bites. I bought the car for $5000, so there must be some other crazy fools out there that would do the same thing for a car that physically isn’t worth $500. I have poured over $2000 into it just to get it running well and legally, so I think the price jump is justified.

On to computer stuff. This computer I have built is straight from Hell. I am currently awaiting the fourth RMA replacement board. Yes folks, the 680i boards have flimsy memory controllers, and apparently I run them straight into the ground. It’s nice that EVGA has been pretty good about it, but I am getting tired of repeatedly rebuilding my entire computer from the ground up every few weeks. If it happens again, I will be demanding a board upgrade. There is no reason why I should be continually punished for using the board and listed compatible memory to its fullest.

Job stuff next. I went to Sacramento on Comcast’s dime last week. Unfortunately, it was because a big storm had rolled through and they had massive amounts of trouble calls building up. I was sent along with 8 other techs from the south valley to assist for 3 days. We were put up in hotels, each person with their own room, which was nice. All the food during the trip that I bought will be reimbursed to me with the issuance of my next paycheck. Honestly, it was some of the easiest work I’ve had while working for Comcast. I ended up locking out (customer was not home) or canceling well over half the jobs I got every day. After that, I just ran around helping the other techs from south valley. I haven’t been trained for internet trouble calls, but I was given only those type of jobs for the entire 3 days. Someone messed up somewhere, haha.

Now here is where I explain the title of this post. I keep having these urges (not that kind) to do something creative, create a movie or some music, design a web page, etc. I keep trying to find ways, unconsciously, to combine my affinity for technology with my desire to create something other people will find useful, interesting, or exceptional. The problem is that I have no artistic talent, or any other talents for that matter. You know the phrase “Jack of all trades, Master of none”? Well, that’s me. Except in my case, I am neither Master nor Jack of any trades at all. I usually have just enough knowledge about something to make a total boob of myself when I bring it up in conversation or try to put it to some use. It’s irritating at the very least and I fear I may be like this the rest of my life, containing vast amounts of knowledge about absolutely nothing.

That’s about it. I don’t do anything interesting, so this blog rarely gets updated. Comment if you wish.