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I wrote a while back (March 8)about what my PC meant to me. In there I mentioned that there is the odd crash, but this time it is more than that. My PC won't boot up. The power is on but nothing except the fans start up. I've been sans computer since Sunday morning. I'm not happy. Sunday was busy enough to keep my mind off of it a bit. Sunday night was an early night.
I was making some good progress in the Painkiller game I've been playing and now I must wait. If it's the harddrive, well kiss the progress goodbye. Anyway it comes out, I'll be spending money that I don't really have. I sit by the phone and wait for the computer technician to give me a call, like a mother waiting for her child to come home.
Canadian politics can be just as interesting as the US politics, except it's just not on the world stage as often. The federal election in June should prove where Canadians' heads are. On one hand you have the "status quo" Liberals, that are no longer status quo because they have new leadership and a different vision. On top of that they must fight the scandal/allegations brought against them. There is also the general feeling among Canadians that the Liberals are no longer a sure bet. The polls are suggesting the Liberals will get a slim minority, but that could sway either way as the election campaign continues. I personally have yet to decide. Right now I pretty much dislike all levels of government.
I got this game a few weeks ago from B&B, just because she wanted to give me something...how cool is that? Anyway, it was a game I had seen a trailer for earlier in the year. It looked impressive, so when it came out she ups and gets it for me.
The graphics are great. The game is much like Serious Sam where the baddies come at you from all angles. Your job is to kill them all to move on. If you like this type of carnage from your games, you'll like it. The minimum requirements are not real high end, but they are up there. Check them before you think of buying this.
Basically, the game puts you between heaven and hell, fighting demons to get to the various bosses of the underworld, who are trying to control this 'wasteland'. As I said before, the graphics are great. The gameplay is pretty easy on the lower difficulty levels, but is somewhat challenging on the higher levels. Hordes and hordes of demons come at you, kill them all to move on. The checkpoint system is fairly generous, and there is a quicksave option. Once each chapter is complete you fight a boss. Each boss has special attributes that must be fought in a different way.
As a side challenge, the game has goals in each level to attain. If the goal is completed then you receive a tarot card to be used as the game goes along. Each card gives you special powers that can prove useful in some levels. Challenges are such as to collect no souls, or complete the level while using only the painkiller weapon. Some seem impossible.
One frustration I had was the patch the producers offered. It actually made the game unplayable once I achieved a certain level. I took the patch off and reinstalled the base game and was back to destroying the beasts.
All in all I would recommend the game to anyone looking for the helter skelter style that Serious Sam gave us but with the graphics closer to Quake.
Although I haven't finished the game yet, I'm sure the ending will be at the very least, graphically pleasing.
Work sucks! Not the actual work, management and their lame ass excuses for policies. The company has and supports work and lifestyle initiatives for their employees. Some of the options are home office, flexible work hours, flexible work weeks, and flexible work locations. Well, home office is out. Big surprise there. The problem I have is their reasoning. They claim we need 60% "face-time" with our co-workers. Let me tell you, I don't spend the equivalent of 3 days a month in front of any of my co-workers, far less 3 days a week (that would equal 60% of my time, for those playing along at home). I don't have a problem with them saying we don't want home offices being created but at least give a valid reason, not something that just sounds good to them. Then they come up with that it will be alright to work out of another remote office building part of the time as long as it is worked out ahead of time. Fine. But here is the catch - "We are still reviewing working from home under this arrangement". What a lot of crock. I don't want to get started...but I have to.
What is the difference between another office building and home? What's the difference between an office and home? There are some differences, but the bottom line comes down to work ethic and trust. If you are a F*up at the office you are going to be that way no matter where you work. Unfortunately, for me there are too many people that view a day out of the office working as being a day off. The real problem is that our management has no way of measuring our real output no matter where we are working. As long as no deadlines are missed and the basic work is done, they don't care. There is no measurement. No checks and balances. The battle continues. The boss lady told me I shouldn't be crabby about it. That is actually the word she used. I haven't said anything about it one way or the other lately. I figure I'll just keep on going the way I'm going. If I need to work at home for whatever reason, I'll do it until they tell me to stop. Then I'll fight it. But until then, it's not worth the headache. Let management do their thing and we'll see how things turn out.
Well, sometimes things work out. The house insurance is going to replace all the carpet and all the linoleum downstairs. They are also waiving the deductible since we did a good job of containing the mess. So, the big mess is now getting two things done on our "things we want to do but can't afford right now" list. In a round about way it cost me a good chunk of change, but probably less than if I had professionals come in to do the work anyway. Sweet.
Last Thursday, the sewer backed up again. Same symptoms as last time, with the stuff going into the downstairs shower. Luckily, the last snaking was guaranteed for a month so since it's only been 2 weeks, we got Rotorooter to come out and snake again. Things didn't go as well this time though. Even after snaking you could tell there wasn't free flowing drainage happening. They recommended a high power flush.
"Alrighty then, get to it." I say.
They set up the appointment for the next morning. I go off to work on Friday figuring the problem will soon be resolved, but then I get a phone call.
B&B: They're here already. It's only 7:45! I thought the appointment was 10:30?
Me: It was. At least they'll be done earlier.
I'm thinking, no problem.
Next call. About two hours later.
B&B: We've got problems.
Me: What?
B&B: He thinks the pipes are busted. He's going to have to dig up the floor to fix them.
Me: Yikes!
B&B: He wants to talk to you.
Me: OK.
RRguy: Sir, you have a big problem.
Me: So I hear.
RRguy: I tried to get the pressure washer through and it wouldn't go. Your sewer pipe is collapsed at the mainline entry. I can get to it later today. Everything should be done by tonight sometime.
Me: Sometime?
RRguy: I'll work as long as it takes to get it done. It's hard to say until we get everything dug up to see how much damage there is.
So I'm picturing in my head some jackhammer type work going on.
Me: When is the noisiest work going to be done? The kids sleep right below that room.
RRguy: Just breaking the cement, otherwise it's pretty quiet.
Me: Ok then, get to it as soon as you can.
Of course, in there he let me know the approximate cost. OUCH!
I leave work after lunch so I can help if necessary, because he mentioned something about me helping if he couldn't get one of his guys to assist.
When I got home, junior RRguy had already dug a hole in the basement and had the pipes mostly exposed. Big RRguy shows up and gets to work. Junior RRguy is a wee bit smaller than Big RRguy so the hole is not really big enough and Big RRguy let junior RRguy know about it several times.
It took awhile, but eventually the pipe was cut and it was time to get the blockage removed. Big RRguy kept saying that pretty soon he was going to be wading in waste, but it never happened. They snake the sewer again from the laundry room to the cut pipe. We flush the toilet a couple of times and out comes this two and a half foot long piece of sludge. It looked like someone was pushing out a sausage from one of those deli machines. Perfectly formed like the pipe it came from, and off it went down the city pipe . Hardly any mess. A few more flushes and it was time to replace the pipe.
That didn't take too long, but big RRguy still didn't like the size of the hole.
All that remains now is the floor needing replacing. They should be coming back to do that in the next couple of days. Hopefully, the house insurance will cover some of this. The carpet downstairs is slightly damaged from some of the back up and the linoleum floor in the room was cut. Maybe we can get some of that work covered.
Another lovely day with sewers, and an even lovelier bill.
The goings on over in Iraq with the prisoners and their captors can be viewed in no other way than being a disgrace to the U.S. military and government. Some of the very acts of human degradation and inhumane treatment the U.S. chastised Saddam for are now captured on film with the U.S. military taking on the role of the corrupt regime.
The saying of "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" has been around for quite some time and is given fruition via these events.
One would think that all military personnel would be aware of the Geneva Convention and all that it affords under "humane treatment of prisoners of war", BEFORE they are put in a position of power over others. Court martials will be forthcoming, however, I think it will, and should go much farther than those in the pictures. The chain of command will also be held accountable and will have to face the consequences. This should likely include Rumsfeld, if not for the act but for the stumbling and bumbling that went on when this all started coming out. One can only imagine the outcry if there were U.S. military POWs treated anywhere near what the released pictures depict.
Well, it's been a few days since the beloved Leafs had their season ended by the Flyers. I've adjusted to my Leafless existence. But there is a void that cannot be filled. I am now (until next year) a hockey fan without a team to cheer for.
Anyway, getting back to my assessment of the series. I think the Leafs deserved a better fate. Outside of the 7-2 drubbing, they played as well as or better than the Flyers in every game. Belfour wasn't quite as spectacular, which could have been the difference. The last game was a heart breaker for Leaf fans. We go down 2-0 in the first period and Philly has entered into their defensive posture. Things weren't looking great when the second period ended with the score intact. Then, Pilar (pronounced Pee-lash) scores and we have a new game on our hands. Sundin follows later with a goal to tie it up and the crowd is going crazy. The Flyers can't seem to get anything going on a consistent basis and the Leafs are still pressuring on almost every shift. Tie Domi, who I think played the best hockey of his career, was all over the ice. With about a minute left a pass came out front to Domi, and Esche had to make a HUGE save to keep the game going.
Off to overtime.
For some reason, the Leafs seemed to throw caution to the wind, perhaps sensing they had Philly on the ropes. One two on one was given up and turned aside and then the Leafs headed up the ice for a chance. Philly gets the puck back and another two on one begins. I said, at that very moment, "Man, you guys are giving up too many two on ones!" Seconds later, Roenick shoots the puck over Belfour for the series ending goal. Great sadness filled the Leaf Nation.
In retrospect, Toronto had a great season with a franchise record number of points and a first round playoff win they had no business pulling off given the injuries they had sustained. There's one thing you can always count on with the Leafs in the playoffs and that is heart. It's not always there in the regular season but come playoff time it is very evident.
So what will happen next year? Well, Pat Quinn will be back as coach. I think that is a good move. Even if you think he should be let go after 6 seasons there, he is still under contract until the end of next year. Why pay him and another coach when there just might be a lockout/strike next year? He's a great coach, with faults. His main fault is his seemingly unwavering faith in some of his players. Even when they are playing very poorly. I won't get into names, but if you follow the Leafs just a bit you will know the players I am referring to.
Player changes? Probably via retirement, or the team not extending a contract offer. I would say Francis, Reichel, Renberg, Berehowsky, and Johansson will be gone next year. Probably one or two others. I do believe that they must re-sign Belfour because none of their backups are ready for the lead role yet. Roberts, Nieuwendyk, and Klee are bigger question marks. I think Roberts has lost a step. Nieuwendyk can still play when healthy and Klee's demands will be higher this year. If Roberts and Nieuwendyk play for less it would be a steal and an easy decision. I think Klee should get a bigger offer, however he is about to undergo knee surgery which often can set a player back a fair bit. How much depends on the player. The Leaf draft prospects at this moment are bleak. They won't pick until the third round, at which time, little will be left except perhaps a long shot diamond in the rough.
As for the rest of the hockey playoffs, I'll watch it here and there. There is still a Shark fan in the house so I may quietly root for them. Both series that are left do look like very interesting match ups and should provide some very entertaining hockey. Go Sharks Go!!!
I heard about this coach in Jersey that gave a player of his a "cry baby" award on The Fan 590's Dink of the Day segment. It's also interesting to read some public assessments of the story here. My take: No matter how whinny the kid was during the season, he does not deserve to be humiliated in front of his classmates, and teammates. It is disgraceful that a coach (and likely teacher) would stoop to such adolescent behaviour to get a laugh out of the other students. There is no excuse.
The follow up article is here. It turns out the coach is a teacher and has been told he "must make a public apology, attend sensitivity training and hold a second banquet to give out a proper award, School Superintendent Edwin Coyle said. But he said he opposed firing him as a teacher. " All fine and good, but the second award will be so hollow, it will be worthless. Others are calling for the teacher to be fired, but that is far too harsh. If we were all fired for a brain cramp we would all be out of work.
The weekend was pretty bad in more ways than one.
Friday B&B informs me that the downstairs shower is backing up with something. When either of the toilets are flushed water (and some other stuff) is backing up into the shower. Fortunately, it was contained pretty much in the shower, and it wasn't raw sewage. Well, off to Canadian Tire on Saturday morning to get two big bottles of draino.
Two bottles of draino later, still clogged. It's gotta be the mainline. Time to call a professional. Buddy can dispatch someone right away. Great. Buddy phones back and says the van has broke down, so he can't get to me until first thing in the morning, or I can call someone else. Well, at that time it was more inconvenience than a real PITA mess. I guess tomorrow will have to do. So, no more flushing of the toilets unless absolutely necessary. Well, if you live with a sewage tank, that's probably normal operations, but for us city folk, it takes real thought not to just flush.
Sunday morning comes (I knew it would). Buddy shows up right at 9:00 just as promised. He takes a look and is a little baffled why it is coming into the shower and not out of the laundry room drain. He wants to know where the mainline entry is...What? I don't have a clue. We look around the basement a bit and found it, quite by accident in my son's room. I kinda stepped in a puddle. I did have shoes on. After cutting away the flooring Buddy is shaking his head. He tells me that whoever built the room has cemented the access points to the mainline so we have to break the flooring.
Knock yourself out. He tells me the access points should be above the floor for this very situation. Since he didn't want to break up the floor anymore than necessary, he decided to try to gain access via the laundry drain. Oh, and by the way, when you do decide to fix the access point it will be about 4-5 hundred dollars. Yikes!!.
Off to his van he goes and brings in this big snake thingy (I thought I'd put that into real layman terms for everyone). He starts it up and goes about 15 ft. of length. He decides to flush the toilet. Well, low and behold, whatever was stopping the mess from coming up the laundry drain was now cleared because a whole slew of brown sludge starts coming up the drain. I have to move fast to save my beer the various things laying on the laundry room floor that really shouldn't have that kind of mess on it. Saved everything! Surprisingly enough it didn't smell. Buddy called it "toilet paper mash". He proceeds to go another 10 feet or so with the snake and flushes again. This time everything was fine.
Relief?
Not really. After cleaning up and running tons of water and flushing several times, he leaves with over $200 dollars of my money. B&B can now do laundry and we can all get back to our normal practices of lavatory use. Before he leaves however, he explains to me what needs to be done with the mainline entry point in the bedroom. I'm nodding my head as he's saying "You just need to blah blah. And then just blah blah and blah. Then blah blah and you're done. Simple." Sure it is for a plumber and cement guy - not for me. However, for 4-500 dollars in savings, I'll give it a whirl...in July.
Later that afternoon, I hear a small yelp coming from the laundry room. It's B&B announcing we have a problem, only this time it is a very smelly problem. To make this already long story shorter, we get them back out to the house and they run the snake a little further and everything seems fine once again.
Then I settle in to watch the Leafs. They come up with their worst effort of the playoffs losing 7-2 (a stinker just like the rest of my weekend!). There is very little to be happy about with that effort, so I won't even pretend. After playing two terrific games in Toronto, the Leafs lay an egg back in Philadelphia. Next game is win or go golfing.
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