Thoughts from July 6 and 10, 2002

07-06-02

I love my new PDA. It’s great! I’m done being stupid now. This entry is over.

(Future note: This was my first thought written on my new PDA. For those of you who are old enough to know what “PDA” I’m referring to, you may have chuckled at this short entry. Even if you were around in 2002, you may not know what PDA I’m talking about. Some of you might wonder why the Public Display of Affection was new. The PDA being loved in this entry is a Personal Digital Assistant. Before we had smartphones that fulfilled this function, we had an early version without the phone that was much less smart. I left the PDA formatting for the date so you’d know something different was happening.)

July 10, 2002

I had my interview for the Media Specialist position yesterday. It wasn’t a slam-dunk, but I know I impressed them in several ways. They asked me what new ideas I had for Commuter Services, and I could only come up with one lame idea about telling a personal story of someone who commutes. Hopefully, everyone else’s answers will be lame as well. I won’t be surprised if I get the job and I won’t be surprised if I don’t get the job. A definite plus about the job would be the money. A bad thing would be the missed “messing around” time at work (like I have now for writing this Thoughts paper).

We had one more incident of out-of-stock crap from the Internet company where I ordered the Digital Video Camera I’ve been wanting. Patti and I were tired of the whole thing. We spent the extra money and bought the camera at CompUSA. I have to go buy videotapes today after work so we can actually record things with it. I haven’t told anyone at work about it yet. I don’t know why. I’m probably partly ashamed that after all this time, I gave up on the whole saving money thing. Essentially, I spent over $200 on an anti-headache remedy.

Now, I get to deal with the headache of the PCI cards in my computer. I have 3 PCI slots in my computer. (If you’re bored already with this paragraph, just skip to the next paragraph. Of course, if you do, you’ll miss my old-timey reference.) For some reason, the 3^rd PCI slot down is messed up. It’s probably the reason I haven’t used that slot in the past. I knew something was off about that slot, but didn’t know I knew it. I have a video, USB, and FireWire card in the computer. I want them all. I need them all! Calgon, take me away! (Future note: Calgon was a bath and beauty product that you put in your bathtub as a water softener. Their ads showed a woman who is stressed out until she says, “Calgon, take me away!” She would be transported to her bathtub where she would luxuriate in the suds. I looked up the product, and it was derived from the phrase “calcium gone.” Beyond that, I lost interest in reading about it.)

I’m thinking about getting an Apple computer the next time I purchase a computer. It will be some time before I can do that, though. There’s talk of a $5000 15-day cruise, buying a car, needed birthday gifts to spouses, and saving for a house. I have my PDA from my birthday. That’s as close as I’m going to get to a new computer for a while. I need to make what I have last. I’m going to make it after all (but I don’t have a hat I can throw in the air).

My dad had surgery on his neck this past week. The day after the surgery, he already had more strength. Hopefully, he gets better and better. I saw some employees from the City of Redlands I used to know when I was buying tickets for the 4^th of July show. I was telling them my mom was about the same, but my dad was now not doing so well. It didn’t really hit me until I was telling them about my parents how close my parents are to breaking apart at the seams. I hope my dad gets better, but I know there’s still the diabetes, smoking, and bad eating habits that are still wearing him down. I’m trying to keep up the walking regiment myself, but there have been many missed days lately. I need to mow my parents’ lawn this weekend. My mom thought I had said I was going to mow it on Monday. I don’t really know where that came from, but I’ll be there this weekend riding the tractor of joy. (Future note: The “tractor of joy” was a riding lawnmower. When my dad got the mower, I thought it was a bit much for the slightly larger than normal lawn we had. I didn’t enjoy using the riding mower because it was loud and boring to ride. I think the absurdity of using a riding mower at a residential house still embarrassed me.)

Well, work is calling. Actually, I’m just getting bored with this Thoughts paper so I’m out. Yo yo yo, dawg. Peace out!