Whew. I was just outside, enjoying the beautiful winter sun, and chipping away at the disaster that I call my driveway. Whilst out there, I thought that I might write about it. Sure, not the most interesting subject matter, but then, you don’t have to read it.
Basically, the situation is this: I have barely ever shoveled the driveway this year, and we’ve had a ton of snow. My wife and I both drive AWD Subarus, so getting in and out of the driveway hasn’t really been a problem. Even sitting low like they do, the ol’ girls still have traction like a proverbial mountain goat. The rally-winning reputation is well-earned. I’m sure driving talent like Petter Solberg helped a lot, too, but us everyday folks don’t need to drive like Solberg (even if some of us would like to imagine that we can) to appreciate The Beauty of All Wheel Drive™. Now, combine that with my near-legendary laziness, working full-time, along with a few other issues (that I won’t get into here), and you have a recipe for driveway disaster.
I let it pile up and pile up, all the while just continuing to drive over the snow, packing it down nice and hard along two narrow humps, leaving everything else a mess of slush, snow and ice. My wife was starting to get a little annoyed by the situation, but in typical fashion, I continued to not give a rat’s ass. I went out and did only the bare minimum that my conscience would allow, and usually only if my wife went out to start shoveling, or if we really got whomped with wintry precipitation. I know; I’m a bastard, but I didn’t feel like one until the other night when my parents came over. My dad didn’t say anything, but I did ask if he had difficulty getting in the driveway, and it was then he admitted to getting stuck.
He got stuck. In my driveway. In a front wheel drive minivan with top-rated snow tires on. That’s when it hit me, that I was, in fact a jackass for not shoveling more. I mean, my mother-in-law had already started refusing to pull in the driveway for fear of being mired in the icy bog, but somehow, I didn’t let that bother me. I think I rationalised it as her just being a bit timid about her driving skills, or her car, or whatever. That part probably makes me more of an arsehat, really, than the fact that I was negligent about it in the first place.
So there you have it, I was motivated by guilt to go out and do something about the problem. Now that I’m on a little vacation of sorts, I have all kinds of time to do things, and more reason than ever to need to get out and exercise a bit. Zero excuses. Time to get it done.
I started two days ago, around 3:15 in the afternoon, thinking that I’d have it done before my wife came home from work that day. I guess I didn’t realise just how bad it was out there. She was late coming home, and I’d only barely managed to scratch the surface. It was that bad. Granted, the graders and snowbank-removal equipment had been by the night before, mangling the end of the drive with hard packed ice chunk soup, but I still had no idea how long it would actually take. I’m not trying to bring it down to bare asphalt or anything either, I just wanted people to not be afraid they’d need to call a tow truck if they came to visit. Not that we get many visitors, but that’s not really the point here, now is it.
I took yesterday off from my travails because I was sore, over-tired, and just generally feeling like a sack of dung. Possibly the sum of the flabby interest I’ve earned on my lazy account, compounded daily. Today, I felt just as rotten, which I’m sure had nothing whatsoever to do with overeating at a greasy diner late last night, but my determination had returned at any rate, so I attacked it again. I must say, progress is being made. Last night, I got in the car a few times and noticed how it was listing at a pretty good pitch, the result of my efforts the day prior, to only one side of the drive. Today, I tried to even the slope off a bit on the other side, which was much more work. That side had more packed ice and snow, but it needed to go, so I worked relentlessly. I’m not even done yet, but it’s much better than it was. I will take another crack at it, maybe come back to it tomorrow or Saturday, after I’ve had another break.
Despite how rotten it sounds to do, I can’t say I minded doing it. It was a beautiful day out, and it gave me some time to appreciate the winter outdoors. It also gave me time to think. Whenever I do manual labour, I always set my mind free to wander. Sometimes I use the time creatively, or other times, just to work out issues in my head, have a conversation with myself, imaginary ones with others, stuff like that. In fact, while I was out there, I came up with an idea for another post. I think I’ll jot down the idea for draft, and flesh it out more tomorrow.
Posted by Ron as Home Sweet Home, Work at 3:12 PM EST
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It’s been a while. Four months. Not as long as some people I know, but hardly regular posting. 
The rest of October, and all of November was a pretty busy time, between everyone in Meghan’s family with birthdays (myself included), and sorting out issues with this new computer. December with the manic holiday buying (which, admittedly, I did very little of, so it’s a poor excuse - but that’s what this is about - excuses). At least during the holidays we got together with Luke, Chie, James and Jess. That was quite nice.
January was a little slow at work, so I finally got my car in the shop. I’m still rounding up parts to fix it, but it should be ready for spring. Unfortunately, January being slow has also led me to why I’m blogging at 9:24am on a weekday; I’m laid off. Not that it’s all bad. I get some unemployment enjoyment, and a little vacation, which I haven’t really taken in quite some time. Okay, it hasn’t been that long, but it feels like it has. Maybe I’m a wuss and need more off time than people with a real work ethic.
So I plan to take it easy for a few weeks, and hopefully my boss can score me a temporary position as a parts delivery dude, which would suit me just fine. We’ll see; the success or not, of that will determine if there are more forthcoming updates here, I think.
Still no house pics, Other Luke! :p
And now, in case anyone actually wants to know, the tech section 
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Posted by Ron as Computers, Fire-in-a-can, Games, Home Sweet Home, Miscellaneous, Work at 11:21 AM EST
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I haven’t blogged this month, so before it’s too late, here goes.
I haven’t been up to much of note. Still anxiously awaiting the day that my boss lets me know what’s going on with my future. I’d really really like to be signed up for an apprenticeship; the sooner the better, as far as I’m concerned.
Once I know how secure my job is, I’m sure there are a few things that will get taken care of. I know I have blogged a little list about it before, but now I may have some things to add to said list.
My computer is beginning to give me some trouble. I don’t know if my hard drives are dying, or if WindowsXP is finally taking a shit after nearly 4 years. I’ve been getting some disk errors lately, and chkdsk has been running at startup a lot recently. My gut feeling tells me it might be one of the hard drives. Either way, it might be time to retire this box to light duty.
I think I’ve found my replacement. I’m tempted to go with an ultra-quiet HTPC from Lix Systems, whose specialty is inexpensive Linux-based set-top systems. To start, I’d likely dual-boot Windows and Linux until I become more familiar with the latter, and am sure it does everything I want it to. This would then be hooked up to the new LCD TV/monitor I’d get for the livingroom. Coupled with a wireless keyboard and mouse, it sounds ideal; kick back on the couch to do all this crap instead of sitting at a desk.
Also on my agenda is replacing Meghan’s SVX. It has a negative association for me, as I bought it from SASS, whom I now hate. Plus, it’s not as nice as Alice, my other one. Meghan spotted a very nice-looking WRX wagon at Sudbury Fine Cars, so perhaps we’ll check it out one of these weekends. However, this is a rather large financial commitment, and I have a mortgage to worry about these days too, so it is by no means a certainty.
Well, that’s more or less all there is at the moment. Naturally, if something interesting occurs, I will be sure to write about it here.
Posted by Ron as Computers, Fire-in-a-can, Home Sweet Home, Media, Miscellaneous, Work at 5:54 PM EDT
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On my car, I have clear plastic covers over both my license plates, mostly to keep them looking shiny and new. Sometime last week, call it Thursday, when I was leaving work, I noticed the front one had fallen to the ground in the parking lot. I didn’t really think anything of it, since it had been badly cracked (by a cyclist who was riding on the sidewalk!) during the time I spent in London. I figured it finally let go and fell off.
The next day, I took my Dodge to work so that a prospective buyer could pick it up and take it to his mechanic, again I noticed my plate cover, and remembered that I’d meant to check if it fell off my car or if someone backed into me or somesuch.
Monday rolls around, and I thought nothing of it in the morning. I put my lunch things back into my car after lunch, and remembered to check it out. My front plate was missing! I immediately assumed it just fell off after the cover let go, so I began to search the parking lot for it. Instead, I found another license plate cover, this one shiny and new-looking, except that it appeared to have been forcibly removed. Odd, I thought. Maybe I should check my rear plate, just to be sure.
It was gone. I don’t know exactly how long I’d been driving the car with no plates on it, but I finally put two and two together; they had been stolen, deliberately, and during broad daylight.
The boss and I checked the security cameras, but it was too late, the hard drive space had already been recycled. More pieces of the story began to come together, like how the delinquents in the building across the road had been in late last week, mentioning something about getting one of their direlect beaters running again. Sure enough, the car in question was now gone. This building has a parking lot full of junk, smashed cars, and when I went to check, all of the cars had no plates. It’s a bit of a slum; property values are depressed because the steel plant is directly across the road.
Anyway, to make this long story somewhat less long, I will be brief. I got Meghan to drop off my old spare plates at my work so I could drive the car with a minimum of suspicion. I reported my plates stolen that evening after work, and filled out the requisite paperwork. About an hour later, someone from near the scene of the crime was nabbed driving with stolen plates. I don’t know if they were mine, but it is at least possible. The next day, there were two cruisers parked at the slum apartments for a good long while, I wonder if it was related?
Anyway, all is well now. I’ve reregistered my old plates to my car, and it only cost 10$. Annoying, but it could have been much worse.
Posted by Ron as Fire-in-a-can, Work at 9:10 AM EDT
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Saturday, the fifth of May today, and I’ve been at my new job for almost 3 weeks now, and I don’t feel like my doom is impending yet, so that has to be a good sign.
Also, I can’t feel my hands half the time, which is not a good sign. I think it may be the early stages of carpal tunnel syndrome. Strangely in years of working on computers and playing guitar, I never got it this bad, but a couple weeks of this and my hands are toast. I will have to make a decicive, conscious effort to limber up and stretch more often.
We played D&D last night. It was a fantastic session, and unlike last week, I was awake, alert and actively participating. Last week I was so tired, I barely said anything and was only half paying attention. I was going to make a move to reschedule games for Saturdays so that I could actually be awake and functional, but apparently that isn’t necessary.
Now, for some well-earned slacking off…
Posted by Ron as Games, Home Sweet Home, Work at 9:58 AM EDT
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I may have finally found another job here in the Sault. Tomorrow I start on a “trial basis” at Reliable Auto. I got the heads up on this from my dad, and he heard from our longtime mechanic who happens to be good friends with the fellow that owns the garage I will be starting at. Goes to show, it’s all who you know. Especially around this town, it seems, since the two years I was down south I had zero difficulty finding work while knowing exactly nobody.
Now, the term “trial basis” strikes dread into my heart, particularly after my experience at SASS in Stratford. This time, I am trying not to put the cart in front of the horse, but I will say that I am trying to be cautiously optimistic.
If this does work out though, I guess I can get on that list of things I want.
- my TV is old and crappy; time for an upgrade. I’m thinking 30-32 inch wide-LCD.
- I have under a gig left on my computer; I need an internal storage drive.
- Dishwasher. I hate doing dishes, and with 4 people around, a lot of dishes need doing.
- finally, I’d like to replace two of my old cars with one newer one, but I’m not holding my breath on this one.
Posted by Ron as Computers, Fire-in-a-can, Home Sweet Home, TV & Movies, Work at 2:39 PM EDT
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So today is the Vernal Equinox. The weather was not encouraging today; dismal and headache-inducing. But maybe with the spring weather will come some welcome change.
I’ve been back in Sault Ste. Marie for almost 3 full months now, and I have yet to find a job. Somehow I thought it would be different this time. I returned full of confidence, with new skills, a better attitude, and more experience. I guess I should have known better. Last time I lived here, it took me 6 full years of looking (to be fair, it was on-and-off looking) to find something, and that something started at minimum wage.
Sure, there are jobs out there, but everyone around here wants one of two things; they either want someone who will work for next-to-nothing, or someone with 5+ years experience and fully trained. There doesn’t seem to be a happy medium. Call it the “Soo Factor” for lack of a better term. That’s kind of catchy. I think I’ll go with it.
Mind you, it comes off as an excuse, which I suppose it is, but after a search as demoralising as this one has been thus far, I have to tell myself something in order to keep looking.
Since I’ve not been working, I’ve had plenty of spare time, ok, too much spare time. I started that CoC campaign that I mentioned in the last post. First session seemed to go over pretty well. We’ll see how that develops. I’ve also been dumping a lot of time into the D&D campaign that Meghan has been running. It just keeps getting better all the time; defintely a weekly highlight for me. I never realised how much I’d missed gaming until I went without for a year and a half.
Let’s see, what else?
I’ve found out about at least 3 more retarded internet fads this year. The Terrible Secret of Space was pretty amusing; by the same fellow responsible for the silly Zero Wing remix that made the rounds a while ago, and almost as funny. Almost.
Also been linked to a euro DJ putting out CDs under the name Basshunter. Now, I’m not a huge fan of techno usually, especially clubbin’ shit, but this is pretty catchy, pop-y stuff. It’s cute. And from what I’ve heard so far, all of it very nerdy. I guess that’s what makes it endearing. That, and the fact that it’s in Swedish, so I can’t understand how crappy the lyrics are. So far, I’ve heard two tracks, the first one, ‘Boten Anna,’ about a mIRC chat bot called Anna, whom it is discovered, is a real person. The other was about playing in a Warcraft 3 clan on a map called Defense of the Ancients, or DotA for short. Not phenominal, and so campy it hurts, but it was good for a chuckle.
Then there’s the Decemberists. I’ve heard a lot about them in the past year or so, but I never got around to checking them out, until yesterday when Robin Ward posted a link to one of their songs. I figured they’d be overblown, and that was pretty much bang-on. Nothing impressive or special about them, IMHO.
I realise that opinion lacks credibility, because, yeah, I am a nobody, but also because of its juxtaposition immediately following what was essentially a positive review of some cheesy eurotechno. So be it, I guess. I’ll follow it with something equally damaging.
A Shoggoth on the Roof; a musical pardoy of Fiddler on the Roof, based on H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. It’s funny; that’s really all there is to say about it. I’m not otherwise inclined to watch/listen to musicals, but if someone put this on, I’d go. Someone actually tried to, apparently, but were sued into submission. The suit wouldn’t hold up, since parody is clearly fair use, but the company putting it on didn’t have the cash to fight back, so the world loses. Score another one for the tyranny.
What else is there? I guess a hundred little things, but none of them terribly important.
My car is still busted, and Meghan’s is falling apart. The old Dodge is still kicking, but it needs a lot of work before it’s trustworthy again, and I don’t feel like spending the money on it. It needs a new waterpump, which requires taking half the engine apart to get at. It’s a dumb design from that standpoint. I’d contemplated that if the pump ever went critical, I’d just do an engine swap, but at this point, it isn’t even worth it. It’s got some nasty rust starting on one of the rocker panels, and we honestly don’t need three cars. It’s ridiculous, really.
If anything, I want to get rid of two of them and get something newer and more reliable. I’ll keep my Alice, because it would be stupid to sell her after just spending almost $8k on a tranny swap; I’d never recover the investment. Besides, I still like that car, and it’s in decent enough shape. Still needs a new gearbox o-ring and now something is leaking coolant again. I think it might be coming from the lower rad hose, and also from the cap. I guess I’ll try replacing both and see if that helps. Still waiting on new suspension parts, too. I’m trying to time it so that I can have all the major stuff done at once, by Planet Motorsport in Guelph. We’ll see, I guess.
Wow, this post ent up being longer than I expected. I’ll try to post more often. I have no excuse besides laziness, and though valid as any other, it doesn’t make me feel any better about it.
I think the length of this post comes from a growing sense of disconnection from society and a build up of feelings of isolation. Seems odd, since I live with my fiancée and two of my good friends, but there you have it.
Whenever I start feeling like this, I always instinctively reach into my past. I try googling people I knew and find myself wishing that more of them were present and accounted for on the web. I’ve discussed this with Luke before, and he thinks it’s a bit foolish. I can see his reasoning. If they never bothered to keep in touch, then they weren’t good friends in the firstplace. It makes some amount of sense, but at the same time, if that were a universal truth, there wouldn’t be places like classmates and other crap like that. I’ve no intention of falling into that trap, but still.
Maybe this all started again when I called my old friend Trevor, after he called my parents house and left a drunken message on New Years’ Eve. I called him and we made plans; he was coming to the Soo from North Bay and we were going to go for coffee or something, but he never showed and he never called. I know there could be a million reasons for it, considering the nature of his visit here, but still, he could have called. So this is where I’m supposed to just say, “fuck you, I don’t care” or something, right?
I can’t do it though. It’s not like I’d even look for anything meaningful; I just want to know what people are up to. Everyone should keep a blog. Okay, that’s clearly not going to happen, and probably for the best. All it would likely do is make me feel worse about myself. I do, in fact, realise how pitiful that sounds.
Well, before this starts sounding like my young emo cousin’s webpage, I’d better quit writing. Out.
Posted by Ron as Fire-in-a-can, Games, Miscellaneous, Music, Work at 8:05 PM EDT
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March 2007 already. Still no job, though a few prospects here and there. I’ve mostly been keeping to myself, indoors, since there isn’t much else I like to do here. Still doing weekly D&D with Meghan at the helm, and I’m considering starting up a CoC campaign soon. Can you tell that I’m bored?
Posted by Ron as Games, Home Sweet Home, Work at 6:20 PM EST
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London got about 3 feet of snow overnight, so it’s a city-wide snow day! Whee!
Posted by Ron as Miscellaneous, Work at 10:11 AM EST
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Today, heck, this week has been pretty slow at work. I’m doing about half my usual workload, which one would think I’d be insane to complain about, but I’ve discovered that the only thing worse than work, is boredom.
My first test of the day didn’t even arrive until 9:30. I would have been glad to do a test on just about any vehicle, but instead, I got a real treat. The car in question was a 1993 Mazda RX-7, in Brilliant Black. I’ve always liked the 3rd gen RX-7, having admired them from afar many times, but I was not at all prepared for the experience of being in one and driving it on a dynamometer.
In short, I fell in love with every aspect of this car, and now know that someday, I simply must add one to my collection. The shifter is smooth as silk, the engine willing, and the suspension tight. I’m given to understand that they handle like a dream, thanks to a balanced 50/50 weight distribution front to rear, though I didn’t get the chance to find out.
The interior very much reminded me of my dad’s ‘99 Miata, but with a roof; that is to say, the car fits like a glove. If I were any taller, it might be a tight fit. Sometimes I enjoy being short. I enjoy full instrumentation in a car, and this one had plenty, though not a turbo boost gauge, unfortunately. The seats, of which there are only 2, are all business; well-bolstered for high-g manoevres and thinly padded, though extremely comfortable.
Anyway, as you can tell, I got quite a thrill from this machine, which I thought about for the first time today. I’ve had the feeling before with other cars, such as after my first SVX encounter back in 1998, but I never really thought about what was happening inside my brain until now. It was a sort of euphoria, and the closest thing I can think of to describe it is the feeling you get when you are infatuated with another person. When I realised that, it then struck me as odd. It’s just a machine. Why does it make me feel this way?
Obviously, I don’t actually love it, since it is merely an object, but it is something that bears further investigation.
That last point is purposefully ambiguous; I fully plan to investigate the psychological and physiological reasons for my reaction, but, knowing me, it also means that I will likely own one someday.
Posted by Ron as Fire-in-a-can, Work at 7:57 PM EST
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