a quick thought...

For anyone who cares to know, How to Save a Life, by The Fray, is a pretty good cd. I just got it off itunes yesterday, and so far, I really like it. Think kind of a Coldplay piano sound, similar style guitars, and vocals almost reminiscant of SemiSonic, but with a more class. Or just listen for yourself and figure it out.

excited...? depends on how you look at it.

So, yeah. I have class here shortly. Definitely not excited about that. At all. It is my "Intro to Design" class, which has to be about the most boring of all my classes, rivaled only by "Managerial Communication." So, yeah, I am thrilled about going...

On the other hand, I am looking forward to going out to Ontario... Minus the drive to Saskatoon and back. Other than that, it will be a good time, hanging out with friends and celebrating. It will be good to see some of the people. Most I haven't seen since my wedding in March.

Anyhow... Class is calling.... Argh...

i so need one of these...

I need a Strong Bad Polo Shirt!

Well, maybe need is a bit strong, but they sure are pretty dang cool! Anyone who is feeling remorse over missing my birthday may certainly overcome it by purchasing the gift certificate for me... :) j/k. But seriously folks, they are pretty dang cool.

i've sold out again...

Why do I say that? Because I am about to start watching the first disc of the first season of Lost. I have heard enough about it, and read enough about it, that now I am curious. So? We'll see hoqw it goes. From everything I have heard, its quite good and quite addicting. I have high expectations. We'll see if it lives up to them....

In other news which no one cares about, my sell out computer should be here tomorrow. I'm looking forward to that. It will be nice to have a desktop again. Laptops are nice for the portability, but there's just some things that you can do much better on a desktop.

Other than that? I finally got motivated today and cleaned the house, did the dishes and the laundry, and got my homeworl for tomrrow done. That's a first. But, at least it looks like I am caught up on my homework, which is a good thing. Didn't want to have to try and get a bunch of stuff done next weekend, because we all know that it wouldn't, so that's a relief. *Sigh* Everytime I think of this trip, the only thing that comes to mind is driving 11ish hours. By myself. Trying not to think about it, but it is just kinda looming out there. Anybody want to come?

Anyhow, time to start my new adventure in TV land. I'll let you know how it goes.

blah...

That's how I feel today. I was up way too late last night, and today I just feel tired. And a little sick. There's so much I could or should be doing, but I am just quite unmotivated. I need to wake up and get my act in gear. Anyhow... I have a lot to do before I head to Canada in a week. I better get at it!

more fun...

just having some more fun with pictures... 

here's another...

here's another of my adventures in picasa... kinda fun to play with, i think. whatdya think? 

picasa 2 in action...

So, here's something fun I made with picasa... I was actually working on an art project, which is supposed to look nothing like this (read: messing around), and came up with this... thought it was pretty cool, so I thought that I'd post it. Anyone wanna guess what it is? 

too much fun...

Yup. Just having too much fun. No other way to describe it. Naw, it isn't all that bad. Just working on some research for a paper that is due tomorrow. LIfe is going pretty well. No real complaints here. I am looking forward to going to Ontario next week. Not looking forward to the driving part of it, but? Such is life. Anyhow... I have nothing really useful to say, so I guess I will get back to my homework.

pretty cool...

I just got Picasa 2. I have to say that I am pretty impressed with it from first glance. For those of you who don't know, Picasa is a freeware picture editing program put out by Google. (yes, they are taking over the world, but what can ya do...) I was just playing with some of the effects, and I thought it did pretty well, especially for a freeware program. If you aren't going to do any super serious photo editing, then this program should do you just fine. It works better than any other free editing software I've come accross thus far. Now, if I could only get Google to pay for this post.......

In other news, I've offically sold out and bought a Dell desktop. What can I say? For the money, I got more features with it that than anywhere else, including building one myself. I mean, heck, I got a 17" flat panel. No, it isn't the super-duper crystal-clear digital one. But who cares? I don't. And a 3 ghz P4 chip. (another sell out, I've always gone for AMD, but Dell doesn't seel them...) It will do some stuff that my laptop won't. Like burn DVD's. And edit pictures faster. And store way too many of them on the 80 gb hard drive. Good grief. I sound like a freaking talking commercial. Why didn't you shut me up b4 this?

Time to get back to what I get paid the big bucks for (oops, I meant pay the big bucks for), math homework. Yeah. I'm a nerd. Cya.

i made it...

(Sigh). I made it. Mid terms sucked, but I made it. 2 A's, 1 B, and still waiting for one score... I can deal with that. Now I can take a deep breath and... do more homework. Oh, well. At least the hard part is done now. Until finals week anyhow.

In other news, I am thinking about trying to make some money doing portraits for people. Just for kicks and giggles, mostly. I borrowed my dad's old Pentax camera again recently, and it reminded me just how much I love photography. So, I thought, why not try to make a few bucks at it? Give me an excuse to go out and shoot more film. That camera might be older than me, but it still takes phenomenal pictures.

That's all I've got for now, I guess. Back to the homework.

food for thought...

I think I may have posted this before, but I thought it was worth doing again anyhow. Every time I hear this song it makes me think... The lyrics are just good! Enjoy!

Have I come too casually?
Because it seems to me
There's something I've neglected
How does one approach a Deity
with informality
And still protect the Sacred?

'Cause you came and chose to wear the skin of all of us
And it's easy to forget You left a throne
And the line gets blurry all the time
Between daily and Divine
And it's hard to know the difference

Oh, let me not forget to tremble
Oh, let me not forget to tremble
Face down on the ground do I dare
To take the liberty to stare at you
Oh, let me not,
Oh, let me not forget to tremble

What a shame to think that I'd appear
Even slightly cavalier
In the matter of salvation
Do I claim this gift You freely gave
As if it were mine to take
With such little hesitation?

'Cause you came and stood among the very least of us
And it's easy to forget you left a throne

Oh, let me not forget to tremble
Oh, let me not forget to tremble
Face down on the ground do I dare
To take the liberty to stare at you
Oh, let me not
Oh, let me not forget to tremble

The cradle of the grave could not contain Your Divinity
Neither can I oversimplify this love

Oh, let me not forget to tremble
Face down on the ground do I dare
To take the liberty to stare at you
Oh, let me
Oh, let me not forget to tremble

Tremble - Nichole Nordeman

almost there...

One more exam and then I am done, at least for a little while. I don't think it will be the hardest one I've taken, but I don't thinki it will be the easiest, either. I will certainly be glad when it's done, though. Other than that? Not too much exciting going on around here. Just tired, and I will be glad when this week is over.

back to the grindstone..

Back at it. The trip north was fun, although it was a lot of driving. Didn't do any homework (no suprise) and so I am scrambling to get stuff done. Math test tomorrow, business test the day after... Should be alright after that.... I hope. Headed north again in just a couple weeks, probably with even more driving. Oy.

Other than that? Nothing too much going on, that I can think of, anyhow. Working on a lab report... Guess I should get back at it.

yup

So, I got my ipod in the mail today, and it has made me understand just why everyone loves them. They are pretty dang awesome! It'll be great to have that for the trip up to the tundra...

In other news... I have a chem exam in just over an hour. I also have to study for my architecture exam tomorrow, and do some math homework and some biz homework. Fun fun.

But, if you are like me and don't want to be doing whatever it is that you should be doing, then you should go here.

gonna make it...

I think I will make it. I stayed up until 3:30 this morning working to get a bunch of stuff done, but I think I'll be okay now.

We leave early tomorrow to head to the frozen tundra to go to a friend's wedding reception. should be fun stuff. Gonna be a whirlwind trip, though.

check it out...

I finally got around to adding some links... Check'em out sometime...

Back to homework, for real this time...

yeah, yeah, yeah...

So, it's about a quarter to 2 in the morning.

Definitely studying for my chem exam tomorrow. Feeling pretty good about it so far. I have enough Mt. Dew in me to kill a normal person, but I seem to have gained my second wind, and I am feeling pretty good. Will I regret this tomorrow? Dunno... Guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there... Guess my 5 min break is almost up... Time to get back at it...

will i ever learn?

Procrastination is a specialty of mine. I have it down to a fine art. The act of typing this is probably one of my finer procrastinations. I'm too good at...

When will I ever learn?

I just can't do things like this anymore. It's gonna kill me. Currently, I have research due for a meeting at 10 am today. Not done. I have two days worth of math homework due 8 am tomorrow. Not done. I have at least 2 drawings due for my drafting class at 9 am tomorrow. Not done. I have a drawing due today at noon for my architecture class. Partly done. (there's at least one point in my favor) I have a chemistry exam tomorrow night that I have not studied nearly enough for. I have an architecture exam on Friday that I have not studied for at all...

When will I learn that this doesn't work?

It worked when I was in college before... But things have changed. For one, good grades were easier to get there. And, I wasn't married. Not that marriage is a bad thing. It just requires some time, same as any real relationship. I lived in the dorms there... Here, there are bills to be paid, a whole house to be kept clean, food to buy and to cook... Almost none of which I had to worry about when I lived in the dorms... Again, not that any of this is bad, per se, just different. Things have changed, and now it's time for me to change along with them....

But change is hard.

Time for me to go hit the library...

p.s.

While I did get an ipod nano for my birthday, I decided to return it... and get a bigger one! Seriously, for just a little more money (actually the same money as an ipod nano 4gb) I got a full size 20gb ipod, with a free fm transmitter and a free case. can't complain about that! Now I can haul all my music and then some.

spoiled rotten...

Spoiled rotten... that's me alright. My wife (who, by the way, is the best any man could ask for) bought me an ipod nano for my birthday. I am spoiled...

i think i'm nuts...

Why, you ask, do I start my post with a title such as that? Because. Its the truth. I am thinking about possibly double majoring. Why would I torture myself like that, you ask? A couple of reasons, actually... In no particular order, here are some of them.
1. I am probably going to be stuck here for while no matter what I do.
2. Because I started off behind in math this semester, it could quite possibly take me 4 and a half years to graduate anyhow.
3. Because of the above math dilemma, I may only be taking 12-13 credits for the next 3 semesters or so until i catch up.
4. The maximum # of extra classes I would need to take to acquire a second major (not a second degree) is 7.
5. Double majoring would allow me to fill out a couple of my semesters where I am not taking very many classes.
6. It wouldn't really cost me anything extra, beyond book costs, as anything between 12 and 19 credits is a set cost.
7. It would allow me to take the few extra classes for a closely related field, and get credit for it.
So, those are some of the reasons I am contemplating it. I need to talk to an advisor, and see what my schedule is going to look like just trying to do my one major before I decide if I really have time to do a second major. We shall see...

Speaking of majoring in anything... I suppose I should get back to doing some homework, if I want to earn a degree in anything other than Slackerism.

bridge pics...

Here are the bridge pics that I promised! We spanned 7 ft. 3 in. Not bad for newspaper!

thoughts of the day...

Life is busy.

I don't think that will change anytime soon, if ever. Probably not ever. The obvious danger here is when business begins to overrun life and leave the important things lying beaten in the dust. This happens far too often, it seems, and almost just as often these things never make it back. They die in the dust. Things like spending time in the Bible, spending time with people, getting involved in the community. Things of that nature... I dunno. I guess I am kinda rambling. Sometimes you just have to do things, no matter how busy you get with all the other 'important' stuff.

In the spirit of the following paragraph, we are going to be gone a bunch over the next month. I might have to invest in a small fortune of Mt. Dew in order to stay up late to get all my homework done, but nonetheless, we are doing things that are important on a different level. Gotta go see family back home this weekend, and then next weekend we head off to the (almost) frozen tundra (Canada, or more specifically SK for those of you who've never been...) to visit some friends. Then in Nov. I am off to Canada again for a wedding... This time I get to go to a part I've never been to, so that's cool. Unfortunately, even though I'll get to go through Toronto, probably the only thing I'll see is the airport...

In other news, I've become the self appointed editor to an up-and-coming author. Their new book, entitled "As Normal as Thanksgiving in October" will be available.... someday. Go here to preorder your pre, pre, prerelease. Satisfaction guaranteed. Or something like that. But it will be good, I promise.

Other than that? Maybe someday I'll finish my book. Your should preorder that too, while you're at it. It will most likely be available the second tuesday of next week. Sooner if I ever get back to writing. C'mon, 4 pages in 2 years is good progress, right?

Anyway, I suppose I should get back to my current task.... That of becoming an environmental engineer. Almost got that tackled, too... Only 3.5 - 4 more years to go!