So, I have to get my damn MCP cert by the end of the year… Not likely going to happen as far as I can tell. For a variety of reasons.

(1) I underestimated the time I’d need to study up. Windows is more complicated than I had thought it was. Note: Complicated doesn’t mean better.

(2) The test concerns itself more with Microsoft terminology, and paths within the OS that you have to memorize than it does with theory. Who memorizes the exact path to things? Do you really know the exact name of the 5th select box on the 4th tab (have to know that name too) of the Whatever control panel? You get the picture… That’s a useful bit of knowledge.

(3) I can’t get past certain questions that start like:
Your project team members are using an Access database to store project data. You plan to work on the database while you are on a business trip.
I just can’t help think to myself, “Why would you use Access, you moron!?”

(4) I’m severly burnt out what with all the things I’m trying to cram into my head… When I sit down to study this stuff I physically feel like I’m going to pass out…

So, there it is. That is why I suspect I will fail. I, however, won’t fail to give it my best. I’m just concerned that my best won’t be good enough… We shall see…

Here’s a great article providing an example of how the liberal leftist commie bastards are ruining the country. Now, I’m not a “righty tighty” by any means, but give me a fuckin break! If someone came up to me and complained to me about this I think I’d stick their hand in a meat grinder.

Click here for Article

Oh my god, people on the roads today were exceptionally stupid. I mean, what is the major difficulty with double left turn lanes? Is it the heat down here? Perhaps something in the water? Let me explain the concept: You have two left turn lanes at the light. One right next to the other. With me so far? Then on the receiving road – that would be the road where you turn onto from said left turn lanes – you have three lanes. The left most turn lane is received on the left most lane on the receiving road. The remaining left turn lane is received in the middle lane of the receiving road. I swear, 70% of the time the left most turn lane is received in the middle lane. All of these turn lanes even have dotted white lines to SHOW you where the hell you should put your FUCKING car when you turn! Anyway, today I was glad I don’t own a bike. It’s one of those days where you’d end up kicking in doors on the way down the road…

In other news, I finally took a stand on the EMACS/VI debate. Every good Linux geek needs to take sides eventually. :) I just have to say, I understand the obsession with VI now – well, more specifically VIM. :)

So, today I passed my Network+ test. I’m a certified hardware and network geek now. Certified baby! All of you technophiles out there know what that means, right? It doesn’t mean shit! :) Actually, in my case it means that I can quit stressing about the damn Net+ test. Next in line is my MCP, which I’ve been stressing about for awhile now. I could have sworn that I failed, but to my surprise I didn’t. The test had many questions that were just wrong… Questions with vague descriptions and answers that were equally vague.

Being the terminal geek that I am (read: unix geek (get it?)), I finally got my workstation back up to par… It seems that when you compile your system with 486 CFLAGS (oops), and then you correct it midstream it busticates everything. At least that’s my latest theory. My root filesystem was horked, I couldn’t fsck it, and it just went downhill the more I tried to fix it. So, I recompiled the entire system and did a stage 1. Ugh. I also finally got Gentoo to install on our gimpy laptop. Had to do a Stage 3 + GRP, because the compiling kept overheating the stupid thing. Heidi needed a laptop to use out in the living room. She want’s XP, but the laptop can’t do XP… So I installed Gentoo, and RDesktop and she boots into KDE and invokes a Terminal Services connection to her workstation in the office. :) Yay Linux!

All you geeks out there, help me think this one through… Here’s the series of events:

1. Install Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
2. Play NFS and have major fun.
3. Install Sidewinder Joystick to make game more fun to play.
4. Have even more fun playing game!
5. Install Microsoft FF Wheel to have even MORE fun playing the game.
6. Game lags like an SOB with the wheel.
7. Remove wheel, and reinstall joystick.
8. Game lags like an SOB.
9. Set graphics and detail to lowest level.
10. Game lags like an SOB.
11. Remove game card drivers, and joystick and reinstall.
12. Game lags like an SOB.
13. Uninstall game and reinstall.
14. Game lags like an SOB.
15. Take game out back and shoot it with high caliber firearm.

I can’t understand what tha hell is wrong. I’ve tried anything. If anyone has any ideas how I can get this working, please email me. It should be noted the game runs fun if I remove the joystick. Only when I add the joystick (in the Game Controllers CP) does the game lag like an SOB. It makes no damn sense…

Well, I have 14 hours of vacation left.. :( This vacation I successfully got my computer up and running again after reinstalling the OS, coded a visitor script for my websites in both Perl and PHP, found out I’m daddy to both a boy and a girl, discovered an awesome recipie for shrimp scampi, attended a class for Winblows Server 2k, and got some game time in. All in all, a nice vacation. I get another vacation at the end of the year, and I can’t wait! :)

Right now Heidi is making us a nice fried chicken dinner, or as I like to call it, fricken dinner. :) So, back to the grind and all the good things that come with it……