It's about 8:10pm, Friday evening and I'm still at FDU. But it's okay, because I'm videotaping a most excellent band. w00t!

And just when I thought the ranting might be over.

Without getting too specific, there was an event on campus today that required my services early this morning. I set up and test everything (including five microphones) at 7am and when I left, everything was working beautifully.

Flash-forward to about 4pm and while entering another building to pick up equipment, I'm told - by someone in a position of authority - what amounts to the real world equivalent of "OMG IT WAS ALL FUXX0R3D!!!!111" in reference to the technology at the aforementioned event. Additionally, I was told that there were "presidents and vice-presidents" at this event, which implied in no uncertain terms that I'm a fuck-up and made the university look bad. Imagine my surprise, considering that I had heard no such panicked calls to my office concerning such an enormous technological meltdown (and I was told, for some reason, that calls were made to the Teaneck campus regarding this tech issue, which makes no sense at all). Surprise was quickly followed by stewing anger.

After 15 minutes of picking up other equipment, I spoke to someone closer to the event, wondering what the hell happened. This is where the calming effect comes in. "What? No, no, everything was working fine. There was a little background noise at one point from the microphones (feedback, I'm assuming, from getting too close to a speaker), but they figured it out and everything was fine."

Thank you to this person who assured me in no uncertain terms that I'm not a fuck-up, but an asset to the university. On days like these, I need that kind of assurance. Damn it.

There are two albums that have been in constant rotation on Winamp and my car stereo for me:

Billy Talent, II.
The Finals, Plan Your Getaway.

Show 'em some love.

Okay, I'm feeling a little better today.

Not much, but a little.

I'll ignore the fact that I have to be in to work at 6:00am tomorrow. Whee. Money money money. My debt'll be gone in no time at this rate.

Or rather, this.

Screw what the eye doctor said is causing my persistent bloodshot eyes. It's all stress and of that, I have no doubt this time. These 60+ hour weeks are finally taking their toll on me (and this week will be no different, clocking about 70 hours between FDU and my freelance videography). I just need to keep telling myself that this is only for this semester - provided that HR ever actually posts the IMC Technician position, as I'd really like to train someone new during the Winter Session in January - and that in the meantime, the money makes it worth it.

I'm just really tired right now and my eye hurts like hell, which in term is making the rest of my body feel like garbage. And of course, my eye being like this makes it oh-so-pleasant to work on computer-related work that I need to complete.

If anyone has some good remedies to diminish the pain and redness associated with stress-induced bloodshot eyes, I'm listening.

But it's not all doom and gloom around here. I have to give "The Mystery Prof" props for eliciting a good chuckle from me today (check comments from a few posts down if you're confused). I sense a parody of The Shadow in the works...

"Who knows what naïveté lurks in the hearts of faculty? The Mystery Prof knows!"

Hmm, I'll be damned. I'm feeling somewhat better now.

It's official. Stevie Y is now the vice-president of the Red Wings organization.

Oh yes. It shall be.

Holy crap! They're shooting scenes for the new Transformers movie in Detroit! Gargh! Why do they have to be doing it in October when there's no way I could head out to be an extra?

What the hell? That poor child.

Anyway...after a little over a week of soul searching and weighing the pros and cons, I decided to drop my one and only class for this semester (Japanese Conversation, aka Japanese III). I just couldn't dedicate the amount of time necessary to the class in terms of studies, homework, and lab that I wanted, or at least enough to end up with a passing grade. It's not that the material was too difficult (I definitely understand it), I just couldn't handle the workload alongside working 60+ hours a week, not to mention the now-frequent weekend work as well. I'll be hanging on to the textbooks though and I'll see if I can try and go through them at my own pace (who knows if this will actually happen; it didn't this summer), but for now, I just don't have the time to give my all to the class, not to mention the labs on Wednesdays (that weren't even supposed to be required this semester in the first place). It hasn't quite sunken in yet, but when it does, a huge weight will be lifted from my shoulders.

And in other news, Danielle made me a ridiculously delicious and moist meatloaf last night. I'm looking forward to having some more for dinner tonight. Yum.

He's still got it.

And yes, I'm white and nerdy as well.

Idiot.

It's like the man wants the world aflame in holy war. Why did he even bother reading such texts anyway? Anybody with half a brain would know the kind of reaction this would receive. I wouldn't be surprised if the Vatican becomes a legitimate Al-Qaida target now.

Total idiot.

If I've delivered a VCR/DVD combo to a classroom and the video output is connected to the wall plate for the LCD projector, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT I FORGOT TO BRING A MONITOR. A monitor isn't one of those things that you just forget...but still somehow remember to bring in the VCR/DVD deck. Common sense, that's all.

In other news, I'm getting more added to my newest tat tonight. That should be sufficiently relaxing to kick off my weekend.

For those that care, there are finally some new pics in my Gallery, with new pics in every pulldown menu except for the last one. Yep, that means I've finally gotten my wedding pics up. Enjoy!

Someone buy me this.

A 15-year contract is ridiculous. Garth Snow apparently likes DiPietro. Yikes.


EDIT: Apparently it's the owner of the Isles, Charles Wang, who orchestrated this debacle. As Matt on Let's Go Wings said:

"Party on, Wang."
"Party on, Garth."

CompUSA in East Hanover? Sucks. For being a supposed "Computer Superstore", you would think they'd have a simple thing like a female-female DB15 gender changer (in layman's terms, it switches a monitor cable to a female plug). Nope, of course not. Didn't even have a peg for it. And the salesperson I spoke to was no help either: "Uh, I don't think we carry those."

Radio Shack in Madison and Cedar Knolls? Suck suck suck. Neither of them had the gender changers either, although it at least looked like the one in Madison had a peg for it; Cedar Knolls didn't.

And finally...

If you just don't know how to work something, IT'S NOT BROKEN. You just don't know how to use it.

/end rant

...and the world is much less safe than it was on 9/11. No Bin Laden, secret CIA prisons torturing prisoners in violation of the "quaint" Geneva Convention, a war without end in the wrong place, Republican propaganda being televised on prime-time network television...and people wonder why I'm so damned cynical?

I realize this is common practice in Corporate America, but it's still frustrating as hell. Without giving too much detail (lest the "wrong" people read this and take issue), an e-mail circulated today giving an individual here immense credit for certain actions that have occurred here in the past year. One of those actions (which, to boot, was represented erroneously in its technological terminology) was something in particular that I had set in motion and without my actions (which, oddly enough, were considered rash and irresponsible at the time), it would never have come to fruition.

Meanwhile, I get the blame tossed my way concerning things that have little or nothing to do with me. Figures.

I just need to keep a happy face on here for maybe another year or two. Once I've graduated and found myself other gainful employment, I won't have to worry about this nonsense (I'll have a whole new batch of nonsense to deal with, more than likely).

Heh, Opie and Anthony came across some of the horrendous uncensored outtakes from nutjob Detroit news anchor Bill Bonds. Priceless.