Author: Mark540

Details emerge… but does it really matter

Life, Randomness

With the world on a 24 hour news cycle it’s hard to watch the reporters repeat what details are already out there for hours on end. I forced myself not to watch any reports for hours yesterday so that when I finally did I actually got information, not just a sick feeling in my stomach.

I just feel this need to know.

Does it make me feel better to know the details, to know the face, not really. I just clamor for information. I need to know. It’s like when you were a kid and you watched the scary parts through the cracks in your fingers, you were scared to find out, but you really wanted to know.

This is the scary part in real life.

So if you really want to know and don’t feel like putting up with Geraldo’s mustachioed ego, then go to what I’ve found to be the best resource for information.

VT Massacre

later.

PS. write your name like this and tell me it doesn’t creep you out today…

Mark Schumaker, 25, Vienna Virginia

You never know what kind of day it’s going to be when you wake up.

Life, Randomness

We weren’t having the best night last night. It had poured down rain all day and the sump pump in Charlie’s room had given up. Water had made it all the way from the sump under the bathroom floor, to the laundry room. It was a total mess, unlike most things we couldn’t fix this. So we called Lauren (our landlord) and she told us the earliest she could get someone out to us would be 9:30 Monday morning. So we decided to take our chances with that time, so we used the shop vac to get as much water out of everything and let it ride.

But then at 9:30 nothing about our house situation seemed to matter. Nothing about changing jsp code at work mattered. Guitar Hero breaks could barley take my mind off what happened in Blacksburg. I was a senior in high school when Columbine happened, this feels so similar. Just thinking about it brings up all those images that are burned in my brain. Well now I have new images and sounds that keep echoing around inside my head.

There’s nothing I can do. That’s what I keep thinking.

For now it seems like there was nothing anybody could have done about it. I hope it stays like that. I’d hate to think this could have been avoided.

Mark

Allow me this rant.

Life, Rants

So I’ve noticed that my day goes by much quicker and I’m in a better mood when I listen to music all day. Why is that? Mostly because I don’t have to listen to the idiotic rantings of my slovenly cube-neighbor. He is a grade-A dork. Not only does he write bad code and yet constantly complain about others code (mostly because of formatting of all things) But he claims things are done when they are obviously not even close, which makes more work for me when I have to come in at the last minute and fix things before they go to system test and make more work for someone else.

AND HE PROBABLY MAKES TWICE WHAT I DO.

I try not to be overtly mean to him. I try to think of what my mother would do, she being the nicest person in the world. But it so hard when he punctuates every sentence with annoying staccato laughter and keeps talking long after you’ve made it clear that you’re not interested anymore.

I think he should be my main argument for a raise. I put up with this guy more than anyone else does… give me more money.

Later!
Mark

Like teeth on a chalkboard

Life, Rants

I know this blog isn’t the best designed thing in the world, I try. But it does have a lot of CSS on the back end that I understand fairly well. When I’m at work I design the front end of our application, I try. I spend all day trying to get all the buttons to move one pixel to the right while still getting the error messages to float to the left. It’s been interesting day to say the least.

So then I come across a page in the system that another developer has been working on. I can tell from the screen that it needs some cleanup. (even though he says It’s almost done!). As I’m going through it I find this.

& #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160 & #160

which is the java equivalent of “&nbsp” which is a space. I’m spending all day writing css styles to move things one pixel and this guy is aligning things by hitting the space bar 150 times.

AHHHHHHHHH.

Guitar Hands…

Entertainment, Random

Since we got the Guitar Hero for the 360 we’ve been playing it non stop. I took off work a little early so that I could get home early and have some time by myself. I started my own band so I can keep track of my progress. Chuck Norris Tears will be tearing up the charts in no time. When the roomies get home its on to some intense battles. Since we only have to one guitar right now we just take turns playing the same songs and the one with the highest percentage gets to pick the next song. It’s not the best plan, but it’ll have to do until we find the second guitar.

But now when I type I’m expecting an off chord when I hit the delete key.

Later!
Mark

There’s a difference between a want and a need.

Entertainment, Random

I saw this link and then suddenly I had money in my hands and I was throwing it at the screen in hopes that I would have this in my hands sooner. My geek side says that I must have this. But my other geek side says that I still have to pay for the softball league and kickball league. I must not give in the the dark side.


Powerful it is…

Mini Remote Control R2-D2

Later!
Mark