It’s the first day of July. Means the first half the year is done and we’re trudging along towards the end of the year. I am sure there will be a time later in the year where I will reflect back on this day and wonder where it all went and how things played out like I normally do.

Work has been slow lately so I’ve been kind of bumming around the work day doing small things. This and that. Server maintenance etc.

Now that the Celtics have won (KG got his ring, poor guy. Maybe Dirk someday) no sports until August when preseaon games of football hopefully start. I like how the Cowboys are shaping up this offseason and hopefully that will make them strong contenders for another Superbowl championship. Though lack of W’s in December usually don’t help with anything. (Remember Westbrook stopping on the 1 yard line? Ouch.)

Heading out to Corpus this weekend for some time in the sun and fun. Not too sure what to expect but I’m happy to be heading out to relax.

Ever since one of the group got proposed to I hear alot of wedding talk. Not that it’s a bad thing but I guess the engine of wedding marches on forward towards that day. With that it seems to be a more common topic then say two months ago. Kind of strange how it shifts.

I have this growing feeling that it is now almost impossible to do anything without offending anyone. Maybe this is why I enjoy sarcastic humor at the expense of others. If anything I say will already offend someone, I might as well laugh about it? I mean who knew Muslims hated puppies. Seriously. Puppies.

It is the small work victories that carry me on through each day. I’m excited with the progress of adding to my skillset and how I’ve progressed in learning C# and coding ideas/theories.

I don’t recall when I became so mad at our current government. I don’t think a year ago I would have cared as much or maybe it’s the influence of the Digg crowd but I’ve been reading stories daily about corporate greed and how the rich just get richer, evasion of taxes, and yet all the little guys still work and try to live the best that they can. Maybe it’s seeing the big SUV’s roaring down the tollway with the mom in the car yapping on her cellphone. I don’t know. Corporations for a stronger, economical America or a better living for the American people in general?

It’s hard for me to imagine my friends going through layoffs or hitting troubled times. It may never happen but the thought of it is weird. In that respect, I’ve doubled my resolve to better myself.

So I’ve been happily chucking away at my code in an attempt to understand caching and I guess in my own weird way attempt to try and relate it to real life.

Summer has already started. The invasion of insects begin. I think yesterday when I got home from a long day I noticed a three inch june bug just hanging out on my sock and chilling. Note: Attempting to rid oneself of a june bug attached to your sock with the use of a closed toilet lid does not work. The june bug is strangely thinner then the opening. It worked in my head.

I find that despite attempting to live my life with no regrets, it’s hard not to be happy with your decisions and wondering about the alternate paths taken.

Undocumented third party software sucks

Yesterday was my first true foray into the world of 1080p as I got my HDMI cables and component cables for my PS3 and Wii. I’m pleased with how the PS3 renders at that resolution as well as the Wii over my previous 32″ CRT TV. Digital bliss I must say but still lacking in the audio department which I won’t be able to solve until a couple of years from now. I think the biggest couple of disappointments I encountered yesterday were

A) the 40gb PS3 is NOT backwards compatible simply by choice of Sony. This means I still have to keep the PS2 around for my older games. The Wii is the ultimate backwards compatible machine and I’ve been spoiled.

B) the DVD upscaler for the PS3 wasn’t as good as I was hoping. Granted it’s really a blu-ray player for me but I’m still sadden by some of the colors and how it looked in 300.

C) my Mac Mini G4 is sadly too slow to play videos at 1080p. This means my network files can’t be viewed yet. Having recently purchased the TV, I don’t think the missus would be too pleased if I continued to drop more money. A couple of years away and 865$ in the hole more will get a Mac Mini that can do it but to be honest, could I build a HTPC for cheaper? Advantages to a Mac Mini is the Apple Remote, ease of use of Leopard, small form factor with a nicer looking case. Doing this though would leave the original one useless though I suppose a kitchen PC could be interesting or maybe a guest machine? I’ve been getting into the mindset of buying things that last for a long time instead of settling for the cheap solution. Having study items to take on to the apartment and house gives me a greater sense of comfort.

All in all, I’m really enjoy piecing together a home theater system.

I read alot of tech news and blogs and I think one that really peeves me is that words pirate and file sharer are swapped interchangeably. A pirate is someone who sells copies for cheap prices on the sidewalk for cash. A file sharer is someone who puts files out there for download and use. Tomato, tomato I suppose but it just irks me.

So this past weekend I made my first big purchase on my own. I bit the bullet and ended up picking up the TV that I’ve been eying for quite some time now. Note: I am sad to say I felt a little sick afterwards but the feeling was quite fleeting.

I ended up going to Fry’s first because it was right by my house and just dropped in to see the price of the TV. I found it was going for much cheaper then what I had seen at many other retail places. Eager to snatch up this deal because it ends 5/13 I went ahead and see how much I could get pre-approved for. Initially, only 1800. After a phone call the representative made on my behalf to try and extend my line of credit, I got 2200 which was not enough. I was a little pissed because I really wanted zero percent financing for 24 months.

So that drove me into the arms of Best Buy where I ended up being pre-approved for enough to snag said TV albeit at a higher price. So I will be investigating today and trying to see if they can price match me with the cost of the TV at Fry’s saving me 300$. Here’s to hoping!

Update: I went to Fry’s yesterday and snapped a photo of the current price tag (and then I got my iPhone out) and showed it to the guy at Best Buy. I got my 300$ back. I was a little surprised that the prices of the TV’s had already changed from this weekend and it was 200$ cheaper then when I had bought it on Saturday. Oh well. Still nice!