sometimes

work really sucks. there is an upside to being on call - i get paid for the hours i carry the pager. and for the most part, it's pretty quiet, altho today i had a few, including 1 bright and early.

but being the responsible person i am, i wanted to check something to see if it was still having problems or not, and fortunately, what i was checking, was ok.

UNFORTUNATELY i discovered not 1, but 2 separate problems, so i decided that i'd come into the office and be the responsible server admin i am (and would like to be) and dealt with the issues directly. i could have done some of it from home, but when i couldn't connect to our exchange box, it made more sense for me to come in now, while i can deal with it quietly, rather than get paged at 6am and have a user complain they can't check their mail. cuz then i'd have to check things and i'd end up driving in here anyways.

so, here i am, but i'm done with what i came in for. as an added bonus, i am able to actually burn a dvd i was figuring i'd have to wait until monday to do, so i'm rather pleased about that. we'll see if this works. i know the dvd i'm burning to will work in my player, but i'm not sure about the particular burner. (that whole dvd format arguement that never seems to be settled thing)

so it it currently 67% done, up from ~30% when i start typing this, so in the next 5-6 mins or so, i should be taking it out of the drive and packing things up to go home.

at which point i'll promptly pop the dvd in to see if it works. i'll be quite happy if it does. it's not often one gets the opportunity to see a great band, and this is the opportunity i was forced (due to lack-of-job) to miss. something i don't plan on screwing up the next time Tool tours...

and before anyone gets their panties or boxers in a bunch understand the following: i will not sell this. i will share it with those who ask politely. and i own every major Tool release (including the first editions of Lateralus and Salival that contain the typos. i bought them new. on the day they came out. not on ebay). i own every major Perfect Circle release. and i wait with baited breath, the next Tool album(s).

i always wonder about that disclaimer, but i feel as tho i should put it up there. i'm a big fan of live music, and my bootleg collection is fairly extensive for the bands i really like. (Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Tool, etc) i don't do it for profit, and i've never (nor will i ever) sell any of it for money. i've bought my share of bootlegs over the years and i share them freely with friends. it's a hobby. nothing more than that. some people collect pins or shot glasses. i collect live music. and finding a new show (like the recently released Zep show in Montreux 1971) is cool as hell.

so anyways, it's nearing completion now. i hadn't realized that this burner seems to queue things up before it actually writes the disc. so it is now 42% done. another 5 mins. ho hum. twiddle twiddle twiddle.

the gym continues to be a good thing for me. the same day M&i had our crappy Cheesecake Factory experience, i bought a shirt i've been watching at Banana Republic. quite nice, and in the clearance section. for a while, it was on sale for $35 (down from $60), but it finally dropped again and was $20.99. a little more than i'd like, but i really like the color (nice deep purple) and supplies were beginning to thin in my size. so after trying it on over a semi-bulky tshirt, i bought it and at home, tried it on w/o the tshirt and to my suprise and delight, it fit reasonably well, but more importantly, i discovered that some jackets i have which were a little tight on me were now actually semi-comfortable and actually fit. it was a very nice suprise as i hadn't been checking to see how my progress was. weightwise, i've only dropped a few pounds (3-4, which for a month is healthy) but more importantly, the fat stores seem to be going away. which means 2 things - 1) i have been losing weight, more than the scale is showing and 2) for the moment, it seems as tho i'm gaining muscle in a near 1 to 1 ratio or losing fat (eg: lose 1 lb fat, gain 1 lb muscle). i realize that will stop, but for just over 3 weeks (now a month), that's pretty good.

so it really is true - watch what you eat (cut back on portion size, minimize sugar/sweets intake, etc) and when combined with exercise, you really will be better off. i'm certainly pleased with the results, and that's just going every other day. it's a little hard waking up in the morning (6am for me is hard) but i'm getting used to it and it's actually harder for me to stay up this late now. (FINALLY the disc is done)

well, i'm tired, and it really is way past my bedtime so i'm going to grab my dvd, close up and head home.