This has already been a strange week and we’re just getting started. Last night, Jason Jeb and I accidently got bombed in the sauna (yes I said accidently). I mean we didn’t even have that much beer but a simple equation makes it clear what happened:

(# beers + temp of sauna - cups of water consumed) * # hours in sauna = 10 * # hours you’ll regret it the next day

But, me being the trooper I am, staggered onto campus by 8:50 likely looking like death warmed over. So, the moral of the story is everything you read here, NEVER DO. Again I learn from the school of hard knocks - the hard way every day.

Speaking of that, check out my old resume. I actually handed out copies of that at the job fair last year - and landed 3 interviews (no jobs though). Jobs are for suckers . . . or was that grad school? Ok, bed time. I’m feeling a bit tired after last night’s tango with stupidity.

Yes, yes, I know, two day’s late. My fault 100% since I didn’t ask for it until tonight. Anyway, here it is (unfortunatly only in AVI format) so click right friggen here for the movie. Well, time for bed before I get myself in trouble . . .

I had a little run in the Houghton’s Finest last night. For what you ask- breaking beer bottles against the bank? Streaking? Throwing kegs? Nope, we were crossing a side street when the Ho-Po rolled up on us. In a bizzare flashback to Nazi Germany, the first words out of Officer Asshat was basically “we’re the police, now show me your papers”. Yes, that’s right, we being harassed for crossing the street. Unfortunatly, their fishing expidition did net them two MIP’s. When I saw that going down, I started running my mouth informing The Man that you can’t just roll up on a group of people walking and demand breathilizers and ID. He didn’t take too well to that but the civil servent sitting the passenger side seemed a bit more concerned about the lack of probable cause since he just sat there with worried look on his face. That bastard also took the left overs of a 12 pack the Zak had (who is over 21). Why they took that from us I’m still not sure since they hauled off the two underage people to the cop shop (then forced them to walk home from there). For the local readers, you know the cop I’m talking about - that short bastard that always has an attidude. Ahhhh, does this piss me off. We’re not supposed to live in a police state.

Update-6:19 PM - Jason dropped by with a printed copy of this ruling that says forcing people to take breathalyizers without a search warrent violates the 4th amdendment. The clincher is this:
Judge Lawson further emphasized that “the right to be left alone in public places ranks high on the hierarchy of entitlements that citizens in a free society have come to expect - at least in the context of citizen-police encounters.”

It’s finally done - although not officially until tomorrow. We hung the door (minus the glass - 2 week lead time) and I connected the heater. I cranked her on and hit about 100 degrees F. I took a picture of the thermometer, but my camera didn’t like the humidity so much so it didn’t turn out. We’re going to shoot a video of the inside tomorrow or Saturday. I’ll toss it up when we get it.

I took this little poll. You should try it too (and see if you want to meet me in a dark ally or not).

How evil are you?

So I saw a post on slashdot and as always, the somewhat coherent dribble oozing forth from the comments briefly touched on a good point. For the unintroduced, existentialism is a 20th-century philosophical movement; assumes that people are entirely free and thus responsible for what they make of themselves(dictionary.com). In an effort to avoid a flamewar, I will avoid the so called first principle derivation of existentialism on the internet(actually more to avoid being burned at the stake), but catch me in me in one of my prophetic rants in person and I’ll explain it all. However, if anyone cares to, post your own qualification or dissention of this postulate.

Where am I heading with this? No clue. So I hopped in the truck the other day for a little drive . . . don’t really get away from town as much as I should. I tore north up to Calumet and headed west towards Lake Superior. The ice has receded and now resides only near the shore. I also went out for a little walk this evening as well. Nice night; totally clear, no wind, about 36 degrees - perfect. Portage Lake is beginning to open up as well. For whatever reason, I’ve really been waiting for things to warm up ($650 gas bills aside). Every morning I nearly run off the bridge trying to see how much open water there is. Weird huh?

Let’s see . . . I have a functional email client now. So if you email I *may* actually get it. I expunged some 2800 items from my inbox which was so full my web based mail client would just site there and cough up blood. Speaking of which I have some email to right so I’d better get on it.

We’re in the home stretch now. The benches are mostly in, the glue is setting up on the door, and I’m starting to get itchy. So here’s the latest and greatest shots.

And the door in the wood shop . . .

The door is going to be pretty sweet. We cut it so a fairly substantial glass window will be put in. Mighty damn sweet if you ask me.

Later on today, we’re putting on a bit of a show for the Discovery Channel so yep, you guessed it, I’m in the lab babysitting the pumps. As usual, what is supposed to be a nice quiet evening here turned out to be the exact opposite. Someone flipped off the three-phase power to the cryopump and didn’t flip it back on. So I spent about an hour running around throwing breakers and crap. I finally found the correct one next door and got things running again. Oh yeah, to get into the electrical closet, I had to call public safety (aka the campus police) and wouldn’t you know it, I had my cop magnet shirt on too. What a world.

It may shock some of you, but I did go out on St. Patricks Day. Jason, Zak, Jeb and I decieded to take to the streets of Houghton and Hancock to celebrate well . . . whatever St. Patrick’s Day is celebrating. We started the evening off with some corned beef, cabage and some Harp beer. Good stuff, I’d highly recommended it. After that, we started the inevitable downward spiral. Despite there being 14 bars within walking distance, we chose only the elite few worthy of our presence (read - the ones with real people in them). So, here’s the pictures. Click for the larger, even more drunk picture.

The Dog House (Douglass Soloon) in Houghton. In order from left to right: Jeb, Jason, me, Zak.

The DT (Downtowner) in Houghton

Bleacher’s Sports Bar in Hancock

We ended up shutting down Bleacher’s. Before we left though, some dudes were getting ready to throw down so the bar tender told them to take it outside (don’t want to hurt the carpet on the ceiling you know). They make for the door, open it, and whose standing there, non other then the Hancock police. They see this shuffle back in. He breaks the whole thing up in no time flat. The best part though was when this guy who was uber-wasted had his arm around the cop (being all friendly like) and asked him “So will you let me drive home (slurred)?”. While he was saying that, he dropped is arm from around the cops neck and accidently touched his ass. The cop, shaking his head replied, “No you can’t drive home after grabbing my ass”. I just though that was funny since just about anywhere else on earth, that guy would have been pistol whipped and tossed in jail.

It feels like Thrusday already. I’ve been basically attacked on all fronts. Yesterday was pretty much hell. Up at 8:30, sitting at my desk doing homework at 8:32. Finished that seconds before class at 11. Sandwhich in the MEEM elevator for lunch, lab work, class at two. Lab work, work out 4-5:30, get dinner on the way back to campus. Lab work, 5:45-8, sauna/house work from 8-10. Jason and Zak actually beat me home and were already working by the time I showed up.

Today isn’t much different. In the lab by 8:30 doing some thermal modeling. In the M&M Building talking materials with a professor at 11. Grabbed lunch and headed home to escape fromt he people looking for me to study for my two exams I have tomorrow. Yeah, that’s right, I only have two classes and by some cruel twist of fate, they managed to both schedule exams within two hours of eachother.

I want my life back dammit!!!! I miss wasting away in front of the TV watching Law and Order (Man 1, that’s 8 1/3 to 25 buddy). Now, I just stare at a brick wall and think of new ways to make anodes without blowing stuff up. At least St. Patrick’s Day is coming up - sounds like a group of us is getting together to make Irish Car Bombs and watch The Boondock Saints. Well, almost time to go work out . . . so I can beat the snot out of the next person pisses me off.