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[Masterpiece]

Parallel parking is a necessity in German drivers education. Is also one of the things you probably have to do during the 45 minutes practical driving test.

Parallel parking is something my driving instructor taught very well. I actually managed to do it pretty well in the exam (German instructors give you five maneuvers, I managed to do it in three).
A year after I had my exam (I didn't drive after that), I tried parallel parking with my dad's huge 98 model Mercedes Benz. That thing is basically a tank and incredibly difficult to park in a narrow street such as the ones at the Turkish Mediterranean coast. I parked (in three maneuvers again) and went out to check how I did, I was perfectly in line with the other vehicles in the road and perfectly parallel.

I felt so proud of myself.

[Welu]

I believe ny Da is planning on making me into his driver once I past my test. He taxis to Belfast and Dublin airports a lot for work and wants me to do it to save cash, even though I fully intend on charging £10 an hour.  That'll still be a lot cheaper than his taxi runs though, even considering I won't be allowed to do more than 45mph for the first year after passing.

[Radical AC]

That feeling when your relationship of three years ends because time, distance, and apparently wanting different things out of life kills it.

Then not having anyone to talk to about it because you moved 900 miles from anyone you can spill your guts to over a beer to improve your life.

At least tomorrow is 120 degrees or some shit, cause Arizona rules.

[Thrillho]

That feeling when your relationship of three years ends because time, distance, and apparently wanting different things out of life kills it.

Then not having anyone to talk to about it because you moved 900 miles from anyone you can spill your guts to over a beer to improve your life.

Add one year to the tally and I know almost exactly how you feel, and it uh... it sucks a bag of dicks. Hope you're okay.

[Radical AC]

I am really sad and numb, but I am not thinking crazy person thoughts.

It gets better, right?

[GarandMarine]

With time, just gotta tough it out for the first little bit.

[Carl-E]

Finding someone to have a beer with helps, too. 

[Patrick]

I know that feel all too well, man, and I offer my sympathies and my ear. I've made that move a number of times and it had a similar effect on a number of relationships, romantic or otherwise. You already know you're gonna be okay, obviously, and that's a good start. And I won't lie and say it feels that way immediately. But it will, I promise you that. If it helps, think of it as room to grow.

[Pilchard123]

I never get why people don't like parallel parking. Either I've been taught well or I've been screwing it up loads, but I never have a problem with it.

* Disclaimer: Pilchard123 has never taken a driving test

EDIT: So. EVE. I buy a nice shiny new ship, fit it out for exploration, go find some high-value loot. Then I realise after I get warp-scrambled, locked and popped that I forgot the warp-core stabilisers.

On a related note, this was my first run-in with a PvP multiboxer.

[Thrillho]

I am really sad and numb, but I am not thinking crazy person thoughts.

It gets better, right?

Mine happened nine months ago and if you compare my general state of mind and tone on here, and on Facebook, I'd like to think that the folks on here, particularly Unicorn, Neko and Pat can testify that it gets better.

[Patrick]

I never get why people don't like parallel parking. Either I've been taught well or I've been screwing it up loads, but I never have a problem with it.

Dude, last night after the show I pulled the car up to the front of the bar from where I'd parked it a block away, and I parallel parked that bitch so fucking good that even people in SF were impressed. Did it in one fell swoop, it took about 5 seconds after pulling alongside the car I was parking behind. Perfect placement.

[Pilchard123]

Aw, no, I missed a new page.

Sorry, Radical, I didn't mean to ignore you like that. I can't offer advice, only my hopes that the situation gets better one way or another.

[Loki]

As a twice de-relationshipped person, yes, it gets better.

[Masterpiece]

I appear to code the best in hang-over mode. I wrote a program that will structure your files into a yyyy/mm/dd folder structure for a friend of mine, learning the new I/O APIs in Java and finally understanding the SwingWorker in the process.

I love the Java Tutorials website. It's super easy to learn with that.

[celticgeek]

I did something like that, restructured files from:

DeptA
   Jan
   Feb
   ...
DeptB
   Jan
   Feb
   ...
...

to:

Jan
   DeptA
   DeptB
   ...
Feb
   DeptA
   DeptB
   ...
...

I did it in perl.  It was a lot of fun.

[Masterpiece]

Well I suppose there's a lot more simpler ways to do something like that then Java. But Java is currently the only thing I know, so I did it in Java.

But I'm teaching myself XAML/C#

[celticgeek]

I don't know that it was simpler, I was practicing my perl at the time. 

[ankhtahr]

Received my newest keyboard today. Also played video games with a friend I've known from elementary school. Today was a good day.

Nearly missed the delivery guy, but was able to catch him just in time. This keyboard is so absolutely awesome, it's unbelievable. I don't want to stop typing. Also the sound is great. Doesn't beat a Model M in both categories (sound and feel), but as it's a compact keyboard for carrying around with my notebook it's fantastic. You can't really carry a Model M around. I mean, yes, you can, but it would become uncomfortable after a short while. Also people try to lynch you for the sound.

And I'm so happy about gog.com. They made it possible that I spent twelve hours playing a fantastic old game in LAN. It was a bit of a hassle to get it running (as I insisted on using the original German language files I still had off the original disk instead of the English only gog.com version) but then we played for at least 10 hours straight. And it was awesome. The Guild Gold Edition/Europa 1400. It may be buggy, and multiplayer might be absolutely unstable, but if it runs, it's one of the greatest games ever imho.

I have to admit that the main reason for writing all this was that I wanted something to write on my new keyboard… 

Also I'm tired and my thinking is gradually becoming incoherent, so I have no idea if what I just wrote makes any sense.

[Radical AC]

Thank for the reassurance.  At this point just being told that life goes on and so will I feels good.  I don't mean to get all relationship bloggy, but like, you move to a new place and there is all this overwhelming change then BAM something like this just piles on.  I still don't have any furniture, or even a bed.  I got paid today so I think I will shop for one tomorrow!

I can parallel park my old explorer pretty well, but if I get a new vehicle I want something way smaller.

[Patrick]

I was driving Matt's '94 Cherokee Sport 2-door last night when I did my epic parking job, and I want something that size or smaller. I'm gonna save up for an early 2000s VW Golf TDI, it's small and quick and economical and has lots of room to put shit.

[Radical AC]

Careful with those early 2000's VWs.  My mother has a 2002 Passat W8 and that thing has had so many electrical problems and other expensive stuff go wrong with it.  The mechanic we would take it to said early 2000's VWs have a bunch of problems like that, and it is where a majority of his business comes from.

[jwhouk]

That probably explains why I see so many 2nd-gen Beetles on the used car lots up here.

[Jace]

 pat just stay away from dragons with the vw golf

[Patrick]

2nd gen Beetles are stupid looking anyway.

Well, shit, that kinda dashes my hopes a bit. Any recommendations for a car of similar size that roughly matches the same description and isn't a turd?

[Jace]

Oh also most mechanics hate vw stuff because nothing is easy to work on in the engines, from what I've heard and experienced via the vw bug I owned for a bit.

[bainidhe_dub]

Aw man, I'm about to buy a 2004 Passat from my step-sister-in-law. It just passed MD inspection with no problems though (it was well taken care of and hasn't been driven much for the last couple years) so I'm gonna be optimistic.

[Patrick]

I get the feeling that one of my friends has been ignoring me and it really kinda hurts my feelings because this is the one I have a crush on and we had plans to hang out at SF Pride this weekend. Couldn't get hold of her today, so I missed out on going.

If you're gonna bail on plans, you could at least tell me.

[Loki]

guys! guys! listen!

the sky. its full of stars. (yes, i am an urban child). just stared at them for a few minutes.

dont really know why looking at them makes people feel insignificant. when i consider the fact that in the universe we know, me plus "some" other people are the only beings who can appreciate their beauty (and humanity is so small on the scale of the universe it may as well have a cardinality of zero), i feel VERY special.

[Loki]

in other news, benefits of being single and living alone include

the ability to leave an event whenever you want
the ability to take a longer route to get somewhere if you so please
the ability to leave an event when you want
not having to worry about how she gets along with people only you knoww


something else i forgot. tired.
admittedly, most of it were problems i created myself in my brain which werent really problems.

[Patrick]

being able to walk around the house naked and totally in DGAF mode is always nice too

[cesium133]

My roommate does that and he doesn't live alone. 

[Asterus]

I am really sad and numb, but I am not thinking crazy person thoughts.

It gets better, right?

I think I went through a period of thinking "Ok, so now what do I do with all of this free time." Then I started writing again. It took up into Hyperbole and a Half's last comic before her haitus for it to sink in that I can be spontaneous as hell for fun though. Now most of my free time is centered around writing, video making, and pranking coworkers, so its been hilarious for me ^.^

... err, also we didn't cover emergency stops on my test. Or my class. Courtesy really does suck. I had to look up what you were talking about, and realized it was my "Oh shit, some idiot's just decided to take a left turn from the rightmost lane" maneuver.

[Patrick]

I'm going to the SF Pride Parade tomorrow. I can't wait. I even have my outfit picked out and everything.

[Akima]

The mechanic we would take it to said early 2000's VWs have a bunch of problems like that, and it is where a majority of his business comes from.

Mechanics say things like that when they don't know how to fix the problem, but don't want to come off as incompetent. "Oh, they all do that!"

[LeeC]

was up from 2:30am yesterday to 2:30 am today finishing packing, moving to my new locations, unpacking, and getting to know my new roommate.  So far I am likeing Dunn Loring VA.

[Jace]

Tourists are amazing. There are a couple cones blocking off an entrance because the gate ran out of tickets. Like 4 cars pull in and go around the cones to try and get in.

[Radical AC]

The mechanic we would take it to said early 2000's VWs have a bunch of problems like that, and it is where a majority of his business comes from.

Mechanics say things like that when they don't know how to fix the problem, but don't want to come off as incompetent. "Oh, they all do that!"

I don't doubt it, but this guy always knew how to fix it even when the dealer didn't.  Early 2000s VW electrical systems are a mess and have all kinds of problems.  A quick google search led me to some car forums where they discuss it a little better.  I want to say late 2000s VWs are fine, but I don't have any fist hand experience with them.  I might get a new car soon, but I think I want to move to a better apartment first.  The Hyundai Veloster looks pretty cool.

[Welu]

Tomorrow I'm going to Belfast to meet up with a mate I haven't seen since 2011. Also I may or may not book tattoo getting depending on money coming in on Tuesday and if I have the confidence to navigate the city alone.

[Thrillho]

in other news, benefits of being single and living alone include

the ability to leave an event whenever you want
the ability to take a longer route to get somewhere if you so please
the ability to leave an event when you want
not having to worry about how she gets along with people only you knoww


something else i forgot. tired.
admittedly, most of it were problems i created myself in my brain which werent really problems.

- Not having to sugarcoat what you say to your friends in case you let slip something you aren't allowed to
- Being able to make plans without having to consult with HQ
- Being able to join in a conversation about the shapely lady that is onscreen without worrying about whether they look too much or too little like current partner

[pwhodges]

Flump!

I have just finished unloading my gear following the last concert of the season.  The last four weeks have been for me the most intensively strenuous both at work and at home that I have had for a long time, and tonight that has come to an end.  Suddenly everything can go flop, and I can sleep normally, I hope.

Work pressure won't really go away, of course, and I've still got things to do at home, like getting all the library music scores back, and preparing CDs of the recordings I've made - but the absolute time pressure has vanished, so I can just get on and do things as they come.

And I just won a replacement for one of my blown up audio interfaces on Ebay, and found a repairer for the other (yes, I've had two audio interfaces fail in a week, one of them twice...)

Oh, and the concert went well, so the agony getting ready for it was not wasted.

[pwhodges]

guys! guys! listen!

the sky. its full of stars. (yes, i am an urban child). just stared at them for a few minutes.

I had that realisation when I was young (10? or so, I guess), and my father got me up in the middle of the night to go and view a really spectacular meteor shower (the sort where you hear them).

[Papersatan]

guys! guys! listen!

the sky. its full of stars. (yes, i am an urban child). just stared at them for a few minutes.

dont really know why looking at them makes people feel insignificant. when i consider the fact that in the universe we know, me plus "some" other people are the only beings who can appreciate their beauty (and humanity is so small on the scale of the universe it may as well have a cardinality of zero), i feel VERY special.

I also grew up in a city, and am amazed by the night sky whenever I see it.   When we visit Stephen's parent's farm in Oklahoma, I will sit out, even in the winter, and stare at the sky for an hour each night.  If I have been drinking, the night sky is likely to bring me to tears.  It makes me think about how vast and amazing the universe is, and how special we are as a species, and how small and helpless I am.  Then I think about how this feeling has crafted civilizations, as people created stories to feel safer in light of that small helpless feeling, or to explain how it is that all those starts got up there, and we got down here... and how these stories grew and shaped world events and personal lives.  How adherence to these stories, and the safety they provide has caused countless new sources of terror.  How cruel we are to each other, and how easy it is to be blinded by our stories, but how, in the end, in the scope of all this vastness of space and time, those terrible things are so small.  And so small compared to the fact that we can look upon the stars, and make the stories to begin with. 

[LeeC]

I've only been here a day and I love this place. hot/cute single women everywhere, cool roommate, friends coming over to hang out and drink.  I can pretty much go anywhere and do anything.  This just feels great!

I also feel more motivated to get back into shape.  Its like I moved onto the sunny side of the Potomac.  Recanting my Maryland stories to the VA friends and roommate, I made the right choice.

[GarandMarine]

Glad your move is working out for you Lee!

I grew up in a mix of the suburbs and the hinterlands and I don't think there's been a day where I haven't loved the stars. Wherever I get to see them from. That's the nice thing about this city. It's not too big, and the mountains are close, it's easy to escape and see the stars even better... to find little places to camp over night, where you can see the sun rise over virgin forest, for me the stars were a source of hope, companionship, and a way to find your path home. I've looked at the stars all over the place now, from the oceanside, and the heart of the ocean herself, Alaska's darkest interior (beautiful if you ever get the chance) to 30,000 ft on a late night flight carrying a courier home.... they never stop, constant companions to travelers, sailors and aviators alike, I'm proud to call myself all three, and to have the stars to guide me, if not home, then to the next place I'll rest my head. One day, humanity will go to those stars, we've already made the first baby steps in their direction. I hope I get to see some of that in my life. The next great age of human exploration. May stardust light our way, and whether those winds be solar or that of our home planet, and the depths of our home oceans or the endless ocean of stars, may those brave souls encounter fair winds, and following seas.

[Akima]

I remember being amazed that we could see the stars so clearly even from our own backyard when we moved to Sydney, but if you camp out in the bush, far from any street-lighting, and let your eyes adjust to the darkness, the Milky Way seems so clear and close you almost feel you could plunge your hands into it. It is easy to see why my ancestors named it 天河 (Tiānhé) or "Heavenly River".

[Patrick]

SF Pride 2013 Recap, or: "The Day I Spent 14 Hours Completely Hammered"

woke up at 8 to my friend Lisa calling me to wake me up at the same time as her so that we could go to Pride together. Got ready real quick, went to the grocery store, got provisions (most notably, beer, water, a 5th of peach vodka and some AriZona Arnold Palmers), met with our crew to discuss our plans and transfer the vodka into a plastic water bottle, and then drove to Dublin to get on BART and go to the City. The line for BART tickets was 20 minutes long, it was nuts. I haven't seen it that busy there since the Giants won the 2010 World Series (when we won again in 2012 my friends and I drove).

Once on BART (10am), Lisa and I smelled the whisky and Coke that the people behind us were drinking, so we decided, "Fuck it, let's get started." Yep, 10am. By the time we had reached San Leandro, the train was completely jam-packed with no further room for passengers, so everyone from San Leandro to Civic Center had to wait for the next train. It was incredibly hot and humid onboard (broken AC), and I remarked to Lisa that it felt like Georgia summers. Didn't help that by the time we hit Fruitvale Station, we were already drunk.

We arrived at the station at 16th and Mission around 11, after having split about 1/4 of the 5th of vodka, and proceeded to check out the parade for a little bit. Having quickly grown tired of the novelty of seeing wieners everywhere, we ventured toward the park where Deltron 3030 was playing their show, pouring more and more vodka into the AriZona we had designated as the mixer can as we went along.

Eventually, we were around 18th and (something vaguely Italian sounding) and we hailed a cab at a stoplight. Upon entry, we realized there was no meter running, the guy didn't have any registration showing, and the guy seemed hella sketchy. We approached a gas station, whereupon he told us that he was going to use the restroom, and also "Go pay his water bill." Assuming he was either going to harvest our organs or charge us out the ass for time spent idling, we bailed. Super unprofessional of him to be running errands on our dime and time, so fuck him.

At some point on the journey, we killed the rest of the vodka, and at about 1:30pm we found a legitimate taxi and headed toward the Del show to meet our friends. We met up, continued drinking by starting on a couple beers, and I promptly slept through most of it. When I did wake up, it was to drunkenly stumble to a tree I thought was secluded enough to urinate behind. To my surprise, during one of my trips, a trio of 3 very cute girls walked up the hill on a path about 50 feet immediately in front of me. And they got an eyeful. Gave me an angry earful, too, to which I replied, "If this is the last dick you see all day I'll be shocked. Least I shaved a few days ago. Happy Pride, ladies!" After that I went back to my friends, sat down, put my head in my lap, and passed out until the encore, which was "Clint Eastwood" by the Gorillaz.

After the show, we went and got food, then took Muni to BART and BART to home. On the Muni ride, I began abusing my intimate familiarity with Albanian-accented broken English and started being a drunken Borat. Lisa kept laughing at the silly shit I would come up with and the people's varying reactions, so I kept doing it. At some point, we reached Civic Center BART and I approached a nice-looking couple with some questions about what Pride is all about. Then the train came and we all boarded, and Lisa and I wound up in a different car from them.

About 5 minutes after boarding the train, the duo caught up with us and immediately told me to give them my wallet right in front of an entire train car, and while wisely choosing to stay in character, I less-than-wisely told them "Fuck no." Not smart, but if it had come to blows, I would have FUCKED THEM UP. Dude told me to open my backpack and show him what I had, and I showed him that it was nothing but some beers and a water bottle. And then, still in character, I pointed out a passenger filming the entire ordeal, and I told the guy that unless he wanted a video of him "being opened" circulating around on Liveleak after his impending death, he better back the fuck off and get his bitch of a girlfriend to step the fuck away from Lisa. Dude was twice my size, but I had the very important tactical advantage of having my back to a wall, a backpack full of beer cans in my hand, my knee right under his balls, and his girlfriend's tits within elbowing range in case she went after Lisa. Plus my pocket screwdriver in my front pocket, with no bit attached (they all store inside it). Won't even break skin without the bit, but it'll hurt like a bitch and get you to cease and desist.

After he and his hyphy bitch left, some very adorable queerfolk came up and said they'd have had our backs if anything had happened. I broke character and told them straight up that we were just trying to have one last spot of silly drunken fun before he came up and tried to intimidate us, and we wound up having a great time talking to them and being silly and jovial once again. I still kept my head on a swivel in case our would-be assailants decided to have another word, but they never showed.

Eventually got home, whereupon I immediately went to bed and passed the fuck out. Woke up about midnight (2 hours ago) still drunk. I'm just starting to finally feel a little more normal right now. What a fuckin crazy day.

[Redball]

Flump!

Good word, good work, and enjoy the downtime. Will you be putting the concert on line?

[Carl-E]

SF Pride 2013 Recap, or: "The Day I Spent 14 Hours Completely Hammered"

a) glad you made it out alive, and

2. more evidence that Pride is slowly turning into St. Patty's day. 

[mtmerrick]

Well, after catching up on all you people's funtimes, I'm gonna be heading off to the dentist because I cracked a tooth in half doing nothing the other day. >_> I am not looking forward to this AT ALL (I do not have good dental hygiene, and, as I've mentioned before, am not good with pain.)

[Carl-E]

Fortunately, there's only one cure for a tooth that's actually broken in half. 



I expect pics of the gap.