psychedelic latex masterpiece

(9:28:01 PM) deiru: QTF
(9:28:16 PM) LayleB: QFT
(9:28:24 PM) LayleB: i dont even know what QTF is
(9:28:29 PM) deiru: that's what I said
(9:28:30 PM) LayleB: but QFT
(9:28:30 PM) deiru: QFT
(9:28:42 PM) LayleB: I KNOW THAT shiz
(9:28:45 PM) deiru: you're always correcting me
(9:28:55 PM) LayleB: NO IM NOT
(9:28:59 PM) LayleB: YOU HAVE NO IDEA
(9:29:06 PM) deiru: god, here we go again
(9:29:13 PM) LayleB: THIS IS WHY WE CANT HAVE NICE THINGS
(9:29:21 PM) deiru: FUCK
(9:29:30 PM) deiru: THAT'S MY LINE
(9:29:31 PM) LayleB: always with your BAD words
(9:29:47 PM) deiru: I'm a bad man
(9:29:52 PM) LayleB: YOU NEVER SHARE ANYWAYS
(9:29:54 PM) deiru: there's things about me you don't wanna know
(9:30:01 PM) deiru: things you couldn't understand
(9:30:08 PM) deiru: things you shouldn't understand
(9:30:12 PM) LayleB: i understand my foot in your ass
(9:30:25 PM) deiru: you'd like that
(9:30:31 PM) LayleB: *wink*
(9:30:44 PM) deiru: i'll go get the gorilla suit
(9:30:52 PM) LayleB: i'll lube up me and the gas can
(9:31:10 PM) deiru: oh please tell me we have nitrous left
(9:31:18 PM) LayleB: *facepalm*
(9:31:25 PM) deiru: god damnit
(9:31:39 PM) deiru: i had the Banana Splits song all cued up, too
(9:31:59 PM) LayleB: not like we hadn't heard that 100 times already the past month
(9:32:15 PM) deiru: i told you, baby, it's the only thing that works
(9:32:30 PM) LayleB: i think we should see other people
(9:32:32 PM) LayleB: literally
(9:32:38 PM) LayleB: we havent left the house in 2 weeks
(9:32:53 PM) deiru: they wouldn't understand
(9:32:58 PM) deiru: they shouldn't understand
(9:33:08 PM) LayleB: they understand my foot in their ass

http://www.thesixtyone.com/

Interesting site, it is part music listening site - part social web-based MMO-like game. Listeners and Artists "play" to discover or share new music while scoring point to increase their level and abilities.

Listeners score points by listening to new music on "The Racks" and "bumping" songs that other listeners bump later on. However, to really score points, you have to spend them. If, as a listener, you find a song you like and want to promote, you can give it a bump (thing like digging an item on Digg.com). However, you have to spend your points to bump a song. In fact, the less it has been bumped, the MORE it costs to bump it a point. However, you score points for every unique listener that comes in AFTER you and bumps the song also. The dillema: spend MORE points to bump unknown songs with the potential greater reward if the song becomes even remotely popular - OR - spend fewer points to more popular songs, knowing that you might score a bit more if it stays popular. In addtion, "The Rack" is special playlist tailored for you that you can listen to score extra points. When you listen to each of these new songs for at least a minute you score some extra points (often 1 or 2 points, but sometimes 20-40 points). Logging in once a day scores you points. Of course, you can listen to any song on the site at anytime for free and create your own playlists for free. As you raise level you can bump a song you previously bumped more than once, and some special abilities are unlocked (i.e. at higher levels you can Revive a song for like a 1000 point to put it back on the front page of songs).

Artists score points too. They score based on people who listen to their songs as well as bump their songs. As they raise levels they can add more songs to their account.

Listeners can score points by referring other listeners (i.e. i'm 'revlayle' - india is 'get2837'... NO YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REFER ME or HER or WHATEVER, but you can leave me messages on there - ALSO, i have music as 'edgemeer' also - referring does nothing for artist I don't think, you can refer anyways... or NOT) - but they only score as other listeners raise levels (i.e. just getting 10 people to sign up wont score you points unless they participate).

Anyways, I found some cool songs and a good amount of duds (i hang in the electronic genre a lot), but so far it has been fun and a good way to get back into music. A lot of unknown as well as well known artists are there.

ALSO, you can listen WITHOUT signing up. You only have to create an account to "play the game". Anyone can stream songs.

Oddly humorous web-comic. No story lines really, mostly one-off three-panel comics. Has nothing to do with bibles, a fellowship, or anyone named Perry. Some images are NOT safe for work (mainly *some* nudity here and there) and the humor is certainly not for kids. I wouldn't say it is overly extreme, but certainly not something you want want to read at work unless you knew no one was looking.

http://pbfcomics.com/

Yeah, new job AGAIN. SHEESH LAYLE, CAN'T YOU EVER STAY PUT ANYWHERE?

Honestly, I had no intention of job hopping, this is the first job I have accepted in years that I specifically wasn't looking for.

TIME WARP:
2003
I worked at a company called MPSI Systems. I had plan on just keeping on working there until the end of time. I had survived almost 4.5 years there and worked there 1.5 years in a previous stint (1 year in between at the now infamous Commercial Financial Services). I got furloughed, however. Basically, I was still an "employee", I was taken off salary status and was given ZERO hours a week. The company, at the time, was supposedly losing 50K a day and made drastic cuts to their budget. Those who still had work got a 15% pay cut, the rest of us were furloughed so the company could weasel out of severance packages. I took unemployment and quit the job (and still was able to keep the unemployment benefits) so I can get my vacation pay (which they did give me).

That sucked, I was out of work for 5 months. Eventually later that year (September) I finally got a job at Creative Labs. It was work, however it paid 40% less than I was making at my last job (MPSI), but it was better than $300/week and they gave me a moving allowance to get to Stillwater.

Creative Labs paid peanuts and had some long hours for some projects. In essence, an IT department in a college town pays terrible, but it was better than nothing. I met some really cool people there (many I keep in touch with today, even if just online). Eventually, I got tired of Stillwater, other financial obligations were killing me. Eventually I started looking for a job again, back in Tulsa.

The job market wasn't completely recovered in IT yet, but was bouncing back. .NET and Java were hot technologies that I had only sporadic or hobby experience with (but always learning more, .NET was here to stay at least and Java was already here, but is a bit on the decline in some markets). I eventually found a job, but as an independent contractor doing PHP/MySQL development for a real estate auction company. It paid more per hour, and overtime was paid (as I invoiced them per hour worked) and it got me back on tack and a few debts under control.

However, no benefits and the self-employment tax can get to you. Self contracting is feast or famine and it provided a bit of extra freedom. Things weren't as tight anymore financially, however, job-wise, this wasn't that stable. I had no idea where this company would be 6 months from now and recruiters were calling me about new opportunities, after 7-8 months of the independent contract gig I started entertaining these opportunities.

Didn't take long to score a new job with ABB Totalflow up in Bartlesville in LATE 2005. Doing development more along the lines what I originally did yeas before: Windows desktop applications in .NET and C++ (but some additional web-based project work with ASP.NET to keep my skills there). Great pay (close what I used to make at MPSI), great benefits, pension plan, secure job... the problem. The drive to B-Ville and super increase in gas prices in just 12-18 months was starting to kill me a bit. Even more, the work was kind of slow and boring. I like staying very busy, it keeps me awake, it gets me to learn new stuff.

So... AGAIN I started looking. A coworker at ABB had found a new job in Tulsa at a software consulting company called SpringPoint Technologies. Within a couple weeks of asking around I scored a job there. Stayed permanently in Tulsa now. This job, had a small pay increase, but worse benefits. The work was varied and interesting and kept me on my toes.

After working there about 5+ months, SpringPoint had contract with ChoicePay to do about a 3 month project. It originally started with two employees (one of them being me) working on a new prototype system architechted (sp?) by one of their lead developers. The idea was to work on site 2-3 weeks, get VPN access, then work off site back at the SpringPoint office. The VPN access never came through, so we stayed onsite for 3 months.

A week before the end of the project, one of ChoicePay's devs regisned and had an opening, their CTO had offered me a job (know well of the contract they had with SpringPoint and whatever finder's fees they had to pay). Actually, it started earlier that same day with their two lead devs (really cool folks - i like 'em) telling me about the opening, and if I was interested. I wasn't totally sold until I had a talk with their boss (the CTO) that evening for an hour. Thought about it a bit over the weekend and thought, with what was being offered, I'd be stupid not to take the job.

So, I did. Surprised SpringPoint quite a bit with as sudden as it was. Of course, I am at SpringPoint for 30 days (well 3 weeks by this writing, now) because of contract issues. However, on April 7th, I am a ChoicePay employee.

While there is a pay increase, that didn't sell me at all at first. Things were going well for me at SpringPoint really. The other benefits offered to me and the soft perks sold me tho. Plus, I can dress casually again. JEANS + T-SHIRTS FTFW!!


NOW MAYBE I CAN FUCKING STICK WITH THIS JOB, AMIRITE?

unmotivated layle is unmotivated

6 free songs: http://www.mp3.com/artist/asynchronous/songs/

The group is called Asynchronous, discovered them through a game I bought called Audiosurf (which had a couple of their songs in the game). Got the rest and hooked.

I'm just spreading the electronic sound ecstasy.

( Bunch of big silly pictures here )

http://uk.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=Thorn2200

A series of lego videos animated to the audio from several of Eddie Izzard's stand up routines. Not all the videos are the Lego Eddie Izzard stuff... but they are all there.


WATCH!

[standard greeting]

[exclamation that no activity has happened in a while]

[greet everyone who reads]

[explain that life is boring and still has nothing to say of importance]

[closing comments]

[promptly not hear from me again for a month]



ARRGARHGARHARHAGRHAGRHGHAGAAAGGGGHRRRRRRGHhh!!!!!111one!1eleventy!!1!!

Just checking LiveJournal


As usual, I have nothing of note worth saying still. (still without power, but that is an exception to my ho-hum-ness)


Laters

and



stuff

...and the stop smoking thing is going decently. yeah, i did sneak in a couple smokes over the last 4-5 days. yeah, i'm ok with that so far.

yup, gonna try this again. i was successful last time, but i started again within 6 months of quitting.


the plan, this time, is significantly more long-term. tired of it, tired of being out-of-shape again (starting more exercise again to... you know, to keep my mind off of NOT SMOKING), and damn, saves me about $80 a month. If India can stick with it too.... that's practically another $80.


NOW IT IS DANCE DANCE KARNOV PARTY TIEM!

starting Jul. 17th... IN TULSA

maybe I will quit being an "anti-social" jerk now?

I haven't posted much, however, I found a new job that I will more than likely accept. It pays only a little more, but money wasn't the purpose of finding new work. It took about 2.5 years from when I returned to Tulsa from Stillwater to get to a salary range that was comparable to what I was making when I was furloughed from MPSI back in March of 2003. The company I currently work for, ABB Totalflow, is a nice place with good people. The problem? Being in Bartlesville separates me from things I may have to deal with on a semi-regular basis in Tulsa. If any emergencies or urgent issues come up I want to take care of personally, I have to call it a day... I'm driving another 90 miles that day. Gas prices are up 75% from Nov. of 2005 and this will have me a small chunk of change a month in it's own right (as well as the wear and tear on vehicles and more frequent maintenance costs).

The banality of the work I have been doing lately is really wearing me down, the contract work I do on the side for an OKC company is far more entertaining the last 6 months than anything I have done at the day job. The new job offers work very similar along those lines (as well as the same technology).

I haven't made my decision 100% yet (I always wait 24 hours before saying Yes or No to anything these days), but it will more than likely be Yes. Also, there are people at the place that offered me a job that I already know, which is a plus.

Maybe I will stick it out at the new place (given that I accept the job). I hate job hopping and have done that ever since being let go from MPSI (which I may have stayed at forever if It wasn't for the fact they didn't want to pay me anymore).

same number


carry on

I LOCKED MY KEYS IN MY CAR!!

AAAAAAND... I'm in Bartlesville, yay!



I swear, the last few days have been so off-kelter, I'm wondering when I will accidentally explode into tiny pieces?


(Edit: India saves the day... coming to b-ville with an extra key - whew. Next trick, see if I can make my computer melt.)

"You guys are dicks."

I <3 Bob the Angry Flower



Sidebar:
Is "<3" a heart or a nut sack.... because I totally don't want to misrepresent myself as saying "I teabag Bob the Angry Flower"

.... or DO I?

WAIT... I AM a D8!!!!!1!
I took the quiz (which saw in Lisa's journal), I rarely post meme results anymore, but once I got d8... i knew the horrible pun had to be set up...

Take the quiz at dicepool.com

Well, there you have it.... dark and cynical... I can agree with the cynical part.

...just because of the reactions of the idiocracy running rampant on a daily basis here.

I read a lot of web-comics. One of them is a very well drawn and funny one called "Three Panel Soul". Recently, the author of the comic, Matt Boyd, was canned from his job some barely-inappropriate office talk that "scared a co-worker".

He was talking about buying a gun, and in an off-color comment to someone else, was talking about getting a smaller gun than the one he originally wanted because 1) he just wanted to target practice (paper targets at a range) and 2) the smaller gun makes it harder to actually kill people. The coworker, apparently, thought he was a gun nut and wanted to kill people or something and complained to his supervisors. Also, this was timed around the events of Virginia Tech, making the idiots even more jumpy. (OMG! CRAZY PERSON SHOT PEOPLE AT A COLLEGE... THIS GUY WANTS A GUN... HE'S GONNA KILL EVERYONE HERE!! OMGOMGOMG!)

Boyd was a contractor for a branch of the government, from what I could tell. His bosses even gave him some compensation pay and offered to give him good references. They understood Boyds' intentions, but I guess they didn't want to create any more controversy (which, personally, is already is a bad way to approach it - "YEAH, LET'S CAN THE LOONY! No not the idiot who complained. The other person, you know, who was interested in his second amendment rights!" (*see below)).

That was fine and dandy, not the best solution, but at least he wasn't just cut off 100%. Kind of sucks, but way worse things happen all the time.

That is, until, the cops pick you up for creating "terroristic" comics about the experience! Apparently, because you are interested in a gun, like target practice, like to talk about it a bit, then write a funny comic about it (However "wrong" it may be to you, I thought it was hilarious), you are now a suspect of "terrorism".

Even then, while the humor was a *bit* wrong, it was nowhere near any sort of violence, major profanity, or even hate, more of a funny recounting of a situation.

The comics in question (ordered chronologically that retells his events - I am not sure how close this mimics the real events, there MIGHT be some exaggeration int he comic for effect, but I am not completely sure.):
http://www.threepanelsoul.com/view.php?date=2007-04-20
http://www.threepanelsoul.com/view.php?date=2007-04-24 (this is the one that retells the incident that probably got him canned)
http://www.threepanelsoul.com/view.php?date=2007-04-30 (this is the one that probably got him arrested)

In general, "Three Panel Soul" is about personal life, as well as about funny geek things and video games (go figure). Of course, Ian McConville's art is really fantastic and the jokes, if you get all of them, are pretty funny.

A couple articles about the situation:
http://www.fleen.com/archives/2007/05/03/breaking-news-3/
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/05/03/webcomic_artist_fire.html


* While I am not a big fan of guns in the least, in this country, the Second Amendment ("A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.") does mean that one can own firearms for their own protection.

I'm going bat-shit insane!

Why?

I DON'T KNOW! :)

(Another useless LJ post brought to you by the good people at OMFG Holdings & Investments)