Blodnick's Blog

9.30.2003

Well it finally happened. I finally got a position on a large project, not just doing stuff for other people. I am pretty happy about that I think. Work did exactly what I thought it would though. I was so bored at first, but now I am so busy I can't even remember all the things I was working on.

I watched the finale of Temptation Island tonight (I had to record it). It ended quite satisfactorily for me. 2 of the couples broke up for good, and 2 stayed together. Way to go FOX, you made the people who love to see romance happy, and you made the people who love to see the couples in emotional anguish (myself included) happy.

It has finally started to cool down out here, so I think I am going to start going out and exercising a little at night. You know, walking down by the river and stuff like that. I figure if I can lay around and lose 25 pounds, it has got to go even faster if I actually burn a calorie or two!

9.29.2003

Well it is Monday, that means another choir rehearsal and another set of tired vocal chords. God it is going to be so awesome. Stuff started to gel tonight and I couldn't be happier. I can not wait to get up on a stage in front of people again! Just a couple more weeks.

9 days til the office move, cutting my commute from 12 to 2.5 miles with no freeway. It will be SO nice. Then hopefully I can drive out of my mind the four months I spent sitting in the office lobby like a darn fool.

Oh, and the pumpkin seeds were awesome. Best I have made in years. Jealous?

9.28.2003

Pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seeds, yes its time for pumpkin seeds!!! Ahh, tis that time of year again. The weather drops to a cool 90 degrees, the leaves on the trees seem to get a little greener, and the pumpkins start arriving in stores. The lady at the grocery store even told me that I was the very first to walk out with a pumpkin, as did the lady in the register next to her, as did 2 different courtesy clerks (bag boys for those of you who did not have to spend 2 summers doing it.)

So tonight I make my first of hopefully many batches of seeds. For those of you who know, you should be very very jealous. For those that don not, well you should still be very very jealous.

Oh, and another nice game from the Broncos. Too bad for the Pokes though.

9.26.2003

So guess what?!! I just found out that my favorite German singer Jasmin Wagner (aka Blumchen) has come out with a new single and a new CD. Sure I may sound obsessive, sure I may be on the brink of getting a restraining order banning me from crossing the Atlantic, but I love Blumchen! Now comes the hard part. I have to scour the internet trying to actualkly get her new CD. Actually that is rather fun I think.

I don't want to hear any comments about what a freak I am for being infatuated with a german techno girl who's target audience is 12 year olds. I don't want to be shot down for keeping the obsession going, even when she retired because she had just grown sick of it. Look, if you can be obsessed with John Tesh or Elton John, then I can be a freak about Jasmin. Are you asking yourself, "What the hell is Nick talking about?" Well then just click here and you can read all about her.

1. What was the first thing you ever cooked?
I would have no doubt that it was a bag of ramen. I practically owe my surviving childhood to those cheap bags of noodles. Bag after bag after bag of that stuff has been pushed down my throat

2. What's your signature dish?
I make a mean enchilada, but I really can make most anything. I am getting REALLY good at grilled chicken.

3. Ever had a cooking disaster? (tasted like crap, didn't work, etc.) Describe.
Oh man, just a couple of years ago I tried to make pancakes. We did not have butter so I used olive oil, about a cup of it. I also had to use a frying pan to make it. It came out as burnt, fried awful stuff that I would not wish on anyone. Though my friend ate it because he hates to waste food. Fool, I bet he still can not taste anything.

4. If skill and money were no object, what would you make for your dream meal?
Hands down I would make something with truffles and marbled beef. I have never tasted either of these things, but the Iron Chefs always make it sound like the greatest thing ever.

5. What are you doing this weekend?
Playing some Nintendo, cleaning up the house, choir rehearsal on Sunday. I think the Pokes play, but I will have to check on that.

9.25.2003

2 hours tonight...2 hours of tempting fun! It is just so much fun to watch the couples get themselves into trouble, then claim that they haven't done anything wrong. I guess that is the way with all relationships though. Out of the four couples I bet only one breaks up though. Oh well, better than none.

Not sure what I will do this weekend, though I bet it will be a kick! Well probably not, but I am getting more creative.

And just in case you need a little Friday fun, here is a link to something on the same lines as the badger thing, and I know how much most of you liked that. Thanks to Meg for hooking me up!

9.24.2003

I got a webcam this past weekend and have been messing around with it with another friend. I know the technology has been around for awhile, but this is the first I have played with it. It is actually a lot of fun. It is weird to have a conversation with someone hours and hours away, but still see what they are doing that moment. What would make it really cool is if it were wireless, then I could have the conversation somewhere other than my computer, or show what it looks like outside that day. All in all it is a lot of fun though and if you catch me online sometime on MSN I can say howdy in real time to anyone. You don't even have to have a webcam for me to do that.

It seems I finally got someone living above me again, which kind of sucks, but what can I do. Not sure when they showed up though cuz I never saw them move in. Maybe they just broke in to stay for the night. It cooled down tonight (67 degrees right now at 9:00) so I am really happy about that. If you want to see how freakish the weather is out here just give a click.

9.23.2003

I rented A Mighty Wind tonight. It was pretty funny, I have to admit. If you saw Best in Show and though it was hilarious, then you will really liike this movie too. Same people, same type of setup. Just an overall good movie.

So the recall is going to be held two weeks from today and I couldn't be happier about it. I was going to be really upset if this thing got pushed to March. In any case I think it will be a fun couple of weeks. Schwarzenegger has already started to fill the airwaves with his stuff. It is impossible to take that man seriously, but I hope he gets elected. How cool a story to have when I am older. "I helped elect an Austrian born movie star to be governor of what used to be known as California, before the whole state blew up."

9.22.2003

Wow, looks like the Broncos kicked the Raider's asses. Well that sits just fine with me after what happened last season. Got home late so not much to say. Choir is still difficult, but it will come together soon. Night!

9.21.2003

I finally fixed up my pics site that has all of my recent pictures. For those of you that follow my blog the only new pics are the Tahoe ones. Just click the "Links to my Pics" link up on top!

So as you already know I went to Lake Tahoe this weekend. It was actually one of the best little day trips I have taken since I got out here. The drive to Tahoe is beautiful. You are pretty much in a forest 20 miles outside of Sacramento. Then there are all of these little tiny towns along the road. It reminded me a lot of Wyoming in some parts. Also every one of those little towns sells chains for your tires. That is incredible to me. The coldest it will get in Sacramento during the winter is about 45 degrees this winter, yet just 25-30 miles away they need to use chains.

So Lake Tahoe itself is breathtaking. There are three distinct levels of blue on the lake. It is really quite incredible. They are also really accommodating with a whole bunch of walkways and beaches. I didn't go down to the water, but I bet it is really cold! There were a ton of people on the lake though.

Now everything so far was in California. I saw a few really big hotels down the street and decided to go check it out. Turns out they are huge casinos! I may be dumb, but I truly didn't think there were casinos in Tahoe. It was great though, I went all the way to the end of the strip and parked, then walked back up. I put two bucks in the machines and won 15 dollars, so I decided I would be getting some dinner. I went to a Wolfgang Puck's place that I came across and had an awesome chicken salad (I think there was lettuce in it, but I'm just not sure.) They have gondola rides that go up the mountain and tons of little shops. On my way back to my car I put in a couple quarters and won another couple of bucks! It really was a great time. Check out the pics, they may help. Have a great week everyone!

9.20.2003

I will post more about my trip later, but for now you can check out my pics from the trip right here. You should make your screen fullscreen for best results.

9.19.2003

1. Who is your favorite singer/musician? Why?

Wow, that is a really tough question. Overall I will have to go with Billy Joel. I have been listening to him nonstop since I was just a little kid. But I just can not let go of Blumchen!

2. What one singer/musician can you not stand? Why?

I hate Limp Bizkit. Man I just hate them. Music sucks, they suck. Ugly yuck.

3. If your favorite singer wasn't in the music business, do you think you would still like him/her as a person?

Well Billy Joel just got out of drug rehab. I bet he is pretty mellow now, so that would be cool. Blumchen is German and kind of a pop princess over there. I bet we could work something out!

4. Have you been to any concerts? If yes, who put on the best show?

Haven’t been to many concerts, but the one I remember best and had the most fun at was a Boys II Men concert…haha. It was great actually. We had great seats and they did all sorts of special effects.

5. What are your thoughts on downloading free music online vs. purchasing albums? Do you feel the RIAA is right in its pursuit to stop people from dowloading free music?

Ummmm, I think you all know my feelings on this. If not, just scroll down a week or two. (12 year old?????)

9.18.2003

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae.

The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Fcuknig amzanig huh?

9.17.2003

That's right, I am a man who can work miracles...well that is what my boss said anyway. Funny, all I did was my job. Oh well, I will never turn down a pat on the back.

I gotta say that I am really jealous of the snow in Laramie right now. I think that will be one of the things I miss the most. What won't I miss? Knee-breaking ice hidden under snow. Ever having to use the term "black ice". Enjoy it while you can Laramie folk!

Here is a view of what it looks outside MY apartment at 5:00pm. Hope the snow is fun!

9.16.2003

Hey, I know a lot of you are at work right now...it is alright. I forgive you. I also know it would be nice if you had a way to kill 5 minutes of your day...well Nick to the rescue again! Check out this cool maze that I suck at...come on, you know you want to. The boss just left and went to the bathroom, and you know how long he stays in the bathroom.

(Oh, and in case you are wondering...nothing happened today. Nothing. Not bad actually.)

We need to have a little talk. I know, I know I haven't been around to see you lately. Yes, I know about your new salads, we've been through this. $0.99 value menu? No, I...I just can't.

It's just that, well, money left me. It just kind of walked out on me. I hardly know what to do with myself without money. Money and I used to go visit you at least like 2 or 3 times a week, but visiting you without money is just not the same. Sure you have a nice interior and all, but we both know why I come there.

No, southwest ranch dressing won't bring me back, so just stop it okay. I promise we can get together again if money and I ever hook back up...until then hold your chin up kid.

Nick

9.15.2003

We are getting a lot better, I have to admit. The pieces are...what can I say? Very hard! In any case it was an incredibly long day with more car problems. Not mine though. A friend of mine had his battery die on him at work. I went to help him replace it only to find the battery was leaking acid everywhere. It was kinda cool actually. Anyway, that's kinda boring...sorry. Tried to find a cool link...but too tired. Better post tomorrow.

Music bosses have unveiled a revolutionary new recording format that they hope will help win the war on illegal file sharing which is thought to be costing the industry millions of dollars in lost revenue. Nicknamed the Record, the new format takes the form of a black, vinyl disc measuring 12 inches in diameter, which must be played on a specially designed turntable.

In the new format, raw audio data in the form of music is encoded by physically etching grooves onto the vinyl disc. The sound is thus translated into variations on the disc's surface in a process that industry insiders are describing as completely revolutionary and stunningly clever.

To decode the data stored on the disc, the listener must use a special player which contains a stylus that runs along the grooves on the record surface, reading the indentations and transforming the movements back into audio that can be fed through loudspeakers.

Taken from a cool blog I found

9.14.2003

Not sure if anyone else has noticed, but on that ad bar that is on my blog, it is always advertising jelly beans. This is odd since I am not sure why someone would get on my site, then go "Oh, jelly beans! WHOOPPEE!" Well I found out that those adds are made to go around the stuff that I type. So it picked up on my Jelly Belly rant a few weeks ago. Wow, now I'm never going to get rid of that thing.

Crazy day, went into work for about 5 hours, had a 3 hour choir rehearsal. Certainly not a typical Sunday. Oh how I wish I didn't have to work this week.

Have a good week kids. Oh, and if you get bored I found this awesome, yet very weird, thing on the net. Just let it load all the way and keep clicking on the guy for something new. Very cool...very weird. (again, probably not great for dial-up)

9.13.2003

Well as I am certain you have noticed, I made some MAJOR changes around here. Along with an altogether new look, I am proud to announce the return of comments! I think that the site looks wicked now, though I still have some work to do on it. Like it? Write a comment then.

Also, I need to know if the page loads right for everyone. I never really know if it works well on other computers because I only use my computer.

9.12.2003

Okay, so I have been reading WAY too many blogs out on the web lately. I honestly cannot pull myself away from this stuff. Which, I guess, is what keeps you coming back for more too! Anyway, a lot of people do this Friday 5 thing. This person posts 5 questions every Friday that people then answer on their blog. I think it is really cool and I am going to start doing it too. Every single Friday. Here goes number 1...

1. Is the name you have now the same name that's on your birth certificate? If not, what's changed?
Hmm, it is pretty much the same, though I tend to go by Nick, but I still sign everything Nicholas.

2. If you could change your name (first, middle and/or last), what would it be?
Oh that is a good one. I would want my first name to be Conrad. What a cool sounding German name. I like my middle name just fine. Last name would have to be Piskernig. Kinda like Pickering, but in an almost offensive way...also German.

3. Why were you named what you were? (Is there a story behind it? Who specifically was responsible for naming you?)
Hmm, as far as I know it was just the popular name at the time (VERY POPULAR). Though I was not to be called Nick because my dad knew someone named Nick he did not like.

4. Are there any names you really hate or love? What are they and why?
I love Link! Every time I start a new game on anything I always call my guy Link. I also like Wagner (pronounced Vogner).

5. Is the analysis of your name at kabalarians.com / triggur.org / astroexpert accurate? How or how isn't it?
OK, I checked those pages out. Just like horoscopes they can really apply to anyone. I know a lot of Nick's and I KNOW we are not all the same.

9.11.2003

...well I guess a baby, though I never liked that saying. What sick freak would take candy from a baby? And what kind of candy are we taking anyway? Is this candy that the baby has already been sucking on? If so I don't need baby vomit on my stolen Jolly Rancher!

Anyway, so they are finally letting me have some overtime. Overtime is freaking awesome when you already make goode money, then they have to pay you time and a half. I worked 11 hours today! And they want me to come put some hours in this weekend. Hmm, never been so excited about working more before...but when the price is right you can't argue. These fools will give me their money to do grunt work. I shall take these fools for all they are worth! BWA HA HA HA!

God I'm tired.

I found this dumb little site today that pointed me to one of the funnier things I have come across lately. Please check it out!?!?! Please! Oh what do I have to do to get you to check it out? Do you really have something better to do? Oh you do, huh? Well...ummm....fine. (CLICK HERE)

9.10.2003

No, I did not get subpoenaed for downloading files. I was just upset about what they did.

I made a GREAT roasted chicken tonight. Well it would have been great if I stopped 20 minutes earlier. It was the tastiest chicken jerky ever though. Okay, it wasn't jerky, but it was real dry. Boy this is a really mundane thing to publish on the internet. Oh well...I didn't make you come here...Okay, I kinda did. Have a good one tomorrow!

It is time that I comment on the sickest thing I have ever heard. Today the RIAA sued a 12-year-old girl for copyright infringement. A 12 YEAR OLD! So instead of going after the people who are ripping off the music, the people who distribute it initially, they go after a girl who is probably worrying about her first days of junior high. This just disgusts me. I was against the recording industry in the first place, but this is insane. What do they think they are accomplishing? By alienating even their youngest consumers they are only making everyone despise them more, making the rest of us try even harder to work around them.

Fight these fools, these cowards. Don’t let them scare you. Years from now we will all remember the day the recording industry made the biggest mistake in their history. Watch as the underground networks dig deeper. You have inspired us to find new routes to avoid you. Remember Napster? Remember how easy it was to take them down? Then what happened? People made new programs designed so that there was no central server. No one to attack, aside from the tens of millions of people who use it. We will find an even better way to stop you. Just today I found a little program that blocks all incoming inquiries into a person’s computer.

I know there are those of you who in the end agree with what they are doing. That is alright. I can’t blame you. I think next they should start knocking down doors to stop people from recording the radio on cassettes. But a 12 year old? Read the story yourself.

I went and did this quiz on my lunch break. Kind of funny, but what I really like is the pic!


You are "Welcome to the Caribbean, love."
You're more than a little world-weary, but also
intelligent and you keep your head when things
get dodgy. You're everybody's favorite
drinking buddy, but your stubbornness does get
in the way sometimes.


Which one of Captain Jack Sparrow's bizarre sayings from Pirates of the Caribbean are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

9.09.2003

When work is actually work, it can really make you tired. Tonight I just about turned a 20 minute nap into going to bed at 6:30. Sleeping is cheap though, so I won't complain too much.

Not much to talk about tonight...sorry. I did come across this site that has cooking for losers though. Very funny. The stuff ranges from eating raw ramen to putting a whole box of Fruity Pebbles in a bowl with a half gallon of milk. Man that sounds so good right now.

Oh, one last thing. This pic doesn't really apply to me, but it makes so much sense for the guy at work who just keeps bringing all of us down. I wish he would just shutup!

9.08.2003

Okay, so obviously the first rehearsal for choir a couple of weeks ago was a little more laid back than the rest of the rehearsals. Tonight kicked me around like I was back in the 4 choirs at KW. I LOVED IT! The music is just coming together and I swear it is just good for the soul to sing a little. (fine, that may seem a little fruity...but screw it)

I have a lot of music to learn still. Sadly the tenors are down to 31 of the total 200 person choir. Guess I will just have to sing a lot louder. Boy, that is just the most terrible thing that could happen to me! (note subtle hints of sarcasm)

I am tired though, and am reading a really cool new book my James Patterson that just has me wanting to stay up til 3 reading it. I think it is called Beachhouse...in any case it is good. I have read a ton of books this summer, maybe I will post what I read and what I thought of them sometime. Sounds like a nice little project for me. But before then it is time to find something to eat (You guys should see me. I am officially down 20 pounds this summer! And I eat like a hog. Atkins doubters can shutup...if I can lose weight and not excercise...well...you know and stuff)

9.07.2003

It has really started to cool down out here. Today's high was a super low 89°F! I never in my life thought I would be so happy to see that.

It was a pretty nice weekend. I didn't do much, seeing as I am trying to replenish my funds. I did listen to the Pokes though. I can't say that I expected much more from them (they lost 48-24). In the end it wasn't a complete embarassment, but it wasn't as fun as winning either. Next week we play Kansas, so I think we have a chance. GO POKES!

A friend pointed me to the Terry Tate, Office Linebacker site this weekend. Remember that commercial during the Super Bowl where a linebacker kept tackling people in an office? Well Reebok kept making the ads and put them on the internet. They are hilarious!!! If you need something to make your day...then go check them out here. (probably not good for dial-up people)

Let's hope this week is better than the last one!

9.05.2003

So I have my car back now. Amazingly it runs better than it did when I bought it. Which means either (1) these guys are amazing...or more likely (2)I got ripped when I bought the car. Oh well, at least it is over for now. Well not the months of credit card payments, but at least I can go buy bacon without getting a ride.

So my posts have been a bit down lately and I figured I needed to post something funny. And funny is just what I have! I found this site on water bears...little organisms that kind of look like bears (see pic). Anyway, someone wrote and recorded a song for them. It is hilarious! Download and listen to it here.

And a little background:
"Water Bears are members of a largely unknown phylum of invertebrate animals, the Tardigrada. The first tardigrades were discovered in 1773 after microscopes were invented. Over 800 species have been described since then. The largest tardigrades grow to a size of just over 1 mm, but they can easily be seen with microscopes. Tardigrade bodies are divided into segments, roughly cylindrical and possess four pairs of lobopodial limbs (poorly articulated limbs without joints, which are found in soft bodied animals like Onycophorans). The limbs terminate in four to eight claws or discs. They crawl about with a bear-like pawing motion of the legs (that originated the name water bears) over sand grains in the seas, soil, lichen or pieces of plant material etc...

"Limno-terrestrial tardigrades are regarded as amongst the most indestructible animals that exist when they enter their resistant state—called a tun, and can survive in extreme conditions during cryptobiosis (the most extreme form of suspended animation)."

And they are mostly found in your ears...just kidding. WAKE UP AND LISTEN TO THE SONG!

9.04.2003

Yeah, that's right. And to think I said "no" to the sparkplug wires because they were a whopping $25! It sucks, but at least my car should be running well tomorrow. Lord knows it had better be running freaking awesome for that kind of cash. I am going to make it though, mostly thanks to my incredible family and friends. Thank you so much Mom, Dad, Grandpa Dale, and Grandpa Fred. I appreciate it more than you know. I HATE asking for help, but this was just a little too much for me to take on my own. Also a couple of coworkers have given me some rides which I appreciate sooo much. It is no small task to run someone home in the big city. It sets these people back at least half an hour, maybe more, not to mention the $2.11 gas.

Anyway, thanks so much everyone. I don't know what I would do without you.

9.03.2003

Well I have settled down...at least for now. Probably not the end of the world for me, but definitely a big hassle. I thought the pic I put with my last post was just too good to not add on. It fit my mood and thoughts of my car perfectly. I changed the font size on this page now. I think it looks better and is easier to read. I might change the template for how the overall page looks soon too. I will be sure to update tomorrow with how this whole car thing turns out. Be nice everyone.

I am so pissed right now. Of course my car is more messed up than a little sparkplug. "Well as you can see this doohicky here is rubbing on that doohicky there. Son, you are lucky to be alive." GOD I HATE CARS! This whole mess is going to cost me around $700 by the time it is all said and done. And here I was thinking I was broke already. Well you just wait and see how broke I can truly get. Now they want to keep it for a couple days...which means I have to rent a car. Well that isn't too expensive, unless you are under 25. Then it is an additional $15 a day. AAAAAH! If the company had freaking moved when they were supposed to I could just get a lift, but nooooo, we have to wait even longer.

Then I want to lower my minutes on my phone because I am not using them all. This is the most trying excercise in the world. You can't do it online, so they send you to a phone number. Nowhere in the list of things on the phone leads you to what you want. Then you call the place you bought it "just dial 611 and they can do it. Any associate can change it there." WHAT ASSOCIATE!!!??? I can't find anything on there that might actually be a human talking to me!

Well I guess this blog is here so I can rant once in awhile. Let's just hope that most of my posts are about the movie I watched today, or the Jelly Belly factory, cuz this is just the shits.

UPDATE: My awesome awesome awesome friend Ken is going to go way the heck out of his way to give me a lift so I can get to and from work. This will save me the rental at least. I guess there is a little good news spattered in here. THANKS KEN!

My car is being stupid. I hate it when it does that. I was really hoping that if I replaced the sparkplugs everything would be alright. Well of course that was just a nice little dream. Though I did replace all of the sparkplugs myself and the car still runs, so I will consider that a small success. Now I have to find a decent auto repair shop somewhere really close to work. Doing car stuff is normally a pain in the butt, but in a new city where you don't know anyone? HUGE FREAKING PAIN!

And who knew that my plugs were like a foot deep into the engine? I thought I would pull the wire off and it would be right there, but no. It had to be seriously like a foot down. AAAAAH! Well I guess I just can't cut it as a grease monkey. I hope all your cars are working alright...mine shakes like a vibrating chair. Wish me luck.

9.01.2003

I finished putting together a little page for pics of my apartment after I painted. I think it turned out pretty well. I will set up a link on my other site soon, but it is having problems. Until then you can just click right here.

I am off to Livermore for the day, so I will talk to everyone later! Happy Labor Day!