Same ol' shit. Need I describe the urban nomad routine? No. Just like last week, I ran out of food by Thursday, so ended up stopping off at Subway® in the Aina Haina Shopping Center for dinner. The next bus was 20 minutes late. However, the driver was one of the guys I know from the gym. So, no problemo.
Right after I stepped onto the sidewalk after alighting the bus near Kawaikui Beach Park, I felt a painful twinge in my right calf. At first, I thought that someone on the bus might have attempted to kick me in the shin. The pain was extremely sharp. I tried to walk but almost fell over. I slowly hobbled to Kawaikui Beach Park. I couldn't even make it to the nearest concrete picnic bench. I had to prop myself up against the concrete wall at the entrance to the park.
After 20 minutes, there was no improvement. So, I painfully hobbled back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). Upon searching the Net, I discovered that I am not suffering from a cramp. Most likely, I have a strained or torn calf muscle, an even worse scenario. After a couple of hours, I could still barely walk. Thank goodness, there's no sign of bruising, swelling, or blood pooling so far.
If the pain does not decrease by tomorrow, I will be in dire straits. Obviously, I won't be doing my cardio workouts at the gym for a while. I don't even know how I will get around with the bus. Heck, I don't even want to compose the "blog." Let's call it a night now, shall we?
Addendum. Hawai'i has been on a tsunami watch ever since the huge earthquake hit Japan earlier today. The estimated time that the potential tsunami is supposed to arrive is about 3am tomorrow morning. I can barely walk, and now I may have to evacuate Slob Manor. Sheesh!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Existential Fretting
Same ol' shit. At the library, I completed reading the excellent picture book, "Archaeology," by Kate Santon. I would have completed the book yesterday were it not for the extended conversation with Ann. The rest of the day? Nothing out of the ordinary.
Last night, I perused the shabbily locked (i.e., password protected) journal archive. I had to sift through the endless garbage that I had written in order to find the key pieces of information. As I suspected, the names have changed, but the story is exactly the same. That same story just keeps repeating itself over and over again. not for me, but for Lori. I could pass judgment upon her now, but then I would be using a flawed moral code concocted by humans. She's only doing what works for her. End of story.
The conversation with Ann got me thinking about the kinds of foolishness that most of us are engaged in as time just keeps ticking away. What Ann, Lori, and I have in common is that we are all in our fifties. Essentially, we are in the last of our "good" years, both physically and mentally. We each have different strategies (term used loosely) for survival, none of which seem viable. Each of us is vulnerable to varying circumstances in our unique ways. My real estimation is that we are "grasping at straws." Naturally, we are all fretting. However, I am the only one who is existentially fretting, for what that's worth.
Speaking of "grasping at straws," I spent a small segment of the evening looking for useless crap too discard. I'm already down to nothing, but I want to get rid of more. I'm down to mostly paperwork, consumables, and tiny handheld appliances. Why do we humans need all of that crap?
Last night, I perused the shabbily locked (i.e., password protected) journal archive. I had to sift through the endless garbage that I had written in order to find the key pieces of information. As I suspected, the names have changed, but the story is exactly the same. That same story just keeps repeating itself over and over again. not for me, but for Lori. I could pass judgment upon her now, but then I would be using a flawed moral code concocted by humans. She's only doing what works for her. End of story.
The conversation with Ann got me thinking about the kinds of foolishness that most of us are engaged in as time just keeps ticking away. What Ann, Lori, and I have in common is that we are all in our fifties. Essentially, we are in the last of our "good" years, both physically and mentally. We each have different strategies (term used loosely) for survival, none of which seem viable. Each of us is vulnerable to varying circumstances in our unique ways. My real estimation is that we are "grasping at straws." Naturally, we are all fretting. However, I am the only one who is existentially fretting, for what that's worth.
Speaking of "grasping at straws," I spent a small segment of the evening looking for useless crap too discard. I'm already down to nothing, but I want to get rid of more. I'm down to mostly paperwork, consumables, and tiny handheld appliances. Why do we humans need all of that crap?
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Belated Groundhog Day 2011
Same ol' shit. Same ol' routine. Same ol' itinerary. Surely there must be more? Well, I ran into Ann at the library. We ended up chatting for over two hours. Ann has settled in at her new place in Wahi'awa. And, she does not know anything about her new unemployment benefit claim as yet. Seems that Ann and Lori didn't part company on the best of terms. I suspected as much since Ann and Lori did not find another place of residence together.
I'm really not at liberty to discuss the bulk of our conversation. Actually, I just don't want to transcribe the tedious details. Needless to say, Ann filled in a lot of gaps about what's been going on with Lori. And, I was able to answer a few of Ann's questions. I really have no burning interest in Lori's life. However, each time I am in contact with her, I am given just enough information to arouse curiosity. I have made a few quick speculations and left it at that. However, Ann happened to confirm all of my guesses and more.
Sad to say, Lori has not changed her modus operandi at all since I've known her and even before then. I can barely recall what was recorded in the only shabbily locked (i.e., password protected) section of the archived journal, but what I do remember is eerily reminiscent of what has been currently transpiring. I surmise that I could simply change the names of the victims in the old story. Yeah, history just keeps repeating itself for Lori as well.
Ann mentioned that Lori's lease is expiring in three weeks for certain. So, Lori has basically been reduced to two options. She could move back to Oregon and stay with an old friend there indefinitely. She mentioned the option the last time we met in December of last year. Or, Lori could try to find another guy to latch onto. From all indications, the latter is the most likely option that she will seek. It's in her nature. That's what she does. That's who she is.
From what I understand, Lori's financial situation changed drastically just last month. The last I knew, Lori had approximately two years to live off of savings, if she lived frugally. If the situation is as desperate as it sounds, then I am even more certain of her next move. Lori is five years younger than I, but she is nevertheless in her fifties. I must admit, though, the last time that I saw her, she was looking really hot. Little wonder with all of the marathons and triathlons that she's been training for and competing in.
I don't know why, but the conversation left me with a dull headache for the rest of the day. Perhaps reliving an annoying part of the past was too much for my puny mind. Fortunately, the rest of the day was mundane. On a happier note, Ann mentioned that she's been sober for nine years now. That's quite an accomplishment. Naturally, I congratulated her.
Well, it looks as though Android® v3.0 (aka "Gingerbread") has won the tablet computer wars against Apple®. Sadly, I am resistant to adopt Android®. However, I want to move to the tablet form factor sometime this year in anticipation of extreme survival measures. The true test will be to find one that does not require a 3G/4G broadband contract upon purchase.
I'm really not at liberty to discuss the bulk of our conversation. Actually, I just don't want to transcribe the tedious details. Needless to say, Ann filled in a lot of gaps about what's been going on with Lori. And, I was able to answer a few of Ann's questions. I really have no burning interest in Lori's life. However, each time I am in contact with her, I am given just enough information to arouse curiosity. I have made a few quick speculations and left it at that. However, Ann happened to confirm all of my guesses and more.
Sad to say, Lori has not changed her modus operandi at all since I've known her and even before then. I can barely recall what was recorded in the only shabbily locked (i.e., password protected) section of the archived journal, but what I do remember is eerily reminiscent of what has been currently transpiring. I surmise that I could simply change the names of the victims in the old story. Yeah, history just keeps repeating itself for Lori as well.
Ann mentioned that Lori's lease is expiring in three weeks for certain. So, Lori has basically been reduced to two options. She could move back to Oregon and stay with an old friend there indefinitely. She mentioned the option the last time we met in December of last year. Or, Lori could try to find another guy to latch onto. From all indications, the latter is the most likely option that she will seek. It's in her nature. That's what she does. That's who she is.
From what I understand, Lori's financial situation changed drastically just last month. The last I knew, Lori had approximately two years to live off of savings, if she lived frugally. If the situation is as desperate as it sounds, then I am even more certain of her next move. Lori is five years younger than I, but she is nevertheless in her fifties. I must admit, though, the last time that I saw her, she was looking really hot. Little wonder with all of the marathons and triathlons that she's been training for and competing in.
I don't know why, but the conversation left me with a dull headache for the rest of the day. Perhaps reliving an annoying part of the past was too much for my puny mind. Fortunately, the rest of the day was mundane. On a happier note, Ann mentioned that she's been sober for nine years now. That's quite an accomplishment. Naturally, I congratulated her.
Well, it looks as though Android® v3.0 (aka "Gingerbread") has won the tablet computer wars against Apple®. Sadly, I am resistant to adopt Android®. However, I want to move to the tablet form factor sometime this year in anticipation of extreme survival measures. The true test will be to find one that does not require a 3G/4G broadband contract upon purchase.
Monday, March 07, 2011
Post No. 1,772
Another visit to Hawai'i Kai went well. Moms and I ate lunch at Panda Express®. Later, moms served Welcome® vanilla ice cream for dessert. The rest of the day? The urban nomad fulfilled his usual benign functions and followed his routine itinerary as planned.
When I arrived back at Slob Manor (read: rental housing), I noticed that Meathead (aka Brian) was already back from wherever he goes. He parked new Ford® Mustang fastback in the center of the rock pile. I was forced to park my Nissan® Frontier truck about two feet to the left, which was overgrown with weeds at least a foot high. That's normally where the young Asian hottie parks her vehicle, Since baby is rarely around, the rain has watered the weeds to full maturity. Why did the fool purchase a retro "muscle car" anyway? I suspect that he is reliving his high school years. Perhaps he never was able to own the original piece-of-shit.
Naturally, Meathead was watching his huge widescreen LCD tube upstairs. His every waking moment at Slob Manor is spent in front of the dungy idol. I'll try not to dedicate any more trivial dialog to the fool. As I said prior, a buffoon like him would have been considered sacrificial fodder in early human times.
Well, I have made no real attempt to develop a strategic plan. The exodus is still proceeding in haphazard fashion. I have, however, made the decision to abandon (i.e., jettison) most of useless possessions if the need arises. For example, if I suddenly invoke my desire to become homeless, I would only keep what can fit in a very small storage locker. Nothing more, nothing less. In other words, I would make a mass donation to charity. Heck, I continue to essentially throw away hundreds of dollars every month. So, what's another few hundred dollars in the general scheme of things?
When I arrived back at Slob Manor (read: rental housing), I noticed that Meathead (aka Brian) was already back from wherever he goes. He parked new Ford® Mustang fastback in the center of the rock pile. I was forced to park my Nissan® Frontier truck about two feet to the left, which was overgrown with weeds at least a foot high. That's normally where the young Asian hottie parks her vehicle, Since baby is rarely around, the rain has watered the weeds to full maturity. Why did the fool purchase a retro "muscle car" anyway? I suspect that he is reliving his high school years. Perhaps he never was able to own the original piece-of-shit.
Naturally, Meathead was watching his huge widescreen LCD tube upstairs. His every waking moment at Slob Manor is spent in front of the dungy idol. I'll try not to dedicate any more trivial dialog to the fool. As I said prior, a buffoon like him would have been considered sacrificial fodder in early human times.
Well, I have made no real attempt to develop a strategic plan. The exodus is still proceeding in haphazard fashion. I have, however, made the decision to abandon (i.e., jettison) most of useless possessions if the need arises. For example, if I suddenly invoke my desire to become homeless, I would only keep what can fit in a very small storage locker. Nothing more, nothing less. In other words, I would make a mass donation to charity. Heck, I continue to essentially throw away hundreds of dollars every month. So, what's another few hundred dollars in the general scheme of things?
Sunday, March 06, 2011
Tales From the Rock Pile
Lots of rain this morning. However, nothing deters the ol' lavahead from fulfilling his urban nomad routine. At the gym, I ran into Ronald, a former student from the now-defunct Asylum. I was glad to see him. That brought back old memories, both fond and disgusting, of my time at the dump.
Afterward, I attempted to enjoy the afternoon, but I was thwarted at every turn. I purchased an ice cream treat at Foodland in Ala Moana Center. Sitting outside of Sears®, adjacent to the parking lot, proved to be ridiculous. How can I enjoy the ice cream when I am constantly inundated with cigarette smoke? There's really nowhere else to sit, except at the bus stop. However, that's an even worse location insofar as cigarette smoke is concerned.
Later, I stopped off at the Aina Haina Shopping Center. I treated myself to a Subway® sandwich. Unfortunately, the place was crowded. No seating was available. From what I could gather, the people in the store had been there for quite a while and were not planning on leaving anytime soon. So, I had to walk to the Aina Haina Elementary School campus with my sandwich to find someplace to sit down. The entire campus was packed with people because of a softball game in the adjacent park. I finally found a small plastic toy picnic table in front of one of the classrooms that was way at the end of the campus. My gym bag took up almost the entire table. That's how small it was. Nonetheless, I sat on the tiny bench and ate my sandwich. As I was walking back to the bus stop at a leisurely pace, I saw the next Route 1 bus at the intersection. I ran to the bus stop, thereby ruining my leisurely lunch. I had no choice. Otherwise, I would have to wait at least 30 minutes for another bus.
I arrived back at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) with a heavy heart. Although I continue to exist in the human "purgatory," my mind seems to have escaped to parts unknown. I have been reading the book, "Archaeology: Unearthing the Mysteries of the Past," by Kate Santon. It's not a difficult read, but I have yet to complete it after several days. I must continually put the book down and reflect. Sad to say, we know so little about our past. What we do know about human history (and prehistory) is both fascinating and tragic. I can't seem to stop pondering the topic.
During my daily adventures, I often find myself speculating that the same kinds of morons that I encounter have most likely existed for eons. In the distant past, though, they would have been offered up as human sacrifices. We have come a long way since then, but the proliferation of morons is disturbing.
Well, I will spend the evening piddling around as usual. Meathead (aka Brian) returned at 8pm. So, I was privy to listen to the fool stomping around and dropping heavy objects on the floor. A slob like Brian would have made a perfect human sacrifice. He has enough blubber on him to fuel the sacrificial fire for days. The fictitious gods would be pleased. Baha! Ha! Ha! Haaa!
Afterward, I attempted to enjoy the afternoon, but I was thwarted at every turn. I purchased an ice cream treat at Foodland in Ala Moana Center. Sitting outside of Sears®, adjacent to the parking lot, proved to be ridiculous. How can I enjoy the ice cream when I am constantly inundated with cigarette smoke? There's really nowhere else to sit, except at the bus stop. However, that's an even worse location insofar as cigarette smoke is concerned.
Later, I stopped off at the Aina Haina Shopping Center. I treated myself to a Subway® sandwich. Unfortunately, the place was crowded. No seating was available. From what I could gather, the people in the store had been there for quite a while and were not planning on leaving anytime soon. So, I had to walk to the Aina Haina Elementary School campus with my sandwich to find someplace to sit down. The entire campus was packed with people because of a softball game in the adjacent park. I finally found a small plastic toy picnic table in front of one of the classrooms that was way at the end of the campus. My gym bag took up almost the entire table. That's how small it was. Nonetheless, I sat on the tiny bench and ate my sandwich. As I was walking back to the bus stop at a leisurely pace, I saw the next Route 1 bus at the intersection. I ran to the bus stop, thereby ruining my leisurely lunch. I had no choice. Otherwise, I would have to wait at least 30 minutes for another bus.
I arrived back at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) with a heavy heart. Although I continue to exist in the human "purgatory," my mind seems to have escaped to parts unknown. I have been reading the book, "Archaeology: Unearthing the Mysteries of the Past," by Kate Santon. It's not a difficult read, but I have yet to complete it after several days. I must continually put the book down and reflect. Sad to say, we know so little about our past. What we do know about human history (and prehistory) is both fascinating and tragic. I can't seem to stop pondering the topic.
During my daily adventures, I often find myself speculating that the same kinds of morons that I encounter have most likely existed for eons. In the distant past, though, they would have been offered up as human sacrifices. We have come a long way since then, but the proliferation of morons is disturbing.
Well, I will spend the evening piddling around as usual. Meathead (aka Brian) returned at 8pm. So, I was privy to listen to the fool stomping around and dropping heavy objects on the floor. A slob like Brian would have made a perfect human sacrifice. He has enough blubber on him to fuel the sacrificial fire for days. The fictitious gods would be pleased. Baha! Ha! Ha! Haaa!
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Rock Pile Horror Show
Last night, the young Asian hottie returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) at 5:30pm. Actually, she's been stopping by daily at about the same time. Alan "coincidentally" was in the kitchen. He attempted to make smalltalk with her, but she was aloof. She then started up a load of laundry. Once again, Alan made an attempt at smalltalk. Oddly, baby departed abruptly, leaving her laundry unattended. Within 20 minutes, she was back with her boyfriend. He kept her company until she completed her laundry chores. Then, they left together. I surmise that she brought the boyfriend back in order to thwart any more of Alan's feeble attempts at conversation. In other words, he was protecting her from the "dirty old men" of Slob Manor.
Speaking of "dirty old men," Brian has been keeping odd hours. He often departs before I do in the morning. Oftentimes, he returns to the dump in the wee hours of the morning. Naturally, no matter what time he comes back, he makes a lot of noise. As I said before, he's a meathead.
I was groggy all day, mostly of my own doing. Yesterday, I was so fatigued that I took the risk of consuming a second cup of coffee in the afternoon. Sometimes the caffeine does not affect me. Sometimes not. I was up pretty much all night. I heard Brian's noisy arrival at 2am. He stomped around upstairs for another 30 minutes. Sadly, all I could do was lie still and feign sleep until my usual waking time.
Same ol' shit. As tired as I was, that's the day in a nutshell. I spent most of the time in the library lapsing in and out of a coma. I also shortened my workout at the gym by about 15 minutes. Then, I ended up waiting over an hour at the bus stop. The bus I intended to ride never showed up. Or, I may have been so fatigued that I misread the destination signage on that particular bus as it passed by. Fatigue or senility? Oh brother.
Typical Strategic Hottie
The evening holds nothing important for the ol' lavahead. Rather than implement a new strategic plan, he will continue to piddle around in his squalid room, download more hurdy gurdy videos for his massive collection, peruse the non-"mainstream" news, listen to Deep House music, compose the "blog," and so forth. Anything but the important stuff. Meanwhile, time just keeps ticking away.
Speaking of "dirty old men," Brian has been keeping odd hours. He often departs before I do in the morning. Oftentimes, he returns to the dump in the wee hours of the morning. Naturally, no matter what time he comes back, he makes a lot of noise. As I said before, he's a meathead.
I was groggy all day, mostly of my own doing. Yesterday, I was so fatigued that I took the risk of consuming a second cup of coffee in the afternoon. Sometimes the caffeine does not affect me. Sometimes not. I was up pretty much all night. I heard Brian's noisy arrival at 2am. He stomped around upstairs for another 30 minutes. Sadly, all I could do was lie still and feign sleep until my usual waking time.
Same ol' shit. As tired as I was, that's the day in a nutshell. I spent most of the time in the library lapsing in and out of a coma. I also shortened my workout at the gym by about 15 minutes. Then, I ended up waiting over an hour at the bus stop. The bus I intended to ride never showed up. Or, I may have been so fatigued that I misread the destination signage on that particular bus as it passed by. Fatigue or senility? Oh brother.
Friday, March 04, 2011
Wit's End (Reprise)
Another visit to Hawai'i Kai went well. Moms and I ate lunch at Zippy's. Later, moms served Welcome® vanilla ice cream for dessert. The rest of the day? The urban nomad fulfilled his usual benign functions and followed his routine itinerary as planned.
I was extremely groggy all day because of sleep deprivation. Interestingly enough, I am not alone. "Hawaii is among the most sleep-deprived states, with many residents getting fewer than seven hours of slumber a day, according to the latest national survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," according to an article in the Star-Advertiser. Unfortunately, tolerating noisy morons at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) wasn't listed as a factor.
As you may have guessed, the situation is pretty grim for the ol' lavahead. As much as I have been trying to distract myself, reality always wields its ugly head. My financial situation is growing bleaker by the day. I must continually withdraw from my life savings in order to survive. I have over $400,000 in liquid assets that made only about $3 in dividends for the entire year thanks to Ben "Handjob" Bernanke, the Fed, and the Fed's ZIRP. A few years ago, the same amount was making well over $20,000 annually. As I have said before, interest rates are never going up again in my lifetime. ZIRP is a permanent policy. Cheap fiat currency is all that is keeping the "globalized" economy afloat.
What about wage slavery? Well, I have probably burned all of my bridges. I really don't want to be a pseudo-professor anymore. And, I have been emancipated from wage slavery for over three years. No one will welcome me back into bondage ever again. Throw in a good helping of age discrimination, and anyone can see that it's over.
The despicable "condotel" unit has remained a yoke around my neck. I just can't get rid of the dump. It wouldn't be so bad if hotel rates were back to normal. However, after the fucktards on Wall Street caused the global depression, tourism hit rock bottom. No economic stone was left unturned in the aftermath of the biggest fraud and Ponzi scheme ever to hit the planet. So, the "condotel" unit can't even pay for itself. Worst yet, I may never be able to divest the dump given that another global economic collapse is always just around the corner.
Why not swallow my pride and put everything in the stock market like all of the "winners"? Well, I've learned my lesson about the bogus stock market. It's about as fraudulent as any of the other Wall Street Ponzi schemes. I am a small-time investor. I don't have enough to risk or to diversify in the stock market. So, just like all of the other rank-and-file peons, I only have the options of equity mutual funds. Believe me, mutual funds do not realize the same kinds of gains as actual stock holdings. The rules also make it very difficult to "trade." Thus, a mutual fund investor is either in for the long term or is willing to take huge losses by trying to "time the market." In addition, any gains are subject to the horrid capital gains tax. Thus, even though I know that the stock market will surpass Dow 17,000 very soon, I will not put a dime into it.
Finally, while I am happy about moms' longevity, I am also concerned about my on-going situation. I cannot see myself hanging on at Slob Manor for ten more years or longer. I would be staying at the dump just as long as Alan. I've already been at Slob Manor for over three years. And, conditions never improve. So, why am I still in the dump? There are severe tactical and logistical problems in the ol' lavahead's regime. The primary problem is that I completely shut down communications. I am essentially ex communicado. I rely upon one free Web-based e-mail account to access the outside world. I need to restore cell phone service in order to facilitate and expedite all exodus operations. I have been resistant to the latter because of the cost. Yet, my miserly ways are exacerbating the problem.
Clearly, survival and peace of mind are the most important considerations. I've been wasting far too much time on trivial pursuits. I now know that I will be hanging around Hawai'i far longer than I expected. Too much is out of my control. Mistakes were made. Frankly, I am at wit's end. I just don't know anymore.
I was extremely groggy all day because of sleep deprivation. Interestingly enough, I am not alone. "Hawaii is among the most sleep-deprived states, with many residents getting fewer than seven hours of slumber a day, according to the latest national survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," according to an article in the Star-Advertiser. Unfortunately, tolerating noisy morons at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) wasn't listed as a factor.
As you may have guessed, the situation is pretty grim for the ol' lavahead. As much as I have been trying to distract myself, reality always wields its ugly head. My financial situation is growing bleaker by the day. I must continually withdraw from my life savings in order to survive. I have over $400,000 in liquid assets that made only about $3 in dividends for the entire year thanks to Ben "Handjob" Bernanke, the Fed, and the Fed's ZIRP. A few years ago, the same amount was making well over $20,000 annually. As I have said before, interest rates are never going up again in my lifetime. ZIRP is a permanent policy. Cheap fiat currency is all that is keeping the "globalized" economy afloat.
What about wage slavery? Well, I have probably burned all of my bridges. I really don't want to be a pseudo-professor anymore. And, I have been emancipated from wage slavery for over three years. No one will welcome me back into bondage ever again. Throw in a good helping of age discrimination, and anyone can see that it's over.
The despicable "condotel" unit has remained a yoke around my neck. I just can't get rid of the dump. It wouldn't be so bad if hotel rates were back to normal. However, after the fucktards on Wall Street caused the global depression, tourism hit rock bottom. No economic stone was left unturned in the aftermath of the biggest fraud and Ponzi scheme ever to hit the planet. So, the "condotel" unit can't even pay for itself. Worst yet, I may never be able to divest the dump given that another global economic collapse is always just around the corner.
Why not swallow my pride and put everything in the stock market like all of the "winners"? Well, I've learned my lesson about the bogus stock market. It's about as fraudulent as any of the other Wall Street Ponzi schemes. I am a small-time investor. I don't have enough to risk or to diversify in the stock market. So, just like all of the other rank-and-file peons, I only have the options of equity mutual funds. Believe me, mutual funds do not realize the same kinds of gains as actual stock holdings. The rules also make it very difficult to "trade." Thus, a mutual fund investor is either in for the long term or is willing to take huge losses by trying to "time the market." In addition, any gains are subject to the horrid capital gains tax. Thus, even though I know that the stock market will surpass Dow 17,000 very soon, I will not put a dime into it.
Finally, while I am happy about moms' longevity, I am also concerned about my on-going situation. I cannot see myself hanging on at Slob Manor for ten more years or longer. I would be staying at the dump just as long as Alan. I've already been at Slob Manor for over three years. And, conditions never improve. So, why am I still in the dump? There are severe tactical and logistical problems in the ol' lavahead's regime. The primary problem is that I completely shut down communications. I am essentially ex communicado. I rely upon one free Web-based e-mail account to access the outside world. I need to restore cell phone service in order to facilitate and expedite all exodus operations. I have been resistant to the latter because of the cost. Yet, my miserly ways are exacerbating the problem.
Clearly, survival and peace of mind are the most important considerations. I've been wasting far too much time on trivial pursuits. I now know that I will be hanging around Hawai'i far longer than I expected. Too much is out of my control. Mistakes were made. Frankly, I am at wit's end. I just don't know anymore.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Akonadi Two-Step & Nepomuk Shuffle
Last night, I finally figured out how to shut down the Akonadi server in Kubuntu. Well, first, I terminated the process from the command line using:
The power management problem is still unresolved. The battery is sometimes detected, sometimes not. Rebooting the system usually cures the problem. However, I can't say that I am impressed with the solution. By the way, I am not going to recompile the kernel. I'm not going to recompile the DSDT file either. I thought of flashing the Acer® BIOS with a newer version, but the latter is fairly recent as it is. So, that's Kubuntu in a nutshell.
I also downloaded the latest stable version of Chakra, but I was unable to install it on my USB flash drive. Thus, I aborted the foolhardy project for now. I doubt that I would have seen a drastic improvement in performance on the netbook anyway. So pathetic.
Same ol' shit. I was describing the day, of course. To prevent myself from going insane, I treated myself to dinner at Subway® after a mediocre workout at the gym. As usual, returning to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) made my stomach churn. Perhaps, I should just prepare a "liquid diet" for dinner, if you know what I mean. Baha! Ha! Ha! Haaa!
akonadictl stopThere were no fatal errors in the system, no doubt because I had already removed all of the KDE PIM applications. Prior to the experiment, I discovered that Akonadi is a user process. In other words, it is not invoked by the "root" user. It was also running 14 processor threads, although no application needed it. Thus, the initialization had to be in my home folder. Sure enough, there's a hidden Akonadi folder. I then permanently disabled Akonadi via its configuration file. As for Nepomuk and Strigi, both can be disabled in System Settings. So far, so good.
The power management problem is still unresolved. The battery is sometimes detected, sometimes not. Rebooting the system usually cures the problem. However, I can't say that I am impressed with the solution. By the way, I am not going to recompile the kernel. I'm not going to recompile the DSDT file either. I thought of flashing the Acer® BIOS with a newer version, but the latter is fairly recent as it is. So, that's Kubuntu in a nutshell.
I also downloaded the latest stable version of Chakra, but I was unable to install it on my USB flash drive. Thus, I aborted the foolhardy project for now. I doubt that I would have seen a drastic improvement in performance on the netbook anyway. So pathetic.
Same ol' shit. I was describing the day, of course. To prevent myself from going insane, I treated myself to dinner at Subway® after a mediocre workout at the gym. As usual, returning to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) made my stomach churn. Perhaps, I should just prepare a "liquid diet" for dinner, if you know what I mean. Baha! Ha! Ha! Haaa!
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Kubuntu or Chakra?
The day? Same ol' shit, of course. I have noticing a lot more psychotic and schizophrenic people lately. The are usually talking to themselves of to an imaginary friend. Why are so many people losing their minds, so to speak? I have posed the question before, and I still have no answers. The number of homeless people seems to be increasing as well. There are telltale signs to recognize a homeless candidate. Hanging around the library all day is one of those signs. Sheesh!
Well, I uninstalled all of the applications that I installed again after uninstalling them previously. The Kubuntu PIM applications in question (i.e., address book, calendar, etc.) are part of the standard installation package. I didn't want or need them. I also removed the Amarok music player. I didn't need that either. Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to disable the Akonadi/MySQL service. Then, there's Nepomuk and Strigi. Lots of nonsense running. Heck, the situation is possibly worse than with Gnome®.
Out of sheer frustration, I thought of installing Chakra, a "distro" based upon ArchLinux. However, the current problem is not the "flavor" of Linux. Rather, KDE is the problem. It's bloated! Nonetheless, I would also like to get as far away as possible from the failed Plymouth boot splash. I don't think it will ever function properly.
So, am I finally going to give up and procure a tablet computer? The form factor is nice, but I doubt that a tablet computer would meet my needs. Applications specifically designed for a tablet would work well. However, using a Web browser is probably next to impossible without a stylus. Many links are too small. Take a look at the sequential numbered links in search page results, for example. Typing text into the browser would be frustrating as the virtual keyboard would cover most of the screen. And, there are no tablets that are standalone devices.
Foolishly, I'll spend the rest of the evening wasting my precious time with Kubuntu. I will remove the e-mail client since I don't need or want it. I will install a couple of small utilities. And, I may download Chakra and test it out "live." Am I livin' large, or what?
Well, I uninstalled all of the applications that I installed again after uninstalling them previously. The Kubuntu PIM applications in question (i.e., address book, calendar, etc.) are part of the standard installation package. I didn't want or need them. I also removed the Amarok music player. I didn't need that either. Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to disable the Akonadi/MySQL service. Then, there's Nepomuk and Strigi. Lots of nonsense running. Heck, the situation is possibly worse than with Gnome®.
Out of sheer frustration, I thought of installing Chakra, a "distro" based upon ArchLinux. However, the current problem is not the "flavor" of Linux. Rather, KDE is the problem. It's bloated! Nonetheless, I would also like to get as far away as possible from the failed Plymouth boot splash. I don't think it will ever function properly.
So, am I finally going to give up and procure a tablet computer? The form factor is nice, but I doubt that a tablet computer would meet my needs. Applications specifically designed for a tablet would work well. However, using a Web browser is probably next to impossible without a stylus. Many links are too small. Take a look at the sequential numbered links in search page results, for example. Typing text into the browser would be frustrating as the virtual keyboard would cover most of the screen. And, there are no tablets that are standalone devices.
Foolishly, I'll spend the rest of the evening wasting my precious time with Kubuntu. I will remove the e-mail client since I don't need or want it. I will install a couple of small utilities. And, I may download Chakra and test it out "live." Am I livin' large, or what?
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Post No. 1,766
Sometimes I just wish that there was something new to write about, but there isn't. Same ol' shit. Anyway, just as I was exiting Slob Manor (read: rental housing) this morning, I saw Brian walking his dog in his underwear again. Apparently, he went around the 'hood like that. So, he's actually wearing some kind of outdated European swimwear rather than underwear. Maybe he'll be arrested for indecent exposure. Baha! Ha! Ha! Haaa!
Anne stopped by the library this morning. She's unemployed again. The last job lasted all of seven weeks. Her last day at work was coincidentally the same as my sister-in-law's last day of wage slavery. History is repeating itself for Ann, only the duration of her employment is steadily decreasing. She's also moving into a room in a house in Wahi'awa this weekend. Evidently, Lori will also be moving in a few weeks because she was not able to renew her lease for the place up on the North Shore.
Kubuntu "Plasma" Netbook
I need to backtrack with Kubuntu. Seems that I am once again experiencing the missing battery problem. The "fix" is a custom rebuild of the Linux kernel, or so I read in the Ubuntu Forums. What kind of crap is that? Well, at least the KDE "plasma" netbook interface is easy on the eyes.
Anne stopped by the library this morning. She's unemployed again. The last job lasted all of seven weeks. Her last day at work was coincidentally the same as my sister-in-law's last day of wage slavery. History is repeating itself for Ann, only the duration of her employment is steadily decreasing. She's also moving into a room in a house in Wahi'awa this weekend. Evidently, Lori will also be moving in a few weeks because she was not able to renew her lease for the place up on the North Shore.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)