Ryan J. Allen

The race today was awesome, and I’m not saying that just because Jeff won. The racing was close, aggressive, and very entertaining. I watched the race out at Mere and Steve’s and enjoyed a wonderful turkey dinner afterwards.

This is my final week of school. I almost added the word “ever” but I’m pretty confident that would be a lie. I enjoy learning, so I’m sure I’ll continue school at some point in time. I know that I would really like to go to a cooking school when I get a new job and get settled. This is going to be QUITE the busy week.

Speaking of school, Alex returned home today. I’ll see her Tuesday when she comes to watch One Tree Hill–a delight I am very much looking forward to. Hmm, that reminds me I need to put in a phone call to the Amodeo ranch.

Speaking of my busy week, my group mates and I will be finishing up our project for FCT this week. We will also be presenting our project to the company, which we’re hoping will happen next week. I’m rather excited, and think I have another great shirt/tie combination for that presentation. I don’t know if that might be overdressing or not, though–I’ll find out this week.

I need to wrap this up quickly. I need to sleep.

I’ve installed GNOME 2.6 on my laptop running FreeBSD (5.2.1-RELEASE). I really like it. I think I like it more than my KDE installation on my desktop. As it stands, I haven’t quite tweaked FreeBSD to the state where I would like but that might come.

Will’s birthday in a week. I’m excited. I think I’ll actually get to go to a dinner for him, or whatever happens, as I’ll be free of school work. Mere’s is a couple of days after–also exciting.

Right, well, I’m off to bed. If anyone can think of a neat story of mine that they’ve heard that I’ve neglected to tell, let me know about it in a comment. I’ll post again sometime soon.

CubicRyan caught my interest with his Friday Five choice so I thought I’d give it a whirl.

1. What is your favorite restaurant and why?
Favourite overall would be Frankie Pestos Italian Eatery in Kingston, ON. It’s got great food, good service, extremely reasonable prices, and it’s surprisingly unbusy. That being said, I am a VERY big fan of Casa Bella in Gananoque, ON. The caribou I had was simply delicous.

2. What fast food restaurant are you partial to?
Ba da ba ba ba, I’m lovin’ it.

3. What are your standards and rules for tipping?
I’m typically a handsome tipper. I typically tip in the 20% - 25% range, and I usually round to the nearest fiver (or better). I’m not afraid to leave a low tip for a poor waiter, however (don’t go to the Hidden Bistro in Picton, ON).

4. Do you usually order an appetizer and/or dessert?
Appetizer, yes. Dessert, sometimes. I do like to share my appetizer. I have been known to share my dessert (what was that large brownie dessert we had at the Keg, Alex?).

5. What do you usually order to drink at a restaurant?
Evian, or San Pellegrino.

So, Open House, the big event that I’ve worked up to all year, sucked. I was optimistic, as pictured, but it really turned out bad. Attendence sucked, for the second year in a row, and interest in the CET program at SLC has really dwindled. Oh well, pictures are here.

Lots to do in the last couple of weeks of school. I owe Dave a couple of essays; I owe Colin a lab; and I owe Naeem a bunch of labs (and a final exam). Not to mention the finish up required for the project: a presentation, an installation, another presentation, documentation, and delivery of source and other goodness. Should be no problem, though.

New Hanson album this week! Wooooooooohooooooo! Sure, I’ve got it already as MP3s, but I think I’ll have to purchase this in store. Alex talked about the possiblity of going to the US to buy the album with bonus DVD, and I presume the Penny & Me single. Seems like a big trip for something so simple (shipping from the US would be cheaper), but I wouldn’t mind a trip to the US.

Must go work on my final presentation for tomorrow. I went with pose B for the grad photos. E was great, but the background was ugly.

I just wanted to take a few minutes for a quick update.

Open House, or the “Technology and Trades Showcase” is this Friday. INSANITY. I can’t believe how close we are to the end. Busy week lined up. I’ll be glad tomorrow evening when I’m done work, because I’ll have no responsibility outside of the Open House/project from that point until the next Monday. Tomorrow is integration, Wednesday is a demo for FCT, Thursday is setup, and Friday’s the big day. I have a feeling there may be some additional touch ups necessary to the system that I haven’t officially planned for but, believe me, I’m planning on it.

What doesn’t help is all of my movie watching this weekend. With no NASCAR race I had to find something to watch on TV. I really could’ve gotten a lot done instead of watching movies, though.

My brother just took my lab book and tried to use it as a mousepad. Luckily, it was too reflective to be useful so he has put it back.

So, back to the movies. Evidence has been piling up for years, but I’ve officially discovered that I cry like a baby when it comes to sobby movies. Actually, any movie with sobby parts. Sure, I can try to mask my tears, but anyone who knows me will see right through it. Maybe I’ll find the perfect woman who will find the crying to be cute. Most of the women I know would probably laugh at me, unless they are crying, too.

Back to work.

Someone please tell me, which is more pathetic?

I’m feeling pretty isolated from my friends/family. I suppose I should consider this to be a good thing, considering my workload, but I think I’ve probably spent more time lazing about being mopey than I would have interacting with others. So, I think it’s fair to say that this sucks. I’ve received one or two phone calls with a “this is my civic duty” overtone; my telephone calls have gone unanswered; and the only communication I’ve received is a URL to a water test video, or a request to proof an essay late this evening.

If I had to find a silver lining it would be that I’m appreciating some of the simpler things. I’ve kept afloat with some positive feedback about my resume, trying on my suit for open house to make sure everything is tailored correctly, some interesting social interaction at work Saturday, and the lovely Miss Longden sharing some light conversation with me. Lest I forget NASCAR, as well; another really entertaining race and a season’s best finish for Jeff Gordon.

Interestingly, all of this negative type has resulting in a phone call being returned! Hip-hip horray. Now I’ve got enough energy and enthusiasm to do some things. Hopefully I’ll get my cover letter done this evening for proofing tomorrow.