Tweet, tweet.

I just signed up for Twitter today. I figured since I can get an app to easily update it on my iPhone, and I always want to blog about random things throughout the day but don't get around to it, that Twitter would be the perfect solution.

Keep an eye out, one of these days I'm thinking of having a Twitt-a-thon where I would update just about every single thing I was doing on a given day. It would be interesting to see how awesome or boring that day is...

UPDATE: See it on the sidebar --->

Patience is a virtue

Sorry to Taylor, or anyone who in the future feels the urge to comment on one of my posts, but it seems to only be Taylor. He's probably the only one who has my blog in a feed reader, so he's the only one who knows that I actually started posting again. Oh well...

Anyway, "gooooood girl" keeps posting about how amazing she thinks my blog is, but I've uncovered her dubious scheme. Her picture is a fake! I thought it looked cartoonish... Well, it's all a ploy to promote full tilt poker's website, as that's the only information on her profile. That's funny, because I've used full tilt poker. But, I got sick of seeing her fake-pictured comments on my blog, so now I'm moderating them.

I know, it sucks when you post a comment and can't get the instant gratification of seeing it on the page, but I'll try my best not to take too long screening them.

Facebook

I just realized how amazing the facebook iPhone app really is (oh, besides the fact that it always crashes). So for those who don't have it, if one of your friends changes their phone number in fb, the newsreel on the app will tell you, and also says "it has been added to your phone book."

At first I thought there was some fb phonebook I've never used, until one day, when someone who actually mattered changed their number. I went to my phone's contacts to change the number and it was already done! Facebook did it automatically!

Holy crap. That is phenomenal. Maybe one day after I delete all the "friends" I've never even spoken to in my whole life (for another post...) I'll actually add my phone number to fb so iPhone users can enjoy automatically receiving my contact updates.

Commencement?

Since I'm so awesome and finally deposited my thesis this December, I'll be graduating with my B.S. and M.S. all in one shot. I participated in commencement on Saturday. What are we commencing though? Is it simply the cliché "rest of our lives?" I'd rather think of it as an ending to all the crap I stressed about, because if it's a celebration of new beginnings, then I'll just get more stressed about all the crap I'll be getting stressed about while trying to earn my Ph.D.

Oh well. I "commenced" mainly because my Mom wanted to see, as I never graduated after my undergrad since I was in a combined B.S./M.S. program. I would have been completely fine with the whole thing had the guy not completely butchered my name. I mean, it was unrecognizable. I don't know how he turned 5 syllables into 2, and he forgot "the third," which made it even worse.

I guess the one consolation I have is that I got to wear this sweet-ass hood for being a M.S. graduate.

Trying email posting

Okay, so the LifeCast app blows. You can only do either text or pic,
and it stopped working! So, I'm trying direct posts from email instead.

Done, kind of...

Okay, I'm finally finished. It took 6 1/2 years, but I'm finally a college grad. Oh yeah, and throw in a MS too! Turning in my thesis on Thursday was one of the best school related feelings I've had. Too bad I followed it up with an incomplete final on Friday night. Oh well, that will count toward my PhD, so it doesn't really affect my happy feelings, since I rocked a 4.0 MS GPA. Anyway, life goes on and I have to pick back up with getting some manuscripts publishable and workng on my PhD research, but I took a relaxing extended weekend. That was nice.

Also, I'll be resuming my photoswap scavenger hunt today, so make sure to check out the pics I find!

Happy Birthday Linnea!!!

Movin' on up

I'm 6/10 of the first page of google links for "Louis DiBerardino" right now.

I say "Ha!" to you Louis DiBerardino the architect and Louis Diberardino the accountant without the capital B!

Now back to the thesis :(

Photoswap scavenger hunt!

I noticed a lot of people like to do scavenger hunts with the Photoswap app on the iPhone. It inspired me to make my own. It's not a competitive thing, rather just me seeing what pictures I'll get in return. I plan on creating a series of themed hunts (after the first one, "40 things"). Have fun keeping track of the things I find here!

Testing, 1 2 3

Testing the "LifeCast" app on my iPhone.

Posted with LifeCast

Parenting tip:

Do not make your child laugh after eating cereal (like the mushy rice cereal infants eat, not "grown up" cereal). They might spit some up, and cough, at the same exact instant you're leaning toward them to make them smile more, and a tiny little piece of regurgitated cereal mixed with applesauce (thank God, but it still tasted bad) will fly right into your open mouth. You'll freak out because it tastes so bad and because you'll think "what are the odds?"

New one

A guy from my class was talking on his cell phone during our break. He was peeing in a urinal at the time, his phone wedged between his cheek and shoulder. Then he left without washing his hands.

I know, you know how to pee without gettng it on your hands, but that doesn't mean all the germs on your hands don't exist.

Too long...

Sorry for the huge gap between posts. I guess it's been a busy month. I assume that since I haven't posted in a while, nobody will read this anymore, except the possible few who might subscribe to the feed. I find my free time dwindling, and when I do get some, I'd rather just relax or hang out with my son. There have been countless things I've experienced since my last post that I really wanted to write about, but just didn't pick up the computer. Maybe I'll add a list at the bottom of the post. Anyway, my iPhone is still great, a month later, except that it needs to get charged at least every other day. That's a little annoying. Man, that just reminded me of something else I've been putting off. I have $50 from my birthday to buy music, which I haven't done for 2 weeks. I really need to re-stock my collection.

Ok, so as a recap of the last month (since my last post), I gave 2 conference presentations (that took up way too much time, now I'm behind on my thesis), Linnea was Matron of Honor in Angela's wedding (where Brandon and I made quick friends with bartender Tom, and got free shots for trying a "cement mixer," and my iPhone rocked it out so we were able to keep track of the Illini tear it up against Indiana), We went to a Chinese Halloween party (where Louis dressed up as a horse, and Linnea and I dressed as babies, diapers and all), we had a great birthday dinner for me at a decently cool pizza / arcade place with ok pizza, started going to a bi-weekly bible study / dinner with people our age at church, witnessed the Change (we'll see if I believe in it, but at least the next Pres is a Sox fan!), turned 24, Louis got baptized, Illini football sucked, Louis went to his first Illini basketball game, and most recently (i.e, right now), waching the Bears blow chunks against the Packers. Absolutely horrible. Oh yeah, and I told Linnea not to let me buy Call of Duty: World at War until I finish my thesis. I'm thinking now that that was a big mistake.

Finally, a list of random thoughts that have popped in my head since last time. Why do I see some girls riding their bicycles wearing skirts? Why do people talk on their phone while riding their bicycle, in the middle of the road, almost getting hit by cars? Why do people cross the street without looking, assuming the drivers see them, rather than being safe and waiting for them to stop? Why does EVERYONE constantly talk on their phone while driving? Why doesn't my iPhone have a video camera? Why did I see a girl driving a sport motorcycle with a dress on? Why are people dumb? Is it a stereotype if it's true? And finally, why do some girls ride their bicycles wearing skirts?

That was quick...

So 2 days after I start writing a post about how I long for an iPhone, what happens? Linnea cracks and we go get an iPhone! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. It's sickening that I'd rather read web pages on the little iPhone screen than my computer right now, but I'm completely infatuated with it. I guess I should plug it in and put some songs on it, but I'd rather browse the internet or whatever else with it. Plus I never re-installed iTunes after my last reformat. Hopefully I'll get around to adding music to it before I actually find myself wanting to listen to music...

iWant iPhone

I've wanted an iPhone since the first commercial I saw on TV. I still remember it. It was some brief teaser ad, and it confused me more than anything. What? An iPod phone? How does that work? Get me one! Too bad once they finally came out it cost $400 with an extra $25/month on the cell phone contract. I resigned myself to the idea that I couldn't afford one until I left school and got a real job. But I still wanted one...

Anyway, with a recent budget making session, Linnea and I have figured out how much weekly "allowance" we can have for random spending. I can easily cover the now $30/month ($35 if I want to text) with part of this allowance, but how do I get the $200 to buy the phone in the first place? Now the excitement is brewing and I try to develop schemes to get that money. Luckily my birthday and Christmas are coming, so I can just ask for cash. I still want it NOW though, ever since we learned I could afford it, I've noticed myself in multiple situations per day where I could really use the email/internet the iPhone offers. Not to mention my dreams of watching movies on it on a plane, for example.

Since I want it so bad, it's really easy for me to rationalize getting it now: I need it so I'm not bored between sessions at the conference this week, we need it so we have GPS going to Angela's wedding next weekend, etc. We'll see what happens I guess.

NOTE: This is post dated because I literally wrote all but one sentence on the date it says, and I finished it right before the next post, ironically.

8:00 AM

I just realized that I make my Eight O'clock Coffee brand coffee at eight o'clock every morning.

Thanks, White Sox

Well the season is over for me. While a first round elimination is a little disappointing 3 years removed from a World Series Championship, I can't complain too much about the White Sox this season. Yes, they lived and died by the long ball (chicks still dig it though...), but they were only expected to finish 3rd or 4th in the Central this year.

So thanks, White Sox for exceeding expectations. Thanks, White Sox for stumbling into AL Central champions in stellar fashion. Thanks for Swish even though he slumped. Thanks for the true ROY Cuban Missile. Thanks, White Sox for the beautiful sight of The Kid in your uniform. And absolutely most important of all, thanks, White Sox for staying in the playoffs one game longer than the Cubs! But please trade choker Javier Vasquez. Ozzie was right. You know he would have lost 3 in a row if you made it to game 5.

Aside: sorry to the two readers I have left for not posting. It's been a crazy hectic semester. I'll try harder once I get through these two presentations I have to give at a conference next week, and the midterm right after them!

Welcome to St. Paul

My friend Adam just moved to St. Paul, and had a wonderful "welcome" by the police:

I had a "run-in" with a cop in full body armor last night in downtown St. Paul. Jana and I went to see the taping of the Daily Show at the Historical Museum (this is all during the RNC), and just outside the building we were in (across the street and down about a block) is where all of the peaceful protesting was going on. We went out for dinner after the show got out, at about 7:30p or so, and on the walk back to our car after dinner some bicycle cops came up behind us and started telling us where to walk. We ignored them and took a right to get to our car and they freaked out and started pushing me (actually physically pushing me) to go straight instead. I threw my hands up and went "woa man, just walking to our car here" and in response, he waved his mace at me telling me to get moving in his direction. We walked up about a half a block to where a news van was (FOX) and Jana walked up to their open door telling them that innocent people are getting pushed around and maced just outside their van completely unprovoked and they should be filming it. I had continued walking forward and was yelling at Jana to hurry because the bike cops were just about to get up to her again (they were riding VERY slow so they could ride next to the walkers). The cop that had pushed me earlier got to where I was standing and waved his mace in my face again and told me to keep walking. I then looked him in the eye and said "Thats my wife right there and I am waiting for her". He ignored me, and I yelled "Thats my fucking wife, you just wait a second ass whole! You're out here pushing us around and we were just out to dinner and we are walking back to our car". By that time Jana had got to where I was and we grabbed hands and continued walking. We were with 3 other friends that were at the show with us and at dinner with us. Two of them were way ahead of us because they walked very fast to get away from it all, and the other was holding up his phone the whole time yelling "this is all on tape! You're on video right now!"

Needless to say, it changed the way I look at cops completely. I felt like I was in a video about the 1960s. I have never seen so many guns, mace cans, or tear-gas rifles in my life. Just walking to the Daily Show at 2:30p (we had to get there early to get a seat) I must have seen 250 cops in full body armor. If anything, Jana and I felt LESS safe with them being there, and as it turns out, we WERE less safe. The only harm that I received both verbally and physically all night was from a police officer. AND I WASN'T EVEN AT THE PROTEST. Even if I was, it should not have mattered. I was walking peacefully to my car holding my wife's hand and strolling along. How these officers thought we were some kind of threat is beyond me. What kind of judgment is he using pushing me around?

Jana and I got home last night (9/4/08) at about 9:30 and were just happy to be home and away from it all....

Comcast SUCKS

OK, I take back all the good things I ever said when I found out that Comcast was going to carry the Big Ten Network. Why, do you ask? Let me tell you. This morning, while video chatting with my mom so she could see her grandson, I noticed the clock said 11:00, so I swore, jumped up and switched the channel to Big Ten Network HD. I didn't want to miss kickoff for the Illini. Anyway, what was on TV? The Northwestern University Wildcats versus the Southern Illinois University Salukis.

WHAT? Last week they showed a few seconds of another game and then it switched to the Illini, so I waited. Then I waited longer. Then I went online to see if they actually kicked-off yet, and it was already like 3 minutes into the game! I called BTN and they said they were already on the phone with Comcast, and Comcast was just showing the wrong game in our area.

So I waited. Sat in my chair, watching the crappy Wildcats, the butt of Big Ten Football, play the "Football championship subdivision" Salukis. What the hell? So now it's halftime, and I already tried talking to Comcast. Local numbers were busy, and I was on hold for 15 minutes with their nationwide 800-number before hanging up, since I'm sure they were aware of their HUGE MESS-UP. I was also 95th in line for online chatting, but then I had to feed Louis. Anyway, it's halftime and I call BTN back since they answer their phone in like 2 rings with no automated menus! Yeah, you heard right, BTN had no automated menus. Bravo, BTN. Ok, so the lady who answered after the 2nd ring said they got ahold of Comcast right after everyone called in at kickoff, and that Comcast said they were "working on it." YOU CAN'T PUT THE RIGHT GAME ON AFTER A WHOLE HALF OF FOOTBALL??? Somebody needs to get fired.

It's now almost through the 3rd quarter and the only Illini I've seen is the updates they give in the NW game (which proves their equipment is actually working since they showed clips, so someone really does need to get fired, because it's airing somewhere out there, but not 2 MILES FROM THE STADIUM).

One Fine Face

I'm sitting at work humming the same tune in my head that I've been humming in my head since I woke up this morning. What is it?

"One Fine Face" by Ernie and Elmo on Elmo's Greatest Hits.