Well, it truly seems downhill after 25 as I've found I need coffee frequently throughout the day. Otherwise, as I mentioned previously, I just crash as soon as I get off of work.
I've drunk it on and off but until recently my little coffee machine had been gathering dust.
I'm more prone to anxiety on caffeine though, so it's a delicate balancing act. When I get that wearable computer finished, I'll think I'll chart my metabolic rate and keep a little timer in my heads up display to let me know when to dose up again.
I can't wait!
I'm also planning a little trip. It's been awhile since I've left the city, and I'm looking forward to it. Where am I going?
Stay tuned...
9/05/2008
coffeecoffeecoffee
9/04/2008
Still Here, Thankfully.
Some aren't as fortunate.
Sorry for the delay.
The heat wave gripping the city has been sapping away at my energy to the point where I usually take a long nap after work, and just veg out before going to sleep for the night.
Heh, the unending excitement of a tranny in the big city.
The boss also asked me to change rooms- according to him a room they fixed down on the second floor was just too nice to rent to the public, so he gave it to me. It's a nice room, though I preferred the street view. Plus the second floor is constantly full, mainly locals, and they can be rowdy.
I've moved the essentials already- I'll do the rest over the next few days. The major plus though is the previous occupant was a decade long resident and had a phone line installed. After a grueling experience talking to AT&T "Specialists" (who apparently don't even know what an 802.11n wireless standard is) I finally got their "elite" DSL package set up.
After using a cellular broadband card for the past year, it sure is an improvement. So all in all I'm happy with this move, so far. It's given me an excuse to get rid of some old junk I've been hoarding, and maybe help me out of my funk.
Unfortunately routine has also been disrupted in a sad way.
It was late the night before last and I checked in with the office and saw a guest hadn't paid. He was an older guy, wheelchair bound for the most part, and liked to try and grab my butt or legs and constantly invited me up to his room.
He was a pervert, but harmless for the most part.
Seeing that he hadn't paid, I also realized I hadn't seen him in a few days and just said "Uh-oh" out loud. I took the desk clerk up to check the room, and sure enough found the door could only open a couple of inches as he had apparently collapsed against it. A quick reach in to feel his arm confirmed he was dead.
Overdose, apparently. Second one here in three months- talk about good publicity.
It was pretty surreal, and I was up til 2AM waiting for the police and the medical examiner and answering questions until they moved him out. They weren't too careful about it as they smashed the cart he was on into every corner of the hallway, tearing a huge chunk out of the wall at one point.
Yeesh- not at all like what one sees on TV.
Well, Goodbye Mr. Simpson. I'm sure you're getting all the Angel tail you can handle.
8/26/2008
I'm in front of the hotel, taking a quick break and taking in the warm day and the fresh air.
A short guy walks by. "Hey Blake, you working?"
I don't recognize him but I say 'Yeah' reflexively. Afterwards I realize he didn't say 'Blake', he said 'Babe'. I knew exactly what was going to happen next.
"How much for head?"
I rolled my eyes and started walking back in. "I'm not that kind of girl."
"You said you were working!"
"Yeah, here at the hotel. I'm the manager."
The embarrassed look and the profuse apology before he scampered away almost made it worth it.
It did get me thinking though, and later I wondered, purely hypothetically of course, what I'd be able to get away with charging.
Not that I would or anything- bit too stereotypical for my tastes. Among other good reasons.
8/24/2008
15 Seconds of Infamy
Went to Cindy's (Emmy's Sister) birthday party yesterday. Emmy didn't go because her and Cindy are kind of going through a rough patch.
Anyhoo, I took the Caltrain down, which was interesting. I haven't rode many trains.
It all kind of passed rather quick. The first venue was a lake where me and half a dozen of her friends lounged around in the sun. I forgot sunscreen, but hopefully one afternoon didn't do too much damage.
After that, we went back to Cindy's for some Jello Shots and Smirnoff Ice, and then to a Persian restaurant. Karaoke was planned, but I made my exit a little before that, and Cindy's guy Kris drove me to the train station. We sort of made it just before the last train arrived, but it was on the other side of the tracks and I ended up missing it.
He was really nice though and drove me home, like forty minutes away. We had a pretty nice conversation, the first I've really had with him. He is a... very interesting person. I wanted to open up a bit more but I was kind of shy. Oh well.
In other news, my 15 seconds of fame popped up over the weekend, as my little Kindle Hack made the headlines of both Engadget and Gizmodo (my favorite blogs), among other places.
There were a few haters- who knew there were so many Sony Reader fans? And yes, I know I could have contacted Amazon and they probably would have replaced it if I bothered to make a phone call. But who has that kind of time, nowadays? Plus, this was much more fun.
I'm referred to with male pronouns in most of the articles- I didn't want to play up the whole tranny or female angle, wanting the focus to be on the hack and not me. Some people were a little more observant, though (sort of :)
Also I should note again that 'Lara Blake' is a pseudo-name, and when I posted the instructable I forgot my username was also my Real Name. So the secrets out, I guess. Now please don't stalk me.
8/22/2008
I'm Famous!
...in a small corner on the internet ;)
I decided to post an Instructable on my little Kindle fix, and it was made Featured and Popular! Hehe, yeah, I know it doesn't mean much, but it is kind of cool when you work hard on a project and then get a chance to show it off.
As of now I'm the Top popular hit on the homepage, but that will probably change by the time you get there. Just do a search for Amazon Kindle.
Hmm, now what am I going to do to top that?
In other news, I'm going to Cindy's birthday/going away party tomorrow. It's all the way in San Jose, which will be a pseudo-adventure. Since moving to San Francisco, besides flying out, I've yet to stray farther than Berkeley.
It's supposed to last the whole day and into the night. Ooh boy, better rest up.
8/21/2008
I'm a Genius!
I haven't mentioned my much beloved Amazon Kindle in awhile.
That's because when I went to Florida last Christmas my sister accidentally stepped on it and cracked the screen to smithereens.
I toyed around with it when I got home and took it apart, seeing how everything fit together and worked. After some internet research, it donned on me that the Sony E-ink reader and the Kindle practically
shared the same screen.I happened to own a Sony Reader, which was gathering dust in a box somewhere, so I did what any DIYer would do- I took apart the Sony Reader and attempted a "Screen Transplant" to the Kindle.
After dismantling the Sony I quickly found out that glued on to the screen was an aluminum support frame with jutting parts that would make it impossible to fit into the Kindle. In the back of my mind I made a note to buy a Dremel and left the disassembled Kindle on a lonely corner on my workbench.
Well, last paycheck, having had some disposable cash for the first time in many months, I went ahead and ordered one of the cheapest Dremel models (along with like ten pairs of cute shoes).
The iconic rotary tool arrived yesterday, and I began the long process of using a cutting wheel to saw off the largest parts, and than grinding them down as close as I could. This was while I was behind the desk, by the way, so customers got treated to the sight of me in my construction gloves and safety goggles- always hilarious.
Once the screen was cut down to size, I fitted it into the Kindle and began the long process of of reassembly, going by memory and some pictures I took of the original dismantling. There was some puzzle solving required, but in the end the last screw was put in place. (Well, second to last- I had one left over.)
I turned it on, and... nothing. Well, I could tell that it was on and "working", the screen was just dead. It was a little disappointing, but I half-expected it to not really work anyway, figuring that maybe there was some little difference that made them incompatible. I packed up my tools and thought that was that.
A little later though I was in my room, trying to nap as my mind started playing through the events of the day (it was a pretty crummy day at work), when inspiration hit. I took off the back cover of the Kindle and started fiddling around, checking connections. I unplugged the screen from the main board, blew in the connector, and put it back in. I felt a satisfying *snap* as it clicked into place that I didn't recall before.
After replacing everything, I turned it on. And the screen started flashing.
Finally, the Amazon Logo popped up.
Success!!!!
I felt so giddy I poured myself a glass of wine to celebrate. It's not perfect- it bulges a bit because I couldn't file the screen down as much as I would have liked, plus a couple of fairly important buttons don't function properly, but I take my victories where I can.
It works!!!!
Now to go get reacquainted with an old friend...
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