Hugh M.D.

Tonight I saw a shuffle. Then I saw a skip. The shuffle came from Creepy Cockroach and the second came from a young frog, whom I shortly thereafter named Hugh M.D. His name came as inspiration which I owe to the extremely high moisture content in the air. So I scooped up this little Doctor and carried him inside with me. I placed him in my plastic bin where he went into dead mode. This is a survival technique I have seen used by potato bugs and a trick performed by some high functioning canines. I got nervous. Frightened. The last thing I wanted at midnight was innocent blood on my hands. I snatched the camera in hopes that the flashes would make him feel like a superstar. I think this only furthered his fear. Although the friendship had just started, I realized that it was about to come to an end. I knew that I couldn't be friends with a frog who plays dead. Frogs are supposed to jump around. We went back outside and down the stairs and I finally shook him out of the container. The container Hugh considered a coffin. He didn't budge. I tried coaxing him but nothing seemed to work. Ultimately, I had to leave him and return to my apartment. I hope that Hugh M.D. will be ok. I hope he finds a friend as good as me. Good luck Doc!

iPhone 4 Release Day!

I waited all morning. I even saw one Fed Ex van pull into the apartment complex and so I chased him down. He had no iPhone. Then at 12:40 I received word from Nick that the goods had been delivered. I raced to his house.

The unboxing ceremonies began!

Goosebumps and smiles abounded.

I started the syncing process!

And.... 5 hours later it finished! (Picture shown twice to give you a feeling of how long those 5 hours were).

First impressions:

1. Fast! Fast! Fast!

2. Beautiful.

3. The screen is amazing.

4. Multitasking. Welcome to my life Pandora radio!

I am very happy with my new daily companion.

Now the question is: Does my iPhone need protection?

The iPhone 4 Pre-order Mayhem.

Yesterday was the first day to pre-order the iPhone 4. I woke up around 8:20 EST and found that pre ordering had gone live. Unfortunately, I'm on a business plan and was unable to order my phone through Apple. I attempted the AT&T site quickly but gave up and headed to the store. Trouble at the store as well. The servers were overwhelmed and it took 45 minutes to process the order of roughly 4 people ahead of us(Nick went with me to order his as well!). I finally got my phone ordered around 10:30. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me order one for my mother as well. By afternoon, AT&T had sold out of iPhone 4 and by evening, Apple had as well. Lines, crashed servers, potential security breaches, and lots of anxious and frustrated customers described the day. AT&T reports that it was the busiest day of online sales in company history. Yeah...it seems like the iPhone 4 is going to make a killing just like its predecessors. I can't wait till June 24th! This is what will be arriving in 32 GB fashion!

District of Columbia!

Me, Nick, Carrie, Kate, Pete, and Carson hit up DC last weekend. We only had one day but we made the most of it. It is a really fun place. We walked a lot and all our feet were very sore! We are hoping to go back again before summer is over! Here are a few pics from round one!

It is pretty much just a big toothpick.

Descending to the center of the earth....D.C. Metro.

Two of the most beautiful things that day captured at once: Nick and the Monument.

We love Abraham Lincoln. I think I'm going to start studying him. Any suggestions on books?

So many brave men and women, so many names. Such an impressive memorial wall.

Some dude's house...

I'm just a bill, yes i'm only a bill, and i'm sitting here on capital hill.

VIVA LA HUSBANDRY!

Two summers ago, the husbandry (Me, Mark, Jasen, and Brian) went backpacking to White Pine Lake. It was an event for the ages. Tragically we didn't have a repeat last summer. Now, I live in Virginia, Brian lives in Ohio and is getting married in 13 days, Mark is getting married in 14 days, and Jasen, yeah, he's around. Mark was wearing his man thong and we all got in the freezing cold lake. Here's a little video tribute to Mark and the rest of the husbandry!

Memorial Day: Remembering Nana

We love and miss you Nana!

SUGAR!!

Check THIS out! DRINKS AND THEIR SUGAR EQUIVALENTS.

Razor Blade Cuts, Phone Boxes, and Hoarder Houses

Life as an Installer can get pretty wild. This post will focus on three exciting things from the past 2 weeks.

1. Nick sliced his leg open by a very unfriendly little razor blade protruding out of his bag. I was not there to witness the event but in his words, "blood just gushed out and down my leg." I saw it later. It was a fairly deep slash. Now fast forward 2 days. Opposite leg, same injury. This time I was there. I couldn't help but laugh, then take a picture, and then use my car's first aid kit to bandage him up. Here's the evidence.

2. R.J. Blocks and Phone Boxes. We install two types of systems: Cellular and Two-Way voice. As you would guess, one uses a sim card, like those found in our cell phones(except Verizon and Sprint) and the other goes through the customer's phone line. I'm still getting a handle on the phone line stuff. Here are a few pictures I snapped and sent to Pete and Nick to get assistance.

3. Compulsive hoarding (or pathological hoarding or disposophobia^[1]) is the excessive acquisition of possessions (and failure to use or discard them), even if the items are worthless, hazardous, or unsanitary. This definition is taken from Wikipedia. I have now installed two systems for hoarders. It is both disturbing and a health risk. I have no idea how people live like this. The photos will never do justice for what it is like to step into one of these homes, but here are a few to give you an idea.

Depth of field in this photo is a little challenging. The very bottom of the photo nearly shows the floor. The rest of the picture is of stuff about 3 feet high filling the whole room. "Stuff surfing" would be the only way to enter the room.

I've learned:

1. I don't want to cut my legs like Nick does.

2. I prefer installing cellular systems.

3. I'm grateful I grew up in a clean home(thanks mom) and I want to always live in a clean home.

Road Biking

I went on a bike ride the other morning. First I took a picture.

Then I wrote a little poem.

I go solo

Pedal harder, not to keep up

But to keep going

Towering trees provide a tunnel

A flat course, unfettered alas

Winding turns, not sure to where

Until I arrive, serenity in a bay

And a bench to breathe it in

Then I did a video.

Then I mapped my ride back.

These are the kinds of things you end up doing for entertainment when you ride alone.

Technology is wonderful.

Now...who wants to join next time?

How to keep People Following?

People constantly check facebook, right? But do people constantly check blogs or do they quit? This post is a test to see if twitterfeed sends my new blog posts as status updates on facebook and new tweets on twitter. Keep fingers crossed for automation!