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By LodeRunner (Mon Mar 13, 2006 at 10:51:07 AM EST) classes, research, french, mfc, ramones, linux, wipo (all tags)
So, my tech support issue has been solved. It only took 8 days in the end. (Eight days would be bad if I was a paying customer, but for free service I think it's acceptable.)

Plus:

  • Putting academic life back on track
  • French classes
  • MFC (non-)news
  • less /proc/kcore
  • Teh WIPOpolltamus

Things are not so bad after all

So, I spent three weeks without seeing my advisor, in which I lost track a bit of my dissertation work and then went through some tough times trying to make some sense out of it all (which climaxed by having a freakin' nightmare this morning).

It finally came to me that I wouldn't get anywhere by writing aimlessly and that I would be better off guiding my work through some coding... even though coding should not be the central focus of the dissertation -- science! research! -- something I'm having a bit of a hard time adapting to, being somewhat of a code-maniac.

I talked to my advisor today and things seem to be better now; I regained my focus and I feel like I'm back on track.

Refrained from using "code-monkey" because I'm not into writing mindless code (you know the kind), hence the distinction. There has to be a good mental challenge, but I'm too much into, mmm, let's call it "applied science" to get a kick out of pure theory without at least some hands-on experimentation.

Learning French again

On other university news, I joined in the French II class today. One week late, but last week was all French I recapping, so I didn't miss anything. I had French I in 2004, so maybe recapping would be good, but things already started coming back to me pretty fast today, so I don't think I'll miss that. And it's not like I lost contact with the language entirely last year. The teacher's style was different that my previous one (I prefer when they avoid using the native language while in class) but she seemed nice and competent. Let's see. I need to buy Cyrano de Bergerac this week, which is cool, and get some sucky French songs which, well, suck (Edith Piaf and the like -- if anybody has suggestions for some good music (rock preferably) sung in French, I'm greatly thankful).

MFC

I had no time to come up with an MFC entry (today was the deadline, right?). Well, maybe next time. Or who knows, maybe I could still go home early today and whip up a quick-and-dirty version of "I don't wanna grow up". Not a big Ramones fan myself, but skimming through the Waits catalog it was the most familiar tune to me (yeah, shoot me). My instant mental association for "Tom Waits" will always be Renfield in Coppola's Dracula.

/proc/kcore

Another post dumped by a browser crash and saved by grepping directly into RAM. Paraphrasing Ronnie James Dio, The Proc Rules.

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This title space for rent | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 hidden)
lease application by tps12 (4.00 / 1) #1 Mon Mar 13, 2006 at 11:10:48 AM EST
I would like to apply to rent your title space for the rest of the day, Eastern time. In payment I offer to rate your ten most recent comments, or ten comments of your choosing, 4.

I am a low-uid HuSi member in good standing, and can provide references upon request. I am also a Trusted User and a member of the Cabal, so I can 4-rate any hidden comments as well.

If you find the terms acceptable, I'd like the title to read "Pro-Life is Anti-Woman."

Awaiting your response,

Lease Application Feedback Form Letter by LodeRunner (2.00 / 0) #6 Mon Mar 13, 2006 at 05:33:46 PM EST
Dear Mr./Ms. ___TPS12___

Thank you for submitting your application. It has been filed and sent to our review commitee for proper evaluation.

We do our best to process each and every application as carefully and promptly as possible. However, due to the considerable volume of daily submissions, delays are inevitable.

A response letter should arrive in __3__ to __6__ weeks. Thank you for your patience.

Sincerely,

__Foo Bar__
Lease Application Feedback Dept.

LodeRunner Real Estate Corp.
Making our posts your home



[ Parent ]
two corrections by 256 (4.00 / 1) #2 Mon Mar 13, 2006 at 11:28:39 AM EST
i believe the MFC deadline is actually Saturday the 18th.

also, i believe it is the intro copy that has been rendered redundant, rather than the title.
---
I don't think anyone's ever really died from smoking. --ni

You are correct! by blixco (2.00 / 0) #4 Mon Mar 13, 2006 at 02:28:56 PM EST
The MFC is dead on the 18th.
---------------------------------
Taken out of context I must seem so strange - Ani DiFranco
[ Parent ]
I stand corrected by LodeRunner (2.00 / 0) #7 Mon Mar 13, 2006 at 05:38:43 PM EST
Looking at my own post it seems quite obvious it's the intro copy. I guess I just suck at coming up with post titles, especially with multi-topic diary entries.

[ Parent ]
Nightmares about course work. by ObviousTroll (4.00 / 1) #3 Mon Mar 13, 2006 at 02:03:01 PM EST
Don't worry about nightmares now - I was having nightmares about accidentally skipping class for an entire term for a good ten years after I graduated.1

When I finally had a dream that I was returning as a  visiting lecturer I nearly cried from relief. I was so tired of those lame dreams.

By comparison, I only dreamed about my dad's death once - and it was a friendly good-bye sort of dream, no stress or anxiety at all.

1 No, I never did that.

The doctor said it was the worst case of cookie-blindness he'd ever seen.

Once in a great while by DesiredUsername (4.00 / 1) #5 Mon Mar 13, 2006 at 04:21:47 PM EST
(thankfully less often now) I still will have a dream about forgetting which house comes next on my paper route, which I last delivered on about 17 years ago. Not only is it anxiety-producing but it is also frustrating since I'm pretty sure I could do the whole route IRL.

---
Now accepting suggestions for a new sigline
[ Parent ]
i occasionally have dreams about missing the bus. by 256 (2.00 / 0) #8 Mon Mar 13, 2006 at 05:42:10 PM EST
i haven't taken a bus to school in 15 years.
---
I don't think anyone's ever really died from smoking. --ni
[ Parent ]
Nightmares and dreams by LodeRunner (4.00 / 1) #9 Mon Mar 13, 2006 at 06:11:41 PM EST
Don't worry about nightmares now - I was having nightmares about accidentally skipping class for an entire term for a good ten years after I graduated.

Yes, that was what this one was about. This one (the first of the kind I ever had) was particularly stressful because the dream was not set "in the present", but instead I woke up with "memories" of something that supposedly happened a month ago.

Usually one shakes offs dreams from their head by realizing that "hey, how come one minute ago I was driving a car and now I'm sitting in my bed? Ah, a dream." On this one it was not like that, as I just woke up thinking I had suddenly "remembered" that I enrolled in all those classes a month ago: just went there on the first day and skipped all the rest, didn't turn out any of the assignments, etc. For dramatic effect, the classes were "really hard" so that my situation was already FUBAR even having missed only a month. (If this had really happenened in real life, I'd probably have reacted differently -- my temporary lack of self-confidence caused by the context certainly played a role there.)

I think I was already awake for a few minutes, thinking something wasn't quite right and calculating how many credits I had completed and why the hell did I enroll in all those classes when I had the A-Beautiful-Mind-ish realization -- one of the classrooms I was remembering having been in that first day was not in my university, but rather in my school from back when I was 12 years old.

By comparison, I only dreamed about my dad's death once - and it was a friendly good-bye sort of dream, no stress or anxiety at all.

I dreamt quite a few times about my mother, but none of them were ever stressful. The nicest of them all was during the first year I was living by myself, having moved to a different state and all -- the whole dream was about just lying in bed, exactly as if I were awake; no particular plot or anything, and the room was exactly like in real life. Except she was there, sitting by the bed, silent, staring at me with an "everything is gonna be all right" look in her face. It was beautiful, I cherish the memory of that dream as if it had really happened.

It's amazing that such a perfect representation of her still lives on, inside my mind -- the eyes, the smile, nothing's lost, it's all there inside my head... and when I least expect I might just see them again.


[ Parent ]
Good French songs: by bob6 (2.00 / 0) #10 Tue Mar 14, 2006 at 12:32:51 AM EST


Cheers.
Seriously by bob6 (2.00 / 0) #11 Tue Mar 14, 2006 at 01:28:05 AM EST
There are some things audible after all. Now it's a matter of personal taste but here we go from the top of my head:
  • Serge Gainsbourg: naughty lyrics sometimes hard to grasp, variety of styles
  • Noir Désir: basic repeating lyrics, basic rock'n'roll
  • Indochine: emo lyrics, DM wanabees
  • Mano Negra: sometimes mixed language (French, English, Spanish), pop with brass
  • Mickey 3D: soft and emo
  • M: pop, has a lot of success but I hate it
  • Louise Attack: same as above
  • Claude François: disco, "My Way" original, loved by women, despised by men, personnally I think he was a lot better than so called classics
  • Henri Salvador: crooner
  • North African singers (Raï music): Rachid Taha, Cheb Mami, Khaled, Faudel, etc. I like it, even if you don't, grasping the subculture is essential in France
  • Some obscure rock/punk bands: Parabellum, Silmarils, Sinclair, Telephone (not so obscure), Gipsy Kings, etc. I don't listen usually, if any additional ones pop in my mind I may tell you.
Pick some songs and see what you like. There are also decent hip-hop and electronica but sice you mentioned rock, I thought you would not be interested.

As a friendly advice avoid the following ones at all costs: Jacques Brel, Francis Cabrel, Georges Fucking Brassens, Jacques Dutronc, Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine, Véronique Sanson, Michel Sardou, Michel Berger and all classic crap.
Despite being French my knowledge about those is thin. Some mates have tried to shove it across my ears whereas I was never interested (they were competing with Brazilian music for the sake of the tasty fuck). Dissing them is a hell of a troll in social situations because people can get personal about it (may favourite one is "George Brassens is a demagogue"). I was frown at, mocked, temporarily marginalized but at least they will take care not to put that shit while I'm around.

Cheers.
[ Parent ]
This title space for rent | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 hidden)

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