Hope everyone had a good independence day! I had a quiet one. I did some reading, studying, eating, and I watched Fahrenheit 9/11 with Amit and Frank. If you haven’t seen it, go see it. It’s definitely worth watching.
Classes have been relatively easy. My CS class involves a lot of reading, and the diff eq class is hard, but I’m understanding things so far. I’ve been working a lot at the BME lab I work at.
I’ve also been considering taking a research position in the Molecular Biology department. The research sounds interesting, and there’s a potential for publication! I hope things turn out well, and I get the job.
By the way, some of you know that I’ve been complaining a lot about T-Mobile. Well, it turns out my problems aren’t due to T-Mobile, but stupid Sony Ericsson. My super-cool Sony Ericsson T610 plain stinks. It crashes a lot, and it can’t hold a call for longer than 10 minutes. Oh, and it takes forever to pick up a network after one is dropped. I ended up buying a phone for retail (a Samsung E105). It’s not nearly as cool, and it was fairly expensive, but at least it works and I’m not locked into a contract!
Anyway, have a good week, and keep in touch.
You must see “The Terminal!” It was a truly good movie. It had a plot.. it had humor.. and it was worth the $16 it cost to see it! : ) If you’re looking for a summer movie to see, go watch “The Terminal.” Tom Hanks acts really well, and as usual, Stephen Spielberg does a fantastic job.
I’m waiting to see “Farenheit 9/11″. I really want to see it. Maybe I’ll get a chance this weekend or the weekend after.
The 4th of July is coming up. I hope there will be a good fireworks show somewhere around here.
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So Frank just got back from London.. I’m jealous.. : ) He went with his friend to tour London… he’s promised me he’s going back to Europe next summer or the summer after. He better take me along! : ) It’s one of those continents I’ve been wanting to visit for a very long time.
My dad just went on a business trip to Virginia, the state I grew up in for 8 years of my life. He visited some of my past homes, day cares, and schools. He took a bunch of pictures, so have a look if you wish.
On Friday night, Maria and I went to see “The Day after Tomorrow.” It’s directed by the same guy who directed Independence Day, and I must say I really enjoyed it. Go watch it if you’re bored… well worth the money. Oh, and if you haven’t seen Shrek 2, that’s an absolute must see! I saw it before seeing Shrek, and it convinced me to rent and watch Shrek. Very, very funny!
I’m even reading a novel now! *GASP* Yup, I’m reading “Digital Fortress” by Dan Brown. It’s a thriller about the NSA (National Security Agency) that’s fighting to get a passkey to what may be an encryption algorithm that could never be broken. It’s a very good novel, and it makes you appreciate the NSA.
I’ll be going back down to Austin on June 1st for summer school, so have a good summer if I don’t see you! Take care!
Okay, it’s time for yet another “Zack rant about technology.”
This time? It’s over cell phones… as usual…
A cell phone? It’s great. Isn’t it? You never have to find a public phone when you need to make a call. You can play games and take pictures. People can reach you instantly. Wait, that’s not a good thing when you’re the only system administrator of a lab. I’m beginning to dislike cell phones for many reasons.
When I use a cell phone in public, it’s only when I absolutely have to. I find it so annoying when you’re sitting at a gate in the airport or in a doctor’s waiting room only to hear someone chatting up a storm on her cell phone. “Oh my Laura, you wouldn’t believe what little Jimmy did! He ate spaghetti, and then he washed his hands afterwards. Oh Laura, no you’re not fat.” It’s the most pointless conversation I’ve heard. I think the government needs to stop worrying about “all those chemical and biological weapons” in the Middle East and make some “cell phone courtesy” acts. 
Secondly, I think cell phone companies are very dishonest about their cellular coverage. When you sign up, you’re presented with this map of coverage. The map is pretty simple: if an area’s covered, it has coverage. Otherwise, it’s not. Too bad cell phone reception isn’t that simple. Reception varies so much in just a 3 foot distance.
Okay, so you might say, “Well, how’s a cell phone company supposed to know about that variation?” The truth is, they do know! They just don’t want to tell you.
So we’re paying overpriced amounts of money for something that doesn’t even work as advertised. Give me a break!
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Yay! School’s over… finally. 4 semesters down, 5 more to go (plus a summer). What a painful semester it was.. I’m glad it’s done and over with.
I got back last Sunday… I flew back since Maria was nice enough to let me put my stuff in her condo. All I’ve been doing here in Plano is working… not for Target, though! No, I’ve been doing sysadmin work for the lab I work at in UT Austin. It’s nice working from home… ; )
Yesterday, Ed and I went to the new Fry’s. It’s pretty nice. However, it lacks the cool theme that practically every other Fry’s has. But you know what was cool? For the first time ever, I actually bought something there! Yes, I bought a 30-pack of CD-Rs!! : ) I was so proud of myself.
Later, Erika called us, and we went to see Shrek 2. It was REALLY funny.. I highly recommend it! Now I have to see the first one..
I have nothing cool to talk about. sorry. : (
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It’s time for a new daily entry!
My spring break went well. I mainly relaxed, worked a little, and did some studying. Dang, it feels like it was so long ago.
I’m not looking forward to exams though. This semester has been insanely busy. I’m only hoping I do well on my exams. Then I’ll have a solid two weeks to relax! Thank goodness!
Okay, this week stinks. So many tests…. well, granted, it’s only 2 tests, but one of them is really freaking me out. It’s a test in operating systems. I have no clue whether it’s going to be really easy or really hard. The problem is that it’s the only midterm in the class, and we’ve covered so much information in these first six weeks.
Spring break is coming! I’ll be in Plano the entire week, probably working (not at Target, working at the Biomedical Informatics Lab from home), studying (a test and a project due the week after), playing around with sites, and most of all, relaxing. It will definiteliy be the most appreciated spring break ever.
How many times a week do you spill stuff on your clothes? It seems like Maria gets something on her clothes twice a week! What a freak…
See you in P-town. This is Zack, signing off, live from the ATX.
Go Lord of the Rings! Winner of 11 Academy Awards. The movie deserves it… congratulations to the cast and crew for a job well done! It will be hard for a movie to beat the quality milestone that this movie has set.
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It’s time for a new journal entry! Yay!
First of all, I’ve received tons of email from people from Taiwan and Hong Kong requesting a zDisk. To all of you, as I’ve said earlier, your zDisks have been revoked since the majority of you all were using your zDisk for illegal content. I will no longer tolerate that.
I love school this semester… no, really… okay, not really. Operating Systems (CS 372) is killing me. I’ve made a new boyfriend (hehehe, jk), since my partner Vasanth and I spend more time together than anyone else. Oh well, it’s school. Things will get better… umm, when exams are done!
I bought a new Pocket PC that I think is really nice. I take it with me wherever I go (well, except for when I shower.. hey, the things aren’t waterproof just yet). In the meantime, Maria has been making fun of me for surfing sites such as PocketPCThoughts and PocketPCPassion. Hehehe..
Christina came to visit over the weekend. I had a great time with her. It was nice seeing a great friend again after so long. Stay in touch Christina.
The next two weeks are going to kill me as I have 2 CS midterms. What fun, what fun. Oh well, if I can survive that, then all that will be left is Spring Break! I’m looking forward to that.
Yup yup.
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Happy Valentine’s Day! : )
The web site is back up! Well, the picture album isn’t working, but I’ll have that fixed soon.
So my wintermester went fine. I ended up in Austin a week before school started, as I helped out in the lab setting up new computer systems. It was a lot of work, as I worked 120 hours + in that week. Oh well, I had fun.
The semester is busy as usual, since I seem to be getting reaccquainted with the Painter labs. aka… the computer basement in nowhere.. : )
It snowed tonight at 1:30! Some serious snow! New pics coming soon! : )
Note: your zDisk has been deleted. Please re-register if you want a new one.
