Decided it was time to upgrade from the 2.1 and go right up to 7.1 with the Creative Inspire P7800.  I'm very excited for this one, not just for movies, but also for some 3D/positional games.

Gaming geek

I think the picture says it all ;)

Geekercise

New phone

My old phone died (Samsung A-620/VGA-1000 via SprintPCS), so I upgraded. A lot. I've probably boasted to most of you about it already, but I bought myself a Helio Ocean (www.helio.com). They run on their own network (and are backed by Earthlink).

I'm way happy with it. Spent a small fortune on it ($300 for the device, $325 deposit, and $145 on accessories/taxes), but well worth it. It has a full web browser, POP mail support, AIM/MSN/Yahoo chat integrated with the regular phone book contact list, 2.0 MP camera + video camera, GPS with integrated Google Maps, full media player, expandable memory (MicroSD slot), USB capability, video ringtones, you name it. This thing rocks.

My new number is on my profile, feel free to call or text -- I have unlimitted minutes, texts, and data transfer. :)

New job

I took an offer with MicroNet Systems today, for a Software Developer / Network Engineer position.  Though this career move shouldn't affect my time or dedication to Eaxia Online (my personal project), I still feel guilty for this move.  Nonetheless, I'm excited to get started with this group and from the work I've seen them do, I'll enjoy it a lot.

100 little-known facts about me

On a wild kick, I started thinking about some things that very few people would know about me.  And the more I thought about them the past couple days, the more I thought I should jot down a list and post it.  You know those little quizzes we all take to tell each other about ourselves and sometimes they have the "what's one thing hardly nobody knows about you" kind of question?  Well, that's essentially all this post is.  Take it or leave it... and maybe it'll inspire some of my friends out there to do likewise.

Here we go!

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It's very difficult for me to sleep without watching television or movies in bed, and even then it tends to take me a few hours to get sleepy enough to pass out, even if my body's tired.

I typically wash my face three times a day -- I can't stand the feeling of my face feeling oily.

The feel of wind in my hair is slightly annoying, but having it ruffled playfully isn't.

I'm horribly ticklish just about everywhere on my body.

There are some words that I consistantly spell wrong, despite knowing better.  Such as 'habbit' (habit) and 'ridiculas' (ridiculous).

I do not posess a driver's license, nor ever have, though I have solid experience with cross-country driving and through inter-city traffic.  I can even drive stick transmission.

I'm hopelessly co-dependant, and like being that way.

I like to keep things clean and neat, and even enjoy doing so, but I can't stand yard work or scrubbing pots and pans.

I have no self-motivation when no one is depending on me.

I've been known to watch the same movie dozens of times in a week, rotating a new favorite once every few months, as well as over-quoting those movies.

A lot (if not most) of the music in my collection comes from sound tracks to various favorite movies of mine.

You'll never catch me wearing socks around the house unless it's really cold.  Something about them bugs me.

I'm guilty of over-organizing, including charting, graphing, and statisticalizing even the most useless data.

I don't have nightmares or even bad dreams.  I've never woken up with anxiety or in a panic unless I've overslept my alarm.

I'm not fond of the taste of chocolate desserts.  I enjoy vanilla or white chocolate much more.

I have a very accurate sense of time for minutes and hours.  I tend to add or subtract days to guestimating times longer than a week, though.

I have a very short attention span (and have been clinically diagnosed with A.D.H.D. and medicated during my teen years).  In fact, I...

I love bad horror movies, but find them no fun when I have no one to watch them with.

I abhor sleeping alone.

I took piano lessons for about four years when I was younger.  I'd like to persue that again someday.

I used to speak French semi fluently and had a hard time not appending an 'e' to the end of some English words when studying.

I'm fluent and functional in eight different computer languages and literally dozens of variants.  I've written three languages for my own specific needs.

I have a particular interest in cryptology and numerology and score exceptionally high when tested for number patterns.  Perhaps I should have been a chemist.

I enjoy teaching.  In my senior year of high school, I tought my peers a semester of Introduction to Structured Programming when our instructor took an administrative position at another facility.  A substitute sat in to manage the students while I covered curriculum.

I have a phobia involving my eye being punctured or seriously damaged.

I can absolutely taste the difference between Coke and Pepsi.  I do not like Coke.  I also like the slight metalic taste of drinking Pepsi from an aluminum can.

I love the smell of fresh fruits and most woods, but do not like the odor of lilac, lavender, and other assorted floral scents.

When I was younger, I would draw elaborate, drop-down designs for houses with hundreds of rooms, each with various functions.

I love to cook!  I can make many dishes from scratch, from omelettes to alfredo, including sauces and marinades to grill with.  Some of my more exotic dishes include a home-made blueberry salsa and a pineapple-raisin teriyaki chicken thai rice bowl.

I cannot sleep with the sound of ticking in my room.  Wall clocks drive me batty.

I can't shave two days in a row.  My face is far too sensitive.  I'll sometimes go three days just to coordinate a day where I can shave if I need to look particularly good that day (wedding, etc.).

I have a digital camcorder, which I will probably never use.

I could watch lightning storms for hours.  I think they can be as romantic a setting as the setting or rising of the sun.

I crack the knuckles of my fingers... my thumbs... my toes... the joints in my neck... my back... and my left elbow (the right one never cracks).

I'm very resiliant to common illnesses.  While my roommates and significant others have, in the past, been sick on and off, I will rarely succumb to it.  However, when I do, I'm one of the most pathetic individuals you will ever meet.

I am good at remembering names and odd tidbits, including numbers.  Dates always elude me.

I don't feel photogenic, but it doesn't stop me from posting pictures of myself at my website.  People who don't like me for how I look aren't people I want to know anyway.

I will do what people around me are doing, even if it's not my favorite activity, just for company.

Salty air causes me to cough.  A lot.  Usually, making some popcorn is enough to send me running.  I'm also somewhat alergic to cigarette smoke and have an inhaler that I very rarely use.

I'm a baby when it comes to temperature tolerance, but I can stand it much cooler than my comfort zone than I can hotter.

I'm not comfortable swimming in a pool with strangers.

I hate hearing the phrase and question: "oh you work with computers?  can you tell me why my computer is running slow?"

I love playing games, from video to board, cards to pen-and-paper.  I prefer games and movies to going out nine times out of ten.

My favorite fast-food restaurant is Carl's Jr.  I have been addicted to their Double Western Bacon Cheeseburger for about twelve years.

I'm not fond of steak, ribs, shrimp, and most seafood.  I'm also a wimp when it comes to picking around bones, be it chicken or otherwise.

I like mayonaise, in moderation, but I think Miracle Whip is disgusting.

I'm oversensitive when it comes to not feeling like what I say is important.  If my feelings aren't being considered, it turns my world upside down.

I don't think most lingerie is sexy.

I look a lot like my father.  And sometimes sound like him.  This creeps me out a little.

I'm bad at staying in touch with my family.  I feel guilty about it, but never motivate myself to do anything to change it either.

I like to sing, but I pity any's ears who hear me -- I can't carry a tune.

I will always spend a little more for quality if the gift isn't for me.

I'm big on snuggling and not afraid to cuddle up to friends (platonically) when I feel close to someone.

I make the best fresh fruit smoothies.

I never sleep clothed unless I'm in a hotel bed.

A little praise goes a very long way with me.

I am the king of randomness, coining silly phrases and re-using funny ones just to keep things lively is one of my specialties.

I'll shed a tear during a romantic comedy; I'm a sucker for when the boy gets the girl.

I'm easily distracted when I'm trying to read something.

I use my keyboard for as many operations as possible in Windows, unless it's MUCH easier to use the mouse (like selecting icons), including to access menu shortcuts.  It's just faster and I'm used to it.

I like to take things apart and see how they work.  I've taken every bit and piece out of my laptop, P.C., portable DVD player, and other various electronics.  And yes, they all still work.

I bite my fingernails, despite multiple attempts to stop.  Usually it's after I've trimmed them with clippers, so they don't really *look* like I've chewed on 'em, but I have.

I am a shameless correction police, especially with spelling and grammar.  I try not to be, but am bad all the same.

I'm a pro with chopsticks and love to use them.

Blood and guts freaks me out.  In the movie Saw II and Saw III, there were moments lasting about ten minutes where I was lightheaded and almost disoriented... I had to look away.  I wasn't sick to my stomach though and haven't felt like that during any other movies.

I'm in love with songs that make me sad.

I bought a five-pound bag of Jolly Rancher candy from an outlet store when I was twelve.  It lasted me until I was nineteen.

I get about 80-100 e-mails daily, about 15% are legitimate and of those, only one, or sometimes none, are personal (they're usually Eaxia related).  This is after heavy spam filtering.

I get a lot of personal satisfaction from bringing satisfaction to others.

I feel I'm creative and resourceful, often improvising to fix a problem or in finding a solution.

I've never tried an illegal drug.  I'm not vehemently against the idea, but I also don't find anything attractive about it either.

I cheat at video games, usually about three-quarters the way through, if I'm bored or frustrated with menial and repetitive tasks some developers call 'fun'.  If there's no way to cheat and I'm no longer enjoying the game, I'll just stop playing it rather than suffer through to the finish.

The loud thumping of a neighbor's car stereo drives me crazy.  I have called the police on more than one occassion when the music has continued past midnight.

I enjoy taking showers with my significant other.  It's a place of relaxing retreat and an experience I like to share with my partner.

Backs, shoulders, arms, legs, and feet -- I'm good at massaging each of those, but not for long periods of time.

I don't get hangovers.  I think I've had one once or twice in my life.

I have streaked purely for the shock humor, though I haven't in a long time.

Working with my hands has always been something of a passion of mine.  Building furniture or structures (like a backyard deck), toying with mechanical or electronic parts, and other hands-on activities are fun for me.

Having a near-death experience hasn't made me appreciate life any more than I did.  Perhaps, though, I already appreciate it a lot.

I do not subscribe to the 5-second rule of food dropping to the floor, but I have, on multiple occassions, eaten leftover pizza (and only pizza) that has sat out overnight on the counter.  A study showed it to be safe... so...

I'm chatty -- often able to spend hours on the phone with someone.  My record is 13 hours without hanging up, maintaining conversation with exception only for bathroom breaks.

I love washing and brushing a woman's hair, long or short.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and the one with the most favorable memories for me.

I'm a bit of a show-off with new toys I've acquired or with work I've performed.

The first CD I ever owned was No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom.  I must have listened to it at least a hundred times.

I hate moving, but I love to travel and visit new places.

I've never liked the beach, but I adore lakesides.

I condition my hair with fruity flavors.  I sometimes wish shampoo and conditioner tasted like it smelled.  Mmmm.

Tape measures make me very nervous.  I was rushed to the emergency room after an accident with one when I was little.

As intelligent as I am, I still spend way too long trying to read the hands on an analog watch/clock.

I am a good shot with a .45, .22, and shotgun.  I'm not really comfortable with firearms, though.

I rarely do gift exchanges, such as tradition for birthdays and Christmas, etc.  I prefer gifts to be given for no occasion than a special one, but there's probably some other reason I'm not big on presents...

I am a sympathy whore.  I can never have too much attention.  Additionally, "leave me alone" never means that.

I thump my fingers against my chair to the beat of a song stuck in my head, sometimes without realizing it.

I like eating slightly-doughy cookies and biscuits.

I love roller-coasters that scare the crap out of me.  The scarier, the better.  However, I refuse to ride attractions that look unsafe -- have you noticed some of wear on the rides at Six Flags lately?

On any given day, chances are my wallet has no cash in it.  I don't like keeping money on me.

Lights out of the corner of my eyes drive me nuts, especially if they're flashing.  I also find it difficult to sleep if there's a light on in the room, such as a smoke detector (depending on intensity).

For reasons still mostly unexplained, I do not like the majority of movies made before 1985 with few exceptions, like Indiana Jones and Star Wars.

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I felt self-absorbed compiling this list, but it doesn't really bother me at the moment.  I'll probably be more embarassed tomorrow.

Life update

Wow, I suck. I need to quit letting this page go by without updates for so, so long. Lot's of stuff has happened in the past year and three months.

Let's see... milestones, milestones: the first would be the start of EverQuest II, I suppose. That was mid November 2004. Tina and I started playing at the dawn of the game's launch and were instantly hooked. Addicted, very badly, I'd say to be honest. We've had a lot of terrific times in EverQuest II, but really spent far more time than we should have playing, neglecting responsibilities and each other for more than a year now. That's a lot of what contributed to us splitting apart, really. I can't blame the game, but I definitely blame that the problems we had and didn't focus on finally reached untolerable limits as a result of spending far too much time in a pretend world. Ah, the follies of life that we learn from, eh? So, officially, ten days ago now Tina and I decided that our relationship is over and done with.

So I may be moving again... soonish. Not sure where or when. I hate moving... I hate uprooting, I hate re-adjusting, I hate leaving behind shed shells of my life and attachments asundered. I've done it far too many times. The statistics on it, I've read, are that the average American moves seven times in his/her life. I'm in the twenties, personally. I really miss Colorado and the beautiful outdoors there... the fresh mountain air and the snow. If I had to choose, I'd try to move back there, though the cost of living is exceptionally high. A great, long-term friend of mine invited me to stay with her and her boyfriend for a while if I need too. She's so great -- I hate to take advantage of a "gotta move" bail-out when I'm not sure how long I'd need to get ready to move to a more permanent place, but I just may. God bless her heart.

She also paid for an expensive trip to DisneyWorld for me and Tina to hang out with her. I hate that I couldn't pay her it all back, but I can't say I let that ruin the vacation for me. That was about a month ago now. Man, I had a blast. The ride lengths were SO short everywhere, so even though we were only there in the parks for two days, we got to do everything AND MORE than Tina and I did last year when we had four days (okay: three, it rained heavily one of those days).

I also had a close encounter with death about two months ago, right when Hurricane Katrina hit our town (great timing). I was out doing some yardwork with Tina late in the evening and must have got bitten by a mosquito. Apparently they can carry several virii and while most people (80%, statistically) have no reaction and never know they've been infected, some people (19%) have minor-flu like symptoms. Me, on the other hand, had a case that's very rare where it hit me hard. I was infected with viral meningitis, which infects the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal column. My physician said that in his twelve years of practice, he'd only seen one other case like mine. I made a full recovery within a few days, but it was very scary. At first I just started forgetting how to do things, but inside of an hour, I couldnt use my right arm anymore, I couldn't talk, etc.

But I'm fine now and none the worse off for it. Well, except maybe a tiny patch of hair on my arm that hasn't grown back in yet. First time having an I.V. in me. In fact, it was the first time for a lot of stuff at a hospital, including spending nights there, being in the I.C.U., having all kinds of tests done on me like E.E.G., C.A.T. scan, M.R.I., spinal tap, etc. They weren't able to re-grow the virus from the spinal fluids they got from the tap, so they couldn't determine the particular brand of meningitis, but it's likely that it was West Nile.

That's it for now. Will write more later as stuff progresses. Ciao!

System upgrades

Rich and I (my business partner) were able to draw some extra funding recently, which we're using to purchase new and upgraded server equipment with. Actually, he's purchasing a whole new server and keeping his old server as his personal PC -- I'm upgrading my personal PC and Tina's since we already have a dedicated server with decent hardware. We'll be using Tina's old machine to help handle some of the services that the dedicated server manages, such as acting as a fileserver for LAN and FTP, and possibly our website too. We'll see how it holds up.

I compiled a summarized specification list for both my PC and my server over the years, including the new upgrades we purchased. Take a look!

Return from DisneyWorld

Well it was a long vacation, but well worth it. We drove down from Birmingham, Alabama to Orlando, Florida, taking as many back-road highways through Georgia as possible. The trip down took us 12-13 hours and the return trip about 11, but next time I'm sure we can trim it down even more. Excluding days spent driving, we vacationed in Disney for four awesome days and it was well worth whatever we spent.

Tina got to meet my parents for the first time, which went well. Tina took a bajillion pictures on this trip like you would not believe. Pictures everywhere. You can check them out at www.petersouza.com/pictures/Events. She also got to spend her birthday (July 11th) at Disney too, so it worked out really great for us.

But now we're back and it's time to mow on through the programming fields... back to the grindstone!

Living life

Man I didn't mean to let this journal go for so long without an update. Oops.

Been working overtime on Eaxia Online (www.eaxia.com), pounding out some much-needed releases, fixes, and command additions. We've recently had a huge influx of new players and in the past four months, our playerbase and gameplay rate has risen 522%. Needless to say, things have been crazy busy.

Besides that, I've been on a diet recently. Those of you who don't know me, I'm a bit chubby. Got a little extra junk in my trunk. Trying to lose a good amount of weight by the end of the year. Down 15 pounds so far (in 3 weeks), so I'm pretty happy about that. Doing it Atkins style more or less... mostly just low-carbing it.

In animal life: I moved my lonely five-lined skink in with my eight anoles. He seems much happier in there. I also moved my tank to a better position (across the room) to improve both light and the noise quality (farther away from my desk). We also set up a newt tank recently with eight fire-belly newts and a eastern newt. At least 3-4 of the fire-bellies died (two crawled out, two are just missing). Damned things! But they're cute. My fancy guppy tank suffered the loss of one of the males, leaving two females and a lonely male. He just got old I think. I also moved them off my desk to the spot directly behind my desk (where the anoles were). A few weeks later, an explosion of little guppy babies filled the tiny five-and-a-half gallon tank, so that's fun.

I rebuilt my PC to Windows XP Home Edition to try it out. It was difficult to adjust to from 2000 at first, but I managed for a bit. There's a few things that really piss me off: the Explorer and Find - Files utilities are horrible, services and other control panel applets are difficult to find and use, and networking is kind of a pain. More so than 2000 anyway. And now, I.E. has this recent habit of not keeping me logged into websites anymore. So, I'll probably be switching back to Windows 2000 soon. I haven't seen any improvements in games or anything else in XP, in fact, BearShare (P2P) tends to run like shit on XP. So screw it.

Helped my mom out with some computer problems. Took about 5-6 hours in total, but apparently her husband (my step father) had so much spyware and adware that it took AdAware Pro 3 sweeps of nearly 500 total detected objects to clear it out. They should be in decent shape now, but my god... how do you let something deteriorate to that level?

Few points of interest I've stumbled across recently...

First, there's a pretty sweet Flash program someone built that lets you combine different punk-style music bits together to create your own punk songs. It's called Punk-O-Meter and you can check it out at http://2flashgames.com/f/f-548.htm. I've made seven songs so far, but here are my two favorites. Let me know what you think:

------------99960---0---553---09------------99960---0---3---3---8-------9--------------------8---2---3---2---2---2-----------8-- -2-----2---2-----------------b------------3-7-1-------------2---5---2---5-3-7-1-----a-----2---5-2-5-2-5-2-3-7-1---------------- 

88881--81--81--81--83---5-1--81--81--8889-9-9-----9----------------------------------0-0-0---0---0---0---0---------0---0---0---- -0---c-b------------------------------------7---------007-007---777-007-007-007-4-5-4------------------------------------------ 

(To play them, go to Load and paste the above, one song at a time, into the text area)

Also, I came across this in my website browsing. I was simply amazed. Nothing can prepare you for it, either: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?s=e9744d33e932f0de0ec1d35d23523a44&threadid=830487&perpage=40&pagenumber=1

There's more to be said... I really did put off updating for way too long... but it'll have to wait for later.

Enjoy!