Ever since we got our cable and internet installed, the internet was always on the fritz. Originally the internet didn't work for either myself or my roommate Gianna, and while the installation guy was there, I ended up fixing it myself for my computer.
(In our living room watching him trying and failing at setting up my internet)
Me: "Here, lemme take a whack at it."
Comcast Goon: "Go ahead, I think it's your settings."
Me: "Probably." (Insert network fiddling and setup)
(I received a message that said something along the lines of: Your internet isn't working, contact your Internet service provider. THANKS.)
Me: "Um...Well, I guess that's you, wouldn't you say?"
He ended up not being able to fix it, and I did it myself. He was unable to do anything for my roommate's computer. After a while it stopped working on mine, as well, so we were getting billed for a service we weren't receiving. My roommate called a bunch of times, getting people to come and attempt to troubleshoot, not being able to get it working, talking on the phone, not being able to get it. In the end, we decided that, hell, we don't really need television or internet. It's the summer, we both work, we're both active, we can live without it. So we called Comcast and told them that we refuse to pay the bill and working with them was the biggest hassle. They removed our bill and came on Friday to uninstall everything. That means we got a free month of TV! World Cup and NBA Finals is all we really wanted to watch anyways. That also means I have much less time to dick around on tv and the internet and more time to focus on reading and playing my ukulele!
And how's that going? Well, I finished Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick this past Friday afternoon following work. I must say I liked it a lot. In the beginning it started out fairly slow, but as soon as it picked up I'm couldn't put it down. I found it quite the suitable follow-up to the Pale Blue Dot. The story takes place in the year 2021, where humans have colonized Mars and a few other worlds after World War Terminus has rendered the Earth uninhabitable to most, and humanoid androids are produced for use on Mars as slaves of sorts. But some androids, looking to escape psychological isolation and said slavery, band together and manage to escape to Earth, where it's forbidden for them to settle. Bounty hunters then hunt down the androids; the trouble though is determining whether or not the person you're speaking with is an android or not. The book delves into this process, and takes you through the confusion, moral quandaries, reexamination of life's necessities, and wacky commotion involved in "retiring" androids. Great book, totally worth a read, especially if you're just looking something quick, and stimulating. For being a book I picked up for $5 at the used bookstore Gabriel Books in Northampton, MA, I'd say completely worth it.
Now, last night I started reading Chuck Palahniuk's Stranger Than Fiction, which is a collection of essays that he had published in various magazines inbetween writing his various novels. I ended up getting about 60 pages into it; I couldn't really put it down. It's a nice little collection, much of it funny, quaint observations, vivid imagery. Very Palahniuk (go figure). Some read like articles with interviews, others are short stories. In the introduction, he describes his cycle of writing essays/stories and novels:
"And so it goes. Alone. Together. Alone. Together. Chances are, if you're reading this, you know this cycle. Reading a book is not a group activity. Not like going to a movie or a concert. This is the lonely end of the spectrum. Every story in this book is about people being with other people. Me being with people. Or people being together."
He later describes this cycle as "Fact. Fiction. Fact. Fiction." I dig that! The fact that they're true makes them that much more enjoyable to me. Sometimes it's just STRANGER THAN FICTION.
...Sorry...Once I get around to finishing it I'll let you know what I think.
Other than books, my friend Marissa from home visited me this past weekend. We had a great time! Good food at my favorite Thai restaurant, Pacific Rim, and on Sunday evening at Sweetwaters. Also went to the Ben & Jerry's factory, since well, my friend loves ice cream, and hell, why not?
On top of that, on Saturday evening I ended up inventing a drinking game with my friends Matt and Taylor. It's called Boundaries. It's a mix between Beirut, civil war, and foursquare, and can be played with 2-4 people. The game came about whilst we were waiting to go out drinking around my kitchen table. We didn't want to play any card games, or any more Beirut, so I suggested we make a game. We threw some cups with water on the table, dividing it into halves/thirds/fourths. Then in each zone, you have three cups (one in front, two in back); this is your base. Ping-pong balls are obligatory. Only one is necessary, though. A ro-sham determines the starting person. One must bounce the ping-pong ball within their boundary (hence the name), and into an opponent's cup. It can be any of the opponents. If you get it in their cup, they drink, you get the cup, and get to add it to your base, they must be touching, but can be anywhere, as long as it's within your boundaries. Once you make the cup you also get the ball back and get to shoot again. If you miss the cup, the person whom you attacked gets the ball as long as it's on the table in their boundary. Once it goes off the table it's a free for all, anyone can get the ball. If you hit the boundary, you lose your turn. This is known as Jake's Rule. If you don’t hit anything on the table on the attack, you drink. If you sink it in your own cup, drink a lot, you're an idiot. Once you're out, you're out. After an hour, if the game is still going on, every cup sunk equals two cups. Any debates on calls goes to Congress, being the players themselves. A simple vote solves all issues. Any ties goes to ro-sham. Last man standing wins.
I’m getting back to this book though. Had to stop mid-essay beforehand, and that just won’t stand.
