Entries this day: Dude Jason Luke Sally

Dude

9:04 am Monday 17 June 2002

Oh my gosh I think I missed Laura's birthday!! Is it today???? Why isn't it in my calendar??

Yesterday morning I woke up and called Dude to check on his router. Still broken. I drove to my work to get the latest firmware and then to his house to install it.

Unfortunately, I got the firmware for BEFW4S11 verion 2 instead of BEFW4S11, so I drove back to work and got the right version.

This time I called Linksys customer service (Oh, that reminds me that at lynksis.com, there's a cat selling Linksys routers via amazon.com. I think that Linksys could quite legitimately clain this would be confusing the consumers, the same argument that Ford used on fordreallysucks.com, but Ford lost that one (last I heard some months ago)

Anyway, I called CSR and found out what had happened. They had the wrong firmware on the FTP site. The tech guy named Lane said he had reported that to Linksys, and it wasn't fixed yet. That is why the router got hosed; I had downloaded what they said was the right firmware, but it was for a different router!

So I had a guy email me the correct firmware, drove back to Dude's but it was still broken. That's when we called CSR again and got Lane, who confirmed it was a new doorstop and would request an RMA to have Linksys replace it, even though it's past warranty.

I'm like, durn tootin' you'll replace it (not, you, Lane, but Linksys) because you guys screwed up and put the wrong firmware on the site.

Once it was determined we could do no more, I left and called Jason.

Jason

8:31 am Monday 17 June 2002

After Dude's, I went to Clear Lake to hang out with Jason and his family. Got to munch boiled veggies and shrimp and cake and ice cream.

Between the meal and dessert, Jason and I went to his room and listened to Eminem a bit, and I listened to some of Jason's original songs live. It was a Jason concert just for me. Excellent.

Jason burned a copy of Eminem for me, my first illegally obtained music. If I could send $2 to Mr Mathers and be assured he would get it, I'd do that.

Unfortunately, our visit was cut short because I had a different engagement at 6pm out in Katy.

Luke

8:38 am Monday 17 June 2002

After Jason't, drove back to my apartment, put on slacks and a shirt. Good thing this was a dress up event, because I was flat out of clean laundry. I had been scraping by for a few days on recycled underwear.

Oh, so, yeah, I recycled underwear again for this event, but the rest of my outfit was clean.

Drove out to Katy to attend the church service that included baby Luke's baptism. he's the youngest son of Robin, from my men's group.

The service was quite casual; some people wore shorts, and not everyone carried bibles. The preacher discussed Corinthians 11:17 - 24, talking about how we should not argue about our differences and be mindful when taking communion.

He invited us to ask four questions of ourselves, and if we answered truthfully yes to all of them, to come take communion, otherwise to remain seated and know that no one there would, "look down on you or say anything."

Fair enough, I thought, and prepared to answer the questions in my mind:

1. Do you believe you are a sinner? (no)
2. Do you believe Christ has forgiven you for your sins? (well, no; I believe there is no sin.)
3. Do you believe blah blah blah? (I think I answered yes to this one; I can't remember the question)
4. Do you believe that this is the body and blood of Christ? (no. Well, no. I believe that God is everywhere, so that God is the wine and God is the bread, and God is the chair, and everything around us, if that counts for you.)

I respectfully declined to take communion.

But I did record Luke's baptism on video.

- - -

Afterwards, the friends and family of Robin and Louisa all attended a lovely Italian restaurant to munch. My food came last because I ordered something not on the menu: cheese ravioli with alfredo sauce and mushrooms. I didn't think it would be that confusing in such a nice restaurant, but whatever. I enjoyed my meal. I thought about blessing it in Japanese, but I can't remember the phrase.

Great to see Tom & Dierdre and Glenn and buds from my I-group.

Sally

8:59 am Monday 17 June 2002.

Talked to Sally while waiting for my laundry to wash. She told me stories of her night sailing adventure and a different adventure where they had to be towed back because the wind stopped.

She'll be working bigtime on her thesis that is due in 6 weeks. She says it's the size project that she thinks would take 6 months. She's in the stage now of, "where oh where do I begin???"