On Tuesday Dan and I went out to do a little Geocaching. Our second stop for the day was on the Bitterroot River, a little south of Hubbart Dam, near Marion, MT. I had forgotten to get camera batteries, so Dan remarked, “Since you don’t have your camera, we’re probably going to see a moose.” It’s almost a guarantee, if I don’t have my camera, we’re going to see wildlife. It always happens. After about a minute of walking up the trail we hear, “Sploosh, sploosh, sploosh, sploosh”. Moose. Yep, a huge moose bull is just dopety doh’ing down the creek (yes, I know it’s called the Bitterroot River, but seriously, it’s a bleedin’ creek). Figures.

We found the cache easily enough, we got to see the dam off in the distance, and we didn’t get eaten alive by mosquitoes (vicious little effers that they are!), and we made it back to the car and were ready to head to cache number three. Then Dan got us stuck in the dirt. Dan, of course, can get any car stuck, anytime, anywhere. It always happens. After I got us out, yes, I got us unstuck (OK, he pushed, but it was my genius that provided the proper traction) we headed down to the highway and on to the next cache. Figures.

Cache number three and four were located eight and a half miles up Haskill Mountain at a long-since-gone wildfire lookout. It was a bumpy, sometimes scary drive up, but the views were excellent, and we were excited to find the cache at the top of the mountain. When I opened the rear door to get my camera (we stopped and got batteries), I heard hissing. Punctured tire. It always happens. Dan’s key is new and never worked to open the trunk (where the spare was, of course); we were pretty much SOL, so we went and got the cache, anyway. We found the cache, took some pictures that I’ll post later, and booked it back to the car. The tire wasn’t flat yet, so we sailed down the mountain, constantly checking the tire, and finally made it. We weren’t driving on the rim until Kila School, but we could handle that. Just to give it a try, Dan tried his key in the trunk, and… it worked. We get more flat tires than anyone I have ever met. Figures.

What, did you think I was done? Oh no…

We found our four caches for the day, got our tire switched and headed home to get some chow and log our cache finds. Oddly enough, when I sat down at the computer, the power was off. So was the power to everything else. I checked the power strip, and sure enough, one of the cats must have stepped on the power button. “Alright then, I’ll just turn the power back on and reboot.” Here’s the problem: Sometimes when the power goes out, and a computer is shut down improperly, the processes open at the time of the improper shutdown become corrupted. And then little works. Figures.

After two days of running every diagnose and fix function I could think of, I finally gave up and prepared for a System Recovery which resets the computer back to its original factory settings. System Restore (which resets the computer back to a restore point) was corrupted, so I couldn’t think of anything else. Ah, but wait! The recovery discs I made when we got the computer can also perform a System Restore! D’oh! Why did I forget about that. I popped the disc in, ba-da-bing, two minutes later everything is as it should be. I wasted a whole lotta time backing up files, passwords, bookmarks, game saves, etc., when all it needed was a two minute fix. Figures.

Things aren’t all bad. I finally got a KVM Switch, so I have both computers up and running. One of the USB ports on the old computer doesn’t seem to be working, though. I’ll have to check that out. But it’s still up and running enough that I can do things-I-probably-shouldn’t-tell-you-about, that I can’t do on Vista. Stupid DRM. Arrrrgh!

Most exciting for me is that I finally got my hot, li’l hands on a Wii Fit. I did a half hour of exercise with it yesterday, and I’m um… Well, I’m a little out of shape. And I’m a little sore today. But I’m still motivated, and it is fun.

Anyway, that’s the dilly. I’m off to continue organizing computer discs and um… that stuff I-probably-shouldn’t-tell-you-about.

Reviewed: No Intelligence Found

My friend, Josh, sent me a link to this, I thought it was hilarious:

Troll away…

It’s true, I don’t often swear on my blog, but did ya’ll know that I have a tendency to swear like a longshoreman?

I could survive, but I’d go insane.

Donner? Donner, party of ten, your table is ready.

If I say this is inaccurate, does that make it accurate? Dan is convinced that I have Asperger’s Syndrome, do you think these test results fit?

Personality Disorder Test Results Paranoid |||||||||||||||| 70% Schizoid |||||||||||||| 58% Schizotypal |||||||||||||||| 66% Antisocial |||||||||||||||||| 78% Borderline |||||||||||||| 58% Histrionic |||||||||||| 50% Narcissistic |||||||||| 34% Avoidant |||||||||||| 50% Dependent |||| 14% Obsessive-Compulsive |||||||||| 38%

Take Free Personality Disorder Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

03.18.08 I thought I should make it clear that this post is based entirely off observation, for actually news reports, there are links at the bottom of the post.
03.16.08 I don’t really have any facts of a current situation, because, well, it’s still happening. Apparently, earlier in the day there was a fatal shooting in Creston, MT (which is close to Kalispell) and a subsequent standoff between the suspect and police. The standoff is three houses down from where I live. There are 5-O crawling everywhere and Dan was approached by two members of the SWAT team (I think) telling him to try to stay inside. The only real information I have to go on is a promised story on tonight’s news at 10. Wish me no flying bullets. I’ll keep you posted.

Update: 7:15pm I have a feeling they’ve closed off the highway again, there’s no traffic (that just doesn’t happen), and the cops have been slowly pacing up and down the road. It was closed off earlier today, but was opened for several hours.

Update: 8:58pm The highway is still closed. There are spotlights on the house where the standoff is occurring and people that I can’t confirm are officers are running back and forth to the house to what I can only assume are their cars. It also looks and sounds like there’s a semi truck in the yard, but I can’t tell for sure. Even with the lights on the house, it’s still dark out here.

Update: 10:01pm I just watched the reports on KPAX and KECI, At 11am Robert Kowalski called to report a shooting in Creston. When police arrived they found a woman, who’s name is yet to be released, dead. Police then surrounded the home of Kowalski who was threatening to kill himself. The reports say that either he is now talking with negotiators (KPAX), or they don’t believe him to be dead (KECI), and hope to not escalate the situation. It’s too early to say how long the standoff will continue. Tomorrow, the woman’s body will be taken to the Montana State Crime Lab.

Update: 03.17.08 2:35pm At this point the standoff is still going on. We think there may have just been a gunshot, but we’re not sure. The bullhorns are louder than ever, but I can’t make out what is being said, I think I may have heard, “unintelligible just come out.” The semi is an armored assault vehicle of some sort. The KPAX article linked to below has been updated with new information. Dan was able to get home, he had to take a few country roads and enter through a back drive way where he stopped to talk to another neighbor who had heard, “Pick up the phone,” on the bullhorn. On the property are a house and a shop in front, and he seems to be in the house, we don’t know for sure if anyone else is in the house. I’ll update again when things change.

Update: 3:30pm
There were about 5 of these armed guys (SWAT? I’m not sure) that came, they rushed through the neighboring yards towards the house, but left soon after. We’re not sure what is going on in regards to them.

Update: 5:23pm We just heard a few sirens and lots of gunfire, Dan counted ten shots from Kowalski, and then over the mega-phone, “Put the gun down and you won’t be hurt.”

Update: 5:28pm We can still hear the police talking through the mega-phone, but can’t understand what they’re saying. There are two SWAT members on the East side of the house at this point.

Update: 5:31pm Dan just made the decision to call his work and let them know he’ll be late. This is not the time I want him driving through the mess.

Update: 5:34pm We just saw the two SWAT members fire three… four… five shots. Dan thinks it may be tear-gas, but he doesn’t see any smoke that tear-gas usually has. They look like they’re firing towards the road, so we’re not sure what’s happening. 5:37pm It’s not tear-gas since they’re not moving in. We think Kowalski may be in the shop that’s in front of the house, since that’s the direction they’re firing. 5:39pm Another three shots fired from Kowalski. You can tell his shots versus the SWAT’s shots — his go, “Pop,” while theirs go, “Thump… Boom”. The rounds from the SWAT are large. We can see them on the ground. They’ve also quit talking to him through the mega-phone. 6:11pm Four member of SWAT are now casually walking out from their cover and are walking towards the highway. There are also police walking around in the highway. 6:17pm The ambulance and fire rescue are now moving in towards the house, it appears to be over. The police and SWAT are also moving cars out. 6:19pm Dan just walked out to the road and they’re loading the robot used to photograph the shop up, and fire rescue is moving into the shop. They’re also carting someone (I can only assume it is Kowalski) on a stretcher. 6:23pm We’re calling it over.

7:00pm The highway is almost completely clear and we suspect it will be open soon. The authorities have moved out quickly. This will be my last update until there is more concrete information tomorrow. Stay safe, everyone. I lied….

10:01pm It was irritant gas, and Kowalski is in custody, alive… Authorities are pleased with the outcome.

Links: KPAX, The Daily Interlake, Flathead Beacon

 

Of course, there are also no liberals, gays, Muslims, etc., in the military either, right? Do you think it would be a more impressive show of dissent for an atheist soldier to remain in the military? Or do you think resignation is a more powerful statement? Is atheism exempt from protection because it’s not an organized religion? Maybe, like many, you do think it’s an organized religion? What are your thoughts?H/T: The Gay Black Jew

Just messin’ around… I don’t think this is great, by any stretch of the imagination, but there’s something about it that I like.

I’ve got killer heart burn again.

I picked up one of the most horrid, trashy books at the recommendation of a bookstore clerk: Bedlam, Bath and Beyond. I can’t put it down.

Every time I get angry at Lost and vow to never watch it again, they drag me back in.

I hope to never give Hewlett Packard another dime again.

I’m sooo ready for spring!

Remember how I said that my new USB drink chiller/warmer is the suck? The cooling part doesn’t work very well, but the warmer warms, and it means it.

When it comes to the presidential election, my only wish is that Huckabee goes down in flames.

And that’s all I got…

Have a great weekend!!!

A lot of the hype surrounding the film Cloverfield is: What, exactly, is it they’re running from? What’s destroying New York City? After seeing the film today, it’s not entirely clear. It’s a monster, or rather, they’re monsters. And it/they won.

Whatever type of ‘animal’ you may think the monster is, the notion is simple; There are several men and women running from said monster, one of which is carrying a video camera. They die. Bummer.

Since this is all shot with a hand held video camera, you may want to skip it if you get motion sickness. You may also want to skip it if you have seen Blair Witch Project, would like a little more explanation in your movies or simply value your time and money.

If I had to say something good about it — the special effects are okay, the acting wasn’t the suck and it was only 90 minutes long.  Oh, the best part was the quick flash of a Stealth Bomber.

If it matters, my insane plus-one, who has a soft spot for movies with giant monsters that stomp the bejeebus out of New York or Tokyo, loved it!