» Ignoring Instructions

Computer modding the hard way
My first term of college doing a computer technician course I was told to de-essemble a computer completly and then put it back together again. The instructions (or suggestion to me exact) was to draw a diagram to help you work out where everything needs to go back and to wear a braclet thing to stop from shorting out the circuit boards. "Nahh" I thought as I ripped cables and jumpers from the mother board.

Putting it back together didn't seem that hard at all, things seemed to only go in 1 place and so thats where they went. So I turned on the computer to see if it all worked and the little light on the front came on and somthing beeped... but nothing appeared on screen... "shit" I thought as I opened up the box to see what was wrong.. allas I could see no reason for it not to work.

As the end of the lesson got nearer I decided that cheating was the only way to look smart and so i swapped he computer with the guy who was on the next workstation who had gone to the bogs. I didnt have time to test that his worked but I assumed he knew what he was doing since he looked like a traditional computer geek.

So time ends and the teacher comes round to see them all work. He gets to the guy whos computer i'd swapped with and as expected it didnt work. So the teacher opens the computer up and looks inside and says that he has shorted out the video card. Then it comes to me and I nervously turn my computer on... Nothing happens.. nothing at all... so the computer shell gets opened and nothing has been plugged back in at all. Every wire is just stuffed into the box not actually plugged in or anything.

I couldn't believe it not only had he not been a computer geek but he didnt have the common sence to draw a diagram and didnt want to risk putting things in the wrong place. I appoligised to him for trying to cheat but he didnt mind as I had been made to look like a real tard. College just went downhill from there
(Mon 8th May 2006, 21:42, More)

» Festivals

My first festival
Well maybe not first, as they all sort of mixed together into one big childhood memory.

between the age of 5 and 8 i went to glastonbury and spent much of the time in the playground and craft areas, I remember the playground quite vividly, large wood fortress with a zipline that you went down and landed in straw. I dont even think i was aware that live music even took place at the festival, all i remember is the playground and all the cool arty stuff like stilt walkers and fire breathers and them gyro thingys.

anyway, while I was playing (unsupervised as my mum was rather liberal and didn't bat an eyelid at the idea of a 5 year old boy walking around a festival ground alone (those were the days)) I saw a large blue tent, to my youthful eyes it looked like a circus tent, and the door was slightly open to reveal more playground activities, as well as food and drink all lined up on a table, but it was all closed off and my attempts to get in were met with denial from the staff...

I walk away defeated, upset that i couldn't play in the exclusive area but not so much as to stop me having fun in the common zone.

I think it was the next day, or maybe the same, I really can't remember but I asked my mother permission to go off exploring, she happily let me and off i went into the unknown regions of glastonbury, I must of been walking around for an hour or so, through the camp sites, past stalls and artistic stuff and performers, taking in all the sights and sounds of the festival weekend.

Now I havn't been back to glastonbury since then so I can't exactly remember but i think the layout was sort of like a figure of 8, at any rate I ended up back at the same 4 way junction several times, and when i began to get tired I decided to head back to the tent... except. I couldn't remember which way the tent was... not being one to panic i remembered what I'd been told if i were to get lost. stay calm, stay still, and find someone who looks offical. Eventually 2 girls, probably in their 20s come up to me and ask if i'm lost, I tell them I am and they explain that they are going to take me to the lost child tent, a big blue tent near the big zip line...

well awesome, I get to go there afterall! huzzah! I wasn't worried about being lost at all now, if anything i was over the moon, and i walked back to the lost tent with a skip in my step. past the performers, past the stalls, past my tent waving to my mum as i past.

I spent the afternoon sheltered from the harsh sun, playing with all the exclusive toys, eating all the free sweets and meeting a couple of kids my age too.

but eventually i got bored and decided to leave, so i waited to the staff weren't looking and left. walked back to my tent just in time for sandwiches. festivals are such wonderous places when you a child :)
(Fri 5th Jun 2009, 9:55, More)

» The most childish thing you've done as an adult

childish? i say young at heart
my desk at work is covered in various toys of various shapes and sizes, ninjas, southpark figures, even a red dwarf skutter, but possibly best of all is the 12 inch godzilla figure that sits in plain sight on the shelf behind me for all the office to see, occasionally i'd take it with me when i need to go down to the warehouse for some reason.

also work related

I am best known at work for singing as i cross the office, it can be anything from tom jones to hanson but the most common song by far is weebls crab song. I'd sing this out loud all the time, getting it stuck into the heads of the people i work with and my boss.
the situation would more often the not go something like this:
me "i've got a big bag of crabs here...."
boss "no you havn't!" or "prove it"

so what did i do? I bought the crab plushies from the site and stashed em in the kitchen. As i head over there to go get some toast i (as usual) sing my heart out, as the boss objects, i spring out from behind the partition holding my crabs proudly.
the look on my bosses face was one of both amusment and disbelief that i'd actually go to such lengths for such a stupid joke.
(Fri 18th Sep 2009, 16:01, More)

» Beautiful Moments, Part Two

After a wonderful meal with the Girlfriend
I take her back to my flat, blind folding her at the door i lead her to the front room where she takes off the blindfold to find the room lit up by candlelight all around her with me standing in front of her with a rose, after a tender kiss we simultanteously announce for the first time our love for one another.

the most perfect moment in my life so far.
(Fri 6th Aug 2010, 13:56, More)

» Social Networking Gaffes

does B3ta count?
long time ago the question of the week had something to do with oddball classmates or something, I had some odd classmates so i answered the QotW..

within the week that followed all 3 of the people i'd mentioned had apparently googled their name and been linked to my answer, only 1 of the 3 i still had some form of cantact with and he was fine about it but the other 2 managed to track me down through friends of friends to tell me they don't much like me slagging them off online...
(Thu 11th Sep 2008, 15:47, More)