Red Ring of Death

Well, this is what it looks like when your Xbox 360 has a massive hardware failure. I began having problems about 4 days ago, when the system just randomly locked up during a play session. I thought nothing of it, as this had happened before a couple times. I reset the system and continued playing. this happened repeatedly for about three days, then on the fourth, the system locked up every time I started playing, then finally bricked out completely. The warranty Microsoft provides with the system protects it against this particular problem for three years, but fortunately, I had the foresight to buy the replacement plan from Best Buy when I bought the system. I'll be able to take this brick into any store and have it replaced free of charge for up to two years. I'll be taking it in tonight, thank you.

*Edit*
I just wanted to recount my experience returning my defective system to Best Buy. Here's what I wrote on the Short Attention Gamer message board:

I've heard and read so many horror stories about Best Buy's customer service, problems returning items under the replacement plan, and general problems returning Xbox 360s, that I really expected a battle walking into the store tonight to return my defective system. What I received instead was one of the easiest, most painless return trips I've ever made for any consumer electronics. The only bad part was waiting in line, holding that heavy box.

The Geek Squad tech briefly took a look inside the box, asked me what was wrong with it, then completely threw me a curve when he asked me if I wanted to keep my original hard drive! I thought for sure that I was going to be in for a major fight to keep that hard drive. I've read all over the internet and even on these boards that more often than not, they will not allow you to swap drives. I went out onto the store floor, grabbed a new system, took it to the customer service counter, then replaced the new hard drive with my old one. Since I was still within Microsoft's warranty, my replacement plan now carries over to my new system with one more year of coverage, and since it's a new system, I'm also covered by Microsoft's 1yr/3yr warranty. I walked out of the store about 1/2 hour after I got there with a brand new Xbox, and a big smile on my face.

Overall, I really have to say how impressed I was with the experience. I really expected a fight of some sort walking into that store, but in the end I received a really great customer service experience, and the satisfaction in knowing that I made the right decision when I bought their replacement plan. The internet is inundated with horror stories from disgruntled Best Buy customers. It's refreshing to know that it isn't always going to be a gut wrenching experience capitalizing on something I paid for.

Laser Play

My Sisters Kathie and Amanda, nephew Noah, and my Dad stopped over for a bit tonight. We had dinner at the Sunrise Restuarant, then came back to the house for a little while, since my sister Kathie has never seen it, and they're leaving in a few days. I was a bit worried about keeping my 4 year old nehpew entertained, but thanks to the magic of a laser pointer and crazy cats, that was not a problem at all. He was really fascinated by the laser pointer, and really loved how the cats would chase it. It's so amazing to see something like that through the eyes of a four year od.

Playing Around

One of the coolest free apps that come bundled on the Mac is called Photobooth. I know I've talked about this and posted a pic before, but I was playing around with it again today and got this really cool looking picture out of it. It's so easy to play around with something like this and completely lose a half hour or more. I really like how dark it is. It seems very moody. the filter I applied is supposed to make it look hand drawn, and I think for the most part it does, but it also looks a little bit like an A-Ha video.

July: In Review

The summer is in full swing. The days are starting to get really hot, and it's days like today that I'm really grateful to be working 3rd shift. I feel sorry for those poor saps on first and second that suffer through the heat of the day in that place. It gets so incredibly hot in there, it's a wonder people don't drop from heat stroke. We're 7 months into the year, and at times it's shocking to me to realize how much time has passed and how long I've been doing this. It really hits home when I look at my Photo a Day album on my Flickr page, and see over 200 entries.

This was a great month for many reasons, but the best of this month was the time we were able to spend with my family from California. It really makes me sad to know that those time are few and far between, but at the same time, I really appreciate the time we are allowed together. It's so very difficult at times to have a family that's so fractured and separated by distance. It's great to have such a beautiful place to vacation, but I'd much rather have Kathie and her family closer to us.

Here's my favorites for the month:

TV Trouble

About two years ago, on Black Friday, I bought a Phillips 51" rear projection hdtv. At the time, the $799 price was unbelievably cheap, our current television was starting to die, and I was ready to move to HD. The only problem is the television if far too large for our living space. Rear projection sets are really deep, and this particular set has a massive speaker on the bottom as well. To top it off, I have cobwebs forming on the inside of the screen, and I have no idea how to clean them off. Throw in some slight burn-in from viewing a 4:3 on the 16:9 screen, and it's probably about time to get something new. Right now I'm leaning toward the Sony Bravia line. They have a really nice 1080p 40" LCD that's roughly $1500, and it's a nice small set that wont hog up a bunch of real estate in our living room. It's unfortunate that the Phillips set didn't last too long, but at least we didn't pay too much for it. I think we're going to put into storage so when we are finally able to move, I can use it for my "gaming" television, hopefully to be located in a nice finished basement!

Compact Fluorescents

Steph and I have begun to make the slow transition to compact fluorescent light bulbs. There are so many reasons to make this switch, it just seemed the logical thing to do. These bulbs may be more expensive that standard tungsten bulbs, but they last far longer, they use less energy (saving money on the electric bill!), they're brighter, and they're better for the environment. In the long run, you will save money buying these for all your fixtures. The only downside I can see to these bulbs is that the light they cast is very "cold". Tungsten light bulbs have a nice warm light, while the light created by a compact fluorescent is much less inviting. Considering the benefits, this is a pretty small gripe. I guess I'll get used to it

Party!

Grandpa's 80th birthday party was today. Fortunately, I was able to get off work early last night, so I got plenty of sleep. Unfortunately, I still wasn't able to get to bed until nearly 7:30 am, so I felt like crap until about 10:30 pm, which is when Steph is ready for bed. Third shift is a pain in my ass.

We got to the campgrounds around 4:00, and spent some time visiting with family. It's a rare occasion to have my sister Kathie, myself, and my brother David all in the same place, so it really was a special day. My family is so fractured and separated by such a great distance, that it seems like ages since I've seen them last. We had a great catered dinner, followed by music from Bob, Singer of Songs, and then we sat around the campfire for about an hour. It was a really great time, and I'm really going to miss going out there.

Sweetcorn

We don't get a lot of really great fresh produce in Illinois, but one thing we do have is sweetcorn. This is really my favorite time of year, as all the local farmers are getting ready to harvest and sell their annual crop. We have a guy here in Monroe Center that sells it every year, and it's probably some of the best corn I've ever had. He sells if four a couple bucks a dozen, but he usually gives you about 15 ears of corn. Steph and I usually go there a couple times a year.

Campgrounds, Perfection

Steph and I took a drive to visit my Grandma and Grandpa Alexander at the Blackhawk Valley Campgrounds tonight. My sister Kathie and nephew Noah are also there, but Noah was already in bed by the time we got there. My Grandpa's birthday is tomorrow, and he'll be 80 years old! They're having a big bash out there on Saturday night, and that should be a lot of fun. My grandparents have been going there for 43 years, and this is their last year, so going out there is a little bittersweet. I really love it out there, and I'm going to miss it.

We were talking amongst ourselves, when we began talking about my photography. My sister and Stephanie contend that I've become a bit of an elitist when it comes to my photographs, and I think in a lot of ways they're right. I'm very critical when it comes to my photography, and in some ways, that's really good. I've improved greatly over the last couple of years, and I've been very pleased with the majority of my stuff. However, I don't really take "snapshots" anymore. I'm so anal about taking "The Perfect Photograph", that I'm beginning to realize I may be missing out on some things. When I'm reluctant to shoot because of conditions, poor lighting, etc, it's very possible that I'm losing some really good stuff. It's also very difficult for me to be casual about shooting. I guess it's something I need to work on.

Favorite Shots #12: The God-Mobile

I don't really know what I can say about this car. Steph and I saw this thing one night in Rockford running errands, and I just had to snap a picture. I respect everyone's right to believe in whatever they want, but I think any Christian will agree that this is waaaaay over the top, and frankly, a little frightening.

I'm about 1/2 way through the newest Harry Potter book, and I'm really enjoying it. It's a very good book, and the series overall had been fantastic. I really appreciate how JK Rowling has evolved and matured as a writer, and how the story has reflected that with its tone and subject matter. The story has gradually gotten darker and more adult as it ha progressed, and I really like that. I hope the ending is fitting to such a great series.

Cell Phone Tech, Where We're Headed

With all the problems we've been having with our internet lately, and the subsequent loss of Vonage service caused by these outages, I've been thinking a lot about canceling Vonage and going strictly with cell phones. This would be saving us about $30 a month, and we'd be reachable anywhere, but it's really nice to have a land line at home we can rely on. With all the hype surrounding the iPhone, it's really made me think more about cell phone tech and the direction this market is heading. I think that this industry, more than any other, is fueled so much by competition and consumer choices. With the iPhone's breakthroughs in features and ease of use, it should be very interesting to see what the competition comes out with in the next few years. I've been reading about a new line of phones with integrated wifi, that when you enter an area with an open wireless internet connection, the phone will automatically switch from using the cell technology to a VOIP system, similar to Vonage. This is great, because if you're at home using the phone, you don't use any of your minutes from your plan, essentially giving you unlimited minutes. I saw a commercial today for T-Mobile advertising one of these phones, and when my contract is up with US Cellular, I'll surely be researching this technology.

Alternatives

Well, I’m once again writing this is word, frustrated beyond belief with my ISP. Before we left for California, it seemed like Mediacom finally solved their problems with the continuous outages we were suffering from. We had about 5 or 6 days with no problems. Sice we got back on Friday, there hasn’t been a day where we haven’t had some sort out outage. It’s getting to the point now where I am seriously considering other options. I was always really happy with Directv, and would have no issues switching back to them for television service, but our options out here are far more limited for internet service. I don’t even consider dial-up an option, DSL isn’t available here yet, and I really don’t know how good T6 Broadband is. All I know for sure about T6 is that the connections speeds are variable, and you actually have to pay more for the higher speeds. I’m really reluctant to part with my super-fast cable speeds, but I really don’t want to pay for something and get nothing in return. I think that I’ll probably give them a month to get their act together before I start taking steps toward another carrier.

Back to Reality

Well, the dream is over. It's time to wake up and head back to work. It was so nice and refreshing to have so much time off and to be able to spend it in such an amazing place. I felt so good yesterday and today, but the reality of going back to work and back to the grind is starting to take root. It doesn't help that I have to go in early tonight and work 10 hours either. Well, I guess I have to look at the bright side. It's only about 5 more months until I have another week off! Woo-hoo!

Harry Potter Day?

No, today was not Harry Potter Day, although we did buy two copies of the book. Today was Steph's birthday! Happy birthday Stephanie! We had a nice dinner at this little Thai place on Riverside in Rockford, and enjoyed each other's company tonight. Considering all the traveling we've done in the last week, doing too much tonight wasn't really an option.

Today the 7th and final book in the much loved Harry Potter series was released all over the world. Steph and I are big fans of the series, so much in fact, we bought two copies so we could both read it right away. One of the copies will eventually find its way to eBay, but for now, we'll both be devouring these over the next few weeks. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it all ends. For those of you who haven't read these, what the heck's wrong with you?!? The series is really quite good, and I highly recommend it.

Travleing Daze: Part Two

We had a great trip. I want to start this post off with that. We spent 5 great days in a beautiful area, ate some great food, saw some amazing things, and most importantly, spent some quality time with family. It's really too bad that it was all punctuated by this day.

The day started normally, with Steph and I saying our goodbyes to Kathie, Josh, and Noah, then driving the 30 miles or so to San Luis Obispo airport. We arrived with plenty of time, returned the rental car without incident, then made our way to the check-in counter. This is where the fun begins! Our flight was delayed. This was a bit stressful, as we only had about 40 minutes in between connecting flights, but the woman at the counter assured us that it was only a slight delay, and we should be able to make our flight to Chicago. The flight was an hour late. Needless to say, we assumed we missed our connecting flight, so when we arrived at LAX, we went to our original gate area to try to catch another. Guess what! Our connecting flight was delayed. Yes, both flights were delayed. This wasn't too bad, but we did have to wait for about an hour and 1/2 in LAX for our connecting flight to arrive. All in all, our traveling was delayed nearly 3 hours. Wow, pretty bad, right? Not so fast! The fun had just begun!

Steph and I boarded the bus to Rockford, and right before the bus was ready to leave, a woman and her daughter got on the very crowded bus and sat right behind us. The mother proceeds to call every freakin person in her directory and talk at roughly double the volume of a normal conversation. This went on for about 1/2 hour, then, after Steph stared at her for about 5 minutes, she stopped on the phone and began talking non-stop to her daughter about the most inane nonsence I've ever heard. They had a 5 minute conversation about whether or not VH1 was on basic cable. I'm not joking. And of course, the daughter was just as oblivious to her surroundings as mom, so she was essentially talking as loud as possible for about an hour straight. I can only equate this to paying $17 to be kicked in the groin for about an hour and 1/2. Crude, yes, but very true.

Well, like I said in the beginning of my little rant, we had a fantastic time, so I guess the torture of traveling for 12 hours was a small price to pay for 5 great days. It's good to be home!

Thursday: Montana de Oro, Farmers' Market in San Luis

It's 10:oo pm, we have to travel tomorrow, and I'm dead timed, so I'm going to keep this very brief. Today was a big day, and a lot of great stuff happened. Instead of trying to force it out of my muddled mind, I'm going to put this little placeholder here, along with my picture for today, and encourage you all to come back to this post tomorrow. When I get home I'll be putting up a better account of today's activities, so hopefully I won't be too wiped out then.

Wednesday: Hearst Castle, Elephant Seals

Today was a great day! Steph and I took a trip to San Simeon, to Hearst Castle. Hearst Castle is an amazing place, and every time we go to California, we try to go there at least once. This time we took the "Tour #4", which is a mostly outside tour of the gardens, the two pools, and ends in the wine cellar. This is probably the best tour we've been on, and since it's one of the less popular tours, instead of having a 30 person group, there were only about 12 or 15 people on our tour. It was really great. There's so much there that I would love to take time to shoot, but they whip you through there so fast, that it's difficult to get a lot of good shots. Fortunately, with the smaller group, I was albe to get some good ones.

After visiting Hearst Castle, we took a drive north on the 1 to view some local wildlife. This time of year, the Elephant Seals are on the shore, shedding their fur and looking quite lazy. These things are massive, and they look like they survive just to lay around and throw sand all over the place. They're pretty impressive beasts, and it's cool to see these animals live and in person instead of on Animal Planet.

Tomorrow we'll be heading to Montana de Oro, a local park that borders the Pacific and is pretty amazing. I should have some pretty amazing shots tomorrow.

Here's the rest of today's shots.

Tuesday: Walking, Shooting, Shopping

Well, tonight I'm taking my sister's advice and hooking up to her lightning-fast wireless connection to post on the blog. I can't even describe to you how amazingly bad the hotel connection is. Imagine dial-up, shared to about 50 different people through one wireless router. It's worse than that. Lucky for me my sister is as big a tech lover as I am and she has high speed and a good router.

Today Steph, Kathie, and I waked the streets of San Luis Obispo, hitting all the little shops and eating an awesome lunch at the Natural Cafe. This is the second time we've eaten there, and for Steph it's great. It has a diverse menu, and a large vegetarian menu to choose from. I even don't mind eating there, as they have a few meat dishes that are really good. There are only a few, however, so now I know the difficulty she faces every time we go to a restaurant in good ol' Rockford.

After the shopping expedition, we took a short visit to the Mission in San Luis, then picked up my Nephew Noah at his preschool. Kathie and Noah went home to take a nap, so Steph and I went down to the state park here in Morro Bay. The views of the rock and the sea were breathtaking. I think I shot about 50 pictures up there, and got some really good stuff. We're now sitting at Kathie and Josh's house, and Josh just pulled up. We're going to eat some local fish fry, then just hang out with a couple cold ones. Time to eat! View today's photos here.

Monday: Walking and Talking

This is going to be a short post, since my eyes are dangerously close to closing on me, and I've been fighting for 15 minutes with this piss-poor hotel WiFi trying to bring this page up. I'm tired, irritated, and totally ready to sleep for about 10 hours.

Today was spent with my Sister Kathie, Stephanie, and myself browsing the various shops and areas of Morro Bay. We spent most of the day walking the streets and visiting the beach, then Steph and I were treated to a great dinner and dessert at Kathie & Josh's house. She offered her wireless for me to put up my post, and god, I wish I had taken her up on it. To say this hotel's connection is crap would be a travesty of understatement. You can see the rest of today's photos here.

Traveling Daze

Wow, what a day. After an early 5:30 am start, about 10 hours of traveling, and some quality time spent with my Sister and her family, I am completely spent. No amount of caffeinated beverages will keep me going any longer. Add to that the 26 hours straight that I was awake yesterday, and I'm one tired dude.

The day went pretty smoothly, but unfortunately I had very little time to actually take my camera out of the bag. This shot I took at O'Hare airport in Chicago. I was sitting at this kiosk that's provided for charging your laptop. It was pretty boring, waiting an hour and a half for our flight, when I looked to the seat next to me and saw this had written sign someone had left. It really struck me to see it there. I just thought it was really profound, and in a place so full of miserable people, I thought it was especially powerful. No one likes the actual travel part of traveling, and I just found it very refreshing to know that someone took the time to write that and put it there so people like me (and my fellow miserable travelers) could see it.