I haven't gone to sleep before midnight... Ever.

Well, at least since I got to Pittsburgh, three months ago (yes Virginia, it's already been three months!)

Right now it's 10:49, and I'm going to turn off the computer, take out my contacts, read in bed for a while (Susie and Karen: the book's getting past the slow part now), and go to sleep before midnight. And I don't even have to get up before 8! Nice.

Have that difficult-to-shop-for person on your Christmas list? Sure, they might have everything, but now you can give them a little bit of everything all in an easy-toting case!

Note that while radioactive elements are included, they don't go into the transuranic manmade elements.

Thanks Benjy for writing the article I wish I wrote.

I had exactly the same experience, except the object of my affection will be out of state for another 3-4 weeks, not 5-7 days.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CRYSTAL!

Okay, now to sleep.

Workload is at its peak over in these parts. With four real weeks of class left before the end of the semester, I'm working on four final projects simultaneously, along with regular assignments in three classes. Hence the quiet.

Which is a real shame because I have so much to blog about! Well, e-commerce-wise, my Sidekick (Danger, Hiptop, what have you) is arriving tomorrow and also, after waiting (not so) patiently for three months (and three years) I ordered a Titanium Powerbook from Apple today. I knew the model refresh was coming, and there was a lot of speculation on what would be included, from a price drop, to internal bluetooth, to gigahertz processors to internal superdrives to new video cards. Well, I woke up this morning and read that Apple delivered on all of the above except for the internal bluetooth, arguably the smallest of the mentioned features, and so I sprung like a cat to the student developer site and placed my order, saving $500 from what I would have had to pay only a day earlier and getting a much, much better machine in the bargain. I even boosted the RAM from 512 megs to a gigabyte for $40.

Mind you, it's not shipping for 3 to 4 weeks, but I don't mind the wait.

Okay, so I'm having one of those complexes where I have some really interesting content to post (palazzo and logmusic, for those who know) but I feel like I have to do them justice before posting. It's such a quandry.

But more than anything I need sleep. Three hours last night and three the night before, and I have class in 8 hours, so I hope to get at least six-and-a-half hours of rest right now. Can you blame me?

Okay, so much cool stuff to share.. Gonna burst... I finally figured out that the way to regain inspiration was to bend, ever so slightly, my educational endevours to leverage my web initiatives, and vice-versa.

I'll be sane again tomorrow, really. Now I'm going to sleep.

Oh, and just to entertain you while I'm napping, I bring you the true origin of the MSN Butterfly:

On one hand, I'm stressed because I didn't get to sleep until 4am, and had to get up at 7:15am for class this morning. I have work due in three classes that I need to get done by the end of the day (Communication Design Fundamentals, Computer Music, and HCI Methods) along with 7 hours of class. Ugh. I just want today to be both over and done with. Actually, I'm pretty excited about the Computer Music project. It's my final project for the class (an interim report is due today), and as soon as I foist off today's shackle, I'll talk about it on here. It's only fitting: in a roundabout way, you're all a part of it.

Helping me get through the day (in addition to the anticipation of new powerbooks tomorrow) is this which, at this moment, is here.

I studied a lot of optical illusions in Visual Perception class at cal, but I never saw anything that gives me a headache like this one does. You've been warned.

Hey at least (afaik) you won't die seven days after seeing it.

More illusions can be found at Akiyoshi's illusion pages.

Well, despite paying for overnight shipping, my sidekick's slowboating it here from Texas, and I'm without cell service at all until Thursday, at the earliest. I had to cancel my AT&T service before ordering the new phone because I wasn't sure that I could cancel it without paying the early termination fee, despite the terrible reception I get at home with that phone.

Anyhow, my only phone for the moment is my home phone, and that doesn't even have voicemail. Looks like email's the way to get a hold of me for a while.

Come Thursday though, I'll be a cornucopia of connectivity, with email, real web access, SMS messaging, instant messaging (on AIM :-/ ) and of course cellphone service, all in my pocket.

Technology's so cool, but I just don't have the patience...

Went to a great Halloween party last night, courtesy of Rich (all praise Rich! Give him money if you didn't at the party! If you were there! Why am I yelling?! I don't know! OK then!) Pretty much everyone there was from the HCI or Interaction Design programs, or with someone from there.

Click on Death to see the photo gallery:

Happy Halloween!

I didn't think I had a costume in the stuff I brought out from Berekely, (and so I didn't wear one to the party the night before), but in the end I remembered my communicator badge and pips I had in my special box in the closet, and my sweatshirt that I've always thought looked 'Federation Casual' and it all came together okay.