Joel Up Front

A good haul this January, got some headphones, new Turtle Beaches, a few games, controllers... but I didn't get any money back ('rents borrowed $300 from me the day after Christmas) from my parents until Wednesday, when I wanted to go out three weeks ago. Well, my semester's looking up, at least; my Accounting 102 professor, who is one of my favorite instructors, is teaching my last level of the class I need to take, and the instructor who was supposed to teach the class... had a really bad reputation, just for being a godawful teacher.

Yeah, I was talking about Forza 4. I wanted to get it when it came out, but I was flat broke... I wanted the Collector's Edition but Best Buy only did that pre-order promo with some crappy Mini as an incentive to pre-order from them.

I haggled with it and after two and a half years of watching people brag about how much greater their lives are than mine, I decided to close mine. I tried it last December but had to ask a friend something. I wanted to get FM4 Wednesday, but I couldn't find it at BB and I wanted the CE. I have the money but with a rough semester ahead, maybe I'll get it after Easter or something.

I went and found the Billboard Top 100 Songs for 1980 all the way to 1999. Maybe I'll get the ones for 2000-2003 if I can find anything could. I've found quite a few favorites from the '80s whose titles I'd never known...

With how horrid music is, we'd all be better off not knowing about Drake. "Last name ever, first name greatest" has to be one of the corniest lines I've ever heard.

I suppose Google hasn't heard of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," especially with the new YT layouts. And no, I don't want to update my Flash player. I like being able to pause my videos unlike in whatever crap Adobe is forcing down all of your throats, thank you very much. -- Alas, poor Billy, destined to walk the sepulchred streets of suburbia. A doomed husk of a child; do not cry for him. DO NAWT CROY!

NICE - Nobody Interesting Cares, Embarrassingly

How I'd love to be closer to the Equator so I could enjoy above room temperature holidays all year round.

And now one not so nice story. Earlier today I finished my science lab early so I left class and waited outside. Only two buses came, an N35 to Westbury and an N16 to the mall. Only 30 minutes later an N16 rolled up, but it was already crowded and I didn't feel like going through Westbury Boulevard, so I got on the N35 that came up behind it. The ride was nice and there weren't too many people on, and I got into Hempstead with time to spare. After I bought a drink, I looked outside and saw this massive line near the N15 and 32 bays. There was an N15 nearby when the N35 made the turn onto Columbia Street but when that N15 came in and left the line was still there. Only after looking at the line did I realize it was for the N32, and that the 1:42 PM bus never showed. I wanted to ask a dispatcher what was going on, but I gave up and decided to get on. It was SRO immediately after I got on and took a seat all the way in the back. Surprisingly, the bus operator was able to make it to Franklin Avenue in only 25 minutes, and the 2:30 N25 came up right on cue. That good feeling didn't last too long because when I pulled the cord for my stop (Orion V CNG #9846 from WF) the bus operator just kept going. I told her I wanted to get off and she just pointed at some sticker, when I wasn't even in front of the line or anything. I was about to lose it when she immediately stopped in front of Franklin Hospital and I was finally able to get off. Seriously, why the hell did she not stop until she saw passengers waiting?

Tell me Guile's theme doesn't go with everything after you watch this. For the record, if it isn't the CPS2 version, they're doing it wrong.

Considering how homogeneous LI buses are in terms of powerplants, and how none of the buses I've been on have succumbed to transmission issues, I can safely say that the Allison B400R is a great transmission. The power clunk seems to have disappeared in the Orion Vs and the VIIs reduce the clunk to a quiet grinding noise, but it's a great addition to any bus. The ZFs are just annoying to hear and aren't too great from what I've heard and I haven't been on a Voith bus (I think the old Orion Vs used these... guess where they are now?) so I have no opinion.

I hate that I never get to wake up too early anymore. When DST ended, it happened for a week before I ended up sleeping normally again. How I'd love to just wake up two hours before I normally do again.

I can't believe how the city Orion V CNGs ride so much smoother compared to the Orion Vs on LI. The gearbox is different somehow - either bus operators have been going faster than usual or they accelerate more quickly. Most of these have all been MTA Bus units; the only actual NYCT unit I rode was 9827 on the N32 last Thursday. However, it seems that the LI Orions are much louder, and I'd rather have the plastic seats than that stupid worn-out padding. Also, the Orion I rode on the N16 this afternoon was leaking (B/O's side, first non-"reserved" row of seats) inside....

That alone will not quell the R44 foamers who still think they can just throw them back onto the tracks should something happen. Still amazes me that the oldest and only subway stock in revenue service from the 1960s is going this strong.

I thought, "they went too long without fooking it up" and then they went and did it. I swear whoever thinks that we need mandatory, irregular, and stupid ass "updates" to the page. I'm really hoping for Google's downfall so that they stop ruining YT.

103 degree fever all of Monday and I didn't even know it.

"Low-dose" aspirin, my ass, this is making me drowsy.... I took Nyquil three days in a row last month and I barely felt anything from that!

You know you're from LI when: Billy Joel said it best, “Either you date a rich girl from the North Shore, or a cool girl from the South Shore." What’s the big deal about the Hamptons? You don’t go to Manhattan, you go to “the City" You never, ever want to “change at Jamaica..." You can name at least three bands that came from Long Island. At some point in your life you or someone you know has owned an animal that came from North Shore Animal League. You walk around the mall aimlessly. When you’re away from Long Island, you love it and when you’re there, you don’t. You know that the beach is the most magical place in the world at night. You know the exact point at which Queens turns into Nassau simply on intuition. Your distant future might involve the state of Florida You love that salty smell of the ocean. No, you don’t want mustard on that burger! You know White Castle is terrible for you and the food sucks. But, you periodically “Get the Crave". You can order a pizza pie and a soda and people will understand. You know that parts of The Godfather were filmed on LI. You think Islip MacArthur airport is cute and you enjoy watching it grow up. You can correctly pronounce places like Happaugue, Commack, Islip, Islandia, Nissequogue, Wantagh, and Massapequa. You know the location of 6 malls, a dozen McDonalds, and 36 7-11’s. You grew up thinking Chinese food was a basic food group. You’re used to driving down the street in December and seeing more light-up menorahs than you can shake a latka at. In fact, even your non-Jewish friends know what Matzoh is. And you’ve never driven more than 10 miles without seeing a temple.

I can understand the skull and David's star, but what the **** does that last vertical line have to do with any of that?

I managed to walk home rather than wait for the horror story known as the N4. All I wanted to do was go to GameStop, and I had to wait for one N4, jam packed, to pass by (an Orion V). An '09 NG CNG that still had room in the back came up next. The brakes sounded like they were all but working correctly and when the bus went over a bump, the suspension (or whatever passes for any sort of shock absorption in those hunks of junk) squeaked and the entire bus just felt like it was going to fall apart if it hit any sort of deviation in the road's smoothness. I picked UMVC3 up and walked across Merrick for a bus back to Freeport. I waited 10 minutes while kids from nearby high schools (jay)walked to the stores and the Subway nearby. I decided to pick a sandwich up and go back. Another 10 minutes went by before I just started walking.

That's right. NYCT personnel do not get free rides on Bus Company routes (the opposite is true as well). LIB employees do get passes, but they are only valid on LIB. I can't remember what further restrictions there were, but I think it involved express buses. I caught a good five new (i.e. from post 2009) buses on the way home today, and finally got to see an XD40 up close. That rear seating arrangement will never work in territory.

Two weeks closer to Judgment Day for LIB. They've been running Orion Vs sparingly - either they bring out the older ones from 2000 (1500s) or the 2003 batch (1632 and up) and running NGs everywhere they can, especially on the N6 and N16. This ghetto queen waiting for an N31 was butthurt when she found out the NG sitting in the N31 bay was an N32. She ranted to the bus operator for no good reason....

According to my laptop's wi-fi icon in the System Tray, my laptop's wi-fi is completely shut off, but I'm connected to this and seven other sites just fine.

That's when it was. That was a fun day. Just went and munched through a bowl of candy. Tomorrow, the first thing I will be concerned with is sleep when I get back from class at about... 1:30. Sleep is good.

I can't remember what year Halloween was a Sunday, but I'm glad it was, because all of seven kids came by. From that day until my birthday (November 15) I just kept eating candy from the stuff we couldn't give out. Hopefully not as many kids go out because Monday is my only day of classes where I get home early enough to get rest.