Earth Hour 2009 is tonight at 8:30 (it’s 8:30 regardless of your time zone, so it’s staggered) and I’ve decided to take part in it (at least as much as I can). Despite many positioning global warming as a scam, as well as Earth Hour itself, I think it does wonders for human interaction and companionship. You really get a feeling that you’re not alone. It’s quite a powerful feeling too.

This may not help anything at all, but it sure feels like it does.

Now one commenter on one video I watched about this had an interesting thought which I really don’t have a counterpoint for. After the hour’s up and everybody restores their power, won’t it cause a surge and use more energy than it would have in the first place?

Truth be told, this is just raising awareness more than anything. I tend to agree with others when they say that the whole point is to make people realize that all they have to do is take small steps instead of actually helping emission problems by a large margin.

Still, it’s a great idea. Go to EarthHour.org if you’re interested. I didn’t pledge though because I disagree with me having to provide them my information and not having an option to not be on their e-mail list.

… if you said mine, you’d be right!

The power adapter hole.. plug.. thing is broken and you have to hold it at *very* specific angles to get it to stay in in order for it to get AC power.

I did some research and it turns out that this is a notorious problem with Acer and Toshiba brand laptops. For one thing, their pins are smaller and weaker than others’, so it’s more likely to break off.

Second, and my problem, is that Acer apparently does a shoddy job of soldering the power plug in. Now I’ve had this problem once before and the warranty department fixed it, so I’m not sure if I should blame Acer or the people who fixed it.

I only dropped it once… and the daggone plastic lip around the adapter hole cracked off.

Now, let’s put two and two together here:

Acer’s shoddily-made plastic laptops + me = :O.

If it’s out of warranty, you can repair it by disassembling the laptop and resoldering, but it doesn’t look easy at all. A quick Google for something like “acer power broken” got me that, and a lot of places that apparently specialize in repairing broken power plugs.

*sigh* Frankly I’m surprised a laptop like that has lasted as long as it has in hands like mine. Oh well, we didn’t get the extra warranty for nothing.

Which is what I’m getting thanks in part to too many cheap but delicious burritos. TMI?

Anyway, to annnnnybody who reads this blog *echo echo echo*…welp nobody does…*helllo down theree* I wish you a great 2009.

Here’s to 365.26(?) more days of living. Hurrah.

and as an added bonus if you call within the next 5 minutes: bad pickup lines for that after party (pun times to be had by all..possible brash humor):

“You’re lookin’ mighty fine in 2009″

“I know 2,009 ways to make you mine..and I don’t take Viagra”

“2009 is bigger than ‘08. Wanna go home and celibate?” (gooo team!)

To the “Hoedown” from Whose Line: “I’m sittin’ here on New Year’s Eve, I’m sittin’ all alone. I wonder if everyone at the party has gone. I left a little while ago, because I could not flirt. I think I’ll just go get it off to gay guys in tight shirts.” (granted not a pick up line..)

“Let’s go drop some balls of our own.”

etc..

Happy New Year everyone. Oh and btw I pushed “Publish” right at “0:00.00″

Just dropping in after a bit of a hiatus to say I wish you a merry Christmas* and a happy new year. Good tidings we bring, to you and your king, good tidings for Christmas and a happy new year.

*ahem* yeah..a bit tippy on the eggnog. Worse, I don’t like eggnog.

*Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and others, I’m not forgetting you

Well, not to me because I had Thanksgiving dinner yesterday (mwahaha), but I wish everyone the best on this Turkey Day 2008.

Daggone that turkey was good.. it was probably one of the better turkeys I’ve had.

¿Por qué? Porque yo puedo ^^.

*ahem* Anyway I’ve just had a stronger urge to learn Spanish lately..I think my school class is making my notions to learn it a bit more intense.

Anyone of my fellow aspiring polyglots should check out El País. It’s a Spanish-langauge newspaper. I found it a pretty good read (from what I understood anyway )

En otras noticias, Yo tengo un artículo interesante para escribir a la mañana. Es en cuanto a publicidades en TBS y muchos otras canales.

Yes my Spanish sucks. I did get help for “en cuanto a”, as well as a couple brain fart fixes. Yay for language study!

Before it was 3D, before it had a sequel..there was pure bliss.

The Internet’s been finicky today so I set out playing RCT while trying to look busy doing math homework. I’m not a very good park designer and I suck at roller coaster building but I do enjoy the micromanagement of the finances and every little sidewalk. Call me sadistic but that’s my kind of strategy game.

Of course, that’s not to say we can’t exploit it now does it? ^^ Like putting “No entry” signs on the park exits. I’ve tried not to do that.

What I would like to try to do is build custom coasters. I really lack a skill for that and for me to beat the game I need to know more about the ins and outs. I’m so sick of seeing these perfect little square rides that add no personality to the place.

News for the Obvious: It’s just as addicting as ever. I blew most of my day on it.

PS: I made it a whole month posting once a day. Yay! Well, ok, since the 3rd but still..yay!

Not just a grammar Nazi, the grammar Nazi. If I spy one stray punctuation mark hiding in an out-of-the-way place or somewhere other than the punctuation (read: concentration) camp, I’m going after it.

I’m very pedantic with punctuation and while I don’t usually point out such penchants for perturbation, I die a little every time I see “it’s” being used as a possessive. Actually, it’s a wonder I’m not dead yet.

I’m not speaking of online slang, cell phone jibjab, that stuff. Oh no, I mean professionally printed signs that aren’t spellchecked, proofread, or even once-overed.

I know, I know, signmakers. I know what you’ll say. You’ll be all “Well we just put what’s on the paper!” and I’ll be all “Well if it looks wrong to you, shouldn’t you double-check it?” It’ll screw your business over if customers go elsewhere or find out and make you remake it, probably free or discounted. However you’ll have many more repeat customers if you do it right.

Other things that kill me:

• Apostrophes used in abbreviations: CD’s, DVD’s, 80’s etc. There’s no missing letter there, nor possession, so..why? On signs where they have only capital letters, I can understand it. Barely. Perchance it might be important to distinguish between CD’S and CDS at an electronics store. Or STDS and STD’S at a clinic.

• “Unnecessary” quotation marks. While I’m writing this, I am “sitting” “in” my “chair” looking down at my “computer screen” all while eating a small “cake”. Sexual innuendo intended.
• Too, many, commas. It slows, your reading, down. Like, a lot. I’ve been guilty of this myself.
• Not enough commas. Itmakesyoursentenceruntogetherlikethisandyourreaderdoesn’tknowwhentotakeabreath.
• Unnecessary bulleted lists. Gasp. Like *this one!*

Should we just totally kill the apostrophe off? (There is a group that wants to but I forgot who)

If you (meaning the one person reading this, hi mom!) have seen my blogroll, you know how I feel.

Apostrophe Abuse und The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks

Recommended much atylmo by!

Somewhat related, I found an Onion Radio News segment that cracked me up:

Rules Grammar Change

PS: Yes I know there’s probably some really obscure mistakes in this post, maybe even some not. I’m a grammar Nazi, not the picture of perfection. Irony is fun too.