Kris and I went over to Andy's tonight for games night. I've been wanting an In-N-Out cheeseburger for a while now, so we stapped by the local store on the way. I have to say that I probably won't go again, having read about beef stories recently. I did, however, enjoy that last cheeseburger more than I probably should have.

So, we pull up to the drive-through window, YET ANOTHER anolomy in my normal behaviour. I hate the waste of sitting in a line with a car engine running. Not only are you sending polutants into the air, you're doing so without any benefit, you're not moving. Hate it.

I turned off the car, and moved as infrequently as possible in the line, to the frustration of both Kris and the drivers behind me.

And I'm okay with that.

So, we pulled up behind the car ordering. I rolled down my window, and was vaguely aware of the guy in front of us ordering two number twos, each of which include a cheeseburger, fries and some drink.

After the order, the person behind the speaker repeated the order. Just after she gave the total, the driver leaned over to his passenger, pausing for a bit, turned back to the speaker and asked, "Can I add a cheeseburger to that order? Just a cheeseburger." The speaker woman answered, "Sure," added the order, then repeated the order to the driver, "So, that's three cheeseburgers, two friends, a coke and a root beer. Your total is" something.

The driver then turned to his passenger, paused for a bit, turned back to the speaker and asked, "Can I add a cheeseburger to that order? Just a cheeseburger."

No, I did not just mistype that.

He proceeded to add items, one at a time, pausing between items, listening to the full order readback, before pausing again, then adding another item.

I believe I could have ordered seven times in the same time that man ordered.

Kris agrees.

Fortunately, the rest of the evening was annoyance-free.

In a fit of clarity, I realized just how stupid I've been in my purchase then non-use of a new laptop. I mean, how unbelievably retarded would that be?

Right. That retarded.

So, a few days ago, I set up my laptop to transfer my account and applications from the old laptop to the new laptop. I started the process just before I went to bed, expecting the next morning to be very similar to a six year old's Christmas morning when Santa still existed.

Despite sleeping in semi-late and suppressing all the excitement, I found the transfer only 5% of the way done when I checked the next morning. Given that I had a phone call with a client in the morning, and that call required my being online to follow the tasks at hand, I stopped the transfer, rebooted the old laptop and started my day.

I talked to Mike about how he transferred his data to new machines. He suggested starting the process from a Time Machine backup, and just don't do anything on the old machine that would necessarily alter the data on the old machine while using it. You know, by like saving any files, or browsing any sites, or editing anything local.

Right.

That's not going to happen.

So, old laptop to new laptop over the network isn't going to work. Restore from backup isn't going to work. Next up: connect over firewire.

I wasn't exactly interested in spending money to buy a new cable that I would use once, but Mike said he didn't have a Firewire 400 to Firewire 800 cable, so I was out of luck there. Great. Was a second disk replacement an option? Maybe a disc clone? Ugh. Well, turns out the cables aren't as expensive as I thought they would be (they're $10 or so), so off to Fry's I went tonight to buy a new cable.

Now, for the record, I do not like making purchases at Fry's. Now, that is NOT to say I don't like shopping at Fry's: I enjoying looking at all of the computers and networking and hard drives and components and electronics. Actually purchasing the items is a little difficult sometimes. I mean, they pay someone to stand at the checkout line and tell you which light just lit up at their registers. Great, the economy is sustained by retarded jobs like that, fine.

What I don't like is the hard-handed, antagonistic, bully checking of bags on the way out the door. Stopping honest shoppers to check the receipt against the bag at the exit constitutes unlawful detention. If the store has not witnessed you lift and item, and has not had a report of your lifting an item, it does not have a reasonable cause to search your person, and the detention to do the search is unlawful, and just plain wrong. It creates a very hostile relationship bettween the store and the people who are trying to spend their money with the store. When you're Mike-sized, you can stroll out the door. When you're Kitt-sized, strolling out the door is less easy given how easy physical restraint can be. Couple that with the level of conflict-adverse I can be, and well, shopping at Fry's is not a pleasant experience.

So, I timed my walk out away from the registers so that I was walking behind another group with my purchase, my new cable in plain site with my receipt right above it. Based on experience, I can say that refusing a bag is often a trigger to have all of your stuff searched (a trigger that f---ing p---es me off, I would add), but having a fluffed out bag will also trigger a search, so no bag, and one fewer bag used, it is. When the two guys at the door stopped the group in front of me, I walked around them and out the door.

With the stomach clenching knots as confirmation of how much I hate the end of that shopping experience. I feel like I've gotten away with something bad, something wrong. So culturally ingrained is the belief in authority that asserting my rights causes me physical pain.

There's something wrong when that happens.

So, I now have a six pin Firewire 400 to ten pin Firewire 800 cable. I'm going to use this cable once. I would very much like for you to use it if you have a need for it.

To determine which version of flash is installed on a particular browser, navigate to http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/155/tn_15507.html and view the flash element on that page. Yes, if you have Flashblock on, you'll have to view the flash element, sheesh.

There's an exploit going around that affects older versions of Flash. If you haven't upgraded to the latest, go ahead and do so now.

Received this tucked into the door today. Not mailed. Tucked.

It contained a calendar.

And advertising for the real estate agent who tucked the envelope into my door.

I have to say, I know one real estate agent I WON'T EVER be using, and it's this one who labelled something "Gift for you" and gave me a handful of advertising.

Though, I do feel this is the way of the future: advertising "gifted" to the recipient.

Decided to try something slightly different from our drive-to-Starbucks-and-walk-the-dogs-home-juggling-a-drink routine that has, thus far, left me incredibly frustrated and annoyed that I would try something so stupid AGAIN as to walk two beagles who like weaving a tango underfoot while carrying a half opened glass of milk. Instead, Kris and I enjoyed a five minute breakfast at Starbucks, while I ate my pumpkin bread (because, really, after baking 46 cups of pumpkin puree, anyone would crave a slice of pumpkin bread, it's a rule). Afterward, we headed back out to the car, to find Bella ready to drive, and Annie good with the getaway:

For the record, yes, walking home with two dogs without attempting a master juggling act IS much more pleasant. The cold air made Bella walk quickly and sniff less, for better enjoyment all around.

With one exception.

I have to say that irresponsible dog owners who think it's okay to leave their dog's shit and not pick it up, are complete assholes. Even if it's on the parkway, it's still shit. It stinks. It rots. It smells awful. It could contain parasites and bacteria that have ill health effects to those who come into contact with it, which include NOT THE DOG OWNER because the jerk f---ing LEFT IT THERE.

While walking, Annie pooped in a good area: dirt not grass, easily picked up without a lot of debris. As I was picking up the poop, I nearly stepped in another pile of poop, left there by some other dog. Annoyed, I picked up some of that poop, only to find ANOTHER pile two feet away.

Do these people not realize how much they suck? Do they not realize that by being so irresponsible, they risk others' privileges? Do they not understand that they are LEAVING SHIT in someone else's yard? That by leaving it, they are encouraging more dogs to poop and urinate in the same place, creating a cesspool in front of a neighbor's house (a neighbor that might not even own a dog)?

Come on, that's just plain wrong.

Irresponsible dog owners suck.