rob was here.

well.. it's going for 2:00AM on a friday morning. Alas, i have a 15% programming project due tommorow in an artificial intelligence course I am taking. It is getting the best of us. Our programming project is supposed to go head to head with other groups at 10:00AM tommorow morning in a competition for marks (t-8 hours remaining). The game is an intelligence to drive a computer opponent in a game similar to that of go.

To make matters worse, I have a ~10% assignment due in another course tommorow that is still not complete. I will have to finish that one off this weekend and pass it in late on monday. Aye. Roll with the punches.

Update: it's 4:00AM now. We have come along to something that is half respectable for submission tommorow. I noticed that at around 3:30AM my mental foundations begin to crumble, as i begin singing out the 'rah-rah-rasputin, lover of the russian queen' theme song and begin spouting jibberish at poor mike (however it sounds lucid in my head.).. For example, i just told mike to "put in some alpha buts" instead of "include some alpha-beta cuts." as well as "wow that was agent!!!!" instead of "neat."... :( :( :( so tired.

well.. i didn't win at poker. I came 10th place out of 15. Apparently this isn't too bad for my first time playing. I had a lot of fun, and definitly learned a lot! Overall, i think it was a good time had by all. I'm looking forward to another big game towards the end of the term. My goal for the next game is to at least make it to the final table (the final 8 players).

This is me at or near the moment of my annihilation from pliddy's double pair. I went all in with a pair of jacks and prayed to the poker gods that he was bluffing. He had a pair of Aces and a pair of 8's if I recall correctly. Oh well.


loosing sucks!

Well. It's midnight on a monday and i'm finishing off fixing some bugs in my senior project. Tommorow is a big day, it's the first time i'll ever participate in a greed inspired card game, which is happening at my apartment at 3:00PM. Perhaps it will be the last. Whichever it is, wish me luck.

The world has met a loss yesterday. Dr. Hunter Stockton Thompson took his own life via a gunshot to the head. For those of you who have read any of his articles, books, or even seen movies based on said works, will know that the literary and art world has lost someone who was truly unique, rawfully honest, and who viewed the world with a different pair of eyes. Me and Adam respectfully cracked out fear and loathing when i got home from school today and watched it. RIP Duke, where ever you are.

I sorted out the graduation application thing with the university. Apparently im on track to graduation again. Got my grad photos taken and everything. Now i just got to keep my eyes on the prize, and put a strong effort into my exams and my projects..

This upcoming tuesday will be my first money game of hold em, taking place at my apartment with a slew of people from class. It's a $20 dollar buy in, so i'm pumped about it. The guys in class have some mad skills, but i've been practising online via pokerstars quite a bit recently and i think i have my instincts sharpened. Although, a disadvantage of online practice; i have no experience with reading people's faces. That, so i hear, is half the battle. Lets hope i make it to the final table.

Im going to take a break from projects tommorow afternoon and go see ong bak with some friends.. it's apparently a fun action movie of sorts. Also in life recently, i began listening to an assortment of new bands and artists, including the pre-nirvana quasi-grunge outfit, the meat puppets . I've also have been listening to some 1920-30 era blues artists, such as delta blues legend mississippi john hurt and huddie ledbetter ...

just got a letter in the mail saying that my application for graduation for may has been denied. All this because the university claims that i still owe $146.00 in insurance fees. What manner of fuckery is this? I opted out of insurance in september, like i do every september, which is supposed to be valid for insurance exemptions for a year. The loop which they claim i fell through was that when i opted out this past september I was on a work term, and the opt-out form didn't clear. I have to go through an appeals process to try to get the costs waived, or I have to bite the dirt and pay the $146. I'm striving to keep that money, so I will go appeal monday afternoon. I have to do this soon though apparently, cause they need to process my grad application in time. The university is not very helpful with respect to this issue. I've spoken to many people today on the phone.

Other than that, i'm working pretty flat out on my senior project (p2p alarm network) and studying for upcoming midterms. I'm trying to start the term off right with stong averages to insure that I can't be denied graduation for academia performance.

On the plus side, i've been learning to play texas hold em' with some people in my class lately. It's a fun card game. Although i'm pretty apt at loosing.

My brother is home for the weekend from nova scotia. I haven't seen him for almost a year or so. It's good to see him again.

Ah, i'm just recovering from being sick for a week. I'm feeling much better today than yesterday.. I'm almost back to normal. Here's hoping for a more productive week at school. Me and my girl saw white noise last night at sobey's square. It was a pretty decent movie. It reminded me a lot of the mothman prophecies from a few years back.

I bought a bunch of simple stuff when i was out shopping today. New guitar strings, a pair of slippers to combat the cold apartment floor, and an electic heater for my room. These things are low cost solutions that provide a large jump in relative comfort and happiness.

I've been listening to a lot of blur recently.. Both their old stuff and their new stuff. Talanted bunch of brits, they is.