Normally, the company I work for has some sort of picnic every summer. This year, there was no such event, but they offered discount tickets to Silverwood Theme Park instead.

I purchased tickets for the whole family at $15 each (which beats the hell out of the normal admission price of $29.99). The downside to the tickets is that we were stuck with one and only one choice for the date… last saturday (August 20th).

Since that was a saturday, I figured we better get there as early as possible because it can get a little busy on the weekends. Apparently… I under estimated exactly what “busy” meant.

We showed up shortly after they opened (about 11:15) and spent the next 30 minutes waiting in line to park the car. There was still plenty of parking (the lot is friggin’ huge!) and it was a quick jaunt to the gate to get in.

That’s where things stopped being quick. It appears that Silverwood offered discount tickets to every company in the Northwest, as there had to be over 20,000 people in the park.

The lines to ride the Tremors rollercoaster was about 2 hours long. The Timber Terror rollercoaster was the same. Hell… I waited in line for 40 minutes just to buy a lemonade.

They had a car show going on as well as some model talent search (which added to the population).

There was one other thing that I wasn’t quite prepared for. Since they opened the BolderBeach water park, people were walking all over the place in their bathing suits. While there were a few attractive people there, the benefit was far outweighed by the sheer number of people who had no business showing off their veritable sea of freckles, fat, and flesh in any public venue. Big bellys… hairy backs… and that was just the women!

The thought of being stuck in a steaming herd of the unwashed masses… half nakid… yeah… that’s how I wanted to spend the day.

We made it until about 4pm. In total… I spent about 5 hours in line, rode two rides, and had a drink. Totally fucking insane!

I’ve been playing around with my computers at home (and yes… that’s plural… I have a number of them because I’m all OMG!! RED HOT SEXY and somewhat geeky that way). I’ve been looking for an OS alternative to Windows that meets the following criteria:
– Easy to install
– Easy to use
– Supports the applications I need it to

I’ve looked around and think I’ve found a linux based implementation that will satisfy those three needs.

Ubuntu and Kubuntu are pretty much the bomb. Both are based on Debian Linux, but come with slightly different specs.

Ubuntu comes packaged with the following:
– Gnome – A GUI like Windows XP <screenshots>
– OpenOffice.org – The complete Office Suite (similar to Word, Excel, etc)
– Firefox – A web browser which seriously kicks much butt
– Thunderbird – An email client (like outlook)
– Gaim – Instant Messaging software that connects to all major IM networks (MSN, AIM, etc.)
– Gimp – A very spiffy graphics program (like photoshop)
– Audacity – An audio file mixer, editor

Kubunto uses the Ubuntu base files but comes with a few differences:
– KDE – the ultimate GUI for linux (it’s just that sexy!!) <screenshots>
– Konqueror – the KDE browser (for the web, your pc, everything!)

Both are easy to install, easy to use, and easy to get… they’re both free.

You can also try it before you make a commitment. Just download the “Live” version of Ubuntu or Kubuntu, burn the iso to CD, put it in your computer, and reboot. It will boot from the CD and bring your computer up with Linux (you’ll have to answer a few questions on boot like what language, keyboard, and video resolutions you want). It does run slow from the CD (for obvious reasons), so don’t let that discourage you.

If you choose to install, the process is very easy… just read the screens and answer the questions.

So… go there, download the Live CD iso file and play with it. If you like it, you might think about downloading the Install iso and freeing yourself, and your computer, from the bloatware you’re running right now.

According to the website walken2008.com, Christopher Walken has his sights set high in 2008. He’s planning on running for President.

While the idea itself is enough to make babies willingly stick their hands into a Cuisinart, it’s not exactly founded in truth.

The website itself is the work of members of the General Mayhem forum, one of the largest online forums out there (25,848 members and growing). You can read the crib notes of the plot to pull a prank on the net here.

From the list of blogs and news sites that picked this story up and ran with it… I’d say the prank worked rather well.

Chris is eating your soul

The weekend was good at Casa de WWBD.

My father-in-law came down from Canada for a visit, and he brought gifts. REAL Canadian whiskey (good stuff!) and peaches from an orchard somewhere between here and there. We had a great (if not very laid back) visit. We ate steak, watched the tube, and did basically not a damn thing.

The perfect weekend.

Today, I stared physical therapy to see if I can improve my back. I did discover that if you hold my legs out my feet will go to sleep instantly (gotta love nerve damage!). I guess this would explain why it happens every time I sit in my recliner.

In other news: A new worm, W32.Zotob.A (aka: BOTZOR) is running all over the net. Please, for the love of all that is good and pure, if you run Windows (any flavor), download and install the critical updates and update your anti-virus.

Seriously… If I know you and you get hosed but didn’t do those two things… don’t call me. You’re on your own.

A huge thunderstorm is currently ripping through the area. Winds in the 70+ mile per hour range, trees falling down, heavy rainfall.

Joy!

I’m not sure how things are at my place (but the server is up, which means I have power and a phone line). I’m hoping my new roof is still there (replaced after the last big ass storm ripped the old on off a couple of months ago). I’m also hoping that my neighbor’s 80′ (24.38 meter) tall trees are still in his yard and not on my roof.

I’m also damn glad that I didn’t ride my motorcycle today 🙂