Taken Em Back

Thanks to TurboTax, I just finished my 2005 returns. Looks like I'm gettin' some chedder back ... and a decent amout too!!! Filing taxes couldn't be any easier ... like taking candy from a baby!

Warning: Just so you know, if you decide to file with TurboTax, there's a particular change you cannot make if you choose the wrong option. If you accidentally choose to apply your refund amount to your 2006 taxes, it doesn't allow you to modify your choice. Personally, I think thats BS ... but a way around it is signing up with another sn and re-filling.

Happy Chinese New Year

Illusion

To see or not to see ... click here.

TGIF

I had two quizes in two different math classes today. Both quizes were on the two proofs I posted on the blog earlier this week. Essentially ... I knew them backwards and forwards ... and thus, Aced them. Also ... a week from now ... I'll be in Sin City ... Wahooooooooo!!!!

Tooth Be Gone

Tooth is gone! The tooth that was giving me so much pain earlier this week was extracted yesterday ... and I'll state the obvious ... it ain't fun! I really didn't know what to expect. When I got into the chair, all I thought about was the terrible pain that the tooth caused ... then I didn't feel so nervous ... but the reality was that I was really nervous. The doc went through the procedure, which seemed to be straight forward ... but I didn't get the comfort that I expected to get ... considering that he was about to pull a tooth from my mouth. Was this his first time? He looks young? Could he be a student? The assistant is older than he is ... I'm screwed! These are the thoughts that ran through my head at a accelerated rate while I was about to be numbed. He numbed my gums ... then minutes later he whipped out one of the biggest needles I've ever seen. I don't remember a needle that big when I was numbed for fillings. Is that the right needle? He proceeded to insert the gigantic needle into my mouth ... and what do you know ... I didn't feel a thing. Moments later ... I really didn't feel a thing .. at least around the tooth. Then, some sort of small metal crowbar went in there. What was he doing??? I have no idea ... but it felt like he was trying to loosen the tooth. Then ... the one thing I didn't need to see ... pliers. He was going for it. That's when my skirt came out. Before he even touched the tooth ... the words came out ... "Owww!" The doc says, "Did that hurt?" I replied, "Yes!" So, he injected more novocaine ... thank you, may I have another. This time, I closed my eyes as the metal machine went back in ... metal machine referring to the hand held pliers. He clamped on .. twisted, turned, twisted and turned some more. I can't even tell you what my brain was going through at this point. It must of been an awful site. Seconds later, the tooth is out. I didn't get to look at it ... personally I didn't really want to see it. But he cleaned me up and not a second later, I was out the door to pick up some more victas.

Even though the process of taking the tooth out was, not so much physically unbearable, but more so psychologically tragic, I am SO glad its gone. Now... I've got this strange looking blood clot in place of where the tooth was and I tried to call the office today to find out if the clot is normal ... and guess what ... they're closed on Fridays. Who the f##k is closed on Fridays!? I mean really ... I need to know if this is right or not. Ain't there a 1-800 number for questions like these???

Car Accident, 7-11, Maze

I woke up this morning to one of those dreams that felt so real. It was hard to comprehend what was going on when I woke up. While in the shower, my brain was going over the details of all the events that took place. There were 3 events of significance ... a car accident, 7-11 and the maze. Also, there was an actor in my dream who I can't seem to find. I picture him in old B movies. I've gone crazy!

My First Proof

Every Wednesday in Abs. Math, a student from the class is required to volunteer to write their proof on the board and be criticized. I found the courage to be the first volunteer. What was I thinking?! So I did .. and here it is ...

THM: The sum of any three consecutive intergers is a multiple of 3.

PROOF: Let k, k+1, k+2 be any three consecutive intergers. Thus, the sum of three consecutive intergers is k+(k+1)+(k+2) = 3k+3 = 3*(k+1). Since 3*(k+1) is divisible by 3, then for any interger k, the sum of three consecutive intergers is a multiple of 3. (MTFBWY)

Before volunteering, I thought my proof was perfect. Straight to the point, clear and correct. BUT ... while writing my proof on the board, a classmate pointed out that I read the theorem incorrectly. The actual theorem is ...

THM: The product of any three consecutive intergers is a multiple of 3.

Thanks buddy! My face didn't turn red like I thought it would ... but my leg shaked at about 100 rpms. So I sat down and took a victa. Thank you victa ... you rescued me once again!!!

My Friend Victa

Sunday evening was brutal. It started with a tooth ache that eventually caused shooting pains all over the left side of my face. Tooth aches are no joke ... fo' shizzil! I was in and out of sleep all Sunday night but thanks to a perc that was sitting on my desk ... I eventually passed out. Monday was pretty rough as well ... I woke up with the same pain but found the courage to attend all my classes and lasted through my entire work shift ... but it wasn't easy. I probably took about 15 Tylenol throughout the day hoping that I wouldn't feel anything ... it helped but I knew it was still there. Trying to sleep last night was the true test. There were probably 5 to 10 moments when I thought I was going to die from pain ... it was excruciating. I got through thanks to 4 Tylenol PMs.

First thing this morning, I headed to the school hospital to see the Dentist. Nice guy ... and for the most part ... straight forward. The bottom line is ... I'm having the tooth pulled on Thursday ... four months later putting a screw in its place ... and sometime after that having a crown put in. Total cost ... $3k. I was hoping he was going to say priceless ... but no luck. The best part of the visit was when he prescribed Victa for the pain. Oh my friend Victa ... how I've missed you so much! Thanks to Victa ... no more sleepless nights in Boulder.

Prove It

For my number theory class, we were assigned two problems on the first day. The problem that was most interesting was about prime numbers. A prime number is a number that is divisible by 1 AND itself. 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13 ... are prime numbers. The problem is this ...

The consecutive odd numbers 3, 5 and 7 are all primes. Are there infinitely many such "prime triplets?" That is, are there infinitely many prime numbers, p, such that p+2 and p+4 are also primes?

The answer is NO! But how do you prove it??? Dema to the rescue. Here is his proof ...

For all p excluding the number 3.

(Fig 1.) <-----p---p+1---p+2---p+3---p+4---->

1. Assume P is prime.
2. Assume there exists infinitely number of prime triplets of the form S = {p, p+2, p+4}.
3. Statement 2 implies that p+2 and p+4 are always prime for any prime number p..
4. If p is not divisible by 3, then p+1 or p+2 must be divisible by 3.

• Condition 1 - p is prime and p+1 is not divisible by 3 ... implies that p+2 is divisible by 3. Contradiction of statement 3.

• Condition 2 - p is prime and p+1 is divisible by 3 ... implies that p+4 is divisable by 3. Contradiction of statement 3.
  

Therefore, each condition cannot exists to statify assumption number 2 and there cannot be an infinitely many "prime triplets." ... So you're saying I have a chance!!!

Final Hope

I met up with a couple of friends after class this afternoon. The topic of dicussion was why I didn't accepted into the engineering school. After I told them the story, they were just as upset as I was (kodak moment). After a few minutes, they encouraged me to speak with someone in the administrative office. So I did! I went in there and asked to speak with the Director of Programs. She was a round lady ... apparently read a lot of emails each day. We went back and forth for a minute or two then we found a discrepancy. I was right! My GPA was higher than they thought ... but my technical GPA still did not meet their requirements ... by how much .. by .095 of a point. Sorry she said. Thanks for the ride lady! Shortly after, I met up with my friends again and gave them the play by play. They advised me to speak with the Chair of the department ... who was our professor for a class we took last semester. I received a B in the class ... but thought I did better than that. There was a possibility that she made an error and I should of received B+ instead. Why not check?! Not a bad idea ... off I went. Wah wah waaaaahhhh! Not in ... out for the day. Strike two! So I got home this afternoon and wrote her an email. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick two needles in my eye ... give me a B+.

Dear Prof ....

I was a student in your fall 2005 Thermodynamics class. I was hoping that you
would have sometime this week to go over my grades from last semester. The
reason for the concern is that my IUT into the School of Engineering was denied
during the winter break. Today, I spoke with the Director of Programs in the
administration office and she stated that although my overall GPA meets the
requirements for admission, my technical GPA did not.

I've committed so much to the study of engineering and its so upsetting to see
my dreams washed away by .095 of a point. If you are able to meet at your
convenience, I would appreciate it greatly.

Sincerely ...

PS: Ever had moo-shu???

Closing In

After this semester, I'll be 91 credits deep ... which means that I'm closing in on graduating ... doh no! Classes started yesterday and I tried my hardest to have Tuesdays and Thursdays off. But, since I was waitlisted for most of my classes I had to make some changes. I got into number theory, which seems pretty interesting so far. Complex variables ... not so interesting ... and I can't understand the prof's broken english (I hate that!). Heading to abstract math in a few minutes .. from what I hear, it should be fun. In addition to these, I just registered for Social problems and Earth Science ... what could this be about?! The levy broke ... JK! Last but not least ... Into to theatre ... watch out 24 ... my acting career is on its way!!!

Place Your Bets

I'll admit ... I've been gambling out of control. I placed a $100 bet on the Super Bowl coin toss ... please be tails! I got $60 on the Donkies -3. And another $40 on Carolina +6. And I haven't reached Vegas yet ... just another 16 days!

Stupid Pats ... Dynasty Could Of Beens ... But Not

"Brady threw deep for Davis -- into triple coverage -- and Lynch came down with the ball after making a juggling catch. After a five yard return, the Broncos took over at their own 39. From there the team ran two plays to pick up a first down and then was able to run out the clock ... "

Watching the Broncos take down the Pats on Saturday was wonderful. A few Pat fans sat just behind us ... didn't hear much of them ... except when the schweet pass interference call came in the second quarter. Did it matter ... NOPE ... beat by 14 pts. How about we give 7 back to ya ... you might need it next season.

After watching the Broncos handle the Pats, I'm confident that they'll do just fine against the Steelers. Jerome Bettis who??? Oh, the guy that fumbles on the one yard line! Maybe his fat got in the way! Donkies by at least 10.

Cross-court Smash

Yesterday evening, Choke and I headed out to Westminster to join the local Badminton club. Apparently, the club gets together every Thursday evening at the Westminster Rec Center (a really schweet facility) for a few hours of birdie play. When we arrived, I was impressed. Didn't realize there was a decent badminton following in Colorado. The last time I saw so many people playing was back home in MP ... more info here. We got on the court and I immediately had flashbacks ... cross-court smash ... drop shot. How could this backyard game .. be a sport?? My thoughts exactly when I was first introduced to it back in 7th grade. But after watching and playing some of the best (at various tournaments), the game is pretty intense. If you have time, check out this video. Trust me ... it ain't no backyard sport!!!

Wahoo 4 Bodog

Towards the end of last semester, a fellow student and I were up late at the Engineering Center studying for an exam the following day. Tired and sleepy, he logged onto his Bodog account. What's bodgo? A wonderful gambling site. Their poker site is not bad ... personally pokerroom is much schweeter in my opinion .. but Bodog's sports, entertainment and futures betting is superb.

Looking through the Political Props bets, I've debated placing a bet on the following:

In President George W. Bush's 2006 State of the Union address, how many times will the President say the word: "evil."

0-2 odds 1/1
3-5 odds 3/2
6-9 odds 7/2
10+ odds 7/1

Just imagine how exciting the State of the Union can be!!!

DJ City Search

While Googling this evening, I came across ravedata.com. The site is no longer active but Google still has a couple pages cached from early 2005. One particular page caught my attention ... I copied it to a word doc. Check it out ... DJ CITY SEARCH ... I found the New York DJs to be interesting ... everybody wants to be a DJ!!!

Bankroll

"In Confessions of a Winning Poker Player, Jack King said, "Few players recall big pots they have won -- strange as it seems -- but every player can remember with remarkable accuracy the outstanding tough beats of his career." Seems true to me, 'cause walking in here I can hardly remember how I built my bankroll, but I can't stop thinking how I lost it."

Today ...

I woke up at 2pm ... Winter break rocks!

I registered for 18 credit hours next semester ... obviously dropping at a minimum 2 classes.

I sat on the couch idle for about an hour or so.

I decided to go food shopping ... then realized that nothing was appealing to purchase ... probably because I forgot to deuce before I went there ... note, forgot and deuce in the same sentence.

I got my haircut ... yes, she is cute ... but do I really want to ask her out ... heads or tails?

I got money from student aid ... do I really have to pay it back ... not till I graduate right?! ... no rush there.

Undecided

Since I haven't recevied a response from my advisor, I went to her office today. She's not due back till the 10th ... damm you lady ... get back in here and give me some damm advise ... I'm a paying customer and the customer is ALWAYS right. Well, apprently not in this case. As most of you know, when it comes to issues at school, time is of the essense. I don't have much time to dilly-dally and be undecided come the beginning of the spring semester. I can only presume that the Engineering school had substantial reason not to let me in (up your asses!). SOOOOO, what's the plan ... for now, I'll finish with a degree in Mathematics and eventually transfer to another engineering school ... probably outside of Colorado ... possibly somewhere on the west coast. If I spread it all out ... I should be done next spring (I'm spreading it out REAL thin!). I'm just not ready to go back to work. Excited 4:55 pm Friday ... back to depression 8pm Sunday ... the swings are just to much to handle. But then again, I could find something I really like ... right??? I have ... its called gambling. But I know the reality of things is that it could never be a real professional gambler ... I just don't have the bank roll ... at least not yet!!!

Roses are red ... Violets are blue

Move out the way, when Young comes at you!!!

A wonderful performance from both USC and Texas at tonight's Rose Bowl. 100% offense and bits of defense ... just to make it a little interesting. I haven't seen much of Reggie Bush this year. Actually ... none at all. Wasn't sure what all the hype was about till I saw his diving touch down in the 3rd qrt ... not bad kid ... good luck in the big leagues. What was really impressive was LenDale White. 6'-2", 235 lbs ... this kid got speed and power ... 124 yards, 3 TDs for the night ... I see this kid doing well at the next level.

What I'm really hoping for is Vince Young to stay healthy and become stronger within the next year ... so that when the JETS tank the 06 season ... they'll have something to look forward to in 07. I vote Young to man the helm of the JETS offense in 07. Obviously there's much time till then ... but JIC I got something to look forward to! In the meantime ... Lets Go Giants!!!

Oli Update

All lies ... lies, lies, lies.

Truth or fiction?

PS - Jack Bauer is my hero!

Do You Remember???

The Oliver North controversy ... back in 1987. Recently, I received this email forward from a friend, which caught my attention. (Off the subject ... why is it when you ask friends to not sent you forwards, they still do. Its not a joke ... please don't send them.)
-------------

It was 1987! At a lecture the other day they were playing an old news video of Lt.Col. Oliver North testifying at the Iran-Contra hearings during the Reagan Administration.

There was Ollie in front of God and country getting the third degree, but what he said was stunning!

He was being drilled by a senator; "Did you not recently spend close to $60,000 for a home security system?"

Ollie replied, "Yes, I did, Sir."

The senator continued, trying to get a laugh out of the audience, "Isn't that just a little excessive?"

"No, sir," continued Ollie.

"No? And why not?" the senator asked.

"Because the lives of my family and I were threatened, sir."

"Threatened? By whom?" the senator questioned.

"By a terrorist, sir" Ollie answered.

"Terrorist? What terrorist could possibly scare you that much?"

"His name is Osama bin Laden, sir" Ollie replied.

At this point the senator tried to repeat the name, but couldn't pronounce it, which most people back then probably couldn't. A couple of people laughed at the attempt. Then the senator continued. Why are you so afraid of this man?" the senator asked.

"Because, sir, he is the most evil person alive that I know of", Ollie answered.

"And what do you recommend we do about him?" asked the senator.

"Well, sir, if it was up to me, I would recommend that an assassin team be formed to eliminate him and his men from the face of the earth."

The senator disagreed with this approach, and that was all that was shown of the clip.

By the way, that senator was Al Gore!

Also: Terrorist pilot Mohammad Atta blew up a bus in Israel in 1986. The Israelis captured, tried and imprisoned him. As part of the Oslo agreement with the Palestinians in 1993, Israel had to agree to release so-called "political prisoners."

However, the Israelis would not release any with blood on their hands, The American President at the time, Bill Clinton, and his Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, “insisted" that all prisoners be released.

Thus Mohammad Atta was freed and eventually thanked the US by flying an airplane into Tower One of the World Trade Center. This was reported by many of the American TV networks at the time that the terrorists were first identified.

It was censored in the US from all later reports.
-------------

I do remember watching Oliver North on TV while being prosecuted for the events that took place in Central America. But at that time, my eyes watched while my brain processed "Can't wait to see Voltron tomorrow!" I was 11 ... why did I care who Oliver North was. After reading the email forward, I got real interested. What did I find out ... Oliver North is/was a real life Jack Bauer. North was born in San Antonio, TX ... grew up in upstate NY (represent) ... graduated from the US Naval academy in 68 ... commissioned in the US Marines ... eventually became a Marine riffle commander during the Vietnam war. Sometime after, he became part of the NSC (National Security Counsel) ... sounds like CTU to me ... where he played a primary role in various field operations for the NSC which resulted in the cature of terrrorists and murderers. Hmmmm, I think I saw this one ... episode 1,2,3 & 4. Yup ... he's Jack Bauer.

I don't know how much of the email forward is true ... Google provided much information ... none of which I can verify the forward. But ... IF it were true ... they should have allowed North to interrogate them in the situation room ... if you know what I mean!!!