The Blonde at Subway

So I'm on my way over to Micaila's house to watch the rest of last nights CWS game and check out her new entertainment setup, and stopped at Subway to get a couple sandwiches. So the girl behind the counter makes the footlong Spicy Italian for me, and a 6" Chicken Bacon Ranch for Micaila. I then ask to get a medium soda as well and proceed to hand her my check card to pay. At this point, someone in the back room distracted her with a question and she was pulled away from the register for a minute or so. When she came back she looked at the screen and then opened the cash register and pulled out $11.27 and tried handing it to me.

I just sort of stared at her for a few seconds and then said "uh... could I get my check card instead?"

"oh, sorry just had a kind of blonde moment there" at which point she put the money back, I got my debit card then filled my drink and left.

If she really wanted to pay me $11.27 for taking the two sandwiches I just ordered off her hands, I would have no problem doing so, but my good nature got the better of me and I had to pass on the opportunity...

AutoHotkey: Keyboard Automation at its finest

I work at a keyboard all day and find myself entering the same text over and over again. I write code/sql queries and sometimes would think to myself "You know, it would be nice if the computer could just read my thoughts and put what I'm thinking down to paper..er screen"

So I came across a program that lets me get close to what I desire. It drastically helps the entering of repeated text over and over again and can be configured to do way much more then that.

The program, is AutoHotkey.

This is a program that can take various keystrokes, or keystroke combinations to preform various tasks on the computer. You're most likely familiar with CTRL-C, CTRL-V, or maybe even the windows shortcuts WIN-M (minimize all), WIN-L (Lock computer), WIN-E (Open Explorer). The program above can be setup in such a way that you can either change or add to the default hotkeys on your computer.

Another of it's features is the ability to replace text as you type. As I said before I type a lot of SQL code so after setting up the program above, I setup the following "replacements" that definitely help as I manually enter SQL statements.

sf : SELECT * FROM
df : DELETE FROM
wc : WHERE cState = 'NE'
ami : AND nMajInt =

So if I happen to want all the records from table sUsers where cState = 'NE' and nMajInt = 1234. This is what I would type:

sf sUsers wc ami 1234

The resulting text into the editor would be:

SELECT * FROM sUsers WHERE cState = 'NE' AND nMajInt = 1234

Now if you can't see the time savings in that, your either blind, or don't have to type that much in your day to day activities.

I also use it to do various table manipulations that I often encounter, so I entered the following replacements as well:

atj : ALTER TABLE jlw_x DROP COLUMN nRowID
     GO

dtj : DROP TABLE jlw_x
     GO
iej : IF EXISTS (SELECT * FROM dbo.sysobjects where id = object_id(N'[jlw_x]') and OBJECTPROPERTY(id, N'IsUserTable') = 1)
     DROP TABLE [jlw_x]
     GO

For each, all I type is the three letters and a space, the program then automatically replaces them with their associated values. (Keep in mind my examples here are not AutoHotkey scripts, just a way for me to present the functionality)

AutoHotkey is not just limited to replacing text. Like I mentioned before it can be configured to run pretty much anything on the computer, or to simulate almost any input device. I have a few programs that I almost always want to run when I start the computer (but not always!) So I setup a special Windows hotkey (WIN-Q) that when activated will launch the 7 different programs I need. Or I find that I always open a new notepad session to jot down quick notes either while on the phone or if someones standing nearby and I need to take down info quickly. Therefore I setup CTRL-ALT-N to launch a new notepad session.

I definitely recommend at least trying it out to see if you find it usefull. If you're not very technically inclined there is a very well written guide on its website that details all the various features and how to use them.

Summer To Do List

So I figured I'd throw together a list of things I want to do this summer. This will range from various concerts I plan on attending, to projects around the house (both little and big)

Date Specific:

• Sister Hazel - June 21st
• Red, White & Boom (311, Snoop, POD, Kottonmouth Kings) - July 2nd
  
• Mile High Music Fesitval - July 19-20th
• Kansas City (Worlds/Oceans of Fun, Baseball Game)- Weekend of August 1st
• The Faint - August 23rd
  

Non-date Specific:

• Finish Etching Living Room Mirror
• Paintball
• Camping
• Tubing down the Niobrara
• Mini Putt-putt golf
• Fontenelle Forest
• Jet Skiing/Lake Activities
  

If any friends who read this are interested in any of those activities, let me know and we'll setup a date(s) to go out and do it.

Home sweet. home?

Made it back safely a bit ago, nothing like a 9.5 hour ride to er' refresh? relax? reminisce? er ok, maybe it wasn't that fun of drive/ride. I didn't have to actually drive any of it, just sit in the back and read/listen to my ipod. Still that long in a vehicle isn't what I'd say is an enjoyable time.

Deadwood was fun. The first night we were there two of our group had pretty good luck at the 3-card poker table (one of them getting as much as 350+ up) This excitement inevitably pulled me in and I tried myself at a few hands. Needless to say it did not work out so well for me. The entire trip, I didn't loose much more than I had planned on spending (I just expected it to be on food/drink related stuffs) anyways, but it definitely drove home the point that gambling is not for me.

Now that I'm back home I'm ready to relax a little before tearing into a demon of a term paper that I've got to present in a little over a week.

In the spare time that I have over the next few days I'll be sorting the pictures I took and be making appropriate posts on flickr/youtube, so be on the lookout for those.

i. hate. snow.

so a 2.5 hour drive turned into 4 (so far) and my hate for snow is unrelenting

Ugh

Ok, so now they're saying blizzard like conditions... great news.. just great..

Ready for Vacation

So ready for vacation it's not even funny.

On Wednesday, we will be going up to Deadwood, SD to eat, drink, (maybe gamble) and be merry. I'll be taking various forms of image capturing; moving and still; along for the ride so look forward to either flickr or youtube postings about the trip. This will be my first time in Deadwood and I'm told that it's a blast, definitely looking forward to it.

We will actually be stopping in NP Wednesday night to visit family & friends and will resume the trek Thursday morning. Spend Thursday through Sunday morning and then make the long 9 hour drive home.

Here's hoping it doesn't snow. God I hate snow...