Paradoxical

[chaos_Leader]

So yeah, I made a journal; not too sure what I'm going to do with it yet. I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do with these either for that matter.

Yes, I have a cynical, slightly pessimistic outlook, hence the title, which applies to more than just blogs and journals. If that bothers you, you're welcome to try and convince me otherwise. Good luck though, this attitude towards internet stuffs has gotten me out of a lot of trouble, and helped me when I actually did stuff.

[The Shaper]

Your title peeked my interest. So yes I suppose people do read these things. Also it depends on what has been written down in the journal. If it intrigues the person reading then they will continue. Of course you already knew that.

[kkstarfox]

NO TL;DR :trollface:

[chaos_Leader]

Right...

Just recently finished the final chapter of Star Fox: Legacy, but only the first volume. There's plenty more to write for that monster. The link's in my sig if I managed to catch your rapt attention. Hope you like it.

Also, finally managed to secure a decent, albeit part-time job in the crazy crappy economy. I'm working in a major repertory theater where as a stagehand or a member of "Stage Operations Crew" as they call it. They work you hard, but it's worth it.

[chaos_Leader]

Alright, I've started up my time at the university and settling in there again. Hopefully it's not too stressful a term, there have been times where I've literally worked myself into a state of pestilential zombieness, and I'd rather not have a repeat of that.

In other news, I've started up on the second volume of Star Fox: Legacy, and working on that. In other fanfic musings, I'm considering going through the fanfic forums here and leaving some meaty reviews. The only issues I can foresee here is that I have a tendency to review harshly, and I'd rather not come off as an angry flamer . . . but if thats what people want, I will dig my old flamethrower out of the closet and light up the place.

[chaos_Leader]

I made a little something for my Sound Engineering class, wrangling the editing programs to bend them to my will.

[chaos_Leader]

Lighting Design by the seat of your pants and the skin of our teeth is Fun! /sarcasm

I don't know how much people here know about how stage lighting works, but the situation I'm in with my University's Theatre department is... gripping I think is the adjective I want to use. I'm the Assistant Lighting Designer (ALD) for one of the shows we're putting on, and my Lighting Designer (LD) hammers out a design and all the major corresponding paperwork the day before we and the electrics crew go nuts in the space (that is the theatre "space") hanging and circuiting all of our instruments, and then bending them to our will to do what we want. I've worked electrics crew before, but this is the first time I've done design work, and so far, the process is proving to be awfully precarious at times...

The show opens in about a week and a half, and we need everything ready for tech rehearsals (rehearsals w/ lights, sound, costumes, etc.) by next weekend. In a nutshell, that means the LD, I, and the Master Electrician (ME) will be busy this week fixing all the instrumentation issues we find, programing the lighting control console, and scrambling to fix all the little issues that crop up in the ensuing chaos, all the while doing our best to make some sort of artistic statement that doesn't completely clash against the Director's vision.

It sounds like I'm complaining, but there's a strange little part of me that revels in the conquering of challenges like this. It's probably why I like doing it...

The Show Must Go On!

[chaos_Leader]

Continuing update from the last journal entry.

The electrics crew and I have had several work calls that stretched well past midnight getting everything ready. I'm tired, exhausted, and my brain is more-or-less shot. Most of tonight will be spent in the space, programing the lighting console to do what we want it to do for the show. Next week we fix all the little issues and make tweaks before the show opens. Once the show is open, I can finally collapse and relax, and maybe get some other college assignments done too.

I knew this was coming, and honestly I'm growing pretty accustomed to dealing with this sort of theatre frenzy. Even so, I'll be so glad when its over.

[chaos_Leader]

Allow me tell you a tale of majestic mediocrity, and of humdrum heroics...

I was ambushed early this morning by a horrible nasty malware program that found a way to bypass my Kaspersky Internet Security, masquerading as something Kaspersky recognized and let through. By the time I had caught on to the ruse however, it was too late, the malware Trojan Horse program had already usurped the title of "internet security" and began harassing me with melodramatic claims of vulnerability, that a program had sneaked into my computer and was busy ransacking it. Well no sh!t. It also didn't help that it blocked numerous programs from accessing the internet,

I had Kaspersky perform the scan as was protocol, but to no avail, like it couldn't even recognize a classic Trojan Horse,despite the fact that it was slapping me in the face. I rebooted the computer in safe mode to try and salvage the situation, but the Trojan had followed me even into that sacred realm. Just when all had seemed lost and I was about to resign myself to the mercy of professional computer technicians, I spied an old friend. It was a freeware anti-malware program I had used for years before, before the attack that nearly crippled my laptop, and swayed me to purchase Kaspersky: Spybot Search and Destroy.

To my great relief, I found my old digital friend was still in good operating condition. With some help and creative maneuvering around the malware, I was able to update the program in safe mode and prepare it for its final showdown against the fiendish fraudware that had usurped my laptop. A few tense hours passed as Spybot S&D performed its scan, sure enough, my trusty old spybot sniffed out the the malware and tracked it to its secluded lair. The fiend was dispatched quickly and efficiently, but I was still weary, as some malware is known to fake death only to come back from the grave to lay waste to its host once more. A reboot would confirm its death for sure...

When I returned from safe mode after the reboot, I was greeted once again with the familiar routine of my computer's boot-up. Always though, I watched for the signs of the mlware's return, but it never showed its ugly head. Could it be? Had my old Spybot S&D truly vanquished a foe that mighty Kaspersky could not? My Email toolbar soon popped up, cheerfully informing me of new messages I had missed while indisposed; that never happened under the malware, it would've blocked the program from ever reaching the web at all. With a spark of hope in my heart, I launched Mozilla Firefox. To my great elation, the browser had made contact with the internet, and I was once again free to roam the information superhighway at my discretion (and there was much rejoicing, "yay!").

Though Kaspersky has kept me safe in the many months I have had it, safer than any other anti-malware program I've used, it was still fooled by an old familiar wolf in shiny new sheep's clothing that Kaspersky's database didn't recognize. Spybot S&D was already well informed of this threat, and able to slay it when it took hold under Kaspersky's nose. I make sure these two programs work together now: Kaspersky as the stalwart guardian of the gates into my computer, and Spybot Search and Destroy as the quiet, unassuming secret police should my times be desperate and the need arise.

Embrace new friends always, but don't ever neglect your old friends, for there may come a time when your shiny new companion will let you down, and you will need someone to help you back on your feet from that abandonment.