A few things
I feel as though I've got a lot going on these days. Moreso than usual.
This past weekend, Michelle and I made our first big purchase for the year and picked up a new stereo system to replace the old one that she'd been lugging around since college. It's a great system, and we got it for a great price, but man alive was that thing a pain in the butt to set up. I've got pictures, which I may upload later. The setup was really only painful due to two things actually related to the system itself. The first one was that it's not terribly clear which input(s) go with which output(s). For a time we were getting video but no audio from the cable box. Then I messed around with it and got the reverse. Now it's working properly and getting audio AND video, but there are little horizontal bars of distorted color moving across the screen, and I know (believe) it's because the component cables are getting some interference from somewhere. It was suggested to me to not use HDMI for my cable input, because then the input would be forced into the "full" aspect ratio for non-HD channels, even though that would stretch them out. I'll have to do some research and make sure that's true, 'cause the horizontal bar thing happened for us on the PS3, and switching that input to HDMI fixed the problem. The OTHER issue I have with the system is that it only does HDMI input for video, not audio. That means that I had to buy a separate optical cable for our PS3 so that we'd get any sound. It still sounds great, but one of the major selling points of HDMI is that you get both audio and video from the same jack. Oh well... What do you expect for the price we paid?
The mess of cords in the back is bothering me, as is the amount of heat being put off by both the cable box and the sound system. It's actually got me considering buying a new entertainment unit which would provide easier access to the back of the stereo, plus some better ventilation for everything. It wasn't on my list of things to buy with my bonus money, but it may offer me some peace of mind.
I've got a triathlon coming up. I had originally signed up to do it with Sarah, since she wanted to do one, but the last time we spoke about it, she hadn't signed up for it yet, so I may be on my own. I haven't quite started training fully, yet. This weather is preventing me from getting any decent bike rides in, and I just discovered yesterday morning that the pool at our apartment complex is going to be closed for the next 3-4 weeks, giving me only about 4-5 weeks of swim training. Given how poorly I performed in the swim last year, that's not acceptable to me. So I have to find a new pool, fast. I'm hoping that the SJSU pool is open to the public, and according to one of my coworkers, it is, for a price of about $3-$4 per day. That's totally reasonable, given that I'm planning on only swimming 2-3 times a week. Plus, if it's downtown, I can just leave home early and catch a swim before work without having to alter my usual means of transportation. However, now I have to figure out where it is. The SJSU website isn't terribly forthcoming with locations or contact information. A quick satellite search on google maps shows that the pool IS downtown, although it's about a mile walk from the closest light rail station. Hot damn, there's a phone number! Okay, I can call them later.
I had more to write about, but my lunch break is over. Perhaps I'll write some more tonight.
This past weekend, Michelle and I made our first big purchase for the year and picked up a new stereo system to replace the old one that she'd been lugging around since college. It's a great system, and we got it for a great price, but man alive was that thing a pain in the butt to set up. I've got pictures, which I may upload later. The setup was really only painful due to two things actually related to the system itself. The first one was that it's not terribly clear which input(s) go with which output(s). For a time we were getting video but no audio from the cable box. Then I messed around with it and got the reverse. Now it's working properly and getting audio AND video, but there are little horizontal bars of distorted color moving across the screen, and I know (believe) it's because the component cables are getting some interference from somewhere. It was suggested to me to not use HDMI for my cable input, because then the input would be forced into the "full" aspect ratio for non-HD channels, even though that would stretch them out. I'll have to do some research and make sure that's true, 'cause the horizontal bar thing happened for us on the PS3, and switching that input to HDMI fixed the problem. The OTHER issue I have with the system is that it only does HDMI input for video, not audio. That means that I had to buy a separate optical cable for our PS3 so that we'd get any sound. It still sounds great, but one of the major selling points of HDMI is that you get both audio and video from the same jack. Oh well... What do you expect for the price we paid?
The mess of cords in the back is bothering me, as is the amount of heat being put off by both the cable box and the sound system. It's actually got me considering buying a new entertainment unit which would provide easier access to the back of the stereo, plus some better ventilation for everything. It wasn't on my list of things to buy with my bonus money, but it may offer me some peace of mind.
I've got a triathlon coming up. I had originally signed up to do it with Sarah, since she wanted to do one, but the last time we spoke about it, she hadn't signed up for it yet, so I may be on my own. I haven't quite started training fully, yet. This weather is preventing me from getting any decent bike rides in, and I just discovered yesterday morning that the pool at our apartment complex is going to be closed for the next 3-4 weeks, giving me only about 4-5 weeks of swim training. Given how poorly I performed in the swim last year, that's not acceptable to me. So I have to find a new pool, fast. I'm hoping that the SJSU pool is open to the public, and according to one of my coworkers, it is, for a price of about $3-$4 per day. That's totally reasonable, given that I'm planning on only swimming 2-3 times a week. Plus, if it's downtown, I can just leave home early and catch a swim before work without having to alter my usual means of transportation. However, now I have to figure out where it is. The SJSU website isn't terribly forthcoming with locations or contact information. A quick satellite search on google maps shows that the pool IS downtown, although it's about a mile walk from the closest light rail station. Hot damn, there's a phone number! Okay, I can call them later.
I had more to write about, but my lunch break is over. Perhaps I'll write some more tonight.