Just when you thought this site was dead, it's back and better than ever. Well not quite. The main reason this site went down in the first place, was not because I was too lazy to maintain it, although that was part of the problem, but because some crazy hacker got through my security. Actually I have been kind of a dumbass and left my box open to attack, but hey I'm still learning how to run a web server. My current theory is that my server was already compromised when I installed some programs that probably had Trojans in them. Every now and then I would get funny messages about something responding to fast. I just hope my computer wasn't used to send too much spam or for too many DOS attacks. Anyway I figure someone got annoyed at the activity of my computer so they hacked in and deleted an essential startup file so that my computer would stop sending them spam or whatever. Oh well. I was doing a lot of stupid stuff though, like running out of date software and leaving too many ports open, such as the telnet port. At least my computer isn't being used for anything too important. Anyway this happened around late December and I've been too busy, i.e. lazy, to fix it until late April. Rather than try to fix the problem I decided to start over again from scratch. This time I install the Debian distribution of Linux instead of user friendly Mandrake. It was much harder and frustrating to do, but I learned a lot in the process having to manually configure everything instead of having the installer do it. Before I deleted the old system though, I made a copy of my essential files. Since they were all basically text files, I guess I'm safe from the spreading of what ever virus I had before. This time I decided to stick to the basics, no X windows or fancy graphics, I'm doing everything from the command line, like a man. Oh and if you're the 1337 H4x0R who 0w3n3D this computer could you please post how you did it for future reference, thanks.

Well enough about technical computer crap, now on to my life. Let's see what have I done in the past half year? Oh yeah, there was the whole college thing. Basically MIT deferred, then rejected, CMU accepted, Case Western, accepted. It was a bit of a let down, to my parents at least, that I didn't get into MIT but oh well. It's good to have disappointments now and then to keep your ego in check. Since then I have decided to enroll in CMU. I'm really quite impressed with the place. At first I just though of applying there because other people said it was a good computer science school, but I never realized how good until I visited it. The School of Computer Science itself is rather small, only 130 students per class, but man is it a great place to be. The smallness basically makes it a tight knit community, or a better word might be cult. Although I have yet to visit the CS lounge, I've heard that some crazy shit goes on there at night. Also the classes seem challenging but very interesting. Man I can't wait to get out of this hick town.

Besides the whole college thing, life has been same old, same old. Cross-country changed to winter track and then to spring track. I was out for a good part of the winter season due to shin splints and kind of gave up on my goal of breaking the five-minute mile. Also over the winter I didn't bike as much as I should have and basically turned into a lazy bastard. Then I remembered that I told people I was going to run the Boston Marathon and tried to go from out of shape to marathon shape in five weeks. I got to the point where I could run nineteen miles comfortably, but come marathon day, I ultimately failed and only made it ten miles. It was just too damn hot, reaching up to eighty five degrees and it was the hottest day since last August. The worst part is my parents had just left the ten-mile mark when I quit and as a result I had to walk home from Natick Center adding on ten mile walk. Oh well, as they say, if it doesn't kill you it makes you stronger. Since then I've redeemed myself by running the walk for hunger straight, a total of twenty miles in two hours and fifteen minutes. Maybe I'll give the marathon another shot some year. As for track, my mile time has finally improved, by one second from last years time, down to a five minutes ten seconds. Hopefully I can cut down on it in the remaining two weeks.

I guess the only other thing to talk about is the Senior Show. At first I was skeptical of whether it was going to happen at all, due to the lack of class unity of '04 and everyone's general laziness. Up until two weeks before the show, it seemed like not much was happening, although I'm sure the directors were working like crazy. Oh well, it came together in the end and I had a blast. I was in two scenes, the Dance Medley and the Gym Skit. In the Dance Medley I impersonate William Hung, to the enjoyment of all. It was really not that hard, since I really can't dance even if I tried, so I fit the role perfectly. After getting over the whole audience laughing with at me, I had a good time. At least I bough quite a few smiles to people's faces. As for the Gym Skit, at first I didn't like my role, since it was basically a skit with all the jocks acting like girls while I was the only boy who was supposed to just the opposite. At first I had no idea how to act like a jock and just stood there and did noting. Then on one of the later run-throughs I decided to yell "That's crap coach!" and the line was an immediate success, especially at the run-through with the whole grade. With my two funny parts, some people said I was the star of the show, although I think there were plenty of other funny roles such as Alex Banning's and Toms Huff's. Although the show was a temporary bonding experience, I still think the grade lacks class unity, but maybe that's not such a bad thing. Some people have stayed who they are, and have not been swallowed by the crowd. The way I look at it, you should respect everyone and try to understand them, but that doesn't mean you have to like everyone or try to change your personality to fit in. Case and point, a large portion of the class drinks and smokes, in fact that is what practically everyone did after the last Senior Show performance. I disagree with the practice, not so much for the illegality or the potential health risks, but I just don't see what the hell is so fun about it. People can run around and act like idiots with out being drunk, and personally I don't find acting like an idiot very funny. At the same time I don't look down on people who drink and smoke; it's their own decision and, hey if it's fun for them great. Drinking and driving on the other hand is a whole other subject.

Basically that's my story. Life has had its ups and downs but I'm still hanging in there. Only a few more weeks left and High School is done forever. If only I can make it though these damn APs. It will be interesting to see if I look back on my High Schools days with nostalgia or am glad to be done with them. Probably a bit of both. Adios until next time.