Bloggin Awesome

New Blog- RIP Serendipity.

tom@altechllc.com (Tom) — 2009-02-04T19:22:03Z

Apparently this blog still gets a few hits- I've moved it to http://www.blogginawesome.com

WoW That Helps

tom@altechllc.com (Tom) — 2006-09-27T15:41:13Z

So today I wake up after killing more than just enemies and time in WoW and I realize that I really like more than the game. The community and people are just so different than what I find in my day to day interactions- thisll sound probably very stupid to non players but Ill explain anyway.

Ill be walking down just about any road/pathway and Ill see someone in need- not life or death- but Ill help. They could certainly handle the attack from a wolf/spider/alligator etc. on their own but hey why not help. Ill light that critter on fire cast a curse and send in my pet just cause that is what you do. If there is a lower level needing some aid on a quest Ill accompany because countless times people do that for me. Why? Because were all weak and need help in some way and the whole safety in numbers thing. Why doesnt this apply in real life?

How many times do we stop and help with someone with a flat?(most times it is me - nail in the tire number 5 or 6 this year as of 9/20) Or better yet- how many times do we see someone driving with low pressure and even let them know? Im sure you are thinking- I help my friends. Well I do too, but I dont know anyone (with two exceptions) in WoW, and I help many and tons help me. Interesting. Then lets move on to courtesy.

A few weeks back Seth wrote about a non friend using a garage to work on his car and failing to act appropriately. This rarely happens in WoW. There are always gestures of gratitude and investments in other players (people) that sometimes you wont see the return for awhile. That is ok.

There is real value in not thinking about you all the time. Others is my sisters motto. It bugged the crap out of me and I still struggle with it. I tend to be selfish but Im working on it. Whether it be friend investments that dont pan out or what, I just plain struggle. I enjoy helping out (in WoW currently) because there is always someone helping me. I havent significantly helped anyone outside of work in a few months now and I probably should do something. It is a reality check in a fantasy world I guess. God is always helping me whether I want it or acknowledge it. I fail to see His hand in the miniscule details and how those details impact the course of my day/life. So at the end of the day help someone, just because; it feels good and you just should.

It's Like WoW

tom@altechllc.com (Tom) — 2006-09-20T14:58:03Z

Ok so I told Seth that Ive been playing a little game called World of Warcraft. Youre thinking- that is for geeks. Youd be semi-correct, but the numbers dont lie (my hips occasionally do). 7 million players online. The I thought you could dabble in such a game but I was poorly mistaken. Ill take the blame for where Im at, but second goes to Josh.

I met him at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy my sophomore year and hes is in my top 5 male friends. He resides in sunny Chico, CA and told me of an addiction to the game he had already worked through and uninstalled the game completely. Whereas this might have been a deterrent for most, it was the affirmation I needed to start my journey. I always wanted to try it and he was the first person I knew that had a real experience in the best selling MMORPG to date. Im in.

I purchased the game at Compusa (getting them to price match Bestbuys sale that week) and waited 3 or 4 days to install. I had to figure out my character and such. I wont go into all the details but Im a human warlock. So the first few nights I met a few people and did my fair share of grinding (accomplishing quests and killing stuff), but at that level youre not too committed. You reach level 10 fairly quickly. This is a milestone of sorts. You start to really grow your character. Now for those readers shaking their heads- stop it. You cant judge it until you do it- if youre a gamer youve never done anything like this- you dont just get cool weapons and clothes. There are auction houses, mail systems, flight patterns- the whole nine. It is like opening your mouth to a fire hydrant. At first it just drains you, but then it hooks you. You have to level up.

Back to Josh. So I call him up and tell him Ive started playing and he literally moans. He goes into how his wife was going to kill him, how hell have to gently bring this up, and how me being involved wont help the situation (she knows how Josh and I are). My plan of attack- no pressure. I didnt call and bother. No annoying emails. Just silence and when he called I said it was a blast. It worked. Hes back in- resurrected his player ($25) - totally worth (lvl 41 priest). That takes months to do. So currently i am at level 18 (almost 19) and have officially played for 2 days 9 hrs or so. Ive met lots of people who help scary how much the pseudo world supports each other. Why arent we that nice to perfect strangers?
MSNBC recently had an article here that that should give you some insight on WoW. It isnt just for geeks- yes it contains a lot but you dont have to feel lame about picking up a copy and shelling out the 15/month (60 Day Time Card).

I've taken a few screenshots lately that I've enjoyed (I'm still new)
Stal and I get a bit tired and had a lapse like Joey and Ross-

This guy apparently picked the wrong name-

Here is the geeky part- feel free to join me but before you sign up email me at Tom@Tech-AL.com I can give you 15 days free in addition to your free month. I am on Bloodhoof server under the name Methusal. OK sorry.

I haven't come across Black Rob yet, but given his lack of hits and the number of Blizzard Servers - he might be on.

You're It

tom@altechllc.com (Tom) — 2006-08-10T19:01:19Z

Ok I have a bone to pick with people who go out of their way to choose lame vehicle tags. I could understand if the state doled out tags in and it was just the luck of the draw- I might wave and mouth sorry dude. But I ran across two the other day that irritated me.
First

Ok you might say Im just being irritable and youd probably be right. I just hate this clothing line? It just promotes positively I guess. It doesnt have a function it isnt trendy, technical, or cool- it just says hey life is good. Im confused- how does this sell? And why do people buy it? Ok and lastly WHY oh WHY would you put it on your vehicle?
Next

Who wants a swing at this one? Id imagine this guy to be the guy who has both thumbs up pointing at his chin smiling in all the photos. People that have to tell you probably arent much like the wealthy. You dont hear Gates or Buffet saying hey Im rich because you just know it. So if you find yourself telling people- red flag!

Maybe I'm in a bad mood, sorry. I have a new goal of blogging 2x a week- we'll see how this goes- I'm gonna keep it short and sweet.

Need a lite?

tom@altechllc.com (Tom) — 2006-06-06T15:18:57Z

So it has been about 4.5 years since Ive purchased any sort of video game system. That is an accomplishment. There have been many that tempted me- with all the price drops and tempting titles. But none that got me like the perfectly priced Nintendo DS well not the DS really- but the new one- the DS lite. Mmmm. So cool. There were a bunch of articles this past week Here and Here about some stores mistakingly stocking the system 2 weeks before the relase date. The official release date (June 11th) was a good week and a half away...

So I had a bunch of birthday money hanging around just staring at me- and I at it. Wondering what to do be logical buy house stuff- WHATEVA (not a pansy girl whateva- more the this is my United States of Whateva.). So kinda on a whim I was finished up with a client and I headed over to Target on 280. Bless you Target. Seriously- Bless you. There they were- about 7 of them- sitting so lonely- needing to be taken home. I casually asked the gentleman how much those were- he said $129. I said Can I have one? and not 10 minutes later I was in my car unwrapping this little white wonder.

We have such a future together. We just connected- it was so happy with me and I with it. Ill review it soon- but lets just say that the battery life is great- the screen I keep on low brightness cause its frickin awesome and I couldnt be happier.

So I also picked up the New Super Mario Brothers- tough enough to be a challenge, familiar enough but not the same old, and the mini games will be nice for when you cant seem to get that last huge coin.

The DVD Player That Could

tom@altechllc.com (Tom) — 2006-06-06T14:21:06Z

So a few months back I had said goodbye to my favorite DVD player of all time. The Sony DVP-NC655P had served me really well for about 3 years when it just stopped reading disks. It reported that they were dirty or unreadable. Just like every other American I went out and purchased a new one. But something in me just couldnt give up on it- I mean, it was 5 disc which sounds stupid but was really nice and had 2 s-video outputs and component (progressive). It was pretty bad for back in the day. So yesterday I decided to get it out of the closet ( I dont throw much away especially when it means so much to me). I opened it up just to see what was happening inside heck I cant break it anymore than it already is. So what I saw when a disc was inserted was interesting. The loaded disc was put into position and the read head tried with all its might to interpret the data. One problem- it wasnt spinning. What do you think I did? Of course I gave it a flick. Get that bad boy spinning- and much to my surprise it worked. There is some sort of inertia problem. I dont know if the little motor is weak (probably on its last leg) or just needed a bit of lube to get it back in working order. So I tried some lube first. That didnt exactly work. Yes I made sure that I didnt get any on the lens- Im no moron. But that just didnt do the trick. So now I know Im gonna need something that gives me some sort of access to this disc while protecting the innards from dust and such. Hey- Ill make a hole big enough so I can stick my finger in there to get it started!

It may be ghetto- but it works my friends. I used a great bimetal hole saw and made a few templates to make sure the positioning was correct. Then I made the commitment and made it permanent. Then I used some scrap cabling from an APC usb to RJ-45 cable that Ill never use and cut that badboy to length then pulled out the wires. This made for a nice clean rubber protector for my precious fingers (Im a hand model). So here is the finished product.

It works (for now) and Im pretty happy. My dad made fun of me:(

Camping- Why dont we do it more?

tom@altechllc.com (Tom) — 2005-11-08T10:20:59Z

Ok I am writing this a bit late, but the memory is still fresh. After some great expectations and some late let-me-downs we finally got on the road. We asked pony if he wanted to join us and he agreed- but did let us know that if there was a GA game on tv he wouldnt have- nice- what a friend. We got on the road a bit later than wed wanted to, but away none the less. We got to Chattanooga and HAD to stop at Sticky Fingers. Id say theyre in my top 5 places, if not top 3, for barbeque/ribs Ive ever had. After a full stomach I had planned to pick up probably the 3rd most important camping addition Id been researching for literally months- the Eagles Nest Outfitters Single hammock. Luckily it was just about 4 miles down the same street as lunch. We got there and they had the color I wanted- the purchase was made and a full gear review will follow in the next couple days.

We met up with Seth who was in his element with his hood raised in the bi-lo parking lot talking to some yokel youths. We went in and made the necessary food purchases- which were perfecting I might add. The more we camp the better we prepare. Heres the food list that serves us well:

Dinners:
Hamburgers with Montreal seasoning
Hotdogs and leftovers

Lunches:
Precooked chicken/steak in FLOUR tortillas with cheese- (we found out corn isnt good)

Breakfasts:
Grits/oatmeal
Jimmy Dean sausage WITH sage no compromises
Bisquick shake and pour pancakes with Aunt Jamima syrup

The hike in was great- ran into a copperhead and it wanted nothing to do with us. It was a long dark walk and my ankles actually hurt for the first time- oh well. This was the first time I used my iPod to pass the time. Since were all out of shape other than pony saying he was glad he played Frisbee during the week were usually focused on getting there and thus very little chit chat. I was listening to Harry Potters 6th book- the Half Blood Prince. It was a very good book- I didnt finish it until a few days after camping but it was excellent.

We arrived after about 45 minutes to an hour. The site we kind of stumbled upon by just wondering off trail to see a view from the ridge. Most of it is very uneven but there is a great place to line the tents up that is very level.

We settled in made some dang good burgers and chilled for awhile. This was the first time I got to try out my hammock.

Man was it great- more than I couldve asked for. I want to elaborate but again Ill wait for the official review.

I slept like a wee babe with the creature comforts weve accumulated- nothing overkill but just right. The next morning I had grits and they hit the spot! If only I had my usual tall frosty glass of milk.

Essentially all we did was chill and eat. I regret not venturing down to the river- it is so beautiful down there. I really enjoy this campsite- the area is so nice- and it was just chilly enough to require a fire all day. Another plus to this particular campsite is the amazing abundance of fallen trees- easy firewood.

Stal, Seth and I cut and cut some more- Stal stacked it into a couple nice piles- and we used just about every log.

We had the best lunch ever using the precooked steak to make some excellent quesadillas. Mine was perfect- as good as I could make at home- I just had to watch closely.

Seth burnt his bit and Stal just about destroyed one side- but that is a quick fix with another tortilla.

We played some cards and the next night was even cooler- which is great because we all have sleeping bags that are comfortable down to around 20degrees. The next morning was pancakes- YES! This is my new favorite addition to our camping meals! First of all who doesnt like pancakes? It only requires water, some shaking, and pouring. The safest way to make them are by making smaller or silver dollar pancakes. I make audible yummy noises. We packed up and hiked out- boy is it nice not having all that food on our backs.

We hit wendys and then had a nice drive home. Pony was quite antisocial as usual- I hate that he cant get over himself- life is too short to not enjoy yourself and the company of friends. At least Stal, Seth, and I had a great time- good memories made

Cool October

tom@altechllc.com (Tom) — 2005-10-17T09:28:00Z

Well I cant say that Ill miss the heat too much- although it is supposed to have one last go at sweating us out. Julia and I were in Tennessee this past weekend visiting my parents and my grandparents. What a great drama-free weekend. We started out early Friday morning- trying to avoid traffic- which we did successfully. If you leave around 6:15ish, youll most likely have great traffic flow. If youre going from Birmingham towards the Knoxville area, itll take just about 4 hours flat.

I was listening to the fifth Harry Potter book- the Order of the Phoenix. Man is that a tough book to stick with. If youve read this one, you understand. We arrived around noon and got back in the car to head for lunch. We came back and hung out then my dad headed on to High Point for the biannual furniture market.

Saturday morning- oh man. I accidentally slept in until 8- which in my defense is 7 central. My grandfather gave me a hard time and told me I was gonna help him plow some potatoes. Let me tell you- mr/ms skeptic reader- that was more fun than I couldve ever expected. First of all, the tractor he uses for his hobby farm is just tiny! I felt like a little kid on a powerwheel- it just happens to weigh 1700lbs. What a great bonding time for us.

I let down the plow and up came the taters. OH MAN! The soil is so amazingly fertile and turned so easily- he really works at making the soil just perfect. We then gathered them up in buckets and took them back to show the girls. We were covered in mud but man was it fun. The fun didnt end there though- man oh man we headed to their big farm- which really is pasture and a smattering of hardwoods. Theyve 30 head of cattle and riding around on the 6 wheeler is just my thing. It will go literally anywhere. The only limitations are in your head- and it is safe too- full roll cage if you get turned over- I havent come close. I did have to earn my keep though- I had to fix a few things and trim up around their little farmhouse. What a great set of memories.

We came home Sunday around 9 and arrived here around 1:15. We took about a 20 minute nap and I built a stand for my little pancake compressor to raise it up enough to hook it to my air hose reel. We went to Bump & Stals house and had a nice dinner and a relaxing evening- we watched most of Harry Potters third book- The Prisoner of Azkaban.
I am getting jazzed up already for next weekend- the big camping trip is on for Friday morning Sunday WOO HOOO! Ill have a good blog for that one.

weekend frustration

tom@altechllc.com (Tom) — 2005-10-02T20:05:45Z

Friday night was a mixed bag. We went to Starbucks and then The History of Violence. Please, if you dont glean anything from my ramblings- dont go see this movie. We read some reviews and everyone raved- 10/10 and 5/5 etc. I guess the Ebert and Roper-types like the long drawn out and lame plot developments and envelope pushing scenes, but we hated it. We were all not only offended, but the acting was overacting. Just terrible- dont go we really regret it. We should have just spent the evening with Tim and Caitlin doing anything else.

Saturday I did some work around the house while Julia and Carla did some shopping. I met them both at Mr. Ps for lunch. We found a house- weve been looking for a year and a half. Big funny joke theres a contract on the house. It is in a great part of town and was a little small BUT the lot had room to put a detached garage in it- just like weve wanted. But the story here is that it isnt what God wanted for us- so well keep praying and searching for the house He wants us in.

Today we lunched and napped then I played disc golf with Mike and Tim Mike won overall I tried to catch up on the back nine- but the course had been shortened and I just couldnt get ahead. I gained 3/5 throws back that I needed but overall still fell short. It was a good time none-the-less.

I missed out on a chance to go to dega with stall- it was an all day commitment and I just couldnt see it. I called him and he said he took some great shots.

Sorry there isnt more to report- nothing terribly exciting- but it was a good weekend.

Just Unpacking

tom@altechllc.com (Tom) — 2005-09-12T21:15:50Z

This weekend was a mixed bag- some good times and some too frustrating to mention. Originally we had a real trip planned outta town- but ended up with a glorified extended trip to the land. Dave showed up a bit late but we were really stoked to have some fresh stories and such in the mix. He has a bit more experience than the rest of us so it was cool to listen to what hes been through. If you havent read Stals blog you might not know that Dave was a Ranger. He is the ONLY one of us that can expound on sniper school. I bet hes jealous that he cant speak of any programming classes or any finals totally in binary. Top that one Mr. Makemyowngillysuit.

Dave hadnt been on the trail Stal and a handful of other contributors had blazed. One quick firewood gathering break turned into a nice stroll. Tons of spiders with amazing webs- I cant believe I didnt take pictures of them. (Insert super cool spider images here) We thought itd be cool to turn off our lights on the trail. Dude. Crazy dark. Dave told some more cool stories about walking miles in this kind of darkness. I figured I could do that- there stood a tree right in the path that I wouldve met squarely- that couldve been bad. We finished up the walk, headed back, hit the hay.

The next day after introducing Dave and Pony to field surfing, they both headed home- that was a tad bit annoying, but hey Stal and I had fun anyway- we cleared better spots for the tents and a few 3.0 modifications, then we packed it up and headed home.

The frustrating part of the weekend I guess was the bang for the effort. It is a lot of work to get out there and back. At least Stal was there to understand the irritation. And in all fairness- the trip was worth it just to get to know Dave better. It is a lot of work- if youre a camper- you understand. Zoë helped me unpack- she looks tired doesnt she? I am too.

New Book Study

tom@altechllc.com (Tom) — 2005-09-08T07:42:07Z

Last night was the first session with the Sunday school guys book study. Stal and I were 30 minutes late BUT did get the opportunity to tour the church campus while looking for the group. That wasn't very cool- if my wife wouldn't have called us and gave us a clue- we would have missed out on a good time.

The book we are studying is John Ortbergs If You Want To Walk On Water, Youve Got to Get Out of the Boat. Our reading was to cover chapter 1. The chapter started off on the wrong foot with me. The author had good intentions, I think, to make Jesus/God more approachable as a friend that wants you to join him. I had a problem with that- Jesus isnt my buddy/pal/homie- He is my Lord. Can I casually talk with Him- of course but always with respect for His position (worthy) with respect to mine (unworthy). We miss that point too often I think. God is love and all the warm fuzzies but His position demands respect and awe. In church the message so often leans on the warm comforting understanding characteristics but doesnt balance with their counterparts- just, jealous, and judgmental. God has to be the last three (and then some) in order to be the God of love, caring, understanding, etc. He has to discipline us it is a requirement for love- how can the God of love let us harm ourselves and others when we sin? We are here for a handful of purposes- mainly to acknowledge and glorify Him and to reach out to a lost and dying world. Lets not forget our place with respect to His throne. I needed to get that out there before I go further

The rest of the chapter was much better- not any more challenging than Sunday mornings with the Thomasons (they set the bar pretty high)- but still a good read. The concept is that we all have our boats of comfort and security that we must break free of. My boats are mainly people investments and a fear of diminishing or zero returns. The only one that can coax or demand me to get out is God- and with His help I hope to do just that.

Here is another random picture i took while in TN visiting my grandparents- I think it speaks for itself and is a really great parking reminder.

Barely Wednesday

tom@altechllc.com (Tom) — 2005-09-06T22:07:14Z

It is still technically Tuesday but I thought Id write about what is goin on in my head. Ive been in a really type-ey mood. Camping is on my brain. Just in case you, reader person, dont have the skinny on our camping scene usually the guys that come with are Stal, Seth, and Pony (usually when it doesnt require any effort).
Tim is the latest member in the camping group. He has just started a new job so his schedule isnt as flexible as it used to be (as a flight instructor) but hopefully hell get freed up soon. Stal and I wanted to make this weekend a serious camping weekend- unfortunately Pony and Seth are being lame (Tim is legitimately out of town training to fly a top secret fighter jet- ok not a jet but still an airplane). Seth has an autocross on Saturday but Pony is just making excuses. If we dont make an effort to hang out then 10 years from now well have zero contact. Eventually Ill stop making any effort- friendship is reciprocation. I know I said it was a lame weekend but I did get a lot of thinking in- I need to be a better friend. Sorry to wander off on that one-

I went to High Country Outfitters in the mall and found the one thing we lack while we camp. A Hammock! Ive never seen a company put a hammock together like this one by Eagles Nest Outfitters Inc.. I think Ill pick it up before the next outing and give it a review.

Next thing is what to do while you camp. So currently our list is to play cards, tell stories, play with fire, and cook. I havent had an iPod before- so thatll be a nice companion for audiobooks and such. But today I had another idea- tying knots. It is useful skill to have, not too taxing, and at the same time a good challenge to make them look just right. I went down to the library and picked up this book by Peter Owen. So far it is wicked cool but hopefully Ill pick up a camping specific knot tying book. Fear not- Ill fill you in on how it all goes...

Tuesday of a short week

tom@altechllc.com (Tom) — 2005-09-06T20:01:47Z

This weekend was pretty lame- Ive still not really gotten over that. I did a lot of work around the house and yard- productive just not that fun. Julia reminded me that it was a good day because I got to spend it with her- but she didnt quite understand what I was saying. I love having her around and hopefully soon shell be home full time. I guess my attitude was just selfishness shining thru. We did have the gang over Saturday night- good time playing cranium. I already went over Sunday but Monday was another waste of sorts- I took full advantage of Labor Day by laboring. GRRR. I hadnt planned on trimming the shrubs, trees, and bushes but it was a nice throwback to my landscaping days. The beauty in manual labor is you get to see the fruits of your labor almost immediately.
I did have fun at Bump & Stal's house- we had a great cookout with some killer kabobs and burgers- way to go Littles.
~New Blog Addition~Another of my favorite pastimes is photography. My original SLR was the Canon A-1. A great 35mm tank from the late 70s and 80s that maintained its image quality for upwards of 20 years. The thing that irritated me about film are the incremental costs- all my friends know how I analyze my spending- then they make fun of me. So this year I went the prosumer digital SLR route. My Canon EOS 350D (Digital Rebel XT). I cant tell you how great it is. It met me where I was- inquisitive enough to delve into settings customization, but easy enough for my wife to figure out (not to knock my wife- she isnt interested in tons of settings). Wow this is a long way to get to the point of this paragraph- the new addition of random images Ive taken. Not all are taken with my 350D but I cant put on a full 8MP image into my text anyway. If anyone actually wants the full image they can email me. I have a really long way to go before my skills arrive.

So here is my first- and my personal favorite in the rural category.
This was taken on my way down to Jacksonville with my then girlfriend (now wife) Julia. Weve tried so many routes and some go thru some crazy rural spots in AL. I think this is how the majority of America pictures Alabama.
I am sleepy.

No Nap Sunday

tom@altechllc.com (Tom) — 2005-09-04T19:47:00Z

Today was a great eye opener- I wont get into details but I was struggling with compassion for the Katrina victims. In our Sunday school class we had a young wife and daughter from Biloxi. Her husband was still there holding a service on the lawn of their church. It just kinda hit me about the range of people affected by a tragedy. It is so easy to just change the channel and not see the mess down there. Unbelievable. I had a conversation with a client of mine about responsibility (Local, State, Federal) to help cleaning up. I get so angry about why this city was so irresponsible to make preparations for the inevitable. Unfortunately the devastation is a reality not a speculation- so it should be met with compassion instead of anger. It will be interesting seeing how this plays out.

We looked at a few lots after church and then I headed home. I kind of got stal roped into pulling some cables for his office so I decided to help out today- for free even! We both didnt expect it to take but an hour tops. Big funny joke. We started at 2:30 and didnt get home until after 6. The conduit run in the building was ghetto at best. Here is the cable that gave us so much trouble. Grr.

Black Friday

tom@altechllc.com (Tom) — 2005-09-01T21:01:37Z

I know Im going out of order and I think most people whove read my blog have probably heard this story directly. Ok so it was Friday (yes before my last Saturday! Post) and I was ready to go to a new client of mine. This client just so happens to be Stals appraisal company (thanks for that Stal). So they need a remote access system and it just so happens that Ive done this many many times. The product that I chose is the Watchguard X15 for many reasons but Ill spare you.
For those who dont know me I can be a bit particular about how I do things- a tad bit obsessive. Watchguard makes great products but fails to supply adequate templates for mounting their appliances. After putting many of these on walls and in server closets I HATE not having the screws perfectly centered (see- obsessive). About an hour and a half before I was ready to head out I thought Id be cool to make a mounting template. So I had a sheet of 1/8h inch acrylic and made my measurements and proceeded to drill a hole right into the bottom of the firewall and just happened to puncture the motherboard. Yeah. Did I mention it was just shy of $400?

Oh yeah I botched this one nicely. I can say honestly Ive never done anything like this- nothing. Have I broken things- sure- but this just about takes the cake. So I have to call Stal up and tell the story and obviously figure out what to do next. I found that there are a ton of companies that actually repair these intricate motherboards. One of the few in the southeast is actually only 45 minutes north of me. Most others send the repairs out of state and it takes a really long time. So I email an image and they said theyd like to see it up close. I rush it up there and they need to keep it for the weekend- I dont have much to lose now do I?
Monday (now were back on track) I call the vendor (PCSuperdeals.com) and was totally honest- telling the whole story of my stupidity. I got a hold of an awesome lady in customer support and I believe her quote was you drilled a hole in it? Yes Shelia- yes I did. She said she would have to get back to me because she didnt know how to handle such a call. I told her whatever the case I had to get a new one. I was pretty bummed cause I just knew I was gonna have to shell out. In the mean time I called the repair company and they said they didn't have the equipment to fix it- well super - the image is really deceptive- the tracers are crazy small. A couple hours later Shelia rings me and says that they are going to call it DOA. Can you believe that? DOA? Maybe DATGHOI (Dead After Tom Got Hold Of It). I am now a loyal PCSuperdeals.com customer. Amazing.

What is the lesson here?
1) Dont be stupid and drill into expensive equipment.
2) When you make a mistake be honest and own up to it- I know God went to bat for me because I was truthful and He honored it. I give Him all the credit- Ive been known to haggle and get good prices but this is out of my league. It pays to be honest- lying is expensive.