Grr Grr and Double GRRRR

ARGH!!! I'm trying to convert a bunch of FLV files to something I can
put on a DVD. FLVExtract is missing a DLL file. AVI2DVD refuses to work
with an AVI file I have now - a 330MB monster which is a converted
Playstation STReam Video file which plays at 15 fps. BBMpeg or whatever
it is doesn't convert it right. SuperC won't even play the FLV files in
spite of having Flash Player installed, but methinks I don't exactly
have it installed right and I don't know how to get it to install right
and work as a browser or system plugin. (Super(c) that I'm working with
is a July 2007 version but I can get my hands on an earlier version). I
can't get Super(c) to play the AVI either with or without Direct Show
checked.

I'm hoping putting VLC on there will enable my Win98SE box to do
SOMETHING with these files.

I also tried MediaCoder, but it turned its snob nose up at me, expecting
a newer OS.

AVISynth I also can't get to work with that one AVI, complaining that
Interface was not supported. Doesn't exactly explain the problem, maybe
the 15 fps file is the problem. I can't help that.

Then I tried to copy one DVD a friend burned for me, and it's like
fighting the system. However, a different brand DVD he burned for me
read nice like I expect a disk to read, so who knows.

GRRRRR... Really making me mad.

Oh geez...

So today I get another SocSec letter still in regard to SSI. I thought
this was finally done with the one guy I spoke to and sending in a copy
of a letter he needed to see. This time it's some other guy. This time
they want me in person in their local office in 2 days, 10 am. They want
me to bring the letter I got today along with some folder I don't have.
Then there was supposed to be a list of documents they wanted, but
there's no list. I have NO idea what they want, and I called the guy's
extension and left a message to that effect that I didn't have any
folder. I go back through remembering all the documentation I've
received from SocSec, and I'm pretty sure this folder they want is
something I don't have. I've not received any benefits at all so far.

I'm getting annoyed by all this irregular stuff.

Days when you get stepped on, others when it falls on you

OK. So anywho, I finally get a #1 6 inch philips screwdriver and get
inside the Right Speaker of the Cambridge SoundWorks speakers we got. I
had to reattach the sound input as well as fix the bad power switch. I
ended up wiring in a bypass power switch and it works again. Most people
would say why not buy a new pair? I don't have the money and I don't
believe in disposable technology. These speakers also sound pretty good,
good enough to fix and keep them.

OK so back in March or thereabouts, I signed up for help through the BVR
office. They supposedly sent out forms for Dr. Z and the counselor I was
seeing there as well as the guy I see now, but it seems none of them
have sent anything back. I owe money to Dr. Z so they may not even
respond to that. So I get a call today from a guy at BVR still telling
me they've not received replies from anyone. So I call Dr. Z's office
and the lady sees that my file was closed in February because I owed
them so much and I've been trying to pay them whatever I can. She also
doesn't see any BVR forms so they either didn't get them or they got
them but threw them away. I dunno. I don't understand why the guy I see
now hasn't replied already.

I have my disability award, and I got this Ticket to Work thingy. But if
it's going to be a big freaking hassle all around to get BVR help, I
might as well not even bother trying to work!! It's not worth it!!!!! I
should pursue studies at Kent State, which seems less a hassle but still
annoying.

How to use a Bravetti deep fryer with success

After my dinky Europro deep fryer I got at Big Lots proved too small for our recent upswing in the use of deep frying thanks to Angel Food Ministries orders, we decided a bigger model was necessary. Mom found one on eBay, but bid on it before doing research on it. Lots of consumers of similar Bravetti models (a lot of them Canadian owners) had the misfortune to run into these fryers and lots of people reported bad things happening. But there were some who reported good things and nothing but praise.

So far, a model we got with electronic temperature control has worked fine in the 4 times so far we have used it, and from my extensive 10.5 year experience around deep fryers, I have some things to offer other owners or future owners of Bravetti deep fryers. (Ours is a 3 liter model.)

When using the fryer, do not use the timer! You're trying to get this thing to heat up, and you don't need it on a timer when you're getting it up to speed. I don't use the timer anyway.

When you first turn it on, set it DOWN to the lowest temp it will go. It will heat up, but it will get there and not put a strain on your electric box. From my past experience, the huge commercial deep fryers would gently heat the shortening in small short bursts instead of just going all the way through. You should do the same. Get it up to that minimum temperature (about 150 degrees F), then step it up 10 to 20 degrees (when the green light goes out). If you have trippy weak breakers (like we do) we put the fryer on a low-use circuit and try not to blow a breaker. I've been able to step the Bravetti up to 350 degrees successfully without tripping a breaker in about 30 minutes or less.

One thing to look out for before using it for the first time is the position of the temperature probe. I think the most trouble people got from the Bravetti is due to the placement of the probe. Again, from my EXTENSIVE experience, you should not have any temperature probes near your heating elements! When we got this out of the box, I noticed the probe was snack up against the heating element! Bad! I noticed that the metal bracket that held the probe extended across the heating elements and had a spot in the middle with nothing in it. So before I turned this unit on for the first time for cooking, I worked the probe out of the bracket it came in and put it in the middle between and away from all heating elements. So instead of detecting the heat of the elements, it would be able to tell the true temperature of the actual oil.

Considering how well this fryer has cooked and produced not-greasy results, this was the right modification to make.

Ours has a black reset button in the back, and other people who reported problems noted that even after utilizing this button, their units stopped working completely. Another owner noted that there's a thermal fuse inside the control panel as well. I will keep that in mind should our unit fail to heat up.

The manual recommends not using solid vegetable shortening, but if you really want to, melt it ahead of time before putting it in the fryer. Not a bad idea, but I think we'll stick to liquid vegetable oil.

So there you have it, some helpful tips for you in case you want to consider a Bravetti fryer.

Fun with photography

	Someone give me a Lolcat for this.
	First time trying to put more than one picture in one post. Across the street, the people got some sort of notice and they kinda disappeared in January or February. Last month, the owner finally came around to see a mountain of garbage left outside. This past week, it finally got cleaned up.
	Does this look like Jimmy Hendricks? If the locals have this kind of talent and skill, I'd like to see more creative things. ^_^

ePSXe - free Playstation Emulator

I'm going to recommend this for people who like to play their original
Playstation games on not a PS2 but their Windows PC. When you manage to
gather together the pieces you need, it runs rather well, amazingly.
There are specific plugins for various graphics cards, but for ours I
had to use one of the generic plugins. I finally got the right audio
plug in and the Cardcaptor Sakura Tetris game I got some years ago
finally works on something we have. If you wanted to run this on a
regular PSX not from Japan, you needed a chip or other modification,
which I do not yet have. (We have 2 PSXs around here, the 2nd needs a
new spindle motor... Hmm...) Kagero Deception 2 doesn't work right on
our actual PSX but is playable (with the right controller) on the
emulator. I use ePSXe with the GUI front end.

Today in the mail I got my imported Sabre Marionette J Battle Sabers
Playstation game from Japan - and not just the game, but the limited
edition with all the goodies! There's the 3 mini figures to slip onto
the controller cord and the collection of 20 pieces of original art made
for this game. It's an actual pressed copy, people!

That makes me wonder - why don't video games based on anime that comes
out here get brought over and translated? Very few games arrive (DBZ),
but then there's the tons that don't. Magic Knight Rayearth, Ranma 1/2
(we got one but not the really good one), Sailor Moon, Tenchi Muyou...
Of course, lots of these games are for older systems, so I can see why
some of these things don't get licensed. At the time these anime were
big in Japan, systems like the Famicom, Super Famicom, and Sega systems
as well as other unusual names like PC Engine and the like, were popular
in Japan. At the same time, we'd have our version of the Super Famicom
and Sega's systems, and not to forget Atari's 64-bit Jaguar... (Why was
Tramiel so down on the Japanese? They could have made killer games for
it, but no, he looked towards Europe, where Atari was big, like in
Germany, but I digress)

Years later here, we'd have Playstation, Nintendo's later systems
(though their Wii should be able to play all these games if someone
would ever take the time to figure it out), and Xbox. Some systems we'd
never see (What was the Japanese equivalent of Turbo Grafx?). The game
we'd want to play are for unsupported systems, and nobody's going to
bother with unsupported systems. We have to go the import route.

Still, there's a lot of Playstation games that Could have come out here
while the licensed anime and manga were initially being produced. Sabre
Marionette J is one of them.

But man, Dreamcast games on Gigabit disks. You need a Dreamcast and
other hardware to copy these things, and a lot a fiddling with them that
the average person will never bother with. I wouldn't even bother
because that'd mean having to buy hardware I don't really care about.
Sony was smart with their game CDs. Heh.

Tip: to play an import Super Famicom game on your SNES, get needle nosed
pliers and break off the tabs in your cartridge slot carefully. That's
about all there is to Region Coding that Nintendo did with that system.
Do Sega games have region coding? I know PSX games do, but there's ways
to work with that. Original Gameboy games don't!! I should look into
import anime-based Gameboy games and put them in my Super Gameboy
accessory for the SNES. Did this come out in Japan?

I wonder how Japanese fans of Mach Go Go Go are feeling about the Speed
Racer movie coming out here.

Someone on the net does understand

While perusing Usenet, I found this post...

"... Asperger's just means you don't instinctively [comprehend] social
protocols the way the rest of humanity does subconsciously. It means you
don't read nonverbal communication in the way that most people do
without being able to explain how."

True.

"It means you tend to overfocus on a handful of interests and relate
everything back to those interests, thereby being a frustrating person
with whom to converse."

OMG. With me, it's also that I can't talk to people unless it's about
anime or one of my interests. I can't get interested in stuff that I
don't care about. It's important to other people, but I can't be made to
care.

"It means if someone wants something from you, they have to actually say
what it is instead of dancing around it and assuming you'll guess."

OMG YES! Ladies, if you want something from me, and it's the same thing
I want from you, then you go ahead and tell me outright. You'll be happy
and surprised at what comes after. I promise.

So in the end or is it?

So in the end, I ran out of time. I could not find free legal help that
would file the appeal. The local community legal aid office said they
couldn't get involved because they hadn't been involved earlier. Well,
f---! I didn't NEED legal help until now! What the hell use is free
legal help if they're not there when you need them!

I spoke to one lawyer, details of which I think I already posted. I
ended up not calling the pro bono guy, but might see if he can do it for
a wrongful termination lawsuit against the store. I mean, if one
unemployment review commission officer found in My Favor... You see
where this is going? Emotional distress, Humiliation... My pain and
suffering should be worth something and they should pay and be punished
for their crimes against me.

As for "paying back" the money I got... I dunno. I can get a really good
0% deal from my credit card, but I'll need to call them up about this
unusual transaction so they'll clear it. I also wonder if the state
would ruin my credit rating or what else they could do to me in attempts
to collect the money. I have at least 2 phone calls to make. If I go the
credit card route, I want that sent Registered Mail.

I want to keep up the fight but part of me wants it over. The store won
a hollow victory against an unarmed opponent. I don't know how Rick
Seigal can sleep at night. He better keep looking over his shoulder
though. You never know what will come after him.

This whole thing was nothing more than a personal grudge to get rid of
someone they didn't like. EMPLOYEES OF GIANT EAGLE STORES: DO NOT BUY
ANYTHING IN THE STORE WHILE EMPLOYED THERE. YOU WILL BE FIRED.

I have a few personal policies:

1. Don't Trust Management.

2. Don't Date Co-Workers.

3. Don't Shop Where You Work.

4. Don't Talk to Customers.

5. Customers May Not Always Be Right, But They Are Frequently Stupid,
Arrogant, and Self-Righteous.

You can't fix Stupid.

Trying to get ahold of that guy

It's been a week since I got that letter about SSI (as well as the phone
call) and I still haven't been able to get him on the extension nor has
he returned my call. I've left 4 messages none returned.

I may have to physically appear at the office which I don't want to have
to do.

What's it mean for me to have Aspergers. I think I should look at that.
The job I had at the restaurant was because I was the right person at
the right time. It had nothing to do with experience or skills, they
just needed a warm body. I was there for 10.5 years and I had the same
schedule and the same days. I got no benefits like a paid vacation, so
taking time off for Anime North was actually painful in that I wouldn't
get paid for it, and they pretty much came up with excuses why they
wouldn't offer paid vacations to any of their hourly employees. I kept a
blog (before there were blogs) of annoying and stupid customers which I
shared among my friends. It was our private joke and my way to blow off
the frustration in a job which the general public affected how much work
I had to do. By the time the corporate people found it, I was beginning
to burn out at the job anyway. I had not promoted the page, nor did
anyone get mentioned by name, but there was no negotiation. They
couldn't have gotten rid of me for quality of work, so they used
whatever they wanted and they could - it was not a union shop.

Giant Eagle in Louisville, OH run by J&J Foods, and by Rick Seigal, was
even worse. I took whatever just to get my foot in the door with hopeful
quick transfer back to hot foods. But that never happened. I was around
the general public. Rick claimed he had "issues" with me but was never
willing to come directly to me to see if they could be resolved.
Register training was batted about but I kept getting lies why I wasn't
given the opportunity right away. Eventually I did get it, and showed
them why I should have gotten it sooner, but still got denied in a
transfer back to the kitchen. Eventually when some little unusual thing
I did came along, they concocted a story and used lies again (they lied
to me and they lied to the state unemployment compensation people) to
fire me. They brought no evidence, the people who called it what they
did were not even direct witnesses to the incident, which is
frustrating. I was there, everyone else who called it what they did was
not.

I had problem dealing with the general public and in turn people I found
distasteful, disgusting, annoying, and stupid. People I did not want to
be around or have to deal with. I fail to understand why they didn't get
someone like me away from the general public and into a position like
hot foods where I would NOT be around customers. I have 10.5 years
experience in that regard. I was denied a transfer when they moved one
girl out of there to the front end, claiming there was no position open.
Wait a minute - you just created an opening moving a girl out of there,
why can't I get that opening? LIES, you see. When Management doesn't
like you, you get crapped on.

Rick Seigal is an uncaring asshole. He fears people smarter than him.

So the last 2 jobs I lost because of Aspergers - people find excuses
unrelated to the quality of my work to get rid of me. I also have
problems finding work and getting past the interview which I hate doing.
I got a job with the Soil Conservation Service mainly because I was able
to demonstrate what they wanted done and there was no interview. What do
you want done? Here's how I would do it and presto I got the job when I
could demonstrate exactly that I understood what they wanted and they
saw I could do it. I have never had an interview like that since and
those kinds of interviews are rare. Let me show you what I can do before
you trash my application or resume.

anywho, I cannot fight the unemployment compensation people because I
lack the resources and haven't been able to find a lawyer to pro bono my
case. pRick won against an unarmed opponent. I also don't have the money
to "pay back" compensation I originally won, but then got screwed out
of. I don't know how that jerk can sleep at night.

Sailor Moon Wallet??

Some time ago, I did a little search on Holiday Fair as a company that
produced licensed Sailor Moon items. I discovered this:

http://www.dasaq.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=25370

Trifold Wallet with Sailor Moon on it? How can I order this? Do you need
to have a Wholesale license to order this, and if so can I find someone
else with this license and can try to get a case of these wallets? I
should call the company at some point and see what they can tell me,
because this would be a rare item nowadays if they still have this
available. The site seems to list it as available. I hope to find out
more.

On another note of a licensed product producer, Ann's Trading Company
seems to be a purveyor of licensed items, like tins. I happen to have
bought one of their Sailor Moon tins today on a tip from one of the
ladies that helps my mom of what it was and where she saw it. Produced
in 1998, and it's licensed, so that makes me wonder what else they made
that I somehow missed out knowing about it.