Squid Game

I have been busy with school and studying Python programming on the side. But Momoko finally talked me into watching Squid Game on Netflix. It is the #1 show in just about all countries right now. Momoko and I had watched a prior Chinese version of the show.

At work, we were to dress up for Halloween at one of our Zoom meetings. I ordered a squid man costume via Amazon. It was supposed to arrive 2 days before my meeting. It did not get delivered. The new estimate was 4 days later, with a note that "if it does not come by then, I can ask for a refund". Fail.

I tried to locate any old costumes I owned. I found a mask that had severely deformed over the years. It broke apart. I tried to glue it together using some fabric on the back. That was a failure. But I was able to rip off the fake hair, and make a Chewbacca costume with it. The people at work thought I was an Ewok.

Aleks Math Failure

Little Kat is in the first semester at his 4 year college. He started off doing okay in Math. But then he got a couple failed grades. Momoko thought it was a mistake/fluke. Little Kat found out that the software that teaches him is on a forced schedule. If he does not keep up, he fails.

We got to the bottom of the problem. Little Kat was only doing math for the two times he went to college for his math class. That was less than 3 hours a week. Little Kat signed up for tutoring. And he pledged to spend 1 hour a day extra, in addition to the class time, to catch up.

A day later we found out that the first Module in Aleks was closing. Then Little Kat got locked out of his Module 1 topics. This would not work for me. He can't not learn math basics. That will result in utter failure. I had Little Kat ask his instructor for help. The instructor said the module was locked. Little Kat tried again by email, but the instructor refused.

Today Little Kat and I called the Math department admin. We explained the situation and asked how we could get Aleks unlocked. She said our only chance was to go to the math department chair. Little Kat and I constructed a terse but compelling email to the chairwoman. Little Kat got lucky. She said that if he finishes the current module in Aleks, then the past one will become unlocked for him.

Gold Mine Full of Books

I am starting at a new college this semester. It is the night school of the campus where I got my bachelor's degree. This college usually does not require you to purchase a textbook for most classes. I found out why. They give you access to O'Reilly's online book library. Our class text is available there.

While browsing chapter 1 online in our text, I found that the code was not easy to read. Therefore I purchased a print copy of my textbook. But I realized there were a whole lot of technical books available to me online.

I consulted my Amazon book lists. There were tons of technical books, mostly about the Python programming language, that I wanted to buy. More than half of them are now available to me online for no extra cost. I am like a kid in a candy store. So many books to read. So little time.

Retaining Wall Repair

 

A long time ago, I hired Little Kat to build a retaining wall in our back yard. He needed money. And our hill needed support from erosion. He did a pretty good job. However over time, the dirt and rocks have started eroding under the lower plank of the wall. I decided to correct this problem myself.

I went to the hardware store and purchased some steel mesh. Then I dug out the dirt and rocks from the high side of the wall. Then I laid the mesh down behind the wall to ensure new drainage rock would not fall through, even if dirt under it washed away.

One section of the existing wall was crooked. The planks were too low on one side. The edge of this section also came close to our chain link fence, making it hard for me to pass by to the lower side of the wall. So I have decided to move that one section to higher ground. That's a lot more work, but will be beneficial in the long run.

Dinner and an Acura TLX

I was scheduled to meet my old buddy from college for dinner. Drove to his house and was about 10 minutes early. He texted me saying he was running 15 minutes behind schedule. I told him no rush as I brought my Kindle for reading. The only weird thing is that the Kindle needs an Internet connection to even work. Luckily the iPhone can generate a hot spot.

My buddy came out and we took his car. He had a rental because his Acrura SUV was in the shop at the dealership. They gave him an Acura TLX sedan as a loaner. It was hard to get in due to the low height of the door jamb. Inside it was roomy enough. It felt like a brand new luxury car.

We headed to a seafood restaurant to the east. As soon as we exited off the main highway, the traffic was stopped. The radio station said there was an accident and all traffic was blocked. 30 minutes later I saw a couple tow trucks drive by. Eventually we eeked by and got to our destination. After dinner, I asked that we take the long way home so that I could enjoy the luxury car for a bit longer. My buddy got lost a few times. The back seat had surprising head room too.