HershalPatel.com » Banter

My New Dream Log – August 27, 2010

Hersh — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:17:14 +0000

Based on an idea from a good friend and colleague, I have decided to being logging my dreams on my blog. Not only will it allow me to map my mind a little more thoroughly, it will force me to update my blog more often.

The first dream was a strange one and a direct reflection of an equally strange Friday. I traveled out of town, attended an undergraduate lecture, and underwent some major realizations. By nightfall, I was exhausted yes pleased with my existence. The dream I had I remember little of. It began with my walking through the Hilton. I knew it was the Hilton, but from what I recall, it was entirely different. There was a mouse to greet me at the door, which, upon seeing me. I walked through the misshapen lobby in pursuit, and the mouse ran into a little hole in the wall near the elevator. I called the elevator. When I entered the elevator it had no walls and one single rod running through the middle and indefinitely tall, as was the elevator shaft, which I was able to see given that there were no walls in the elevator. This next part is what really puzzles me.

I look at the buttons in the elevator and there were literally hundreds! Yet, realizing that the Hilton only has 4 levels, I played it safe and chose the fourth floor. The elevator jerked abruptly, causing me to stumble and support myself using the rod in the center of the wall-less platform, and began moving upward. As the platform rose, the elevator began to grow into a large empty room, further increasing my fear of falling off of the platform. Once I reached the fourth level, the doors on the level slide open and I have all of my closest friends of past and present waiting for me.

A New Life…

Hersh — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 22:56:56 +0000

Much has changed in my life within the past several weeks. The Hilton Garden Inn is now open and I am there super-full time (12 hours/day = “super-full time”). It’s taught me to have a good work ethic, and that having one pays off. I get calls during weekends and late at night, most from people picking my brain or just wanting the details of our impressive banquet space, and, my, it is great to sell them on the space. This is mostly because the space sells itself. I don’t have to lie or sugar-coat anything. On top of that, the Hilton’s got a full-blown kitchen that can handle anything, too! It’s really fun to drop in from time to time and cook a few things, arrange them in a nice presentation, then discretely spy on the patrons as they wipe their plates clean in satisfaction.

Anyway, that’s just the good news. There have been some negative changes, too. I recently have lost a lot of good friendships because of the lack of time that I have to support them. Being the youngest person in business on the island (I think) by at least 20 years (I’m not exaggerating), the island gets very, very lonely. Unless my closest friends are visiting Brownsville or the Island, I don’t have a friend for at least 200 miles. What do I do in my spare time, you ask? ‘Work’ is my answer. I fill my spare time with arbitrary tasks because, while there’s plenty to do around here, there’s no one to do them with.

Quote of the Day:

Who’s more foolish: the fool or fool who follows him?

- Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: Episode IV, A New Hope

In the by and by…

Hersh — Tue, 18 May 2010 16:24:09 +0000

The weather is pretty crazy out today. I hear there are some instances of hail in the area and, looking outside from the office, there’s some heavy wind and a LOT of rain. This is the roughest I’ve seen it in a while. The weather doesn’t get this bad on the island very often, but “when it rains, it pours.” Literrally.

The last few days have been pretty interesting. Alex and I have been making some new music, sampling a bunch of my dad’s old vinyls, which he bought in the 70′s sometime, I think. It’s interesting to think that he probably never imagined how exciting it would be to a 20-something year old, about 40 years later. We’re getting some pretty good stuff together, and you should be seeing it soon on Youtube.

On a completely different note, I just bought a one-month membership at the Sunset Condominiums Health Club. I went to check it out yesterday and liked what I saw. It’s got a steam room, raquetball courts, and lots of room for activities, features that sold me immediately. This is an attempt to get back in shape. I hope it works. I’ve also been blessed enough to be able to go jet skiing every week. The weather’s been great, and Breakaway Cruises on South Padre Island has the best skiis in the business.

So, it’s been a while.

Hersh — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:11:46 +0000

Just check it out. http://www.southpadreislandphotos.com/

I haven’t been keeping up with this at all! What’s going on right now, you ask — or not? Not much of anything, really. I just graduated, and now I’m home. I kicked off a new website, where I will be posting pictures of South Padre Island whenever I swing by. They will mostly be pictures of the beach and some random stuff around the island, like events and such. It’s here: http://www.southpadreislandphotos.com. Pretty creative URL, huh?

Sleep time. I’m pooped.

My Gadgets

Hersh — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:23:44 +0000

I’m pretty well satisfied with how I have all my gadgets setup, so I thought it’d be a good idea to share. I currently run 3 PC’s and one Mac on a daily basis. Here’s how I have it all working:

My first PC is a pretty cheap Compaq desktop. The cool parts about this, however, are that it runs on a 64-bit processor and I have to connected to my 43-inch LCD high-def TV. I also have a wireless keyboard and mouse so that I can kick back on my couch and enjoy Hulu. I don’t have any fancy software or hardware installed. One very useful program, however, is VLC, which I use to watch movies, and it can play ANYTHING, which is why I have it installed on all my computers.

My next PC is a older Sony Vaio notebook. This is my main work machine. I keep it set on my desk and rarely move it. For this reason, I have it connected to 22″ LG LCD monitor which provides plenty of workspace. The laptop is about 3 years old now and has taken a beating. I’ve had to replace the screen once, which, by the way, I did myself by following some simple online tutorials.

"The Mighty Mouse": Toshiba NB205 Netbook

The next computer I have is this kick-ass, brand-new Toshiba NB205 Netbook. This thing is amazing, and for a netbook, provides great performance. I just started using it, but I’ve already installed my power-suite of highly-recommended software:

Bumptop
OpenOffice.org
CCleaner
Defraggler
Dropbox
Firefox (with the StumbleUpon add-on!)

So far, this thing is fresh to death.

Last but nowhere near least, I have my Mac. I’ve had this one for a little longer than my Vaio, but is a staple for my life. With Dropbox on all my computers I am able to sync files across all my computers and even cross-platform. I am a heavy Garageband user and I’ve got the whole shabang. My M-Audio FastTrack Pro USB preamp, my Shure and M-Audio condenser mics, the M-Audio KeyStudio keyboard, and even a desktop DJ mixing station. My Apple is the bomb-diggity.

Whatever whatever.

Hersh — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:31:07 +0000

I look at my sheet while its plain, inspiration drained,
desolation, hunger, and pain consume my day.

Deep from within, looking out, I grin
Wondering what could have penetrated my thick skin?

Blades of deceit, bullets of betrayal,
the stones of lies, Oh! Death, I await.

Murdock’s Way

Hersh — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:18:23 +0000

Here’s an interesting film that I was required to watch for my government class. It’s call “OUTFOXED: Rupert Murdock’s War on Journalism.” This film also outlines how the the bias used by Fox News effects our political environment and transformed all the news we recieve in the US and turned them all into nothing more than advertising firms.

The full video can be found here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6737097743434902428

Money isn’t everything? Try telling that to a homeless guy.

Hersh — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:55:58 +0000

Imagine a person who has nothing to call his own. This person lives everyday of his life building a hunger that takes most people a few moments, and once this hunger has met its optimum level, he will act on his desire to live his own life and earn his way, as opposed to having it fed to him on a silver platter. This person dreads to continue living that way he does, while its a great life, his priorities are a little skewed from the norm and therefor seen as wrong. This person puts the law of God above all else and would defend his love into death, but this is not reciprocated. A lonely, lonely person he is. Living life alone, often talking to himself, with no one around to hear him, he finds himself isolated from all the activity that surrounds him. Who is this person? No one, simply. A small blip on the radar he is. A mere grain of sand in a desert, wanting to be something greater he is. He had the knowledge, the skill, and the will, but no motivation. He is a sail boat on a wind-less day.

The REAL Notebook Computer

Hersh — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:20:51 +0000

I found this on Stumble. Enjoy.

Noteboek from Evelien Lohbeck on Vimeo.

This is a test

Hersh — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:52:26 +0000

Test