HDD Killers

Yes, 5 days since my last post, I think I’m starting to slip. I would like to continue blogging, but gradually I seem to update less and less until I’m not updating at all. It’s what always happens. So I’m going to do something I’ve not done previously. I’m going to set a schedule.

From now on, (until I start slipping again), updates will be no more than 3 days apart, preferably less. I’ll aim for 2. Perhaps getting into an update cycle will alleviate some of the “I have something to post but can’t be bothered”-ness. Many good posts have bitten the dust before they were even born due to that general apathy. In the hope that setting targets and goals actually works, I figure that I may as well set some more while I’m at it. So here is a list of my goals that I hope to accomplish within the next month.

Firstly, I want to pass two exams, the A+ Essentials and A+ IT Technician exams to be precise, or 220-601 and 220-602 as they are affectionately known. Passing these two exams will allow me to progress onto the next part of my MCSE course and get me one step closer to raking in money. Generally it seems that the more accronyms you can say you have, the more money you earn. After this course I’ll have A+, MCP, MCDST, MCSA and MCSE. Then I want to get some more, CCNA perhaps. But for now, by 16th April, I’d like to nail just these two exams. Byroz has a head start on me here, as he’s already got one down.

So, that was a mental challenge, this next one is physical. I want to be able to close the #2 Captains of Crush gripper. I’m close, I can get the handles to about 1cm apart, but that’s it. For those of you that don’t know what the grippers are, imagine a nut cracker, except that there’s no nut, just a big spring at the top. The idea is to get the tips of the handles to touch, but that spring is mighty strong.

I got some grippers last year, the trainer, #1 and #2. The trainer I could just about close when I got it, and according to Ironmind it takes 100 pounds of pressure to close. The #1 fell a bit later and takes 140 pounds to close. The #2 takes 195 and I’m just not quite there yet. I did recently get some more grippers, the Sport (80 pounds), the #1.5 (167.5 pounds), the #2.5 (237.5 pounds) and the #3 (280 pounds). The sport is just something I can click idly with, also I can close it with the top two fingers or the bottom 3 fingers, so I guess that helps in some way, building pinky strength or something. The #1.5 I can just about close, so another 22.5 pounds and the #2 shall fall, though it’s a very hard 22.5 pounds. Of course, the #2.5 and #3 I couldn’t possibly do yet, so they’re still in the packet.

My final goal is another mental one, however, I have little control over whether I can achieve it or not. I want to be accepted into Mensa. I have a Mensa test scheduled for a week tomorrow, the 24th. If I had to guess as to whether I’ll get in or not, I’d say no. I know I’m pretty smart, I just don’t think I’m top-2%-of-the-population smart, so I do not expect to get the pass mark, but if I do that’d be really freaking awesome. 😀

So how about everyone else, what are your goals for the coming week/month/year?