I finally made the leap.  Even though I had dabbled in various Linux distributions before, I never had the guts to step away from the dual boots and live CDs to do a full install.  Now I finally have.
    This past weekend I made it my goal to fully switch over to Ubuntu; no dual boots where I could easily go back to Windows at the first sign of difficulty.  After spending the past few days staying up until the wee hours of the morning working out problems I finally have a stable rig running.
    After figuring out how to get my dual monitors working as well as install Photoshop in a seamless Virtual Box install (check out the screen shot above), I've been able to find a few things that I really like about Linux over windows.
    First off, the Terminal is my new favorite tool.  I've barely scratched the surface of all its commands but using a command line interface is very fast and efficient.  Additionally, this efficiency is complemented by how Ubuntu deals with files.  When you copy and paste files and folders, it is done instantly; no need to refresh a folder view to see changes.
    Some of the programs I've discovered so far are also very cool.  Having multiple desktops is a convenient feature, allowing me to switch from a web-browsing environment to a photo-editing one quickly and without all the clutter of having multiple programs open on one desktop.  The data backup software I'm using also seems to be a million times better than anything I have used before.  I loved using Syncback for windows, but now using rsnapshot I'm able to have much more control over how my backups work.
    I've also found it's a little easier managing my web server in Ubuntu.  Before I would have to use an SSH client like Putty to access my server, but now I can do so through Terminal, eliminating a few extra steps.
    I've only been using Ubuntu for a few days now and I absolutely love it.  It has some downsides (having to run PS and Zune in a virtualization), but besides that it is fantastic.  Once I get a few more basic things worked out I can't wait to start working on an installation of apache to make a new and improved music server.

    Three days.  That's all I have left until I'm back in Milford.  I can't wait.
    I've taken my accounting and calc exams already and all I have left are statistics and macroeconomics.  I'll have to do a good amount of studying for both, but I'm not too worried.
    What I am concerned about however is packing all of my stuff before Wednesday.  Not that I have that much with me (just clothes and my computer), but with two CYWS concerts, two exams, and a final paper that needs editing, I'm not quite sure when I'm going to pack.
    Today was Mike P.'s junior recital.  I got to have the very important role of being John's page turner.  I screwed up a turn during rehearsal, but the performance went very smoothly.  Overall, I enjoyed the sax pieces at the recital a lot.
    Tonight should be enjoyable as well.  I'm off to a few parties for celebrating the end of the year and congratulating some graduates.  Hopefully the rain will hold up (otherwise it will be raining down) so we can enjoy the party outside and not be cramped up in a house.
    Tomorrow marks a long day of studying.  Stats in the morning, economics in the later morning, and then alternating between the two later in the day until my brain is totally shot.  I cannot wait for finals to be over and to be back home in Milford.

    Another beautiful (but slightly cooler) weekend meant that it was the perfect time to take another trip into downtown Cleveland for some photography.
    My original intention for the evening was to get some better dusk shots of the city skyline.  Unlike the last trip, this time I thought ahead enough to bring a tripod so I would be able to get some nice long exposure shots.
    Adam S. and I arrived at Tower City around 7:30pm and had some time to kill before the sun was scheduled to set at about 8:15pm.  We walked out of the closed Tower City mall (I have yet to encounter someone who knows why all the stores in it close at 7pm) and ventured towards the Veterans Memorial/Detroit-Superior Bridge to see if there was anything interesting there.  All we were able to discover were the sleeping bags of some homeless people.
    As it was getting closer to sun down, we walked over to where I planned to take some photos.  We arrived sooner than expected and still had some time before the sun was low enough to produce good lighting conditions.  We walked around a bridge nearby and admired some of the graffiti drawn on the foundations.
    Both of us thought it would be cool to get some portrait shots in front of the graffiti so I decided to set up some flashes and shoot a few photos.  I experimented with various gels on the lights for effect instead of color correction and I'm satisfied with the results that were produced.  The shots that ended up working were ones where I gelled the lights orange, to fake the sunset look (although the sun was setting when we were taking the photos, it was blocked by the concrete foundations so I had to fake it).
    After some impromptu portraits, it was time for the main event of long-exposures of the Cleveland skyline.  Right as the light in the sky was perfect for photography, a big ship transporting a crane got in between me and the buildings.  My shot was ruined.
    Granted, it was still pretty cool to see such a gigantic ship up close.  I did take some photos of it, but I'm still debating whether I like them or not.  If I end up do liking any of them I'll be sure to put them up on my flickr page by the end of the week.

    Today my SAGES class, "Democracy?", took a bus tour around a few of Cleveland's neighborhoods.  We were fortunate enough to have Professor John Grabowski of the history department guide the tour.  I am amazed at the amount of knowledge that man has, I think he knows the history and name of every building in the area.
    We started our tour by driving down Carnegie Ave. all the way to Cleveland State where we switched over to Euclid Ave.  Apparently once long, long, ago Euclid Ave. was comparable to the Champs-Élysées in Paris.  Definitely wouldn't be able to guess that from all of today's construction. 
    Some of the things we saw in the E.30-E.50 St. area were the large machine shops, factories, and previous locations of homes of notables such as Rockefeller.  There were only 2 or 3 original mansions still standing and they seemed so out of place in the middle of the city.  However, they were extremely beautiful.
    At this time we also learned that the amount of trees in a neighborhood are a good indicator of the class, residents, and wealth of a neighborhood.  This industrial section had very few trees.
    After the industrial district we went back up Cedar Ave to E.105 St.  Along the way we passed by the new housing settlement projects being built and they looked very nice.  Hopefully that will boost the "Buckeye" neighborhood (originally Hungarian and Slavic immigrants, now mostly blacks but with this new housing revitalization some whites are moving in).
    Continuing on we eventually got to Shaker Blvd.  Once on Shaker, we passed by St. Luke's hospital, which is currently being renovated.  Apparently St. Luke's and Cleveland Clinic have long had a rivalry with each other.  When one hospital got new equipment the other made sure to get the same or better soon after.  The story goes that when St. Lukes bought its own helicopter (following suit of Cleveland Clinic), some people thought that it should be named "Yeah, we got one of those too."
    Soon we reached Shaker Square.  This area reminded me of all of the New England small-town downtown/town-green areas.  Then I found out that this is were the British immigrants mostly lived.  And built colonial style buildings.  I guess that's why I was reminded of back home.
    We then made our way through Shaker and Cleveland Heights.  I was pretty familiar with this area, having passed through it many times before.  The houses are all mansions, or at the least very sizable.  An interesting thing I learned about this area was that "For Sale" signs are not allowed to be posted in front of houses.  This prevents the public from knowing that you are moving out.  Meaning minorities can't easily get in if the sellers don't want them too. Classy.   Oh yeah, there were a countless number of trees and parks (go figure).
    We ended our tour by traveling through part of East Cleveland: The ghetto.  It used to be a nice area; lots of Victorian housing still exists but is in shambles.  All big businesses, like car manufacturing plants, have left, leaving only a few conveniences (like "Ghetto" Bell (the Taco Bell in the area), which has bullet-proof drive through windows) and the Free Clinic.
    As we ended our tour we learned about some areas that we didn't get a chance to see.  I asked about Tremont (an artsy neighborhood on the west side) and what I learned about it only makes me want to visit even more.  Originally it started out as a pretty upper class area but quickly declined.  Germans, Poles, Greeks, and almost 30 other nationalities have occupied the area during the past 150 years, leaving an eclectic mix of churches and other culture specific landmarks scattered around the area.  In the 1980's, the area became inhabited by many struggling artists due to inexpensive housing, and since then has flourished as an artistic community with excellent parks, galleries, and restaurants.
    In conclusion, I loved this excursion away from our regular class discussions.  I was astonished by the size and diversity of all the areas of the city and really want to go out and explore more.  I don't have much time left this year, but next year should now start off with a bang since I know where to visit.