My life is rearranging (and my dorm is too)

No, that's not how it works. Some traits are more dominant, so there is the possibility that if you cross A with B, it could resemble A more. Moment of truth: does she look like her dad or her mom? Either way, she's a monster, but if she's gotta be a potato or a tomato, please let her be a tomato!
-Lieutenant Havoc, Full Metal Alchemist

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Chris had a flash of inspiration today, involving the juggling of furniture. Over the weekend, while I was back at home, he brought in a TV set and his old Nintendo 64 console. Problem was, there was no way to sit comfortably in a group to play with his friends. So he decided that, since he didn't use his desk much, he would toss it into one of the study rooms on our floor, and replace it with a couch, which, incidentally, came from the 8th floor lounge. From what I can tell, the 8th floor doesn't use their couches. They just stack them into giant games of Jenga, and Chris figured they wouldn't miss one couch. So down came the desk, down came the sofa, and down came all the stuff on the shelves. At this point, he realized he'd have to rearrange the whole room to get the sofa into place. Joyous.

(Incidentally, someone was trying to play Jenga.  On the ferry.  On a rocking boat.  And I think she was blonde, too.)

The next hour or so was spent rearranging food items, refrigerators, closets, beds, stacks of cardboard boxes, books, TV sets, cabinets, chess boards, laptops, wires, chairs, and various other small items. Finally, the fridge was moved to the opposite corner, with the TV taking its place. The sofa is positioned where the desk used to be, right behind me. Nice to know people can sit there and stare at my dandruff-flaked back. Almost like watching the snow fall outside, I guess. How nostalgic.

Halloween is coming near. I'm really not sure if I'm going to want to be in the dorms when it rolls around, though. People do strange things around this time. And no, it's not the ghosts' fault. Whatever happens, I'm hoping to be away from the dorms. Maybe I'm overreacting or guessing. Maybe not. Guess I'll find out pretty quick. In the meanwhile, it hasn't affected school, thankfully.

Homework's in full swing now for all four classes, so I'm going to get back to work. Good times!

P R O J E C T   R E A L I T Y

Craig Alder – Hero, Security Technician for ElemenTech

Now that the world has settled into using the AtomWall system, hackers seem to be a nonexistent issue.  But when things start going wrong with firewalls, ElemenTech hires a team of hacking experts (known as the High Five), trains them in the use of the special NetHack software, and gives them the task of repairing dysfunctional AtomWalls.

When the problems get worse, the corporation begins to hire regular individuals for the Security Technician team.  Craig Alder is one of these special men.  He’s rather nervous about having a new job, but he quickly picks up the pace.  A co-worker, Brent, is one of the High Five.  He helps Craig along, and makes sure he understands the core ideas behind the system.

Brent – One of the High Five, the top Hackers in the ST team.

Early on in Craig’s new job, a consistent defect in the firewalls begins to grow.  He’s been able to repair the effects of these damaged systems, but although he does not realize it, he is only cutting off the tail of the worm: the defects continue to grow.

It was finally discovered that someone had broken into the developer’s department at ElemenTech and corrupted an important file for the next firewall patch, leaving the AtomWall with a gaping back-door.  After some investigation, Brent was found to be the perpetrator, and was promptly fired, and a warrant released for his arrest.  However, he was nowhere to be found.  Most employees thought he corrupted the file to achieve the all-important quota: if more firewalls broke, there would be more for him to fix.

Lianna – Craig’s girlfriend, inexperienced hacker

Craig confides much about his job with his girlfriend, Lianna.  He is careful to hide the security-sensitive information restricted by the Corporation, but things slip out.  One night, after work, Craig tells Lianna about a critical factor: Morris’ plans for Project Reality.

Lianna does more research, and discovers the ultimate purpose of the project: The project is a framework for a human ‘utopia’, a means by which the planet could be controlled.  Once created, Project Reality would allow a human to rest in a form of stasis, keep them nourished through elemental energy-absorption techniques, and allow the new ‘plants’ to view the world as it could be through virtual-reality machines.  Essentially, the world would be comatose, living only in a non-existent reality.

Lianna realizes what this would mean for the world if this occurs, and begins trying to get Craig to help.  Craig thinks she’s getting too emotional about it, and vaguely ignores her.  Desperate, she turns elsewhere, and eventually finds someone who agrees with her cause: Kroger Lindstrom.  It was he who had enlisted Brent’s help to try and create a back-door to the firewalls, trying to destroy the corporation.  Craig, however, had destroyed that plan, and Kroger is looking for another way to attack ElemenTech.  Aided by Lianna, they begin initiating several plans to take it down.