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This is an archive collection of entries from my main personal blog, My Mundane Mid-Life.
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This collection of entries is from May 2003.
Saturday, May 31, 2003
Saturday Night at the Movies
Well, it's been a while since we've gone to the movies, and with it being Summer Movie Season and all, Carol & I decided to start catching up. We went to the AMC South Barrington 30 to catch the 7:10 showing of X2: X-Men United. The flick was OK - if I was allowed to enjoy it!!! This is the first time that I've been to the movies on a Saturday night with many 3 year olds! Either these people couldn't get baby-sitters or they were too friggin'' ignorant of their fellow movie goers to give a damn! 3-year-olds at an X-Men movie???? And you're expecting them to behave????? Oh - and then I had my first experience with a cell phone ringing and the guy answering and having a friggin' conversation at a normal speaking volume!!! WTF????? All of these years, and I've been lucky to never had experienced that... until now. So, I guess the movie was OK...
posted at 09:29 PM | Link | Movies § |
Get this stuff out of my mailboxMore Nigerian 419 email...
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posted at 09:01 PM | Link | Nigerian 419 Fraud § |
Quiet doorWoo hoo! Brand new garage door opener installed! (Finally - we bought it 10 days ago). Really quiet, too. And it moves at double speed when opening. Sweet.
posted at 10:50 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Friday, May 30, 2003
"Chick"-in' Tonight audblog audio post
Update: Well, tonight Carol & I drove into the city to go to the United Center to go to... a Dixie Chicks concert!
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OK, first of all, please understand that though I may have liked a few of their songs, I can't say I'm a fan. I don't follow the country music scene at all, even though I know they're definitely not "mainstream". So, let's say the "tipping point" for going to the show was that Buffy's company has a suite, and the tickets were available (as no one in the company wanted to go). The suite is a "Penthouse" suite - which is at the top of the stadium. Ever go to a Bulls or Hawks game and have to sit all the way upstairs? This is above that. The suite is on the south side, right in the middle of the stadium (like, at the center line if you were at a hockey game). The opening act was Joan Osborne (of One of Us fame). The audience was respectful and polite even though they weren't there for her. The stage is really unusual - it's built in the center of the stadium, and there's a large center section of the stage, but there's also a "snaky" walkway that wraps all around the main stage, taking up most of the main floor. When Joan was done, the lights came up and they reset the stage.
By now, many of you knew about the little "uproar" over Natalie Maines' statements about being embarrassed to be from Texas, the same state as George Bush, that caused a furor throughout the country music community and actually throughout the U.S. (mostly by those that just understand 1) The First Amendment and what freedom really means, and 2) that "being embarrassed" about your President does not mean you don't support troops that are deployed). Anyway, the songs that were played during the set change were really interesting, and actually comment on the "situation":
While the music was playing, two things happened. the first was the entrance of lots of fans being escorted into the stage area, filing-in the area between the main stage and the snaky walkway. I have no idea how they got those tickets. It occurred to us that, with the stage in the center of the main floor, how were the Dixie Chicks going to get to the stage securely and safely? Why, Boxes o' Chicks! During Born in the U.S.A, stage hands came out of a tunnel, each pushing one of three large "Star" cases - you know the ones - the crates that are usually used to move and ship equipment. Well, these boxes were like 2' x 2' and at least 5' tall. They pushed them down the side aisle and into the stage area, under the stage. Within a minute, the stage hands pushed the boxes back, a little more quickly as you can now tell that the boxes were now empty. Weird, eh?
They open the show with Goodbye Earl, which gets the crowd going. (I love that song - it's just twisted). The thing that really got me (being the geek that I am and I still have an entertainment streak in me, not to mention a stage crew streak as well) was that snaky walkway. It turns out that it's made out of bright LED displays that accept video feeds! By using colors, animation, and video, it added a ton to each song. I was really impressed. The 8pm show, with Joan and the Chicks, ended at 11pm. Carol & I stuck around and watched the crew strike the set (since we didn't have to vacate the suite for an hour after the show, though we eventually wandered out and on our way home.
The show was good and entertaining. Two complaints: 1) being in a Penthouse suite really takes you away from the crowd and you feel a little "disconnected" instead of being part of the experience. 2) being in a Penthouse suite also means there are no speakers pointed your way, so you get a lot of reflection and echoes.
OK, now here's a little something extra and I'm praying I don't get into trouble...
I brought my Canon PowerShot S230 Digital Elph to the concert (they weren't allowing "pro" (SLR) cameras, and for some reason, when security "wanded" me, it never picked-up the camera in the pocket). Anyway, it's only got a 2x zoom, trying to get a tight shot on any of the performers was impossible. Now, I've "experimented" with a poor-man's telephoto lens that "sort-of" works under the correct circumstances. A low light situation like a concert is not one of those.
What I do is take the camera, zoom in all the way, and place a pair of binoculars in front of the lens. There's a lot of issues with this. First of all, alignment is critical - being off a fraction of a degree and the image drops off, both in sharpness and brightness, not to mention actually being off-line enough and lose the image either partially or completely. Trying to keep the alignment - holding the binoculars in one hand and the camera in the other is damn near impossible. In low light situations, you'll only get blurred images due to the decrease in light hitting the lens (going through the additional optics) as well as the "jiggling" between both devices by hand.
Now, the other thing that the S230 does is video. I can get 320x240 pixel image at 15 frames per second, with (poor) audio. The camera only shoots for 3 minutes in that setting ( I have no idea why). The resulting AVI files are over 20Mb for the 3 minutes.
So here's where me getting into trouble probably comes in... To show you an example of the positives/negatives that the binoculars have... I have two video samples for you!
Joan Osborne - One of Us - 3 minutes - 320x240 - 15fps - 22.9 Megabytes
Dixie Chicks - Goodbye Earl - 3 minutes - 320x240 - 15fps - 25.31 Megabytes
Now be quiet and don't get me in trouble! « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 10:13 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Friday 5 - Your place in the world
Time for another Friday Five...
1. What do you most want to be remembered for? Right now, I just want to be remembered. Could actually be an underlaying reason for why I started this blog in the first place...
2. What quotation best fits your outlook on life? I didn't claw my way up the food chain to eat vegetables!
3. What single achievement are you most proud of in the past year? I haven't really achieved a thing over the past year, with the exception of landing a permanent job after 19 months, but my buddy Barry was pretty instrumental in that...
4. What about the past ten years? 10 years isn't long enough. There's a few achievements in my career that I'm proud of, but just past 10 years ago. Nothing else come to mind.
5. If you were asked to give a child a single piece of advice to guide them through life, what would you say? Be polite and treat every human with respect, even when you don't think they deserve it.
posted at 06:46 AM | Link | Friday Five § |
Thursday, May 29, 2003
Amazing Race 4 - Episode 1 THEME
"Cheaters Never Win and They Cheated!"
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And another season of one of the best Reality TV shows begins... After the obligatory introduction of the 12 teams, host Phil Keoghan goes over the rules (13 legs, 9 Pit Stops...) with the teams at their starting point - Center Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The teams race for their bags near the warning track, grab the first Route Info on top of their bags, and proceed through the Center Field fence to waiting Mercedes SUV's in the parking lot. The clue" "Get yourselves to Milan, Italy. Once you're there, find the Route Marker inside the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II ...". There's $200 for the leg, and there's only 3 specific flights to take. OK, if the parking lot is any indication of what's ahead, we're in trouble. Some teams can't even get out of the parking lot. The Models (Tiann & Jaree) have to get a new car - the back hatch won't stay shut, and somehow don't seem to be too rushed to get to the airport. No one seems to know how to get to LAX (Team ATC - Air Traffic Controllers Steve & Dave - from Chicago figure it out by looking up in the air and watching the planes on final!), not to mention what appears to be some pretty poor driving. The Flights are Swissair at 2:55 that can carry 4 teams arrives at 1:15pm, Lufthansa at 2:55 that can carry 3 teams, but arrives 40 minutes later at 1:50pm, and KLM at 3:50 carrying 5 teams. At LAX, Josh (of Steve and Josh) realized that these other other gentlemen (Team ATC) were Air Traffic Controllers, so he wanted a little alliance with them and got them their tickets (the last ones for the Swissair flight) ahead of Team NFL (Monica & Sheree) who were right behind Josh in line, forcing the ladies to go elsewhere, and prompting tonights quote that is the title of the episode. Everyone leaves the country.
The Swissair flight arrives at 1:40pm, while the Lufthansa flight arrives at 1:50pm. It's a dash to the Galleria. One things for sure - The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas is definitely modeled after this place. The Route Info at the Route Marker says to search the Galleria for tickets for a charter bus, that leaves at 2am, 4am or 6am, and they only need to search the common area (which is over a mile of shops). Once they find a ticket and take it, it's theirs and they cannot exchange it. Well, these things were not easy to find, with two locations being in small crevices between a wall, and another underneath a railing around some al fresco seating at a café. At 3:20, the KLM flight arrives and now everyone is eventually looking for tickets. (Oh, BTW, one highlight of this episode is the repeated falling on their face of many different team members. I don't remember seeing this so much throughout the other 3 seasons!) The teams gravitate to the Hotel Nuovo to try to get a room for the night. Team Media (Debra & Steve) don't like the room rates, so they leave to "think about it". When they return later, the rest of the teams are there as take up the last rooms. Reichen & Chip decide that they would share the room with Debra & Steve. In an unusual event, later in the room, Steve breaks down and cries for not taking the room when he did. An awful sense of foreboding envelopes the scene. Meanwhile, Russel & Cindy "negotiate" a park bench in a plaza. Sniping ensues.
At 1:55am, teams start arriving to board their busses. Hay, wait a minute... where are thy going? They don't know. They are going into the Dolomite Mountains to the town of Cortina D'Ampezzo. The Route Info there says to goto Cinque Torri and go to the top via chairlift and find the Route Marker. The Route Marker is a Detour - "Search" or "Rescue". In "Search", teams get a locater beacon to search 160 acres of snow to find a signal under the snow, which is a set of keys for a snowmobile which they can drive to their next clue. In "Rescue", teams make their way to the huge rock "towers", crossing a 4-steel-cable alpine rescue bridge and using a zip line to get across a 250-foot ravine. No one choses "Search". Team ATC has problems after the crossing, when going down the hill to a route marker,
Team NFL goes for the Fast Forward and gets it by snowshoeing to a Route Marker on a hill in "nearby" Passo Giau. They now go directly to the Pit Stop - the Hotel Lajadira.
Now the moment of the night is when Team Date (Amanda & Chris) are coming down from "Rescue". Amanda is lagging behind and perhaps even whining just a little when Chris turns around and yells at her: "C'mon, Flo!" Whining and swearing ensues...
Team ATC, coming down from "Rescue" has a critical moment - Dave's knee buckles, significantly stalling and slowing their progress.
At the pit stop, three teams jump on the mat together - Team Virgin (Millie & Chuck), Team Date (Amanda & Chris), and Steve & Josh ( I haven't come up with a name for them yet). Phil looks a little confused, as if he's not sure he should say this, but tell them anyway that they've won a Trip to Hawaii from American Airline's website "which you can enjoy after the race". Team NFL shows up in 4th (remember - 3-way tie for first, no 2nd, no 3rd). Team ATC hobbles in in 5th.
The Models don't look like they're holding together very well. There's tension between Tiann, who seems a bit motivated and intense and Jaree who really acts like "Race? We're in a race???" This is evidenced as Jaree flirts with a shop owner and gets some free coffee - which she winds up not drinking because Tiann has been outside trying to get a cab and is finally successful.
Oh - another moment Team Clowns (Jon & Al) show up on the mat with red clown noses! (they finished 7th).
The "race" at the back of the back is actually "tight" between Team Media (Debra & Steve) and The Models (Tiann & Jaree). Debra is "freaking" on the Alpine bridge - her face is almost as white as the snow. It's a little tense as The Models go onto the bridge with her and pretty damn near push her out of the way at the end. Lots of careful editing follows the last two teams to the Pit Stop. Alas, Team Media slowly walks onto the mat, as Phil tells Debra & Steve that they are the last team to arrive. He's sorry to tell them that they've both been eliminated from the race.
Next week: snow rafting, Venice, and a Road Block that looks like it's from Eyes Wide Shut... « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 08:34 PM | Link | Reality TV | 1 comment § |
BanausicAs a sit here in my freezing cubicle (which has been this way for weeks) thinking about how I don't exactly enjoy what I'm doing, trying to wake up with some Starbucks House Blend that I had to make this morning to try to stay up after tossing and turning most of the night thinking about this blasted job, I surfed over to Merriam-Webster's, and here's today's Word of the Day:
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banausic • \buh-NAW-sik\ • adjective
: relating to or concerned with earning a living -- used pejoratively; also : utilitarian, practical
Example sentence:
Each summer, countless college students set aside their books and turn to more banausic tasks, such as waiting tables, to earn tuition and spending money for the coming year.
Did you know?
The ancient Greeks held intellectual pursuits in the highest esteem, and they considered ideal a leisurely life of contemplation. A large population of slaves enabled many Greek citizens to adopt that preferred lifestyle. Those who had others to do the heavy lifting for them tended to regard professional labor with contempt. Their prejudice against the need to toil to earn a living is reflected in the Greek adjective "banausikos" (the root of "banausic"), which not only means "of an artisan" and "nonintellectual," but also "vulgar."
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posted at 08:32 AM | Link | Work § |
Wednesday, May 28, 2003
Fame™
If you can just stomach Debbie Allen, this is a great show that I think one-ups American Idol by requiring the "Triple Threat" - It's not just about singing, but it's about dancing as well. Oh, and that star-quality persona.
posted at 08:32 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
One down, one to goWilliam Ligue Jr. pleaded guilty to aggravated battery against Kansas City Royals coach Tom Gamboa last September 19th at Comiskey Park (yes, back before "The Joan", at TPFKAC™). Now, lets see what happens to Ump Jumper Eric Dybas.
posted at 04:52 PM | Link | Baseball § |
Another one...Still another Nigerian 419 spam email...
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posted at 02:14 PM | Link | Nigerian 419 Fraud § |
TAR4 and BB4Just as a reminder for you Reality TV junkies out there - one of THE BEST Reality game shows - The Amazing Race - starts it's 4th season this Thursday at 8pm (7pm Central) with a 90 minute premiere. (Hey! It's Jerry Bruckheimer! How can you go wrong?!?)
Big Brother 4 will start Tuesday, July 8. The schedule looks like it will be on Tuesdays and Fridays at 8pm (7pm Central) and the live show will be Wednesdays at 9pm (8pm Central).
posted at 10:04 AM | Link | Reality TV § |
Tuesday, May 27, 2003
Why does that hurt?Did you ever step into the shower in the morning and realize that the water hitting your head actually hurts? I guess I was out in the sun a little too long yesterday when we were shopping and the very frew, scrawny, thin hairs that I still have at the top of my head can no longer fight-off the nasty UV waves from the sun. The whole top of my head is a bit red and, yes, it hurts.
posted at 08:20 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Monday, May 26, 2003
Back home
Well, from the parking lot at "The Joan" to my sister's driveway was only about an hour 10 minutes. Traffic was non-existent. The dogs went nuts when they saw us (of course). THe weather was about the same - high 60's and not a cloud in the sky. We hung around the house for a little while and then headed out fort dinner at Schulers Restaurant in Stevensville. Odd thing about the food - it was warm, not hot. Good, but warm. Odd. We were stuffed and passed on dessert and just headed back to the house to just veg-out for a while, and then off to bed.
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The next morning was sunny, clear, and chilly. After reading and morning coffee, Diane & Melinda worked on breakfast (complete with bacon from Falatic's Meat Market). THen we all got dressed to go shopping at Lighthouse Place Premium Outlets mall in Michigan City. Everybody had a sidewalk sale going (well, everyone except Bose), so there was a lot of shopping - and a lot of sitting on benches in the sun, waiting for people to come out of stores or waiting for people to join-up the group again. Then - back to the house for lunch. Diane grilled-up some burgers, dogs, and brats (all from Falatic's) and some corn on the cob. We ate and sat and talked more. Eventually, we started on our way back home (after stopping at a truck stop looking for Dentyne for Carol) and A&W (to take 2 half-gallons of root beer home). The drive was much better than I had expected - it only took 2 hours to drive back into the city, drop of my Mom and drive out to the suburbs to get home. We enjoyed our time up there - it was too short and Caro and I were regretting having to go to work tomorrow. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 07:20 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Sunday, May 25, 2003
White Sox 8 - Tigers 5 - 12 innings
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Back again at "The Joan", this time a bit earlier than normal. Carol and I had to drive into the city to pick up my mom on the way to the park. We're spending the rest of today and tomorrow at my sister's house in Michigan. Sort of a family thing. The main reason for getting to the park early was so that I could go on the field before the game to take some pictures. Today was Fuji Film Photo Day and the first 3,000 fans got to go on the field and take pictures of the players. We all just stand out on the warning track and the coaches and players go by and you get to take pictures of them (but, please, no autographs - slows the line down too much). Hey, I'll take any excuse to get onto the field legally. If you want to see them, are are my pictures from Fuji Film Photo Day. There were two guys that I noticed that were missing: Bartolo Colon who is serving a 5-game suspension, and Carlos Lee who got hit in the head last night.
Back in my seat before the game I had noticed that Carlos Lee was actually in the lineup! The game itself started out pretty well for Danny Wright, but in the top of the 4th he allowed home runs to Kevin Witt and Eric Munson on consecutive pitches in the fourth inning and it just felt like the nightmare was going to continue. Bottom of the 5th, and we're losing 3-0. Then Joe Crede gets hit by a pitch, Joe Borchard singles to right and D'Angelo Jimenez walks. With a 2-1 count against him, Carlos Lee launches a 439foot homerun deep into the stands in left, his second Grand Slam of the year (not bad for getting beaned in the head the night before!). Kelly Wunsch came in at the top of the 8th. He must have had too much fun during Photo Day, because he proceeds to give up a double, hit a guy, walk the next guy, strike out the next guy, but gives up a sac fly to right center scoring two of the runners. Tom Gordon comes in, gives up a single and the game is tied 5-5.
Because of family commitments, we leave the game after the bottom of the 9th and start our trip up to Michigan. We, of course, listen to the game on the way.
In the bottom of the 12th, Graffanino gets a hit, Konerko walks, and Joe Crede has a walk-off home-run, and the Sox avoid a sweep 8-5.
(Boxscore) « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 04:07 PM | Link | White Sox § |
Saturday, May 24, 2003
White Sox 0 - Tigers 1
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Back at "The Joan" on a blustery night. The temperature was tolerable out in the parking lot, but inside the park the wind is swirling and has a bite to it. This is the friggin' Memorial Day Weekend and I'm still freezing my ass off at this park! There's a good crowd - (if you call 27,535 a good crowd) - mostly here for the fireworks after the game and the free Wilson Fielder's Gloves for kids. The night starts as a pitching duel between Gary Knotts and Esteban Loaiza. What nobody expected was the Sox losing in a 1-0 shutout. To the Detroit Tigers. A one-run-loss for the second night in a row. This team is in serious trouble. The Sox were held to 3 hits. 3 hits and 5 left on base. (Nice to see that new hitting coach Greg Walker is working out so well - nobody on the team is now hitting over .286.) Carlos Lee got beaned in the helmet in the 7th (and went down hard - he was in pain) and even that didn't spark the team. Loaiza gave up 4 hits, only 1 run on 5 strikeouts - but had 4 walks - and his ERA goes down in the loss (to 1.92). Hitting? Forget it. Joe Borchard (called-up on Thursday and the 5th starting center fielder for the team) walked in 8th, and Jerry Manuel lets Frank Thomas (who was sitting out) hit for Miguel Olivo. Oooooo. Like that is going to help. Wrong - it's the 2003 version of Frank Thomas. He strikes out. And that summarizes the play of the team. The crowd was pretty upset from the 6th inning on, booing the end of the inning and getting louder each inning.
You know things are bad when, after the last out in the 9th (a double play thanks to my favorite player (not) Brian Daubach (.185) (why the hell is he on this team???)) a kid throws his fielder's glove out onto the field. A kid.
The fans are pissed. This is the friggin' Detroit Tigers. If the Jerry Manuel watch hasn't started yet, I thought I heard a stopwatch ticking after this loss. I know people are saying Fire Sale - I believe in the players. I know what they can do. I know what they're capable of - we've seen it in the past. I I just don't understand why they're not performing.
(Boxscore) « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 09:55 PM | Link | White Sox § |
Friday, May 23, 2003
Spring?The drive in this morning was quick - light traffic probably for those people starting early on "getaway day" for the long holiday weekend. When I got out of the car at the office, I noticed that the parking lot was damp, as if it just rained. I inhaled and sure enough, it must have rained because the air had that wonderful smell of rain. You know that smell, don't you? It's very distinctive. Moist. Clean. I really love and appreciate that smell. It put a totally different spin on my morning, just smelling that rain in the air as i walked into the building.
posted at 08:07 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Friday 5 - Brands
Time for another Friday Five...
1. What brand of toothpaste do you use? Crest gel
2. What brand of toilet paper do you prefer? Oh, oh... this is a wife-thing. She buys it and I never see it in the wrapping, so I don't know what it is!
3. What brand(s) of shoes do you wear? Rockports
4. What brand of soda do you drink? I'm a Coca-Cola Man, not a Pepsi man (which, somehow, has infiltrated every sporting venue that I go to...). Specifically, Caffeine-Free Coke. Runners up: Green River, IBC Root Beer.
5. What brand of gum do you chew? Favorite stick - Juicy Fruit. Has to be something that lasts a while. I've got some grape Big League Chew at my desk, too.
posted at 06:24 AM | Link | Friday Five § |
Thursday, May 22, 2003
Where's Mom?Carol and I are in the middle of dinner when the phone rings. It's my sister. After her normal opening line of "Whatcha doing?" and my reply, she asks an odd question:
"When was the last time you talked to mom?"
Oh, oh. Where is this going. We both talked to her on Tuesday, and Diane has been trying to call her all day and there's been no answer. Our mother is a major creature of habit. She does things on certain days of the week and she never varies from it. Ever. No matter the reason. It's not like her to be "gone" all day. Diane was on her way up to Michigan for the long weekend and wanted to touch base before she left. Now we're both a little unsettled, and Diane says she's going to try to call her again.
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So, I tell this all to Carol, and now the three of us are a little concerned. Diane calls back - she's on her way over to the house. We finish up dinner, watch some things on TiVo when Diane calls again. She's in front of the house - she's not there. She went through the house ands it looks like she may have gone somewhere. So I ask her if the mail has been picked up and if there's a newspaper and she says she didn't look, so she goes back inside. Sure enough, there's a newspaper from today and the mail's been taken in. That's when Diane remembers that she may have talked to her yesterday. Well, Diane starts writing a note to let mom know what's going on and we'll just see what happens.
About 10 minutes pass when the phone rings - this time it's my mom. She went shopping downtown all morning and went out with some ladies to dinner to celebrate a birthday, so Diane's phone calls were during the times she wasn't there.
So, it's a long story about what turns out to be not a big deal. Our imaginations took us to dark little corners of our minds for no particular reason and we'll all be together on the weekend. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 08:28 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Well, they're better...Snuck out of work a few minutes early to go pickup Carol and get my car back from Midas before they closed at 6. Carol & I had to stop for a moment on the way out of her parking lot to look at a family of geese, parked alongside the road - 2 adults and 9 goslings. Had to move along, though, as we were blocking traffic of people trying to leave the building.
I'm not used to the brakes now. I've been driving so long with brakes that grab and grind, and now these feel... softer? I guess I'm going to have to get used to applying more pressure earlier, as it feels like the car sails past where I want it to stop.
posted at 06:26 PM | Link | Mundane § |
GrgrgrgrgrgrgrrrrrOK, I can't take this anymore. I need brakes. I need them NOW. They sound terrible. We're way past chirping and squeaking. We're way past the start of that terrible audible grinding noise, and now we're into the bad-grinding-noise-with-ineffectual-braking. Off to Midas to get the work done on the Infiniti. I drove Carol to work in her Suzuki Grand Vitara. I'm not used to driving an SUV - the whole drive to work felt different just because I was higher than I normally am (wait... that's not to say I was high... I was just further off the pavement).
Update: $320 was much less than I expected. They only need to do the front - the rear is fine
posted at 08:35 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Wednesday, May 21, 2003
$360 lighterA quick trip to our local Home Depot netted us a nice Genie Excelerator Garage Door Opener. Since I'm not a "hardware guy" as many people know, we also purchased installation as well. Hopefully we can get someone out pretty quick to do this.
posted at 07:26 PM | Link | Mundane § |
RrrrrWWWrrrrr.... RrrrrWWWrrrrr.... RrrrrWWWrrrrr....When I was pulling out of the driveway this morning, I was just lucky that something caught my eye as I was pulling away - the garage door was going back up. I pulled back onto the driveway and tried the garage door again. It goes down halfway, stops, and goes back up. Damn. Sure enough, our old track drive garage door opener is binding. After a few more tries, it's barely moving in either direction. Crap. Maybe the 18+ year old garage door opener should get replaced?
posted at 08:20 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Tuesday, May 20, 2003
Still more fraud email???I don't think I've receieved more than one of these in this quick succession. First was late last week, now I get another one.
Update: What the... a second one????
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From: "Igho Nikoro"
Reply-To: ighonikoro@zwallet.com
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Mon, 19 May 2003 22:18:07 +0200
Subject: In ref: Confidential Matters
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From: Igho Nikoro [mailto:ighonikoro@zwallet.com]
Sent: Monday, May 19, 2003 3:18 PM
Subject: In ref: Confidential Matters
Dear Sir,
I will like to solicit your help in a business proposition, which is by nature very confidential and a Top Secret.
I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make any one worried and apprehensive but I am assuring you not to worry, as all will be well at the end of this endeavor.
I am Mr. Igho Nikoro, General Manager of African Development Bank PLC. My partners and I have decided to seek your help in transfer of some amount of money requiring maximum confidence.
THE PROPOSITION
A foreigner, Late Engineer Mark Otagaki who was an oil merchant and contractor with the Federal Government of Nigeria until his death onboard the ill fated Kenyan Airways bus {A310300}was our customer at the AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK and had a balance of US$32 million which the bank now expects his next of kin to claim as the beneficiary.
We have made valuable efforts to get his people to no avail as he had no known relatives. Due to this development our management and the board of directors are making arrangements for the funds to be declared unclaimed and subsequently paid into the federal government purse. To avert this negative development my colleagues and I have decided to look for a reputable person to act as the next of kin to late Engr. Otagaki so that the funds will be released and paid into his account and this is where you come in.
All documents to aid your claim will be provided by my colleagues and I. Your help will be appreciated with a % of the total sum.
Please be assured that this transaction is safe and risk free. We will need your fax number and phone number for more communication.
Please reply soon.
Mr Igho Nikoro.
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Tue, 20 May 2003 18:58:34 -0400
Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 18:58:34 -0400
Message-Id: <200305202258.h4KMwYhn027632@anyi.com>
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
From: GABRIEL KALI
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From: GABRIEL KALI [mailto:gabkali@netscape.et]
Sent: Tuesday, May 20, 2003 5:59 PM
Subject: PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
You may be surprised to receive this letter from me since you do not know me personally. I am Gabriel kali, the first son of Gadik kali, one of the most popular black farmers in Zimbabwe who was murdered in the land dispute in my country.
I got your contact through network online hence decided to write you. Before the death of my father, he had taken me to Johannesburg to deposit the sum of US15.5 million (FIFTEEN MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS), in one of the private security company, as he foresaw the looming danger in Zimbabwe this money was deposited in a box as gem stones to avoid much demurrage from security company.
This amount was meant for the purchase of new machines and chemicals for the Farms and establishment of new farms in Swaziland. This land problem came when Zimbabwean President Mr. Robert Mugabe introduced a new Land Act Reform wholly affecting the rich white farmers and some few black farmers, and this resulted to the killing and mob action by Zimbabwean war veterans and some lunatics in the society.
In fact a lot of people were killed because of this Land reform Act for which my father was one of the victims. It is against this background that, my family and I fled Zimbabwe for fear of our lives and are currently staying in the Nigeria where we are seeking political asylum and moreso have decided to transfer my father's money to a more reliable foreign account.
Since the law of this country prohibits a refugee (asylum seeker) to open any bank account or to be involved in any financial transaction throughout the territorial zone. As the eldest son of my father, I am saddled with the responsibility of seeking a genuine foreign account where this money could be transferred without the knowledge of my government who are bent on taking everything we have got. The South African government seems to be playing along with them. I am faced with the dilemma of moving this amount of money out of this country for fear of going through the same experience in future, both countries have similar political history.
I am seeking for a partner who I have to entrust my future and that of my family in his hands. If you accept to assist me and my family, all I want you to do for me, is to make an arrangements with the security company to clear the consignment (funds) from their affiliate office here as I have already given directives for the consignment to be brought to the Netherlands from South Africa. But before then all modalities will have to be put in place like change of ownership to the consignment and more importantly this money I intend to use for investment. I have two options for you. Firstly you can choose to have certain percentage of the money for nominating your account for this transaction. Or you can go into partnership with me for the proper profitable investment of the money in your country. Whichever the option you want, feel free to notify me.
I have also mapped out 5% of this money for all kinds of expenses incurred in the process of this transaction. If you do not prefer a partnership I am willing to give you 15% of the money while the remaining 80% will be for my investment in your country. Contact me with the above E-mail address while I implore you to maintain the absolute secrecy required in this transaction.
Thanks, GOD BLESS YOU
Yours Faithfully,
GABRIEL KALI
« hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 11:28 AM | Link | Nigerian 419 Fraud § |
Monday, May 19, 2003
White Sox 2 - Blue Jays 12
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OK, so you're not feeling well. What do you do? Why you go seek the heeling powers of The Church of Baseball. We went to "The Joan" tonight (OK, this is a stretch - I'm calling TPFKAC™ "The Joan" right now because Joan Cusack is the spokesperson for U.S. Cellular, and I still can't call TPFKAC™ U.S. Cellular Field, so calling it "The Joan" seems twistedly appropriate.)
What a wonderful night! The weather is actually really nice (73 degrees), hardly a breeze. Soooo much better than the last game we were at. Unfortunately, in that last game the Sox lost 12-2. Who would have known that tonight's outcome would be the same! No hitting, no pitching. I have no faith in some of the starters (Dan Wright?), and less faith in the middle relievers (Rick White?). And I'm still trying to understand why we have Brian Daubach on the team (no speed, no arm). For a team that was supposed to take the division, we have nobody batting over .300 (D'Angelo Jimenez is the closest at .299, but Paul Konerko at .214?) So, the Sox fire hitting coach Gary Ward (we were hitting .249 and a paltry .228 with runners in scoring position) and brought up Greg Walker, hitting coach for Triple-A Charlotte the past two years. He's the fourth hitting coach under Jerry Manuel (who, BTW, got thrown out in the 5th for arguing a fair ball call at third, in one of his most animated tirades I've seen out of him - though the last minute and a half you just knew he was looking to get tossed). If Jerry is still here at the end of this series, and we lose the next series (against lowly Detroit), I say he's gone. Another great night night for a baseball game - too bad the team didn't show up to play.
(Boxscore) « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 10:59 PM | Link | White Sox § |
Not much better...Well, I'm toughing-it-out at work. I don't feel much better today, and the office is an icebox again. I just can't get warm. The pains are enough that, at times, it's not comfortable to stand-up straight. I'm going to go home and crawl into bed, turn on my electric blanket and sleep for a while. I don't need to be here right now. There's no major crisis here - and besides, I need to let the guys know what it's like to not have a helpdesk for a while. I need to shake this - I don't like feeling sick...
posted at 11:26 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Sunday, May 18, 2003
I feel awfull...Oh, oh... I'm not feeling so good... I don't think it had anything to do with dinner last night, but my whole abdomen is a little "touchy" right now. Like I'm bloated and crampy... The pain seems to come and go in waves. I just don't feel that good... no, definitely not from last night... food was too good...
posted at 02:25 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Saturday, May 17, 2003
Birthday DinnersToday, we went over to B&B's for a little "birthday celebration" for our friend Debbie as well as Carol - both had birthdays over the past week or so. We watched the Preakness (great race - didn't think Funny Cide would take this race, especially so handily), drank champagne, opened presents. Then it was off to Lincoln Park to have dinner at Mon Ami Gabi. Our table was at a window, and overlooked the Lincoln Park Conservatory. We hadn't been to this restaurant before - we've been to the one inside Paris Las Vegas a few times and always thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Well, tonight was no exception. I had issues tonight - I wanted two appetizers and soup and salad and an entrée and probably a dessert... and there was no way I was going to be able to do that. The place never disappoints. The wine was great, the service was great the food was great. After two bottles of wine and dinner, much discussion about West Wing and politics (and cherry flavored Vick's cough drops - don't ask), we had an absolutely fabulous time. We drove around the park afterward and went back to B&B's to watch a little tele and talk some more. What a great dinner. I can't rave about it enough.
posted at 10:53 PM | Link | Mundane § |
The franchise is out of control...
NBC just ran Trading Spaces: Boys vs. Girls. OK, it's only half an hour, and the host is even perkier than Paige Davis. The real kicker is that the teams don't have a budget. It really shows, too, as the final product for the two bedrooms had a much better feel (in regards to quality) than anything I've seen on Trading Spaces. I mean, they bought entertainment systems!
posted at 11:30 AM | Link | TV § |
Friday, May 16, 2003
Yes! The motto of my life!
Tonight, Carol & I were at Galyan's shopping for walking shoes. We passed through the department of baseball clothing and it just jumped right out at me! I saw it on the rack and it called to me. Too bad it was a kids size, but there it was - a t-shirt with a basball on it and writing around it. After 46 years of my life, I finally found the shirt that said what I've been saying here about my love of baseball and my "clock".
Life begins when the season starts
posted at 09:46 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Diagon Alley in Oak ParkOK, you Harry Potter fans out there... you know that at Midnight, June 20th the new book Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix gets released. If you happen to be around Oak Park at 9pm that evening, go to that great little "mall" area of stores at Oak Park and Lake, and you'll see them transformed into Diagon Alley. [T]he Magic Tree children's bookstore will become Flourish & Blott's bookstore, Café Winberie morphs into the Leaky Cauldron, and C. Foster Toys will take on the appearance of Quality Quidditch Supplies. Even US Bank will become Gringott's Wizarding Bank, with goblin-led tours to its basement vault.
posted at 11:43 AM | Link | Odd § |
Still getting Nigerian 419 Fraud EmailI'm still receiving Nigerian 419 Fraud Emails. I thought they would just go away. Apparently they haven't been able to stop this.
If you want to know more, there's an old article at The Slate - The Nigerian Nightmare. This Nigerian Scam is, according to published reports, the Third to Fifth largest industry in Nigeria. There is info about this at the U.S. Secret Service Financial Crimes Division website, and at the 419 Coalition Website.
Oh, and the EMail is below if you've never heard of this before.
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From: Barister Musa Abubakar
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Reply-To: musaabu@post.cz
Subject: Your Consideration
Date: Fri, 16 May 2003 13:25:44 +0100
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From: Barister Musa Abubakar [mailto:rotijnr@ecplaza.net]
Sent: Friday, May 16, 2003 7:26 AM
Subject: Your Consideration
I am an Attorney and close confidant of MRS. MARYAM ABACHA, the former first lady and wife of the late GEN. SANI ABACHA, the former head of state and commander in chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
She (MRS. M. ABACHA), has as a result of the trust and confidence she has in me mandated that I search for a reliable and trustworthy foreign partner, who will help receive some funds which she had in cash totaling US$45m (Forty Five Million United States Dollars Only) into a personal, company or any reliable foreign bank account for safe keeping for a short period of time, since her family bank accounts within and outside the country have all been frozen by the authorities. (I would refer you to the website of http://allafrica.com/stories/200203180074.html
http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/2000/27/swiss.html for further information about these money and the ABACHAS)
This money in question has however, been carefully kept in deposited with a securitycompany that has branches in Europe You may therefore be required to travel to the security company to collect the money on behalf of my client for safe keeping.
It may also interest you to know that she (MRS. ABACHA) and her family have, since the inception of the present democratic government, been placed under partial house arrest, with their international traveler's passports withdrawn pending the resolution of current fund recovery face - off between them and the present President RTD GEN. OBASANJO led Federal Government, which will still be in power for the next four years.
She has decided to offer anybody who will be willing to render this tremendous assistance 20% of the total sum, while 5% shall be set aside for incidental expenses.
Note that this transaction involves no risks whatsoever, as you will have no dealing with my Country, Nigeria. Rather, you will deal directly with the security company, which is based where the money is right now.
Let me have your
1. Full names
2. Contact address
3.confidential Tel/Fax Numbers
In your response to this proposal, I shall let you into a complete picture of this mutually beneficial transaction when I have received your anticipated positive reply. This matter should be treated as urgent and confidential. This is very important.
Your reply should be sent to my private mail address {musaabuchambers@lawyer.com}
Best Regards,
Barrister Musa Abubakar
« hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 11:17 AM | Link | Nigerian 419 Fraud § |
Friday 5 - Food
Time for another Friday Five...
1. What drinking water do you prefer -- tap, bottle, purifier, etc.? Prefer bottled - the absolute best is Voss - clean, smooth, silky, absolutely no aftertaste whatsoever. Unbelievable. But, I have to tell you - Chicago tap water is pretty damn good compared to other cities and towns...
2. What are your favourite flavor of chips? Barbecued or salt & vinegar
3. Of all the things you can cook, what dish do you like the most? Cook??? ME????
4. How do you have your eggs? Scrambled, over hard (but prefer Eggs Benedict!)
5. Who was the last person who cooked you a meal? How did it turn out? That would be Carol two nights ago and it was wonderful, as always. (I'm a very lucky man.)
posted at 06:51 AM | Link | Friday Five § |
Thursday, May 15, 2003
Flying Cows???I head this on the radio on the way home, and I had to see if this is really true.
People reported seeing flying cows.
At George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch.
Well, they really weren't flying... unless you call jumping off a cliff "flying"... apparently the cows were grazing and got "spooked" and started running... right off a cliff, onto "Lucas Valley Road". Unfortunately, 2 cows had to be put down.
posted at 05:34 PM | Link | Odd § |
Survivor 8 - All StarsSurvivor 6 (Survivor: The Amazon) just finished airing, Survivor 7 (Pearl Islands) was just announced and hasn't even started shooting (they even, for the first time, outsmarted Survivor Maps from getting the scoop on the new location as they thought it was going to be the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve in Quintana Roo, Mexico), and now word comes out (because of the networks UpFront presentations (where they tell the press about their fall lineups)) that Survivor 8 will be an All-Star show, with contestants from prior seasons.
posted at 11:22 AM | Link | Survivor | 1 comment § |
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
WorkStressI've been in the IT industry for 25 years now. I've had lows and highs over that time. I've never felt as low as I have over the last 5 months. Instead of being a tech lead I've been "riding" a Help Desk for the last 5 months. It has been the worst job I've had over the 25 years, even worse than being a computer operator and the beginning of my career. I don't get to manage or "own" anything. I just answer phone calls, fix what I can as a typical Level 1 person would do, and if not - "throw it over the wall" to the (few) other people that work here (there are only 6 of us).
I took this job because, after being out of work for almost 19 months, the money got too tight. I'm only making 63% of what I used to, so it's hard to makeup the difference over the 19 months and the difference in current salary. The job isn't all that challenging - the company is downsizing (well, considering there used to be over 50 people in IT), and the call volume varies radically from 0 in 4 hours to non-stop calls. Then there's the calls on Sundays that I won't go into because it just makes my blood boil... I've received no training to speak of. The documentation is close to being non-existant. I'm a "big picture" kind of guy - I want to understand how things "fit" together, how things feed and flow. That way, I could make some (semi-)intelligent decisions in problem, determination. I'm not getting that.
In general, I'm just not happy.
There's also something happening there that I don't want to discuss right now, though you will probably hear about it here in a few weeks, I suppose. I guess I need to start looking again - see if the market has changed at all. I don't want to be doing this for the rest of my career.
I am just not happy. I want to be happy again.
posted at 10:17 PM | Link | Work § |
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
*buuuurrrp*
Carol, with today being her birthday and all, picked the place where she wanted to have dinner tonight. Me, being the idiot that I am, went with Barry to a Chinese buffet for lunch. I realized my problem sometime mid-afternoon when I realized I wasn't hungry.
Dinner was at Pappadeaux in Arlington Heights. Carol got a crawfish Bisque and Mahi Mahi. Me... well, I was looking for something light. That was until Joseph our server pitched the special tonight - 2 pounds of crab legs for the price of 1. So I had 2 pounds of crab legs that were sweet and meaty for $15.95. What a deal! I plowed through the crab legs, the dirty rice, the cajun corn-on-the-cob... it was wonderful. Oh, and Carol had a nice birthday dinner, too. Right now, I'm full. I feel the need to lie down...
posted at 07:14 PM | Link | Mundane | 1 comment § |
HB, dear!"The Spousal Unit", also known as my wife Carol, is now as old as I am - she turned 46 today. Happy Birthday, dear!
You see, when I turn x years old in January, she starts calling me an "Old Man", because I'm "one year older" - until today when she "catches up" and becomes the same age as me.
Oh, and I know my place. I would NEVER call her an "Old Lady" today...
posted at 06:51 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Monday, May 12, 2003
American StoriesI was looking for something to watch while I was on the computer tonight, trying to clean-up some email. Usually on a Monday night I'd probably watch Crossing Jordan, but just couldn't get myself to watch that Three's company movie on NBC. I switched over to Channel 11 (our local PBS affiliate), and saw that Ken Burns American Stories was on. They were broadcasting "Inning 6" of his Baseball series. I hadn't seen this series in years (it was originally broadcast in 1994). I love looking back at baseball. I just love baseball, I can't help it. Watching this just makes me feel good. Baseball showed everything that was right with America... at least as it was up to about 30-40 years ago. It makes me feel whole. I can't explain it. (Was I a ball player in a prior life? Why do I feel good at a ball park? Why am I drawn to this game?)
posted at 10:07 PM | Link | Mundane | 1 comment § |
Sunday, May 11, 2003
The measurement of a windy dayA sure sign of a windy day is the sight of pulsing of the water in your toilet bowl. Or even worse, no water in your toilet boil. Man, it's windy out there today...
posted at 11:55 AM | Link | Mundane § |
*creak*The wind hs been howling and gusting all morning. I hate being woke up early on a day when I can legitimately sleep. The wind gusts are rattling the windows on either side of the bed. Every once in a while, the house creaks just a little bit. It's only around 50 degrees outside - when I finally got to bed last night after the tornado sirens, it was 72. It's cold, it's gloomy - the perfect day for sleep. But, no, the wind wakes me up and keeps me there.
posted at 08:58 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Saturday, May 10, 2003
Tornado SirensHoly crap holy crap holy crap... I've lived in Hoffman Estates almost 19 years and I've never heard the tornado sirens go off in the township. Oh crap. This is a bit scary...
Update: Well, the rain came - hard. Then nothing. There was a funnel cloud sighted 7 miles southwest of Bartlett moving northeast. I'm sure that's what triggered the sirens here. Then, during the calm, we heard sirens again, but it was the Hoffman Estates siren (which is under 1000' feet from my house). It must have been other surrounding suburbs. Well, we made it through that one.
posted at 11:16 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Live from Baseball As America audblog audio post
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This morning, after all of the rain, Carol and I head into the city to pickup Barry & Buffy to go to the Field Museum to see a special exhibit - Baseball As America. It's a traveling exhibit from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum that's there from February 8 to July 20, sort of to coincide with the All-Star Game. It's the first time that some of the artifacts have left the Hall of Fame for a tour. This was a wonderful exhibit. A must see for any baseball fan. It'll be touring the country for another 2 years, so see if it's coming anywhere near you (If you're in NY or LA, you're out of luck - you missed it). People spent a long time at each exhibit piece looking, reading, talking. They just soaked it in. I can't tell you how many men I saw there that, at one time or other in the exhibit, were wiping their moist eyes (myself included). It really showed how baseball mirrors life in America. I just can't say enough about the exhibit.
We didn't stay too long at the museum. The sun had finally come out and we took a walk around the Museum Campus. Though the sun was out, the breeze off the lake made it feel a little chilly.
We then drove to Stanley's Kitchen & Tap on Lincoln for dinner. We're talking "comfort food" here - fried chicken, pot roast, meat loaf. A great bar, too. (A very large whiskey selection).
Then it was back to B&B's to discuss our Florida Trip. We'll be in Orlando for a week starting June 21. We wanted to make some dinner reservations for some specific places (like Emeril's Tchoup Chop). Then we were off to get home and collapse. « hide the extended part of this entry
posted at 01:48 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Friday, May 09, 2003
Hail!
We heard it on the police scanner first - calls from the local suburbs alerting their patrols of the Severe Thunderstorm Warning with up to golfball size hail. We could hear the thunder in the distance. And then it started - the hail started first. Not the rain, not the wind - the hail. It was like the leading edge of whatever was moving in. It started slow, but the noise was distinctive - it wasn't the small, pea-sized hail. this was much larger, and the sound on the aluminum siding was loud, but not as jarring as the "pinging" against the glass windows. It wasn't golfball sized, but it was the size of somewhere around a penny or nickel. Thank God it didn't last long at all. The wind and rain that followed was pretty significant, but it, too didn't last.
posted at 11:49 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Dinner at OCB
After work tonight, I picked-up Carol at her office to go out to dinner. Carol brought me up to her offices to take a look around before we left. Let's just say I'm a little jealous of the office space. It's really a nice environment compared to where I'm working right now. Anyway, we went down the street to OCB. Yes, that's Old Country Buffet. Yeah, I know - big Friday night out and you take your wife to Old Country Buffet. Carol loves the place, so we went. Ever notice the people at OCB? You just don't see "professionals" there. It's more of the people that have no aspirations of being upper-middle class. And I just so love it when they let their kids run around at a friggin' buffet. I can't tell you how many people I saw that almost got taken out by a kid out of control. I just don't think 4 year old can help themselves at the buffet without food going everywhere. Just my opinion... as we left, I heard on the radio that it was 87 degrees at the lakefront! Cripes, I was freezing my ass off at a baseball game less than a week ago! Well, it's going to rain most of the weekend, so that should screw up a few things.
posted at 07:11 PM | Link | Mundane § |
My first audblog audio post audblog audio post
So, here it is - My first audblog audio post on this website. It was a little bumpy getting things setup (the entry got posted 10 times, so I guess there's some kinks that need to be worked out). Hopefully, this will just be another way for me to enter stuff here when I'm not around a machine. I was a bit too quiet, though. It's hard when you're in a cube at work and you just don't want others to know what you're doing!
posted at 10:42 AM | Link | Mundane | 1 comment § |
Friday 5 - Organization
Time for another Friday Five...
1. Would you consider yourself an organized person? Why or why not? Noooo!!!! Are you kidding? Have you ever seen my desk???
2. Do you keep some type of planner, organizer, calendar, etc. with you, and do you use it regularly? No. I used to, when I had a functioning Palm device, but that was some time ago.
3. Would you say that your desk is organized right now? Work desk - somewhat. Home desk - not really, but I know where things are!
4. Do you alphabetize CDs, books, and DVDs, or does it not matter? No, it doesn't matter to me. The collections are small enough that the organization is irrelevant.
5. What's the hardest thing you've ever had to organize? My portion of a Data Center move.
posted at 06:58 AM | Link | Friday Five § |
Thursday, May 08, 2003
Sleep: what can you do?I went to bed "early" last night - about 20 after 10. I was still awake at 3am. I blame Carol. Well, I mean I'm blaming my lack of sleep during that period to all of the noises she was making - snoring, gurgling, and you know, that incessant breathing. She's had it rough for the last week or so. Her company converted from an AS/400 custom app to Oracle based financials. The conversion wasn't smooth, and she has to manually enter 1,500 orders and another 750 came in this week. She's exhausted. So, if she's sleeping, this is a good thing and I can't be selfish and wake her up and get her to stop facing me and snoring and, well, that breathing thing... you know how it is. In the dead of night, every little sound gets amplified. After 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, and hour... things just kind of "add up" and it becomes an insurmountable problem. Oh well, she got some sleep. I, in the meantime, am a wreck. The only thing that's going to save me this morning is coffee. And that's how my day begins.
posted at 08:01 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Wednesday, May 07, 2003
The wall?I seem to be trying to find more time to sleep, a few minutes in the morning, earlier times getting to bed. I'm not on the computer as much at home in the evenings. I'm with Carol, watching TV, or playing with Indy. There's not too much to write here. Every day seems to be about the same - same day at work, same day at home. A rut? Quite possibly. I'm just finding it hard to write here. Did I hit a wall? If I did, I hope it's temporary because my writing here, well, sucks.
I'm feeling reluctant to talk about work. You know, I can't name names or say anything disparaging about my employer - I sort of need my job, so no reason to risk that.
But I've got to tell you, there's two things that maybe I should think about sharing.
The first is my daily commute. Some days, there is absolutely nothing to talk about. Other days (like yesterday) you just run into the most unruly drivers. It kind of goes along with my Pet Peeves that I need to expand a bit. It's has become so bad, that I'm actually driving with my digital camera in my hand so I can say "If you see this idiot on the road - stay away from him!".
The second really does have to do with my job. I'm currently riding a Help Desk. If you are an IT professional and if you've ever had to take calls from the user community, you know that some of them are just doozies. Maybe I could talk about some of those. When the phone rings, that is, and that's not happening too much lately. Peaks and valleys - never know what kind of day it's going to be.
Anyway, that's why it's been boring here. I just need to get motivated to write again, and find a way to make mundane into something to write about.
posted at 09:05 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Tuesday, May 06, 2003
Amazing Race 4CBS has finally decided to start airing The Amazing Race 4, starting Thursday, May 29, at 8 PM EDT (in Survivor's time slot). Here's the team info:
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- Amanda Adams and Chris Garry, dating couple, from Sioux Falls, SD. Amanda, 25, is a medical technician; Chris, 28, is a freelance graphics designer.
- David Dean and Jeff Strand, best friends, from Los Angeles. David, 32, owns a marketing agency; Jeff, 37, is a real estate broker.
- Debra and Steve Carmody, the married parents, from Louisville, Kentucky. Debra, 49, is director of an artists' colony; Steve, 40, is news director for a radio station.
- Jon Weiss and Al Rios, best friends and clowns, from Long Island. Jon, 40, works as a "human cannonball" for the circus; Al, 34, is an ex-circus clown who now works as a substitute teacher with occasional cruise-ship clowning on the side.
- Kelly Parks and Jon Corso, the engaged couple, from Miami. Kelly, 30, is a model; Jon, 28, is a real estate agent.
- Millie Smith and Chuck Shankles, dating couple (for 12 years) and self-professed virgins, from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Millie, 29, works as an instructor for the Tennessee Aquarium; Chuck, 28, has worked in a series of short-term physical occupations.
- Monica Ambrose and Sheree Buchanan, NFL wives and moms, from Duluth, Georgia. (Wives of Atlanta Falcon Ray Buchanan and former Atlanta Falcon Ashley Ambrose, who was cut from Atlanta in February and was signed by the New Orleans Saints.) Monica, 29 and a mother of two, was an Indianapolis Colts cheerleader; Sheree, 31, has three children.
- Reichen Lehmkuhl and Chip Arndt, married couple, from Los Angeles. Reichen, 28, is a pilot and an instructor at a flight school; Chip, 36, has started his own media-related company. We do not know if this is a civil union or a legal marriage, but we'll probably find out before the race is over.
- Russell Brown and Cindy Duck, friends who are dating, from the greater Los Angeles area. Russell, 32, is a model and entrepreneur; Cindy, 39, is a former model and inventor.
- Steve Meitz and Dave Cottingham, air traffic controllers, from Chicago. Steve is 46; Dave 43.
- Steve and Josh Cottingham, (oh, oh... is there a screw-up in the names here?) father and son, from Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, respectively. Steve, 47, is a supervisor at a juvenile detention facility; Josh, 21, is a computer technician.
- "Tian" Kitchen and Jaree Poteet, models, from Miami Beach. Tian is 30; Jaree 33.
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posted at 12:33 PM | Link | Reality TV § |
Monday, May 05, 2003
Another groggy morningAnother morning where... I... just... can't... seem... to... get... going... Lots of rain again overnight, nasty wind and lightning (and, of course, thunder). Looks like the other states around us got hit hard. I feel like I'm still cold from Saturday night - I just can't seem to get warm. The shower didn't help at all. Maybe if I can get through some coffee, I'll be better. I hate that feeling, where your extremities just feel cold. Well, that, and add in the fatigue factor... maybe I'm coming down with something... great - now my hypochondria is kicking in...
posted at 09:46 AM | Link | Mundane § |
Sunday, May 04, 2003
Glad I didn't goWell, the weather really turned sour tonight - wind, cold, thunderstorms. Glad I decided not to go to the game. Oh, the Sox lost again in a rain shortened game. I just couldn't tolerate another day like yesterday.
What the hell is going on with the weather?!?!?!? This is MAY!!!!
posted at 09:18 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Saturday, May 03, 2003
White Sox 2 - Mariners 12
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Let me preface this by saying that there was no way in hell I was staying for the whole game. I have never done this. I get there early for BP. I stay until the final out. I love baseball. I was so friggin' uncomfortable at the park, I couldn't stand it. I would have toughed it out, but I'm just too friggin' tired of watching the teams that I follow just roll over and not show up to play. We were losing 6-0 after 2 innings (and one hour of play!). Gametime temperature was 56 degrees and going down, winds blowing in off the lake. It was too damn cold. I just couldn't watch the the boys lose in that weather. Since they gave up, I gave up. I made it home in enough time to watch the 9th on TV at home. Sorry, boys. You sucked tonight. Not only did Seattle get 12 runs, but they also stranded 11 runners. Way too many guys on the bases.
Since tomorrow is the same team, the same weather but windier and rain, and the ESPN Sunday Night Game instead of a day game, I just can't give you my support tomorrow night. I'm skipping the game and trying to rest-up a bit. Hope you have a good game - for a change.
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posted at 09:21 PM | Link | White Sox § |
TiVo to the rescue!!!
Last Thursday morning, we were figuring out what we were going to do about TiVo. Bush was going to do his aircraft carrier speech at 8:00, and that would skew the start times of CSI and ER. This has happened before, so the easiest thing to do is keep the start time, but add time to the end time.
Today, as we watched CSI, we noticed something that has never happened before. I started viewing the program, and fast forwarded to get to the beginning of the show - and I overshot by a lot. Somewhere along the way, TiVo adjusted the start-time of the show by 20 minutes! I don't know how they did that, as in the morning it was still set to go at 8:00 but when I looked at the program summary, the start time was listed as 8:20. Maybe it's because of our new DirecTV TiVo and they were able to get the program information to the box without a phone call. Spooky.
posted at 11:55 AM | Link | Technology § |
Friday, May 02, 2003
Gracie leavesOn the way home, as we're getting off the Northwest Tollway at Roselle Road, I get a cell phone call. It's my sister Diane - they just landed and wanted to know if they could pickup Gracie. So, about 45 minutes later, they all show up at the house. They all seemed a little tired, but they seemed to have enjoyed their week at The Venetian in Las Vegas. Gracie was excited to see everyone and looked a little confused when she was leaving. She was a good dog this week. Hope she had a good time, too.
posted at 11:48 PM | Link | Mundane § |
Wolves 0 - Griffins 2 - Western Conference Semifinals - Game 4
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The team was up to the challenge. At the end of the first period, it's a scoreless tie. OK, we're not losing. At the end of the second period, it's a scoreless tie. OK, we're still not losing. It's a tough fight. The, with 1:57 left in the third, the Griffins score. We pull the goalie for the extra attacker, and the Giffins score and empty-netter.
The Wolves lose. The season is over. The Calder Cup leaves our hands for destination unknown. It was nice having it.
And now, we bid adeau to our friends at the Allstate Arena. Until next year.
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posted at 10:41 PM | Link | Wolves § |
The West WingI can't imagine how this is going to affect one of my favorite dramas: Writers and Executive Producers Aaron Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme have quit The West Wing. (Articles from LA Times, NJ Star Ledger, Washington Post 1 and 2, and New York Times). Has it really "Jumped the Shark"?
posted at 01:43 PM | Link | TV § |
Friday 5 - 5 Songs
Time for another Friday Five...
1. Name one song you hate to admit you like.
2. Name two songs that always make you cry.
3. Name three songs that turn you on.
4. Name four songs that always make you feel good.
5. Name five songs you couldn't ever do without.
OK, I'm not playing this week. Here's the deal - I'm just not into music that much. I have a hard time recalling songs, let alone what I had for dinner last night. So, I think I'll skip this week. Let's see what next week brings.
posted at 06:39 AM | Link | Friday Five § |
Thursday, May 01, 2003
Wolves 1 - Griffins 2 - Western Conference Semifinals - Game 3
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OK, here's where we stand: The Wolves played the first two games of this series in Grand Rapids. On Monday, they lost 4-3 in overtime. Tuesday, they lost 3-1. Grand Rapids is the Number 1 seed (48-22-8-2), and we knew this was going to be hard. I just wanted the guys to take one of the games. It seems like this team just wants to dig a hole and then claw their way out of it.
Which brings us to tonight.
Ten minutes into the game and we're losing 2-0, one of which is a shorthanded goal only 1:11 after the first goal. They're not playing well at all. A lot of weird calls by Craig Spada (one each side for diving). We get a power play goal toward the end of the first. The second period starts and the boys have more energy and are much more aggressive, outshooting them 14-6. OK, we can still pull this out. Third period rolls around, and the energy and aggressiveness is there, but wanes. It looks like they "don't want it." A bunch of players aren't seeing what's going on and actually look like they're not participating. Toward the end, it's a bunch of passing and no shooting. We go 6-on-5 - nothing happens. In fact, we can't keep the puck in their zone. Last 30 seconds - the crowd (3,110) is booing.
We lose, we're down 0-3 in the series. This team cannot win 4 games in a row against Grand Rapids. The next game is tomorrow - will it be the last one for us this season?
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posted at 10:24 PM | Link | Wolves § |
Oh, man... wireless + bunny = goodFor once, a bunny entry that is not about our own Indy. I snagged this link from Boing Boing about a bunny that was rescued from a car park that had a taste for CAT-5 cables, printer cables, audio cables, power cables, mouse cables...
posted at 02:33 PM | Link | Bunnies § |
The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out...I've gone through the STS-107 Press Kit, but I haven't been able to find out any detail of this experiment, but...
Technicians going over the Columbia wreckage finally opened-up a middeck locker of an experiment and found hundreds of live worms in it. The worms only have a life span of about 10 days, so these worms were 4 or 5 generations away from the original worms on the flight and were part of an experiment testing a new synthetic nutrient solution. They were supposed to have been examined and unloaded from Columbia within hours of landing, so there's probably no scientific value to these worms, just more of a curiosity.
posted at 01:12 PM | Link | Space § |
*nose wiggle*posted at 06:41 AM | Link | Memes § |
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