From Overheard in New York - not a website I would frequent but I followed a link to it from another blog...mostly racy but some amusing content, such as the following:
Yuppie girl #1: Last night I actually had to tie Dave's tie for him.
Yuppie girl #2: Dave, please be more inept.
Yuppie girl #1: I know. It's sad. Where the [heck] would guys be without us girls?
Middle-aged man: Still in the Garden of Eden....
--Penn Station
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
No Joy In Cardinal Nation...
As if our season hadn't already started off on the wrong foot, now we' ve got to deal with another death in the family. Shades of DK!!!
R.I.P. Josh Hancock.
He was born in 1978, same as my brother. That sends a few chills down my spine. My parents and I had just been to the game last Wednesday night, though Hancock didn't pitch then. Predictably, tributes of all shapes and sizes have begun to appear at the gates of Busch Stadium. The 9:00 local news interviewed several tearful fans who mourned as they would for an actual blood relative.
On a happier note, I took part in my first trivia night last evening. Some friends of mine from bible study regularly participate in trivia nights and needed a fill-in. I had never been to a trivia night before so I accepted their invitation just for the experience, if nothing else. It was a fun night overall but my team finished in 6th place out of 32 teams. If it were a NASCAR race you'd say we "finished back in the pack." I answered a few questions but wasn't spectacular. What was amusing was the passion that people show for their trivia. I had no idea.
I was in a carpool with my friends, since the trivia night was up in Alton, Illinois and we all stopped by a "garden party" hosted by another friend from bible study...it made for a late night so I didn't get to bed till after 1 a.m.
This year's home improvements have been planned. I'll be getting a ground water drainage system installed around the front of my house's foundation and also will get two cracks in my basement walls sealed up. After that, my driveway and front porch will be torn out and re-constructed. These should be my last major expenditures for a while.
R.I.P. Josh Hancock.
He was born in 1978, same as my brother. That sends a few chills down my spine. My parents and I had just been to the game last Wednesday night, though Hancock didn't pitch then. Predictably, tributes of all shapes and sizes have begun to appear at the gates of Busch Stadium. The 9:00 local news interviewed several tearful fans who mourned as they would for an actual blood relative.
On a happier note, I took part in my first trivia night last evening. Some friends of mine from bible study regularly participate in trivia nights and needed a fill-in. I had never been to a trivia night before so I accepted their invitation just for the experience, if nothing else. It was a fun night overall but my team finished in 6th place out of 32 teams. If it were a NASCAR race you'd say we "finished back in the pack." I answered a few questions but wasn't spectacular. What was amusing was the passion that people show for their trivia. I had no idea.
I was in a carpool with my friends, since the trivia night was up in Alton, Illinois and we all stopped by a "garden party" hosted by another friend from bible study...it made for a late night so I didn't get to bed till after 1 a.m.
This year's home improvements have been planned. I'll be getting a ground water drainage system installed around the front of my house's foundation and also will get two cracks in my basement walls sealed up. After that, my driveway and front porch will be torn out and re-constructed. These should be my last major expenditures for a while.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
I blew the dust off my other blog...
Don't look now, but my other blog has just been updated. My podcast software has yet to be re-installed so I won't do a podcast of it just yet.
Changes under the hood...
One of the things I did during my vacation last week was order up some parts to upgrade my computer at home. It had been 5 years since my last upgrade so it was time. I debated whether to buy a new pre-built system from Dell or use my mad computer tech skillz to perform a DIY upgrade. I have done the latter every time I have needed an upgrade so that's the route I chose this time. The parts arrived on Saturday and I performed successful upgrade surgery before leaving for the concert at UMSL.
(which, by the way, was AWESOME. The Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band is stocked full of the best Los Angeles studio players and they were at the top of their game. I hope they had fire extinguishers handy because they durn near set the place on fire!)
I started from scratch with a fresh load of Windows XP and all the programs that I use. I only had a couple of minor glitches when the new system board suddenly began short circuiting, due to its coming in contact with metal in the computer case. That meant it would power on for a few seconds, then power off. A few minor adjustments solved that problem.
For anyone who's interested here's my new setup:
ASUS M2N-E Socket AM2 system board
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (2.01ghz) dual-core energy efficient CPU
1GB Crucial DDR-2 RAM (512 MB x2)
Thermaltake 430-watt power supply
WD CaviarSE 160GB SATA2-300 hard drive
Gigabyte NVIDIA GeForce 7300GS PCI-E graphics card (512MB RAM - 256MB onboard)
(all from mwave.com)
I kept my Plextor CD writer and Sony CD-ROM drive along with my 80GB IDE hard drive. The Sony CD-ROM is attached to the on-board IDE and I have a SIIG Ultra-ATA 133 PCI controller card running the other two drives. I also kept my Dell flat-panel LCD.
The new system is really, really fast. The few video games that I play look fabulous and run much more smoothly. I can finally run iTunes with my iPod in real time. My digital photo processing should be much faster as well. This should do me for at least another 5 years! : )
................
on a completely unrelated note, it really stinks to get to work and find that you left your lunch sack at home on your kitchen counter! *EDIT* it turns out I left it in my car, not at home.
(which, by the way, was AWESOME. The Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band is stocked full of the best Los Angeles studio players and they were at the top of their game. I hope they had fire extinguishers handy because they durn near set the place on fire!)
I started from scratch with a fresh load of Windows XP and all the programs that I use. I only had a couple of minor glitches when the new system board suddenly began short circuiting, due to its coming in contact with metal in the computer case. That meant it would power on for a few seconds, then power off. A few minor adjustments solved that problem.
For anyone who's interested here's my new setup:
ASUS M2N-E Socket AM2 system board
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (2.01ghz) dual-core energy efficient CPU
1GB Crucial DDR-2 RAM (512 MB x2)
Thermaltake 430-watt power supply
WD CaviarSE 160GB SATA2-300 hard drive
Gigabyte NVIDIA GeForce 7300GS PCI-E graphics card (512MB RAM - 256MB onboard)
(all from mwave.com)
I kept my Plextor CD writer and Sony CD-ROM drive along with my 80GB IDE hard drive. The Sony CD-ROM is attached to the on-board IDE and I have a SIIG Ultra-ATA 133 PCI controller card running the other two drives. I also kept my Dell flat-panel LCD.
The new system is really, really fast. The few video games that I play look fabulous and run much more smoothly. I can finally run iTunes with my iPod in real time. My digital photo processing should be much faster as well. This should do me for at least another 5 years! : )
................
on a completely unrelated note, it really stinks to get to work and find that you left your lunch sack at home on your kitchen counter! *EDIT* it turns out I left it in my car, not at home.
Friday, April 20, 2007
OK, I admit it...
I cheated on my barber today. I haven't been getting consistently good cuts lately so I tried out a different shop and was pleased with the result. Sure, it costs a dollar more and I missed the "take a number" dispenser at the entrance but I think I'll be going back.
Ironic...
I bought a new lunch sack at Kmart today. I kid you not, the name "California Innovations" is plastered all over it, and this is what was printed in small type on a tag I pulled off of it:
"Designed and imported by CALIFORNIA INNOVATIONS INC., Toronto, Canada"
and this was the kicker:
"MADE IN CHINA"
so I now own a lunch sack with a brand name of California Innovations, which was designed in and imported from Canada and manufactured in China.
Ironic!
"Designed and imported by CALIFORNIA INNOVATIONS INC., Toronto, Canada"
and this was the kicker:
"MADE IN CHINA"
so I now own a lunch sack with a brand name of California Innovations, which was designed in and imported from Canada and manufactured in China.
Ironic!
Friday...
Been on vacation this week. I've been trying to take it nice and easy whenever possible. The weather has been wonderful all week. I got in a nice bike ride on Monday and a hike on Tuesday (my birthday!) I packed a lunch and headed for one of my favorite destinations, the flood plain prarie along the Meramec River, off the Chubb Trail. I sat under a shade tree for a couple of hours and caught up on some reading in the peaceful stillness. Wednesday I made an inquiry about a certain dog I had my eye on at the Humane Society...turns out the dog is a bit of a problem child so I think I'll pass. I did figure out that I need to do some more homework on choosing and living with a dog so off to the library I went. I checked out some books and am getting some good tips.
(Aside: At dinner with my parents and bro/sis-in-law Tuesday night my sis-in-law recommended a book entitled "Marley and Me" by John Grogan. I had seen it at the bookstore but didn't pick it up. It is the story of a rambunctious Labrador retriever adopted as a puppy by the author and his wife and how he impacted their lives. I found it at my local library the next day. I highly recommend it to anyone, not just dog lovers. It is one of the best books I have ever read. You truly will laugh and cry. The author is a journalist by profession and he writes in a delicious narrative style.)
Yesterday my mom and I made a quick trip to Malden to see my grandparents. My grandpa is slowly but surely recovering from his stroke. His immediate goal is to trade his walker for a cane. He continues outpatient physical therapy twice a week. He looks great, such that if you didn't know of his recent past you'd never suspect a thing. I hope and pray that he continues to improve as the months go on. On the way, we stopped to visit his twin brother who is himself recovering from heart surgery.
The great St. Louis book fair is happening this weekend and I am going tomorrow with some friends to check out this year's offerings. Tomorrow night I'll be checking out Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band in concert at the Touhill PAC at UMSL.
(Aside: At dinner with my parents and bro/sis-in-law Tuesday night my sis-in-law recommended a book entitled "Marley and Me" by John Grogan. I had seen it at the bookstore but didn't pick it up. It is the story of a rambunctious Labrador retriever adopted as a puppy by the author and his wife and how he impacted their lives. I found it at my local library the next day. I highly recommend it to anyone, not just dog lovers. It is one of the best books I have ever read. You truly will laugh and cry. The author is a journalist by profession and he writes in a delicious narrative style.)
Yesterday my mom and I made a quick trip to Malden to see my grandparents. My grandpa is slowly but surely recovering from his stroke. His immediate goal is to trade his walker for a cane. He continues outpatient physical therapy twice a week. He looks great, such that if you didn't know of his recent past you'd never suspect a thing. I hope and pray that he continues to improve as the months go on. On the way, we stopped to visit his twin brother who is himself recovering from heart surgery.
The great St. Louis book fair is happening this weekend and I am going tomorrow with some friends to check out this year's offerings. Tomorrow night I'll be checking out Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band in concert at the Touhill PAC at UMSL.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Arthur Branch for President?
Actor Fred Thompson, currently starring in the "Law and Order" crime drama has picked up his first endorsement for President in 2008. From whom, you ask? None other than Missouri Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder.
So the question I have as a result of this is, "who cares that the lieutenant governor of Missouri has endorsed anyone?" I don't understand a lot of politics but this one is a head-scratcher. To me this endorsement is comparable to the average call to a sports radio call-in show. "Uhhhh, OK! Thanks for calling, appreciate your opinion! Next caller...."
Bill McClellan of the P-D wrote a great column about this topic.
So the question I have as a result of this is, "who cares that the lieutenant governor of Missouri has endorsed anyone?" I don't understand a lot of politics but this one is a head-scratcher. To me this endorsement is comparable to the average call to a sports radio call-in show. "Uhhhh, OK! Thanks for calling, appreciate your opinion! Next caller...."
Bill McClellan of the P-D wrote a great column about this topic.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Too moderate for their tastes...
The Missouri Baptist Convention has given the "YOU'RE FIRED!" treatment to their (former) executive director David Clippard. The party line blathers on about his leadership style and temperament but the I believe he was too moderate and sensible for the conservatives' liking. You don't play ball with the Baptists, they'll give you (and/or your church) the boot.
................
Had a nice visit last night with my Uncle John, who resides in Florida with his wife and is rarely seen in these parts. We broke bread at Tucker's with my parents and Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Jim. Uncle J. was here on a return bratwurst run to Hermann, MO after staying there while in town for my brother's wedding a couple of years ago. He will spend today in my dad's basement wood shop building a shipping crate for a miter saw he bought through my dad last fall. He returns to warmer weather tomorrow.
................
Had a nice visit last night with my Uncle John, who resides in Florida with his wife and is rarely seen in these parts. We broke bread at Tucker's with my parents and Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Jim. Uncle J. was here on a return bratwurst run to Hermann, MO after staying there while in town for my brother's wedding a couple of years ago. He will spend today in my dad's basement wood shop building a shipping crate for a miter saw he bought through my dad last fall. He returns to warmer weather tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
It Fell Into A Burnin' Ring Of Fire!!...
Say it ain't so! Johnny and June Carter Cash's former home in Hendersonville, Tennessee was destroyed by fire yesterday. Former Bee-Gee Barry Gibb had bought the home and was renovating it. Bad timing: The interior and exterior walls had just been coated with a flammable preservative.
The songs that were written and the singers and songwriters that passed through that house!! So much history gone up in smoke!
A real shame.
The songs that were written and the singers and songwriters that passed through that house!! So much history gone up in smoke!
A real shame.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Another disagreeable Monday...
My Monday started off with painful jolt around 2:30 in the morning today - toothache city! It's the tooth I had filled back in January. Hopefully it's just a cracked filling...the worst thing is I couldn't get back to sleep! I remember feeling something as I was I was wolfing down my Mom's Easter ham at dinner yesterday. My date with the dentist is today at 2:30, ironically.
and...it wouldn't be a Monday in my world if a hard drive didn't fail somewhere in the world. Another one crashed today, this time just a clerk's computer, not nearly as important as last week's winner. This one is no problem to recover from.
and...it wouldn't be a Monday in my world if a hard drive didn't fail somewhere in the world. Another one crashed today, this time just a clerk's computer, not nearly as important as last week's winner. This one is no problem to recover from.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Cardinals...back to reality...
Jeff Gordon said it best about the '07 Cardinals and their 0-3 record:
"So what concerns you the most about the Cardinals, their poor hitting, spotty pitching or sloppy defense?"
The season's only 3 games old but there is cause for concern.
"So what concerns you the most about the Cardinals, their poor hitting, spotty pitching or sloppy defense?"
The season's only 3 games old but there is cause for concern.
Thursday, and someone turned off the heater...
Ah, nothing like a nice April cold snap reality jolt, after a couple of weeks of Spring warmth!
I had a good day off yesterday. I slept in and puttered around the house in the morning. After lunch I drove out to Castlewood State Park to check out the blooming foliage on the trees. I hiked the trail on the bluffs and through the bottomland of the Meramec River for a couple of blissful hours. In the evening I took in a great jazz concert at the Sheldon - Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau. Metheny's guitar and Mehldau's piano melded together in a series of satisfying, creative duets. They were joined on several numbers by Mehldau's trio mates, drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Larry Grenadier. The four musicians played songs from their two recent CDs. The $50 balcony ticket price was a little steep but definitely worth it to see musicians of this caliber.
The hard drive saga from Monday appears to have come to a happy conclusion. I had a message this morning from the data recovery company and they said they were able to make a full recovery of the data. This is good news.
I had a good day off yesterday. I slept in and puttered around the house in the morning. After lunch I drove out to Castlewood State Park to check out the blooming foliage on the trees. I hiked the trail on the bluffs and through the bottomland of the Meramec River for a couple of blissful hours. In the evening I took in a great jazz concert at the Sheldon - Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau. Metheny's guitar and Mehldau's piano melded together in a series of satisfying, creative duets. They were joined on several numbers by Mehldau's trio mates, drummer Jeff Ballard and bassist Larry Grenadier. The four musicians played songs from their two recent CDs. The $50 balcony ticket price was a little steep but definitely worth it to see musicians of this caliber.
The hard drive saga from Monday appears to have come to a happy conclusion. I had a message this morning from the data recovery company and they said they were able to make a full recovery of the data. This is good news.
Monday, April 02, 2007
Mondays Should Come With A Liability Waiver...
...that was the punchline in a recent "Frazz" comic strip and boy, did it ever apply to my day. There's an old Willie Nelson song that is goes, "the last thing I needed the first thing this morning was to have you walk out on me." Well, the last thing I needed first thing this morning was to have a critical manager's computer walk out on her. Or rather, to have its hard drive walk out on it. When my VP walked in to our office area and asked that someone go down and "get her computer to boot!!" I happened to be at my desk and, true to my fireman's nature, went to check out the fire. My heart sank when I heard the ominous, telltale, "clunk clunk" from inside her computer. Despite my best rescue attempts, I could not save it. I have shipped it to a local data recovery company in hopes that they can save her data. Oh, by the way, she had nothing backed up to a server so this would be a bad loss. A user losing an entire hard drive is like a boxer getting hit below the belt...computer techs take it personally.
That coupled with the usual Monday flurry of calls made for a stressful day. The fact were down one day tech and one evening tech didn't help matters any. There's a part of me that wishes I'd stayed in bed and extended the weekend a day. There's another part of me that reminds the other part that days like today are part of the business I chose to be in and these days are going to happen, so get through it and get on with it. I'm taking Wednesday off (because I have to work Saturday this week) so there's a bit of a breather coming soon.
That coupled with the usual Monday flurry of calls made for a stressful day. The fact were down one day tech and one evening tech didn't help matters any. There's a part of me that wishes I'd stayed in bed and extended the weekend a day. There's another part of me that reminds the other part that days like today are part of the business I chose to be in and these days are going to happen, so get through it and get on with it. I'm taking Wednesday off (because I have to work Saturday this week) so there's a bit of a breather coming soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)