While on the web earlier today, I ran across a picture of a French Canadian newscaster. She has got to be one of the best looking women I have seen in a while. Click on the link above to see more of her. Her name is Melissa Theuriau. How hot is that?
Pardon me while I drift off into my own happy place.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
That's a huge disaster.
I can't believe the death and destruction in southern Asia from the tsunami's. Can you imagine something like that happening? No warning - a nice sunny day in what appears to have been a vacation paradise and then suddenly a huge wall of water appears and wipes out the coastline along with thousands and thousands of people?
The footage I've seen on TV has been pretty graphic. Bodies and destruction everywhere.
I'm just shocked.
The footage I've seen on TV has been pretty graphic. Bodies and destruction everywhere.
I'm just shocked.
Issues.
Warning: This post is about some general thoughts I was having and not somebody in particular. If you think this is about you, that's your decision. ("Your so vain... you probably think this bLog is about you... to paraphrase Carly Simon) Also, if you're thin-skinned - stop reading. I don't want to hear your whining.
The above warning was provided as a courtesy - I feel no need to apologize for the content of my bLog. I was just being polite.
Lately, I've run across several situations where the "issues" of others have come out. In comparison, my issues are pretty much insignificant. So for me, that's a good thing. Granted, I do go out of my way to limit the number of issues I willingly leave myself vulnerable to and have largely been successful at it. I can't say that about others I've been around though.
Some people just do stupid stuff and cause their own problems. Do you ever just ask yourself HOW some of your issues came about? You can try and point a finger at other people or even situations you've been involved in but pretty much 99.9% of the time, YOU are the reason the issue has developed. Once you realize that, it's easier to get a handle on things. This is assuming you really want to get a handle on things of course. If you don't, and do nothing about it, don't expect anything to change. It will be the same old stupid stuff happening over and over again.
Why did I even bring this up? Well, it's almost time for a new year to start and it's also the time many people make new years "resolutions". Fixing your issues isn't a "new years resolution", it's a fundamental change in your way of thinking. After all, how many of your resolutions from last year have you kept? Before you do something that can have long lasting and or serious repercussions - think through it first:
The above warning was provided as a courtesy - I feel no need to apologize for the content of my bLog. I was just being polite.
Lately, I've run across several situations where the "issues" of others have come out. In comparison, my issues are pretty much insignificant. So for me, that's a good thing. Granted, I do go out of my way to limit the number of issues I willingly leave myself vulnerable to and have largely been successful at it. I can't say that about others I've been around though.
Some people just do stupid stuff and cause their own problems. Do you ever just ask yourself HOW some of your issues came about? You can try and point a finger at other people or even situations you've been involved in but pretty much 99.9% of the time, YOU are the reason the issue has developed. Once you realize that, it's easier to get a handle on things. This is assuming you really want to get a handle on things of course. If you don't, and do nothing about it, don't expect anything to change. It will be the same old stupid stuff happening over and over again.
Why did I even bring this up? Well, it's almost time for a new year to start and it's also the time many people make new years "resolutions". Fixing your issues isn't a "new years resolution", it's a fundamental change in your way of thinking. After all, how many of your resolutions from last year have you kept? Before you do something that can have long lasting and or serious repercussions - think through it first:
- What am I not thinking about?
- What are the cons to what I am doing?
- 5 years from now, how will this decision still be affecting me/others?
- What if I don't go down this road?
- What has happend to others that have tried this? Know the good and bad.
When in doubt, ask the opinion of others who will tell you the truth, not those who you know will tell you what you WANT to hear. The latter are a dime a dozen. Find someone who'll give it to you straight. Oh, if you're going to get advice from someone, try and get it from someone who halfway has their act together. If the person you're getting advice from is in the middle of an issue tsunami as well... consider the source.
Now back to our regular programming.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Half day.
Today was busy for the first part then relaxing as the afternoon came around. I worked till about lunchtime then called it a day. My directive for this week from the boss was to come in if I needed to. Since I'm hooked up to the net and get all my email on my Blackberry and also because our secretary can forward messages to me if needed, I really don't physically need to be there this week. I will of course ensure that everything that needs to get done gets the attention it needs though.
Ate lunch with the Burns at Currie's then ran an errand for my sis. Went by Lowe's again to get another lightbulb for the floursecent fixture above my kitchen sink. I replaced one yesterday that had a nice, cool white light. The other one, while it still worked, put off a yellowish color. That's what I replaced. Took a nap then met up with the crew at the Guad. Ate, shopped then came home. Played on the drums a while. Did some experimentation in Jazz which didn't go as well as I would have liked. Playing some of the jazz tempo's is a bit tricky when you're just starting out with that. I'll keep on working on it though.
Ate lunch with the Burns at Currie's then ran an errand for my sis. Went by Lowe's again to get another lightbulb for the floursecent fixture above my kitchen sink. I replaced one yesterday that had a nice, cool white light. The other one, while it still worked, put off a yellowish color. That's what I replaced. Took a nap then met up with the crew at the Guad. Ate, shopped then came home. Played on the drums a while. Did some experimentation in Jazz which didn't go as well as I would have liked. Playing some of the jazz tempo's is a bit tricky when you're just starting out with that. I'll keep on working on it though.
Sunday, December 26, 2004
That's all over with.
I had a pretty busy day today. Got up and played the djembe in church. As luck would have it, I was tapping my right foot to keep time when all of the sudden, I start getting a cramp in it - this is not good. My options are:
- Keep playing through the pain, risking getting off time as I try and stretch my foot
- Stop, scream, then tear my boot and sock off and rub my foot like a genie is going to come out
- Stress out and see what happens
I did a good bit of 3 then tried 1 whilst considering 2. Luckily, the cramp went away. I did start sweating profusely though throughout the ordeal.
After church, about a dozen of us headed to Applebee's for some lunch. We were able to get seated right away which was nice. While waiting for my food, I whipped my Nintendo out which Leah promptly snatched to try Super Mario on it. I got it back soon enough and played a few holes of golf on it. Kev forgot to bring his so it was all just single-player stuff today.
Next stop for me was Office Depot where I picked up some sale items and a complete set of ink cartridges (6) for my photo printer. That's about $80 worth of ink but I wanted to be sure I didn't run out at some inopportune time so keeping a full set ready to go is good insurance. I wandered over to the coffee shop next door and got a mocha before I finally went home.
Took down the Christmas tree which took all of 5 minutes including the 2 it took me to find the box. Re-arranged things in my living room to get it all back to normal then vacuumed up. Finished wiring and micing my drums up - added an overhead and a hi-hat mic to complete the setup. I'm extremely pleased with my practice arrangement now. Did more straightening and arranging there before heading back out to Lowe's for some light bulbs. I couldn't just get bulbs of course, I picked up a set of drill and screwdriver bits for my new power tool as well. :-D
Met up with the group over at Kevin's and played some Halo 2 (which I appear to suck at since the controls take some getting used to) and some rally racing. Ate leftovers from yesterday which were still fresh and tasty. Gonna ease up on the foodage the next few days to make sure my waistline doesn't grow.
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Yippee! It's Christmas!
It's finally here! As my usual Christmas tradition, I had supper with the Anderson family. Since my sister has her in-laws to hang with and I have no other family within driving distance... they just added me to their family. That means a lot to me.
Andy showed me some pictures from a recent trip he took to Norfolk, VA. While there, he was able to visit one of the ships he served on with the Navy back in 1974-76, the USS Seattle. He visited there with one of the crewmen that was under his command at the time. How cool is that? Interesting photos for sure. Also got to hear a little bit about how the ships refuel and transfer cargo at sea. Never knew the mechanics of how that happened and now I do.
The food was delicious as always. The ladies did an outstanding job! Opened presents afterwards. Everyone got cool stuff. I got a few items in addition to six (6) gift cards to Red Lobster! That was a source of entertainment for everyone. Guess I'll be eating there soon.
Back at my house, my sister and her husband came over and we exchanged gifts. They hooked me up with a DeWalt cordless drill like I've been wanting/needing. A big thanks to them! Hung out and talked with them for awhile before heading over to the Burns for dinner. Once again, delicious food. You'd think that after my dinner at Macaroni Grill the previous evening and the big supper that I would be full! Guess not as I ate a full plate there. Watched "Collateral" again with them then headed on home.
As a bonus, I think I'm getting a sore throat. I think I fought this off last week for the VBC gig and made it through Christmas. I guess it's okay if I get sick now - not that there's ever a good time for that but this is less inconvenient.
Andy showed me some pictures from a recent trip he took to Norfolk, VA. While there, he was able to visit one of the ships he served on with the Navy back in 1974-76, the USS Seattle. He visited there with one of the crewmen that was under his command at the time. How cool is that? Interesting photos for sure. Also got to hear a little bit about how the ships refuel and transfer cargo at sea. Never knew the mechanics of how that happened and now I do.
The food was delicious as always. The ladies did an outstanding job! Opened presents afterwards. Everyone got cool stuff. I got a few items in addition to six (6) gift cards to Red Lobster! That was a source of entertainment for everyone. Guess I'll be eating there soon.
Back at my house, my sister and her husband came over and we exchanged gifts. They hooked me up with a DeWalt cordless drill like I've been wanting/needing. A big thanks to them! Hung out and talked with them for awhile before heading over to the Burns for dinner. Once again, delicious food. You'd think that after my dinner at Macaroni Grill the previous evening and the big supper that I would be full! Guess not as I ate a full plate there. Watched "Collateral" again with them then headed on home.
As a bonus, I think I'm getting a sore throat. I think I fought this off last week for the VBC gig and made it through Christmas. I guess it's okay if I get sick now - not that there's ever a good time for that but this is less inconvenient.
Friday, December 24, 2004
Almost here!
Christmas eve... I remember back when I was a child how difficult it was to go to sleep knowing that presents were waiting for me the next morning. One of my first memories of it was when my parents got me a walking robot with flashing lights. They pointed it towards my (crib?) and turned it on. I woke up, saw the robot, noticed it was getting closer... and then promptly freaked out. I'm guessing I also filled up my diaper.
Let me try and list what I can remember as being my favorite toys:
Let me try and list what I can remember as being my favorite toys:
- Giant Tinkertoys
- 500 piece Lego set
- Erector set (in the red plastic box)
- Starbird (spaceship that made sounds depending on the angle you held it at)
- Eagle spaceship from Moonbase Alpha? I have to check on that.
- Atari 2600 (this was a rockin Christmas)
- Toy cabinet my dad built for me
- TCR racetrack (where you could change lanes)
Those are just a few I could remember off the top of my head. Ya know, thinking about all the stuff my parents did for me as I was growing up kinda puts a tear in my eye. I think I'm going to close with that. Gonna call my folks on the other side of the world now.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
It's COLD.
Woke up to some really cold weather this morning. First thing I did was check on Kelsey to make sure she was still pliable. (Heh!) Like a good girl, she was curled up inside her doghouse which is also sheltered in an alcove at the back of my house so she's protected. I gave her an extra bowl of food to help her keep warm while I was gone to work.
The office was hoppin' today! I had all kinds of things going on that I thankfully got wrapped up today. Took a break in the middle of it all to meet up with my old Intergraph buddies at Edo's for some much needed sushi. I hate that I can't get by there to eat as often as I used to. Oh well, it's only a 15 minute trip to get there from my office so that's not too bad. Good to have seen everyone and get caught up on all the latest happenings. Lance was lusting over my Blackberry - I think he was going back to his office at Lockheed to see about getting one then retiring to "the lab" to do some research. By research I mean play some Call of Duty. LOL! That was one game I used to play A LOT. Got burned out on all the shooting games though and have taken a hiatus from them. I play more Half Life 2 on the PC and Asphalt GT on my Nintendo DS.
Brought Kelsey in for the night. She's doing better about just sitting in one place instead of *trying* to wander around. I only bring her inside during bad weather or when the temperature gets below freezing. I'm not an inside pet kind of person. I used to be though. I had 2 cats back in my college days - Samantha, my persian and Rhiannon, my big, black tabby. Of the two, Rhiannon was my favorite; she was very affectionate and passive. Samantha was kind of a bitch most of the time. She had her moments but they were few and far between.
On another note, reading Dabney's blog today reminded me of my days in retail many, many years ago. Yup, this is the time of the year you really start hating other human beings. Here's some stupid stuff that I remember:
The office was hoppin' today! I had all kinds of things going on that I thankfully got wrapped up today. Took a break in the middle of it all to meet up with my old Intergraph buddies at Edo's for some much needed sushi. I hate that I can't get by there to eat as often as I used to. Oh well, it's only a 15 minute trip to get there from my office so that's not too bad. Good to have seen everyone and get caught up on all the latest happenings. Lance was lusting over my Blackberry - I think he was going back to his office at Lockheed to see about getting one then retiring to "the lab" to do some research. By research I mean play some Call of Duty. LOL! That was one game I used to play A LOT. Got burned out on all the shooting games though and have taken a hiatus from them. I play more Half Life 2 on the PC and Asphalt GT on my Nintendo DS.
Brought Kelsey in for the night. She's doing better about just sitting in one place instead of *trying* to wander around. I only bring her inside during bad weather or when the temperature gets below freezing. I'm not an inside pet kind of person. I used to be though. I had 2 cats back in my college days - Samantha, my persian and Rhiannon, my big, black tabby. Of the two, Rhiannon was my favorite; she was very affectionate and passive. Samantha was kind of a bitch most of the time. She had her moments but they were few and far between.
On another note, reading Dabney's blog today reminded me of my days in retail many, many years ago. Yup, this is the time of the year you really start hating other human beings. Here's some stupid stuff that I remember:
- Some old woman buying 2 dozen pairs of socks and needing each pair wrapped individually
- Someone bringing an outdoor grill to the service desk at Parisian to be gift wrapped
- People trying to return clothing they OBVIOUSLY have worn and telling you it was like that when they bought it
On that last point for example, I remember times when I knew there was a dance or some kind of event at a local high school. Kids would come in the night before, usually a Thursday and buy their outfits. The event would pass then on Saturday, guess what? "I need to return this. I ended up not needing it." Ok, the outfit has deodorant marks in the armpit and it smells like cologne. How I kept from leaping over the counter and beating these people across the head with my stapler is beyond me. But I digress...
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Collateral
Ok, I watched "Collateral". It's a pretty good flick. The ending wasn't as strong as I think it should have been but the suspense and drama are good. On a scale of 1 to 10, it's a 7 in my opinion.
Twas the Wednesday before Christmas...
Wuzzup people - I've been covered up the last few days pushing my daily blogging duties down in priority... but I'm back!
Nothing terribly exciting or stimulating has happened since the weekend which, in actuality, is a good thing. I was pretty worn out with all that was going on. It's nice to be able to kick back and enjoy the peace and quiet again.
I got all my Christmas shopping done so that's out of the way. One thing I learned this year is to NOT GET THE CHEAP WRAPPING PAPER. I cheaped out and got 2 rolls of some thin crap that tore when you touched it. It also bunched up in the scissors when I was sliding along making a cut. It was pissin me off. Anyway, I can't find my bag of bows either. Grrrr.
In other news, I finished watching "I, Robot". It was pretty good. Better than Van Helsing for sure. I'll probably try and watch "Collateral" tonight.
Got my drums all set back up again and also got mics on them like I planned. Cool stuff.
Anybody watch the final episode of the Real Gilligan's Island? The ending was so freakin anti-climatic. It was like, okay, here's the winner - the money's in the trunk. Go start the car. Roll credits. WTF?!? tbs... NOT funny.
Nothing terribly exciting or stimulating has happened since the weekend which, in actuality, is a good thing. I was pretty worn out with all that was going on. It's nice to be able to kick back and enjoy the peace and quiet again.
I got all my Christmas shopping done so that's out of the way. One thing I learned this year is to NOT GET THE CHEAP WRAPPING PAPER. I cheaped out and got 2 rolls of some thin crap that tore when you touched it. It also bunched up in the scissors when I was sliding along making a cut. It was pissin me off. Anyway, I can't find my bag of bows either. Grrrr.
In other news, I finished watching "I, Robot". It was pretty good. Better than Van Helsing for sure. I'll probably try and watch "Collateral" tonight.
Got my drums all set back up again and also got mics on them like I planned. Cool stuff.
Anybody watch the final episode of the Real Gilligan's Island? The ending was so freakin anti-climatic. It was like, okay, here's the winner - the money's in the trunk. Go start the car. Roll credits. WTF?!? tbs... NOT funny.
Sunday, December 19, 2004
POOF! There went the weekend.
Wow. The last 10 days have been pretty jam-packed for me - professionally and socially. I'm not complaining though. It's just that while I definitely had fun, that was a big spike as far as activities go for me.. no gradual elevation, just BAM, wide open!
I got a lot accomplished though - made a lot of new aquaintances, caught up with old friends, did most of my Christmas shopping, got my furnace repaired - the timing of that still bugs me but as Kevin pointed out to me earlier today, at least now I'm READY for the 13 degree low that's forecast for tonight.
Church went really well this morning. Getting everything connected up and positioned took a few minutes but we were all ready to go. The songs we played this morning were part of the set list from last night so we eased into it without a problem. My in-ear mix was adequate but nowhere near what I had last night. More on that later. Had lunch with Kev and Kailyn before picking up a few more presents from our local technology stores. After that, I went on home.
I had a huge pile of equipment in my drum room from where I unloaded last night. I vacuumed where my drums usually sit to pick up all the wood shavings from my sticks. While I was moving some of my gear around, I decided that I would set my drums back up but this time go ahead and mic them. Hopefully, I can get a GREAT in-ear mix for practicing when I'm home. Heck, I should be able to - I'll have all the time in the world to do it, LOL! Anyway, I'll be able to connect my CD player to my mixer and blend CD track's into my mix. I'll also be able to record to my Mini-disc recorder to listen to myself play afterwards to see how good or bad it sounds. That's one thing I've been reading about in a lot of magazines and drum forums and that's to make it a point to record to find your weak spots so you'll know what to focus on when you're practicing. This will also help me with making adjustments to my compressor units. Back when she came over, Jo suggested that I make some dry drum tracks then play them back while fooling around with compressor and gate settings to get a better handle on how all the adjustments affect the sound. I'll be able to easily do it now. I've still got a ways to go to get everything back in place but maybe tomorrow evening I can finish it up.
Started watching "I Robot" tonight. Looks good so far. I'm just too tired to finish it. It's my fault for starting it late anyway. I'll have time to watch all my new movies soon. I'm off Friday then next week, I'll only go into the office if I need to. Otherwise, I'm off. Ta dow.
I got a lot accomplished though - made a lot of new aquaintances, caught up with old friends, did most of my Christmas shopping, got my furnace repaired - the timing of that still bugs me but as Kevin pointed out to me earlier today, at least now I'm READY for the 13 degree low that's forecast for tonight.
Church went really well this morning. Getting everything connected up and positioned took a few minutes but we were all ready to go. The songs we played this morning were part of the set list from last night so we eased into it without a problem. My in-ear mix was adequate but nowhere near what I had last night. More on that later. Had lunch with Kev and Kailyn before picking up a few more presents from our local technology stores. After that, I went on home.
I had a huge pile of equipment in my drum room from where I unloaded last night. I vacuumed where my drums usually sit to pick up all the wood shavings from my sticks. While I was moving some of my gear around, I decided that I would set my drums back up but this time go ahead and mic them. Hopefully, I can get a GREAT in-ear mix for practicing when I'm home. Heck, I should be able to - I'll have all the time in the world to do it, LOL! Anyway, I'll be able to connect my CD player to my mixer and blend CD track's into my mix. I'll also be able to record to my Mini-disc recorder to listen to myself play afterwards to see how good or bad it sounds. That's one thing I've been reading about in a lot of magazines and drum forums and that's to make it a point to record to find your weak spots so you'll know what to focus on when you're practicing. This will also help me with making adjustments to my compressor units. Back when she came over, Jo suggested that I make some dry drum tracks then play them back while fooling around with compressor and gate settings to get a better handle on how all the adjustments affect the sound. I'll be able to easily do it now. I've still got a ways to go to get everything back in place but maybe tomorrow evening I can finish it up.
Started watching "I Robot" tonight. Looks good so far. I'm just too tired to finish it. It's my fault for starting it late anyway. I'll have time to watch all my new movies soon. I'm off Friday then next week, I'll only go into the office if I need to. Otherwise, I'm off. Ta dow.
Whew! VBC gig is DONE!
First off, a HUGE thanks to Philip H. for letting us use his PA system. Next, a HUGE thanks to Kira for getting our in-ear mix and FOH mix pretty much right from the start. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Got an early start to my Saturday when I IM'd Dana and found out she was heading to Wal-Mart. It was 6:30am and I needed to go so now was a great time! We'd beat the crowds for sure. Threw some laundry in the washer then she swung by and picked me up. I was back home 45 minutes later with all my stuff and ready to get more things done. I accomplished a lot so at 10:00am I rewarded myself by going back to bed for a while longer.
Philip showed up with the trailer and we loaded up all the drum gear I was bringing tonight... it was a LOT as usual. Met up at the church with Jack and then eventually (hehe) Kevin. Made our way to the Von Braun Center without incident. It was especially cool that we could pull right into the hall we were performing in... pulled right up to the stage! That brought the hassle factor WAY down for the loading and unloading. About an hour later, we were sound checking.
Okay, this was the largest room we've ever played in... Kira had my drums ROCKIN. And I mean BIG TIME. I also got a chance to swap my kick mic out for my Shure Beta 91. Simply amazing. Philip and I (we shared an in-ear mix) were just floored with how great things sounded. I think it was pretty obvious I was thrilled with how everything sounded.
I peeked into the hockey game for a moment to check things out. Hunger took over though and I picked up some pizza and a drink then headed back to the stage. Pretty much stayed there till we got going. I could see too well from where I was on stage but we had a decent sized group there which was encouraging. It would have been nice to have more of course but we were thankful for what we had. Thank you to all who came out! Thanks also to those that helped set up and tear down.
Going to post some pics then hit the sack. Got to play again in the morning.
Got an early start to my Saturday when I IM'd Dana and found out she was heading to Wal-Mart. It was 6:30am and I needed to go so now was a great time! We'd beat the crowds for sure. Threw some laundry in the washer then she swung by and picked me up. I was back home 45 minutes later with all my stuff and ready to get more things done. I accomplished a lot so at 10:00am I rewarded myself by going back to bed for a while longer.
Philip showed up with the trailer and we loaded up all the drum gear I was bringing tonight... it was a LOT as usual. Met up at the church with Jack and then eventually (hehe) Kevin. Made our way to the Von Braun Center without incident. It was especially cool that we could pull right into the hall we were performing in... pulled right up to the stage! That brought the hassle factor WAY down for the loading and unloading. About an hour later, we were sound checking.
Okay, this was the largest room we've ever played in... Kira had my drums ROCKIN. And I mean BIG TIME. I also got a chance to swap my kick mic out for my Shure Beta 91. Simply amazing. Philip and I (we shared an in-ear mix) were just floored with how great things sounded. I think it was pretty obvious I was thrilled with how everything sounded.
I peeked into the hockey game for a moment to check things out. Hunger took over though and I picked up some pizza and a drink then headed back to the stage. Pretty much stayed there till we got going. I could see too well from where I was on stage but we had a decent sized group there which was encouraging. It would have been nice to have more of course but we were thankful for what we had. Thank you to all who came out! Thanks also to those that helped set up and tear down.
Going to post some pics then hit the sack. Got to play again in the morning.
Friday, December 17, 2004
Look what I bought myself for Christmas!!!
An ignitor module for my gas furnace - $504.
Yeah, my heat unit started acting up last Saturday, then Tuesday, then this morning. The previous days, I went outside and cut power to the unit to reset it. That's what got everything going the first time the service guy came out last month. I left the unit in a failed state this morning so the tech could troubleshoot it as is. Luckily, the system didn't "hang" until I was about to walk out the door to work so I was warm the whole time.
Tech got there and removed the panel. The IC board inside has an LED on it that blinks to indicate what the problems is, kinda like a BIOS beep thing on a PC. Sure enough, it was blinking the most expensive message... replace me.
Mike, the Tech, went back to the shop to get the part for me. When he got back, he installed it without incident and gave me the old part so I could put a bow on it and put it under my Christmas tree to me, from me. :-)
In looking at the failed IC board, looks like there were a pair of resistors that failed as there were burn/overheat marks around them. I'll probably replace them and have a spare if this ever happens again. I wish the repair folks would work on these things at the component level. It would save folks some money in some cases.
Yeah, my heat unit started acting up last Saturday, then Tuesday, then this morning. The previous days, I went outside and cut power to the unit to reset it. That's what got everything going the first time the service guy came out last month. I left the unit in a failed state this morning so the tech could troubleshoot it as is. Luckily, the system didn't "hang" until I was about to walk out the door to work so I was warm the whole time.
Tech got there and removed the panel. The IC board inside has an LED on it that blinks to indicate what the problems is, kinda like a BIOS beep thing on a PC. Sure enough, it was blinking the most expensive message... replace me.
Mike, the Tech, went back to the shop to get the part for me. When he got back, he installed it without incident and gave me the old part so I could put a bow on it and put it under my Christmas tree to me, from me. :-)
In looking at the failed IC board, looks like there were a pair of resistors that failed as there were burn/overheat marks around them. I'll probably replace them and have a spare if this ever happens again. I wish the repair folks would work on these things at the component level. It would save folks some money in some cases.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
It's a bit nippy out.
Last night, I had a heck of a time getting Kelsey (my dog) to go back to the room she normally sleeps in. You can't just explain to a dog that you're letting them in so they won't freeze their tail off... literally. I finally convinced her with some doggy treats and some tummy rubbing (hers, not mine).
It was pretty dang cold this morning. 18 or 19 degrees I think. I got all ready for work then had a mini-crisis trying to find the right colored socks to wear. I found some but I have to get out and buy some socks in the brown family. Got tons of blues, blacks and light brown stuff but nothing in dark brown. When I left for work, there was a mountain of socks on my floor.
Spent the morning getting ready for a presentation I was to do later in the day (picture below). That went pretty well for the most part. Got plenty of input and made several new contacts. Back at the office, I finished the day up with another client as we get ready to launch his website in the next few days.
I was SO tired after work. Lesa invited me to Simp's but I was just too tired to go. Plus, I needed to get some grocery shopping done. I got home and suddenly the idea of a nap sounded extremely good. So, I conked out. Got up at 8:30 - no dinner yet... and a 26 degree temperature outside. Got some warm clothes on and headed to Publix. Got plenty of stuff there and loaded up my fridge and pantry. Also picked up 2 bottles of wine and a 6-pack of Negra Modelo. I know my dark beer friends are grinning now. The one checkout woman that was working approached me as I was looking at some chocolate-covered macadamia nuts and made small talk about how good they were. I picked up a bag. Later, she saw me in the wine aisle and asked me what I was looking for. "What wine goes good with ABC's and 123's?" Laughed our asses off. After I checked out, the cart pusher dude seemed, well, off a little. Let's say learning impaired. Anyway, while he was helping me load my groceries into the car, he's flingin' my wine all around... they sounded like Paul Revere's bell as he did his "The British are coming!!!!" thing. After he loaded the last bag, he turned to me like a soldier addressing his superior and LOUDLY said "THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING WITH US AT PUBLIX! HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY!" The only thought I had was "Rainman". I quickly thought that hey, he's not used to someone saying anything else but thank you after that outburst. So I said, "Try to stay warm, okay?". He did what I could only describe as a short-circuit. Didn't know what to say or do. When I left, he was still standing there with my empty cart.
Hope someone came out and told him it was okay to come back inside. People, are fun.
It was pretty dang cold this morning. 18 or 19 degrees I think. I got all ready for work then had a mini-crisis trying to find the right colored socks to wear. I found some but I have to get out and buy some socks in the brown family. Got tons of blues, blacks and light brown stuff but nothing in dark brown. When I left for work, there was a mountain of socks on my floor.
Spent the morning getting ready for a presentation I was to do later in the day (picture below). That went pretty well for the most part. Got plenty of input and made several new contacts. Back at the office, I finished the day up with another client as we get ready to launch his website in the next few days.
I was SO tired after work. Lesa invited me to Simp's but I was just too tired to go. Plus, I needed to get some grocery shopping done. I got home and suddenly the idea of a nap sounded extremely good. So, I conked out. Got up at 8:30 - no dinner yet... and a 26 degree temperature outside. Got some warm clothes on and headed to Publix. Got plenty of stuff there and loaded up my fridge and pantry. Also picked up 2 bottles of wine and a 6-pack of Negra Modelo. I know my dark beer friends are grinning now. The one checkout woman that was working approached me as I was looking at some chocolate-covered macadamia nuts and made small talk about how good they were. I picked up a bag. Later, she saw me in the wine aisle and asked me what I was looking for. "What wine goes good with ABC's and 123's?" Laughed our asses off. After I checked out, the cart pusher dude seemed, well, off a little. Let's say learning impaired. Anyway, while he was helping me load my groceries into the car, he's flingin' my wine all around... they sounded like Paul Revere's bell as he did his "The British are coming!!!!" thing. After he loaded the last bag, he turned to me like a soldier addressing his superior and LOUDLY said "THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING WITH US AT PUBLIX! HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY!" The only thought I had was "Rainman". I quickly thought that hey, he's not used to someone saying anything else but thank you after that outburst. So I said, "Try to stay warm, okay?". He did what I could only describe as a short-circuit. Didn't know what to say or do. When I left, he was still standing there with my empty cart.
Hope someone came out and told him it was okay to come back inside. People, are fun.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Stuffed.
Work was steady for me today. Made a "to do" list and accomplished pretty much everything on it. For lunch today, I met up with Lesa and Lori at The Brick. I had planned to pick up a BBQ pork potato and eat it at home but Lesa called and invited me to join them. After work, Lesa and I headed to Huntsvill to get a laptop for her dad. We found what we needed at BestBuy. I ended up crossing another name off my gift list as well as picking up the movie "Collateral".
Dinner was at Macaroni Grill where we both had some excellent dishes. Good wine, good food... tiramisu for dessert... YUM. Walked off some of the dinner at the mall while I shopped around for some new gloves. Found some on sale at Wilson's and picked them up. Headed back to Decatur afterwards.
As usual, I'm tired. Gonna let Kelsey in to sleep again as it's supposed to get down to 18 tonight.
Dinner was at Macaroni Grill where we both had some excellent dishes. Good wine, good food... tiramisu for dessert... YUM. Walked off some of the dinner at the mall while I shopped around for some new gloves. Found some on sale at Wilson's and picked them up. Headed back to Decatur afterwards.
As usual, I'm tired. Gonna let Kelsey in to sleep again as it's supposed to get down to 18 tonight.
Monday, December 13, 2004
First things first.
I forgot to mention that I fixed an archive problem with my blog. Apparently, the October and November archives weren't being put where they were supposed to so you'd get an error if you tried to view them. That's all healed now. Sorry 'bout that.
After work today, I ran some errands at the mall - return my tux and pick up 2 pairs of pants from alterations. Tried the pants on already to be sure that they fit right. Thankfully they did. If you recall, this is a remnant of my pants/jeans size malfunction from last week. Linda was helpful as usual. I also found that a suit I was interested in is on sale. GRRR... Didn't buy it though. I've went over on my clothing budget in the last few weeks. I was due for some updates as my wardrobe needed some new things to spice it up a little.
Band practice went well. We're enjoying the music now instead of concentrating so much on learning it. That's a good thing. Talked to Kerry today; he's planning on being at the gig so he'll be able to help me set up and tear down my kit. That's no small feat especially for one person.
Afterwards, me and Kev went to Cracker Barrel for dinner. Back home now. Fed Kelsey, but I think I'm going to let her sleep inside tonight since it's getting below freezing.
After work today, I ran some errands at the mall - return my tux and pick up 2 pairs of pants from alterations. Tried the pants on already to be sure that they fit right. Thankfully they did. If you recall, this is a remnant of my pants/jeans size malfunction from last week. Linda was helpful as usual. I also found that a suit I was interested in is on sale. GRRR... Didn't buy it though. I've went over on my clothing budget in the last few weeks. I was due for some updates as my wardrobe needed some new things to spice it up a little.
Band practice went well. We're enjoying the music now instead of concentrating so much on learning it. That's a good thing. Talked to Kerry today; he's planning on being at the gig so he'll be able to help me set up and tear down my kit. That's no small feat especially for one person.
Afterwards, me and Kev went to Cracker Barrel for dinner. Back home now. Fed Kelsey, but I think I'm going to let her sleep inside tonight since it's getting below freezing.
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Hmmm.
You know that feeling you get when you *might* be coming down with something? I HAVE that feeling now. Started this morning. I hope this goes away - otherwise I'll be in for a rough week. In retrospect I have been around a LOT of different people the past 72 hours so there's no telling what might have happened. Just MARVY I tell ya.
Church crowd was a little on the thin side today. Regardless of that, the small crowd we had was great! Dave wrapped up the Old Testament Challenge so now we'll probably be starting on a new series in the next few weeks. Music all went well - even the funny part where I kept on going after the song ended. It was a special moment. Kev's buddy Chad drove up from B'ham to visit. He ended up having lunch with a bunch of us at Logan's. Ran into a few people I knew there. After that, it was back to church for band practice. That went off without a hitch as well. By this time, I was pretty beat. Went home and crashed. I got up and had dinner then cruised over to Kev's and played a few rounds of Super Mario Kart before coming home for good.
Church crowd was a little on the thin side today. Regardless of that, the small crowd we had was great! Dave wrapped up the Old Testament Challenge so now we'll probably be starting on a new series in the next few weeks. Music all went well - even the funny part where I kept on going after the song ended. It was a special moment. Kev's buddy Chad drove up from B'ham to visit. He ended up having lunch with a bunch of us at Logan's. Ran into a few people I knew there. After that, it was back to church for band practice. That went off without a hitch as well. By this time, I was pretty beat. Went home and crashed. I got up and had dinner then cruised over to Kev's and played a few rounds of Super Mario Kart before coming home for good.
Arabian Club Party
As I mentioned in my last post, I had to go back to bed and try restarting my day as the first try didn't go as well as I would have liked. I finally rolled out a little before noon and hit the Bruns up for some lunch at Firehouse. I had missed breakfast and was pretty hungry by the time I finally ate. I'm glad I escaped the Wal-Mart parking lot... it was a zoo for sure.
Went and got my oil changed then went back home to do laundry and such. Scott came by briefly to talk with me about pistols and related items. I got some magazines together for him to get him thinking about what he might be interested in. We'll probably be making a Larry's trip soon I'm thinking.
Got cleaned up and picked up Elizabeth. Yanked a bottle of wine out of my collection to bring to drink. Had a great time seeing my buddies from Intergraph. As usual, Bernie and Kim did a great job decorating their place. The food was also delicious. I made 2 trips and put a dent in the ham in the process (Elizabeth can attest to this). I also finally got to see Bernie's new basement computer room dubbed the "Geek-Mahal" by Bill. Pics to follow.
Had a great time catching up with John as well regarding his new race car. He should be taking delivery of it in the next 2 weeks sometime. That's got to be exciting to think that he can sit in his house and know that out in his garage is a REAL NASCAR race car.
Oh, I finally watched Van Helsing tonight. It sucked. I never "bought into" the characters, especially Anna. The special effects were okay I guess but know, you can put glitter on a turd and it's still well, a turd.
Posting pics then going to bed. I'm tired.
Went and got my oil changed then went back home to do laundry and such. Scott came by briefly to talk with me about pistols and related items. I got some magazines together for him to get him thinking about what he might be interested in. We'll probably be making a Larry's trip soon I'm thinking.
Got cleaned up and picked up Elizabeth. Yanked a bottle of wine out of my collection to bring to drink. Had a great time seeing my buddies from Intergraph. As usual, Bernie and Kim did a great job decorating their place. The food was also delicious. I made 2 trips and put a dent in the ham in the process (Elizabeth can attest to this). I also finally got to see Bernie's new basement computer room dubbed the "Geek-Mahal" by Bill. Pics to follow.
Had a great time catching up with John as well regarding his new race car. He should be taking delivery of it in the next 2 weeks sometime. That's got to be exciting to think that he can sit in his house and know that out in his garage is a REAL NASCAR race car.
Oh, I finally watched Van Helsing tonight. It sucked. I never "bought into" the characters, especially Anna. The special effects were okay I guess but know, you can put glitter on a turd and it's still well, a turd.
Posting pics then going to bed. I'm tired.
Saturday, December 11, 2004
Burt and Cheryl. Cheryl works at the hospital now but will so be going into teaching. Burt works at NASA on ground to space communications. In talking with him, I found out that the shuttle no longer has that "blackout" period for communications on re-entry. They can stay in touch with the craft all the way through now.
One party down...
First off, let me just state for the record that my head hurts AND I've partially lost my voice. Nice huh? Work Friday was mostly comprised of this extrememly long meeting with a client. Once that was over, I was back at the office cleaning my desk up for the open hours tours going on later today (Saturday). I took off early and went home to take a nap then get cleaned up for The Gala. I picked Ellen up and we made our way to the country club.
Wow. This event was pretty swank. It was held in a HUGE tent adjoining the club. The entry way was a tunnel filled with trees decorated with snow. I'm not talking a few trees, there were a LOT of trees. Hit the bar then started mingling. Did a lot of walking around, shaking hands, hugging, etc.
Dinner was fantstic. Filet mignon was the center piece. I had plenty of wine. By the way I feel this morning, I would say it was a little too much. Hopefully, I'll feel better after more rest. Met some wonderful people last night and made new friends. After the festivities started winding down, a few of us headed to the Brick for more drinks. Ran into Luke and his woman there. Pics on the way.
Wow. This event was pretty swank. It was held in a HUGE tent adjoining the club. The entry way was a tunnel filled with trees decorated with snow. I'm not talking a few trees, there were a LOT of trees. Hit the bar then started mingling. Did a lot of walking around, shaking hands, hugging, etc.
Dinner was fantstic. Filet mignon was the center piece. I had plenty of wine. By the way I feel this morning, I would say it was a little too much. Hopefully, I'll feel better after more rest. Met some wonderful people last night and made new friends. After the festivities started winding down, a few of us headed to the Brick for more drinks. Ran into Luke and his woman there. Pics on the way.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Dry weather for a change.
I enjoyed it today while I could. There's more rain moving into the area tonight so the dryness is short-lived. Had a great day at the office today! Started off by cruising over to Huntsville to take the remaining photos needed for a client project. While I was there, I stopped in at the mall to pick up some shirts that I should have picked up last Saturday when I was there. Luckily, what I wanted was still there in my size. When I came back to town, I joined up with Kev and his kid for a sub at Firehouse. Things were hoppin all afternoon getting things arranged for multiple website launches soon. I like it when I'm busy all day, makes things go by much quicker.
Had an issue with my pants today. To sum it up, I do NOT wear the same size dress pants that I wear in jeans. This bugs me why? A 34 in the waist size means 34" right? So why would a 34" in another pant be too big?!?! Anyways, I wear a 34 in jeans and a 33 in dress pants. Grrr. I went and saw Linda at Parisian to alter the pants in question. After that got fixed, I got another pair of dress pants as well in the CORRECT size. Sigh.
On a completely different note, Kay was not feeling well at all today. She's got an abcess tooth going on that won't get fixed till Tuesday. She was at the doctor yesterday when he tried a procedure to relive her discomfort... that didn't work. Quoting Kay to the Dr. "If I could get up out of this chair without help, I'd whup your ass". That was pretty dang funny. Hope she gets some relief soon. Her anti-biotics should be kicking in by now.
Had all sorts of people running around the office today getting it ready for the open house this Saturday. It's looking really nice and festive now. I'll probably stop in for a few minutes on my way to the party at Bernie's that evening. Pictures to come soon.
Had an issue with my pants today. To sum it up, I do NOT wear the same size dress pants that I wear in jeans. This bugs me why? A 34 in the waist size means 34" right? So why would a 34" in another pant be too big?!?! Anyways, I wear a 34 in jeans and a 33 in dress pants. Grrr. I went and saw Linda at Parisian to alter the pants in question. After that got fixed, I got another pair of dress pants as well in the CORRECT size. Sigh.
On a completely different note, Kay was not feeling well at all today. She's got an abcess tooth going on that won't get fixed till Tuesday. She was at the doctor yesterday when he tried a procedure to relive her discomfort... that didn't work. Quoting Kay to the Dr. "If I could get up out of this chair without help, I'd whup your ass". That was pretty dang funny. Hope she gets some relief soon. Her anti-biotics should be kicking in by now.
Had all sorts of people running around the office today getting it ready for the open house this Saturday. It's looking really nice and festive now. I'll probably stop in for a few minutes on my way to the party at Bernie's that evening. Pictures to come soon.
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
That was a good idea.
Taking a cue from Kyle, I thought it would be a good idea to post some pics of my office. Lesa was running around taking some pictures (for some reason) of the office and she sent me copies of them.
Holy crap it rained a LOT last night. I woke up around 4 or so to make sure Kelsey hadn't washed away out back. I found her tucked away in her doghouse watching the weather through her door. I went back to bed for a while longer then woke up to find that the rain had abated. I picked up some new windshield wipers at Wal-Mart last night and decided it was a good time to put those on.
Work was good today. Got several things accomplished on a variety of projects. Had lunch with Lesa then went over to the jewelry store with her to look at some ideas for a friend of hers. Ran into someone from the Matrix there that got a little nosey. Hmmm... Originally, the plan was to include Stacey but she had a pregnancy event related to a pop-up migraine. That's gotta suck.
Tonight is my last quiet night till... gee, I'm not sure when. I have band practice for the VBC thing tomorrow night, practice for Sunday music on Thursday, the Decatur General Gala on Friday, Arabian Horse Club party Saturday night (my good friends from Intergraph), small group Sunday night, Guad Monday night... and then more band practice for the VBC thing that coming Saturday.
I need a drink.
Holy crap it rained a LOT last night. I woke up around 4 or so to make sure Kelsey hadn't washed away out back. I found her tucked away in her doghouse watching the weather through her door. I went back to bed for a while longer then woke up to find that the rain had abated. I picked up some new windshield wipers at Wal-Mart last night and decided it was a good time to put those on.
Work was good today. Got several things accomplished on a variety of projects. Had lunch with Lesa then went over to the jewelry store with her to look at some ideas for a friend of hers. Ran into someone from the Matrix there that got a little nosey. Hmmm... Originally, the plan was to include Stacey but she had a pregnancy event related to a pop-up migraine. That's gotta suck.
Tonight is my last quiet night till... gee, I'm not sure when. I have band practice for the VBC thing tomorrow night, practice for Sunday music on Thursday, the Decatur General Gala on Friday, Arabian Horse Club party Saturday night (my good friends from Intergraph), small group Sunday night, Guad Monday night... and then more band practice for the VBC thing that coming Saturday.
I need a drink.
Monday, December 06, 2004
Bleah...
Just got through playing some HL2 and now I'm all dizzy and nauseus. I literally hate it when that happens. I try to make it a point not to play this early in the day or I run a very real risk of being sick THE WHOLE DAY. It can be that bad at times. Grrrr.
Switching gears for a moment... I had an epiphany while playing poker this weekend. Being competitive ALL the time is not a good thing. Ya gotta fold when your cards are crap. You can try bluffing and lucking out but more often than not, you'll find your chips adding to someone else's pile in these cases. The first couple of times I played I hosed up and tried making a play on every hand. STUPID. Good times hanging out with the fellas though.
Switching gears for a moment... I had an epiphany while playing poker this weekend. Being competitive ALL the time is not a good thing. Ya gotta fold when your cards are crap. You can try bluffing and lucking out but more often than not, you'll find your chips adding to someone else's pile in these cases. The first couple of times I played I hosed up and tried making a play on every hand. STUPID. Good times hanging out with the fellas though.
Much soggyness.
Ok, the weatherman LIED. When I watched the news this morning, we were to allegedly have a high of 69. He called it "unseasonably warm". As a result, I left the house in a short-sleeved shirt and no jacket. Froze my butt off all morning. Met up with my sis for some lunch and made a side trip by the house to get into a long sleeved shirt and pick up a jacket. Much mo' betta.
Spent the afternoon on shooting pics for a client website. Should have that all wrapped up by tomorrow hopefully. That pretty much took care of the remainder of my afternoon.
Jo came over around 6 to help me with some sound stuff. She works at a semi-local studio and I needed her assistance with some miking questions I had. We got a lot of things accomplished and now I have a small project to try out an idea she passed along. When we were done, we grabbed some dinner then made a Wal-Mart run as I was out of a few things at the house. Cool girl. She was fun talking to. I wish I could make it to her gig this Friday but I've got the Dec. General Gala to go to that I can't miss. I'll try and make it to the next one though. Thanks for your help girl!
I think I'll play some Half Life 2 then call it a night.
Spent the afternoon on shooting pics for a client website. Should have that all wrapped up by tomorrow hopefully. That pretty much took care of the remainder of my afternoon.
Jo came over around 6 to help me with some sound stuff. She works at a semi-local studio and I needed her assistance with some miking questions I had. We got a lot of things accomplished and now I have a small project to try out an idea she passed along. When we were done, we grabbed some dinner then made a Wal-Mart run as I was out of a few things at the house. Cool girl. She was fun talking to. I wish I could make it to her gig this Friday but I've got the Dec. General Gala to go to that I can't miss. I'll try and make it to the next one though. Thanks for your help girl!
I think I'll play some Half Life 2 then call it a night.
Sunday, December 05, 2004
It's raining. Again.
It was good to see Dave in church today back to 100% after being out sick last week. I had another infrequent opportunity to sit back and enjoy the service as I was off of drum duty this Sunday. I did get drafted to run the sound though. Not a problem.
After church, I ate lunch with a few folks over at Pizza Hut. It's been over a year since I've eaten there and I must say, it's improved. I trucked it over to the mall by myself as I was needing to pick up some more Christmas stuff as well as an item I was needing for myself.
Milled around the rest of the afternoon and tried to take a nap. I had some WEIRD dreams! Hmmm, maybe pizza wasn't such a good idea after all.
Back to church I went for the kids play and Christmas dinner. Great attendance! It was really encouraging to see the building COMPLETELY FULL. Took some pictures which I'll post momentarily barring any technical horkage. Kevin and I did bust out our Nintendo DS' for some head to head racing action. That wraps it up for today. It's raining out and it's time to pop in a DVD.
After church, I ate lunch with a few folks over at Pizza Hut. It's been over a year since I've eaten there and I must say, it's improved. I trucked it over to the mall by myself as I was needing to pick up some more Christmas stuff as well as an item I was needing for myself.
Milled around the rest of the afternoon and tried to take a nap. I had some WEIRD dreams! Hmmm, maybe pizza wasn't such a good idea after all.
Back to church I went for the kids play and Christmas dinner. Great attendance! It was really encouraging to see the building COMPLETELY FULL. Took some pictures which I'll post momentarily barring any technical horkage. Kevin and I did bust out our Nintendo DS' for some head to head racing action. That wraps it up for today. It's raining out and it's time to pop in a DVD.
"That was a ballsy move..."
Did a little Christmas shopping Saturday as I worked on my short gift list. For once, I think I'm going to get all this done with time to spare. Met up with Scott and headed to Huntsville. First stop was The Humidor so I could restock on some of the Kahlua cigars I enjoy from time to time. I'm no smoker, but on occasion, I will indulge in one of these sweet tasting delights. I'm not into some of those other cigars that smell like you're smokin a turd. Scott checked out some interesting looking pipes but ended up holding off on the purchase. We went further on down the Parkway and stopped at a bike shop I had been meaning to visit and looked around. Checked out some cool bikes while I was there. Even Scott looks like he might be interested in getting into some cycling. I think pretty much me and my friends could all benefit from some physical activity.
Even FURTHER down the Parkway we went to Pride Entertainment to look at gaming supplies. Scott picked up a felt for the table we were going to play on and I got some plastic playing cards... for no apparent reason except for wanting them.
Back in town we made it to Parkway Place to get some new threads. I think we both got a few nice items before making our way back to Decatur. The evening ended with a really good game of Texas Hold 'Em. There were 8 of us playing tournament-style. Lot's of good plays were made as well as some, well, not so bright ones. In the end in was Heavy E in first, me in second, and Scott in third. E and I went back and forth on the last few hands but he finally got me.
Slept like crap when I got home.
Even FURTHER down the Parkway we went to Pride Entertainment to look at gaming supplies. Scott picked up a felt for the table we were going to play on and I got some plastic playing cards... for no apparent reason except for wanting them.
Back in town we made it to Parkway Place to get some new threads. I think we both got a few nice items before making our way back to Decatur. The evening ended with a really good game of Texas Hold 'Em. There were 8 of us playing tournament-style. Lot's of good plays were made as well as some, well, not so bright ones. In the end in was Heavy E in first, me in second, and Scott in third. E and I went back and forth on the last few hands but he finally got me.
Slept like crap when I got home.
Friday, December 03, 2004
Friday. FINALLY.
Thursday at work was good. I was busy setting up a heavy duty G2 Mac at the office. It was suprisingly easy! In the end, I had a printing problem to our color laser that I was scratching my head over. Also got a new 20" LCD widescreen display that I'm using with my laptop for the time being. It's an EXTREMELY nice display. Going to keep it there through our open house next week when we open the building up for the historical district tour.
Lesa made it into work today after several days of agonizing ear pain. After work we headed to Simp's for a drink and appetizers. Met Chuck from North Carolina. He's an inspector for Home Depot. He goes to new construction site to certify the drainage plan or something. Anyway, I suggested Leas's dish to him which he ordered. Seemed like a cool guy. I also ran into an old aquaintance of mine, Callie. She and her sister and mom were there grabbing something to eat. It's been years since I've seen her.
Today, I figured out the printing problem on the G5. Canon's printer drivers were the culprit. Glad I got all that done. I spent most of the rest of the day figuring our how a PERL script worked that does form mail. I did a test afterward that worked so I'm pretty jazzed about that.
For lunch, I met up with Bill and Ralph over at Edo's for some much needed sushi. It was nice catching up with them. We did spend a good bit of time discussing the health insurance shenanigans that are going on though over at my former employer. Let's just say that a lot of people aren't happy over there.
For dinner (my life apparently revolves around eating), I met up with Scott and The Burns clan at Dead Lobster. Kev had his Nintendo DS with him (I had mine too of course) so we played some games while waiting. After a delicious meal (clam chowder, glass of wine, crab-stuffed tilapia, broiled scallops, fried shrimp, loaded potato) we all went over to EB Games. I picked up a new racing game that Kev had showed me AND put a deposit down on Sony's upcoming handheld... the PSP. Scott and Kev followed suit. ;-)
Lesa made it into work today after several days of agonizing ear pain. After work we headed to Simp's for a drink and appetizers. Met Chuck from North Carolina. He's an inspector for Home Depot. He goes to new construction site to certify the drainage plan or something. Anyway, I suggested Leas's dish to him which he ordered. Seemed like a cool guy. I also ran into an old aquaintance of mine, Callie. She and her sister and mom were there grabbing something to eat. It's been years since I've seen her.
Today, I figured out the printing problem on the G5. Canon's printer drivers were the culprit. Glad I got all that done. I spent most of the rest of the day figuring our how a PERL script worked that does form mail. I did a test afterward that worked so I'm pretty jazzed about that.
For lunch, I met up with Bill and Ralph over at Edo's for some much needed sushi. It was nice catching up with them. We did spend a good bit of time discussing the health insurance shenanigans that are going on though over at my former employer. Let's just say that a lot of people aren't happy over there.
For dinner (my life apparently revolves around eating), I met up with Scott and The Burns clan at Dead Lobster. Kev had his Nintendo DS with him (I had mine too of course) so we played some games while waiting. After a delicious meal (clam chowder, glass of wine, crab-stuffed tilapia, broiled scallops, fried shrimp, loaded potato) we all went over to EB Games. I picked up a new racing game that Kev had showed me AND put a deposit down on Sony's upcoming handheld... the PSP. Scott and Kev followed suit. ;-)
