8/01/2005
Working away from home sucks
I want to be holding my daughter right now, not proofing a magazine supplement. :0(
7/29/2005
Holy Crap! Did you see Six Feet Under?
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
So due to the collusion of baby duty, Bob Mould's party, and the two-day power outage, we just got around to watching this week's episode of Six Feet Under last night. Can I just say I did not see that one coming! I love it when a long-running show that I've watched since the first episode ties in ancient plot lines with little or no regard to more recent viewers. It makes me feel special. Part of the cool "been here with you since episode 1" club. Buffy and Angel were other shows that did that. Christ I sound like a geek. Oh well....
So is he dead???? Jenny and I say yes. Poor Character-Who-will-not-be-named-to-spare-the-videotapers-out-there, we hardly knew ye.
7/27/2005
Baby baby, you wanna make us stay up all night
Whhhaaaaaaa! Whhaaaaa! WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA [choke] AAAAAAAAAAA [silent tongue vibrating] AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!! [Repeat for six hours]
That was Jenny's life last night. I had to go to bed at 1am in order to actually make it to work today, and Jenny took a big one for the team. Thank you honey.
FYI, Jenny is the best mom in the world.
That was Jenny's life last night. I had to go to bed at 1am in order to actually make it to work today, and Jenny took a big one for the team. Thank you honey.
FYI, Jenny is the best mom in the world.
7/26/2005
7/25/2005
Apparently, I look gay.
Due to my music magazine press contacts, I received an "exclusive" invite to attend the listening party for Bob Mould's new album, "Body of Song," at a bar in D.C. last night.
Bob, for anyone who doesn't know, was in the seminal band Hüsker Dü and later produced some of the coolest, heaviest albums made during the First Wave of Cool Alternative Music Before Alternative Music Was Popular (FWOCAMBAMWP)® back in the early '90s. Then he came out of the closet, moved to D.C., and became a DJ. Go figure.
Anywho....
I arrived at the bar, a lower Adam's Morgan joint called Duplex Grill, and immediately noticed that the only women in the room were Bob's PR agent and two bartenders. So it turns out that the Duplex Grill is a gay bar. No big deal, I have nothing against gay folks, obviously.
I sidled up to the bar and ordered an $8 Jack and Coke (HOLY SHIT!!!! $8!?!?!?! Now I know why Jenny and I stay home on Fridays...that and the baby, I guess. But I digress.) to kill time while Bob and his homeys set up the private party area.
As I'm sitting there, a couple of other guys there for the press event sit next to me, and when I strike up a conversation, one of them (who was also gay) pipes up with, "Oh, you're here for the Bob thing? I had you pegged as a regular here." When I ask why, he says, "You have the look."
"What's the look?," I ask.
"Oh, you know, the hat, the shaved head, the square, rimless glasses, the cargo shorts." At which point he grabs one of the other patrons to bolster his point. "Doesn't he look gay?"
"You're straight?," the other patron asks me.
"Yep," I reply, showing my wedding ring.
"Well, you look gay."
Okay.
So there you have it, I look gay. I don't know whether to be flattered or what, but it is pretty funny.
To top off the evening, when I asked for directions to the men's room, my new friend gave me some sage advice: "Don't linger in there. You're a new daddy."
Bob, for anyone who doesn't know, was in the seminal band Hüsker Dü and later produced some of the coolest, heaviest albums made during the First Wave of Cool Alternative Music Before Alternative Music Was Popular (FWOCAMBAMWP)® back in the early '90s. Then he came out of the closet, moved to D.C., and became a DJ. Go figure.
Anywho....
I arrived at the bar, a lower Adam's Morgan joint called Duplex Grill, and immediately noticed that the only women in the room were Bob's PR agent and two bartenders. So it turns out that the Duplex Grill is a gay bar. No big deal, I have nothing against gay folks, obviously.
I sidled up to the bar and ordered an $8 Jack and Coke (HOLY SHIT!!!! $8!?!?!?! Now I know why Jenny and I stay home on Fridays...that and the baby, I guess. But I digress.) to kill time while Bob and his homeys set up the private party area.
As I'm sitting there, a couple of other guys there for the press event sit next to me, and when I strike up a conversation, one of them (who was also gay) pipes up with, "Oh, you're here for the Bob thing? I had you pegged as a regular here." When I ask why, he says, "You have the look."
"What's the look?," I ask.
"Oh, you know, the hat, the shaved head, the square, rimless glasses, the cargo shorts." At which point he grabs one of the other patrons to bolster his point. "Doesn't he look gay?"
"You're straight?," the other patron asks me.
"Yep," I reply, showing my wedding ring.
"Well, you look gay."
Okay.
So there you have it, I look gay. I don't know whether to be flattered or what, but it is pretty funny.
To top off the evening, when I asked for directions to the men's room, my new friend gave me some sage advice: "Don't linger in there. You're a new daddy."
7/22/2005
7/21/2005
Umby has left the body
Well, Sylvia lost her umby (aka umbilical cord stump) today.
I bet life will be more comfy now.
I bet life will be more comfy now.
7/19/2005
Greedy bastards
It's a tough world for HP. I mean the company is basically floundering with its measly $3.5 BILLION profit, and CEO Mark Hurd is barely getting by with his $1.4 million salary and tiny $2 million signing bonus (oops, I almost forgot his inconsequential $2.75 million "relocation allowance").
In fact, the company is in such dire straits that they are laying off 14,500 workers. Jesus. That's 14,500 families who are now without a job in an area where the median housing prices hover around $760,000. What is wrong with this picture, America?
But that's not all! HP also announced that they are getting rid of those pesky pension plans, too. According to the SF Chronicle, "The company announced that, beginning in January 2006, it will freeze pension and retiree medical-program benefits of HP employees 'who do not meet defined criteria based on age and years of company service.'"
I mean, why not, right? After all, the guys cutting the retirement plans will never need a pension when they're old and grey...they'll probably have some of their $2 million signing bonus left over, I'd guess. Wrong. If Hurd gets layed off, his employment contract guarantees that he would "receive a one-time cash payment equal to 2.5 times Hurd's then-current base salary plus his target bonus amount. Hurd would also benefit from continued health benefits, the vesting of all stock options and partial vesting of restricted stock." That's fair, right?
So why, you might ask, does a company that's well in the black lay off a substantial part of its domestic work force? Why, Joe, why? Well, you see, in addition to Hurd's salary and bonuses, he also receives more than 1,550,000 stock options in the company. When companies lay off workers, the stock price rises temporarily. If the stock goes up just $1 per share, that's another $1,550,000 windfall to Hurd and his buds. Sweet! (If you are Hurd or one of his buds, that is.)
What adds yet another stick into my already crowded craw is the glib way that these family-crushing, greedy, dare I say anti-American corporate clowns celebrate this kind of behavior:
"This was Mark’s coming out party, and he came out with great strength,” said analyst Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies Associates.“
Well, at least Mark's party went well. Good for you Mark. You prick.
7/18/2005
World, meet giant coffee mug. Giant coffee mug, meet world.
This is my giant coffee mug. The Alcatrazilla, as I call it. I don't have time normally during the week to partake of its sweet, voluminous nectar, but during this wonderful time off, we've become closer than ever. I love coffee, and now that I've become accustomed to the six-gallon serving size, I just can't go back to those piddly "normal" mugs.
Do you have a favorite coffee mug? Please let us know about it. And Save the Rock.
7/16/2005
7/13/2005
Indict Karl Rove!
Not only is Karl Rove a slimy, no-good poopoohead, but now it's pretty certain that he's a fricking traitor as well.
It's a federal crime to expose the identity of an active CIA agent. Rove should rot behind bars for doing this.
Of course, the Republican leadership, in their typically disgusting, hypocritical way, are backing Rove by attacking the honest, decent citizens demanding that this traitor be prosecuted. In the words of the worthless Representative Peter T. King from New York, "Republicans should stop holding back and go on the offense: fire enough bullets the other way until the Supreme Court overtakes events."
It shows just how cow-towed the American Public has become when these jerks can be so open about their underhanded tactics: attack, attack, attack, and wait for something else to take over the headlines.
It's a federal crime to expose the identity of an active CIA agent. Rove should rot behind bars for doing this.
Of course, the Republican leadership, in their typically disgusting, hypocritical way, are backing Rove by attacking the honest, decent citizens demanding that this traitor be prosecuted. In the words of the worthless Representative Peter T. King from New York, "Republicans should stop holding back and go on the offense: fire enough bullets the other way until the Supreme Court overtakes events."
It shows just how cow-towed the American Public has become when these jerks can be so open about their underhanded tactics: attack, attack, attack, and wait for something else to take over the headlines.
7/12/2005
Vacation, all I ever wanted
Taking a little time off to be with mother and baby, which is nice. Sylvie has her first pediatrician appointment today, so we're hoping for a clean bill of health. They are going to put her on a feeding schedule, too, which would be very helpful. Last night she gorged mightily and it all came back up...on me...after a horrible burping accident. Of course, she was unfazed, and hungry again 15 minutes later. Fatherhood at its finest. :-)
7/11/2005
More photos!
Well, I've put together a little photo album at Flickr.com to show Sylvia in all her glory.... Thanks a million for all the well wishes we've received from all our fantastic friends and family!Check out more Sylvia photos here.
7/07/2005
IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!
Sylvia Ida was born on July 3, 2005 at 3:55 a.m. She weighed 8 lbs, 13 oz. and is 19.5" long! No wonder she was running out of room inside mommy! She and Jenny are both happy and healthy and everyone is happy to be back home now. What an amazing thing! We couldn't be happier...or prouder!
6/29/2005
And now for your [easy] listening pleasure....
Thank god! I've finally found an easy, free, way to host some of my music in a streaming format. Now, if you're so inclined, you can go to this site and listen to four of my songs without having to suffer through a forty-hour download. I will be reverting to the 1960s-era idea of releasing singles one at a time (I've got several in the can now waiting to be posted). As I can only have four songs at a time up on myspace.com, I will cycle through them on a regular basis. I'll announce new releases here on the blog.
BTW, a hearty, and humble, thanks to all those who have given me feedback on Humbucker. It's really fun to be able to create music others can enjoy.
6/27/2005
The Power and the Fury
So I went to see Sleater-Kinney at the 9:30 Club on Saturday night. I didn't have a ticket to the sold-out show, so I had to pull a "I need a miracle" style canvassing of the people in line to get into the hall in order to find one (which I eventually did after 25 minutes).
I went to see the guitarists, Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein, really, but lo and behold, instead saw the best drumming spectacle I've ever witnessed firsthand.
The band's drummer, Janet Weiss (no, not the Rocky Horror Picture Show heroine), pounds the drums with such visciousness and sheer power that it's hard to believe that she can keep it up for a full 90-minute show. Yet, somehow she does, and then some. We're talking Keith Moon, Dave Grohl, and John Bonham-style bashing here--a crushing wall of sound that propells the music and defies anyone in the audience to ignore her. I was blown away.
And the rhythms were dead-on. Weiss played tight, crisp passages that gave way to wanton destruction and returned back to the groove again and again. I'm telling you, it was amazing. If you get the chance to see this woman play live, do it.
Plus, they covered Danzig's "Mother," which was very cool.
I went to see the guitarists, Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein, really, but lo and behold, instead saw the best drumming spectacle I've ever witnessed firsthand.
The band's drummer, Janet Weiss (no, not the Rocky Horror Picture Show heroine), pounds the drums with such visciousness and sheer power that it's hard to believe that she can keep it up for a full 90-minute show. Yet, somehow she does, and then some. We're talking Keith Moon, Dave Grohl, and John Bonham-style bashing here--a crushing wall of sound that propells the music and defies anyone in the audience to ignore her. I was blown away.
And the rhythms were dead-on. Weiss played tight, crisp passages that gave way to wanton destruction and returned back to the groove again and again. I'm telling you, it was amazing. If you get the chance to see this woman play live, do it.
Plus, they covered Danzig's "Mother," which was very cool.
6/24/2005
Photorama/Death From Above 1979
Blogger has finally gotten around to letting you upload images directly into your post, thank god. That said, Flickr's system was pretty easy too. But I'm lazy, so I'd rather only go to one site to do one task (blog). Did you ever notice how most bands suck? Well they do. (Many would say mine does and I do, too, which is their right even though they can kiss my lilly white culu.) Well, here's one band that Does Not Suck: Death From Above 1979. One distorted bass and one drumset, and they really groove. Try it, you'll like it. Hey mikey.
6/23/2005
Crimeny, what a hassle!
So sorry to everyone who tried to download the Humbucker files and couldn't yesterday. I've got a ZIP file that I can send anyone who wants it. Or you can use this link to download it (It should work, although it's a big download.)
http://s38.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0IX3V3H1A42IC0B49ZBQ62J7PG
Just email me a the_lurking_one AT hotmail DOT com, and I'll shoot off a CD to you. Also includes a cool PDF of the album's liner notes.
http://s38.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0IX3V3H1A42IC0B49ZBQ62J7PG
Just email me a the_lurking_one AT hotmail DOT com, and I'll shoot off a CD to you. Also includes a cool PDF of the album's liner notes.
6/22/2005
My new solo album...FINALLY!
Well, I'm finally ready to release some new music. It's been a long, long while since I've put out an album of my stuff, but I hope this will be the first of a flurry of work from me.
The album is called "Humbucker" and includes 7 of my newest recordings. Here's the track rundown:
Another Bass: Sort of a techno feel, in keeping with the experimental aspects of the album. I wanted something you could dance around the house to.Download
Ballentine: This is the first single off the album. This song originated as a riff I'd been working on for a while but couldn't get any lyrics to fit with. Then one night in our D.C. apartment I was sitting there looking at Hoops and Yoyo and got inspired. Download
Blarney Take 2: This is a cover song about someone slowly turning into a social vampire, originally written by my brilliant friends in the now-defunct Portland band, Lucky. I knew the songwriters, Sean Richardson and Keith Walters, from back in my college days when they were in StrawFyssh, a Charleston, WV band that played with Feast of Stephen on more than one occasion. These guys are amazing songwriters. Download
Gap Soundtrack: I wanted to try my hand at an instrumental that would be good background music for a movie. Download
Jellyfish Eater: The tragic story of a girl, a beach, and a washed-up jelly. The other single off the album, and my favorite song on here. Download
On the Dance Floor: I originally wasn't sold on this song, but Jenny couldn't quit singing it around the house, so I thought I might be on to something. Download
Red Wine and Good News: I love this song. It's sung in an imaginary language. :-) Download
To get to the files and download them, right click on the "Download" link and "Save as" to your HD. I hope you enjoy the record. I had fun making it.
The album is called "Humbucker" and includes 7 of my newest recordings. Here's the track rundown:
Another Bass: Sort of a techno feel, in keeping with the experimental aspects of the album. I wanted something you could dance around the house to.Download
Ballentine: This is the first single off the album. This song originated as a riff I'd been working on for a while but couldn't get any lyrics to fit with. Then one night in our D.C. apartment I was sitting there looking at Hoops and Yoyo and got inspired. Download
Blarney Take 2: This is a cover song about someone slowly turning into a social vampire, originally written by my brilliant friends in the now-defunct Portland band, Lucky. I knew the songwriters, Sean Richardson and Keith Walters, from back in my college days when they were in StrawFyssh, a Charleston, WV band that played with Feast of Stephen on more than one occasion. These guys are amazing songwriters. Download
Gap Soundtrack: I wanted to try my hand at an instrumental that would be good background music for a movie. Download
Jellyfish Eater: The tragic story of a girl, a beach, and a washed-up jelly. The other single off the album, and my favorite song on here. Download
On the Dance Floor: I originally wasn't sold on this song, but Jenny couldn't quit singing it around the house, so I thought I might be on to something. Download
Red Wine and Good News: I love this song. It's sung in an imaginary language. :-) Download
To get to the files and download them, right click on the "Download" link and "Save as" to your HD. I hope you enjoy the record. I had fun making it.
6/20/2005
Claws
My big toenails are as sharp as razor blades. Seriously they are deadly weapons. I remarked about them to Jenny tonight:
"My toenails are really sharp."
"I know, you slice my legs to ribbons every night."
"Sorry."
"You should use my file to make them dull."
"But then how would I kill my prey?"
"My toenails are really sharp."
"I know, you slice my legs to ribbons every night."
"Sorry."
"You should use my file to make them dull."
"But then how would I kill my prey?"
6/17/2005
Mom and Dad visit!
We're psyched to have my Mom and Dad in for the Father's Day weekend. Last night we had a cook out of chicken apple sausage and grilled asparagus...yum city!
I'm currently staring down the barrel of three untranscribed interviews for FRETS and Guitar Player that I must get done soon. The band I interviewed last night, Kinski, from Seattle, play some bitchin' instrumental rock and both guitarists were very friendly. Check them out if you get a chance and watch out for the article in an upcoming issue of GP.
I'm currently staring down the barrel of three untranscribed interviews for FRETS and Guitar Player that I must get done soon. The band I interviewed last night, Kinski, from Seattle, play some bitchin' instrumental rock and both guitarists were very friendly. Check them out if you get a chance and watch out for the article in an upcoming issue of GP.
6/12/2005
Just like old times!
This last weekend our dear friends Jane and Sarah came out to visit from Oakland. We were the last stop on their whirlwind East Coast tour, and we're so happy they made it.
Jane used to live in D.C., which meant that we could skip the super tourist stuff and concentrate on the good stuff: Ethiopian food on U St., Yueng Ling Porter and exotic cheese plates, Eastern Market and a quick tour of Jane's and my old houses on Capitol Hill (turns out we lived one block from each other and didn't even realize it back in the '90s) and killer cookouts with our D.C. friends.
We had a blast having them stay with us, and look forward to introducing them to A.P. sometime soon.
We miss you already!!!!!
Jane used to live in D.C., which meant that we could skip the super tourist stuff and concentrate on the good stuff: Ethiopian food on U St., Yueng Ling Porter and exotic cheese plates, Eastern Market and a quick tour of Jane's and my old houses on Capitol Hill (turns out we lived one block from each other and didn't even realize it back in the '90s) and killer cookouts with our D.C. friends.
We had a blast having them stay with us, and look forward to introducing them to A.P. sometime soon.
We miss you already!!!!!
6/02/2005
And now the crap part of owning your own home
Please notice the soccer cleats. They are necessary to keep me from sliding fully under the whirring blades of my mower and becoming Joe mulch.
That's okay, Jane and Sarah can earn their keep when they get here by doing the impossible side yard.... :0)
That's okay, Jane and Sarah can earn their keep when they get here by doing the impossible side yard.... :0)
Yabba Dabba DO!
I would like to officially announce that I have Flintstone feet.
Bummer.
Or, maybe not!
An excuse for extra foot massages and pedicures!
Bummer.
Or, maybe not!
An excuse for extra foot massages and pedicures!
Memories...light the corners of my mind
I miss:
My sister, my friends, A Cote, Rockridge/College Ave. for shopping, eating and flower buying, the place in N. Berkeley that's run by lesbians and has basic super-yum breakfast treats, Lands End cliff walk in San Francisco (where Joe proposed and has the best view of the Golden Gate bridge), Chouinard Winery in Castro Valley, Picture + Pizza + Pub movie house,Woodwards Garden restaurant in SF, bonfire parties at Ocean Beach (esp. happy memory as that's where I met Joe).
Don't miss: Summer that's chilly and damp. Not being able to park just to see a movie or go to the grocery store. That working like a dog still doesn't allow you to buy a house that's not teensy.
My sister, my friends, A Cote, Rockridge/College Ave. for shopping, eating and flower buying, the place in N. Berkeley that's run by lesbians and has basic super-yum breakfast treats, Lands End cliff walk in San Francisco (where Joe proposed and has the best view of the Golden Gate bridge), Chouinard Winery in Castro Valley, Picture + Pizza + Pub movie house,Woodwards Garden restaurant in SF, bonfire parties at Ocean Beach (esp. happy memory as that's where I met Joe).
Don't miss: Summer that's chilly and damp. Not being able to park just to see a movie or go to the grocery store. That working like a dog still doesn't allow you to buy a house that's not teensy.
6/01/2005
One year in DC...whoa that was fast!
Well, it's been a little over a year since Jenny and I left San Francisco/Oakland for the Washington DC metro area. Amazing. Time really, really flies now. The Bay Area is really much better to visit than to live in, if you ask me. (Nobody did, but what the hell, it's our blog, so....) Still, it's got me into a little reflection mode about what I miss and don't miss about living in the Bay Area.
What I don't miss: lots of things that really begin and end with the $700,000+ housing prices....
Now, what I miss:
EBOT soccer. It's been a serious pain in the ass finding non-competitive soccer out here. I miss my EBOT family and the weekly chance to score goles.
The wine country. Man, do I miss this one. Livermore Valley, I barely knew ye!
Friends. Obviously. Although almost all of them have moved out of the Bay Area already due to the factors listed above.
We are much happier in DC. It was a nervewracking decision to pull up stakes after a decade of S.F. area living (an average of Jenny's and my time in the area), but we're convinced we made the right one. I just don't see how people get ahead of the game out there.... Here in DC we've got a house, upcoming baby, jobs, family...all is good. It's been a hell of a year. For us, it was the right choice.
What I don't miss: lots of things that really begin and end with the $700,000+ housing prices....
Now, what I miss:
EBOT soccer. It's been a serious pain in the ass finding non-competitive soccer out here. I miss my EBOT family and the weekly chance to score goles.
The wine country. Man, do I miss this one. Livermore Valley, I barely knew ye!
Friends. Obviously. Although almost all of them have moved out of the Bay Area already due to the factors listed above.
We are much happier in DC. It was a nervewracking decision to pull up stakes after a decade of S.F. area living (an average of Jenny's and my time in the area), but we're convinced we made the right one. I just don't see how people get ahead of the game out there.... Here in DC we've got a house, upcoming baby, jobs, family...all is good. It's been a hell of a year. For us, it was the right choice.
5/27/2005
Last "date day"
Last Saturday, Joe and I took our last patented Jen-Joe roadtrip and had a "date day" in St. Michael's. It's on the Eastern side of Chesapeake Bay.
It's a very cute town with a main street, a ton of mid-to-late 1800's era buildings and yummy seafood. We ate at a restaurant right on the harbor that a local recommended -- it was SO good. Crab cakes for me. YUM. Plus a virgin piña colada. I am crazy that way!
Basically we walked up and down the main street, looked in shops, looked at cool houses, had an ice cream cone and sat on a porch and watched people go by. Also, I signed up to try to win a 1966 Mustang convertible (cherry red with a beige top, aka my dream car). The St. Michael's Rotary Club was selling raffle tix...so I signed up...
It's a very cute town with a main street, a ton of mid-to-late 1800's era buildings and yummy seafood. We ate at a restaurant right on the harbor that a local recommended -- it was SO good. Crab cakes for me. YUM. Plus a virgin piña colada. I am crazy that way!
Basically we walked up and down the main street, looked in shops, looked at cool houses, had an ice cream cone and sat on a porch and watched people go by. Also, I signed up to try to win a 1966 Mustang convertible (cherry red with a beige top, aka my dream car). The St. Michael's Rotary Club was selling raffle tix...so I signed up...
5/26/2005
Totally Rad
My evil twin is pictured at right, doing what he does best: playing the hell out of a guitar.
Johnny Rad was the other guitarist in my college-era band, The Feast of Stephen. Nowadays he's living in Parkersburg, WV and plays mostly at singer/songwriter events. His songs are fantastic, with "Free the Frogs" being my personal favorite.
The cool thing about playing in a band with Rad was that our styles are completely different, so they compliment each other well.
Where he is technically adept at the instrument, I am a sloppy mess of a player; where his phrasing is modal and uses complex chord voicings to weave texture into the song, I bash on my strings as hard as I can in the hopes of an unexpected, feedback-aided sonic discovery; while he can play YYZ, I can play Tom Sawyer. You get the picture.
Anyway, in the photo at right he is using his super powers for good at a songwriters' cancer benefit. Go Rad!
Johnny Rad was the other guitarist in my college-era band, The Feast of Stephen. Nowadays he's living in Parkersburg, WV and plays mostly at singer/songwriter events. His songs are fantastic, with "Free the Frogs" being my personal favorite.
The cool thing about playing in a band with Rad was that our styles are completely different, so they compliment each other well.
Where he is technically adept at the instrument, I am a sloppy mess of a player; where his phrasing is modal and uses complex chord voicings to weave texture into the song, I bash on my strings as hard as I can in the hopes of an unexpected, feedback-aided sonic discovery; while he can play YYZ, I can play Tom Sawyer. You get the picture.
Anyway, in the photo at right he is using his super powers for good at a songwriters' cancer benefit. Go Rad!
5/25/2005
Working for the weekend
Life here in the D.C. Metro area is all wet right now....yuk! Last year at this time it was 90 degrees. Where is summer? I'm sure it will arrive soon enough and press its heavy, humid foot down on the back of our necks and make us beg for fall again.
Actually, I don't mind the heat too much. Some folks find it oppressive, but after almost 10 years of Bay Area 55 degree backyard BBQs all "summer" long, I'm ready for some bakin'!
I can't believe the baby is almost here!!!! Jenny and I went to her doctor's office today for a scheduled appointment, and the doc told us that the baby could come at any time now (although we're still scheduled for an Independence Day arrival). It's so weird to think of being a dad. I hope I can live up to a tenth of how good a dad mine is. It's scary as hell, mind you, but exhilerating nonetheless.
This weekend promises to be a busy—and fun—one. Jason and Liz are both coming in to visit and we have a BBQ scheduled with our cool neighbors, Bill and Kim, for Memorial Day. Fun!
Actually, I don't mind the heat too much. Some folks find it oppressive, but after almost 10 years of Bay Area 55 degree backyard BBQs all "summer" long, I'm ready for some bakin'!
I can't believe the baby is almost here!!!! Jenny and I went to her doctor's office today for a scheduled appointment, and the doc told us that the baby could come at any time now (although we're still scheduled for an Independence Day arrival). It's so weird to think of being a dad. I hope I can live up to a tenth of how good a dad mine is. It's scary as hell, mind you, but exhilerating nonetheless.
This weekend promises to be a busy—and fun—one. Jason and Liz are both coming in to visit and we have a BBQ scheduled with our cool neighbors, Bill and Kim, for Memorial Day. Fun!
5/23/2005
34 weeks and '80s movies
How do these two relate? Well, I am 34 weeks along being prego and the AP (aka alien peanut) is playing out scenes from "Footloose" and "Flashdance," while inside.
It's insane the amount of movement that's happening. Arms/legs are flying around and rise up from the belly. Day...night...afternoon...sitting here at work... doesn't matter...it dances around so much! Sometimes I think it's doing jumping jacks, as it feels like all limbs are going at the same time. Watch out Denise Austin, we may have a fitness prince/princess that will be challenging you in the near future.
It's insane the amount of movement that's happening. Arms/legs are flying around and rise up from the belly. Day...night...afternoon...sitting here at work... doesn't matter...it dances around so much! Sometimes I think it's doing jumping jacks, as it feels like all limbs are going at the same time. Watch out Denise Austin, we may have a fitness prince/princess that will be challenging you in the near future.
5/20/2005
None more blech.
Yuck city! Today's weather is fantastically horrible! Rain rain and more rain! Stop me before I bang* again! Bang! Bang!
(Okay, I think I need some coffee.)
*"Bang" is printer's slang for a typeset exclamation point, btw.
(Okay, I think I need some coffee.)
*"Bang" is printer's slang for a typeset exclamation point, btw.
5/19/2005
"I congratulate you on the marriage of you."
There is apparently a market for carved melons in Asia. While not exactly my cup of green tea, I've got to admit that this is pretty good knifework. Still, it's pretty effed up to give someone a melon calling him a "muron." (See work #21.)
Somewhere in Japan, a kid is looking at a Halloween pumkin carving web site and going, "what the hell is up with these Americans and the goard carving?"
Somewhere in Japan, a kid is looking at a Halloween pumkin carving web site and going, "what the hell is up with these Americans and the goard carving?"
5/16/2005
Hobby of the month
One of my best and worst traits as a human is having flights of fancy in regard to life interests and hobbies. Usually it goes like this: I find a neat topic, dive in head first, read anything and everything I can find on the subject, work out a business plan for it, find out that it's too riddled with liabilities and/or costs to take a risk on, get disinterested, move on to next topic.
Luckily, I've got the common sense to get a steady job and stick to it while persuing all the other things, so I don't feel too guilty about it.
Still, I sometimes wonder what it must be like for those lucky folks who knew, just knew, exactly what they wanted to do with their life, and did it. That has to be a cool feeling.
No regrets, though. I'm pretty happy with myself and the fact that I can usually become pretty decent at whatever it is I want to teach myself about until I get bored with it. For now it's guitar amps, and this one's lasted for quite some time now. Maybe it'll stick!
I get this honest, btw. My mom taught herself the following things from library books alone:
Furniture refinishing: Her pieces are amazingly good. If you ever come visit, check out the bedset in the office/spare bedroom. People can't believe it wasn't professionally redone.
Upholstery: She taught herself how to upholster a couch, and then taught me. Hence, the red velvet love seat in our living room.
Painting (oil, watercolor): Again, it's amazing that she taught herself to do this. She can paint from a photo no problem. That's something I could never do.
Spanish: She got tapes and books and taught herself so well that when we went to Spain, she would sit for hours in the lobby of our hotel just talking to the old men who gathered there to watch soccer. That's pretty freaking cool. And my mom isn't even from the Spanish side of the family!!! :-)
In case you haven't guessed, I'm really proud of my mom. She's sweet and smart, and the most creative person I know. Go mom!
Luckily, I've got the common sense to get a steady job and stick to it while persuing all the other things, so I don't feel too guilty about it.
Still, I sometimes wonder what it must be like for those lucky folks who knew, just knew, exactly what they wanted to do with their life, and did it. That has to be a cool feeling.
No regrets, though. I'm pretty happy with myself and the fact that I can usually become pretty decent at whatever it is I want to teach myself about until I get bored with it. For now it's guitar amps, and this one's lasted for quite some time now. Maybe it'll stick!
I get this honest, btw. My mom taught herself the following things from library books alone:
Furniture refinishing: Her pieces are amazingly good. If you ever come visit, check out the bedset in the office/spare bedroom. People can't believe it wasn't professionally redone.
Upholstery: She taught herself how to upholster a couch, and then taught me. Hence, the red velvet love seat in our living room.
Painting (oil, watercolor): Again, it's amazing that she taught herself to do this. She can paint from a photo no problem. That's something I could never do.
Spanish: She got tapes and books and taught herself so well that when we went to Spain, she would sit for hours in the lobby of our hotel just talking to the old men who gathered there to watch soccer. That's pretty freaking cool. And my mom isn't even from the Spanish side of the family!!! :-)
In case you haven't guessed, I'm really proud of my mom. She's sweet and smart, and the most creative person I know. Go mom!
5/12/2005
Your browser sucks.
My Webmaster at the office recently turned me on to Firefox. Firefox is pretty much the anti-Explorer, in that it's easy-to-use, popup-unfriendly, and not as vulernable to attack as that browser from Microshite. It's also open source, which is way cool, and so indie. (Like me, right?)
Anyway, I recommend that you download it and give it a trial run. I'm pretty sure you'll like it.
BTW, there is a little extention that goes with Firefox called Stumble Upon that will ROCK YOUR WORLD. And no, all-caps italic bold is not overkill in this case.
Basically, Stumble Upon is preferences-targeted Web browsing that suggests sites you might be interested in, based on your search history and interests. I've found some killer sites through this thing (Questionable Content being one), and I have a very hard time keeping my cursor away from it, so be warned!
Anyway, I recommend that you download it and give it a trial run. I'm pretty sure you'll like it.
BTW, there is a little extention that goes with Firefox called Stumble Upon that will ROCK YOUR WORLD. And no, all-caps italic bold is not overkill in this case.
Basically, Stumble Upon is preferences-targeted Web browsing that suggests sites you might be interested in, based on your search history and interests. I've found some killer sites through this thing (Questionable Content being one), and I have a very hard time keeping my cursor away from it, so be warned!
All Hands on the Bad One
Just finished interviewing Carrie and Corin from one of my favorite bands, Sleater-Kinney. Both very cool people. Look for the whole article in a Guitar Player magazine near you!
5/10/2005
None more black.
Well, it looks like I'm in a band again.
Jenny was taking food to a new mother in my neighborhood (something all the new moms do in my neighborhood) Saturday before last, and when she mentioned to the woman's husband, Glen, that I couldn't come along because I was playing at a blues jam, he told her that his band was looking for a guitarist and gave her his number for me.
I called and we chatted for a while about music and musical goals, and found that we both wanted to do original music locally, with no touring (we met through the new parents' network, after all). We saw eye to eye on most things, so he suggested that I come over to audition that Sunday.
On Friday the bass player, Aaron, brought by a CD with three tunes from their old band for me to learn for the audition. I hadn't learned entire songs note-for-note in about 10 years, so I dropped my plans of going to see a show at the Velvet Lounge in DC and started working out the guitar parts.
The first song was pretty fast with a difficult rhythm, and it took me until the next morning to get it down. The other two were pretty much cake to play, technique-wise, which was good. Still, the tough part of learning three songs in a day and a half is remembering how the songs go: i.e., what part comes after what. This can only be done by listening to the song again and again and again and again and then shooting yourself and then listening some more. So that's what I did.
On Sunday I arrived at the drummer's house and we gathered in the toy-strewn basement to go through the songs I'd learned. (By the way, can I just say that day-glo Fisher-Price toys in the rehearsal studio is so rawk? Yeowww!)
I used my newest build, the Lo-Fi 5881 and my Les Paul Standard, and immediately got a good sound that fit in the harmonic space between the bass and vocals really well. To the non-musicians out there, let me say that this is one of the most important parts of playing with other people: getting a good sound. Nothing builds confidence in your playing faster than a good sound, and nothing destroys confidence as quickly as a bad one.
Now that I had dialed in my sound, it was time to impress or die trying (which would be quickly be following by my slinking out of the guy's house with my guitar cord dragging between my legs....).
We went through the fast song with the difficult rhythm first. To my amazement, I played it pretty much flawlessly the first time through. In fact, I had to show the bass player (who wrote the song in the first place) how a break in it went. At that point when I started to feel really good about my chances of getting into the band (and really good about my massive cram session in the preceeding days).
We played through the other two songs in like fashion, and the band sounded really tight, especially for three guys who had never seen their guitarist before that morning. We even wrote an original song on the spot, which is a really good sign.
I am too experienced with flaky musicians and the whole garage band thing to expect too much from this, but one thing's for sure: this experience has reminded me of how much fun it is to play music with other people, and I want to do more of it. I enjoy writing and recording music on my iBook, but nothing really compares to the thrill you get when you connect to another living, breathing person on a musical level. It sounds trite, but it can be pretty trancendental. And if not that, it's at least pretty damn cool. You can't ask for much more than that.
Jenny was taking food to a new mother in my neighborhood (something all the new moms do in my neighborhood) Saturday before last, and when she mentioned to the woman's husband, Glen, that I couldn't come along because I was playing at a blues jam, he told her that his band was looking for a guitarist and gave her his number for me.
I called and we chatted for a while about music and musical goals, and found that we both wanted to do original music locally, with no touring (we met through the new parents' network, after all). We saw eye to eye on most things, so he suggested that I come over to audition that Sunday.
On Friday the bass player, Aaron, brought by a CD with three tunes from their old band for me to learn for the audition. I hadn't learned entire songs note-for-note in about 10 years, so I dropped my plans of going to see a show at the Velvet Lounge in DC and started working out the guitar parts.
The first song was pretty fast with a difficult rhythm, and it took me until the next morning to get it down. The other two were pretty much cake to play, technique-wise, which was good. Still, the tough part of learning three songs in a day and a half is remembering how the songs go: i.e., what part comes after what. This can only be done by listening to the song again and again and again and again and then shooting yourself and then listening some more. So that's what I did.
On Sunday I arrived at the drummer's house and we gathered in the toy-strewn basement to go through the songs I'd learned. (By the way, can I just say that day-glo Fisher-Price toys in the rehearsal studio is so rawk? Yeowww!)
I used my newest build, the Lo-Fi 5881 and my Les Paul Standard, and immediately got a good sound that fit in the harmonic space between the bass and vocals really well. To the non-musicians out there, let me say that this is one of the most important parts of playing with other people: getting a good sound. Nothing builds confidence in your playing faster than a good sound, and nothing destroys confidence as quickly as a bad one.
Now that I had dialed in my sound, it was time to impress or die trying (which would be quickly be following by my slinking out of the guy's house with my guitar cord dragging between my legs....).
We went through the fast song with the difficult rhythm first. To my amazement, I played it pretty much flawlessly the first time through. In fact, I had to show the bass player (who wrote the song in the first place) how a break in it went. At that point when I started to feel really good about my chances of getting into the band (and really good about my massive cram session in the preceeding days).
We played through the other two songs in like fashion, and the band sounded really tight, especially for three guys who had never seen their guitarist before that morning. We even wrote an original song on the spot, which is a really good sign.
I am too experienced with flaky musicians and the whole garage band thing to expect too much from this, but one thing's for sure: this experience has reminded me of how much fun it is to play music with other people, and I want to do more of it. I enjoy writing and recording music on my iBook, but nothing really compares to the thrill you get when you connect to another living, breathing person on a musical level. It sounds trite, but it can be pretty trancendental. And if not that, it's at least pretty damn cool. You can't ask for much more than that.
5/09/2005
Flora and Fauna
Spring is definitely here...and it's been amazing to see the change from winter to spring.
The birds are going crazy and our flowers are blooming!
The peony bush from the previous homeowner JUST started to flower and I am waiting to see if the new bushes I planted have blooms. The azaleas are insane...it looks Hawaii-like around the border of our house! Will post a photo soon!
The birds are going crazy and our flowers are blooming!
The peony bush from the previous homeowner JUST started to flower and I am waiting to see if the new bushes I planted have blooms. The azaleas are insane...it looks Hawaii-like around the border of our house! Will post a photo soon!
5/04/2005
Questionable Content: Too indie for my own good.
Meet Faye. Faye is a character on one of the cooler and better executed Web-based comics I've run across: Questionable Content.
Faye lives with Marten (the "show's" central character), and they enjoy a roommate relationship based on the stereotypical, yet strangely unannoying Scully/Mulder, Dave/Maddy, etc. sexual tension employed by countless sitcoms. Will they or won't they? Oooo, they almost opened up that episode.... Are they gonna kiss????? You know the drill.
The storyline revolves around these two indie rock hipsters living in an anonymous northern city: rest assured that with this entire cast of characters (robot computer sex-addict pet, best friends with 17 year-old jailbait girlfriends, recovering goth rocker boss, annoying, yet lovable ex-goth co-worker, et al) wacky indie hijinks are sure to ensue.
The artwork is superb, and the scripts, while clichéd, are strangely addictive. You can't read just one.
Start at episode one and keep going. Pretty cool stuff.
BTW, I'm not really the comic book geek in the extended family. That would be Suzi.
Faye lives with Marten (the "show's" central character), and they enjoy a roommate relationship based on the stereotypical, yet strangely unannoying Scully/Mulder, Dave/Maddy, etc. sexual tension employed by countless sitcoms. Will they or won't they? Oooo, they almost opened up that episode.... Are they gonna kiss????? You know the drill.
The storyline revolves around these two indie rock hipsters living in an anonymous northern city: rest assured that with this entire cast of characters (robot computer sex-addict pet, best friends with 17 year-old jailbait girlfriends, recovering goth rocker boss, annoying, yet lovable ex-goth co-worker, et al) wacky indie hijinks are sure to ensue.
The artwork is superb, and the scripts, while clichéd, are strangely addictive. You can't read just one.
Start at episode one and keep going. Pretty cool stuff.
BTW, I'm not really the comic book geek in the extended family. That would be Suzi.
On the home front
Well, I haven't been blogging too much lately due to work stuff, mostly, so here's an update to get you up to speed:
Jenny is so cute with her big ol' belly. Skinny girl, big belly! I love to put my hand on there and feel the little thing kicking and rolling around....so weird, yet so cool.
I played in a blues jam on Sunday in Takoma Park. The DC Blues Society puts on this open-mic type jam on the first Sunday of every month, and I finally got around to heading down there. Didn't rock, but I didn't stink up the place either, which is fine since that was the first time I've played on stage with other human beings since the "Creek" debacle two years ago. I had to sing for my three-song set, and I can never remember the words to songs, so I just mumbled in true blues fashion. As long as you throw in a few "you make me so sad, baby"'s and "I woke up this morning"'s, all is cool.
I've got an "audition" for a band coming up this Sunday, if all goes well. (Musicians are notoriously flakey, so you can't really count on anything happening until it does.) Dudes live right in our neighborhood, so the commute to practice would be cake.
Jenny and I are in the midst of a "how-to-have-a-baby" class at the hospital where we expect to give birth. Did you ever see the Bill Cosby bit about those classes? It's totally like that. We've learned a lot, though. Stuff like: Epidurals are good. Very good.
Jenny is so cute with her big ol' belly. Skinny girl, big belly! I love to put my hand on there and feel the little thing kicking and rolling around....so weird, yet so cool.
I played in a blues jam on Sunday in Takoma Park. The DC Blues Society puts on this open-mic type jam on the first Sunday of every month, and I finally got around to heading down there. Didn't rock, but I didn't stink up the place either, which is fine since that was the first time I've played on stage with other human beings since the "Creek" debacle two years ago. I had to sing for my three-song set, and I can never remember the words to songs, so I just mumbled in true blues fashion. As long as you throw in a few "you make me so sad, baby"'s and "I woke up this morning"'s, all is cool.
I've got an "audition" for a band coming up this Sunday, if all goes well. (Musicians are notoriously flakey, so you can't really count on anything happening until it does.) Dudes live right in our neighborhood, so the commute to practice would be cake.
Jenny and I are in the midst of a "how-to-have-a-baby" class at the hospital where we expect to give birth. Did you ever see the Bill Cosby bit about those classes? It's totally like that. We've learned a lot, though. Stuff like: Epidurals are good. Very good.
4/27/2005
4/26/2005
Cool crap
I love good design (Jenny and I both do, actually), and this student entry--and Gold medal winner--in the BusinessWeek Design 2004 contest is pure brilliance. This kid is going places. Get it? going places?
4/25/2005
Patio housewarming a great success!
This past Saturday we hosted our housewarming/first patio party of the season. In spite of all dire weather predictions, the clouds broke and graced us with some great sunshine, and we were able to get outside and enjoy it, brew in hand!
About 20 of our friends and local family came by to party with us, and a good time seemed to be had by all. Jenny and I count ourselves so lucky to have met such wonderful folks wherever we go. Thanks for coming everyone!
About 20 of our friends and local family came by to party with us, and a good time seemed to be had by all. Jenny and I count ourselves so lucky to have met such wonderful folks wherever we go. Thanks for coming everyone!
4/24/2005
4/22/2005
Where'd they go?
My tulips that is. So I came out of the house this morning to find my tulips had been neatly lopped of. Just the tops! I was freaking out as I thought someone had come by and cut them off.
What a weird vandal. A bouquet vandal. Then my neighbors told me it's DEER. Deer...eating my tulips -- what a bummer...
What a weird vandal. A bouquet vandal. Then my neighbors told me it's DEER. Deer...eating my tulips -- what a bummer...
4/21/2005
Weekend party blues
So we're having a housewarming/cookout party this Saturday. Around 20 locals, brew, patio fun. Or not. T-storms are currently in the forecast. Crap. One good thing about California weather that I miss: never having to worry that rain will spoil your outdoor plans, since it never rains after March.
4/19/2005
This is the best description of an electric guitar ever written.
"There is something raw, incredibly dumb and utterly irresistible about the electric guitar. You can wank an electric guitar. It's a cock. It's a gun. It's a cockgun. You can peel back its shiny metal foreskin and stab its screaming purple head directly into a crowd's brain and fuck it to death - blasting chunks of utterly satiated punterflesh in every direction with every nerve shredding ejaculation. You just can't do that with a synthesiser."
I fancy myself a bit of a writer, but I bow to the wordsmith who penned that hilarious, yet amazingly accurate portrayal of why electric guitar is the coolest instrument on Earth.
Here's the full article.
I fancy myself a bit of a writer, but I bow to the wordsmith who penned that hilarious, yet amazingly accurate portrayal of why electric guitar is the coolest instrument on Earth.
Here's the full article.
How many little kids have to die before we'll install seat belts in buses?
Yesterday in Arlington a school bus crashed head-on into a garbage truck, tragically kiling one grade schooler. It's ironic because just last weekend my dad and I were talking about how reprehensible it is that we, as a society, have an unlimited amount of funds to bomb the living shit out of anyone, anywhere, anytime, yet we deem it "too expensive" to mandate and install seat belts on school buses. I remarked to him that, like seemingly every major regulatory change, it will take a major accident before this issue is properly addressed. Well, here it is. :-(
4/14/2005
Baby stuff and in-laws galore! DCOT lives!
Well, this has been a really babycentric weekend/week. My mom, dad, and aunt Agnes came in from WV and Jenny's mom came in from CA for the baby shower on Sunday. The baby received lots of great presents from the 20+ attendees, and Real Madrid beat Barcelona 4-1 at the Dad/Jody house. So all is well.
Jenny's mom is still staying with us, and she an Jenny have been exploring the cherry-blossom encrusted mall, shopping, and doing other fun mother/daughter stuff.
In other news, had the first DCOT (DC Over-Thirty) soccer yesterday. Only four of us showed, but we got a couple of passers-by and played 3-vs-3 between the Capitol and the Washington Monument. Quite majestic, if you can somehow forget who's running the government right now....Anyway, I was glad to get back to playing non-competive (read: fun) soccer again.
Jenny's mom is still staying with us, and she an Jenny have been exploring the cherry-blossom encrusted mall, shopping, and doing other fun mother/daughter stuff.
In other news, had the first DCOT (DC Over-Thirty) soccer yesterday. Only four of us showed, but we got a couple of passers-by and played 3-vs-3 between the Capitol and the Washington Monument. Quite majestic, if you can somehow forget who's running the government right now....Anyway, I was glad to get back to playing non-competive (read: fun) soccer again.
4/13/2005
The human race is trying as hard as it can to kill itself
It's a miracle that we made it this far.
Deadly Flu Strain Shipped Worldwide, Officials Race to Destroy Samples
Deadly Flu Strain Shipped Worldwide, Officials Race to Destroy Samples
4/06/2005
Cherry Blossom Time!
One of the coolest things to do in D.C. is to go down to the Tidal Basin (which overlooks the Jefferson Memorial) and take in the amazing cherry blossoms. The Cherry trees that ring the basin explode with color and a wonderful scent as spring makes its triumphant, and LONG overdue return.
We've got lots of inlaws coming into town for Jenny's baby shower this weekend, so the timing worked out fantastically for flower viewing. ¡Viva la primavera! Long live spring!
We've got lots of inlaws coming into town for Jenny's baby shower this weekend, so the timing worked out fantastically for flower viewing. ¡Viva la primavera! Long live spring!
4/05/2005
3/31/2005
I guess "STOOPID" and "DMBASS" were already taken.
Guy with the license that read TIPSY arrested for drunk driving.
Belly madness
Jenny's belly is getting out of control. And you should feel the little baby kicking inside there, it's too freaky!
If you put your hand on her belly, the baby will push it and kick it, I guess to say, "stop crowding me in here!!!!"
I'm in love and it's still three months away!
If you put your hand on her belly, the baby will push it and kick it, I guess to say, "stop crowding me in here!!!!"
I'm in love and it's still three months away!
3/28/2005
Grey day
Feeling very blah today, due to the Londonesque weather outside. Guess I'll trudge to lunch now.
3/24/2005
You want fries with that?
Okay, this is one of the more disgusting things I've heard of in a while. I guess a woman in San Jose, CA, was chowing down on some mmm-mmm-good chili at Wendy's when she chomped into a bigger than normal bit. Upon further inspection, IT WAS A FRICKING HUMAN FINGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DNA testing and, yes, fingerprinting to follow.
People, if you need any more reasons not to ever eat fast food, I don't know what's wrong with you....yuk!
DNA testing and, yes, fingerprinting to follow.
People, if you need any more reasons not to ever eat fast food, I don't know what's wrong with you....yuk!
3/21/2005
Crack! Ow!
While drying my head after showering this morning, I heard a large "crack" in my neck bones and, immediately after, sharp pains shot down my back to my beltline and my arm. Severe pain when looking down has continued all day. This sucks. I need a massage BAAAAAD.
3/16/2005
Geek Niche
I've got to hand it to these guys.
You've got to love the Internet when it fosters the entreprenurial dreams of a couple of D&D geeks who just want to sell dice, dammit.
Check this description of one of their dice sets, which is a perfect example of geek humor: "These stylish dice feature swirls of white against black, like wisps of smoke rising into darkest night. Or--you know--whatever. "
If you don't know what a d12 is, I don't really have space to explain it to you here. But suffice it to say that if you never found yourself and some buddies locked down in your parents' basement with a half-dozen 2-liters of Jolt and an insane amount of Rush cassettes and Cheetos on any given Saturday night in middle school, you probably wouldn't understand anyway.
Live the dream, dudes! And if any of you need dice, dicepool.com is where it's at.
You've got to love the Internet when it fosters the entreprenurial dreams of a couple of D&D geeks who just want to sell dice, dammit.
Check this description of one of their dice sets, which is a perfect example of geek humor: "These stylish dice feature swirls of white against black, like wisps of smoke rising into darkest night. Or--you know--whatever. "
If you don't know what a d12 is, I don't really have space to explain it to you here. But suffice it to say that if you never found yourself and some buddies locked down in your parents' basement with a half-dozen 2-liters of Jolt and an insane amount of Rush cassettes and Cheetos on any given Saturday night in middle school, you probably wouldn't understand anyway.
Live the dream, dudes! And if any of you need dice, dicepool.com is where it's at.
3/15/2005
Holy crap! Bomb scare on my corner!
So, my entire block was just shut down due to a suspicious backpack on the corner of L and 17th, NW, A FRICKING 1/2 BLOCK FROM THE FRONT ENTRANCE TO MY BUILDING!!!!!
We were able to watch out my coworker's office window as a Kevlar clad bomb squad cop positioned a small, remote-controlled gun next to the abandoned backpack, and then shot it with the remote-controlled gun! Blam! A bunch of papers flew out, but no explosion followed thank goodness. Whoever left that backpack on the streetcorner is in some deep doo-doo, methinks.
We were able to watch out my coworker's office window as a Kevlar clad bomb squad cop positioned a small, remote-controlled gun next to the abandoned backpack, and then shot it with the remote-controlled gun! Blam! A bunch of papers flew out, but no explosion followed thank goodness. Whoever left that backpack on the streetcorner is in some deep doo-doo, methinks.
Thanks for your support!
First off, let me thank those of you who have, on this blog and elsewhere, passed along kind words of encouragement to me since the death of my grandmother. I really appreciate the support. As Jenny and I have both said many times, we love you all!
Now, on to happier subjects.
It's not snowing in D.C., and we're all healthy and happy! Life is good!
Now, on to happier subjects.
It's not snowing in D.C., and we're all healthy and happy! Life is good!
3/09/2005
Goodbye Granny....
Well, tonight I got some very sad news. My grandmother, Charlotte, passed away tonight.
My granny was a heck of a lady. She's in most of my best childhood memories: the trips in the back of the car going to Myrtle Beach, cutting out construction-paper bats and pumpkins to tape to the windows at Halloween, roasting marshmallows over the gas burner at her house, even showing me how to build a little house out of rocks and moss for my army men when I was seven or so.
A couple of years ago I interviewed her and made a little documentary video of her memories. It was a big hit in my family and she was so proud of it. She said she was now a "movie star." The story was a compelling one: She grew up pretty poor in the coal mining region of West Virginia, but she made it through even the toughest of times after my grandpa, a miner, died when my mom was a baby. She re-married a Hungarian man, and she told me great stories about having to slaughter 10 chickens in a night to feed all her company on weekends because "my cooking was so good!" :-)
I'm so happy that she got to meet Jenny (and loved her a lot), and that she knew that we are going to have a baby.
I'll miss you granny. I love you very much.
My granny was a heck of a lady. She's in most of my best childhood memories: the trips in the back of the car going to Myrtle Beach, cutting out construction-paper bats and pumpkins to tape to the windows at Halloween, roasting marshmallows over the gas burner at her house, even showing me how to build a little house out of rocks and moss for my army men when I was seven or so.
A couple of years ago I interviewed her and made a little documentary video of her memories. It was a big hit in my family and she was so proud of it. She said she was now a "movie star." The story was a compelling one: She grew up pretty poor in the coal mining region of West Virginia, but she made it through even the toughest of times after my grandpa, a miner, died when my mom was a baby. She re-married a Hungarian man, and she told me great stories about having to slaughter 10 chickens in a night to feed all her company on weekends because "my cooking was so good!" :-)
I'm so happy that she got to meet Jenny (and loved her a lot), and that she knew that we are going to have a baby.
I'll miss you granny. I love you very much.
3/08/2005
It's Snaining!
Yesterday it was almost 70 degrees.
Today it's 33 degrees and snaining: snowing + raining simultaneously.
Lovely.
Today it's 33 degrees and snaining: snowing + raining simultaneously.
Lovely.
3/07/2005
Time travel
A few thoughts on time today.
First, is is me or do you also feel like 1993 could've been yesterday? Despite all evidence to the contrary (see hilarious photos at right, provided by the fantastic Mariangela), I really don't feel any different now than I did then.
I have changed...obviously. But on an everyday level, I still feel the same. I have this theory that everyone has a life-changing year or so, that once you've hit it, your personality and tastes are forever locked in that era. For a lot of us, including me, that year or so happens around your junior year of college.
I studied abroad that year and it completely upended my worldview and turned me into a vagabond for years, unable to settle down in one place or attach myself emotionally to one person (until I met Jenny, that is). In 1993 I found The Person Who Would Be Joe. Even now, my style, politics (see photo) and tastes (ignore photo) now are essentially "locked" in that era, which explains why every band out now both sucks AND blows.
What was your life-changing year?
On another time related front, check out the waffle theory. About fricking right.
First, is is me or do you also feel like 1993 could've been yesterday? Despite all evidence to the contrary (see hilarious photos at right, provided by the fantastic Mariangela), I really don't feel any different now than I did then.
I have changed...obviously. But on an everyday level, I still feel the same. I have this theory that everyone has a life-changing year or so, that once you've hit it, your personality and tastes are forever locked in that era. For a lot of us, including me, that year or so happens around your junior year of college.
I studied abroad that year and it completely upended my worldview and turned me into a vagabond for years, unable to settle down in one place or attach myself emotionally to one person (until I met Jenny, that is). In 1993 I found The Person Who Would Be Joe. Even now, my style, politics (see photo) and tastes (ignore photo) now are essentially "locked" in that era, which explains why every band out now both sucks AND blows.
What was your life-changing year?
On another time related front, check out the waffle theory. About fricking right.
3/06/2005
Amp summit a success!
Yesterday I met up with a couple other homebrew guitar amp builders yesterday in Ellicott City, MD to compare amp builds and try out each other's speakers.
One of the other guys, also named Joe, donated his basement and provided some chips and Guinness. A good time was had by all, and it was fantastic to be in a room with not one, but two people who knew what the hell I was talking about.
That said, it was a complete nerd fest:
Joe V: Is that a Mullard 12ax7?
Joe Z: Yeah, I got it out of an amp I was fixing for a guy, the phase inverter was shot and the cathode bias was all wrong.
Alan: That's a nice tube.
Joe V: Yeah, really nice.
All in unison [in Homer Simpson donut voice]: Mmmmm.....Mullard.
One of the other guys, also named Joe, donated his basement and provided some chips and Guinness. A good time was had by all, and it was fantastic to be in a room with not one, but two people who knew what the hell I was talking about.
That said, it was a complete nerd fest:
Joe V: Is that a Mullard 12ax7?
Joe Z: Yeah, I got it out of an amp I was fixing for a guy, the phase inverter was shot and the cathode bias was all wrong.
Alan: That's a nice tube.
Joe V: Yeah, really nice.
All in unison [in Homer Simpson donut voice]: Mmmmm.....Mullard.
3/03/2005
2/25/2005
This dumbass goes to 11
Holy mother of the everlasting metal moshing hair bands....this dude will CRACK you up!
METALLLLLLL!!!!!!
METALLLLLLL!!!!!!
Here's a shocker...teens want to have sex!
That the study was conducted in Texas makes it even funnier. Imagine that, teens ignoring old people and having sex anyway. Looks like mother nature kicks moral hypocracy's ass yet again....
Read the story here.
Read the story here.
2/24/2005
Random Preg-o Musings
- The alien peanut kicks when I am listening to NPR. How cool is that? My mini-intellectual.
- Joe'd better watch out -- as I am teaching the kid jazz hands as soon as possible. The world is not such a heavy place to live in when you slide across the wood floor in your socks and you simultaneously do and say "jazz hands!"
- I really have no waist now. Pants are a problem. They won't stay up. Who needs a Swiffer when I have my draggy pants?
- I still want to know: what's up with "glow?" I have not seen the glow. I don't glow. No radiance. Perhaps some bronzer will help?
- Did you know your lips spontaneously peel? Who needs exfoliator?
- I sing with the radio...ALOT. Hoping the vibrations will relax the AP and maybe even AP will end up with good pitch.
- I do "baby aerobics" - which means I don't jostle -- I am sure Black Eyed Peas never thought their song, "Let's get it started" would be danced to, by a 6-months pregnant chick. But oh yes...I can do it.
- Also, I am teaching AP the cha-cha-cha and waltz. It's good for my hip-flexors.
- When you are preg-o you spontaneously pass-out from fatigue. Many a night, Joe and I will be watching TV or a movie and one minute I am up and alert and the next... OUT COLD. It's freaky.
2/23/2005
Novel problem: no furniture
Well, we're at the move-in phase where all of the major home fix-ups are coming to a close (hallway paint is the last one, and I'm doing that tonight), and we're running into a new problem: lack of funiture.
Jenny and I consolidated our separate one-bedroom apartments into my one-bedroom apartment when we got married, and since our place in the District was also one-bedroom, we only have one-bedroom's worth of funiture. That leaves us with two empty bedrooms and an extra living room to furnish. A good problem to have, no doubt, but no less daunting.
My mom and dad are giving us an antique bedroom set from my granny's room at home, but I have to go get it from WV. We kind of want to lean towards the modern for the rest of the house, so Ikea will probably be our friend and our wallets' enemy.
Stay tuned....
Jenny and I consolidated our separate one-bedroom apartments into my one-bedroom apartment when we got married, and since our place in the District was also one-bedroom, we only have one-bedroom's worth of funiture. That leaves us with two empty bedrooms and an extra living room to furnish. A good problem to have, no doubt, but no less daunting.
My mom and dad are giving us an antique bedroom set from my granny's room at home, but I have to go get it from WV. We kind of want to lean towards the modern for the rest of the house, so Ikea will probably be our friend and our wallets' enemy.
Stay tuned....
2/21/2005
The joys of home ownership
I know you're expecting some home improvement horror story in a blog entry with that kind of title, but I'm actually being totally sincere this time. Tonight we had our friend Julia over for dinner (pizza, as it turns out), and as I sat on our love seat watching her and Jenny converse, I thought to myself, "this is why we bought our house." There is really something awesome about being able to have friends over to your own place. Not some apartment, but your own abode. And on top of that, I got the tub completely unclogged without calling Roto Rooter. SCHWEET!!!!!!
P.S. We had our new carpet installed in the sun room on Saturday...double SCHWEET! (See photo here.)
P.S. We had our new carpet installed in the sun room on Saturday...double SCHWEET! (See photo here.)
2/17/2005
Bankruptcy, part II
This is a follow-up to this post, about the new bankruptcy law currently under debate (if you can call it that) in the Congress.
Just in case you hear some rich Republican a-hole (or poor Republican a-hole, we won't discriminate) saying how "people have to quit charging up their cards and take some personal responsibility," show them this article in today's San Francisco Chronicle. Here's a snippet:
"The study looked at 1,771 bankruptcies filed in 2001 in five states, including California. Almost half of those filers -- 46.2 percent -- cited illness and medical bills as a major cause of bankruptcy. More than three- quarters had insurance at the onset of illness."
Well, serves them right for getting sick, right George W.?
And if you're tempted to think that this only happens to the working poor, think again:
"Jeannie Brewer is a physician married to a surgical resident. She and her family have health insurance. She's not the kind of person you'd expect to be pushed to the verge of financial collapse by medical expenses.
Yet Brewer is considering filing for bankruptcy, and part of the reason is the $16,500 in health care costs her family incurs each year that are not paid for by insurance."
Ask yourself this question: Could you afford $16 grand extra a year? Then don't get sick y'all, 'cause under this administration, you're on your own.
Just in case you hear some rich Republican a-hole (or poor Republican a-hole, we won't discriminate) saying how "people have to quit charging up their cards and take some personal responsibility," show them this article in today's San Francisco Chronicle. Here's a snippet:
"The study looked at 1,771 bankruptcies filed in 2001 in five states, including California. Almost half of those filers -- 46.2 percent -- cited illness and medical bills as a major cause of bankruptcy. More than three- quarters had insurance at the onset of illness."
Well, serves them right for getting sick, right George W.?
And if you're tempted to think that this only happens to the working poor, think again:
"Jeannie Brewer is a physician married to a surgical resident. She and her family have health insurance. She's not the kind of person you'd expect to be pushed to the verge of financial collapse by medical expenses.
Yet Brewer is considering filing for bankruptcy, and part of the reason is the $16,500 in health care costs her family incurs each year that are not paid for by insurance."
Ask yourself this question: Could you afford $16 grand extra a year? Then don't get sick y'all, 'cause under this administration, you're on your own.
The Waist hath officially disappeared
I am finally showing. But I am at the frusterating stage of, "is Jenny eating too much lately" or "is she pregnant" phase.
I took a long time to show due to the fact that I was underweight and now I am trying to get back on track... more later and will try to attach photo for proof.
I took a long time to show due to the fact that I was underweight and now I am trying to get back on track... more later and will try to attach photo for proof.
2/15/2005
New Guitar Player article now online
Unfortunately, the Frets articles aren't available online yet, but you can check out an interview I did with metal band Shadows Fall on the GP site here.
Fun stuff....
Fun stuff....
2/14/2005
Arroz con pollo ¡Qué rico!
We had our friends Kristin and Jordan over for Sunday dinner (which in our family is at 2:00 p.m.) this weekend for Spanish chicken and rice, or arroz con pollo as you may know it. I've been eating this dish on Sundays since I can't even remember, as it was one of the traditions brought over from the old country. Thought you might enjoy the recipe (my great-grandmother's, with my lower-fat changes in brackets...believe it or not, it's just as good low fat):
Ingredients:
1 pack of [skinless, boneless] chicken [breasts]
1 jar of sliced pimentos (drained)
1 jar of green Spanish olives (stuffed with pimentos, drained)
2 pinches of Spanish saffron*
Uncle Ben's CONVERTED rice**
1/2 onion, coarsely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
salt/pepper to taste (I don't use a lot, and then add to the finished dish on the plate, but it's up to you)
Virgin or extra virgin Spanish olive oil (the Italian stuff will make you impotent) ;-)
Grab a large, [non-stick] frying pan, and pour in a dollop of oil about 3 inches round. Heat on medium-high until a haze forms above it.
Add garlic and onion and sauté until onion begins to brown slightly (Keep moving it around the pan! You don't want to burn it or the garlic!)
Add chicken, pimentos, salt and pepper (you want a decent amount of both salt and pepper on the chicken), and fry until chicken is starting to brown. Turn off heat and cover skillet.
Boil enough water for the serving size of rice you want (for four people, I make the six-serving amount as outlined on the Uncle Ben's box).
If your saffron is a powder, add two pinches (small ones) to the water. If your saffron is in whole strands, crush one pinch with a morter and pestle or between two spoons and then add to water. Water should turn bright yellow. Add rice (as per directions on Uncle Ben's box). Reduce heat, cover, simmer until water cooks off and rice is done.
In a cassarole dish, combine rice, chicken et al, and olives, and bake at 350 until you taste an olive and it's hot.
Serve with a salad of lettuce, chopped onion, and lots of salt with an olive oil/white vinegar dressing. Yum!
Recommended wine: Marqués de Cáceres Rioja
*(Note: Do not buy the cheap stuff in the Mexican food area at the grocery store labeled "Saffron." I don't know what it is, but it's not 100% saffron, and it tastes totally different. If the saffron costs less than $12/packet, don't buy it. Don't freak about how much it costs, as a little saffron will last you a long time.)
**(Don't laugh, my Spanish great-grandmother used Uncle Ben's. And it MUST be converted rice for ease-of-use issues....)
Ingredients:
1 pack of [skinless, boneless] chicken [breasts]
1 jar of sliced pimentos (drained)
1 jar of green Spanish olives (stuffed with pimentos, drained)
2 pinches of Spanish saffron*
Uncle Ben's CONVERTED rice**
1/2 onion, coarsely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
salt/pepper to taste (I don't use a lot, and then add to the finished dish on the plate, but it's up to you)
Virgin or extra virgin Spanish olive oil (the Italian stuff will make you impotent) ;-)
Grab a large, [non-stick] frying pan, and pour in a dollop of oil about 3 inches round. Heat on medium-high until a haze forms above it.
Add garlic and onion and sauté until onion begins to brown slightly (Keep moving it around the pan! You don't want to burn it or the garlic!)
Add chicken, pimentos, salt and pepper (you want a decent amount of both salt and pepper on the chicken), and fry until chicken is starting to brown. Turn off heat and cover skillet.
Boil enough water for the serving size of rice you want (for four people, I make the six-serving amount as outlined on the Uncle Ben's box).
If your saffron is a powder, add two pinches (small ones) to the water. If your saffron is in whole strands, crush one pinch with a morter and pestle or between two spoons and then add to water. Water should turn bright yellow. Add rice (as per directions on Uncle Ben's box). Reduce heat, cover, simmer until water cooks off and rice is done.
In a cassarole dish, combine rice, chicken et al, and olives, and bake at 350 until you taste an olive and it's hot.
Serve with a salad of lettuce, chopped onion, and lots of salt with an olive oil/white vinegar dressing. Yum!
Recommended wine: Marqués de Cáceres Rioja
*(Note: Do not buy the cheap stuff in the Mexican food area at the grocery store labeled "Saffron." I don't know what it is, but it's not 100% saffron, and it tastes totally different. If the saffron costs less than $12/packet, don't buy it. Don't freak about how much it costs, as a little saffron will last you a long time.)
**(Don't laugh, my Spanish great-grandmother used Uncle Ben's. And it MUST be converted rice for ease-of-use issues....)
2/11/2005
Proposed bankruptcy law is disgusting
Got a multibillion dollar company that's too far in the red to save? No problem. Declare bankruptcy, fire everyone, and move on to your next business.
Got a few thousand dollars in credit card debt? Unlucky enough to get laid off and sick at the same time? Just declare bankruptcy, right? Nope. Screw you, buddy, you've STILL got to pay back Citibank.
That's basically the jist of a proposed law that would exempt credit-card debt from personal bankruptcy filings (an earlier version of which, by the way, Bill Clinton let die on his desk rather than sign into law).
How evil is this bill? Let me count the ways. First, deregulation of the lending industry effectively eliminates states' usury laws, allowing credit card companies to charge any interest rate that they deem fit. Then the companies change their business practices to lure college kids and working families into massive debt, while allowing minuscule minimum payments that contribute to the massive compounding of interest debt. "Oops, you were late on your mortgage payment. There goes your unrelated credit card's interest up to 28%!" They then have the audacity to blame cash-strapped consumers who can't get out of the hole created by a never-ending stream of pre-approved credit-card applications, and use lackey politicians to change the law to eliminate the only way out for these poor consumers.
Big banks and their lobbyists are happy, of course, as are the Republican lawmakers ramming this through committee to the President's desk. And this evil sonofabitch is going to sign it into law before you can say "thanks for all those campaign contributions, MBNA."
Pay off your credit cards people. Do it. Now.
Got a few thousand dollars in credit card debt? Unlucky enough to get laid off and sick at the same time? Just declare bankruptcy, right? Nope. Screw you, buddy, you've STILL got to pay back Citibank.
That's basically the jist of a proposed law that would exempt credit-card debt from personal bankruptcy filings (an earlier version of which, by the way, Bill Clinton let die on his desk rather than sign into law).
How evil is this bill? Let me count the ways. First, deregulation of the lending industry effectively eliminates states' usury laws, allowing credit card companies to charge any interest rate that they deem fit. Then the companies change their business practices to lure college kids and working families into massive debt, while allowing minuscule minimum payments that contribute to the massive compounding of interest debt. "Oops, you were late on your mortgage payment. There goes your unrelated credit card's interest up to 28%!" They then have the audacity to blame cash-strapped consumers who can't get out of the hole created by a never-ending stream of pre-approved credit-card applications, and use lackey politicians to change the law to eliminate the only way out for these poor consumers.
Big banks and their lobbyists are happy, of course, as are the Republican lawmakers ramming this through committee to the President's desk. And this evil sonofabitch is going to sign it into law before you can say "thanks for all those campaign contributions, MBNA."
Pay off your credit cards people. Do it. Now.
God I'm old
There's nothing like an all-ages show to bring father time rudly crashing down upon your distorted sense of personal youth.
Last night I went to see a punk rock show at the Black Cat. The Loved Ones, The Unseen, and some other band were playing, but I just went on a lark, so I didn't know any of the bands beforehand. Turns out they were "old skool" punk rock bands, complete with mohawks, pinned Agnostic Front tee-shirts, and the like. The kids in the audience, who seemed to be about, oh, I don't know....TWELVE OR SO, all had on tee-shirts and patches from bands who were broken up before they were even born. I haven't seen the Ramones seal so many times since 1988. Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, and the Misfits were other favorites of the kiddie set (I guess Jason's and my suspicions were correct, and new bands DO suck). Seeing all the retro outfits and little girls sporting mohawks made me crack up...literally. It was like a halloween party where everyone dressed up as what punk rockers are supposed to look like. Weird.
Anyway, the Unseen were the band most of the kids were there to see, and I've got to admit that while the music was bland, derivitive, and basically a bad Minor Threat ripoff, the energy of the kids all shouting along made it an enjoyable experience.
I really went to the show to see what amplifiers the guitar players were using. The verdict: Marshalls. In fact, of the five amp heads on stage, four were Marshalls (two JCM 800s, and two I couldn't make out the model numbers on), and one was a Mesa Dual Recto. The Mesa, by the way, blew all of the Marshalls out of the water for the distorted punk stuff the bands were playing.
Still, it was a wake-up call that if I really want to try to sell some amps, I had better quit monkeying around with this low-wattage stuff and focus on 50 and 100 watters to take advantage of all the bullshit market-driven brainwashing that the major manufacturers put out.
Last night I went to see a punk rock show at the Black Cat. The Loved Ones, The Unseen, and some other band were playing, but I just went on a lark, so I didn't know any of the bands beforehand. Turns out they were "old skool" punk rock bands, complete with mohawks, pinned Agnostic Front tee-shirts, and the like. The kids in the audience, who seemed to be about, oh, I don't know....TWELVE OR SO, all had on tee-shirts and patches from bands who were broken up before they were even born. I haven't seen the Ramones seal so many times since 1988. Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, and the Misfits were other favorites of the kiddie set (I guess Jason's and my suspicions were correct, and new bands DO suck). Seeing all the retro outfits and little girls sporting mohawks made me crack up...literally. It was like a halloween party where everyone dressed up as what punk rockers are supposed to look like. Weird.
Anyway, the Unseen were the band most of the kids were there to see, and I've got to admit that while the music was bland, derivitive, and basically a bad Minor Threat ripoff, the energy of the kids all shouting along made it an enjoyable experience.
I really went to the show to see what amplifiers the guitar players were using. The verdict: Marshalls. In fact, of the five amp heads on stage, four were Marshalls (two JCM 800s, and two I couldn't make out the model numbers on), and one was a Mesa Dual Recto. The Mesa, by the way, blew all of the Marshalls out of the water for the distorted punk stuff the bands were playing.
Still, it was a wake-up call that if I really want to try to sell some amps, I had better quit monkeying around with this low-wattage stuff and focus on 50 and 100 watters to take advantage of all the bullshit market-driven brainwashing that the major manufacturers put out.
2/07/2005
Raise your Jäger to our jagare
We love Ikea. I'm sorry if that offends you or makes us seem like überyüppies who find the need to püt ümlaüts over every ü they come across, but we simply love it.
Jüst finished installing our newest Ikean addition, the schweet jagare spotlight system (see photo), in the back family room, and all I can say is that it's WAY cooler than the cräp, gold-accented chandelier that was fläccidly hanging there when we boüght the hoüse.
We feel so Scandinavian now.
Jüst finished installing our newest Ikean addition, the schweet jagare spotlight system (see photo), in the back family room, and all I can say is that it's WAY cooler than the cräp, gold-accented chandelier that was fläccidly hanging there when we boüght the hoüse.
We feel so Scandinavian now.
2/05/2005
The plumbing's done! Hurrah!
Well, my dad and I did a lot of work on the house in the last few days, but the most stressful and rewarding has been ripping out the old, pinhole-leak ridden length of copper pipe and replacing it with CPVC (which is different from PVC in that it can handle more pressure and higher temperatures).
We cut the old pipe, installed the new, waited for the glue to cure, and turned the H20 back on with fingers fully crossed. The verdict: NO LEAKS! Yay!
Having a fantastic dad with mad handyman skills has officially saved us hundreds of dollars. Thanks dad, we love you!
Other projects completed:
Replaced shorted out light at bottom of stairs.
Installed fan switch in upstairs bathroom.
Installed remaining storm windows in house.
Hooked up DSL connection.
The house is coming together finally! It's about time for a housewarming party!
We cut the old pipe, installed the new, waited for the glue to cure, and turned the H20 back on with fingers fully crossed. The verdict: NO LEAKS! Yay!
Having a fantastic dad with mad handyman skills has officially saved us hundreds of dollars. Thanks dad, we love you!
Other projects completed:
Replaced shorted out light at bottom of stairs.
Installed fan switch in upstairs bathroom.
Installed remaining storm windows in house.
Hooked up DSL connection.
The house is coming together finally! It's about time for a housewarming party!
2/01/2005
As our children slip blithely into fascism
"When told of the exact text of the First Amendment, more than one in three high-school students said it goes 'too far' in the rights it guarantees. Only half of the students said newspapers should be allowed to publish freely without government approval of stories."
Wow. What more can I say, really?
For the whole story, click here.
Wow. What more can I say, really?
For the whole story, click here.
1/30/2005
We're in!
We moved the last bit of our stuff from the Connecticut Ave. apartment this morning in a driving snow, and pulled up to our new home just in time for the last flakes to fall. It's hard to believe that less than a year ago we were in Oakland dreaming of buying a house and in less than nine months here we actually have one.
The move went pretty smoothly, and the weather turned out to be fantastic, thank goodness. The movers didn't even have that hard of a time getting our mondo couch down four flights of stairs (man I'd been dreading that....). Only a few scratches to furniture marred the move, but nothing serious.
Now it's down to the unpacking, which is something else, let me tell you. In fact, I've got a bunch of cool new photos waiting on my CoolPix right now...if I can just find the damn connection cord in one of these boxes....
The move went pretty smoothly, and the weather turned out to be fantastic, thank goodness. The movers didn't even have that hard of a time getting our mondo couch down four flights of stairs (man I'd been dreading that....). Only a few scratches to furniture marred the move, but nothing serious.
Now it's down to the unpacking, which is something else, let me tell you. In fact, I've got a bunch of cool new photos waiting on my CoolPix right now...if I can just find the damn connection cord in one of these boxes....
1/28/2005
Hasslemania
I took the day off today to do some last-minute painting and other work on the house before we move in on Saturday. The duct cleaners were supposed to come this morning, but cancelled with less than a day's notice. Typical, I guess. They want to reschedule for Tuesday. Of course, they don't work on weekends or after 5pm, so I'll need to take more time off.
Is it me or has life in the last few years been more full of hassle than previously? It seems that nothing I buy works exactly like it's supposed to out of the box, without six calls to "customer service" (which, these days, is a massive oxymoron if ever there were one). And it's rare to find a company that follows through on its committments. I put a lot of the blame for this on the rise of the corporate machine in America. Companies merge, merge, merge until they are so big that the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing anymore and the customer gets caught up in the comflicting policies and practices of different company divisions, which are many times remnants of the pre-merger firms that have been gobbled up.
Is it me or has life in the last few years been more full of hassle than previously? It seems that nothing I buy works exactly like it's supposed to out of the box, without six calls to "customer service" (which, these days, is a massive oxymoron if ever there were one). And it's rare to find a company that follows through on its committments. I put a lot of the blame for this on the rise of the corporate machine in America. Companies merge, merge, merge until they are so big that the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing anymore and the customer gets caught up in the comflicting policies and practices of different company divisions, which are many times remnants of the pre-merger firms that have been gobbled up.
1/26/2005
I'm "that" guy.
You know, the one who sings along to the iPod only he can hear. The one who doesn't even know all the words to the song he's singing along to, making him all that much more annoying. Yeah, that's me.
I can't help it, I'm sorry. I'm in my own little world when those cute, little earbuds plug up my auditory canals (I'm sure that the people next to me want to plug up another canal with my earbuds, but so be it) and I can't escape the music's hypnotic lure...sing along...you're a star...sing along....
Except I'm not a star. I'm just another out-of-tune, annoying bump in your commute, and for that I apologize.
I do make a conscious effort to not sing inside the subway car itself, although I'm not always successful. The walk to and from the station though? That's an every day "Star Search" moment.
Today's snippet of song for the woman walking next to me on the way to the Metro:
"They caught and drowned the front man...of the world's worst rock and roll band...he was out of luck...because nobody gave a fuck."
Sorry lady. The Archers of Loaf in my head just can't be stopped.
I can't help it, I'm sorry. I'm in my own little world when those cute, little earbuds plug up my auditory canals (I'm sure that the people next to me want to plug up another canal with my earbuds, but so be it) and I can't escape the music's hypnotic lure...sing along...you're a star...sing along....
Except I'm not a star. I'm just another out-of-tune, annoying bump in your commute, and for that I apologize.
I do make a conscious effort to not sing inside the subway car itself, although I'm not always successful. The walk to and from the station though? That's an every day "Star Search" moment.
Today's snippet of song for the woman walking next to me on the way to the Metro:
"They caught and drowned the front man...of the world's worst rock and roll band...he was out of luck...because nobody gave a fuck."
Sorry lady. The Archers of Loaf in my head just can't be stopped.
1/24/2005
Fun weekend!
This weekend started out with a great party at our friend Julia's apartment. We met her at a Kerry fundraiser last fall, and she lives directly across the street from the National Cathedral...the view, of course, is amazing! Met many friendly folks and I drank some super yum Marques de Cáceres Reserva (Jenny had ginger ale, per usual).
On Saturday we were pretty much in hibernation, hiding from the (lighter-than-expected) snow. We used that indoor time to begin the ever-hated process of packing up all of our stuff for Saturday's move.
Painted the baby's room on Sunday, so now that's done, leaving the study (aka bedroom #3) and the hallway o' death to be completed. Whew.
On Saturday we were pretty much in hibernation, hiding from the (lighter-than-expected) snow. We used that indoor time to begin the ever-hated process of packing up all of our stuff for Saturday's move.
Painted the baby's room on Sunday, so now that's done, leaving the study (aka bedroom #3) and the hallway o' death to be completed. Whew.
1/19/2005
Yum! Fasika's Ethopian food!
Painting, much like being President, is hard work
Jaysus...I am so dead today. The good news: I finished painting Jenny's and my bedroom last night. We chose a cool, modern-looking grey-blue for the walls and Swiss Coffee for the trim. The bad news: it took me until midnight to get the thing finished and right now I feel like I've been hit by a truck. Calgon, take me away!
Don't let anybody snow you: Painters earn their money. Getting a straight edge is next to impossible, although I think my job turned out pretty well for an amateur.
Just two more bedrooms and the hallway of death to go! Gulp.
Don't let anybody snow you: Painters earn their money. Getting a straight edge is next to impossible, although I think my job turned out pretty well for an amateur.
Just two more bedrooms and the hallway of death to go! Gulp.
1/17/2005
Busy weekend....
We're coming down to the wire on our move-in date, which means that I've really got to buckle down and get the house's collective shit together. This (long) weekend I got quite a bit accomplished:
1. Take out AC outlet and replace with normal, three-pronged outlet in living room: check.
2. Prime front bedroom: check.
3. Prime hallway (1st coat only): check. Note: Jeez-o-pete, this is a hellish job. To the people who sold us our house, I say a hearty "screw you and your idiotic purple, impossible-to-paint-over paint job."
4. Re-install kitchen cabinet handles after Mom's thorough cleaning: check.
5. Clean fridge and freezer: check. (Jenny did this.)
6. Clean and paper closets: check. (Jenny did this, too.)
7. Shop vac washer/dryer area: check.
8. Install pegboard in kitchen to hang pots and pans on (Julia Child style): check.
9. Painted the front bedroom's walls (trim and touch-ups TK): check.
There is so much to do yet, but we're slowly making progress. I don't have to work on Dickweed's inaguration day, so that's a whole extra day to paint, etc.
Now we need visitors! We're currently taking reservations. Jane and Sarah have already claimed one weekend in May, but other than that we're wide open....come visit us!
1. Take out AC outlet and replace with normal, three-pronged outlet in living room: check.
2. Prime front bedroom: check.
3. Prime hallway (1st coat only): check. Note: Jeez-o-pete, this is a hellish job. To the people who sold us our house, I say a hearty "screw you and your idiotic purple, impossible-to-paint-over paint job."
4. Re-install kitchen cabinet handles after Mom's thorough cleaning: check.
5. Clean fridge and freezer: check. (Jenny did this.)
6. Clean and paper closets: check. (Jenny did this, too.)
7. Shop vac washer/dryer area: check.
8. Install pegboard in kitchen to hang pots and pans on (Julia Child style): check.
9. Painted the front bedroom's walls (trim and touch-ups TK): check.
There is so much to do yet, but we're slowly making progress. I don't have to work on Dickweed's inaguration day, so that's a whole extra day to paint, etc.
Now we need visitors! We're currently taking reservations. Jane and Sarah have already claimed one weekend in May, but other than that we're wide open....come visit us!
1/14/2005
It's casual Friday; why am I wearing pants?
I've been sleeping pretty badly lately and waking up in a semi-coma about every day, which may explain why it's casual Friday at my office and I DON'T HAVE FRICKING BLUE JEANS ON. I live for casual Fridays, people. I LOVE wearing blue jeans to work. I thought it was Thursday this morning, and while that would normally be cause for celebration, the joy of having the weekend arrive one mental day earlier is severely tempered by the fact that MY LEGS ARE NOT SHROUDED IN 100% COTTON RIGHT NOW. Goddammit.
On another note, Jenny and I are meeting friends for dinner for the first time in a while, so that should be cool. I'll take the camera and post the results tomorrow.
On another note, Jenny and I are meeting friends for dinner for the first time in a while, so that should be cool. I'll take the camera and post the results tomorrow.
1/13/2005
Five Perfect Albums®
Inspired by Gabe's list of favorite TV shows, and not being a real TV junkie myself, I thought I'd offer up my list of five Perfect Albums®.
First, a definition. To be a Perfect Album®, a record must meet the following three criteria:
1. It must be able to be played completely through without ever having to hit the FFW button. It must not contain any "filler" songs that take up space between the good songs on the album.
2. It must be considered in its entirety, and it must be cohesive (i.e., all of the songs must fit together sonically, yet not sound exactly alike).
3. You must still be able to hear nuances you've never heard before even after the 1,000,000th listen. (For example, put on headphones, turn up the volume, and concentrate on the individual instruments, and I guarantee you that you'll hear something on "Back in Black" that you never did on the FM dial.)
Now without further ado, five Perfect Albums®:
1. Back in Black: AC/DC
Released in 1980, less than a year after their first lead singer, Bon Scott, got drunk, fell asleep in a car, and froze to death, "Back in Black" made AC/DC megastars. But while you may have heard "You Shook Me All Night Long" eight billion times on the radio, EVERY SINGLE SONG on this album is a classic. The riff from "Have a Drink on Me" is possibly the coolest guitar riff ever produced by human hands. If you haven't listened to this entire album, do yourself a favor and go buy it RIGHT NOW.
2. All the Nations Airports: Archers of Loaf
Nobody knows who the Archers of Loaf are except my friend Jason and me. They should. These guys came out of Chapel Hill, NC and created the most original, catchy, utterly cool music I've heard in the last 15 years. On "All the Nation's Airports," the band hit its zenith, coming together to form an album that drips with guitar lines so intertwined that when Jason and I saw them in concert in San Francisco on this tour, we couldn't tell which guitarist was playing what. And we were standing in the front row, WATCHING THEIR HANDS. Immensely cool album.
3. Sticky Fingers: The Rolling Stones
Mick Taylor. Does that name ring a bell for you? If it doesn't, you're not aware of the most talented lead guitarist the Stones ever had, and the guy who makes this brilliant guitarfest of an album possible. His lead work on "Can't You Hear Me Knockin'" sets the bar for every "jam" that came afterwards.
4. New York: Lou Reed
Make no mistake, Lou Reed's catalog is sketchy. Like Neil Young, he follows his own creative muse, and he has done some incredibly bad albums--and some incredibly brilliant ones. This one is my favorite. It's a straight-up rock and roll album that's stripped down to the bare minimums and perfectly gets across the feels, smells, and image of New York City. Put it in and you won't turn it off until it's done.
5. Bossanova: The Pixies
Often overlooked, this album, IMHO, is the best one the band ever made. Although it's pretty much all Black Francis (Kim Deal was losing the power struggle for songwriting and vocals by this point), the album takes on a hard-edged, yet weirdly fantasy-like feel that all fits together perfectly. Joey Santiago's playing on this album is the best he's ever done with the band. "Rock Music." "Dig for Fire." "Havalina." Awesome.
This isn't a complete list, and I welcome your suggestions for YOUR perfect albums.
Keep rockin'.
First, a definition. To be a Perfect Album®, a record must meet the following three criteria:
1. It must be able to be played completely through without ever having to hit the FFW button. It must not contain any "filler" songs that take up space between the good songs on the album.
2. It must be considered in its entirety, and it must be cohesive (i.e., all of the songs must fit together sonically, yet not sound exactly alike).
3. You must still be able to hear nuances you've never heard before even after the 1,000,000th listen. (For example, put on headphones, turn up the volume, and concentrate on the individual instruments, and I guarantee you that you'll hear something on "Back in Black" that you never did on the FM dial.)
Now without further ado, five Perfect Albums®:
1. Back in Black: AC/DC
2. All the Nations Airports: Archers of Loaf
3. Sticky Fingers: The Rolling Stones
4. New York: Lou Reed
5. Bossanova: The Pixies
This isn't a complete list, and I welcome your suggestions for YOUR perfect albums.
Keep rockin'.
1/11/2005
Scary
This summer Jenny and I went out to Deep Creek Lake in western Maryland for a weekend, and on the way we passed Burkettsville, MD, which was the setting of The Blair Witch Project. That got us thinking about the movie, so Jenny put it on our Netflix list when we got home.
We have an inordinately long Netflix queue, so the movie just arrived yesterday, and we watched it again last night.
Anyone who tells you that this movie isn't scary is either lying or has never been alone in the woods at night.
I'm not talking about being in a crowded camping area or state park at night, I'm talking about 2 a.m. in the open woods, miles away from anyone (you hope) and anything (you REALLY hope).
It's easy to sit here in the light of day in a comfy office and pooh-pooh the idea of the woods being scary, but when you can only see about 50 feet into the pitch black darkness and it's so quiet that you can hear EVERY SINGLE twig snapping in a 100 yard radius around your what-now-seems-completely defenseless campsite (with only about 2mm of nylon rip-stop between you and the encroaching claws and fangs of god-knows-what), it's pretty effing scary.
I wish all scary movies could stir up that kind of primal fear....
We have an inordinately long Netflix queue, so the movie just arrived yesterday, and we watched it again last night.
Anyone who tells you that this movie isn't scary is either lying or has never been alone in the woods at night.
I'm not talking about being in a crowded camping area or state park at night, I'm talking about 2 a.m. in the open woods, miles away from anyone (you hope) and anything (you REALLY hope).
It's easy to sit here in the light of day in a comfy office and pooh-pooh the idea of the woods being scary, but when you can only see about 50 feet into the pitch black darkness and it's so quiet that you can hear EVERY SINGLE twig snapping in a 100 yard radius around your what-now-seems-completely defenseless campsite (with only about 2mm of nylon rip-stop between you and the encroaching claws and fangs of god-knows-what), it's pretty effing scary.
I wish all scary movies could stir up that kind of primal fear....
1/10/2005
Our parents are the best.
My Mom and Dad drove 6+ hours on Friday to clean, scrape out a (literally) crappy wax toilet ring and replace a toilet, and generally work super hard on someone else's house. In return, they wouldn't even let me buy them a half of a tank of gas for the ride home.
Jenny's parents are paying for the recarpeting our great room, and we know that they would be up here if they could.
I don't know what we did to deserve such great, supportive parents, but I do know that Jenny and I are the luckiest people alive to have such fantastic, generous, loving people as our own personal support group. Thanks Moms and Dads, we love you more than we can say!
Jenny's parents are paying for the recarpeting our great room, and we know that they would be up here if they could.
I don't know what we did to deserve such great, supportive parents, but I do know that Jenny and I are the luckiest people alive to have such fantastic, generous, loving people as our own personal support group. Thanks Moms and Dads, we love you more than we can say!
Checking 'em off!
New baseboards in front bedroom: check!
[Note: We couldn't use a miter saw for the angles, because due to house settling, the rooms weren't square. So we had to cope out the outline of the opposing baseboard, which took a little longer, but looks nice. Now I can paint the room!]
Clean kitchen and contact paper cupboards: check!
[Note: Thanks Mom!!!!! You're the best!]
New toilet in upstairs bathroom: check!
[Note: Poop is nasty. So is the old, poop-encrusted wax ring under an old toilet. Yuk!]
Next big project: removing the old, pinhole leaky copper pipes and replacing with new, dripless PVC.
[Note: We couldn't use a miter saw for the angles, because due to house settling, the rooms weren't square. So we had to cope out the outline of the opposing baseboard, which took a little longer, but looks nice. Now I can paint the room!]
Clean kitchen and contact paper cupboards: check!
[Note: Thanks Mom!!!!! You're the best!]
New toilet in upstairs bathroom: check!
[Note: Poop is nasty. So is the old, poop-encrusted wax ring under an old toilet. Yuk!]
Next big project: removing the old, pinhole leaky copper pipes and replacing with new, dripless PVC.
1/05/2005
Bun in the oven
We're going to be parents!
Whew, what a year the last one has been...we've moved across the country, found new jobs, bought a house, and now Jenny is 14 weeks pregnant with our first child, or as we like to call it, our alien peanut.
We are so happy and of course so are our folks. We're not going to find out the sex until the little gal or guy pops out. That said, I'm betting on a little girl. Jenny isn't sure yet. Not that it matters as long as it's healthy, of course.
Whew, what a year the last one has been...we've moved across the country, found new jobs, bought a house, and now Jenny is 14 weeks pregnant with our first child, or as we like to call it, our alien peanut.
We are so happy and of course so are our folks. We're not going to find out the sex until the little gal or guy pops out. That said, I'm betting on a little girl. Jenny isn't sure yet. Not that it matters as long as it's healthy, of course.
1/02/2005
Happy New Year!
I started the new year priming two blue bedrooms back to white and carting out old, cat-hair covered carpets....it only gets better, right!
Seriously, Jenny and I all hope that your new year is fruitful and filled with love.
Seriously, Jenny and I all hope that your new year is fruitful and filled with love.
12/26/2004
Study shows 44 percent of Americans are cowardly protofascists
This study from Cornell University found that a staggering 44 percent of Americans polled would favor curtailing the civil liberties of Muslim Americans.
This is how fascist dictatorships get started, of course.
1. Instill fear in the populace and irrational "patriotism at all costs";
2. wave the flag at every rally (or football game, or NASCAR event, or fricking Wal-Mart sale) to the point of it becoming a mere prop for the repressive policies of the government;
3. wage never-ending wars in far-off lands and glorify the militarization of the country at all opportunities;
4. scapegoat and demonize a "scary" ethnic group and use the fear of this group to justify your repressive policies;
5. curtail said group's civil liberties, imprison them with little or no legitimate pretense, and eventually lock them up for the good of the fatherland.
These are fascist policies folks, and it's pretty sickening that almost half of the people in the country seem to be open to at least some of them.
This is how fascist dictatorships get started, of course.
1. Instill fear in the populace and irrational "patriotism at all costs";
2. wave the flag at every rally (or football game, or NASCAR event, or fricking Wal-Mart sale) to the point of it becoming a mere prop for the repressive policies of the government;
3. wage never-ending wars in far-off lands and glorify the militarization of the country at all opportunities;
4. scapegoat and demonize a "scary" ethnic group and use the fear of this group to justify your repressive policies;
5. curtail said group's civil liberties, imprison them with little or no legitimate pretense, and eventually lock them up for the good of the fatherland.
These are fascist policies folks, and it's pretty sickening that almost half of the people in the country seem to be open to at least some of them.
12/24/2004
Merry Christmas!
Jenny and I want to wish everybody out there a very Merry Christmas! We cherish each and every one of you. We truly believe that we are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. We think of you all often, and hope that you are able to be with your loved ones this Christmas day, even if only in your hearts.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
12/21/2004
Man Room
Now that I'm FINALLY going to have a basement, or Man Room, as it is to be known from this day forward, I need to figure out a decoration theme.
A sports bar theme is a little too obvious, and I really don't have any favorite teams anymore, since I've been moving around so much, so that's out.
Jason's suggestion of an Amsterdam red light district scene (complete with painted murals of windows with naked women in them) was nixed by Jen.
I'm leaning toward an homage to guitar amps, with a giant schematic painted on one wall and framed photos of classic amps everywhere.
Your thoughts are much appreciated.....
A sports bar theme is a little too obvious, and I really don't have any favorite teams anymore, since I've been moving around so much, so that's out.
Jason's suggestion of an Amsterdam red light district scene (complete with painted murals of windows with naked women in them) was nixed by Jen.
I'm leaning toward an homage to guitar amps, with a giant schematic painted on one wall and framed photos of classic amps everywhere.
Your thoughts are much appreciated.....
12/20/2004
Dioxin...the gift that keeps on giving
The Monsanto pledge:
"Integrity includes
honesty
decency
consistency and
courage"
Some folks at Monsanto apparently haven't been following the pledge too closely. Or at least they weren't when they were releasing tons of the super-dangerous chemical by-product dioxin into tiny Nitro, WV and its environs.
According to this depressing report by The Charleston Gazette's top environmental reporter, Ken Ward, Jr., the company is being sued by Nitro residents for releasing the poison, and subsequently, trying to cover up the resulting scandal.
According to Ward, "Starting in the late 1990s, St. Louis-based Monsanto--now called Old Monsanto--engaged in a complex series of spinoffs, name changes and corporate buyouts to distance itself from potentially massive environmental liabilities."
Not too honest, huh? I don't think it's too damn decent, either.
As for courage? "Officials from Monsanto did not return phone calls Friday afternoon." Hmmm....
They have been consistant is denying their liability for the last 50 years, so I guess one out of four ain't bad.
Unless you're a resident of Nitro.
"Integrity includes
honesty
decency
consistency and
courage"
Some folks at Monsanto apparently haven't been following the pledge too closely. Or at least they weren't when they were releasing tons of the super-dangerous chemical by-product dioxin into tiny Nitro, WV and its environs.
According to this depressing report by The Charleston Gazette's top environmental reporter, Ken Ward, Jr., the company is being sued by Nitro residents for releasing the poison, and subsequently, trying to cover up the resulting scandal.
According to Ward, "Starting in the late 1990s, St. Louis-based Monsanto--now called Old Monsanto--engaged in a complex series of spinoffs, name changes and corporate buyouts to distance itself from potentially massive environmental liabilities."
Not too honest, huh? I don't think it's too damn decent, either.
As for courage? "Officials from Monsanto did not return phone calls Friday afternoon." Hmmm....
They have been consistant is denying their liability for the last 50 years, so I guess one out of four ain't bad.
Unless you're a resident of Nitro.
Brrrrrrrrrrr.
Man, is it cold today. Last night a winter front swept into the D.C. area, bringing with it bitter temperatures in the teens (and wind chills in the single-digits). Right now it's 13 degrees. For the first time I miss California weather....
Must...not...forget $600K condos.....Keep...perspective.....
perspective...freezing...as is...ass....
Must...not...forget $600K condos.....Keep...perspective.....
perspective...freezing...as is...ass....
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