Even the non-geeks will appreciate this one (thanks Slashdot)
http://technologizer.com/2008/09/18/errormessage/
The "Sad Mac" is pretty cute!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Friday
OK so I'll take a break from political and economic blogging :)
Last night I had the chance to visit my dear friend from high school Denise, who has now twice had to come to Minneapolis for work. This time we went to the "News Room" restaurant, a favorite of mine (ok so I've only been there twice but it's been good both times!) Somehow we manage to talk for hours just like there hasn't been the 16-year gap since high school...on the way home I couldn't resist going around the "long way" up Hennepin and back over the new 35W bridge so I could see it. OK, so it's still just a bridge, but it's all new and wide and shiny and pretty. Amazing that they were able to accomplish that in such a short amount of time (and I applaud how well the city handled the traffic re-routing issues). Let's hope that this tragedy prevents future ones from occurring.
Nebraska is playing Virginia Tech on Saturday night prime time, looking forward to that!
Also, we've finally decided on a name for our girl kitty. Before I announce the names, I will say that neither of us came up with either of these names (we did approve them though so I suppose we're responsible) - the boy name was derived from my niece Keagann, and the girl name was from one of Erin's friends.
boy = Mr. Fluffy Face (Fluffy)
girl = Madame Sparkles Fairy Princess (Sparkles)
More pictures to follow...Mr. Fluffy Face apparently has ring worm or something similar, so he is now getting medicine. Both have adapted well to their new home and are now proceeding to destroy the furniture :) We are trying to use kitty treats to positively reinforce good behavior, but Madame Sparkles doesn't seem to care for them much (but they both try to eat "people" food whenever it's around!)
Last night I had the chance to visit my dear friend from high school Denise, who has now twice had to come to Minneapolis for work. This time we went to the "News Room" restaurant, a favorite of mine (ok so I've only been there twice but it's been good both times!) Somehow we manage to talk for hours just like there hasn't been the 16-year gap since high school...on the way home I couldn't resist going around the "long way" up Hennepin and back over the new 35W bridge so I could see it. OK, so it's still just a bridge, but it's all new and wide and shiny and pretty. Amazing that they were able to accomplish that in such a short amount of time (and I applaud how well the city handled the traffic re-routing issues). Let's hope that this tragedy prevents future ones from occurring.
Nebraska is playing Virginia Tech on Saturday night prime time, looking forward to that!
Also, we've finally decided on a name for our girl kitty. Before I announce the names, I will say that neither of us came up with either of these names (we did approve them though so I suppose we're responsible) - the boy name was derived from my niece Keagann, and the girl name was from one of Erin's friends.
boy = Mr. Fluffy Face (Fluffy)
girl = Madame Sparkles Fairy Princess (Sparkles)
More pictures to follow...Mr. Fluffy Face apparently has ring worm or something similar, so he is now getting medicine. Both have adapted well to their new home and are now proceeding to destroy the furniture :) We are trying to use kitty treats to positively reinforce good behavior, but Madame Sparkles doesn't seem to care for them much (but they both try to eat "people" food whenever it's around!)
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Voting Machines
I have probably blogged about this one in the past...but I heard yet another podcast about voting machines and the horrors of what's going on with them. We've had 8 years since the 2000 election debacle to fix these problems...and we're just making them worse.
I am generally always in favor of technology and especially computers making our lives better, easier, automating things, etc. And I'm a techie and a geek and love gadgets, etc. So you know I'm not one of those technophobes that doesn't want to change or upgrade anything. But I'm totally AGAINST continuing to try to integrate complex technology into the voting process.
Why you ask? Wouldn't computerizing this process make it easier, faster, more efficient? The answer is a definite NO. I think like an engineer, and my engineering mind tells me to look at the problem and find the appropriate solution.
First, and most fundamental - what problem are we really trying to solve here? We have elections once or twice a year at most (not counting the occasional extras for a local runoff or issue). So from a purely financial perspective, investing a lot of money in a bunch of technology that will at most be used twice a year is a huge waste of public funds. That aside, the voting process happens all on one day - the most important part of the process is to make sure everyone has the opportunity to vote. The second most important part of the process is that the votes are counted accurately. The third most important part of the process is that it is transparent - so that we know it's a fair process. The most important part is NOT that we count the votes the fastest or most efficiently (contrary to what the media probably thinks). We do not need the results of an election instantly. Waiting a day (or, heaven forbid even two days) is not a big deal - the people elected don't even take office until a month or two after the election!
To address the first priority - it is MUCH simpler to put out extra chairs, tables, pencils/pens, and ballots if a polling place gets busy, than it is to come up with more voting machines. This ensures everyone gets to vote, and doesn't have to wait hours to do it. Paper ballots - even if they are counted electronically with something like a scan-tron machine or similar, can be counted LATER - so even if the power goes out, you can have candles, battery powered lights, etc. and still vote. Good luck with your touch screen computers if the power is gone.
To address the second priority - any counting process probably has flaws. But with paper ballots there is ALWAYS a backup. They can always be re-counted by hand if necessary. I am a software engineer, and no matter how good you design your software, there is always a chance it can fail and lose data. The cost of high-end hardware that protects against data loss is very high - and even then it's not guaranteed. And the machines being used right now are not even close to that level.
To address the third priority - every voting machine in use today uses proprietary software that only the company who designed the system can see the source for, and knows how it actually works. I don't know how you get any more transparent than paper ballots that are public record and that can be recounted.
Bottom line - we are not solving any practical voting problem with voting machines. It is a major cost to taxpayers, it is not necessary, and it actually hurts the process. WHY WHY WHY are we doing this? It's going to happen again this election...I'm so glad Minnesota has resisted and stuck with paper and scan-tron machines.
I am generally always in favor of technology and especially computers making our lives better, easier, automating things, etc. And I'm a techie and a geek and love gadgets, etc. So you know I'm not one of those technophobes that doesn't want to change or upgrade anything. But I'm totally AGAINST continuing to try to integrate complex technology into the voting process.
Why you ask? Wouldn't computerizing this process make it easier, faster, more efficient? The answer is a definite NO. I think like an engineer, and my engineering mind tells me to look at the problem and find the appropriate solution.
First, and most fundamental - what problem are we really trying to solve here? We have elections once or twice a year at most (not counting the occasional extras for a local runoff or issue). So from a purely financial perspective, investing a lot of money in a bunch of technology that will at most be used twice a year is a huge waste of public funds. That aside, the voting process happens all on one day - the most important part of the process is to make sure everyone has the opportunity to vote. The second most important part of the process is that the votes are counted accurately. The third most important part of the process is that it is transparent - so that we know it's a fair process. The most important part is NOT that we count the votes the fastest or most efficiently (contrary to what the media probably thinks). We do not need the results of an election instantly. Waiting a day (or, heaven forbid even two days) is not a big deal - the people elected don't even take office until a month or two after the election!
To address the first priority - it is MUCH simpler to put out extra chairs, tables, pencils/pens, and ballots if a polling place gets busy, than it is to come up with more voting machines. This ensures everyone gets to vote, and doesn't have to wait hours to do it. Paper ballots - even if they are counted electronically with something like a scan-tron machine or similar, can be counted LATER - so even if the power goes out, you can have candles, battery powered lights, etc. and still vote. Good luck with your touch screen computers if the power is gone.
To address the second priority - any counting process probably has flaws. But with paper ballots there is ALWAYS a backup. They can always be re-counted by hand if necessary. I am a software engineer, and no matter how good you design your software, there is always a chance it can fail and lose data. The cost of high-end hardware that protects against data loss is very high - and even then it's not guaranteed. And the machines being used right now are not even close to that level.
To address the third priority - every voting machine in use today uses proprietary software that only the company who designed the system can see the source for, and knows how it actually works. I don't know how you get any more transparent than paper ballots that are public record and that can be recounted.
Bottom line - we are not solving any practical voting problem with voting machines. It is a major cost to taxpayers, it is not necessary, and it actually hurts the process. WHY WHY WHY are we doing this? It's going to happen again this election...I'm so glad Minnesota has resisted and stuck with paper and scan-tron machines.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Cheap morning
In addition to a $1.00 off coupon at Caribou (thanks Wayne!) I also knew that Donald Duck's nephews were Huey, Dewey, and Lewie, so my coffee was $.86! Given the supposed economic doom our country is in, every little bit helps :)
Seriously, there are so many sides to this problem that the country is in with the banking industry, and I have many mixed feelings (and it seems like even party lines are breaking down on this one). I guess it comes down to that you can't have it both ways - if you want less government, less regulation, etc. you can't have the government bailing everyone out when this kind of thing happens. If you want the government to bail out people when this happens, you have to accept more government regulation. I don't know why that's such a hard concept to get.
Even though I'm probably mostly on the liberal/democrat side of things most of the time, economically I've always leaned toward a more fiscally conservative, less regulated economy, because I always felt that too much regulation artifically drove the economy and eventually that catches up to you - especially as we are moving towards a world economy now. But history really does demonstrate this doesn't work very well. The factor I always forget to put into the equation is greed. That factor is coming through very clearly in this current mess. To the CEOs of these large companies, what incentive do they have to plan for the future if they're getting huge salaries, stock options, etc. - for them, it's easy to get caught up in the short term, how much can we make now, no matter the future cost. And if the company crashes, oh well they've already gotten their big payday out of it, so who cares.
And, it is of course not good for half the country to have their mortgages foreclosed on. Part of me thinks it is the fault of the people who took out loans they couldn't afford in the first place, and that they should have to take the consequences (and they should to some degree). BUT...many of these people are first-time home buyers, who probably don't exactly know everything about loans and how much they can afford, etc. and are putting some amount of trust in the bank giving them a loan. Plus, from personal experience, I know that buying your first home is as emotional a process as it is a business process - you're excited, nervous, etc. and you may not always think completely clearly about the business side of things. I was fairly sure I could afford the first house I bought, and I was conservative on how big a loan I took out (they would have given me a lot more) but there were a lot of hidden expenses and things I didn't think about with home ownership that I know now, and I can see some new home owners not thinking about these things.
30 years ago banks would never have given out these kinds of loans because the each individual bank was in business to make money - and they would not take the risk of a bad investment (someone who wouldn't or couldn't make their payments). But things have changed - banks have merged to become super-banks, and these loan investments have moved beyond just the bank, to Wall Street investors - so they've become more like stocks. Which means the old built-in safety mechanism (banks not giving out risky loans) is gone.
I honestly don't know if there's a good long-term solution. I do know that the present system we have obviously isn't working. I can't see how we can do this bail-out thing and not add regulation at least for awhile.
Seriously, there are so many sides to this problem that the country is in with the banking industry, and I have many mixed feelings (and it seems like even party lines are breaking down on this one). I guess it comes down to that you can't have it both ways - if you want less government, less regulation, etc. you can't have the government bailing everyone out when this kind of thing happens. If you want the government to bail out people when this happens, you have to accept more government regulation. I don't know why that's such a hard concept to get.
Even though I'm probably mostly on the liberal/democrat side of things most of the time, economically I've always leaned toward a more fiscally conservative, less regulated economy, because I always felt that too much regulation artifically drove the economy and eventually that catches up to you - especially as we are moving towards a world economy now. But history really does demonstrate this doesn't work very well. The factor I always forget to put into the equation is greed. That factor is coming through very clearly in this current mess. To the CEOs of these large companies, what incentive do they have to plan for the future if they're getting huge salaries, stock options, etc. - for them, it's easy to get caught up in the short term, how much can we make now, no matter the future cost. And if the company crashes, oh well they've already gotten their big payday out of it, so who cares.
And, it is of course not good for half the country to have their mortgages foreclosed on. Part of me thinks it is the fault of the people who took out loans they couldn't afford in the first place, and that they should have to take the consequences (and they should to some degree). BUT...many of these people are first-time home buyers, who probably don't exactly know everything about loans and how much they can afford, etc. and are putting some amount of trust in the bank giving them a loan. Plus, from personal experience, I know that buying your first home is as emotional a process as it is a business process - you're excited, nervous, etc. and you may not always think completely clearly about the business side of things. I was fairly sure I could afford the first house I bought, and I was conservative on how big a loan I took out (they would have given me a lot more) but there were a lot of hidden expenses and things I didn't think about with home ownership that I know now, and I can see some new home owners not thinking about these things.
30 years ago banks would never have given out these kinds of loans because the each individual bank was in business to make money - and they would not take the risk of a bad investment (someone who wouldn't or couldn't make their payments). But things have changed - banks have merged to become super-banks, and these loan investments have moved beyond just the bank, to Wall Street investors - so they've become more like stocks. Which means the old built-in safety mechanism (banks not giving out risky loans) is gone.
I honestly don't know if there's a good long-term solution. I do know that the present system we have obviously isn't working. I can't see how we can do this bail-out thing and not add regulation at least for awhile.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
No on Prop 8 ad
I generally don't like political advertising, especially when we now see one every 5 minutes on TV...but this one was refreshing
Of course I'm probably biased, but I would like to think if I had children of my own, I would do everything I could for them, like my parents have done for me. It makes me feel good to see other parents out there that would do an ad like this one.
Of course I'm probably biased, but I would like to think if I had children of my own, I would do everything I could for them, like my parents have done for me. It makes me feel good to see other parents out there that would do an ad like this one.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Kitty Heaven
I will blog more (lots more probably!) later, but I wanted to officially announce the two new members of our family and get the pictures up.
http://picasaweb.google.com/pcbye1/20080914
Sunday morning we grabbed coffee at Caribou, and headed over to friends Jay & Eric's to pick up a really nice litterbox that they gave us a good deal on (thanks guys!) Then we headed to PetSmart on the south side of Rochester, where they were doing cat adoption days through the Safe Haven Pet Rescue organization. We were greeted by several nice volunteers and started looking at all the cats. Erin immediately zoned in on one, and took it out and held it for awhile. I could tell they really got along. We decided we should go through the whole set though to see what else they had. The lady assured us she wouldn't let this one go without letting us know. We looked at some more, took a few more out, then wandered back towards the first one we looked at. There was another one in the next cage over that looked nice too ("nice" meaning kind of calmer looking). We took him out and I held him - he immediately got along with me really well. We were having a hard time deciding (we had intended to get just one) and the lady told us to take them both out and compare - cleverly making sure we'd fall in love with both so we'd take two :) As it turned out though, she knew what she was doing because this was really the right choice. I never really thought about how nice it probably is for pets to have buddies to hang out with - but after seeing them together I can certainly see how much fun they have! I know cats do fine by themselves too, and I'm sure it would have been fine for us, but having two is not any more work than having one.
We drove home (they were mewing the whole way home, not liking being in the boxes) and set them free, and boy did the have fun exploring the house - I imagine they haven't had this kind of space and things to explore for awhile. Right away they were a little timid but it didn't take long for them to warm right up to us. They also figured out the litter box right away (hooray!) and are eating and drinking just fine too. Mr. Fluffy Face (the boy) seems to be the more curious/stubborn one as it takes him a few "no's" and gentle swats to figure out not to get on the tables and furniture, while Madame no-name (we're still working on the name - were only planning on one!) seems to get it pretty qiuckly. She's a little shy at first with people but is not shy about letting Mr. Fluffy Face know whow's boss :)
The gang came over for dinner last night, and we had fun playing with the "mow-mow's" (as LP calls them). So far they don't sleep in our room, but can basically sleep anywhere else - including a big box we put blankets in and converted to a kitty bed. They are also loving all the cat toys people have already given us (it's great to have a lot of cat friends already)
More cat news to come...today was the first day in my new office, and I'm all moved in now. The first handbell rehearsals are tonight, looking forward to that. Iowa State lost to Iowa this weekend :( but Nebraska won again and is 3-0 :) and I'm excited to see them in person on October 4th against Missouri.
http://picasaweb.google.com/pcbye1/20080914
Sunday morning we grabbed coffee at Caribou, and headed over to friends Jay & Eric's to pick up a really nice litterbox that they gave us a good deal on (thanks guys!) Then we headed to PetSmart on the south side of Rochester, where they were doing cat adoption days through the Safe Haven Pet Rescue organization. We were greeted by several nice volunteers and started looking at all the cats. Erin immediately zoned in on one, and took it out and held it for awhile. I could tell they really got along. We decided we should go through the whole set though to see what else they had. The lady assured us she wouldn't let this one go without letting us know. We looked at some more, took a few more out, then wandered back towards the first one we looked at. There was another one in the next cage over that looked nice too ("nice" meaning kind of calmer looking). We took him out and I held him - he immediately got along with me really well. We were having a hard time deciding (we had intended to get just one) and the lady told us to take them both out and compare - cleverly making sure we'd fall in love with both so we'd take two :) As it turned out though, she knew what she was doing because this was really the right choice. I never really thought about how nice it probably is for pets to have buddies to hang out with - but after seeing them together I can certainly see how much fun they have! I know cats do fine by themselves too, and I'm sure it would have been fine for us, but having two is not any more work than having one.
We drove home (they were mewing the whole way home, not liking being in the boxes) and set them free, and boy did the have fun exploring the house - I imagine they haven't had this kind of space and things to explore for awhile. Right away they were a little timid but it didn't take long for them to warm right up to us. They also figured out the litter box right away (hooray!) and are eating and drinking just fine too. Mr. Fluffy Face (the boy) seems to be the more curious/stubborn one as it takes him a few "no's" and gentle swats to figure out not to get on the tables and furniture, while Madame no-name (we're still working on the name - were only planning on one!) seems to get it pretty qiuckly. She's a little shy at first with people but is not shy about letting Mr. Fluffy Face know whow's boss :)
The gang came over for dinner last night, and we had fun playing with the "mow-mow's" (as LP calls them). So far they don't sleep in our room, but can basically sleep anywhere else - including a big box we put blankets in and converted to a kitty bed. They are also loving all the cat toys people have already given us (it's great to have a lot of cat friends already)
More cat news to come...today was the first day in my new office, and I'm all moved in now. The first handbell rehearsals are tonight, looking forward to that. Iowa State lost to Iowa this weekend :( but Nebraska won again and is 3-0 :) and I'm excited to see them in person on October 4th against Missouri.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Fuego 4
Friday night my band "Fuego" had the opportunity to again play at the Blue Moon Ballroom - this was our 4th time there. The first time we played was a record crowd for the Blue Moon with 105 people. The third time last January there were 85. I guess September isn't the right time to have Friday night events - probably around 40 or so last night (I heard there was a free concert at RCTC as well as high school football games going on).
Still, I think it was another successful evening for the band - we now have 23 songs in our inventory, and overall it sounded great. The people who were there had fun!
We also found out that we are NOT disbanding, as I had previously mentioned - as our leader is not moving after all. So hopefully there will be more performances in the future!
Other News
On the agenda for this weekend - catch up on some household chores from the busy week, and catch some football - Nebraska is playing tonight, as well as the big game of the week USC vs. Ohio State - I love fall! Tomorrow we may be adopting a cat if all goes well - very exciting for me as this is really my first "real" pet (I had some pet rabbits growing up but they were outdoor pets). We already have a name picked out which I will reveal in a future blog, likely with a whole bunch of great pictures. The gang will be here Sunday night for a (probably) final grill-out of the summer while the weather is still nice.
Monday, after 10 1/2 years, I will move to a new office, one building away from the one I'm currently in. I am looking forward to getting going on this project - it is going to be a busy next 6 months but it's really exciting work.
50th Ave construction update - I haven't been giving updates because there haven't been many, but it does finally look like they're ready to lay down concrete now. So still hoping it's done by the end of the month.
Happy Birthday
Wednesday I attended an all-day class for work in downtown Minneapolis, which worked out really well because Wednesday also happened to be my mom's birthday. So we made plans to meet downtown for dinner - Erin driving up from Rochester in the afternoon and taking the light rail downtown.
We went to a restaurant called "Palomino" in downtown Minneapolis on 9th & Hennepin. It was a great time and a great restaurant - if you're looking for a slightly nicer place to go in Minneapolis I'd highly recommend it (thanks Bill for the tip!) After a wonderful meal, the server brought out a chocolate tiramisu that we all had a few bites of for mom's birthday. What a fun night! Erin and I took the light rail back to his car and headed home, stopping along the way to pick up some hand chimes for my church that were being repaired.
We went to a restaurant called "Palomino" in downtown Minneapolis on 9th & Hennepin. It was a great time and a great restaurant - if you're looking for a slightly nicer place to go in Minneapolis I'd highly recommend it (thanks Bill for the tip!) After a wonderful meal, the server brought out a chocolate tiramisu that we all had a few bites of for mom's birthday. What a fun night! Erin and I took the light rail back to his car and headed home, stopping along the way to pick up some hand chimes for my church that were being repaired.
 |  |  |
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Fall weather is here!
Despite what you tell me the calendar says Jay, it's "fall" to me :) I just love this time of year - if it could be fall all year I'd probably be fine with that. Highs no more than 70, sunny, crisp, football everywhere...yes!
And what a great fall weekend this was! Friday was a nice day at work, and Friday night Erin and I got the chance to relax and enjoy the evening. Saturday morning I had coffee outside with my friend Bill - wearing my favorite hoodie and loving the cool breezy sunny morning. I made a special trip out to the airport area to see my friend Shelley and bring her what was left of my cookies from Friday (I made 7 dozen for work Friday, and only about 8 were left when I left work). Shelley and her co-worker were very happy to see me and the cookies.
When I got back, I found my weekend houseguests up and about and wanting to see the Nebraska game (which, I had to order for $30 on pay-per-view, and DirecTV's order system for this particular set of games is horrible but that's another story). We got the game, Will, Andy, and Tony went and got pizza, breadsticks, and drinks for everyone from Valentinos, and away we went. The first half was a nailbiter, and was 14-9 Huskers at halftime, and only because of a returned interception by the Husker defense. The rest of them had to leave for a wedding that afternoon (the reason they were staying at my house) so I promised to send Will updates to his phone. The entire 3rd quarter nothing happened - really, it was just a few years, punt both ways. At the beginning of the 4th the Husker defense gave up another bunch of yards and a field goal so it was 14-12 - I was getting worried. But on the next play, Niles Paul returns the kickoff 85 yards for a TD and they never looked back - everything went their way after that. It's fun to watch the Huskers again after 4 years of a coach who probably wasn't the right one for the program. And I get to see them in person October 4th vs. #6 Missouri - hooray!
Saturday night it was party time at friends/softball colleagues Jeff, Amber, and Declan. I've always had a theory that you don't need TV if you have a 2 or 3 year old, and Declan proves me right every time - he actually had all the adults sitting in a circle playing "Duck-Duck-Come and get me" (hasn't quite gotten "Gray Duck" or "Goose" figured out). A nice relaxed, low-key, end of summer party and got to see a lot of friends.
Today I have dedicated to finishing up some musical work I have to do for salsa band and for finishing installing Erin's "new" machine (all parts of previous machines I've had). In the process, I have gotten myself a new 22" Viewsonic widescreen monitor which I'm looking at now and just loving - amazing how much more space the widescreen adds. Erin got my "old" 19" Dell monitor which is still really nice too - so we're all set for awhile. Tonight my jazz band "Notochords" plays for a dance at the Kahler Hotel - this one's not open to the public though so can't offer this one up to everyone as something to do if you're bored :)
Last but not least - Erin and I are looking at getting a cat, after deciding we just don't have time for a dog right now with our schedules. I know we have a lot of cat-owner friends out there, and if you happen to have any accessories you want to get rid of or give us a deal on, please let me know. Friends Eric & Jay have already offered us their older litter box they're not using anymore - thanks!
And what a great fall weekend this was! Friday was a nice day at work, and Friday night Erin and I got the chance to relax and enjoy the evening. Saturday morning I had coffee outside with my friend Bill - wearing my favorite hoodie and loving the cool breezy sunny morning. I made a special trip out to the airport area to see my friend Shelley and bring her what was left of my cookies from Friday (I made 7 dozen for work Friday, and only about 8 were left when I left work). Shelley and her co-worker were very happy to see me and the cookies.
When I got back, I found my weekend houseguests up and about and wanting to see the Nebraska game (which, I had to order for $30 on pay-per-view, and DirecTV's order system for this particular set of games is horrible but that's another story). We got the game, Will, Andy, and Tony went and got pizza, breadsticks, and drinks for everyone from Valentinos, and away we went. The first half was a nailbiter, and was 14-9 Huskers at halftime, and only because of a returned interception by the Husker defense. The rest of them had to leave for a wedding that afternoon (the reason they were staying at my house) so I promised to send Will updates to his phone. The entire 3rd quarter nothing happened - really, it was just a few years, punt both ways. At the beginning of the 4th the Husker defense gave up another bunch of yards and a field goal so it was 14-12 - I was getting worried. But on the next play, Niles Paul returns the kickoff 85 yards for a TD and they never looked back - everything went their way after that. It's fun to watch the Huskers again after 4 years of a coach who probably wasn't the right one for the program. And I get to see them in person October 4th vs. #6 Missouri - hooray!
Saturday night it was party time at friends/softball colleagues Jeff, Amber, and Declan. I've always had a theory that you don't need TV if you have a 2 or 3 year old, and Declan proves me right every time - he actually had all the adults sitting in a circle playing "Duck-Duck-Come and get me" (hasn't quite gotten "Gray Duck" or "Goose" figured out). A nice relaxed, low-key, end of summer party and got to see a lot of friends.
Today I have dedicated to finishing up some musical work I have to do for salsa band and for finishing installing Erin's "new" machine (all parts of previous machines I've had). In the process, I have gotten myself a new 22" Viewsonic widescreen monitor which I'm looking at now and just loving - amazing how much more space the widescreen adds. Erin got my "old" 19" Dell monitor which is still really nice too - so we're all set for awhile. Tonight my jazz band "Notochords" plays for a dance at the Kahler Hotel - this one's not open to the public though so can't offer this one up to everyone as something to do if you're bored :)
Last but not least - Erin and I are looking at getting a cat, after deciding we just don't have time for a dog right now with our schedules. I know we have a lot of cat-owner friends out there, and if you happen to have any accessories you want to get rid of or give us a deal on, please let me know. Friends Eric & Jay have already offered us their older litter box they're not using anymore - thanks!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Thursdays on First (after!)
Wow, what a great time! This was the second time we did this, and I never knew how much fun it could be just getting together and jamming on the street corner. Even on a fairly brisk night we had pretty good crowds listening all the time. This time around we had 4 percussionists, a bass, a sax (me) and two guitarists. I am positive I had more fun and enjoyment than the people in the crowd.
We also put out a guitar case for "donations", after having people las
t time tell us to put one out. I didn't think people would actually leave money but they did - $65 as a matter of fact! OK so I'm not going to be quitting my day job, but I made $8 :) Since I didn't manage to get pictures of us playing (because I was busy playing), I did get a picture of the "take".
And as a reminder - my salsa band "Fuego" (several of the people there last night are in the band) will be making its final performance at the Blue Moon next Friday, Sept 12th, from 8-11pm - if you ever wanted to see us this is your last chance.
We also put out a guitar case for "donations", after having people las
t time tell us to put one out. I didn't think people would actually leave money but they did - $65 as a matter of fact! OK so I'm not going to be quitting my day job, but I made $8 :) Since I didn't manage to get pictures of us playing (because I was busy playing), I did get a picture of the "take".And as a reminder - my salsa band "Fuego" (several of the people there last night are in the band) will be making its final performance at the Blue Moon next Friday, Sept 12th, from 8-11pm - if you ever wanted to see us this is your last chance.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Thursdays on First (last!)
In lieu of the highly political blog I really wanted to write this morning (but am now calmed down), I will post something better :)
Tonight, my salsa band is doing some song/drum improv downtown at Thursdays on First/Art Walk - we did this last month and it went over really well. We're playing on the corner of 1st Ave and 2nd St SW, a block south of the the Barnes & Noble/Galleria/Peace Plaza.
Come out, see some great art, listen to some great music, walk around, have a drink...
Tonight, my salsa band is doing some song/drum improv downtown at Thursdays on First/Art Walk - we did this last month and it went over really well. We're playing on the corner of 1st Ave and 2nd St SW, a block south of the the Barnes & Noble/Galleria/Peace Plaza.
Come out, see some great art, listen to some great music, walk around, have a drink...
Monday, September 1, 2008
Farwell to a piece of Star Trek lore
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TRAVEL/09/01/star.trek.voyage.ending.ap/index.html
I mentioned this in my Vegas Trip blog, but today is the last day of "The Star Trek Experience" at the Las Vegas Hilton. After 10 years, the Hilton isn't renewing the lease. I suppose Cedar Fair, the owner of the attraction, will have to move on to new places "where no attraction owner has gone before"...
I mentioned this in my Vegas Trip blog, but today is the last day of "The Star Trek Experience" at the Las Vegas Hilton. After 10 years, the Hilton isn't renewing the lease. I suppose Cedar Fair, the owner of the attraction, will have to move on to new places "where no attraction owner has gone before"...
Gustav
I've been on-and-off watching the news and it's too bad that New Orleans and Louisiana are having to go through this again...fortunately it looks like they have also learned from last time, and that this one isn't going to be quite as bad. Let's hope and pray that there are no tragedies this time around.
It's Labor Day! Another beautiful day in Minnesota. Unfortunately Erin has to work, but I have plenty to do today myself. After having breakfast and coffee, I am now hunkered down at the computer again to finish making my "final" list of handbell music to order. I am pretty excited about the new music - the hardest part has been narrowing down all the good choices. The group this year also looks like it's going to be great - I'm looking forward to getting to direct although I also hope to get to play too - I've already asked former director Don to "guest direct" on a few pieces that need extra people (mostly so I can play :)
This evening we're going to have a "relaxed" grilling dinner with some friends. Weather again looks like it's going to be great!
It's Labor Day! Another beautiful day in Minnesota. Unfortunately Erin has to work, but I have plenty to do today myself. After having breakfast and coffee, I am now hunkered down at the computer again to finish making my "final" list of handbell music to order. I am pretty excited about the new music - the hardest part has been narrowing down all the good choices. The group this year also looks like it's going to be great - I'm looking forward to getting to direct although I also hope to get to play too - I've already asked former director Don to "guest direct" on a few pieces that need extra people (mostly so I can play :)
This evening we're going to have a "relaxed" grilling dinner with some friends. Weather again looks like it's going to be great!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)