Phoenix Aviary

The Hitching Post

2008-04-20T19:44:00.002-04:00

Couple of friends got hitched yesterday. Congratulations to Brian and Stephanie. Hard to imagine a couple more suited for each other. Here are a couple of photos:

My crew :).

First kiss as husband and wife.

They done taking photos yet?

Hope this one doesn't cause any cavities.

YIKES!!!!!

Ohhh yeah...gotta do the car.

Worth 1000 Words.

2008-04-14T23:07:00.002-04:00

Could it BE!!!!

2008-02-25T22:05:00.004-05:00

Ohhh hell yeah!!!

Cloverfield (WARNING SPOILER CITY)

2008-01-26T21:33:00.000-05:00

DO NOT READ IF YOU PLAN ON WATCHING CLOVERFIELD

Long post coming...I know it. Okay first off...I REALLY like Cloverfield. It was fun...it was different...was it unique? Well let us see if we can answer that.

First off let's talk about the plot. Now I've heard of this compared to a couple of movies. One was a War of Worlds without Tom Cruise while not an altogether unfair comparison it does miss a couple of key points. War of Worlds relies on the tried and true alien invasion formula...veni vidi vici. In Cloverfield we have NO idea of origin or motive. Food? Revenge? Maybe it just fears a general election with two New York representatives and is hoping to limit that possibility. Additionally the alien invasion tends to end as humanity decides to get off its ass and starts kicking some. This ends not looking so good for humanity or at least New York.

Okay so an American monster movie...Godzilla (original) perhaps? Big monster, tears up a city, military not much use...sounds the same. Let's look a little deeper. Godzilla and many of creatures from that era were born of fears. In the case of Godzilla the fear of the bombs and a nuclear earth. Godzilla personified the fear of a nation perhaps to in some ways humanize it...allow it to be pushed back or defeated or just to describe it. So what are we afraid of now...is this some personification of the fear of terrorisim. Maybe...after all it's placed in New York. Lady Liberty, a great symbol of our country, is beheaded. Skyscrapers are toppled and crumble to the ground in a very symbolic way. Granted though, destruction of national monuments and big buildings is going to be a given in this kind of movie whether symbolic or not...if only purely for the psychological reflex of the watcher. Additionally the monster itself has no connection to terrorism its actions only resemble the aftermath of extreme terrorism. It is not birthed of terrorism. The only thing that would suggest a connection beyond what occurs in any disaster/monster movie is the decapitation of Lady Liberty. While that is a powerful symbol I would hesitate to hang an entire theme on it. Note: After writing this and then reading imdb it looks like I'm not the first one to go this way...though I don't think it's quite as blunt as others seem to feel.

Okay so maybe this is a new class of film or maybe this is a classic monster movie. That's not the only thing that can make a movie unique. Cinematography and unique editing can make a story feel new. While not exactly the best movie in the world Hulk provided a very unique feel in it's transitions between shots and scenes with its comic book layout. As for this...well the handicam approach has been done before. Blair Witch...a most annoying comparison, but the use of the camera as a intrinsic device in the movie is a way of enforcing a realism to the movie...but unlike Blair Witch this effect (for me anyways) was moved along well by employing standard Hollywood timing and sub-plots as opposed to 90 minutes of screaming and running in Blair Witch. But this film uses the camera in a way I've not seen it done before (maybe somebody has an example). This movie uses the camera to juxtapose the best day of the main protagonist's life and the worst day of his life. The film is started with the protagonist proclaiming that it's going to be a good day...and also ends on that statement made by another character. That tape which holds the record of the Rob's happiest moment only to be erased and hold his new nightmare and alluded demise.

Russian Ark...a 90 minute single shot (though not single take) film uses a handicam approach though for a completely different feel and effect. It creates a single unified line through time and space in a way similar to Hitchcocks use of very long shots sometimes using entire reels of film. Here the use of the tape provides a shifting, jerking timeline to the entire film. This does two things, one flashbacks hide in the tape not because they smoothly transition with real-time but because even the main timeline is jagged and rough. Two it creates an effect of suspense in and of itself. If a shift occurs, what are you going to be watching next; calm flash back, suspenseful if subdued establishing shot, or frantic action shot? You're cued by camera behavior that a change is coming...but rarely have any idea what. Ohhh and by the way doing away with the standard movie boilerplate to get right into the fun was pure genius. I have to say this is a very bold and unique usage of a technique that was derided in 99 with Blair Witch but pulled off to much greater effect.

The ending...well I've probably heard more complaints about the ending than any other part of the movie. To be honest I liked it ALOT...I've gotten tired of movies wrapping up everything in a nice little bow at the end of 2 hours. Aeon Flux can take this particular award and shove it where the sun don't shine. I loved that last night as I was going to sleep I was coming up with a million different twists and turns to the endings. You don't often get to use your imagination much with films but this left so much unsaid it feels more like a book with you filling in all the little details that aren't mentioned. There wasn't just a little teaser at the end (think Godzilla with the egg). So okay you've got a ton of open questions...that SCREAMS sequel. What do you do...another attack? Perhaps a different view of the same attack maybe through a news camera or another individual? Soldier head cam view (a la a bit like the head cams in Aliens). Continue to follow Lily after she gets off the chopper? Even the possibilities open new artistic ideas. Hell you could even take a view from the monster itself, maybe it got a news camera stuck in its teeth.

Okay so in conclusion I feel that even if the individual techniques or plot devices are not unique in and of themselves the way they are used and the degree and point of view from which the story is told is creates a riveting, unique film with was well worth my 8 bucks.

Let me know what you think.

Twinkies and Swiss Rolls and Whoppers, Ohhh My!

2008-01-14T22:00:00.001-05:00

1 box Twinkies 1500 calories
1 box Marshmallow Supremes 1120 calories
1 box Fudge Rounds 1200 calories
1 box Swiss Rolls 1620 calories
1 box Whoppers 1440 calories
1 box Dots 1680 calories
1 box Mike and Ike 560 calories (and no fat!!!)
1 box Sour Patch Kids 375 calories (also no fat!!!)
1 box Junior Mints 595 calories
1 box Milk Duds 1190 calories
Total:
11280 calories AND
1 Dutch girl who's going to be REALLY surprised tomorrow....priceless.

BTW if you don't know my sense of humor, never....ever....tell me you've never heard of a Twinkie.

Dilemma

2007-12-12T23:16:00.000-05:00

It's 11. I haven't eaten dinner. I have 3 lbs of homemade candy in the fridge. Prognosis: Not good.

Just a Thought

2007-11-19T23:17:00.000-05:00

Elliptical machines are NOT like running at all. Extra weight really kills you when you're running. I must go now and [braaaaaap]...oohhh I feel better.

Poppin' Da Bubbly

2007-11-12T21:53:00.000-05:00

Boo-Yah!!!

Lady Luck is Smiling

2007-11-10T14:26:00.000-05:00

Lady Luck decided to join me for lunch today. Here's the conversation:

Jeff: "Lunch time...turkey sandwiches? Ahh dang it moldy bread."
LL: "Mmmmm snake eyes, better hit Publix."
Jeff: "Yeah."
[at Publix]
LL: "You haven'tried your luck with magazines in a while...anything good on guitars?"
Jeff: "Good point, hey look Guitar World has Rockstar tab...nice."
LL: "I'd wager there's something else this close to Christmas."
Jeff: "Ohhh yeah look at that Guitar World put out a Holiday Gear Guide. Sweet!"
Jeff: "Ohhh wait...they got Playboy to help...BONUS!!!"

LL: "Good for you...you've got Kemp coming over tomorrow. Might want to roll the dice on the beer aisle."
Jeff: "I've got plenty but what the hell...Holy cow Hoegaarden!!!"

LL: "Odds are you're going to be having an extended lunch today."
Jeff: "Certainly better than even!"

LL: "Care to place a wager on wether you clean the apartment or take a nap?"
Jeff: "Don't press your luck."

Free Rice

2007-11-10T12:49:00.000-05:00

Came across a nice little page a second ago thanks to the BBC. It's a vocab game...you answer questions rice gets donated to the WFP. Every question you answer generates new advertisers beneath the question, and the advertisers pay for the rice. You don't have to log in or create and account or give an email or anything...just play. And the vocab gets tricky. If you play let me know what level you were able to maintain. While concentrating I was able to stay at about level 40.

Musical Assigment

2007-11-05T23:02:00.000-05:00

Okay ages ago, through a friends blog I offered a challenge. Create a CD with the essence of you. Anyways today I have a new one. A musical time-line. Songs that were influential in your development both musically and/or personally. There is no limit on the number of songs this time...some people just change too much for that. Songs should ordered in the order that they were important to you NOT when they came out. If you would care to include reasons as to why certain songs are important all the better, if not that's cool too as it's all personal. This is a long one so I'm going say I'll post the submitted results at the end of the week...but don't be surprised if I extend it if people are having trouble. On your marks! Get set! Go!

VIVA!!! Viva Las Vegas.

2007-11-04T23:18:00.000-05:00

Well that jacket and shirt was from my infamous Vegas trip...haven't worn it since then either. It's pretty rumpled now and I'll be seeing what a dry cleaner can do with it. If it comes out looking spiffy I may just have to see if it has any of that black magic left >:). Now the other thing that was memorable, was that coat and shirt started the all black outfits. Three cheers to simplifing the wardrobe and still looking respectable. BTW Krishen won a neat little book, "Pattern Recognition" by William Gibson...he ought to like it...the protagonist uses a mac.

Blast from the Past

2007-11-02T00:01:00.001-04:00

Going through a closet I come across a very historic outfit for me.

Now I have a small prize for anybody that can tell me why this is so important to me. There are two reasons and first to get either one will win.

It's On Ice

2007-10-28T13:00:00.000-04:00

So very close...

Costume Party

2007-10-28T02:09:00.001-04:00

What do you dress up as when all you have is black jeans, black shirts, and a black cowboy hat? How about Garth Brooks?

Best costume was the guy next to me. His wife also wore a great witches outfit.

At least I got to take Annabel Lee out for an evening and play with her a bit.

Good Quote of the night:
"Am I a person?"
"Yes."
"Am I Brad Pitt?"
"Yeah. How did you know?"

Okay I'm tired....bed time.

Good days...

2007-10-10T00:29:00.001-04:00

Today was one of those rare, good days. Not good as in I got a decent meal, some good sleep and I'm content. Good as in invigorating, refreshing, and motivating. I've needed one of these. I am happy. Don't let it get out though...it'll hurt my rep :).

Pet Peeve

2007-10-07T13:26:00.000-04:00

Let's talk about one of my pet peeves...or rather I'll talk because this isn't a dialogue :). Now my being a gadget lover means there are some gadgets I love for the sake of them being a gadget, like my iPod for instance. Sure I have an older iPod that can play music and be portable...and it does it well. But now I have an iPod that plays music, surfs the web, plays videos and is still very portable. Why? because it's a cool gadget.

Okay now for the peeve...I don't want everything to be so freaking complicated...just my gadgets for gadgets sakes. With all the additional complication comes increased forseen and unforseen breakdowns. Now I can take one of the bajillion car lights going out...like the license plate light and having to replace it. HOWEVER, cars now adays are coming with so much crap where if it fails the car is useless. Traction control, anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control (or ESP), forward collision warnings (especially Mercedes new one), lane departure warning systems, etc, etc, etc. PLUS this stuff's expensive for repairs.

Now in addition to a system where the requirements call for certian complexity out of necessity there's things that have no reason being comlex. My exercise bike...it has a strap to adjust resistance...great but I never use it. When I want to jump on the bike I just want to do it. Now when it fails...such as it did this morning, first the bike slowly ramps up the difficulty making you wonder why you're sucking wind this time. Finally it decides your not paying enough attention to it decides to just lock up. Okay I'm moving at a good pace...when that thing locks, let's just say bad things happen. Accordingly, I've paid it attention >:).

You got one? Share it (if it's pompous bloggers raging in a little read blog, stuff it :) ).

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

2007-09-23T17:59:00.000-04:00

Got to see a good Devil Rays game today. You can read the details here. Short story Devil Rays 5, Boston 4. Tampa jumped to an early lead with a homer from rookie Delmon Young. Edwin Jackson, the starting pitcher for Tampa, was able hold pretty steady for 4 innings then fell apart in the fifth. Red Sox loaded the bases but could only bring it to 4-3, even with Big Papi up to bat (a single, RBI). Al Reyes closed out for the save...he'll be in New York or Boston soon if he keeps up with that performance. Good fun...even if one of our party did get hit in the head with a ball :).

Thought of the Day

2007-09-14T21:45:00.000-04:00

If there's a fine line between realism and pessimism does that mean there's a line between optimism and delusion?

I'm BACK!!!!

2007-09-11T13:24:00.000-04:00

I'm back in the saddle again!!! What you didn't know I left? I coulda sworn I left a post on the subject somewhere... eh guess not. Anyways, had a good time in Michigan got plenty of photos. Ate plenty of food (always too quickly to get photos of food). Met plenty of people. Saw plenty of corn. Anyways on to the photos:

See I told you I was in the saddle.

Computers Never Lie

2007-05-30T00:31:00.001-04:00

What my computer told me when I came in this morning...

Worth 1000 Words - Cubicle Cowboy

2007-05-27T00:01:00.001-04:00

Blog from the Underground

2007-04-15T17:52:00.000-04:00

Edit 4/17/2007 This was written Sunday but I was unable to add the photos until today...so enjoy.

Got quite a bit of exercise today. Krishen and I went to the Natural Bridge Caverns. We did the north tour, through about three "rooms" and another shorter one called Jaremy's room. I'll let the photos speak for themselves...

Take nothing but pictures.
Leave nothing but footprints.
Kill nothing but time.
--Caver's Creed

BRISKET!!!!

2007-04-12T20:43:00.000-04:00

Get up at 5:00 + one lb of great Texas brisket for dinner = serious coma. Do not operate heavy machinery.

Four Things

2007-04-08T22:52:00.000-04:00

1: Last Post
Hope you enjoyed April Fool's :)

2: New Gear

Like it?
What the hell kind of guitar is that?
This is the controller for Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360. Very very cool game. They have a release for the playstation 2 as well. I would highly suggest it to anybody. It's one of those fun ones I think people will be playing at parties. You use the buttons at the top of the neck to "fret" the notes and a lever on the body to strum. The songs included are really really good and include (But definitely not limited to):
Mother - Danzig
Possum Kingdom - Toadies
Them Bones - Alice in Chains
Last Child - Aerosmith
Killing in the Name - Rage Against the Machine
Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns and Roses
FREE BIRD!!!! - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Over all very fun but it's gonna make your fingers sore.

3: Texas
Yeah. Texas. Pray.

4: Photos
Nice little tidbit but I gotta give props to zoto for restoring my photos after I renewed my account...looks like I don't have to go fixing broken links all over the place. WHEEEEE!!!!!!

Gotta go laundry calls...and I gotta find my iPod...or #3 is really gonna suck.

Essence Of Part Deux

2007-04-01T11:04:00.000-04:00

Okay so a couple of years through a friend's blog I expressed an idea. That idea was to create a CD that contained the essence of you. The only rule was that it had to fit uncompressed on an audio CD. Now here was my CD from that time:

Bullet With Butterfly Wings - Smashing Pumpkins
Blame - Gravity Kills
I Stand Alone - Godsmack
Sinner - Drowning Pool
Pardon Me - Incubus
My Own Worst Enemy - Lit
Self-Esteem - The Offspring
Tourniquet - Evanesence
Jaded - The Crystal Method
Only Happy When it Rains - Garbage
From the Inside - Linkin Park
I Hate Everything About You - Three Days Grace
Black Cloud - Crazy Town
A Stroke of Luck - Garbage
No Leaf Clover - Metallica
The Impression that I Get - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
The Best is Yet to Come Undone - Lit
Song About Nuthin' - Powerman 5000

All in all some pretty dark stuff...so what would happen if I were to do it again now? I mean things have changed. I've changed. So I'm goin' to post it here and give people the chance to reflect on how a couple of years might have changed them.

So Yesterday - Hillary Duff
Beautiful - Christina Aguilera
Let Me Love You - Mario
Because of You - Marquest Houston
Here with Me - Michelle Branch
This is My Time - Raven-Symon
Bump, Bump, Bump - B2K & Diddy
Fighter - Christina Aquilera
Get the Party Started - Pink
Lucky - Brittney Spears
Crazy in Love - Beyonce
Rock Your Body - Justin Timberlake
Lonely No More - Clay Aiken

Quick Movie Question Slow Movie Answer

2007-04-01T10:57:00.000-04:00

The answer to the movie trivia questions is none other than......Nicolas Kim Coppola. WHO!? That's right mister Ghost Rider himself Nick Cage. Mr Cage revealed to Jay Leno that he was quite the comic buff (might explain the casting for Ghost Rider a bit). Said he oftens considers comics to be today's mythology. In order to make a name for his own and not ride his father's coattails he took on the name of comic book character, Luke Cage. Luke Cage was one of the first black comic book characters. So who was his Daddy? Francis Ford Coppola...dem's big shoes to fill.

Quick Movie Question

2007-03-11T22:28:00.000-04:00

What famous actor/actress changed their name to that of a comic book character? Bonus: What was their name before?

Who's Your Daddy?

2007-03-03T02:33:00.000-05:00

It's time for Madden between yours truly and his coworker Tye daddy. a battle of titans with alot of trash talk and bragging rights galore on the line.

First Quarter
Tye daddy (Buccanears) takes an early lead when Chris Simms heaves it into the end zone. Extra point is good and Tampa's up by seven. Seattle (Bartenderpho) opens with a long bomb that gets deflected at the last moment and is reduced to a three-and-out. Things aren't looking good for Seattle. During Tampa's second drive Simms throws a lame duck and Seattle comes away with it...looks like Simms is quickly living up to his reputation. Starting 10 yards from the red zone Seattle quickly gets it into the end zone through a series of short, west coast-style passes.

Second Quarter
Quarter two is nearly a stalemate until later in the second with Tampa in the red zone, the Bucs are held behind the line of scrimmage on 4th and lose the ball on downs. It seems Simms forgot to hand the ball off to Williams. Seattle walks in the lockers with the only score in the second quarter, a field goal.

Third Down
Seattle gets off to a quick start throwing down field and getting within field goal range. Kick is good Seatlle up by 6. On the following drive Williams gets to show off that speed running 64 on a defense that's getting really sleepy out there. Extra point is good Tampa up 14 - 13.

Fourth Down
This is it folks Seattle's down by 1 and Tampa's tightening the defense. Hasslebeck squeaks the ball into the end zone through a good mix of run and pass and couple of REALLY nice catches. Alexander's going to need the oxygen after this one he's getting clobbered. Seattle goes for 2 catching Tampa off guard on special teams. Tampa now needs 7 to tie. Shortly after the second Seattle touchdown with about 4 minutes left on the clock. Cadillac uncharacteristically drops the ball at the line of scrimmage. A Seattle DB scoops it up and takes it to the house. Extra point is good. Seattle is up 28 - 14. This could be the turning point of the game....now Tye daddy is hurting and needs two touchdowns to recover. While on the run however, Simms decides to lob another lame duck to Seattle's secondary. With Seattle on offense RB Alexander finally breaks a run over 10 yards and gets to dance in the end zone. It's 35 - 14. On the next possession, Tampa's Williams loses one more fumble to a vicious hit near the sidline and Seattle's safety takes the ball in, making it 42 - 14. So with all the good natured trash that flowed before the game Bartender will be able to return to work with head held high after a well played match.

Women of Rock Part 3

2007-02-18T22:59:00.000-05:00

Okay so I'm running around trying to get some things ready for next week. Do I need music to keep me awake and running...not really. I need something with a soothing voice to relax to, but just enough bite to keep me awake. Papercranes from Gainesville are giving me what I need right now. (iTunes needed)Satellite is a soft ballad reminding me of Natalie Merchant. Triangle though as a good beat and I'll tap my foot. Good bass work and an interesting guitar. Rain Phoenix is the lead singer with silky smooth voice and if you check their web page or IMDB she's Joaquin "Leaf" and River Phoenix's sister. Ohh yeah and you can finsh the family with Liberty and Summer Phoenix. Anyways Rain's done a little bit of acting in Hitch and Kids In America but with a voice like that I hope she makes it in music.

Worth 1000 Words

2007-02-11T23:48:00.000-05:00

...and in other news Wal-Mart has begun selling cheap drugs to it's employees.

Congratulations

2007-02-04T23:43:00.000-05:00

I know everybody will covering this so I'll keep it short and sweet congratulations to Tony Dungy and his Colts. There isn't another coach out there who deserved this more (though I have feeling a few would disagree with me, ironically probably not the Bears coach, Lovie Smith). I credit both Dungy and Smith for making the bucs the team (especially the defense) to win to the super bowl...Gruden got a great team and gave the final push. It must have been hard to come so close see what happened the next year. But Dungy got it done this year. No meltdowns from Manning, unlike Grossman, at the end the Colts gallop away champions. Whats more Manning finally got his win over the gators (There were four ex-gators on the Bears team). Took him long enough :). Anyways Manning gets his win and people will not stop comparing to Dan Marino....poor Dan. Indianaoplis will be partying tonight...ohh wait Indianoplis, I'm sure they're all in bed by now :). Congrats Colts.

From A to Z

2007-01-30T20:06:00.000-05:00

Favorite rock groups:
3 Doors Down
Audioslave (sorry AC/DC)
Bush
Coheed & Cambria (TCM didn't count)
Disturbed
Evanescence
Foo Fighters
Godsmack (real real tough letter)
Hinder
Incubus
Jimmy Eat World
Korn
Lit
Metallica (too easy)
Nickelback
The Offspring (sorry Ozzy)
Papa Roach
Queens of the Stone Age
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Slipknot
Three Days Grace
U2
The Von Bondies
White Stripes
Static-X (only thing I could think of remotely related to X)
Yellowcard (weak, only fond of a couple of songs)
Rob Zombie

That about sums it up. You got a list?

EDIT 11:04PM 1/27/2006: Well well...it looks like somebody did. You can check it out here.

News Flash: R2-D2 Checks into rehab.

2007-01-28T23:22:00.000-05:00

After recent pictures surfaced of R2-D2, with beer in hand...er claw...er thing, wildly dancing with a Gamorrean, in a gold bikini, the droid has announced he is entering rehab. Unfortunately due to the grotesque nature of the Gamorrean pictures, this news source has decided to run on only the most news worthy photo of R2-D2 imbibing Miller Genuine Draft. This conclusive proof of R2's addictive behavior leaves only one question. Why not Guinness? It's the closest to thing to motor oil out there.

Edit 8:27 1/30/2007: Okay apparently I was a little too obscure in the Gamorrean reference. Two geeks who I was sure would get it drew blank faces...for those who need to look it up it's here courtesy of wookiepedia :)

New Years Resolutions

2007-01-21T23:31:00.000-05:00

1. Get to bed by midnight on work nights. (Doing good)
2. Drink more water, less soda. (Doing bad)
3. Create time to edit the blog. (So far not so good)

You guys have any or is it out of favor now? And if so how are they coming along.

I'm DONE!!!

2006-12-22T14:52:00.000-05:00

No more crowds. No more traffic. Now I just have to wrap and get ready to play Santa :). BTW Is it just me or is every freaking remote control toy sold out right now?

Good Times

2006-12-09T17:53:00.000-05:00

It's dark. Good music. Great wine. I'm happy.

Houston We Are Go...For Family Day!?

2006-11-22T12:44:00.000-05:00

Yes folks after a five year hiatus, family day the Kennedy Space Center is back. What this means....yours truly gets to have a peak behind the curtain. What's even more suprising is that they allowed cameras. No WAY! Yes WAY! So without further ado...

The Discovery on the pad getting ready to fly.

Discovery yet again with a little bit of the crawler which brings them to the pad along with the mobile launch pad...

Bad color but good shot of scale on the crawler...this thing is roughly 130 X 110 X 30 feet at 5.5 million pounds people. This thing is huge. So how close did you get to this thing?

How about underneath it. Okay Okay enough of the crawler...but what about the shuttle did you get to see the shuttle up close?

Uhhh yes...

Very close, say hi to the heat tiles. Okay you got the shuttle what about astronauts. See any of those?

Yeah...two...here's one. Cool, launch control?

Two...this is old and busted :).

and this is new hotness. Damn so that's about everything...is there anything else?

Yeah Apollo One launch site.

Upclose on the plaque.

Vehicle Assembly Building where they put the whole thing together.

On the inside. It's a big empty building. Stat sheet says the thing can hold four empire state buildings in it.

And I'll leave with an interesting sign...site of the first free person in space. Wait didn't the Russains have the first person into space? This was the first FREE person into space...Soviets didn't count apparently.

If I decide there's more to show I'll make sure it gets in here.

The ex

2006-10-17T20:43:00.000-04:00

Note: I'm breaking with my 4 letter policy on this post.
You know what. I was going to be all pretty and hide a message in a message but fuck that. I had a girl for while and things got bad, real bad. Usual story, usual ending. My feelings ended up like Victim (iTunes needed) by Eighteen Visions. Good song by the way I highly suggest it.
Anyways zoom forward many years...I've forgiven some things over time, not others. I still get adrenaline coursing through my veins any time I get worked up over it...and it's not a good thing. Anyways she's tried to contact me recently, twice. First through a friend of hers tried and I turned her down politely, no need to shoot the messanger. Secondly she tries. My first thought, light the pilot on the flame throwers, we gonna have ourselves a BBQ. I read the email to gather my vitriol and bile, the perfect fuel. Well let's just say things didn't go as expected. I now have a choice...be humane, or be human. Small letter, big difference.
FIRE!!!!! Well not really, I freakin' wussed out and now I'm thinking this might be a better song. I've decided that there's a great deal of anger still in me and sitting on it for years hasn't helped. Maybe the problem is not her but me and my reactions. I know that rebuilding any form of relationship, platonic or otherwise, is never gonna happen, as a question of trust is now a great mystery of the universe but maybe a little forgiveness and compassion will help instead. Anybody want to bet I'm going to regret this? God help me if this doesn't fuckin' work :).
Okay now everybody pick your jaw up off the floor it's not THAT out of character.

Quick Movie Question

2006-09-04T00:24:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of Women of Rock:
Nemo by Nightwish...what movie is it in?

More Guitar Photos

2006-09-03T14:46:00.000-04:00

If a picture is worth a thousand words...

Demolition Man

2006-08-30T19:08:00.000-04:00

That's right folks Demolition Man has Sylvester Stallone talking to Sandra Bullock about Arnie becoming President this was a full decade before he became governor of California...and the other governor that actually makes and appearance in the movie? Why none other than Minnesota governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura. It's a bit part but hey you gotta eat. Okay so have the two gov's ever been in a movie together? Well yeah...actually two...and both were very popular. Predator and Running Man. Here's a few choice quotes from the governors:

"What's the matter? The CIA got you pushing too many pencils?"
Arnie as Dutch in Predator

"This stuff will make you a god damn sexual Tyrannosaurus. Just like me."
Jesse Ventura about chewing tobacco in Predator NOTE: He has a more appalling quote just before it but, if I print it...I'll probably be getting too many hits I'd rather not have.

"Women, Can't live with them. Can't live...with them."
Arnie as Ben Richards in Blade Runner

Amazingly they were actually pretty clean...though I might have to back and check out others like The 6th Day...I seem to recall a nice one about cloning oneself. Might be interesting to open a debate on stem cells with that one.

Quick Movie Question

2006-08-27T16:36:00.000-04:00

In what non-animated movie (hence no "2DTV") was an ammendment been passed so Arnold Schwarzenegger could be become President? A hint..life imitates art.
Edit: 10:53 8/72/2006:Bonus points what other governor plays a part?

Some Days It Just Doesn't Pay To Wake Up

2006-08-27T14:28:00.000-04:00

Like Thursday for example....

Photo is courtesy of the most excellent gulf coast weather source...the National Hurricane Center. Of course by the time Thursday rolls around this thing could be anywhere.

Women of Rock Part 2

2006-08-20T13:08:00.000-04:00

Milka (or on iTunes) is a group from Orlando. Their frontman or rather frontwoman is Milkanette Ramos is Puerto Rican which brings a unique Latin flavor to their music. Especially since Entre los Soles and Corazon de Miel are in Spanish...go figure. But to stereotype them as a Latin rock band would a grave mistake (besides, just what is a latin rock band?). They wander over much of the modern rock landscape with hard screamo songs like "In no time" and driven, melodic songs like "Toxxic" that are more radio ready with smooth but simple vocals and a deep driving guitar. Even a little sitar like effect is thrown in with the intro to "Drive". If I had to compare them to a group, and I do I would lean loosely toward Incubus with their complex mixture of sounds, effects and both acoustic and electric guitars. Call it a harder Incubus.

PRS

2006-08-19T16:00:00.000-04:00

Okay so the new addition is a Paul Reed Smith 20th Anniversary Edition with a translucent charcoal finish. Here's a couple of pics I've taken this weekend.

and one of the amp for good measure :)

It is a sweet, sweet guitar with some serious growl when playing deep (Thanks to the Dragon II humbuckers). It's got a low, fast-action neck and plays very easily. The only complaint I would have is that the pickup selector knob is a little funny it's a dial marked from 1 to 10 like a normal volume or tone knob but you can only select from 5 to 10 on it. It's a pure memorization (or aural) task to identify what pickups you have active. I think, playing wise, I would have preferred a three-way toggle with one or two push-pull tone pots, but the three black knobs to create a nice look. Once you start playing on the beast though all that melts away. You have a killer sounding combination that can play the heaviest of rock but also can mellow out with a mild gain setting.

New Addition

2006-08-15T20:52:00.000-04:00

No...I didn't get anybody pregnant. Relax Mom. Here's the first photo with more to come just as soon as I can get better lighting conditions.

Also I'll let you know how the baby behaves with the beast :).

Women of Rock

2006-08-09T20:19:00.000-04:00

Okay it's been a while...I've written a couple of posts then deleted...then written them again and then deleted them, they never seem to get posted...all my fault. I've been bouncing a question off a guy at work about women in rock for a while. Namely, where are they? Evanescence hit the scene a while back and Amy Lee made a big splash but that was it. Garbage was big but I haven't heard much from them lately. I knew there had to be something out there but it just didn't seem like I could find a female fronted group in the emo, nu-metal, rap-core group. My favorite radio station hasn't played a single song by a female artist since the aforementioned Evanescence until tonight. Tonight I heard (NOTE: iTunes needed for links) Flyleaf's (homepage) Fully Alive. Flyleaf seems to lean towards an emo flavor with songs like I'm so sick but throws some nu-metal melody with Cassie. Of course there's going to be a comparison to Amy Lee and Shirley Manson so here it is. Let's just say Flyleaf's front Lacey Mosely with a bright crisp voice is closer to Amy Lee's as opposed to Shirley Mansons seductive growl. You could almost expect a pop song out Lacey...but to much joy her lyrics contain none (joy that is). The lyrics roll more in the way in Garbage, she's not hurt she's angry. The music seems to be a little "underproduced" lending to the angry effect though my ear for this is not at all good yet. As a bonus, once started I was able to find my groove and located other groups like Lacuna Coil (thanks Krishen) or Nightwish I'll have more reviews on these as I listen to them...but until then if you've got more for me send it along.

Xbox day 27: Could it be?!?!?!?

2006-06-21T21:52:00.000-04:00

Well I had a sneaking supiscion that I would find a little note on my door. So I stopped by the local Wal-Mart to pick up a test run. When I get home I see that wonderful brown, yellow and white note telling me they dropped it off at the office. Call me cocky...I think it's fixed now. Yo Murphy you listening!!!! Then I realize I have a meeting at 9 tomorrow. Well it looks like the Xbox will have to wait until Friday unless by some miracle I won't even hope for I get off work real early tomorrow. In the immortal words of Mark Hamill "Almost there...".

Summer Sunrise

2006-06-21T21:30:00.000-04:00

Okay today was a busy day....hmmm a fire truck just rolled by my apartment. Anyways, the day started with a sunrise for summer solstice. Taking pictures of it was part of a challenge. When I think of something equally cruel and unusual and sleep deprivating I'll return the favor. So I got my ass up at 6 to catch this elusive thing we call a sunrise. Here are some of the better results...

After watching a giant ball of burning gas/plasma illuminate an otherwise peaceful black sky. I hurried my gluteus maximus to a repair shop so I could drop the car to get new tires. Yeah new rubber...just before rainy season.

Then I walked to work (Hey you! stop laughing) :). Thank god it's close, makes my life easier.

Work some, eat, work some more, pick up car with new tires, work some more, go to Wal-Mart, go home, try to blog, watch power outage due to storm erase initial blog entry, turn off computer, tune guitar, clean apartment some and write this blog entry. Game over man, game over.

Hope y'all enjoy the photos.

Xbox 360 Day 21: Good Grief Charlie Brown

2006-06-15T20:48:00.000-04:00

Got the new system this monring. They actually sent me a new system or perhaps a refurbished one, let's say a different system. No Joy. Well I hate to say I told you so. Ohh wait...no I don't. I happen to be sitting on the Xbox customer support line playing the waiting game right now. Right now they're playing adds for the accessories, I'll buy a freakin' face plate just give me a working game system. Okay just got off the phone 8 minute wait...16 minute phone call. Acceptable, if not downright pleasant for a customer support call. I will give them props on running the support line until 1 in the morning eastern time zone. Okay so he verifies no blinky blinky on the LED in the power supply. Guess that means bad power supply. Well this next part surprised me a little bit. They're gonna send me a new supply with the box to send the old one back. So I might actually have this thing up and running by Wednesday of next week or so. By the way calling tech support after changing a flat is such an enjoyable evening.

Xbox 360 Day 20: It's Baaaaaaack

2006-06-14T20:02:00.000-04:00

Just got the notice today. So tomorrow I should be able to pick it up and give it a try. My guess, 2:1 it's not gonna work, I really think it's the power supply. Anybody care to place any wagers?

Betrunkenes Blogging

2006-06-11T00:43:00.000-04:00

Und sie, obwohl Boston schlecht war.
Gutes glück mit der Übersetzung.

Quick Movie Quote

2006-06-10T21:40:00.000-04:00

"The future isn't set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves."

Google away :). Though I've modified the quote ever so slightly so it doesn't show up on google. IMDB allowed too bwah ha ha ha.

In the Movies

2006-06-03T11:58:00.000-04:00

What movie best depicts what you do? What is the most accurate description of either the product you work on, or the specific job you do at your company. If you've ever tried to describe what I do or rather what product my company creates...it's a trick. Before you rush to post here's the rules.
1. Pick a movie you've seen and write a short description as to why. If it's obvious say so.
2. It has to be fiction. If there's a documentary about your type of job it doesn't count. This should take care of Apollo 13 for a certain somebody.
3. First come first served. If somebody has already commented using your pick...tough noogies. This rewards my loyal readership :).
4. I'll post after 3 days. This will negate my innate advantage.

BTW OT: If you haven't checked out WIRED's June 2006 issue you gotta see page 185.

Xbox 360 Day 8: Here Today. Gone on Monday

2006-06-02T11:10:00.000-04:00

Well the box arrived for the Xbox. UPS has been called and pick up is scheduled for Monday from the apartment office. I think I picked the absolute worst time to schedule a repair. One delay with the holiday another delay because of the weekend. They better not want the power supply. Ohhh well what can you do. Yo Retailers! In case you wonder why people keep returning defective equipment to you instead of calling customer support...this is why. NOTE: The Xbox will not even at the repair center until the original estimate of 10 to 14 days is over. Now I know she probably 1. was talking about business days, 2. was considering days after the Xbox arrives at the repair center until it's shipped out again. 3. didn't want want to tell somebody about a month. Of course she probably gave that answer because thats the answer they tell her to give. Yeesh.

Xbox 360 Day 5: Nickles, Dimes and Razors Ohh My!!!

2006-05-30T21:40:00.000-04:00

Haven't gotten the package to send the Xbox back yet though I haven't checked the mail yet today...that's next on the list. Did go looking for some "accessories". With how much I play this things I'm going to chewing up double A's in the controller like Pac-Man with power pellets. Hence I find a NiMH battery and charger...sweet, $20, that's not THAT bad. Remote control so it'll run movies easier, trust me on this one, it's something I REQUIRE $30. How about a second controller if somebody comes over? That'll be $50 + $20 for the batteries and charger, $70 for a CONTROLLER, HELL NO!!!! Okay well maybe later...but dang. Sorry guys but there is no way I'm doing four for hockey night. Wireless adapter to connect to my broadband $100, ACK, again maybe later. Xbox live 12 month membership $50...you've got to be kidding me. Okay so I'm at $450 and looking at $670 + tax and haven't even bought a game yet. Yo developers! I hope you realize all these accessories are coming out of your pocket. When I buy a controller for $50 you better believe that's taking the place of a game. If $ony packages EVERYTHING in their bundle which I doubt...it'll be a good deal. Ohh and from here on out it's going to be M$ and $ony, original I know :)

XBox 360 Day 1

2006-05-26T19:40:00.000-04:00

Okay so I've finally managed to get a hold of a XBox 360. MS has had some serious supply problems with this thing making it real tough to get one down here. I figured I'd wait until the PS3 came and pick one of those up...until I heard the price quoted at E3 $600?!?!?!? Forget that. So here's the plan I pick up a XBox 360 now at $400 and then buy the PS3 when prices come down...I mean they really have to come down. So I get the thing home haven't even bought a game yet (have to do some research before I buy one). Open it up...

It's not THAT big...I thought it was white...gray is cool. F**K ME (parental edit :) )!!! That's just the power brick.

Sweet so I've got it hooked it's time to turn it on...I imagine there's going to be some kind of configuration for this. Hmmmm no power light...and no video to the TV. Ugggh. Read the manual...I don't like reading manuals...no help, ack. Surf the web...I like surfing the web...no help. Time to call customer support...I HATE calling customer support. So I call, I wait for 5 hours to get a voice, actually I only wait through 5 minutes of XBox Live ads, I can live with that. You know I'd really love to try XBox live if I could power on my XBox, I think that's a fair trade. I get somebody named Vanessa on the line very nice, very quick call, do everything I just did over again. She asks if wall outlet works, I ask if she wants to hear the vaccum to prove it. All in all the call lasted just under 15 minutes. But the machine is still not on and I have box being sent to me to pack the console. I asked if she was sure she didn't want the power supply. That's my guess as to the culprit. Anything that big has to have lots of moving parts (yes I know power supplies aren't gonna have moving parts)...and a small supply of heavy water. So on day one no joy well see how long this takes, her estimate is 10 to 14 days, uggh. Mine then is 20 to 28 because I think I'm going to have to send a power supply after I get a console back saying there wasn't anything wrong. Well I'll keep you all informed. Time for Tylenol.

Dogma

2006-05-23T20:43:00.000-04:00

Well apparently Google made the challenge too simplistic. I may have to lay ground rules next time. Google is evil, I just like saying that. The correct answer was of course Dogma. This comedy takes iconclastic images that's made the Da Vinci Code popular as of late and gives them a noogie and a wedgie. Really, tell me which is more sacraligous Jesus has a child by Mary Magdelene perpetuating the holy lineage, oooorrrr, Mary and Joseph get busy after Jesus is born (to save the marriage of course) producing siblings which continue the Christ family lineage. The gene tree eventually branches to a family practice clinic doctor who is tasked by an angel to save existence. Yeah that kind of clinic. Ohh and George Carlin is a cardinal in the Catholic church. God is, well I'm gonna leave this a surprise in case somebody's not seen it, who happens to love skee ball. Chris Rock is an apostle and Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are angels. If this is not revolting to Catholics well then I don't know what is. Now if you can set any religous inclinations aside for 2 hours this movie rocks. On a scale of Forget it, Borrow it, Buy it, definitly buy it. I know it has Ben Affleck and Matt Damon...but it's good I swear on a stack of holy bibles :). You'll need to watch this a few times to catch all the different aspects and angles the movie throws in.

On a serious note, despite the description its not an attack specifically on Catholicism so to speak, more and indictment of absolute and unchanging dogma hence the title. It tries to lay the ground work in the beginning of the movie that the ideas which come after apply to every religion. However the predominant well, only, target is the Catholic church. Why? More than likely it's because more Americans will relate to this one specific religion more than any other. It's older than protestants (gee imagine that) and really hasn't updated it's style in 2000 years...though they did drop Latin. I also think it may be more open to self criticism than some other religions. A movie focusing on Judaism might have drawn the wrong kind of agreement, not an open minded discussion but closed minded hate mongering. Now being a non-practicing Catholic myself of course all of this is pure opinion. What the hell, this a blog, the whole damn thing is an f'ing opinion (you thought I was going to say it didn't you). I've heard mumblings of a sequel being made. If it's to be done, now is the time. Though I might focus on religious intolerance in the new one as opposed to a new religion's belief structure. Ohh and next time include a shot of the noble platypus.

Quick Movie Quote

2006-05-21T22:32:00.000-04:00

"I repeat, this is not a drill. This is the apocalypse. Please exit the hospital in an orderly fashion. Thank you."

Any guesses?

Emo

2006-05-18T22:12:00.000-04:00

I take a small risk in bringing up this topic. It's a risk because it is a very polarized topic to rock lovers, punk in particular. This is much like various genres in electronic music, with the wrong group it invokes a varying degree of disdain to opposing parties. It's a small risk because I'm pretty sure nobody I deal with daily even really cares or possibly even knows about emo rock. Okay so the questions are who what where when and why. Who exemplifies it? What is it and what are its roots? Where did it come from? Why is this genre required?

Emo is something I've recently (last year or so) become aware of myself. Okay maybe that's sad, apparently it has been around a while...tough. Wikipeida calls it subgenre of hardcore punk out of DC in the late 80's. I'll buy the punk sound very easily but I can see where calling it hardcore punk is going to draw some controversy. Where's the political overtones...the spunky (that word going to draw some ire) rebelling against a system? Isn't that the definition of punk? Granted they weren't exactly working with system (until recently but hey...so's punk) but rebelling against it? In reading for this post I did come across a nice little history of emo page.

Okay so those sites will get you a good history now what's a good cross sampling of music to learn more about it....a la Apple's iTunes and another site with some samples. My guess is the most popular is My Chemical Romance though this may be a little unfair since they don't seem to classify themselves that way. Okay so that answers the who what where when and maybe even why....now do I like it? Don't know yet I'll have to analyze the sites myself and get back to you on that one.

Bye Bye BBQ

2006-05-12T22:22:00.000-04:00

They came, they ate, they destroyed my kitchen....

By the way what kind of engineers leave the Doritos untouched?

Also I just noticed I have leftover Margaritas...kick ass.

ITunes

2006-05-10T21:58:00.000-04:00

Top 10 songs in the shuffle right now....
1. Burn Burn - Lost Prophets
2. I Like It (Sinewave Surfer's 2AM Mix) - Narcotic Thrust
3. Gasoline - Audioslave
4. Love and Peace or Else - U2
5. 23 - Jimmy Eat World
6. Slinky - Slinky Wizard
7. Releasing the Demons - Godsmack
8. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
9. We Have the Energy - Evil Nine
10. Complicated Questions - Finger Eleven

Looks like the opera didn't make the list :)

Yummy

2006-05-04T21:04:00.000-04:00

My new toy...

Beach bash monster movies

2006-04-30T22:23:00.000-04:00

Yes folks the genre is NOT dead....it's just been returned to the indies from whence it was spawned. Stomp! Shout! Scream! is an irreverant small production film with loads of charm. It was shown at the Sarasota film festival here and I got a chance to borrow a friends DVD. Probably the best part was the music. Using, among others, a group out of Atlanta, Catfight!, the music provides the necessary....um vibe...to pull this movie off. IMDB can give you more specific plot information and other reviews here. Overall, it was cheesy, throwback fun, short enough not to feel like it ate your entire evening but long enough to provide plenty of chuckles.

Boston part Deux

2006-04-26T23:31:00.000-04:00

Boston kicks ass....and it's women the best part. There is not a better combination of warmth, friendliness and outright sarcasm...just my type. I like somebody who'll get tear you a new one for not knowing who the Sox (and there is only one Sox here....sorry Chicago) are playing tonight. I like edge when something stupid gets said like "I only really watch the Yankees", or "The Bucs won a superbowl you know." I also really and truly appreciate it when I'm not the person being aimed at. Or my favorite, watching somebody from Orlando asking a bartender to show anything but the Red Sox game....classic just classic. I won't forget this night for a long long time. Just watch the Bruins talk right now that seems to be touchy.

Scented soap?!?!??!?

2006-04-25T21:10:00.000-04:00

Ohhh yeah one question to end the evening....do I really look like a green apple scented soap kinda guy!?

Boston and Flux

2006-04-25T20:49:00.000-04:00

Welcome from Boston...love the buildings. I guess coming from Florida I NEVER see brownstones and they're all over the place here. Well after a day of travelling I'm exhausted...guess I shouldn't have started drinking beer so early. The Starbucks mocha just ain't keeping up. Did get to watch a new movie tonight. Aeon Flux. Pretty good, liked Charlize Theron. My biggest complaint is they went for a grand slam home run. They took a huge swing when they should be playing small ball. This means the movie is rushed in introducing characters and, setting up the conflict, and resolving a MAJOR conflict.

MAJOR SPOILER: Why does a rebellion movie have to end with the fall of the system? Set it up, play with it, have fun with it. The system in this case had a nice twist, guaranteed continuation of the human race or a single-shot existence. But the main character never even has a second thought on this....single minded with a single goal. The only inner-conflict of the main character is hollow....a decision that wouldn't have mattered in long run. The movie could have ended with the public finding out about the the experimentation and cloning. This would have left the movie at a good ending point and set up discussions on what the public would do...if the movie did well a second one could have picked up at that point. As it is there is really nowhere this can go now.

Leesville

2006-02-12T21:47:00.000-05:00

Okay I know it's been a while but I'll try and be better. I have internet access at home so maybe things wil a little more smoothly. For those that know me I have avoided internet access at home for years now. Wasted too much time when I did have it. But alas I was dragged kicking and screaming into the 00's. Ohhh yeah Leesville. I'm in Leesville, LA doing some work....installing some software. People were scaring the hell out of me about this place but I gotta say it's not THAT bad. Ate a really good steak dinner at Wagon Master Steakhouse or something like that. They've got some of the best biscuits I've ever had and the fried crawfish tails are good. For entertainment I've only seen one country bar but hey you've got to expect that kind of thing here. The hotel has free wireless...though it feels like it's using a modem on the back end. Sum of All Fears is playing on the TV....all in all not bad. Now I just need to find some REAL jambalaya or gumbo.

I'm Heeeerrrrreeee

2005-10-30T10:17:00.000-05:00

Well I've arived safe and sound. Checked into the opryland resort and hotel...this thing is massive. I'll have pictures sometime today or tomorrow, but this place would dwarf some of the Vegas casinos. I gotta say though Nashville is dead on a Sunday morning, although I imagine the churches are jumping (as much as they ever do). There's a nice garden conservatory with a skywalk, plenty of hotel bars and shops and some pretty good looking restraunts. It's connected to the Grand Ole Opry though I haven't been over there or even seen the place yet. Some of the rooms have a balcony overlooking the grounds of the hotel. The section I'm staying has an island with a pretty lively bar for a hotel with a live band including guitarist, bassist, singer, saxophone, drums, and keyboard....pretty impressive. Anyways I've been up since 6 so I'm starting to get a little stir crazy. I'm meeting the coworkers at 12 for lunch then setup for the show. After that....shopping!?!?!?!?!? Well I could use some new CD's.

Leavin' On a Jet Plane

2005-10-28T14:01:00.000-04:00

At least I hope it's a jet. It would not be cool to have to ride a turbo prop all the way to Nashville. As for the destination, I need to find something to do while I'm there. I was hoping to catch a Predator's game on Saturday but it doesn't look like I'll land in time to take one in, and I have to work during the Titans game. I imagine that there are guitars galore there so I might have to wander around some stores. If anybody knows places (other than country bars) that I absolutely must hit please let me know. Anyways, gotta remember to charge the camera. In other previous news Hurricane Wilma gave good effort as far north as my self and was just enough to cancel work for the day, but luckily no permanent damage was done anywhere near my area.

GRRRRR

2005-10-17T18:25:00.000-04:00

No new guitar toys yet. The pre-amp is supposed to come in early this week. Waiting for new toys has to be the most frustrating feeling out there. Other than trying to play that F chord :).

Damage Control

2005-10-12T18:10:00.000-04:00

Found a nifty little product last Friday. The Damage Control Womanizer pre-amp. Two 12AX7 tubes provides excellent distortion for blues and all but the heaviest rock.The Womanizer will work as a classic stomp box or a nice little preamp or for direct recording. Granted this piece of equipment far exceeds my ability to use it but let's just say I plan to grow into it. In the meantime I plan on using this to record some of my practice sessions to see how I'm progressing. If everybody's REAL nice maybe I'll post a clip for humor. Ohh yeah and if the Womanizer is too wussy for you then the Demonizer will give you all the gain you need. Myself, I'm looking for a little more control. Hopefully I'll get my wish either tonight or tomorrow and will have a beginner's review of it next week.

Homewarming

2005-10-08T11:46:00.000-04:00

Attended a house warming last night. A coworker bought a villa 5 minutes or so from work. Nice place, great food. But after looking around at the price of places here in Florida anything near a suburb or city is absolutely incredible. I firmly fall into the camp that believes most of the country is in a real-estate bubble and that prices are skyrocketing for no good reason. Heck in my area prices have risen maybe 50% in one year...perhaps 6 months. I firmly believe people have been using non-standard mortgages to afford houses outside of the their price range and when interest continue to go up people are going to be squeezed. Houses are going to get dumped and prices will fall. Now if someone purchased an affordable house intending to live in throughout the rises and falls this is no big deal. If someone is wheeling, dealing, speculating, and flipping then they may get burned pretty badly. Now I know very little about real-estate but when prices change this much this fast something has to be driving it and for the life of me I can't really figure out what that is. Maybe the area is growing that fast but I don't see it. I think low interest rates and high selling values for houses have created a fervor that will die quickly when the interest rates come back up.

Serenity NOW!!!

2005-09-28T17:53:00.000-04:00

No not Seinfeld. A couple of my co-workers are going slightly nuts over the Serenity movie coming out on Friday. Man that's a good way to get disappointed. I had that happen with the Matrix series. Saw the first one and went gaga for the others. When Reloaded came out...major disappointment. In all fairness, Firefly, the series was VERY good and I do believe it deserves another round on a caring and nurturing station. But for the love of god....you would think this was the fifteenth coming of Star Trek. Actually though, I would have assumed Firefly would have picked up Trekkies as natural audience, but I don't really think this is happening. It seems to have drawn more Buffy fans than Trekkies. Anybody think differently? Hopefully they stick true to the plot; though isn't creating a movie one of the possibilities for jumping the shark ? Anyways I'm sure I'll end up picking up the DVD of the movie when it comes out.

Class in Session

2005-09-23T11:33:00.000-04:00

Hobby number 1 for those keeping score at home is fairly recent. Currently I'm taking lessons to learn how to play guitar. I've been taking lessons for ohhh 10 weeks and trying to play for 6 months. Nothing spectacular just the basics. I've got a real good guitar, a G&L ASAT Special , much like a Fender Telecaster. The L in G&L stands for Leo Fender who created the company after he left Fender and worked there until he passed away. His wife still continues to hold some sort of position there and still signs the COA's that come with the guitars. The guitar itself is absolutely incredible. Haven't learned how to describe guitar tones, probably because I haven't been exposed to too many guitars yet, but I know what I like. This I like. The amp is a Hughes and Kettner Edition Blue solid state amp. I like the fact I can get plenty of distortion without annoying the neighbors. Plus it's got a nifty blue glow to the top cover plate....for the nerd in me. Overall it's a good setup that runs about $1500. So any way today is lesson day...I've been working HARD to try learn the assignment...god it feels like school all over again. If anybody's got some advice on good equipment to check out I'm all ears. Alot of the fun is trying to discover the different sounds you can get from different equipment and setups.

Online

2005-09-22T13:11:00.000-04:00

Well it's been a loooong time since I've had a presence online so lets start with a little social experiment. I'll keep everybody up to date on who finds my blog that knows me outside of cyberspace and when and of course how. In the meantime I'll post on any variety of topics that crosses my mind. Like today's: Is maintaining an anonymous blog even possible?

My guess is no. Somebody will find it and make the connection sooner or later. I am curious however by who and how it gets found. Random blog search (likely)? Word of mouth (not so likely)? Mistyped URL (REALLY not likely)? or a search of other pages in google or yahoo turning up mine (most likely)? What kind of information would lead to a discovery...geographical location(s) probably would be a big one. Proper names of people and companies are another good one to search on. Hobbies are probably pretty safe unless they're unique.

Ohh yeah here's why I've decided to try this out, direct from Wired . There's a guide for cyber-dissidents in other countries to help them maintain anonymous blogs from their oppressive governments. Don't know about you but that sounds like a good way to be on the wrong side of a set of bars, though I imagine things are probably worse without the guide. Anyone wanna bet how long before this is banned in China? Might grab some hints for posting about work though. Anyways enough rambling, back to the salt mine :). I promise to start posting some odds and ends such as hobbies and interests and the world's impact on such things. Also this place needs some pictures :).