Bird!

I wanted to flip you all the bird, so here it is...

It's a blue jay, one of my favorite birds, that I saw outside of my cluster the other day. This was taken with my digital camera, with the zoom at it's utmost zoominest... I was hoping for a closer shot, but the bird wouldn't sit still. Damn you bird, with your free will!

In other news, we're getting closer and closer to the end of the academic year. I've got to make some sort of brownies for a Chocolate Fest event we're having on Thursday evening here in the cluster. I think I also have to get a haircut, as the last one I got wasn't the best... Ah, my life is so hard.

And for a final photo, here's one of a giant milk bottle, for your enjoyment...

Lube!

So, I had a doctor's appointment this morning...

There were latex gloves...

There was a small packet in silver foil...

There was fear.

However, all worked out... I had a regular checkup scheduled, and after the nurse took my blood pressure (120 over 70 or so, thank you very much), she told me to get into "the gown," and the doctor would be in to see me in a few minutes.

After changing into my stylish gown, I noticed a pair of latex gloves laid out on the shelf, with a packet of stuff next to them. I thought, "No, it can't be... I'm not 40 yet!" I stood up to look, and sure enough, the small packet was a packet of lubrication.

AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!

I was concerned.

I told myself, to calm down, relax, and prepare for the inevitable. I planned to close my eyes and think of England, if it came to it.

However, besides checking out some other plumbing, there was no intrusion into unintrudible areas. So, all was right with the world. The sun shone, the sky cleared, and everyone was above average intelligence, just for a moment.

More happened today, but really, what more could compete with that?

Darko!

So, I watched the movie Donnie Darko today, my first DVD from Netflix. It is truly this generation's Jacob's Ladder...

Actually, it wasn't a bad film, an interesting ride, but I kind of had the movie figured out in the first 10 minutes or so, and was hoping for a surprise. However, I was let down. I did watch the Director's Cut, so I was thinking that this would be more oblique than a suit's vision of what the movie should be to sell to a mass crowd. We all deal with disappointment in our lives...

But then, after viewing Donnie Darko, I watched the original King Kong. Stilted by today's standards, it's still a great film. I remember seeing it for the first time as a kid, on Channel 9 out of Secaucus, NJ, most likely on Thanksgiving. For some reason, King Kong was a Thanksgiving film. The dinosaurs were great to this kid's eyes, and I did get the sadness of Kong at the end, even as a youth.

In other news, we had a relatively quiet Green Key weekend here at Dartmouth. Nothing too exciting happened, from what I've heard, which at this point, is not much. I'll get a much more thorough update tomorrow at work. I did spend the time in this weekend getting some genealogy work done. It's always fun to get back into the family history, especially because I've taken some time away from it recently. This calendar year, I haven't done much at all with it. Now, I feel prepped to dive back into it.

That's about it for now...

NP: John McLaughlin - Django

Green Key!

So, this weekend is "Green Key" up at Dartmouth. It's the last of our big three "party" weekends, with the first two being Homecoming in the Fall, and Winter Carnival, appropriately enough, in the Winter. It's raining up here now, but I don't think it'll keep students who are focused on having a good time from having one.

A number of us from work went out to eat tonight at a place called Lui-Lui's in West Lebanon, to continue celebrating Meg's new job, but the new piece tonight was that her partner Sarah (I believe there's an H on the end of there) just signed a lease for a condo over in Vermont. They'll be moving near the end of June, and I'm sure they'll have a good time with the place.

So, I'm listening to XM radio through the AOL website right now. I have the "progressive" channel on, but so far, all the music has kind of, well, sucked. There's some King Crimson coming up, which should redeem the channel, at least temporarily.

Possible job news on the horizon. Watch this space for updates...

NP: Camel - Lady Fantasy (on XM-AOL. At least this song doesn't suck)

Boston!

I was in Boston this weekend, from Saturday to Sunday, visiting Joe, phellow Pseudocertain-host, and old college chum. It was fun, although a lot of rain happened, so it was a very indoor visit.

Slept on the floor, which wasn't as horrible as it sounds. I can sleep pretty much anywhere, so sleeping wasn't the issue, although I did feel a bit out of sorts the next day, as my aged bones were creaking on my drive back to New Hampshire.

In other news, I installed Dreamweaver on my non-laptop computer, which will make it easier to update my home on the web, with music from a variety of projects. Expect to see a lot more TOOL and Nick's Eef and Be Ho material posted in the next day or two.

Oh, I started a MySpace site, mainly because Baron did. I like to be a copycat. I probably won't do much with it, but it's good to appropriate Zorknapp so that no one else can use it.

NP: I'm in Brace, so I'm overhearing a conversation about role playing games...

Thursday!

Nothing like the day before the last day of work for the week, is there?

Today, I interviewed someone for a job here at Dartmouth who went to Boston College, and lived in Shaw House, the place where I spent the first two years of my college life. However, he lived there in the late 90's/early 00's, which was about 10 years after I was there.

I'll be heading into Boston this weekend, to hang out with Joe (unfortunately, Brian will be in NJ, so I'll miss him this time), maybe we'll head on out to BC for a stroll down memory lane...

You know, I've *never* actually seen a street called "Memory Lane." There's got to be one out there, don't you think? Or is there only one in some Twilight Zone netherworld?

I worked on genealogy today for the first time in awhile, inputing some Scottish records into my Family Tree Maker program. I still have a few more to do, but I didn't want to spend all evening sitting at the computer. So of course, now I'm writing a blog. Is that irony?

Tomorrow, some of us from work are heading down to Manchester, NH to take in a minor league baseball game, and to go out to eat afterwards. I'm not a big baseball person, but it should be fun... I'll bring my camera for exciting action shots.

NP: Richard Lewis - Dates from Hell, Mistake Warnings, and Actresses (1985)

May!

On 10 May 1851, my great-great-great grandparents, John Lord and Jane Lang, got married in Trinity Church, Newark, New Jersey.

On 10 May 1890, John Lord died at age 61 at his home of 164 Grant Avenue, East Newark, New Jersey.

So, on this anniversary date, I reflect on how if either of these events had not happened when they did, I may not be sitting here right now.

NP: Velvet Underground - Afterhours - June 1993

Photos?!

Okay, will I actually get to post photos tonight??? Let's see...

Yay! Seems to be working! This is a photo of the crowds at the event, before the Relay officially started on Friday evening. CD Dan is in the lower left corner of the shot.

Here's CD Tricia and CD Dan, looking at something off in the distance, I'm not quite sure what. The event was indoors this year, which was okay, but I prefered it last year, when we got to walk outside on the track by Dartmouth's football field. When it got chilly in the evening outdoors, it gave more of an incentive to keep walking...

Daniel, beaten down by life...

People on our team (or just out supporting us) sitting, while a few of us walked. The idea of Relay is that at least one person from your team should be walking at all times. If that person sits down, someone else goes in their place. Relay, get it???

Krista, laughing at something, most likely something inappropriate!

The Luminary ceremony, which was all done with Christmas lights this year, since there couldn't be candles by the indoor track...

And, to end, a close up of CD Fu... This could be a good album cover, don't you think?

If you still want to donate, go to this site... Thanks to those of you who have already given for the American Cancer Society.

NP: King Crimson, Epitaph - 22 Nov 1968

Bisquit!

Ah, so I'm back... Feeling a bit under the weather today, but I'm finally going to post some photos from the Relay for Life event that was on Friday night. Away we go...

Well, this page seems to be having a problem with posting photos right now. So, it's going to have to wait...

In other news, I finished converting all of my old tapes today. Finally, that project is all done. Now, I have time in the evening to relax a bit, exercise when necessary, read, and perhaps even kick start my genealogy research. I really haven't done much with it during this year so far, so I should decide what to work on, perhaps really focus on trying to break down some barriers. There are still some branches of the Lord family I need to re-connect with. That's a good start...

It's been good to get back in contact with Baron from posting some old high school stories here, and the little comments section below the main posting. I do need to write an e-mail back to Baron, so if you're waiting out there Baron, I Haven't Forgotten You!

But, I was thinking, since Baron found his way here, perhaps I can get some other people finding themselves mentioned here, who I've been out of contact with for the past number of years. Those people are:

• Erik Lynch: Guitarist from T.O.O.L., lives out in Colorado now, I believe
• Bill Sexton: No idea where he is now...
• Andy Fenwick: One of the singers from T.O.O.L., perhaps living in NY, NJ, or Washington DC?

That's a good start for now...

In going over some of these old tapes, I found ones of me singing along to records when I was about 16. Horrible stuff... After doing this, there's a tape of me saying, "I guess I don't sing very well." It's so rare that you find an audio record of the destruction of an illusion...

There was also a tape of an audio letter I sent to Brian in the summer of 1988, when he was away at smart kids kamp... It was funny to hear, because, just like today, I was the king of banal detail. I had sent Brian some tapes of music, so I spent a big part of the tape detailing who was in the bands, who wrote what songs, and all that goofy stuff. I'm amazed anyone is still my friend!

Oh, and you think you're a big blog reader? What do you want, a BISQUIT???

NP: Scrubs on NBC

Relay!

Tonight, I'll be participating in the Relay for Life, a charity event sponsored by the American Cancer Society, to help raise money for research, treatment, and all the other stuff the ACS does.

If you'd like to donate, go to this page. Click on my name, and donate away!

The event itself is an all night extravaganza, where at least one member of your team has to be walking at all times. We're going to be set up indoors this year, on the Dartmouth indoor track. There are events, performances, food, and a bunch of other stuff to make it a real party, positive atmosphere. I'll get some photos to put up here sometime over the weekend.

I'm down to 8 tapes left to convert to mp3's! Yay! Once I'm done, I'm going to work on a midi-percussion piece I've been thinking about. I have a basic pattern in my head, which I will layer with some other musical instruments, and some live percussion. We'll see how it turns out...

Slow!

I've been a bit slow with blogging recently, as my life has been taken over by converting these old tapes to MP3's. It's a big pain in the butt, but I'm so close to the end now (only 14 more tapes to go!), that I just have to plow through it. I'm hoping by this weekend, I'll be done. My hope of getting done this past weekend was a bit naive.

Right now, I'm on Yes's "Ritual," from a '74 bootleg. The tape speed was a bit fast, which is why I'm glad my old four track recorder has a pitch control on it, so I can slow down the tape to something approximating the correct pitch.

I'm surprised that I'm able to tell the "correct" pitch. I didn't know I'd be able to do it, but I think I've done a good job with it. I've got a few more Yes tapes to convert, some David Bowie, some Moody Blues, The Who, and UK. Fun stuff.

Much more content coming soon in the near future. I've been neglecting genealogy recently, I've got to get back in the swing of that. I requested some records from NJ over a year ago, which I have yet to receive! They've cashed my check (last June), and I've sent a letter with a copy of the cancelled check to them back at the end of last year, and have still heard nothing. I'd hope to at least get an e-mail, saying, "Sorry, but we sent them, too bad so sad," but I haven't even gotten that...

NJ Vital Records, a Pox on your House!

NP: Yes - Ritual - 18 Feb 1974

Slogging!

I'm continuing to slog my way through my collection of old live or radio show tapes that I've collected over the years, converting them to MP3. I'm going to do a major push this weekend, while I'm on call, and possibly, I *may* be able to be totally done by the following weekend. I have 28 more tapes to convert, so I may be wildly optomistic on this front...

Right now, I'm converting Yes from the Orpheum in Boston, October 1997. It's a show I attended, but I did not do the tape myself. And of course, it being Yes in Boston, I attended the show with Brian. (The bass drum on this recording is very bassy... Ah well, bootlegs...)

I haven't mentioned recently what I'm reading, so away I go... I'm reading "Manhunt," by James Swanson, a book about John Wilkes Booth's assassination of Lincoln, and Booth's subsequent escape for 12 days. It's a fascinating read, as I didn't know much about Booth's escape, I just knew he was killed at a farm sometime after the assassination. The book is generally a good read, but there's a bit too much repetition in the narrative, and not enough referencing of places and dates. I know dates can be the death of a history book, but I love them, to keep track of the narrative in my head...

NP: Yes - Siberian Khatru - 18 Oct 1997

Aykroyd?!

Is it just me, or does this new movie, RV, remind anyone out there of the Dan Aykroyd/John Candy vehicle from the late 80's, The Great Outdoors?

Anyone?

Contact!

Ah, the wonders of the Inter-Ether-Web... I just heard, via a comment below, from the aforementioned Baron, who was a good friend from back in the days of Ocean Township High School, class of '89.

That was way back in the last century, for those young ones out there.

It's a good time, to hear back from people that I've lost contact with over the years. When I think about that high school graduation was 17 years ago, I can certainly get a little nostalgic. It's not an eternity, and generally, I like to live in the present, versus wallowing in the past, but it's good to visit the past periodically.

Hell, I do genealogy! Let's be honest, I *love* wallowing in the past...

But, my wallowing is not about trying to relive the past, or changing what has happened. It's more of a reflective wallowing, to learn and remember the good/bad/ugly times from back then. Brian and I are very good at doing this if you get us together for any period of time.

"Guess Who" wanted to hear more stories about that Baron fellah... I remember Baron, Brian and I working together on studying for a final exam in Mr. Lefsky's Macro class. We had to basically overhaul the American economy. I vaguely remember us liking the idea of reinstating chain gangs, to have prisoners do more menial labor. I'd have to find my notebooks from back then (which I still have, in some trunks in the apartment), to see what our ideas were. Lefsky encouraged us to work together, which was good, as I think the three of us probably wrote fairly identical essays for that test. I think we all did well...

I also remember, on a trip to NYC with the aforementioned Macro class, that Baron had a jacket, perhaps a Members Only type, that we joked looked as if he had a gun in a shoulder holster. Much fun ensued when Baron slowly made to reach for his imaginary gun...

Well, it was funny at the time, really...

In other news, work is going okay. I'm still waiting to hear from some of the jobs I've applied for, but colleges, and Student Affairs positions in particular, are usually sssssssssssssssslllllllllllllllloooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwww in doing their job searches. So, I submit resumes, and wait...

I have some photos from that New York trip, I'll see if I can get them onto the computer to post up here... Ah, to be young and have hair...

MCAT!

Sue and I proctored the MCAT here at Dartmouth today, for a group of 27 students. It's always a fairly straightforward proposition, except for the fact that I have to get up early on a weekend to do it. But, it was a good group of testees, and except for a bit of noise from the building (heating issues?) during the last section of the test, it was a smooth session.

I'm still converting tapes over to MP3's. I'm done with all the tapes of concerts I actually recorded personally, so I'm back to doing either live tapes I got from other sources, or shows I taped off the radio back in the 80's or 90's. Right now, I'm working on a live concert by "3," an ELP offshoot containing Keith Emerson, Carl Palmer, and Robert Berry. They did one album in 1988, that wasn't horrible, but wasn't much of anything to write home about either. I taped this concert from the Ritz in NYC, off of WNEW FM in NY, back when I was growing up in NJ. The one song I've done so far, Fanfare for the Common Man, was actually performed very well, so although the album might have been a bit off, live they did well.

I have to throw this picture up, just for fun...

Tell me you wouldn't want to see a big piece of construction equipment, with a name like "Putzmeister!"

NP: Adrian Belew - Dinosaur

Puppet!

Per Lou's request, here's a photo of the Mike Lord puppet... This was made for a puppet show Sue did for our wedding back in February 2004...

I'll actually see if I can find a better one scanned in...

Concerts Part 2!

Back in October 1988, Brian and I went to see the Moody Blues at Madison Square Garden in NYC. What was interesting about this day, was that we were going into the city for a class trip, and we had asked if we could stay in the city for the concert. Unfortunately, the faculty member was not allowed to just leave two high school students in the city. Makes sense, but we had to at least ask.

So, we had to go into the city, leave, then take the train back into the city after the trip. Taking the train into the city was always fun, it was a very "grown up" thing to do. We went to the show, and it was a blast. On the train on the way back to NJ, we sat near two high school girls who had also gone to the show. From the look of them, they were Red Bank Catholic students. Maybe they had RBC jackets, and of course, here was a perfect opportunity to strike up a conversation with two girls with similar music tastes, but of course, we didn't.

This became a running reference joke between the two of us for awhile, and I'm sure Brian still remembers it also. Am I missing any details?

NP: Farscape

Concerts!

The next few blogs I'm going to do are going to be about some of the concerts I've gone to. Back in the day, I used to bring a tape recorder to some shows, to have a record of the music. It wasn't the best recorder, so it would actually register some of my friends and my conversations more than the music at times. So, the tapes in some way have turned more into a record of the experience, rather than a musical statement.

I was converting the Pink Floyd show from Giants Stadium in June 1988 yesterday. I went to this show with Brian Paik, Baron Blakley, Erik Lynch, Steve Rumsby, and a few others. From the tape, I remember now that Brian was sick as a dog, with some sort of cough/cold. It wasn't helped that the concert was on a rainy day. During most of the show, it was cold and clammy, but not raining, however, during Us and Them, in the 2nd set, it started to *pour!* Baron said to me, "This concert's cost me $50 already, I'm not moving!" We stuck it out...

At another point, I think during Money, Brian moved up a few rows to take a look at things. Baron asked what he was doing, and I said that he was moving up to see what he could see, a bit more into the rain.

Baron: He's tough!

Me: Who, Paik?

Baron: Yeah, but he's dying anyway, what does he care?

These were the people who I called friends back in High School. Those were great days. I'm still in touch with Brian, who's still one of the closest friends I have, although we don't see each other nearly enough. Baron, I haven't seen since sometime in college, as his family moved away from New Jersey during those years. Baron, if you're out there, feel free to say hi...

More stories to come... Other concerts I taped were Yes, the Moody Blues, R.E.M., and Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe.

NP: Farscape - Green Eyed Monster

Flower!

So, I took this picture of a blooming flower on one of Sue's plants the other day...

Some might say, "Wow, look at that pretty flower!"

Me, I say, "Hey, that looks like the flower that made Spock go native back in that old Star Trek episode...

Last night, a bunch of us from work went out to Friendly's for dinner, then went mini-golfing. Here's some photos!

My meal, of chicken stuff, really. This was left over, because I remembered, after eating what's not on the plate, that food at Friendly's sucks...

CD Dan, who wanted his photo in my blog. Your prayers have been answered, Daniel!

Krista and Meg enjoying themselves, a rare event in a Friendly's restaurant...

A Ryder truck pulled over out in front of Friendly's. Drug bust!

Krista and Brian, watching a mini-golf shot. I should say that our group of 7 split into two groups to play, and I came in last amongst my trio of Tricia, Krista, and myself. Granted, it was only a point that separated each of us, but I was the big loser...

However, this trophy proves that we're all winners in the end... Really.

NP: ProjeKct Two - The Deception of the Thrush

Contact!

So, a friend of mine, who will remain nameless, has told me recently that he's been contacted not once, but twice, by two different girlfriends of two of his dead friends.

That seems to be a little complex, so to restate, my nameless friend has two friends, both of whom have passed away. He has received e-mail from a former girlfriend of each of them.

They have contacted my secret ally because he has some music posted on his website, collaborations with the aforementioned stiff dudes. Well, maybe only one of them... I think the other was just mentioned in passing at some point (although I could be wrong about that). So, these former girlfriends are obviously googling their late boyfriend, and they are linking to my enigmatic relationship to see what's on there...

My mysterious companion is trying to re-enter the dating scene after some time away from it, so while he is welcoming of random female contact, the fact that these women have no real interest in him is a bit disconcerting.

I say, best to stay away from girlfriends of dead friends. There's got to be some bad mojo working there...

Haplogroup!

So, I mentioned awhile back about participating in the National Geographic's "Genographic" survey, using DNA markers to determine what haplogroup individuals are a part of, in order to trace human migration out of Africa tens of thousands of years ago.

I have particpated in this study, and with my DNA sample in hand, gotten by doing a cheek scraping (not in the least painful), I now know I am a member of haplogroup G, denoted by genetic marker M201 on the Y chromosome.

But, you are asking, what does this tell us?

From the Genographic website, Haplogroup G is a relatively rare haplogroup that is an offshoot of the common M89 marker, the second great migration out of Africa. G is only present in at most rankings of a few percent in most tested populations. G seems to have its origins in the Indus Valley of northern India sometime between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago. From there, little is known about the dispersal of Haplogroup G.

Now, the Y chromosome is received in toto from the father during conception. So, I have the same Y chromosome as my Dad, my brother, my Dad's brother, my Lord grandfather, great-grandfather, etc... And from my genealogy research, I know that the Lord name comes from Ireland as far back as 1820. So, there's a big gap from 10-20,000 years ago to the 1820's, where my ancestors got from northern India, to Ireland...

Fascinating, isn't it? Hopefully, as more people participate in this study, the Haplogroup G migration will become a bit more known... I'll be sure to share more as I learn about this. Fortunately, the Genographic website will be updated as they learn more.

NP: Episode I - The Arrival At Tatooine and The Flag Parade

Smoking!

Sue and I went to go see "Thank You For Smoking" today. A good satire, that in an odd way, makes a case for the rights of smokers to smoke, while staying away from the issue of smoking in public places or other locations. Whatever your thoughts on the whole smoking issue, I think the movie is worth a viewing, as it is very funny!

Tomorrow or Tuesday, you'll all get an update on the haplogroup results I got recently from the National Geographic's Genographic survey. More soon!

NP: Genesis - I Can't Dance

Proctor!

This morning, I got to be the 2nd proctor in the room for the Foreign Service exam, given here at Dartmouth. Again, it was a fairly easy morning, although I was not looking forward to waking up early to do the proctoring. It'll be worth it once the check comes in though.

While proctoring, I did finish the 4th Harry Potter book, which was quite good. I'm now on the 5th one, and since there hasn't been a film of that one yet, I'm actually in the dark as to what will happen. Which is a good thing, as I'll enjoy the surprise of it.

So, the other morning, I had a dream with Sue and I in it. We were eating some rolls with butter, and in the course of the dream, Sue asked if I liked the butter. I said something along the lines that it was okay, and then she told me that it was really good butter, because the one stick cost $8500.

I was shocked!

$8500 for a stick of butter? I don't even put that much butter on bread!

Anyway, in the dream, I was quite annoyed about the expenditure, but once I woke up and told Sue about the dream, we both thought it was pretty funny.

NP: King Crimson - The Power To Believe II

Pseudocertainty!

Okay, so Joe mentioned below in the comments, about my weekend summary, that I forgot to mention recording a new episode of Pseudocertainty. So, I'm mentioning it now...

For those of you not in the know, Pseudocertainty is an internet radio show that Joe and I do periodically, every few weeks, where we talk about odd news items, alien stuff, cryptozoology, and othe random stuff. One of our great conversations was about foods that neither of us like.

In the past, when we first started this show, I'd go down to Boston and we'd record the shows in person, sitting in the same room. Now, with the wonders of the Interweb, we can use a program called Skype to have me recorded on Joe's computer, while I stay snug up here in New Hampshire. It's allowed us to do more shows in a shorter amount of time, so we might be reaching a critical mass here of material. So far, in this calendar year, we've had over 2000 page downloads, which is almost equal to the total page downloads we had in all of 2005. It helps that we've been podcast now, and also that Joe figured out how to do some Google ads, so we're getting the word out.

Pseudocertainty is an offshoot of our original website, AliensAliensAliens, which started in December 1995, and ended sometime in 2001 or so. I have recently discovered some archived pieces of that old site, so I'll try to put them up on my personal website sometime in the future.

We usually record these shows in the late evening, past 9 or 10pm, as it allows the silliness to come out in each of our personalities. Listen to the shows, and let me know what you think. At some point, we're going to have guests on the show. Joe wants my friend Brian to be our first guest, I'll see if I can convince him to do it... it could be fun!

Coming up in future blogs, we'll talk about my haplogroup results from the National Geographic genographic project, and a dream I had regarding an expensive butter purchase.

NP: David Cross - Inc

Snow!

Had a bit of snow today, but nothing that's stuck on the ground, for now. We're supposed to get a bit more tomorrow, but we'll see what actually happens.

This weekend was fairly relaxing. Friday night, Sue and I just hung around, watching more "Firefly." Saturday, I went with some co-workers to Koto, a local Japanese steakhouse, where we had the Hibachi style food, where the chef cooks right in front of you at the table. It was a bit pricey, but you get a *lot* of food, and the cooking is kind of a show, so it's worth it.

I got the teryaki (sp?) chicken, which consisted of rice, vegetables, and THREE breasts of chicken. I had enough left over for dinner the next day. The food was quite tasty, and the company was good. Not a place I'd go to regularly, due to the price, but fun as a periodic event.

On Sunday, Sue and I went to go see "Inside Man" at the local Hanover theater. Quite a good film, about a bank robbery which is not quite what it appears to be. Part of the plot revolves around the bank owner having started his fortune by working with the Nazis in pre-WWII timeframe (played by Christopher Plummer, in an ironic casting choice). We're getting into the time now, though, where modern movies aren't going to be able to use the Nazis as the regular foil for some of these plot turns, as the people who were alive then won't be around anymore. Of course, it doesn't mean that they can't be used historically, in movies set before the present day. I'm sure we'll see more films along those lines.

Unfortunately, I missed the Sci-Fi movie that Brian recommended in one of the comments below in a previous post. I'm sure I'll be able to catch it in the future, as Sci-Fi is known for repeats.

Reading the 4th Harry Potter book now. I started it on Sunday, and I'm already 388 pages into it, so it'll be a quick read. I have the 5th book on my bookshelf, so I'll probably jump straight into that once this book is finished. The Potter books are enjoyable, but I still think I prefer the Philip Pullman "His Dark Materials" trilogy for novels of that young adult fantasy genre.

And, of course, the tape transfer to MP3's continue. I think I'm about 30%-35% percent done, it is a long, tedious job. But, it is actually fun to listen to some of these old tapes again, and now I'll have easier access to the music, so it is (I hope) worth it.

NP: Robert Fripp - On Awe

Firefly!

I've been watching the DVD's of the 1st (and alas, only) season of the TV show "Firefly," thanks to a birthday gift from Mr. Paik. We were talking about this show over Christmas, at home in NJ, and it came up that I hadn't actually ever seen it. I didn't really actively avoid it, but there are times when I avoid the 1st season of science fiction television shows, as it generally takes a season or so to work the kinks out of a good show.

I won't bother summarizing the story of Firefly. If you're interested, I'm sure there are plenty of websites out there giving you all the information you need or want. Sue and I have watched the first 2 discs as of now, and out of those 7 episodes, they've all been pretty solid. There was one that was not as good as the others (where the Doctor character was kidnapped, along with his sister, by a town needing a doctor), but even that one wasn't horrible, there just wasn't that much special or interesting about it.

It was definitely a show ended before it's time, but really, what do you expect with an unknown like Joss Whedon at the helm? I mean, why would you give someone with an unproven track record time to actually develop characters, plot, and an audience. I mean, it's totally reasonable that Fox would not want to pour good money after bad? It's just like that show Arrested Development. Why bother with quality?

(For the sarcasm impaired, please refer to that last paragraph.)

I do have to say, I think I can add the "What, we're married!?!?" cliche to the list of SF plots that every science fiction show, by law, has to do. Fortunately, most pull it off with an interesting twist, but everyone has to do it...

Did Firefly ever have Space Nazis? Or is that just the Alliance?

NP: Steve Howe - Double Rondo

Sunny!

Is it as sunny and nice where you all are in the world? We're having temps in the high 50's/low 60's here. It's like an early spring. Groovy stuff...

It's been a fairly normal day here, nothing too exciting to write about. So, I end quickly!

NP: Peter Gabriel - Fourteen Black Paintings

Winner!

I'm glad to see my work idea has provoked such discussion. See the post below, and enjoy! I'll be posting my consultation rates soon.

I took the Jeopardy! online contestant test tonight, 50 trivia questions. I think I did well, but we'll see how it develops, if I get a contact from them. We shall see. Unfortunately, my mom couldn't get on the website, so she wasn't able to do it. I would have liked to see if she got the same questions (I'm 99% sure they would have been identical), and also to see if there were any that I just missed. Out of the 50, I think I got between 40-45 right, but I'm not sure, of course.

I had my first full staff meeting of the term tonight. I always enjoy staff meetings, my staff cracks me up in many ways. They work well, although sometimes I'd like a bit more conversation happening. I'll try to think of ways to develop more opportunities for people to contribute.

I'm still working on my old tape conversion. I did a lot of Yes tapes, and got down to my last 5 or so, and decided I needed a change, so now I'm working on the MP3 conversion of some of my Genesis tapes. That pile was almost as large as my Yes tapes, so if I knock this down a bit, it'll help reduce the overall volume of tapes I need to convert. It's one of those things I just have to keep plugging away at. Fortunately, I can read a book, or watch a bit of television while doing it.

Tomorrow morning, I have to go out and get some muffins and other snacks for our staff meeting, as we're doing our birthday celebrations for myself, CD Daniel, and Michele, our Admin Assistant. It's always good to snack a bit during these meetings.

Cheers!

Mike

Idea!

I've been looking for ways of making lots of money, but not really doing any true "work." I think I've stumbled upon the answer, finally!

I will be a Dating Consultant.

I've been talking to one of my friends, lets call him Joe, who has been re-entering the dating world. I get to hear about the women he has been meeting, or not, as the case may be, and with my world reknown experience with "the ladies," as we call them, I think I've given him some sage advice for his meetings and communications with his contactees.

But I'm not a one sex guy! I have also talked to single female friends about their experiences, and have also been the wise dispenser of sagacity on that front also. I'm a double threat, I believe the "kids" are calling it nowadays.

So, look out world, I'm starting my true calling with a vengance.

NP: David Sylvian - Home

Indy! Part 3

This is the 3rd, and probably last part of this update on my travels. I'll confirm if it's the last at the end of this post. If it is, we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow, and I'm sure you can all barely wait!

When I came back to my room, after the first day of the conference, I found my toiletries put nicely on this towel by the cleaning staff. Thank you, Indy Marriott!

Blurry picture of me on the 2nd day (Sunday) of the conference. I looked snazzy, trust me...

Two of my Dartmouth co-workers, outside of the Dartmouth social on Monday evening. A good time was had by all...

Snowy Tuesday morning. There was about 2 inches, perhaps, on the ground. I guess the Indinapolis natives went a bit buggy over this, but up here in NH, 2 inches would be nothing!

Here's a photo of the main conference area, on Tuesday morning. Quite barren, isn't it?

This row of tables is where prospective job candidates would go to set up interviews with employers. Groovy stuff...

This is the area where candidates could sit down, take a load off, write thank you notes to employers, or do whatever they need to do to stay on top of their interview game. I like to think of it as "Where Hope Goes To Die."

Sadness is an empty candidate mailbox. Here's mine, empty. But no worries, I wasn't expecting any messages at this point of the conference. Really!

Here's the actual interview area. Employers sit on one side of the table, the candidate on the other, and there you have it! Again, being the last interview day, there's a lot of nothing happening here. It's not as bad as it looks, as a candidate, you're usually able to tune out any other conversations pretty well.

And Wednesday, on the way home! I got to sit by an engine! Yay! Surprisingly, it wasn't any louder than other places I've sat on planes.

Looking out the next window up. Goodbye, Indy! I hardly knew ya, but you seemed like an okay place.

In the air between Detroit and Manchester. Can you spot the UFO?

My flying needs. A book, a drink, and a cup. I'm a simple man.

So, that's all my photos. The conference overall was a good time. I got to interview for some possible future positions, and we'll see how that develops over the next month or two. I got to reconnect with some old grad school friends, hung out with co-workers outside of work (always fun), got to attend some decent sessions (and one or two that weren't so great), and did a session of my own (on living in residence halls as a professional when you're married or partnered) which someone told me was the best session they had attended at the conference.

Of course, I didn't ask how many other sessions the person had attended.

So, unless there are any questions from you all, my loyal readers, this will probably be the last chapter of the Indy saga. Unless Harrison Ford comes back for a 4th movie...

NP: Queen, It's Late

Indy! Part 2

Arriving on the 17th, here's the view out of my hotel window. The conference center roof is in the foreground, and the industry of America is in the background...

Looking left out of the window, there's the RCA dome, where some sport team plays. Don't ask me who...

Looking to the far right, a baseball park! Again, don't know who plays there...

A big pile of dirt by the RCA dome. Perhaps for a hockey/basketball arena, for another of Indy's nameless teams?

The bed where I would slumber, away from home... Was rather comfy, and I migrated towards the middle of the bed as the days went on... You have to take advantage of all that space when you can!

Let me know if you can see the funny/irony in this shot. I just had to take a photo of it. Perhaps the VP would have appreciated the humor also, if he ever changed the channel...

View out the window at night. Not quite a skyline, but pretty in an odd way...

Dressed for the first day of the conference on Satuday the 18th. Not the best photo in the world, I should have been a bit closer to the mirror... Ah well, live and learn.

NP: REM, Hope

Indy! Part 1

Here's the photo log of my trip out to Indianapolis for the ACPA conference. The conference lasted from Saturday, 18 March until Wednesday, 22 March. I left New Hampshire on Friday the 17th... This is the view out my window at Manchester Airport. Good flying weather...

I got to sit in the emergency exit row. Much better legroom. I should do this mor often. Also, I got to look at this cool diagram...

Window seats are fun! Look at that Earth!

A ski mountain, perhaps in Vermont? It was fairly early in the flight. Maybe it's Mount Snow?

We went from Manchester to Detroit, Michigan. A long terminal...

But you know, the family that s*its together, stays together!

That's the travel portion of this blog... Tomorrow, there will be more about Indianapolis itself...

NP: David Bowie, The Width of a Circle

Back!

Well, I'm back.

I'll write up a full report of the conference, with photos, tomorrow.

Generally, a good time. Interviews went well for some places, and blah for others. I won't get into names here now, as the processes are ongoing.

More later!

NP: The Zombies, The Way I Feel Inside

Car!

I dropped my car off this morning to have it inspected. I got a call around 10am, saying that the garage needed to put new brake pads and something else involving the brakes on the front wheels, in order to have it pass inspection. Since I had last done this about 4 years ago, it seemed like the timing was right to do it again.

However, it did run me $280. Yeech! Happy F*cking Birthday!

Not that $280 is out of my budget, I'll be able to pay it off as soon as I get paid on 1 April. But it is the unexpected nature of random repairs that is a pain. I'll live with it, but it's now $250 less that I can throw at my student loans this coming month. Ah well. Life goes on.

My birthday was fine today, nothing too exciting, which is fine with me. Sue got me the 4 disc set of the soundtrack to "Fellowship of the Ring," which I'll listen to in full once I get back from the conference this coming Wednesday.

I will bring my digital camera with me, so I can do a photolog of the conference upon my return. I probably won't have regular e-mail/internet access while out there, so if I'm slow in updating this, or with responding to any e-mail, no worries.

NP: Simple Minds - And The Band Played On

Gift!

I think these photos speak for themselves....

Feel the Force!

Cut my arm off? There goes your face!

Is that a sabre in your pocket?

Fear ME!

Thank you to Joe for fulfilling my life long dream to be a huge nerd... Photos taken by the lovely Sue!

Funk!

Ah, it's time for my annual birthday funk to begin. Not for the normal reasons, like getting older. That aspect of the birthday really doesn't bother me that much. Every day you're older than the last, so one more milestone on that road really isn't that big deal for me.

I think my conflict about birthdays rests in the fact that I like to acknowledge my birthday, and the birthday of others, but that I've had a lot of birthdays, specifically when I was younger, that really weren't that fun. What I always remember is having a party for my birthday, when I was in 2nd Grade, and only two friends from school showed up. And once they were there, they spent most of the time not playing with me, so it wasn't fun on most levels.

Of course, not every birthday was bad, and believe me, my childhood was fine. Compared to some people's stories, my life is fantastic! However, I do have this thing now where there are times when I just want to be alone on my birthday, or I want to be with people, but I can never tell how it's going to be until it actually hits. I think this year I'm leaning towards staying home, but you never know.

I think at heart, the funk comes from the want to do things with people, to be social, and the fear of finding that there's no one around who wants to do anything. I was thinking, a month or so ago, that it might have been fun to invite friends from Boston and elsewhere to come up this weekend, to hang out around my birthday, but not necessarily on it. However, with this conference I'm going to, leaving this Friday, that's pretty much out, at least for now.

What's nutty about this is that I know that I have good friends, good family, a good wife, who all like and love me, so it's not really a fear based on reality at this point. But, there are those things that we had happen as kids that stay with us for awhile. This birthday stuff is one of those very few negative things that I can recall.

On the good side, I remember a lot of good birthdays, with bowling parties, hanging out, doing stuff in college with friends, and being in Boston. Grad school, and living in Vermont pre-Sue was a bit rough, because I didn't really have many people to hang out with then, particularly in the 1st year of my Masters program, and when I first went to Vermont. Actually, during the 2nd year of my program, my birthday was at one of the conferences, and I had a good time going out with friends in St. Louis.

I do remember in Vermont, going to see "Analyze This" on my birthday, alone. The movie did cheer me up a bit, but it still was no fun.

So, this year, I'm playing things by ear. Maybe we'll go out and eat on Thursday, maybe not. I do have to get up way early on Friday, to catch a 9am flight out of Manchester NH to Indianapolis, so there's that excuse to stay in. But, it's also Dartmouth's closing day for the Winter term, so I'm sure that some co-workers may be going out, so that could be a pull out of the building later in the evening.

Maybe writing some of this stuff down will help get it out of my system, at least a bit. I'm really generally a happy person, but we all have our down moments...

NP: Steve Hackett; Sentimental Institution (live)