Long Time Gone

Sorry for the delay in writing, I've just been busy with life, and not sitting at the computer a lot...

Happy May Day everyone! Let the revolution begin!

What's been going on recently? Well, my supervisor is leaving her job at the end of the summer, so one of the things on my plate is reflecting on whether or not it would be worthwhile to apply for the Director job. A number of people at work have asked if I am, and have been semi-encouraging about it, but I'm still thinking about it, with no real decision made one way or another... Watch this space for further updates.

We're in the home stretch of the semester, with the Finals period ending on May 15th, and students having to vacate their residence hall rooms by noon on May 16th. Graduation is May 20th, at the Garden State Arts Center, and I'll be working the event. Then, the glorious summer months begin, which will be very nice. I'm looking forward to getting a lot of work done, and having Friday's off starting in the middle of June.

We've had candidates in for the Resident Coordinator position open for this coming year. Good candidates, we have a plethora of riches in this search. That's been keeping me busy at work since Thursday. Soon, I'll get to start reference checks on people, which is always interesting to see what gets said (or not) during these conversations.

Sue and I saw "Hot Fuzz" over the weekend, and I have to say, it's the best comedy I've seen in the movies this year so far, or actually in quite awhile, even back into last year. Simon Pegg and his co-writer/director are great at making a parody, while also not getting caught up in trying to be PARODY, if that makes sense. I'll put it this way, the films stand up on their own as story/comedy, without even knowing all the details of the parody. A great comedy, go see it!

NP: The Moody Blues - Isn't Life Strange

Ah, music...

"Even with good friends, it's easy to feel alone at times. That's when music steps in."

I wrote this last night, in response to some postings on the Genesis message boards.

I've been a bit of a music nerd recently, posting *a lot* on those message boards. So much so, that I've been the #1 poster for awhile. I've recently dropped to #2 or #3, but that's okay. I have no need to be #1 all the time.

I was writing about my personal relationship to music. I have many people I consider friends, but unfortunately, a lot of them are far away, not within easy, just hang out distance. So, the phone, e-mail, carrier pidgeons, whatever communication venue works usually substitutes.

But, there are times when it's nice to have someone right there. Of course, I'm married to a wonderful Sue, and she's always there for me. However, sometimes you just need to be alone, or need some non-interactive consolation. For me, that's when I truly turn to music.

So, now you know a little more about me. Yay!

NP: Genesis - Duchess

Spring? What Spring?

Today, here in New Jersey, we leaped straight into summer...

I was going to say "lept," but when I saw it, I wasn't sure if it was a real word...

I think it hit at least 85F today, which was nice after the unseasonably cool weather we had for the past week or two. On Saturday, Sue and I went out to the movies (saw Blades of Glory, good stupid fun), but beforehand, discovered a little scenic area in Bayonne (who knew?), where we could see the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline. It was a nice area, but needed a good trash pick up.

Litter is one of my big pet peeves. Mainly because there's absolutely no reason for it. If you have trash, wait till you see a garbage can.

There was a garbage can at this scenic area, but it was way out of the way. You have to be motivated to use it. If I were in charge (and really, why aren't I?), I would move it closer to where people actually stand.

NP: Silence

Thursday the 19th

It's just as rare as a Friday the 13th, maybe I should get spooked about this...

This video is hitting everyone on the web, so if you haven't seen it, you should...

Comedy Click Here!

Very funny stuff... Some people, from the comments below it, don't quite realize that Will Ferrell isn't actually yelling at the kid... Editing can be your friend...

Today, I attended a day long workshop/conference on alcohol education at colleges. Quite interesting stuff, got to meet some cool people, and I got a free book out of it, so it can't be that bad!

I have to mention that after I said that my birthday was done, I got one more gift from Mr. Paik, the first season of Ricky Gervais's show Extras, which is shown on the BBC and HBO. It's a riot, very well done! I'll have to pick up the BBC "The Office," which I've only seen bits of on DVD at other people's places.

Patrick Stewart: You've seen Star Trek, haven't you?

Ricky Gervais: No, haven't caught it.

Patrick Stewart: Ah, you're married.

Ricky Gervais: No... Not married.

Patrick Stewart: Ah, okay, you have a girlfriend!

Ricky Gervais: No, no girlfriend.

Patrick Stewart: You're not married, you don't have a girlfriend, and you've never seen Star Trek?

Ricky Gervais: No, can't say I have...

Patrick Stewart: Good Lord.

Funny stuff, much funnier in delivery than I can put into words here... Find it and watch it, if you can!

NP: Jon & Vangelis - The Arms of Love

The joy of presales...

This morning, I found out that there's going to be a Genesis concert at Madison Square Garden on September 25th, on top of the Giants Stadium show I already have tickets for on September 27th.

The Genesis website fanclub presale was this morning at 10am, so I limbered up my fingers, and got tickets in Section 102. Groovy!

This evening, we had our second Group Process interview for Resident Assistant positions here at the college. It was a good time, I always enjoy watching the candidates interact in groups. Then tomorrow and Thursday, they'll do individual interviews, and then we decide who to hire...

That's all for now, just a quick update...

T.O.O.L. - All Along the Watchtower

Tires!

So, this weekend, I went and got new tires for my car. My old ones, I got in about the year 2000, and it was time for a change. They were also snow tires, from when I lived up north. They may have contributed to my transmission issues back in October 2006, as the snow tires cause more drag/resistance between the car and the road, so that was another reason to change the tires.

I always knew the snow tires made more of a sound, because of their bigger treads. Now, with the new tires, my car is riding very quietly! It's amazing, I didn't expect it to be that big of a difference, but the sound is much less in my car now.

Late last week, Sue and I made our reservations for our summer vacation on Martha's Vineyard. We'll be staying in Oak Bluffs, in a little hotel there. We'll have to share a bathroom with 3 other rooms, but that's fine, as the rooms are about $80 cheaper per night compared to other places. I'll be sure to post a full review after we get back in July.

NP: King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man (6 May 1969)

The official conclusion...

...of my birthday season arrived today, when I received a gift in the mail from my friend Brian. It's two graphic novels, of one series, called "The Walking Dead." More zombie literature to fry my brain! Thanks Brian!

I finished the novel "The Historian" yesterday. It was a good read, I enjoyed it, but the book is 675 pages long, and I think it could have been tightened up a good 100 pages or so. The story is about the search for the living Dracula, in semi-modern times, told through a "modern" story, but also through a series of letters, written by the protaginist's father, and an assortment of other characters.

The book kept me interested enough to finish it, but my main critique, as I said, was the pace of it. With that being said, I wouldn't not read other work by the author.

NP: Frank Zappa - Freak Out Drum Track w/timpani

Recap of the week!

Sorry for not blogging recently, I've just been tied up with, well, just relaxing. It's nice to be able to just take it easy for a few days, with no real responsibilities besides hanging with my wonderful Sue, and having fun with her.

On Saturday, we went into NYC to the Lincoln Center movie theater, to see Pan's Labyrnth, which was an excellent movie. I'm always into subtitles, and this was a very fantastical story, about a girl growing up during WWII/Spanish Civil War, and how she deals with it. You never really know if the story is in the girl's head, or if it's real, but that's part of the charm/wistfulness of the film. I recommend it highly...

Today, I had the exciting delivery in the mail of the Genesis 1976-1982 5.1 surround sound box set, which includes the albums A Trick of the Tail, Wind and Wuthering, And Then There Were Three, Duke, Abacab, and a sixth disc of b-sides (also mixed in 5.1). So far, I've listened to Trick, and a song or two off of Abacab (Dodo and Whodunnit, for those of you who are wondering...). The new mixes in surround sound are quite good, it really opens up the music to hear detail that was only hinted at before. I'm looking forward to digesting the rest of the music over the next week, and afterwards...

Each album also comes with an accompaning DVD, with about 15 minutes of band interviews about the album, the associated videos, and any other items of interest, like live concert clips, tv appearances, etc. Very cool stuff, especially since it's all really just a bonus. I've only watched the Abacab interviews so far, and they're actually worth having... Which is nice, for a freebie.

In regards to the conference I attended, I have to give Al Gore kudos for his global warming/Inconvenient Truth keynote speech. What's interesting is that he asks the stage lights to be dimmed, so that you can't really see him talking, but because of that, you focus on the details of his presentation. Which is quite compelling, I have to say. Global warming is real, and many countries are taking steps to reign in the threat. However, the US is reacting slowly, while being one of the major contributors to the problem. I need to buy a hybrid car NOW! And vote for candidates who actually plan on addressing this issue.

I'm not going to go over what Gore says, you can rent the DVD of An Inconvenient Truth easily enough. Watch it, and be educated. Get past whatever political issues you may have with Al Gore, and just listen to the information.

NP: Lenny Bruce - Our Governors (1959)

The Baltarian Dialogues (Part One?)

The Baltarian Dialogues

Brian and I engaged in an e-mail dissection of the Battlestar Galactica season finale, and since there's no real point in just copying/pasting it here, I give you the link to his blog entry above...

NP: Fonya - Fleabitten Cat

The return from Orlando...

I returned last night from the ACPA/NASPA conference down in Orlando. The flight was fine, except that it left 3 hours later than it was supposed to, so I got home to Jersey City around 2:30am in the morning. No fun there! But, the flight was uneventful, so that's okay...

Here's a photolog of my experiences...

The line for registration. It looks long, and it was, but it actually moved pretty quickly...

Daniel and Brian, two friends from my work years at Dartmouth, we went out with Fu and Krista (pictured below) on Friday, the first night there...

We went to eat at a place in Downtown Celebration, a town that's been built to house Disney workers, from what I was told...

Fu really doesn't have buck teeth, although this photo may lead to to believe that...

I was actually down there to work, not just to eat with friends. Here's the table we had for Saint Peter's, where I (and my Director) interview prospective candidates to work in Residence Life at the college. It was a good area, very comfortable for interviewing...

I didn't really expect to see livestock outside of my hotel window, but life is full of surprises...

I thought this was a pretty evening sky.

The stage for Al Gore's presentation, from my seat, which Fu and Krista kindly saved for me...

The happy couple!

And to prove I was there, here I am, looking semi-professional! And more hairless than I actually am!

Al Gore, on the video screen right in front of us. If you haven't seen "An Inconvenient Truth" yet, you should! I haven't, but now that I saw Gore's presentation, I know all the relevant information. Watch it, and be educated...

On the phone, talking to Sue... See, there is hair up there!

A crowd from Dartmouth at the social...

That's where I'll leave this for now. Over the weekend, I'll write up more about the content and actual stuff I did at the conference.

NP: Mike Keneally - Bober

Heading to Orlando

I'm heading to Orlando for a conference. I'll be gone till Wednesday. Most likely no blog posts till then...

Enjoy the break from the world of Mike...

NP: Playing? It's too early!

Sunday ramblings...

Okay, I'm going to blather on a bit here about Battlestar Galactica, so if you don't want to be *spoiled,* look away now!

Now, I say!

Okay, I just finished watching the season 3 finale, and my quick thoughts are that it was very good, with a very stupid part at the end.

The doofy part is the All Along the Watchtower quotes, although I did like the Indian influenced music at the end...

Now, are Tighe, Sam, the Chief, and the President's aid really Cylons. Methinks not. Why would an Earth song trigger their Cylon pieces to come alive?

Could it be that they're plants from Earth itself, infiltrating the Colonies? That could be interesting, if "humanity" on Earth has Cylons of their own, or if these people are just real people, planted with some psychological trigger to reanimate their memories.

Although, it's just a song, and it brought them all together. It doesn't appear to have triggered any real mission in them, although the Chief did seem like the one most willing to accept his Cylon-nature.

But, wouldn't that make his kid special? Like Hera?

And, there were only four of them called to that room. There's still one Cylon model missing, if they really are Cylons. Who could it be? The Pres? Baltar? Starbuck? That lawyer guy? This stuff did all start when he had that cane, and he left it behind on the ship, showing that it was just a prop all along...

It's interesting seeing the Baltar groupies make their reappearance. He'll have friends to keep him alive now. It was great to see his character not change one whit from what he went through. Still the same self involved Baltar. Everyone loves Baltar!

More thoughts on this as I have them...

NP: Jane's Addiction - Mountain Song

Lazy Saturday...

Didn't really do much today, as I was on the aforementioned duty... Got up around 10am-ish, showered, watched some TV, read a bit, updated some genealogy on the Scots side of the family, ordered some Chinese food, watched two old Richard Jeni specials I have on VHS tape, and did dishes.

A very nice Saturday. And, it felt like Sunday all day to me, so I think tomorrow will feel like a bonus weekend day, always good...

It was fun to dig out those two Richard Jeni specials. I think the CD I have of his comedy is a bit better than the tapes, but maybe that's just because we watched those shows so much while in college. I think if we were ever wanting for something to do to kill some time, once we got our work done, of course, we'd throw on those shows.

There's lots of little phrases that my roommates and I incorporated into our lingo from those specials. Some Minnesota accents, quick one liners (which of course I can't remember now!), and just general good jokes.

NP: Ensemble Modern - The Adventures of Greggery Peckery

I'm on Duty!

Ah yes, another work weekend, I'm the duty person for campus, so I get to stay around for the next few days and TCB (take care of business) here on campus.

This year has gone by amazingly fast, where we're less than two months to graduation. Maybe it's part of being at a school again where the academic year is more "normal" than working at Dartmouth. Here at Saint Peter's, graduation is on May 20th. At Dartmouth, graduation was usually around June 10th. So, this year, it feels like I'm ending much earlier.

At this time next week, I'll be in Orlando, Florida, for the Joint ACPA/NASPA conference. I'll be there from Friday until Wednesday. It's really much more like work than a vacation, but work in Florida can't really be bad when you're not used to it. Can it?

It'll be a good trip, I believe. I'll meet up with old colleagues, and get to interview candidates for positions here. This will be the first conference since 2005 where I'm not looking for a job myself, which will be a nice relief.

I'll be doing some more updates over this weekend, as I'll be around... What are *your* weekend plans?

And Lou, I really liked the dream you posted... Weird, but, well, weird!

A dress?

Here's two pictures of me in a dress!

These are digital photos of real pictures, taken in late 1991-early 1992. Junior at Boston College. I was doing a scavenger hunt with a friend, and one of the items was a guy in a woman's dress. We found one of his female friends, whose dress I could just *barely* get into...

I also have shots of me in a dress from one of the CCE productions we did, where I played an 85 year old woman. I should dig those out...

NP: ELP - Pictures At An Exhibition (13 Aug 1972)

Not quite Platonian dialogues...

Brian and I just had an e-mail exchange about "THE HOST." Here it is for your enjoyment... '

In a message dated 3/20/2007 10:55:55 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Brian writes:

BRIAN: The first time I saw HARD BOILED was in college, senior year, with an animatrix friend. I think it was playing for several days in a row and I went back at least once more during that run. I *might* have dragged you to it then, but I suspect we must have seen it a year or so later, post-college.

MIKE: It feels more like post-college to me... I think that was when I saw my first HK cinema... I do remember really liking it, and I still have the Criterion DVD of it, I should break it out at some point soon...

BRIAN: Ah, THE HOST. I started to comment on your post about it, but felt that it would quickly get away from me, and bailed on commenting, figuring that I would do another write-up of my own on it... Alas, haven't gotten around to it. I've been having trouble settling down to write much of anything since getting back from Florida. Don't know quite why.

MIKE: It's the sun. It gets to you...

Feel free to hijack my blog anytime... I enjoy long comments.

BRIAN: The first time I saw it, I laughed at the family falling down in mourning/fighting. The second tme, I didn't laugh. Third time, I laughed. I really do feel that it's meant to be sad *and* funny. I think that goes for a decent chunk of the film.

MIKE: I laughed as it went on, but more of one of those, "My god" type of laughs... Not funny, but more of a reaction... Sad and funny, that makes sense to me.

BRIAN: It's amazing how that film can so smoothly switch gears in tone and style without breaking the continuity of it.

MIKE: It was pretty good with that. I thought at the end, with the brother dropping the Molotov Cocktail, was just perfect too... The music swelling, slo mo, etc. I thought he'd miss, or the monster would move. Didn't think about him just *dropping* it, which was so right...

BRIAN: Within a heartbeat, you get a laugh as the dopey father counts to himself how many shots he's fired with the shotgun, and then just the worst kind of sadness at the spiteful thrashing of the grandfather by the creature.

MIKE: And he doesn't even try to run, because he knows it's not possible to get away...

BRIAN: One scene that I love that gets some interesting audience reactions is when the family sits down for a seo-ri dinner in the abandoned foodstand, and out of nowhere, the daughter joins them. For me, that was incredibly touching and bittersweet. For others, it seemed to be a joke. For really annoying others, it was a puzzle, prompting one jerkass to repeat out loud several times, "Now I'm confused."

MIKE: I know I didn't laugh, but within a moment, it's pretty obvious it's a dream/imagination piece. I can't believe that someone didn't get it, who was intelligent enough to seek out a Korean monster movie!

But then again, I think of the reaction you talked about to Romeo & Juliet, where someone in the audience really didn't know that they both die at the end...

BRIAN: I love that nothing is wasted in the film. At the start, we see dad Gang-dul asleep in the food stand, and a little urchin of a kid attempts to steal a candy bar or something. Before he can manage it,he's whisked away by a big brother type, dressed in fatigues. These are the brothers who get snatched by the creature after seo-ri/robbing the locked up food stand later in the film.

MIKE: Ah, I'd have to see that again to catch it. Missed it the first time. And I thought they were father/son, not brothers...

BRIAN: The beer. The wanted poster. The bucket of change.

MIKE: "If you put a gun on the mantle in Act 1, it needs to be fired by Act 3." I think Chekhov (the playwright, not the starfleet officer) said that...

BRIAN: I like that what would be the subtext in a typical monster film is just plain text for the most part. The political stuff is political stuff, no metaphors. I'm eager to see how an American version of the film frames things, particularly the origin of the beasty, and the activist brother's character/motivation. Perhaps he's a dot-com refugee, overqualified yet unemployable.

MIKE: True, no Godzille=atom bomb here. Here, it's chemicals=chemicals. Is there actually going to be an american version? American movies tend to have no problem with the government being the bad guys. Or, it may be Industry/Capitalism, which works too...

BRIAN: I hope Sam Raimi's involved in bringing it over. He's had a hand in bringing over THE GRUDGE films and they've been solid.

MIKE: I haven't seen any of those. With Sue not being a real horror nut, my viewing of them has been cut down. At Dartmouth, there were a few people into horror, so I could go with them, but no people here are good movie buddies.

--------------

There you have it. A conversation for the ages... We'll have more dialogues on this blog in the future... It saves me the trouble of writing.

High School dream...

The other night, I had an odd high school dream. Of course, upon waking, dreams always fall apart, but what I could remember from this one was:

• It was graduation, but only about 30 people were in a small classroom for the ceremony. I was there, sitting next to one of my friends, Beth Lefsky. Her father (Mr. Lefsky) who was the head of the social studies department, was organizing the ceremony.
• There were three people sitting near us, who were there to pick up a diploma for a friend of theirs, who was actually a student staff member who I worked with at Dartmouth, but they got his name wrong. His name was Mike, but they called him Mark. They also got his last name wrong, but the way it was wrong, it was the same name of someone in my class.
• At one point, Beth and I left, to try to find more people. I *think* we found my friend Brian, but he didn't want to do the ceremony.
• I was curious why there weren't more people around, or people I recognized, but that's dreams for you.

I think there was more of a plot to this dream. It did all seem to hang together when I woke up from it, but time and daylight drive out the details, and make it all just gossimer on the winds...

I'm "on duty" at work this week, which means I'm the administrator on call for the evenings if anything happens on campus. We'll see how this week goes.

Does anyone else out there have any weird dreams of their past to share?

NP: Genesis - In The Cage (24 Jan 1975)

The Host

Sue and I went to see "The Host" today at Landmark Sunshine Theater on Houston Street in NYC today. A really enjoyable film, combination social satire, monster film, and family gathering. The basic idea is that a monster is created from some bad stuff poured down a drain in a morgue (authorized by an American doctor, adding to the politicial subtext of the film). The monster likes to swallow people, and then spit them up later in a bit of a holding pen in a sewer.

Most of the people swallowed die, but a few survive, and one of the survivors is a little girl, so her father and extended family try to save her.

The movie is from Korea, and from what I understand, it's the highest grossing movie in South Korea ever. Whether that includes films made outside of SK, I'm not sure.

There are some interesting parts to the movie, where I'm not sure if the comedy was supposed to be funny, or whether there are just some cultural differences to the approach to comedy or drama. However, it was a good movie, it surprised me in places, and worked on a number of levels.

Sue and I took the PATH trains from Journal Square to 9th Street in NYC, then walked to the theater. It was about a 35 minute walk in NYC, which wasn't bad, except for the slush/snow still on the ground.

NP: Magma - Kohntark (Part One)

Birthday!

Ah yes, today was my birtday, born in Neptune, NJ, at 6:51am, back in 1971. As my friend Brian points out, I'm now officially square, as 6x6=36.

Ah, math humor. I just realized we passed pi (March 14th) the other day, when it was mentioned on Stephen Colbert (that's why he was feeling so irrational).

Because of the crappy weather today, we actually had a half day of work. So, it was nice to get away from work early on my birthday. Yay for me.

Sue and I would have gone out to eat, but because of the aforementioned bad weather, we got a pizza from the place down the street. Personally, it hit the spot for me, so a good birthday was had by all. Sue got me a t-shirt that is "Stewart-Colbert '08," which I will wear with pride.

This weekend, dependent on the weather, we'll probably go into NYC to see "The Host," as I mentioned the other day on here.

That's about it... Happy birthday to me, and all that... :)

NP: Genesis - Firth of Fifth (28 Nov 1981)

The Host

I think I have to seek out this movie during this weekend at some point. It may only be playing in NYC, so it may be worth a trip in...

NP: Brian Eno - Back in Judy's Jungle

Eh...

I'm in one of *those*moods tonight... Just kind of bleah...

I've found that when I get like this, I just have to let it ride out. If I actively try to combat the mood, I end up annoying and depressing myself. But, if I just take life as it is, and try to relax, it generally does get better.

These things don't usually go on for more than a few hours, or a day. Sleeping usually helps. I may be subdued the next day, but it's not horrible. It's just getting through stuff.

I think one of the things that I'm thinking about is what I want to do with my life. I enjoy my work, but is it really what I want to be doing? Is it enough? If it is, that's great! But, I want to make sure that I'm doing the right work for the right reasons. I'm trying to keep my eyes open, and my brain open, to different possibilities out there. I'm certainly not actively looking for another job (I'll be here for at least another academic year), but it would be interesting to see what may be out there for someone with my work history.

I'm using this blog to think out loud right now. Don't take this all as me being in a horrible funk or that I hate my job. I simply want to feel like I'm doing what I should be doing with my time. I generally think that I am, but days where I get a bit down, it leads me to question a lot of this surface/work type things. At my core, I'm a generally happy person. I like my life, and I have a lot of good people around me. So, I analyze and question, to see where I am at, and where I might think about going.

If I come up with any ideas, I'll let you know.

NP: Genesis - The Cinema Show (1976)

In other news...

What else is going on in my life besides talking about comedy? Here's a quick lowdown:

I got tickets late last week to see Genesis at Giants Stadium in September. I wasn't happy that there wasn't going to be a show at Madison Square Garden, which I thought would have been a better venue, but I'm not scheduling the tour. So, I buy where the show is.

It should be a great tour. Our seats are in Section 110, so we'll be on the side, with a good angle for the whole stage. I've also been posting a lot on the new official Genesis message board, and have somehow made my way up to being the number one poster on the board (for now). I think this makes me king of the Genesis nerds, or something, a crown I will proudly wear, as a Genesis nerd myself...

Work is gearing up, I'm going to have busy evenings next week, I'll be on call, and have evening commitments I think almost every night of the week. That's fine though, I'd rather have those meetings when I have to be around anyway. The following week is our Housing process, I get to be a worker bee then. Tomorrow, Residence Life is attending a meeting of the Board of Trustees, so we get to answer whatever questions they have about Residence Life. Should be fun...

It was Sue's birthday this past Friday, which made everything we did this weekend special for her birthday. We have fun together, two geeky peas in a pod.

That's about it for now. More to come later!

NP: Catherine Wheel - Kill My Soul

Richard Jeni and the Art of Comedy

I wanted to write a bit more about Richard Jeni, and his comedy. A bit of background on me.

When I was in late elementary school, I discovered a few old Bob Newhart and Bill Cosby albums in the closet in my house. I recognized both of them from TV, and said to myself, "Wow, I wonder what's on these? TV shows?"

I played the albums, and was amazed to find people talking, telling funny stories, and getting laughs. I thought this was great! Here was something that I could listen to, and laugh over and over again! Comedy, on demand.

I remember one of my friends coming over, and I make him listen to one of the Bob Newhart albums. After finishing it, he left. We did remain friends, but the comedy album format didn't really do anything for him. I couldn't get it.

After listening to them once, some people would ask, "You know the jokes, why do you listen to them again? How can it be funny all over?" For me, the answer was about listening to the nuances, the timing, the rhythm of the words. The word choice. The way the jokes were intoned. Accents. Pauses. All in the art of comedy. What do you do, and what don't you do?

After those classics, I got into Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and really delved into comedy with meaning, with subtext, and with purpose. Did I get all this when I was in Junior High? Nope, but on repeated listenings, I got the ideas behind what they were saying.

This brings me to Richard Jeni, again. When I first saw him, probably on the Tonight Show, doing his Jaws bit, where he talks about watching Jaws 4 late at night, and his body revolting against him for watching such a dumb film, it got me. The imagery, the timing, the thought, and even the animals (in this case, the Shark, and his spinal column) in the story.

Jeni made the comedy look easy, as all the great performers did. But I was in amazement, as I *knew* that he had honed this bit to within an inch of its life, and it *worked!*

When I saw that first Showtime special, I was continually amazed, and delighted, by the amount of effort Richard put into his show. The wording, the phrasing, all showed signs of an intelligent guy, going for it. One thing that continually amused me in his routine was his use of animals. He would mention the indignancy of the lobster tank at "Fred Robster," and how, at the steak house, you guessed it, no cow tank!

In the bit, there was a little line where the cow, crying, says, "Why don't you try the lobster," and the lobster returns the quip, "Why don't you mind your own damn business..." It was a subtle thing, but he used animals often enough in his bits that I had to believe that there was something more to it. Something about us as people. Because, of course, the animals are just substitutes for us. Jeni wasn't as overtly subversive as a Bill Hicks or a George Carlin, but in his own way, he could turn the mirror on ourselves, and make us laugh a bit...

That's as maudlin as I'm going to get in this.

Jeni was also great at weaving his bits into each other, having little references come back from previous bits, culmunating in a big laugh at the end of the show. I saw him live at least twice, and perhaps a third time (those years living in Boston seem so long ago in a lot of ways), and he never disappointed. I regret not having made an effort to go to some of his shows more often, in those intervening years.

I deleted a comment from yesterday's post, saying that Richard Jeni was just a D-list celebrity who didn't make it, that the suicide was the biggest news that he had made in years. And I think that shows just what's wrong with the culture of celebrity. Jeni was a steadily working comedian, playing probably over 100 shows a year, and doing great material. I'm not in his head, so I don't know if he thought that he should have been a bigger "star," or had a better film career. All I know is that he did stand up great, and had a lot to be proud of with that. If this was suicide, and if it was caused by despondency over his career, I'm really sad to hear that, because I think that Richard Jeni had nothing to be ashamed about with his career in comedy. He was a true comedian.

Richard Jeni

I just read about an hour or so ago, on AOL News, that Richard Jeni, one of my favorite comedians of the past 17 years, died by an apparent suicide.

I first discovered Richard Jeni from 30 minute Showtime special from 1989. I still have it on tape somewhere. I showed that tape to so many people, making fans of him when I was in college. I think I was having some friends over to watch Evil Dead II in the summer of 1989, and while waiting for a few more people to show up, we caught this special on cable. We all laughed, but I really connected with his humor.

Later that summer, I taped it, thinking that it would be good to bring to college with me. It was, and the following summer, I taped his second 60 minute Showtime special, and those tapes became regular viewing in our room in Shaw House at Boston College.

I saw Jeni live at least once during college, and a few times while living in Boston before departing for grad school in 1996. I even have a tape of every episode of his short lived TV show on UPN, Platypus Man.

While in grad school, I picked up Jeni's CD, Greatest Bits. The tape I made of it is still in my car, and gets played often on long car rides.

I don't know what may have driven Jeni to suicide. Did he feel that he deserved bigger success? Did he have health issues? I don't know, and it almost doesn't matter, as we've lost a good comic voice.

So, Richard Jeni, I'll miss your comedy. And, I'll miss the potential that once was...

NP: Genesis - Behind the Lines

Ahh, Florida...

It's Wednesday, and we've been back from Florida since Monday, so it's time for a report!

I'm going to bullet this, to make it streamlined. Don't like it? Imagine there are paragraphs here...

Thursday:

• Flew out from Newark. Arrived in Jacksonville at about noonish. Got our rental car, a red Ford Mustang, convertable. Drove it out of the parking garage with the hood down. Drove for 5 minutes, it started raining. Hood goes up...
  
• Got to the hotel, got checked in, and got to our room on the 14th floor. Of course, it's actually the 13th floor, but that's an open secret.

• At around 5pm, Sue and I went to eat at The Landing, a collection of restaurants just a short walk from the hotel. Ate at a Mexican place, that was pretty good. Not outstanding, but a solid place to eat. We ate outside, where there were birds (sparrows and pidgeons) all around. I said to Sue, "If these were rats, we'd be disgusted, but since they're birds, we think they're cute."


• Back at the hotel. Rested. Brian, In, and Rowan came down to the Landing to eat, Sue was tired (and knitting, I believe) so she stayed in. We ended up going to the Mexican place again. I just had a coke since I had eaten. Had fun with the three of them, along with Rowan's sister (Maggie, if my memory serves me right). And, that was Thursday...

Friday:

• Breakfast with Brad, the groom. A good time. You can never really talk deeply with the bride and groom at their wedding, so it was good to have some time to talk with Brad before everything got nutty.


• Left for St. Augustine. Nice place, the oldest city in the US, settled by Spain in the late 1500's. Very quaint. Brian, In, Rowan, and Maggie met us there in the early afternoon, we ate at the White Lion Inn, which had nothing to do with the band. Good times...


• Toured an old fort. $6 to get in, which I felt okay about since it went to the upkeep of the fort. It was raining most of the day, but it got really heavy in the afternoon, and a bit cooler, so the fun slowly disappeared.



• Then, went to the rehearsal dinner at 7:30pm at The Chart House in Jacksonville. Good place, sat with In, Rowan, and Brian again, and a good time was had by all... Also talked to Tami, the bride, which was good, and saw Brad's brother Ryan who I hadn't seen since about 1990. He actually recognized me, which was impressive.

Saturday:

• Had breakfast with Don Lord and his family, Don's a cousin to my grandfather. I got in contact with him through my genealogy research. He was a talker, and fun to listen to. Sue talked with his wife and daughter, who were also at our table. A great guy, and it was a pleasure meeting him and his family.


• Then, for lunch, met up with my friend Kim and her husband Charles. Another good time had by all. It was actually the third time I had met Charles, but really the first time I was able to talk with him. A good guy. It was fun to talk with Kim again too, it's like one of those friendships that just picks up where it left off the last time you saw each other. Which, I think, was actually our wedding... Is that right? Thanks also to Kim & Charles for treating Sue and I to the meal!




• Then, the wedding at 4:30pm. Catholic ceremony, very nice, but you've seen one, you've seen them all, not a lot of creativity in those. But, it was all good. It's always nice to see friends be happy!



• Reception at The River Club, on the 35th storey of a building by the river. A good location. The reception was your standard fun, I enjoyed myself, talking to Sue, Brian, In, Rowan, and two others at our table, the husband was from Ocean Township, so there was that connection.
  
  
• Stayed at the reception till the end, then met up with others in the hotel bar till about 1:30am. Thanks to Rowan for my coke drink! Farscape was on the TV in the bar, which I thought was curious...

Sunday:

• Went to Jacksonville beach. Sue collected shells, was attacked by birds, saw jellyfish, and got some small shark's teeth. I lay on the beach, relaxing, getting sunburned. Fun!



• Wandered around the town, seeing some little shops, and enjoying being outside. It was a great day, so the top of the car came down. Very cool tooling around Jacksonville in a convertible. Worth the extra money.

• Back at the hotel, got room service for dinner. Was very tired, both of us were asleep by 10pm, I think...

Monday:

• Back on the plane, back here. Did laundry.

And that's our adventure! More little stories may come out over time, but it was great fun to be away with Sue, and to see so many friends all at once. It's not often that group stuff like this happens, so when it does, it's a good time.

NP: King Crimson - Groon (11 Feb 1972)

Return from the sun...

Back from Florida... I'll do more writing soon, but here are some photos...

Hotel Room, first day (Thursday)


St. Augustine (Friday): Me, Brian, In

Saturday, Sue and I. After lunch.

Brad and Tami, wedding...

A bunch of Jokers... Saturday Night....

Attacking seagulls... Sunday.

View out our hotel window, to the right. Sunday evening.

NP: David Sylvian/Robert Fripp - 20 Century Dreaming

Migrating...

Heading south tomorrow, to Florida for a wedding. We'll be back on Monday, so most likely no blogs till then (unless the hotel has some public computers.) We shall see.

Tally Ho!

Sandwich of confusion...

Today, I had a sandwich from the faux-Subway eatery on campus. I've worked here at SPC for 7 months, but I hadn't gotten a sub from this place yet. (I'd usually go to the real Subway right off campus if I had a hankering for subbish goodness.)

I was tempted today because they had a buffalo chicken sub, and I'm a sucker for buffalo chicken. I asked for no blue cheese, and they said, "We don't do blue cheese, we do ranch." No way to the rancho, I say! I'm not a big condiment person, so any gooey food product generally stays away from me.

So, I take my sub (with lettuce and green peppers) back to my table, and dig in. I then discover that there's bacon in the sandwich.

Buffalo chicken and bacon.

Interesting.

It actually was okay, I just didn't expect it. I'd order it again. Although I might actually ask them to hold the bacon, as I try to avoid a lot of heavy salted meat products. It's my way of being healthy...

In total other news, while in Florida, this Saturday, we're going to have a lunar eclipse! I hope there's good clear sky to see it...

I'm probably about 100 pages from finishing Cell, so Brian, you better get on the ball! It may be a plane finisher, but I can't see not being done with it by the time we reach sunny Florida. It's a good read, and just gut-wrenching in some spots, which I always like about King's writing. He really does know how to get to a reader emotionally, in very simple ways...

More about that once I'm done with the book.

NP: Adrian Belew - Hot Zoo

A New Start...

I'm beginning to get tired of my one word subject titles to these blogs, so, I begin again. If there's a relevant one word title, I'll be happy to use it. If not, then life moves forward.

I received my cell phone in the mail today. After a bit of a chore on ye olde landline getting the new doo-hickey activated, it is now working well. I've put some numbers in it already, and Sue and I were being adorable texting back and forth from our phones, as we sat next to each other on the couch.

I still think I'm going to keep it off most of the time, and use it for brief calls more than anything else, but we shall see how usage develops over time.

There's a Dana Gould bit out there, where he talks about the banality of most cell phone calls:

Guy In Store: Yes! It's amazing! I bought a comb! For two bucks! I didn't realize that they were so cheap. What was that? Yes, a comb, I'm NOT KIDDING!!!

Et cetera...

Is reading a comedy bit as interesting as listening to it? Discuss.

It's interesting seeing the comments on Cell. It's very readable right now, and I'm enjoying it. Although, I want to know what Tom did for a living. I don't think it's been mentioned yet. Or if it was, I missed it...

I agree with Queenie about King's endings sometimes falling flat. My friend Lou and I have discussed this. King likes to whip out a miraculous ending a bit more often than I'd like. I can take it in The Stand, as that's totally about Good vs. Evil, but in other places, it seems a bit rushed. I think his newer books don't suffer from that as much as his 80's-90's output did, but there are still aspects of that approach in his writing.

Although, he did get the ending of the Dark Tower series right, and that can make up for a lot in my book.

I managed to get tickets to The Police for Sue and myself this morning, for the Giants Stadium show. Granted, we're in nosebleed land in the upper tier, but there are really only two kinds of seats that matter, those inside of the venue, and those outside. And, we're in, baby!

The upper tier were also the cheapest seats, so that worked in my favor. If the middle tier pricing wasn't $90, I might have been willing to do the middle pricing, but $180 for two tickets to a rock show seems a little steep for me. The highest price was $250 for a single ticket, and that's just too much.

Genesis should be announcing their North American tour soon. I'm willing to pay a bit more for those tickets, as I'm a bigger Genesis fan than I am of The Police. Also, I'll be able to pre-order those tickets through the Genesis website/message boards, and not pay $100 to join, like The Police were asking for to join their fan club.

NP: Tony Banks - An Island In The Darkness

Books!

I finished the book I was reading, "The Ghost Map," by Steven Johnson. It's a book about a cholera epidemic in London in 1854, where it was finally discovered that cholera was transmitted through tainted water. Doesn't sound like much of a story, but Johnson does a good job of outlining the actual process of the individuals involved, which makes it a compelling story.

Like a lot of non-fiction books I read, I skimmed over the final chapter, as those chapters tend to be a lot of the author making modern relevance to the story told in the previous pages. What I read of the concluding chapter I enjoyed, but I can get the meat of it by picking and choosing what looks interesting to read.

So, I picked up the book that Brian mentioned in a previous blog post comment, Stephen King's "Cell." Starts right off with a bang, in Boston, and I'm already 100 pages into it. I like books where I actually know the locations the author is writing about. King sets the start of the book on Boyleston Street, right near the Boston Common. I thought, "Right near the Mister Softee ice cream truck," and what do you know, the truck gets a mention... Truth in writing, right there...

I may finish it before leaving for the Florida trip on Thursday, we shall see how quick of a read it is.

And it's snowing lightly outside, for you weather nerds out there...

Refund!

We got the first of our tax refunds deposited into my checking account today, from the great state of NJ. We're still waiting on the Federal refund, and the NY State refund. Half of the Federal refund is basically paying for our trip down to Florida for the wedding, which is convenient timing.

I made a huge plunge today.

Something that I've been putting off for a long time.

I had said I would do it, but there was no real time frame for doing it.

I ordered a cell phone.

Yes, I've finally entered the mid-1990's.

It's actually a bit tied into the wedding trip. My friend In, who will also be at the wedding, asked me for my cell phone number so we can contact each other down in Florida. I wrote back to her, saying I didn't have one, so I gave her Sue's number.

Those of you who know me, know that for the past *cough cough* years, I've said that I wasn't going to get a cell phone until some time in the indeterminate future. This e-mail exchange was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. Something just clicked in my head, and I said, "I'm going to order a cell phone."

I went with Verizon, and I ordered online, because there was a good discount on phones. I got a $90 phone for $40, which looks like a good deal to me.

Sue asked me what the phone does. I said, "I guess I can talk to people on it." She meant, did it have games, a camera, e-mail, or other features. I knew it had a camera, but I already have a digital camera, so I think I'll be surprised if I use it much as a camera.

I think that it would be a great seller if they made a cell phone in the shape of a Communicator from the original Star Trek series. I know I would have gotten a cell phone much earlier in life, if something like that existed.

My plan is to keep the phone off most of the time, and only use it for short conversations or checking in from a distance where there's no phone. That's my main plan. Of course, we'll see how reality plays havoc with plans...

In other news, for you Harry Potter fans, there's a special "web only" episode of Pseudocertainty, where Joe and I share our thoughts on the HP series. Of course, he hadn't read the sixth book yet, so I couldn't share my Snape/Judas theory, and some other ideas I have about the conclusion of the series with him. Watch for another episode coming up in March, where we'll blather on more about being total nerds about these books.

NP: The Dude of Life and Phish - King of Nothing

Sales!

I'm having a few good sales over on E-Bay right now, feel free to take a gander.

Muchos thanks go out to good friend Lou, who has kindly offered to try to get me Police tickets on a presale. Kudos to Lou! I hope he got my e-mail.... :)

These weeks where we have Monday off are quite nice, because you feel a day behind all week (Tuesday feels like Monday, etc), so now it's Wednesday, feels like Tuesday. Tomorrow is Thursday, and then there's just one more day of the week.

A week from today is Sue and my three year wedding anniversary. It's one of those dates that seems both longer and shorter than that in the perspective of time. But either way, it feels fine.

I have to look into the price of long term parking at Newark Airport, to see if it's worth driving/parking there (it's less than 15 minutes away), or if it would be better to pay for a car service. I have a gut feeling that the long term parking will be cheaper, but you never know...

That's all for now... More soon!

NP: The Cross - The 2nd Shelf Mix

Rental Car!

I just reserved a rental car for the Brad Factor wedding down in Florida we're heading to next week. I splurged, and got a convertable. I mean, it's Florida, so you've got to be able to take the top down, right? It's a little more money, but it's worth it.

Spontaneous, eh?

I enjoyed both Lou's and Flo's comments on my blog from yesterday. I didn't want to make it sound like I was railing against the world or anything, but it just hit me that I wasn't sure if *I* wanted to read my blog, let alone have anyone else read a pretty dull (on its face) entry.

Routine is good, it's just that there are times when I want to break away from the routine. Granted, work keeps the schedule pretty fixed, but there's ways to work around other time-killers, like television.

You know, I think that's how people in the old days got so much done. There wasn't TV to sit and stare at. It was a way to get people out of the house, and active. Granted, most people back in the past had to do a lot more work themselves just to survive, so the comparison's not necessarily a fair one, but there is some legitimacy to it.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my TV. But there are times that I think that I watch way too much. And I watch less than average, I would think.

The main thing, I think, is to enjoy the life you have, do what you can to improve it, enjoy yourself, and help others.

In total other news, I wasn't able to get tickets for The Police this morning. I tried as soon as they went on sale, but wasn't able to get 2 tickets. I think the shows were totally sold out in less than 15 minutes. If another goes on sale, I may try again. If not, then life goes on...

NP: Frank Zappa - Drowning Witch

Dull!

There are times (this is one of them) when I think I must be one of the dullest people alive!

I mean, I blogged about going to see GHOST RIDER, of all things!

It was fun, a nice day and all, but nothing that turned my life around.

Then, I do realize that most days are pretty average. You talk to people, you have some good conversations, you influence lives, you interact with the humans, and all is generally right with the world.

I'm a pretty mellow, even keeled person. Even when exciting stuff happens, I tend not to get overly worked up about it. I do think this is a change from the past, I used to be more excitable about life in general. I'm not sure if it's a good/bad thing, this change, but I acknowledge it and accept it.

It's funny, but happiness and contentment don't make for good writing topics. That's why I sometimes dig up old stories about High School, college, or other things to put on here. Other times, I'm happy to do the more diary-like entries that I usually write. This is at times a more leisurely blog than anything action packed. But, that's okay.

I should be clear, I'm not railing against anything here, this is more of an observation than a complaint. I'm happy with my life, I have fun with my lovely Sue, and have a lot of friends who I keep in contact with (although I should and will do a better job with that). Sue and I are traveling down to Florida in less than two weeks to attend a wedding, which will be an adventure. I enjoy my job, although like with all work, there are ups and downs with it, I tend to think of it as more up than anything.

I do think I fall into patterns very easily. Generally, Sue and I watch the same shows on TV after work, she goes to bed early, I exercise, write a blog, read a bit, and then go to bed. Very routine. I enjoy it.

I think I have to plan some spontaneous activity soon.

Of course, I enjoy the delicious irony of the above sentence.

NP: Peter Gabriel - The Family and the Fishing Net (1 Oct 1983)

Movie!

Today, Sue and I went to go see "Ghost Rider," a movie starring Nicholas Cage based on a comic book. I'm not big on giving a synopsis of a film on these little reviews, there are plenty of better sites out there, and people who can actually do it better than I. Here are my quick impressions of the film:

• Nicholas Cage's character and his love interest (Roxanne) are the same age at the start of the film. Then, we see them together later on, and she's probably in her late 20's, while Cage is what, in his 40's in real life? This is something you see a lot of in films. Older men with younger women. Why is this? Ideas in comments below. I have some ideas, but I want to see what others say first.
• My friend Lou sent out a message to a bunch of us when the preview for this movie first hit the internets awhile back, perhaps in the early summer. We all thought the effects looked really bad. I think the effects improved in the interim. They still weren't great, but they weren't totally cartoonish.
• Plot was minimal, but enough to hang a movie on. Peter Fonda was an interesting casting choice as the Devil, but he really didn't get to do much in the movie besides stand around looking semi-menacing.

Overall, it wasn't a bad movie. A good matinee on a day off from work. I can't give it a huge recommendation though.

Each day this weekend, I woke up around 6am, and was awake on and off for the next 2-3 hours. It would have been great to sleep through till 9am, but our windows in our bedroom face east, and we get a lot of sunlight on these mornings. Not a bad thing, but it does cut into sleep a bit much.

NP: Pink Floyd - Bike

Labs!

While tucking Sue into bed tonight (she's a very early to bed person, for those of you not in the know), she likes me to regale her with stories from my sordid and sorry past. So, tonight, I took the leap back to High School.

Oddly enough, I could remember who I had for every class, and stories were pouring out. I was recalling the time Freshman year, in Honors Introductory Physical Science (HIPS), where I semi-orchestrated a change of lab partner. I was partnered with a friend, as was my friend Brian. For a big project (the Sludge Test, perhaps?), I knew that working with my present partner just wouldn't work. Brian may have felt the same way about his partner, so I think one morning, before we started, I just said, "Brian and I are working together, you two can work together on the Sludge Test."

I don't remember there being a lot of personal hub-bub about changing partners, although I could be just blocking that out. I do know that Brian and I remained lab partners through sophomore year Honors Biology. We might have remained lab partners throughout High School, had it not been for Honors Algebra II during Sophomore year.

In our High School, like many, if you were in 3 honors classes, odds were you were going to be in the 4th. That's how I ended up in Honors Algebra II for my sophomore year. I was generally okay at math, but no superstar. However, that year in Algebra II, I didn't get a quarter ending grade above a 78, I believe. I didn't fail, but I came pretty close (failing in our school was 69 or below).

Admittedly, I was not the best at math, but the teacher I had that year just was not good at explaining the material. I know this, because the next year, when I was in level 2 pre-calc, the teacher I had (Mrs. Mechura, the best math teacher I ever had) explained everything I didn't get about Algebra II in the first 3 weeks of the review of material from the previous year. I went on get 90's and above each quarter senior year in Calculus, and getting a 5 on the AB Calculus AP exam. So, take that!

Anyway, at the end of sophomore year, when I met with my guidance counselor to go over my schedule for junior year, she told me that I was going to be in Honors English, History, and Chemistry. Great! But then, she said that I was also recommended for Honors Pre-Calc.

Hold the phones! I barely passed Honors Algebra II! Why would I be in Honors Pre-Calc?

Well, it was what I was recommended to go into, and if I was in the three honors classes, there was no Level 2 pre-calc class to enroll in. So, I made the choice, sadly, to forgo the Honors AP Chemistry class, and took Level 2 pre-calc and chemistry. And did quite well in each class, thank you very much.

I can't recall, but it is possible that it was also the same teacher from Honors Algebra II, who was going to teach Honors Pre-Calc. That may have also played into my decision to not be in that Honors level class.

Brian, any memories from that HIPS lab partner changeover that I'm missing? Did I make anyone cry? Was I a good lab partner? I need affirmation for stuff from 20 years ago. Really.

Actually, I don't. But it's fun to talk about this stuff. I like to talk about the past, to focus on the future. It's not to be maudlin or depressing, although sometimes it can go in that direction.

Generally, I enjoyed Junior and Senior year of High School more than Freshman and Sophomore year. Freshman year, people were still kind of immature, and we're freshman, so we get the short end of the stick in everything. Sophomore year was fun, but it was really the last two years where I felt like things were firing on all chambers. Good times. Glad it's over.

NP: The Mars Volta - Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus

Snow!

So, today at work, we got a delayed opening until 10am, so I could rest/sleep a little longer...

Then, at 10:45am, we get a call at work that the College is closing at 11am because of the snow. Was it even worth it coming in for a short period of time? Did people in charge not realize how the roads were?

Living in VT/NH for the past eight years, this is minimal snow, but I can see it being hard for people driving who are not used to it. I will certainly take the afternoon off, and be all good with it. I've cleaned up a bit, listened to some music, and am reading my book, "Monster Nation" by David Wellington.

It's a good fun quick read, but if "World War Z" is a meal of a book, this is a good snack. I think Brooks in his zombie world thought through the zombie issue a bit more thoroughly than Wellington in his. I am still unclear if you have to be bit in order to become a zombie, or whether you can "catch" the zombie sickness in some other way.

In other news, I'm going to shoot for getting tickets to see The Police at MSG this coming August. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, so we'll see if I can get some. The most expensive ones are in the $200 dollar range, I'm going to shoot for the $55 range tickets. You could join the Police fanclub for $100, and get access to a presale, but that seems a bit much to join a club. At least when Genesis tickets go on sale, there's no charge for members of their message boards.

More later!

Taxes!

Just finished doing our taxes on Turbo Tax tonight. We're getting refunds on all three returns (federal, NY, and NJ), so yippee for us!

The state ones are tiny, but they usually are. This is the first time we're filing state taxes since 2001, since we've lived in New Hampshire since then, and there's no state income tax there.

It helped that our moving expenses were deductible. That's a big chunk of cash right there.

It's snowing out. Yay!

NP: Led Zeppelin - I Can't Quit You Baby

Show!

Joe and I recorded a new episode of Pseudocertainty last night. Included this week are reactions to 1-31, Atlantis news, the aurora spacecraft, the Doomsday Vault, and a long discourse on the Harry Potter books.

Joe has been reading the books for the first time, so we were able to have a good discussion about aspects of the books that we both recognize, as fans of epic storytelling. We had prior phone conversations earlier in the week, that we should have just recorded for the purposes of the show, that dealt with a lot of the Potter stuff we discussed yesterday.

If the show's not up at the site already, it should be up pretty soon...

I finished reading "Monster Island" by David Wellington, the most recent book about modern day zombies that I've finished. It tells the story of DeKalb, a UN Weapons Inspector in Somalia, who has to bring a group of soldiers to the zombie-fied city of New York, to get AIDS medication for the leader of the group of people who are holding his daughter as a "guest." While in NYC, DeKalb meets Gary, a med student who intentionally turned himself into a zombie, figuring that he'd get eaten if he didn't. He did this by infecting himself, and then keeping himself on life support while the transformation occurred. In this way, he kept his brain from lacking oxygen, so he didn't get stupid like all the other zombies.

The book overall was a good quick read, and I'm starting the sequel today, "Monster Nation," which actually tells the story of the outbreak, so is actually a prequel. I think I still prefer the zombie approach that Max Brooks takes in his books "The Zombie Survival Guide" and "World War Z," where the zombies don't have any glimpse of humanity, but it's good to read something that is a different flavor than what I'm used to in my zombie literature.

I actually didn't even realize, before reading Brooks' books that there was a zombie genre of writing out there, but I really shouldn't be surprised.

Yesterday, Sue and I went to go see Smokin' Aces. I won't bother summarizing the plot here, there are plenty of other sites that do that type of work. We did both generally enjoy the movie, although the ending got stretched out a bit longer than it really needed to be. I did like how in the first 20-30 minutes, you leared that any character could get killed at any time, because it's usually so predictable who will live to be the hero to the end of any film.

More to come! Battlestar Galactica is on tonight, so I have to get ready for that...

NP: Fish - Institution Waltz

Ack!

Have you ever pulled a boner move so STUPENDOUS, that you marvel that you can tie your own shoes in the morning?

I did one of those yesterday.

I'm married to a wonderful Sue, and periodically during the day at work, we'll drop little e-mail notes to each other, just reminders that we're out there, thinking of each other. Romantic, eh?

Well, yes, it is romantic, until you send one of those messages to your boss by mistake.

With the subject line "I love YOU!"

And then you get the reply, "re: I love YOU!," and it's not from your lovely wife, but from someone NOT YOUR WIFE.

The first words out of my mouth when I got the reply were "Oh f*ck." With a laugh at it, because it, obviously, is very funny.

I pictured my supervisor sitting there at her computer, wondering what to do with this strange e-mail addressed to her, from me.

We did get a good laugh about it, and Sue did also. All was right with the world.

But, I'm still laughing about it now. What a dunderhead I can be!

NP: Steve Howe - The Collector

Exercise!

Ah, just finished exercising. I don't exercise on the weeks that I'm on duty, so it's a nice break. I just did 20 minutes on our elliptical, which is better than nothing. I'm not looking to be hard core, I simply want to have some basic activity every day. If I drop some weight, that's great, but I really started doing this because back in 2001 my cholesterol was higher than it should have been. So, the doc said eat better and exercise.

Strangely enough, it appears to have worked, cholesterol-wise. My number is consistently 100 points lower than it was at its highest point, so no medication needed here.

I still eat some of the same crap I used to (pizza, bread, pasta, etc), but now I make sure to not have those foods as often as I used to, and I eat some salad in my diet. Simple stuff can make radical changes.

Granted, if I was looking to lose weight (I'm about 185 now), I'd do more, and eat less, but it's not that much of a priority now. Sure, it'd be nice to be back down to 170-175, and hey, it might happen, but it's not really a goal. It'll be more of an accident if it goes on.

On a totally different subject, about a week ago, Chris, one of my friend from high school, invited me to join this "linkedin" website. It's supposed to help people network and reconnect, both personally and career-wise.

Generally, I shy away from these things, I figured, why not... So, I joined up. No cost or anything. I didn't really expect anything from it, but what do you know. About 2 days after I join, I hear from Sharon, a classmate of mine from Boston College! We've e-mailed back and forth, and it's fun to be back in contact with her, since I think the last time we spoke was back in 1994. It's so easy to lose contact with people, but easier now to get back in touch.

So, thank you Chris, if you're reading this. And thank you Sharon for writing! Perhaps some other long lost people from my past will write in too.

Today in the mail, I got two CDs I ordered from England. Steve Hackett, former guitarist from Genesis, just had two of his solo albums remastered, Cured and Highly Strung. I have these on vinyl (ancient technology), but never got them on CD. I took quick listens to them today, and they sound much better sonically than I remember. I'll give a more careful listen sometime in the next few days...

NP: Adrian Belew - The Rail Song

Return!

I have an announcement to make!

The lovely Sue has returned to blogging! Read her adventures, and enjoy!

In other news, today was a cleaning day, I did laundry, and vacuumed up around here. I still need to hit the kitchen floor, which is a mess. The bathroom needs some work also, but nothing too heavy duty.

I'm actually watching the "Puppy Bowl" on Animal Planet right now. It's puppies gallivanting around on a fake football field. Brilliant programming for tonight. I'm really waiting for the Kitten half time show, but really, who isn't?

That's all for now, perhaps more to come later...

NP: Brian May - Back to the Light (the TV is on mute...)

Visit!

Today, Sue and I went down to Asbury Park to visit my mom, since her birthday is tomorrow. She and we figured today was a better day to visit, as trying to go out to lunch or dinner tomorrow would probably have been interrupted by a bunch of yahoos out watching the Super Bowl.

Personally, I may actually watch the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet instead...

We got down there around 11ish, and Sue and my mom went out to a yarn store, to check out the local wares there. I believe the store was up in Colts Neck somewhere. While at home, I ran some updates for my mom's computer, and tried to make friend with her cat Daisy.

Daisy isn't really used to other human beings besides my mom, so she doesn't react well when I'm in the house. She never comes out, or if she does, I can't get close enough to pet the kitty. And that's no fun for me, the cat lover. All I want to do is be friends, but she prefers to hide...

This isn't her hiding, but I wanted a visual representation of the kitty for readers.

After the return of Sue and Mom from the yarn store, we went out to lunch at a place close by to her house. A good time was had by all. I had Chicken Quesos, which were okay, but I should probably stick to having Mexican food at Mexican restaurants. We had some good conversation, and Mom enjoyed her birthday lunch.

I think tomorrow's going to be a big cleaning day. I've been meaning to clean around the apartment for awhile, I just haven't gotten around to it. Tomorrow's a good a day as any to do it.

Nothing else too exciting to report out there today. More to come soon, I'm sure. I'm also a bit sleepy, so writing isn't the top thing on my mind. Tomorrow, I'll write about hearing from long lost friends over e-mail.

NP: David Gilmour - Blue Light

Weird!

Reading Florence's blog, she did this thing about listing 6 weird things about you that nobody knows. Never one to overlook a good idea, I think I'll try this out. Feel free to do this yourself on your blog, if you have one...

1. When I tie my shoes, I still do the two rabbit ears thing. I remember being shown as a kid, that there's a way to tie shoes by doing one rabbit ear, and then twisting the other lace around it in some magical way, but I can't for the life of me remember what it is. I always feel a bit kid-like when I tie my shoes because of that...

2. When I was in school (elementary through late High School), I had this thing that I couldn't be friends with people outside of the year I was in. I don't know where it came from, but until really late in high school, like during Senior year, I really didn't have friends outside of my own class. Sure, there were people I talked to in class who were not in my year, but that was about it. During Senior year, mainly through my friend Brian, I got to be close to people outside of my year. Then, in college, most of my close friends ended up being in the year ahead of me, or the year behind me. Oh, how times change.

3. While I really enjoy the company of people, I think I can go long stretches of time without human contact, with little to no problem. Maybe it's from living on my own from 1994-2001, but there were some weekends (especially when I was living in Vermont) where I realized I would go a whole weekend without speaking to another human being. I think part of it is because my job is pretty much totally about talking and relating to other humans, that when I get some time off, sometimes disengaging is a good way to recharge my batteries.

I am trying to be better now in staying in contact with friends, without being overwhelming. We'll see how that works. With this job, I don't have to pay for long distance, so if you want me to give you a call, just say the word!

4. I have a thing about litter. I mean, I *truly* dislike it. It annoyed me when I lived in New England, because if you live in a pretty area, why litter? And I dislike it here, because if you're living in an urban area, wouldn't you want to do everything you could to keep it neat? This leads into number 5, which is...

5. Sometimes I really don't see why people think differently than I do. I mean, we're all the center of our own universes in some way, but I can't imagine people doing truly stupid things, without realizing they're stupid. This is one reason why I could never really write anything that was satisfying to me, as a piece of narrative fiction. I always found it difficult to have characters do things that weren't "right," or "good," because it's almost impossible for me to concieve of someone not realizing that they're making a bad decision. When I'm talking to students sometimes, I want to say, "Don't you get that this is a bad idea? How can you not see that?"

And it's not just because I'm "older and wiser," I thought this way back in elementary school. Either I was tremendously advanced, or I haven't grown mentally since then...

6. If I don't like someone, I can totally ignore them in the presence of other people, and not feel the least bit bad about it. I first realized this in college, when my friend Joe pointed it out to me. Or maybe Brian and I talked about it in High School. If I didn't like someone, I really wouldn't harass them or anything, but I could really just tune them out entirely. If I was directly addressed by the person, I'd respond, but in the most limited, short fashion possible. Joe did say in college that it was great to watch, because I would be quite rude to people, and not think anything of it.

From my perspective, I thought I was being more polite, because I wasn't leading anyone on. If I liked you, I'd make fun of you forever, but it was all in fun. I wouldn't make fun of the people I didn't like, because then that would feel like I was picking on someone. And that's just not right in my book... But, from the outside, me poking fun at someone could look like I don't like them. But, nothing could be further from the truth...

For those of you out there, feel free to add any other weird things you know or remember about me. I'd be curious to see myself from the point of view of others...

Cheers!

NP: Pete Townshend - I Don't Know Myself

Lunchtables!

Tonight, before Sue went off to bed, I was regailing her with stories from High School. For whatever reason, I got onto our Lunch misadventures, and was thinking back on who I sat with at lunch for 6th through 12th grade.

At least for me, it was very uncommon to sit with different people back then for lunch. It was all about consistency. However, outside of a few of the "core" people I sat with (Brian Paik, Erik Lynch, Mike Pohl, Albert Mark, and some others), I really couldn't remember the consistent people all that well.

I went looking to my photo albums, to see if I had photos from lunch, and surprisingly, I don't have a one! I rememeber Senior year lunch pretty well, because, as seniors, we were able to leave the cafeteria. About 20 of us took over a room in the math wing of our high school, eating and causing "trouble" there for most of the year. But before senior year, it's mainly a blur.

I know this is just a symptom of ageing, but isn't it amazing that things that mattered so much then (who you sat with at lunch, even at the SAME TABLE each day), you can barely remember now. Not the most original observation in the world, but a valid one nonetheless.

Generally, I have to say that after 9th grade, I enjoyed my High School years. I'd change a few things now, if I could go back, but not much. I'd get rid of the glasses I had senior year, that's for sure. What was I thinking??? Tinted glasses were kind of in, but I looked like a cop from the 70's. I'll try to get a picture here to post as a warning to future generations.

I was also incredibly shy around girls. I'd change that now, as looking back on things, I realize I was what you'd call a TOTAL IDIOT about some situations. Those are probably best left unsaid for now, but lets just say I never dated at all in High School, and I know that I could have at least gone out with some girls if I had had the guts to say hello, or "Want to go out?" at some point.

Ah, but such is life, you live and learn. If I hadn't done that stuff, or not done that stuff, then, who knows where I'd be now, and one thing is for sure, I'm very happy with how things are as they have turned out.

You know, I could fill a full blog with "Mike's an idiot around girls" stories, but I don't know if I need to relive that portion of my life. And, the stories are much more fun to tell in person, anyway.

I guess what this post boils down to, is that if you sat with me in lunch during Junior High or High School, please write. I'd like to be reacquainted. Brian, as a reader of this blog, is already here, and I think Baron (still around Baron?) may have sat with us a few times, but I could be wrong...

NP: Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - The 17-Year Cicada

Genealogy!

It's been awhile since I've given a thorough update on my genealogy research, so tonight's a good a time as any, I guess... Also, I can't think of much else to write about.

• I've been in contact with a gentleman who is a cousin to my Lord grandfather, on his mother's side, so the common last name there is Riepe. We've just started corresponding over e-mail, so we'll see how this goes. But, as always, it's good to find people who are connected by family.


• I've gone to the Jersey City library for the first time in the past two weeks, even though we've lived here since July. I was busy with other avenues of research. While there, I saw that in their New Jersey room, they have lists of all the Jersey City high school graduates. I found some offshoots of the Coulson line in there, which I'll have to go back and photocopy for complete-ness sake. The last name in question was Jameson. I didn't find any Coulson's in the one list I was looking at. I really think that at least of my ancestors on the Lord side, my grandmother was the first person to complete High School. (It was my mom on my mom's side.) I've also dug up some Coulson obits from the local paper, which will help me find living descendants of those mentioned in the obits. For example, I just got an obit for a Harry Coulson, which lists the married names of his five daughters. I only knew the married name of one of them before, so now I can try to find if any of these daughters are still alive, or if they're not, then if the daughters had living relations.


• I've really reached a bit of a wall on my Mom's side, the Polish side. Until the state and church records are a bit more easily accessible, I'll have to plan my requests to different Polish agencies carefully. I wish the civil Polish records were accessible like the Scotland records are, on the web. And speaking of the Scots records...


• The ScotlandsPeople website, link found on the right hand column, has recently made all their pre-1855 records available on the web. There is a fee for using the site, but it's quite reasonable. I found some records I've been holding off paper copies of, as I knew that there'd be online access at some point, at a cheaper price than ordering paper. However, the one issue is that the records aren't printing properly. I have to drop a line to the website, to see if it's an issue with the site, or an issue with my printer. In the meantime, I'm simply glad to have access to the records in a very easy form.


• I've gotten a lot of records on the James Coulson from Iowa, who I think was a brother to my G3-GF Richard Coulson. However, I do need to find his elusive death record from 1894, to prove that his parents were Richard and Sarah (Shield) Coulson. I'm going to try one more library out there, and then go the state government route again. I spoke of that agency previously, when they wouldn't issue me the record because I couldn't prove relationship. But, I need the record to prove relationship. Catch-22.

And, as a little bonus, here's a photo....

The white haired guy at the center of the photo is, I *think*, my G2-GF Robert F. Lord. I found the photo at the Kearny Museum, and it was labeled "Officials of Kearny, circa 1900." Robert was a town officer at that time, and would have been 48 in 1900. Of the guys in the photo, this person is the closest looking to another picture I have of Robert, taken probably in about 1885 or so. Here's the full picture, for context:

Of course, just my luck, there's nothing written on the back of the photo. Such is the life of a genealogist. However, I think the odds are better than 50-50 that the close up above is Robert.

So, that's the excitement on that front. For a roll call, here's a partial list of surnames in my direct ancestory:

• Father's side: Lord, Partridge, Riepe, Nixon, Coulson, Lang, Schulze, Fegan, Houston, Lindsay, Gibb, Love, McLeod, Crawford, Blackwood, Taylor, Laird
• Mother's side: Sanecki, Moskwa, Gac (anglicized to Gatz), Drozd, Kawa, Stachura, Flaga, Kluska, Ruszala

That's it for now. Enjoy!

NP: Yes - I'm Running (Demo)

Update!

I was thinking, it's been awhile since I just did a general update of life on this blog. However, isn't a blog by its very nature a general update.

I'll leave that question to the philosophers out there. But, what have I been up to recently? Here's news:

• I have a NJ driver's licence for the first time since probably 1996 or so. And, amazingly enough, I was still in the DMV computer system, so I have my original drivers licence number. The photo didn't turn out bad, and even though I had to get a new licence and update my title and registration, my total time at the DMV was less than an hour. Not too shabby, for a place known for eternal lines.
• I also have a Jersey City public library card. I know it's a small thing, but I think it's important to support the public libraries. I went there last Friday, to do a bit of genealogy research. Found a lead or two on some possible Coulson descendants who might still be out there. More to come as I follow those leads.
• Sue and I went to see Curse of the Golden Flower. A good movie going experience, although that's when my lip swelled up (see previous blog). Chow-Yun Fat is one of my favorite Chinese actors, and he did well with this film. In some ways, the role of Emperor was a bit sedate for him, but he used his screen time well. The movie, like many Chinese films, doesn't really have a happy ending, but that's okay, because you got told a compelling story along the way.
• I'm all set with my travel plans for heading to the ACPA/NASPA Conference in Orlando at the end of March. It'll be my second time in Florida in one month, as Sue and I will be heading down to a friend's wedding in Jacksonville at the start of March. Plans for that travel will be made, most likely by the end of this weekend.
• I'm trying to exercise at least every other day. Generally, it's working.

I think that's it for an update now. There's not a lot of "exciting" stuff going on, but we're keeping busy.

NP: King Crimson - Asbury Park (28 June 1874)

Lip!

I have recovered from my allergic attack, although I did have this recurrance on Satuday:



My upper lip swelled up on Saturday, perhaps as a reaction to movie popcorn salt? Maybe I'm having an iodine reaction? Who knows...

Just a short update today, to let everyone know I'm alive. Longer posts tomorrow and towards the end of the week. Not because of anything big happening then, I just don't feel like writing a lot now...

NP: Simple Minds - Big Sleep