Lost In Austin

The End of History?

2009-01-03T10:28:00.002-06:00

Well, so much for posting on a more regular basis. The list of things that have happened in the last seven months that failed to prompt me to write has been pretty stunning. Both personal and worldwide events have made me think, "I should write a post about that", only to be followed by, "I'll get around to it later."

Maybe the most significant is also the most obvious: Barack Obama is going to the White House. The event that finally made me to decide to start this blog was the re-election of Bush in 2004. I'd been following the race closely, and was deeply disturbed that so many of my fellow Americans believed this man was the one to guide us through such troubled times, both foreign and domestic. I have not been happy to have been proven correct in my beliefs that Bush was both incompetent and uninterested in his own Presidency, beyond the power it gave him.

We have a fresh start coming in a couple of weeks, and yet the next President will face the most difficult challenges since World War II, at least. It's hard to comprehend how much will have to be done to prevent things from getting any worse, much less improve them, but there are bright spots to be seen. In college, I read a book called The End of History. Can you imagine?

In other news, I'll be getting married this year, and traveling back to Australia for the honeymoon. I'm quite looking forward to it, as is my lovely lady. We've spent the last few months of 2008 remodeling the house after my former roommate and his wife were married and moved out. It turned out great, even as there's more to do (immediately after I finish posting this, and beyond). We hope to show it off to friends by the end of January.

I thought about closing this blog at this point, as I seem to have less to say that I care to share with the world. In the week of Christmas that I was isolated from the internet, I can't say that I missed it much, and I've already given my opinion about enough topics to fill a syllabus. Time is a lot more precious to me these days, and if I'm going to spend it writing, I want it to be writing "work", that is, the type of writing that I went to school for: poetry, stories, screenplays, maybe I'll eventually get to one of those novels in my head.

But I decided not to take the blog down, because who knows what the future holds? I may not want to post once a month, or even once a year, but there will still be things I want to say, and this forum is all mine. Why give it up entirely if I don't have to? I've always been one who prefers to open doors, not close them. That hasn't changed, and I hope it never will. An open door is an invitation.

For shame

2008-05-22T18:24:00.003-05:00

Ron Rosenbaum has an unusual article up at Slate today that touches tangentially on a topic I've been meaning to write about for some time. The article is about "liberal guilt" and questions why there isn't a corresponding conservative guilt over slavery and the attendant racism and discrimination that persists to a lesser extent today.

A few years ago, I was courting a young woman who was a native Texan. She once told me about how her high school had flown a Confederate flag until it was ordered by the government to take it down, and how offended she was. The students and parents of her school were almost totally united, so she said, in their belief that they had the right to fly that flag, if it weren't for the few black folks who complained and took the school to court.

I'm not a native Texan, and my home state of Indiana was a Northern state, and towns near where I grew up were even attacked by Morgan's Raiders during the Civil War. I don't believe that disqualifies me from disagreeing on this point, but if you do, feel free to stop reading.

What she and many other (white) people believe, especially those from Southern states, is that, because it is a part of their heritage, the Confederate flag should be flown above the institutions that serve them, like court houses, schools, and the like. A slogan seen every once in a while in this part of the country is "Heritage, not hate." What they don't admit, probably not even to themselves, is that hate is a part of their heritage, and to those African-Americans whose family history and economic prospects were shaped by slavery that flag is a symbol of hate.

So what?, they might ask. More people want the flag to fly than not, and this is a democracy. The problem with this reasoning is that individuals already have the right to fly the flag on their property as much as they want. But those institutions that are forbidden to fly it are forbidden because it represents the Confederacy, which sought the dissolution of the very country those institutions now serve and are a part of. Our state and federal buildings, including schools, fly the flag of the U.S.A. because it won the war. The Confederacy lost, and its symbols have no place in the governmental representation of the U.S.A., which serves black and white alike.

Some people still argue the Civil War wasn't fought primarily over slavery, largely because to admit the truth is to acknowledge the shame that comes along with it. They are wrong because none of the other factors they cite as causes would, individually or collectively, have led to war, and slavery, with or without those other factors, would inevitably have, if it was allowed to continue.

It is appropriate to feel a measure of guilt when faced with the reality that your lot in life has come in part at the expense of someone else's, whether or not you yourself had a hand in it. Everyone would like to celebrate the culture they come from without reservation, but those that do are turning a blind eye to those events and people who don't deserve to be celebrated. As I've noted before, it is appropriate to be ashamed of people who do shameful things without remorse or apology. Look at Germany, which has spent decades atoning for the sins of the ruling class over a handful of years in the 1930's and 40's. Slavery in America lasted 400 years. Why is anyone surprised that this stain is still present, and in need of work?

Milestone

2008-04-16T19:54:00.002-05:00

Dungeons and Dragons and great writers

2008-03-06T18:08:00.002-06:00

Gary Gygax died Tuesday. As the more subsequently involved of the two creators of the role playing game Dungeons and Dragons, he's responsible for many an hour of reading and playing with my friends as a teenager and college student. It wasn't always D&D I was playing (Adventure Quest was the local scene at Purdue), but without it so much of the fantasy adventure genre as I knew it simply wouldn't have existed.

My introduction to D&D, as is the case with many of my interests, came by way of my cousin Jim, who owned most of the rule books and quest modules, as well as the novels based on the game. I would borrow them and read them cover to cover, even the parts meant only for the Dungeon Master because I couldn't resist. Some of the books have spawned the most fun and engrossing video games I've ever played, the Baldur's Gate series and Neverwinter Nights. Then there were misfires like the live action movie, the less said about the better, and the animated cartoon (which Gygax had a big hand in). I remember just one scene of one episode of the cartoon, and I probably watched the whole series, which didn't last long.

Of course, with the success of the Lord of the Rings films, fantasy is enjoying a renaissance at the moment, but when I was growing up it was more likely to get you labeled a nerd or draw disapproving looks from the folks. There were stories going around at the time of kids who believed they were the characters they played, and when the character died they killed themselves. This was actually a myth based on a couple incidents where people did kill themselves, but not because they were delusional, rather they lost characters they had spent so much time on, building their experience and abilities, that they were distraught to lose all the "work" they had put into them (and likely depressed, too). Maybe a subtle distinction, but not the same thing. Picture a writer who's only copy of his manuscript gets destroyed before anyone could read it and you'll get the idea. For some players in that age range, the characters they ran in D&D were more like friends, or works of art.

Another of the stereotypes about role-players was the dressing up in costume, which I was surprised to find when I got to college was a real phenomenon, one I engaged in on a couple of Halloween adventures put on by a club I was a member of at Purdue. "Cosplay" is now a big deal at conventions of all kinds.

Wikipedia has a great article on TSR, Inc., the company Gygax helped build and run to get D&D out to the geeks of the world, well worth a read. His success despite adversity is an inspiration to all of us writers who'd like to change the world.

Progress

2008-02-18T18:44:00.003-06:00

I just finished changing my oil for the first time since last year's fun. I use synthetic, so it only has to be done once a year. This time, there was not a drop spilled (on the floor). As Ralph Wiggum would say, "I'm learn-ding!" I also had to replace a headlight, which took about five minutes. As opposed to the hour it took last time, which was also the first time I'd done that particular bit of maintenance. Feeling pretty proud of myself tonight.

Bling

2008-02-17T11:25:00.003-06:00

Announcement

2008-02-17T11:23:00.001-06:00

On Valentine's Day, I proposed to Becky and she accepted, marking a turning point in my life. I couldn't be happier to have her.

Holiday cheer

2007-12-11T19:21:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I posted, lots going on. This is one way of putting off studying, which I'm out of practice for. Went to Colorado with Becky to meet her folks, which was fun but short. I only had a weekend but had a great time. I even played some blackjack in an Indian casino, which was the only hotel in town.

Went camping in November, again, but it was quite a different experience. We shared a campsite with a group of Polish friends singing pop songs all night and drinking loudly. Before and after that was pretty cool, though. Got to play some guitar and find a tick crawling up my leg for the first time in years. The lake was beautiful in the morning sun.

Last weekend, Becky and I drove up to Dallas to see Jim and Lyndon, and I even got to see Tobey for a little bit. We watched Beowulf in digital 3-D, which was cool. It wasn't the best weather for traveling, but we didn't have any real problems. I'm bringing her home to meet the rest of the family for Christmas, which will be at my folks' place this year. I can't wait for vacation.

It must be said, these are really odd carrots.

2007-10-25T18:17:00.001-05:00

One tomato, cha-ching.

2007-10-25T18:15:00.000-05:00

October sights

2007-10-25T18:07:00.000-05:00

October is coming to an end, and I'm ready for a little Halloween reverie. I'll be going as a pirate, and Becky will be my gypsy queen. I hope the little kiddos of the neighborhood are ready for it. We'll be handing out candy and maybe offering the neighborhood a little surprise...muhuhahaha!

In other news, the garden that largely refused to produce now stubbornly refuses to die. We now have no less than three little green tomatoes, as well as a jalapeño. After a period of yellowing, the tomato vines have turned green again and continued to bloom. Above you'll see the one that ripened and went great on a couple sandwiches last week. Also, I'll put up a scaaary picture of our mutant carrots for everyone to chew on.

Garden's state

2007-10-01T21:36:00.000-05:00

The summer's winding down and so is our garden. After months of anticipation and one false start, we now have one healthy tomato. We've also managed to grow half a dozen jalapeños and at least one more cucumber (for a total of three). I dug up a couple of the healthy carrot plants only to find they're still smaller than the sweet potatoes were. Still no sign of green peppers, the onions were gone mid-summer, and no basil either. We're still seeing a green bean here and there. But let me tell you, those jalapeños are good on a pizza.

ACL Fest again

2007-09-24T12:33:00.000-05:00

Another ACL Fest has come and gone, and this one didn't disappoint. It was the first time Becky attended, and she was duly impressed by the crowds. Some highlights this year were Ghostland Observatory, Billy Joe Shaver, Regina Spektor, Reverend Horton Heat, and Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonites. Bjork was strange, as expected, and the Killers and Blue October put on shows equal to their albums, but nothing surprising. We brought chairs, the first time I've done that, and didn't get there until 3-4pm Saturday and Sunday, but didn't miss many acts I wanted to see, and didn't suffer from exhaustion like I have in the past. Bob Dylan played some of his hits, although he didn't allow closeups on the Jumbo-trons. Still, I'm glad I got to see him. It wasn't too hot, and it didn't rain, so I was happy.

Lord of the Wheel of Time

2007-09-18T21:29:00.000-05:00

I found out yesterday that over the weekend Robert Jordan (aka James Oliver Rigney, Jr.), possibly my favorite writer, passed away over the weekend. He was working on the final book of his Wheel of Time series, the 12th book. At least two of those books reached more than 1,000 pages, and none of the paperbacks is less than 700 pages.

This is sad news, not just for his family but for his millions of fans. I remember the first time one of his books debuted at number one on the New York Times best seller list, Entertainment Weekly got one of the character's names confused with her profession, and had to print a correction in the next issue, undoubtedly due to passionate reader response. I believe each subsequent book has also topped the list, but they haven't made any more mistakes reporting it. For all their popularity, his books have continued to feel like a well-kept secret among his fans.

Around the midpoint of the series, I read Jordan claimed to have written as many pages of notes on the world and characters of the series as he had published in the books themselves. It's my hope his estate will publish some or all of these when the series is completed, which it undoubtedly will be, either by a family member or another author (see: Frank Herbert's Dune). It's a good sign that Jordan reportedly told the entire story of the ending to his family before his death, so between that and his notes I hope for a truly great ending to the Wheel of Time, as the author intended.

It's true, as many online fans have griped, that the second half of the series has suffered from a decline in quality, of the pacing if not the writing, but Jordan's accomplishment in the first six books has earned him a rightful place in the ranks of the greatest fantasy and sci-fi writers of all time. And even if the later books don't live up to the promise of the first, there are still flashes of greatness woven throughout them, and he had set the bar awfully high anyway. The end of book six, Lord of Chaos, is simultaneously the most thrilling, horrifying, and heartbreaking I've ever read, complete with an edge of your seat final page that leaves me begging for more every time I re-read it.

Rest in peace, and thanks.

The big trip

2007-09-04T22:05:00.000-05:00

The big news I've been putting off writing about is my trip to New York City a few weekends ago, which went off without a hitch. Aside from our flight back to Austin being delayed, and me not bringing the right shoes for all the walking we'd be doing, things couldn't have gone better.

I'd been wanting to see NYC for several years, even hoped I might get sent to a conference there for my previous job, but things kept coming up. When Becky told me her plans to go with her roommate, I asked to tag along and she agreed.

We stayed in what's usually an off-campus apartment for Juilliard students 64th St. When class is out for the summer, they rent them to tourists for cheap (one bedroom, one bath, pull out couch, TV, oven, fridge, microwave - $120/night). We got to check in early, so we had more time than expected to look around the first afternoon. We used it to walk Central Park for a few hours, then did some shopping at the corner store to stock the fridge with breakfast and sandwich stuff for the next four days, followed by Phantom of the Opera that night. Afterward, we walked to Times Square and had a couple Long Island iced teas before a cab ride back.

The next couple days are a blur of touring the streets, all kinds of notable buildings and landmarks, back to Times Square for more pictures and shopping. Friday it rained pretty consistently once we got to Little Italy in the afternoon, so we retired early that night only. Saturday was absolutely beautiful. On Sunday, we met some friends of Becky's for lunch and convo, and saw the oldest pub in the city, McSorley's. That night we went to the top of Rockefeller Center despite the cloudy conditions, and got ten minutes of clear weather for pictures. Even surrounded by clouds, the city was impressive from that vantage point. They had to kick us out to close.

Our last day was less eventful, simply because we'd run so hard to see everything since we got there. We went back to the library to see inside, since it was closed the first time we walked by it, and got some shots of the U.N. building and the rivers, then back to New Jersey for our flight home. We got in after 1am, and I had to work the next day. I took more than a hundred photos, supplemented by almost 400 of Becky's. Thanks, babe!

Sweet potato harvest.

2007-08-30T19:05:00.001-05:00

Summertime

2007-08-30T18:59:00.000-05:00

So it's been a while since I posted, but I've got some more coming this weekend. This afternoon I spent half an hour digging up half of our sweet potato plants. As you can see in the picture above, I was a little disappointed. Also, because I was wearing a jacket to save my arms and neck from the mosquitoes, by the time I was done I was totally soaked in sweat and had to relax in the a/c for a while to recover. Tonight we're doing burgers on the grill, and I'd hoped for sweet potato fries. Maybe next month.

Travel Diary - Day 35

2007-07-05T19:46:00.000-05:00

Date: 7/5/97
Weather: sunny and warm
Place: L.A., Dallas, Chicago, Cincinnati

I got up and down for breakfast, but there had been some kind of mixup because they had put my meal last night on my room bill with the phone call and movie. I got it taken off at the front desk, then got the breakfast buffet and hoped they didn't screw up again and put that on my bill. When I got to Dallas, I found out my flight had been canceled to Cincinnati, and I could go to Chicago then down and be home sooner than wait for the next Dallas flight (to Cincinnati), so I did that. I had that choice from L.A. and should've taken it. When I got to Cincy, no one was there to meet me so I got my other bag. Then everybody showed up and I went home.

Travel Diary - Day 34

2007-07-04T13:18:00.000-05:00

Date: 7/4/97 (again)
Weather: sunny and warm
Place: Papeete, L.A.

I got very little sleep both because of the meal times and the fact that we had less night due to traveling east (Author's note: we crossed the international date line, so I got to see July 4th twice). I've drank so much Coke lately I'm going to have to stop for a while. I had a glass of champagne on the plane, but the coffee counteracted it. Once again, I'm stuck in L.A., due to Air New Zealand's error in transfer times when booking me. Since it's their fault, the hotel room, which is at the Sheraton, is free, as are dinner and breakfast tomorrow. I had a New York sirloin. I've got a king size bed again, and this is a bit better than the Holiday Inn was last time, with a refrigerator and other things. I couldn't resist ordering a movie. I watched the fireworks from my window.

Travel Diary - Day 33

2007-07-04T13:12:00.000-05:00

Date: 7/4/97
Weather: sunny, cool
Place: Auckland, Papeete

I was an early riser yet again this morning, and took the 9:30am tour of Auckland. It was a great day for it, but unfortunately it only lasted three hours. The afternoon tour was longer, but it didn't end until 3:00pm, and I had a 4:00pm shuttle to the airport. I got to the most visited building in the southern hemisphere, a museum housing art and war stuff, along with Maori cultural artifacts, and the largest crater in Auckland, which was covered in grass inside and out and used cows to mow it by grazing. I was lucky to be at the airport so early, since my flight was delayed three hours and I got a seat on another one.

Travel Diary - Day 32

2007-07-03T21:39:00.000-05:00

Date: 7/3/97
Weather: cloudy and cool, some rain
Place: Taihape, Auckland

I got up and made it to the gas station where I would be picked up an hour early. This time the guy did not even pull in, he just stopped across the road and I dragged my bag over to him. It was a long day of driving up the eastern side, so it was nice to get some different scenery. We only stopped briefly for lunch, and it was raining at the time. It was dusk by the time we got to Auckland, and I decided I'd take a tour of the city tomorrow. I got a single room and a free beer card, so I went up to the bar on the top floor of the hostel. There was a pool competition for mixed couples, and on my second try I met a girl who agreed to play. She was from Colorado and had just flown in this morning. We played pool across the street instead.

Travel Diary - Day 31

2007-07-02T21:34:00.000-05:00

Date: 7/2/97
Weather: cold and rainy
Place: Wellington, Taihape

I got up for my 7:30am bus and packed in the dark, then I got a cup of coffee at the cafe in the hostel. Unfortunately, I was not informed that today was one of the two days of the week that River Valley did not get a Kiwi bus. I was literally the only one there aside from the staff when my ride dropped me off. Since it was raining and I couldn't go horse trekking, I went sheep herding for an hour or more. I've never climbed hills so steep and pathless as I did then. The sheepdog was cool, and Jeff brought along his daughter. Luckily, I got a ride back into town and got a $12.00 hotel room in a bar/hostel. I went to bed early.

Travel Diary - Day 30

2007-07-01T21:28:00.000-05:00

Date: 7/1/97
Weather: cloudy and cold
Place: Wellington

I saw Con Air last night before turning in early. I got up and had a candy bar for breakfast, then watched a little TV. I found a bunch of people from the bus in the kitchen, and we talked for a while. Everybody was doing their own thing, so I got lunch and started walking to a shopping mall. Before I got near it, I found a magazine store and spent almost five hours reading about news in entertainment and other stuff. I couldn't believe it when I saw how much time I'd spent in there. They started closing the place, so I got supper and went back to the hostel. We all watched videos and ER, then went to a bar for a final drink together.

Travel Diary - Day 29

2007-06-30T21:20:00.000-05:00

Date: 6/30/97
Weather: partly sunny
Place: River Valley, Wellington

I had a cup of coffee and a couple of s'mores for breakfast, then took entirely too long getting my full-body wetsuit on for whitewater rafting. Once we got to the river, we carried the boats down to the banks and got a crash course in rafting. The water was unexpectedly deep, even in the narrowest places. The scenery we got to see convinced me that New Zealand is the most beautiful place on Earth, even without seeing the south island. Plus, river rafting was the only way to see it. It was otherwise inaccessible and untouched. We jumped off 9 and 10 meter high ledges into the freezing water and got stuck 90 feet after taking over (Author's note: The guide got out of the boat and let the newbies try to negotiate some rapids ourselves. We got wedged on a rock and the boat filled with water, so he had to make his way through the rapids to us just to get us unstuck). After a shower, we drove to Wellington with no stops.

Travel Diary - Day 28

2007-06-29T21:14:00.000-05:00

Date: 6/29/97
Weather: partly cloudy
Place: Taupo, River Valley

I had a bit of the free breakfast at the hostel before we left this morning, which was unimpressive. On the way to River Valley, we stopped at a ski lodge for a hike. It was absolutely gorgeous scenery, with mountains on either side when we weren't in the forest walking along a creek. There was also a waterfall that was surrounded by ice where it entered the pool, which was a sacred Maori site. The lodge is tucked away in the middle of nowhere without a TV or radio, but it was charming. The showers and toilets are outdoors, and everyone sleeps in the same room in connected beds. I made s'mores after the $7.00 meal that didn't include a drink but tasted home cooked, and read and played cards.

Travel Diary - Day 27

2007-06-28T21:07:00.000-05:00

Date: 6/28/97
Weather: sunny, cloudless
Place: Rotorua, Taupo

Today we went to a national park on the way out of town that contained thermal pools, boiling mud, and all kinds of sulfur deposits. It was the most ungodly place on earth, which they recognized by calling things the Devil's home, Devil's inkpots, and the like. It was very active today. We went to a geyser that erupted when given soap and the Huka Falls afterward. Once we put our stuff in the hostel, it was off to skydiving. In a way, I wish I hadn't taken as many pictures as I did on the way down because I would have paid more attention, but freefall was mindblowing. The whole experience was worth it. That night we went to the Holy Cow for dancing and drinks.

Travel Diary - Day 26

2007-06-27T20:58:00.000-05:00

Date: 6/27/97
Weather: sunny and cool
Place: Waitomo, Rotorua

We stopped by a cafe/restaurant for breakfast this morning, where I had something resembling a donut. On the way to Rotorua, we stopped at a small racing course, where I wish I would have done it. The cars were cool and fast. Instead, I waited for the luge activity. We had to take a Skyrail to the place, and then we got two runs down part of the mountain and a chair lift back to the top afterwards. I did the beginner path once and then the advanced once. I forgot my camera and didn't take a single picture all day. Fortunately, one of the women on the bus is going to send me copies of the pictures at the Maori dinner that night (Author's note: she never did send them). It was a great meal and dance demonstration. The spa and pool at the backpackers place were both geothermically heated.

Travel Diary - Day 25

2007-06-26T22:47:00.000-05:00

Date: 6/26/97
Weather: partly sunny, showers
Place: Auckland, Waitomo

I got up with my wakeup call and packed, then got another 20 minutes sleep. When I got up again, I made a cup of coffee and got a call that my ride was there. In my haste, I left my voucher on the bed and had to have the nice innkeeper fax a copy to the hostel where I met the bus to give to the driver, then send the original to the central office in town. I read a lot, before and after the bus broke down, and had Burger King for lunch. We reached Waitomo at 2:30pm, where we moved into the hostel and went black water rafting. I can never describe the beauty of that cave, or how cold the water was. I felt like I was witnessing the birth of galaxies represented by the glow worms. The showers scalded, and the rainforest walk afterward was great by candlelight.

Travel Diary - Day 24

2007-06-25T22:41:00.000-05:00

Date: 6/25/97
Weather: cloudy and cool
Place: Melbourne, Auckland

I got a tad more sleep on last night's bus trip than I did on the first one, but I tried earlier, too. The bus had been stopped for some problem in the night, so we got to Melbourne an hour late. I was rushed the whole time I was a the College. I took a taxi to Carlton, switched clothes and packed, without even time for a shower. I had to pay sales tax on some duty free I had opened early, then rushed back to catch the bus to the airport. My two bags are full to bursting. The plane ride was fine, with a good meal but no movie. When I got to Auckland it was two hours later than Melbourne. I decided to splurge on a hotel room for the privacy and shower, since it will be a while before I see them again. I set up my Kiwi Experience pickup and read about what to expect until bed.

Travel Diary - Day 23

2007-06-24T22:35:00.000-05:00

Date: 6/24/97
Weather: sunny and warm
Place: Sydney, border of Victoria

Pablo left at 8:00am today, but me and Alex slept in. We went to the Powerhouse Museum, which was really cool and very eclectic, from cars to space travel to fashion to beer. It featured mostly Australian people and developments, but it also had a mock front of the space shuttle. We got a bite to eat and took a bus out to Bondi beach, which was gorgeous. The walk from the bus stop to the beach via the cliff side was awesome and almost as full of life as the Nobbies at Phillip Island. We split to get back to the hostel were I picked up my bag and walked to the bus station. They showed some movie I'd never heard of.

Travel Diary - Day 22

2007-06-23T22:20:00.000-05:00

Date: 6/23/97
Weather: sunny and warm
Place: Sydney

Today, me and Pablo split up with Alex and decided to meet at the hostel for tea. We took a train and then a bus out to the Olympic site, where I took the last of my pictures. It was still mostly under construction, so there wasn't as much to see as I would have liked. By the time we got back, it was too late to go to the beach, so Pablo went to get information for his dad's car dealership and I looked through a book store until we were supposed to meet Alex. The three of us got a family meal, then Pablo went to try and find the Mexican again and Alex and I went to see the 7:20pm showing of Swingers. We met Pablo again after and went to an Irish pub for drinks and good music. Pablo even sang. Back at the hostel, the pool and sauna were closed.

Travel Diary - Day 21

2007-06-22T22:15:00.000-05:00

Date: 6/22/97
Weather: sunny and warm
Place: Sydney

We all had a good night's sleep, and felt much better after a shower this morning. We went back to the opera house by taking the Darling Harbour ferry after looking around there for a bit. I took way too many pictures of the opera house. Darling Harbour ruled, and there were Korean and Japanese dancers performing. Earlier, we had gone to the Sydney markets, where I bought a kilo of grapes. The lowest floor was like Vic markets, but on top there was a shopping mall. We also took the monorail around part of the city, and it was very cool and futuristic. We ate Chinese and then went for a couple drinks. We met some Mexicans and talked with them, then went to Kings Cross.

Travel Diary - Day 20

2007-06-21T22:07:00.000-05:00

Date: 6/21/97
Weather: foggy, sunny and cool
Place: Sydney

It was extremely hard to get any sleep whatsoever on the bus, but I guess I managed about four hours worth. I watched the sun come up while Pablo slept, and it took a while to get into Sydney proper. We couldn't check into the hostel until noon, so we put our stuff in a $3.00 locker and roamed for a bit. Neither of us had taken our cameras out of our bags before locking them up, so I didn't get a photo of my first glimpse of the opera house. It was magnificent. The fog hadn't completely lifted, so it glowed in the sunlight. The harbour bridge is one of the largest I've ever seen. We met Alex, one of our roommates, when we checked in, and toured a little more together. I had dessert at Planet Hollywood, then met Pablo at the opera house for Madam Butterfly.

Travel Diary - Day 19

2007-06-20T21:48:00.000-05:00

Date: 6/20/97
Weather: cold, cloudy
Place: Melbourne, border of New South Wales

I spent most of the day in a kind of daze, as several friends had already left, and I wouldn't see any of the others again in Australia except maybe Bonnie when I dropped by the college to pick up my stuff before flying out to New Zealand. I had also gone drinking with them as a farewell the night before, giving me a hangover. I bought some stuff duty-free for the first time and didn't realize they sealed it up. The room looked bare by 6:00pm, when we had tea, and I locked up the bulk of my stuff in my closet. It seemed to hit Tim harder than me when we said goodbye, but he was still traveling with most of our friends for another month. I didn't get to say goodbye to Romel. I met Pablo at the bus station, and we headed for Sydney.

Old man crab came out to die.

2007-05-31T22:39:00.001-05:00

Workin' for the weekend

2007-05-31T22:11:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, Becky and I took our first vacation together, out to Padre Island near Corpus Christi. Not South Padre, the spring break destination. This was camping on the beach, complete with wildlife, sand, and sun.

We were off to a late start, but traffic was light and we made it to a spot at the Malaquite site with plenty of time to set up camp before it was too dark to see well. Becky had bought two tarps, and we made good use of both, one over the picnic table's slat shelter and one as a rain-/windbreak facing the ocean. That one came down more than once over the course of the weekend, due to strong wind that was not in evidence the night we arrived. A ten-foot bed of washed up seaweed rotting on the shore meant the little gnats were ample, and with no breeze to blow them further up toward the Winnebagos in the parking lot a hundred yards away, we were slapping them away that first night.

Saturday began wet, but that didn't stop us from trying out our floaties in the rain. We both took a nap around noon, but when the sun finally did come out, we were so happy to see it we both went back out on the waves without sunscreen. Luckily, I didn't get too terribly burned, but I'm peeling now and got a light shade of red as a souvenir from the trip. A good shower at the campsite's facilities and we were ready for a few drinks, followed by bed (a very comfortable full-size air mattress).

Sunday began much like Saturday, but took a turn for the worst when I forgot I had the car keys in the pocket of my trunks and jumped in the ocean. We were stressed, and made a few disconcerting phone calls trying to work out how to get a spare from Austin, almost resigning ourselves to another day stuck out there (funny how much you want to leave when you find yourself without the means to do so), when, miracle of miracles, Becky found the keys washed up on the shore. I was napping at the time, but apparently she even did a dance of joy.

Earlier that day, the largest sand crab we saw all weekend crawled out of its hole and nestled in between our floaties, which were wedged between the windbreak and the ground, as we watched. We wondered what he might be up to, and it turned out he was seeking his final resting place. A couple hours later, he was dead, and we tossed him over one of the sand mounds. I told Becky, "One brave sand crab gave his life so that we could find our keys."

There were lots of little sand crabs everywhere on the beach, way more than I expected, and they were amazingly quick, always moving sideways and blending in with the sand almost perfectly. On our several walks over the weekend, we also encountered water crabs (one dead, one alive), a sea worm (very rare to find), and a couple shrimp-like crustaceans the size of insects.

We packed up just in time to avoid getting drenched by a huge thunderstorm just as the sun was setting. On the way back we watched Predator on the portable dvd player and split the driving duties. After a nice, long shower at home, we were in bed by 1:00am, exhausted. Well worth the trip.

Home theater

2007-05-10T18:34:00.000-05:00

Is there anything sweeter to a semi-reformed geek's ears than hearing his girlfriend say, "Can we watch all the Star Wars movies sometime?" I think not.

I bought a projector the first week of December 2006 that was supposed to come with a free screen by rebate. We painted the wall for showing movies in the meantime. About a month ago, I got an email that they were finally processing my form, after I'd pretty much given up on it, and today the UPS guy brought it to the house. It's nearly the length of the wall, 100 inches, and I can't wait to put it up.

Garden growing

2007-05-06T23:56:00.000-05:00

Smelling like a rose

2007-05-06T23:32:00.000-05:00

I've recently been reminded of the truth of the fact that some of the most poignant memories are brought back to us through our sense of smell. We always had rose bushes around my childhood home, most of them red but one white one on the far side of the house, where it was rarely seen. When I did happen upon it in bloom, it was as fragrant as the others, but with a different smell.

At my current home, we have a white rose bush in the front that is similar, and another one that isn't. When the similar one bloomed about a month ago for the first time this year, I remembered that bush from my youth as I walked by and caught the scent. But even that wasn't as vivid a recollection as one I had in the garden last week. I put down some stakes for the tomato plants, and as I used twist ties from bread wrappers to secure the vines to the stakes, I caught a whiff of their scent and was immediately reminded of all those springs and summers in my father's garden, poking around and playing with the dog as I ran up and down the rows of tomatoes he had every year. It was a very fond memory, and striking in its immediacy.

This evening Phil pulled our first helping of beans off the vine, and the cucumbers and one green pepper plant are blooming now. We ate the beans fried lightly in butter with salt, and they were delicious. I think it's going to be worth all the hard work putting this garden in many times over by the time it's done producing for the summer, and I have a much better appreciation for the pleasures of eating from it fresh now that I've had my first taste. I can't wait for those tomatoes to show up, red and round.

Travel Diary - Day 18

2007-04-03T23:02:00.000-05:00

Date: 4/3/97
Weather: sunny and cool
Place: Perth, Melbourne

I didn't bother setting my alarm, but I still woke up just after 9:00 am, giving me plenty of time to get to the airport. Unfortunately, the shuttle only ran less than once an hour, so I would barely make my 11:35 am flight. I went looking for public transportation in order to have a little time to spare, but by the time I caught a bus to the airport it was barely going to be sooner than the shuttle, according to the schedule. Either I read it wrong or we were very early, because I arrived at 10 minutes before 11:00 am. I talked to Mom on the phone, and the flight was smooth and comfortable. I read a magazine and listened to music most of the time. A $9.00 bus brought me within walking distance of Carlton, where I had 14 e-mail messages.

Travel Diary - Day 17

2007-04-02T22:55:00.000-05:00

Date: 4/2/97
Weather: sunny and warm
Place: Perth, Rottnest Island

When I woke up a little before 8:00 am, I resolved to move to a different room to get away from the thieves, and I was paranoid enough to take my bag and everything in it with me to the island. The ferry wasn't as nice as the one in Cairns, but it was alright. Rottnest Island was beautiful with Mexican-like architecture, long sandy beaches, and all sizes of bays and inner salt lakes. The birds were fun to toy with, and the quokkas (small rat-like marsupials) were incredibly cute. I saw one under a house, and some along the road being fed. I took a a bus out to one of the bays, but when I decided to swim, I had to walk a ways to get back. The museum on shipwrecks around the island was great.

Travel Diary - Day 16

2007-04-01T22:48:00.000-05:00

Date: 4/1/97
Weather: cloudy and cool
Place: Perth, Fremantle

The city tour I had today was very similar to the one I had in L.A., but it was cheaper and didn't last as long. I had already seen some of the city that was part of the Perth tour, but not too much, since I didn't stray far from my hostel the first couple of days. I took my bag with me, and on the lunch break I registered at the hostel most recommended by Lonely Planet. Fremantle was a bit smaller or quieter than I expected it to be, somehow, but the guide was very nice. Someone had stolen my pillow and sheets when I got back to the hostel, which boggled my mind. I got new ones, then went to a movie and a club until about 11:00pm. Someone had stolen my pillow again, so I stole someone else's.

Travel Diary - Day 15

2007-03-31T22:43:00.000-06:00

Date: 3/31/97
Weather: cloudy and warm
Place: Perth, Indian Ocean

My first day of sightseeing Perth was rather truncated due to the fact that today is a public holiday. I finally found a couple of open tourist places and organized a tour of the city and Fremantle, its port, for tomorrow, as well as a trip to Rottnest Island, a popular vacation destination here. By then it was mid-afternoon, however, so I caught a bus to the beach for the last few hours of sunlight and paid way too much for a less than filling meal. It didn't take long to get a bus back to the city proper. The bathroom and showers of the hostel frightened me enough to switch hostels tomorrow, and I spent an hour or more wandering around the nightlife district before going to bed.

Travel Diary - Day 14

2007-03-30T22:38:00.000-06:00

Date: 3/30/97
Weather: cloudy and rainy, sunny and warm
Place: Cairns, Perth

I woke up with only a slight hangover from last night, and got a bus to the airport in plenty of time for my flight. It poured on the way, but our takeoff was smooth if a bit long. Lunch on the plane was good, and our stop at Ayer's Rock was hot and buggy. I hate flies. I got a picture of the the rock from the steps of the plane, but couldn't see it from the terminal. Once in Perth, I had to wait a bit for a bus, and the hostel has ants, which doesn't thrill me at all, but the city is lovely and pleasant. It didn't really hit me that it is Easter Day until late afternoon. I went and saw The Devil's Own at a movie center at 9:30pm, then came back and went right to bed after writing.

Travel Diary - Day 13

2007-03-29T22:32:00.000-06:00

Date: 3/29/97
Weather: cloudy, warm, sunny
Place: Great Barrier Reef, Cairns

I was up at 6:00 am again today, and on the first dive we saw two sharks, one of which was a little more than a meter and a half long. Dolphins swam in front of the boat for a while like they did yesterday when I got pictures. The only significant things we saw on the second dive were a lobster and a barracuda. We were hoping for a turtle, but it was okay, because the scenery was spectacular: huge coral walls covered with life. I could only snorkel while the rest of my group dived the last time, but I saw lots of blue clams. I met two girls from my group at the Wool Shed, and ran into Paul by coincidence, so I got to thank him.

Travel Diary - Day 12

2007-03-28T22:26:00.000-06:00

Date: 3/28/97
Weather: sunny and warm, a bit of rain
Place: Great Barrier Reef

I was woken up at 6:00am by a knock on my door. We didn't go in at 5:30 am because of choppy weather. The reef is absolutely pristine. It is the most pure place I have yet seen. In the Grampian Mountains there were metal handrails and steps in some places, along with a a bit of litter, but not here. Our two dives in the morning finished our education and Paul certified us. He left the boat at 2:30pm without giving me my temporary certification because I was in my cabin resting. I saw my first shark today. It was incredible, at only 1 meter long. The night dive was a trip, too. I saw a crayfish with glowing red eyes at one point and another guy said he saw a shark's eyes. The divemasters joke about sharks a lot.

Travel Diary - Day 11

2007-03-27T21:52:00.000-06:00

Date: 3/27/97
Weather: hot and sunny
Place: Cairns, Great Barrier Reef

When I showed up at 7:30 am today to take my test, the shop was closed. Luckily, they were just late. I got all but the last question done before we had to get on the boat to Fitzroy Island, then finished with 90% correct. The "beach" at Fitzroy was nothing but coral skeletons, impossible to walk on without shoes. After a boring hour there, we were off again to meet up with the catamaran we were to be staying on. It's large and stable, but with little privacy. The food is OK but nothing special. I led the first dive down, and it looked like I was following a chain into an abyss. Everything went right on the 2 dives today, and the boat rocked me to sleep at night.

Travel Diary - Day 10

2007-03-26T21:44:00.000-06:00

Date: 3/26/97
Weather: sunny, hot, humid
Place: Cairns

My class started today in the pool, and early: 7:30 am. Things went well and I felt prepared thinking the test was today. However, we just had another learning session based on the book in the classroom after lunch. I didn't get supper and attended a class called Reef Teach to learn specifically about the animals and organisms that live out there. It was about 2 and a half hours long, and when it was over I was looking for something to do (besides studying for the test, of course). After failing to get into one club due to dress code, I went to Samuel's Backpacker bar and saloon, where I got a plate of spaghetti and a Coke for $3.50 with my hostel coupon. After I got back I studied a little, called home , and went to bed.

Travel Diary - Day 9

2007-03-25T20:03:00.000-06:00

Date: 3/25/97
Weather: hot, sunny, and humid
Place: Cairns

After waiting half an hour for my bus, a guy working the desk of my hostel told me I got a message yesterday from Down Under Dive saying their program was postponed again. I had already changed my tickets for the first delay, so I canceled that program and booked at the hostel desk for the same program, only with Cairns Dive Center instead. I had originally gone with them anyway. The class started in 1/2 hour, so I got over there and spent 1/2 the day in a classroom learning dive theory and the other half in the pool with full scuba gear. That evening I went to a mall and ate American before going to The End of the World nightclub for a free XXXX beer, which I liked better than VB (Author's note: VB = Victoria Bitter).

Travel Diary - Day 8

2007-03-24T19:57:00.000-06:00

Date: 3/24/97
Weather: hot and sunny
Place: Cairns

With nothing to do all day, I bought a Skyrail ticket which took me to 3 destinations by enclosed gondola over the rainforest canopy. It was pretty amazing stuff. There was a "save the rainforest by education" center at one stop, a short walkway through it at another, and the Barron Falls, which were running like they never had before, according to the guides, because of all the rain from the cyclone. It was spectacular, and the last stop was a small town in the middle of the rainforest, that I think could only be reached by Skyrail or train, called Kuranda. It existed solely for tourists, and I bought a crocodile foot. It came with a permit so I hope I can get it home.

Travel Diary - Day 7

2007-03-23T19:49:00.000-06:00

Date: 3/23/97
Weather: hot and sunny, hot and cloudy
Place: Brisbane, Cairns

After a rancid breakfast at the hostel, which was mostly cold and almost made me sick, I took the complimentary bus to the transit center and the $6 one to the airport. I ate Hungry Jack's in the airport and an unexpected late lunch on the plane, so I skipped supper entirely. I had already eaten three meals. Hostel 89 is nice, if not as good as the last one. There were limbs in the pool when I got there, and it rained sporadically while we gathered around the outdoor TV for The Simpsons and Seinfeld, followed by Single White Female. I met an Air Force guy stationed in Guam who was supposed to be Reef diving yesterday. I found out my program had been pushed one day.

Travel Diary - Day 6

2007-03-22T18:06:00.000-06:00

Date: 3/22/97
Weather: cloudy and cool, hot and muggy
Place: Melbourne, Brisbane

I got up at 5:01am in order to make the Skybus from Spencer St. Station at 6:00am, which in turn was to get me to my 7:05am flight to Cairns. There was no milk left so I didn't get any coffee at the college (Author's note: in Australia, "college" means dormitory). I began by walking but got a cab when I got to Lonsdale for fear I'd miss my bus. I got on the plane, which served breakfast, just fine, until we were called off at Brisbane, where we were told that Cyclone Justin was hitting the coast at Cairns and the airport was shut down. I found a great hostel in Brisbane near the South Park Gardens which had an even better Australian fauna exhibit than Melbourne Zoo. It cost $12 for a ticket that also included a butterfly house and a very relaxing boat ride. After about five hours, I ate my third Australian meat pie in three weeks, bought a postcard and left. The hostel showed Barb Wire that night.

Celebrate good times

2007-02-27T18:58:00.000-06:00

Had a great weekend with Becky, once the car work was out of the way. We saw Esther's Follies with her roommate Friday night, with a stop at Coyote Ugly. Saturday she had a friend in town, and after playing miniature golf at Peter Pan's we headed downtown for a couple drinks at Fado's, then on to Nate's rocking birthday party, featuring a real cabaret. Sunday we went horseback riding, nothing exciting but at least diverting, and great weather for it. We came back to the house, had dinner, and watched some TV. A good time was had by all.

My hands remind me of my father's.

2007-02-23T21:20:00.000-06:00

Getting dirty

2007-02-23T21:00:00.000-06:00

There are times I think my judgment is already fading fast. Not that I've ever been King Solomon, but then I've never been Pee Wee Herman either. Today, I changed the oil in my car by myself for the first time in about eight years. At one point I was using my foot to drag the plastic oil pan toward me so I could try to wedge it under the car and catch the oil running down my arm. Not only did I get oil all over the floor of the garage, but also all over myself, my tools, and my car.

I realize I'm not much of a car guy. I can't even tell most cars apart on the road. But my dad made sure to teach me some simple car maintenance, like rotating tires and checking and changing the oil. He's a phenomenal mechanic, and has been since long before I was born. If it has an engine, he can make it run. Since I left Indiana, I've missed his expertise many times.

In case you're wondering, the order is:
1) run the car a few minutes so the oil is warm and runny
2) drain the reservoir
3) remove the filter
4) replace the filter after rubbing a little oil around the rubber seal
5) replace the bolt to seal the reservoir
6) pour the oil into the engine
7) run the car a few seconds
8) check the level
9) clean up the mess

Travel Diary - Day 5

2007-02-20T18:18:00.000-06:00

Date: 2/20-21/97
Weather: partly cloudy, warm
Place: Honolulu, Auckland, Melbourne

I woke up on the plane shortly before dawn. They served breakfast, and I felt all right when we landed in Auckland. We sat and slept a little right in the airport, then got something to eat, resulting in my first New Zealand change. They accepted American money. On the plane to Melbourne, I had a glass of terrible red wine, then lunch with just Coke. We got in around 5:00pm and got our bags with no problem. I neglected to exchange money at the airport because we were looking for our ride. He picked us up and a Canadian girl named Stephanie. Later, we all went out since it was a Friday night (we had crossed the international dateline).

Travel Diary - Day 4

2007-02-19T18:12:00.000-06:00

Date: 2/19/97
Weather: sunny
Place: Honolulu, Pacific Ocean

I got an entire night's sleep, which is more than I can say for my roommates. They got in about 3:00am, and were all asleep except Robin, who had a flight to Maui, when I got up and packed. I wore my swimsuit all day, with a shirt and my shoes. After discovering Haunama Bay doesn't open until noon on Wenesday's, I went to Waikiki for a while before trying to catch the bus there. I left my bags at the hostel and rented some snorkeling equipment from it to use at Haunama. The profusion of life there was incredible. The fish were thick and the coral unavoidable. I got some sunburn, then ate back at the hostel, before catching the bus to the airport. I met Kari and Susan there and fell asleep shortly after takeoff.

Travel Diary - Day 3

2007-02-18T18:06:00.000-06:00

Date: 2/18/97
Weather: partly cloudy, sunny
Place: Honolulu

I was awakened by the garbage truck in the alley outside the hotel after only four hours of sleep. I got a shower and, after talking with Dad, finally got ahold of Kari and Susan. I found a hostel nearby and checked into it, leaving my large bag in the room I shared with four other guys. Kari, Susan, and I went to Pearl Harbor, and then to the mall, where I left them. Then, after deciding against the beach because it was too late, I went to Dockes with Robin, a 36-year-old from California, who was one of my roommates. We had roast beef and two Mai Tais each for supper, and I turned in at 10:00pm.

What goes around

2007-02-18T14:46:00.000-06:00

I recently had my car in the shop, and when I left my key I didn't give them the keyless entry remote. I didn't notice until I got the car home, but when they gave me the key back there was a remote on the keychain for some other car. I decided, rather than thowing it in the trash, I would return it to the shop (an hour's drive each way in rush hour traffic, which would be the only time I could get there that they were open) so they could try to get it to the owner.

The next day, I didn't make it to the shop because I had other plans. That night, I also realized that I had forgotten a nice toolkit and jumper cables I always keep in my car and left them in the rental I was using when I turned it in at Enterprise the day before. I called and left a message at the branch asking if anyone had reported them.

The following morning, I got a phone call that my toolkit and jumper cables were in the office waiting for me. As that branch is right down the road from the shop, I could kill two birds with one stone and drop off the remote. I called the shop to let them know, drove up there, and handed it over. They didn't say they were missing it, so I doubt it had been reported, but they seemed happy to get it back.

Then I drove over to Enterprise and picked up my stuff, intact except for a missing can of fix-a-flat, which I won't miss. It was always rolling around in the trunk anyway. I was feeling good karma.

Travel Diary - Day 2

2007-02-17T17:52:00.000-06:00

Date: 2/17/97
Weather: partly cloudy, sunny and warm, thunderstorms and hail
Place: L.A., Honolulu

I dreamed about seeing Dave (Author's note: my best friend freshman year at Purdue, he lived across the hall in the dorm and didn't come back sophomore year. For more, see here.) again. We were at some kind of wedding and I was happier to see him than he was to see me. He brought his girlfriend who I've never seen. I took a sightseeing tour of L.A. to wile away the hours: it was the best tour I've ever been on. The guide's name was Ray, and he was awesome, even though he brought us back an hour later than he was supposed to and got Mom so worried she cried. I managed to catch my flight this time, but there was no message for me at the airport from Kari or Susan (Author's note: on the flight I missed, I was supposed to be sitting next to them.) I'll try to catch them tomorrow. The hotel room I'm in tonight has three twin-size beds. The room is so empty, I'm lonely.

Sweet and low (temp)

2007-02-16T21:49:00.000-06:00

We actually had a frozen Valentine's Day this year. I would have been happy with the 45-degrees they were predicting, compared to the arctic blasts we walked through from the car to the restaurant.

I must say I enjoy Thai food a lot, even though I don't eat it very often. We went to a cool place on Congress (though it would be more accurate to call it on the cross street, 7th, with no signs on Congress at all, so it took us ten minutes to find the place with just the address), and there was a live band playing, but not too long and not too loud. They also served one of the best chocolate cupcakes I have ever had.

Travel Diary - Day 1

2007-02-16T17:36:00.000-06:00

February 17, 1997 - July 5, 1997
U.S. - Australia - New Zealand

Date: 2/16/97
Weather: cloudy, snow in Chicago
Place: Cincinnati, Chicago, L.A.

I was so worried about missing my flight to Hawaii because of the threat of American Airlines' pilots' strike, that I went and did it anyway. (Author's note: this pending strike was making the news every night at the time, but it was resolved, at least for the purposes of my trip, when President Clinton ordered the would-be strikers to work as a temporary measure.) It was almost a relief to finally have it resolved one way or the other. I must have subconsciously wanted to see L.A. I spent the night in a Holiday Inn where I got a discounted room with a "distressed passenger" coupon. I fell asleep a little after 10:00pm L.A. time. At least this way the flight gets broken up. I got a king-size bed, too.

Travel Diary - Introduction

2007-02-16T17:23:00.000-06:00

To celebrate the ten year anniversary of my trip from the United States to Australia, New Zealand, and back, I've decided to publish the diary I kept during the time I was actually travelling, day by corresponding day for the next five months or so. We'll pretend I published the first few entries on their corresponding days ten years ago, although a huge snowstorm prevented that from actually happening as my diary was in the mail. I wrote something every day I was going somewhere far from Melbourne, where I went to school for a semester, or returning there. Hope you enjoy it.

Be mine

2007-02-12T21:15:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, and for the first time since at least high school I have someone to spend it with. It has just so happened I don't think I've ever been seeing anyone come February 14th, but it's never really gotten me down, either. I'm well aware of the day's importance to the retail/gift/card industry, and just like Christmas, it can be a little distasteful if you get exposed to too much of the advertising, but I've never been one to shop for fun, so I rarely am. I'm looking forward to a night on the town, albeit probably a crowded one. We've been having a suprisingly cold and wet winter that started early, so I can only hope we get better than the 45-degree temperature they're currently predicting.

Moving violations

2007-01-28T21:53:00.000-06:00

I got my first speeding ticket yesterday, 40 in a 30 (which is wrong, it was more like 35, but they must have been meeting quota because there were three cars and they nabbed another one right after me). My luck has finally run out.

This is the fifth time I've been stopped for speeding, and the first time I've actually been written a ticket. While I've received and paid multiple parking tickets, for some reason I hoped this day would never come.

The first two times I was stopped were during my senior year in high school. The first cop was nice, the second one was really angry but let me off anyway for some reason. He asked me who my parents were and I told him, but as far as I know I'd never seen the guy before. Maybe he knew of my father, since he's on the fire department in my hometown and has been for most of his life.

The third time I was pulled over, I was leaving my cousin's house in a hurry on my way home from college. He didn't live there anymore, and there was no real reason for me to drive by, but I had to pass through the town anyway, so I drove by it for old times' sake. It was dark, the house was empty, and I got a little creeped out, so I was going too fast, but I still got let off with a warning.

When I lived in Indiana, I was somewhat known for getting lost easily while driving. When I moved to Texas, I got a lot better for some reason, but one particular day, on my way home from work, I got lost in my own neighborhood and was so frustrated I was zooming around trying to find my way back and got nabbed. Again, just a verbal warning and a "Be more careful."

Well, this time in addition to the "Be more careful" I was handed a ticket. Luckily, it says I can avoid paying full price by taking a driving safety course, but it's almost as much as just paying the ticket. Still, it gets the moving violation "dismissed", which I guess would save me any raise in insurance premium, so it's probably worth it.

Let me know what you guys think of the new layout.

Putting it down

2007-01-25T21:34:00.000-06:00

I finished reading Notes from Underground a couple days ago, and I can't really recommend this book to anyone. It was relentlessly depressing from beginning to end. I've actually read two other books from start to finish since I started it. I honestly knew nothing about it before I picked it up, and what I thought I knew was wrong. It's all about a Russian who hates himself and everyone else, told from his perspective as he tries to bring everyone around him down to his level and fails. If that sounds like a gripping read, go ahead and try it along with a couple anti-depressants. At least it's short, not that it helped me. If this had been a long book I would have abandoned it, which I almost never do.

In happier news, I have my first (used) laptop to play with. So old it can't run Windows XP! 128 megs of RAM! One USB port! CD-Rom only! Totally worth the asking price, which was "Get it out of here"!

Texas wildlife

2007-01-06T19:07:00.000-06:00

I'd been living in Texas a couple of years when my friend Lyndon, a native Texan, first told me about the Texas barking spider. People outside of the state have generally never encountered or even heard of one. This rude critter has the habit of crawling around under the dinner table and making a sound suspiciously like that of a person passing gas. When I told my roommate Phil about this, he was skeptical, but every once in a while we have to chase one off to eat in peace.

Mexican food especially seems to bring them out, and in my time here we've come across some mighty fine Mexican dishes, like tacoritos, as well as everybody's favorites, from burritos to fajitas to tacos. A few months ago, I stopped eating much besides salads for weeks on end and managed to lose a couple belt notches. Coincidentally, we didn't hear a whole lot of barking in that time, but I have a feeling these spiders are seasonal. Hopefully, we've heard the last of them, but if they're anything like the sugar ants that still turn up around the drains occasionally, I wouldn't count on it.

Talking baseball

2007-01-05T17:52:00.000-06:00

I've never been terribly good at sports, which is probably the reason I have so little interest in them. In fact, the last year I played baseball (7th grade, maybe?), I had a batting average of .000 posted for the world to see. I can still remember checking the sheet of paper tacked up on the wall of the clubhouse and thinking to myself, "This is my clue to quit," which I did.

I had a zero batting average that year because I got scared of the ball, but I hadn't always been. I started playing Pee Wee League ball as an outfielder, and like most of my peers, I got bored and didn't pay attention very well while standing alone as the sun went down, waiting for something to happen. But some way or another, I eventually became backup catcher, and I not only made some good plays, I also hit three home runs in my brief career. As I recall, two of them were in-field, and the third was over the fence, but it may have been the other way around. I also threw a runner out at second and got a slider out at home by holding onto the ball even after being laid out flat by him. Proud moments.

Seeing games was something else. I went to see the Cincinnati Reds play many times at the old Riverfront Stadium, which seemed a lot more impressive as a kid than it was shortly before they tore it down, when blocks of cement reportedly would fall from the ceiling of the parking garage to land on cars. I loved how bright it was at night inside the stadium, and there were people moving around constantly. Every once in a while you'd catch "the wave", and the fireworks were always suitably impressive.

One night my older brother took me, and he gave me some money to buy a souvenir plastic helmet. I doubt I was even thirteen at the time, and I got stopped by a small group of black kids, one of whom stole the money I was foolishly carrying in my hand for the world to see. What I remember vividly about the incident is, another of the kids, who were all about my age, asked me if I wanted him to get it back. Crying, I said yes, and he took off running after the thief. Of course, I never saw either one of them again, but I wonder if he really did try to get the money back for me.

More than once, the game ran late enough that my dad and I would get home after midnight. We would stop at Frisch's Big Boy on the way home, since they were the only place still open at that hour, and get some ice cream fudge cake with whipped cream and a cherry on top, their specialty. I haven't had that in years. Remembering those nights when I was taking poetry in college, I wrote this:

Ball Game

Dad took me to see the Reds play
a few times when I was 10.
In the old, faded yellow pickup
his breath was the acrid smell
of cigarettes, ends burning.

The Reds sometimes won, sometimes lost,
but it was always late when we left, and bright
with streetlights and the headlights of speeding cars.
We stopped at Frisch's on the way home
to eat a fourth meal: Big Boys with milkshakes.

Whenever we got home-two or three in the morning-
we made our way silently out of the darkened garage,
my mother and sister already fast asleep.
When I inevitably knocked over the trashcan
the cat arched its back into a crescent moon.

Open your ears

2007-01-03T18:31:00.000-06:00

Have you ever had one of those experiences that turned your perception of the music you listen to on its head? I know I'm not alone because I've talked to others who, all of a sudden hear different messages in the music on the radio, or even old favorites. I think it comes from insight, when you suddenly see clearly where the writer/performer is coming from, whereas before you were just letting them lead you along.

What about mishearing lyrics? Some observant people have even written books on this subject, the first I encountered being Scuse Me While I Kiss This Guy. The cover shows Jimi Hendrix apparently forcing a smooch on a white man (the author?). While that may be rich for interpretation, it was pretty straightforward listing the correct lines compared to what somebody (not credited) had once believed them to be.

The most recent song that I got wrong on the most basic level is Hinder's "Lips of an Angel". In my office, we generally keep the volume on the radio low, which can make it hard to hear what's being sung. I had a hard time understanding lyrics under the best of circumstances when I was a kid, but I got better at it when I started writing myself. The first couple dozen times I heard this one, I thought it was about the infidelity of the woman the singer was with, but when I finally heard it at full volume, it turns out he's the one tempted to stray (by an ex-lover). I thought he was singing "Girl, it must be hard to be faithful/with the lips of an angel", but it's actually "But girl you make it hard to be faithful/With the lips of an angel".

It's funny, I actually had a hard time remembering what I originally thought he was saying, since once you get it right it makes so much more sense. Another common occurrence from my childhood, and one reason I couldn't write a book like that from my own "mondegreens". Hard to believe there's actually a word for them.

I'll be home for Christmas

2006-12-22T12:43:00.000-06:00

I'm heading home to Indiana for the weekend. Unfortunately, I couldn't take any time off this year, but I'm flying so I'll have a couple of days to see everyone, at least. I've never missed a Christmas with the family, although I almost missed the Christmas dinner one year I had to work the morning of Christmas Day. It's hard to believe that was eight years ago now.

A good friend of the family passed away recently, and I wish I had gotten to see him one more time beforehand, but it was not to be. He was much loved, with a large family of good people. (Okay, one of them kind of dropped me on my head when I was an infant, but no harm done.) I used to go fishing in one of the ponds on their property with my dad, and we've always appreciated their generosity. My thoughts are with them this holiday season.

Blogging for an audience

2006-12-13T18:53:00.000-06:00

I’ve been blogging for a little more than two years now, and it still surprises me what prompts a response and what doesn’t. For instance, three people responded to my post on the “nice guy” conversation below, while a post about a hot topic goes by unnoticed, be it an election, the war in Iraq, or what have you. I guess it just depends on who’s listening at the time, but it’s nice to know someone’s getting something out of it.

In case you’re curious, I don’t have a set method for writing posts. Sometimes something grabs my attention and I write it up right away, other times I let an idea gestate or compose some of it in my head before I start to put anything down. Once in a while, I’ll write down a topic I know I’ll want to return to, but don’t have anything articulate to say about yet. If it’s tied to a current event, sometimes these fall by the wayside. Occasionally, I’ll bounce an idea off someone. I did this with the conversation referred to in the “nice guy” post, with my roommate.

My intention wasn’t to criticize anybody in particular, or anyone who’s called me nice in the past, but rather to explore the idea a little bit in different contexts, and how that idea manifests itself in perception or behavior. Given the questioning of my mental health that ensued, this probably wasn’t as clear as it could’ve been. But I would ask anyone reading this blog not to read too much into any one post. Sometimes how a post turns out just depends on the day I’m having. Sometimes I start writing one idea, and halfway through it gets taken over by another.

I’ve occasionally posted previously written material, but I’ve never deleted a post. When I’ve edited, it’s been for grammar or clarity. I realize that with the rise in RSS feeds, any editing done after the fact is lost on some readers anyway. At the risk of sounding uninspired, if anyone would like to suggest a topic they’d like me to post about (that doesn’t involve selling something), email me.

A clarification

2006-12-11T18:30:00.000-06:00

In case it wasn't obvious in my last post, I was being sarcastic when I suggested being a jerk would attract women. The internet isn't always good for conveying that kind of humor, especially when you adopt a conversational tone to begin with. Regardless, being myself and trying to be a good person are the only things I know or want to do with my life. After all, you're looking at yourself in the mirror every morning.

Who finishes first?

2006-12-09T15:58:00.000-06:00

I’ve been told by many people, under various circumstances, that I’m a “nice guy”, but an incident this week bears repeating. I’ve recently been thinking that when a prospective romantic interest tells you this, he or she (as this undoubtedly happens to women as well as men) is not just seeking to spare your feelings, but also his or her own. Rather than tell someone “I’m just not attracted to you” or “I find you boring,” which may be just as accurate, saying “I think you’re really nice” spares one the discomfort of having caused someone else disappointment.

But it doesn’t really. The other person is still disappointed – it’s just the romantic interest who gets to feel off the hook, at least to some extent. Wanting to spare someone else’s feelings is an admirable goal, provided not giving the real reason doesn’t do the other person a disservice. Wanting to spare your own, while perfectly understandable, is somewhat less than noble if you could provide insight on what the asker could do to improve his or her chances in the future. But who wants to do that, and why should they be expected to? They didn't ask for the question (presumably).

Then there’s the whole “nice guys finish last” maxim. On a Simpsons commentary track for a season 8 episode in which Lisa falls for the bully Nelson, who’s stolen a hood ornament, one of the writers gives his advice on getting the girl. If you have the chance, “steal the hood ornament,” because otherwise “you’ll end up someone’s second husband.” Leaving aside the +50% divorce rate after five years in this country, is being someone’s second spouse such a bad thing? Does it imply, as he indicates, that one has failed to attract a more desirable person? What happened to the idea of falling in love, and that being what matters? My mother is my father’s second wife, and they’ve been married 34 years.

Anyway, ponder if you will: a married, older woman says to me, “You know, you’re a really nice guy. Has anyone ever told you that?” I replied yes, but it doesn’t always seem to be a good thing for some reason. She tells me one of her relatives was a nice guy, and he ended up marrying a very overweight woman her family disapproved of. When asked why he would want to marry her when he could do so much better, he apparently told her “I know she loves me, and I may never find that again. I just don’t want to end up alone.”

I can’t help but wonder what I was meant to take away from this exchange, if anything at all. To be clear, she disapproved of this, but was it because her relative didn’t return that love, or because she thought he should have held out for something better? Or, as I took it, was it because he was too much of a “nice guy”? The criticism seems to be, if you were more of a jerk you could do better with women and get what you want (because everyone knows women love jerks). So my question is, how much of a jerk would she have me be? Is 10% less helpful and kind enough? 20%? Shall I blow off everybody for an hour a day, or just a few people all day long?

All I know to do is be myself, and try to be good person. If anyone has any other advice, I’d love to hear it.

Rewind

2006-11-27T18:54:00.000-06:00

Phil asked me what brought that last post to mind, seeing as how it's been a while since it came up. I started reading Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky recently, hence the title of the post, and there was a quote in there that had something to do with it. Also, I've been reading a running dialogue on the TV series The Wire, including some of the people who make it, and a quote by creator David Simon has come up more than once. "(T)his season is to take argument with those who feel that if you're born without privilege, but make the right set of choices, that you will be spared. To do away with that bit of national mythology." The season centers around middle schoolers slowly being sucked into drugs and violence by their inner city Baltimore surroundings.

Naturally, that sentiment is a lot easier to come by when you're writing about inner city African-Americans, but being a white man, Simon has caught some flak for his take on the subject. Whether or not you feel it's warranted depends on if you believe in the universality of human experience, which most artists, including myself, take for granted. There is no human experience that is completely foreign to me, because I am human.

Reading Dostoevsky

2006-11-20T20:50:00.000-06:00

Some time ago, my roommate brought up the idea that maybe it's a mistake for parents to tell their children they can grow up to be anything they want, because when they grow up and realize this isn't true, they become disillusioned and (I would add) maybe even resentful. Would it be better if your folks skipped the optimism and let their kids decide for themselves what was possible and, by extension, not possible in their futures?

Most if not all people reach that conclusion on their own eventually, and at least superficially this seems a profoundly anti-American idea. After all, our media is full of stories where people overcome the circumstances of their upbringing to succeed in the world and grow rich and/or famous in the process. Movies are made about their lives to inspire the parents of the next generation to continue the cycle.

But what about the (vast) majority of people who don't? What if those same people who strive would strive regardless of what they're encouraged to believe as kids, and those who settle for a decent life quietly lived staring up at them would be happier as adults without ever having the possibility dangled in front of them, just out of reach in a future that will never come? Would we be better off both as individuals and a country without the expectations?

Well, I can't quite believe that.

While it's true there was plenty of innovation and economy prior to the very idea of America, much of it was relatively anonymous or to the credit of the aristocracy at the time, and it's more than luck that drives America to still be the dream for countless people all over the world. The promise of America lies in its ideas, foremost among them that you can do what you set your mind to do. Whether that involves working a farm or starting a media empire, we believe the opportunity is there, even despite a preponderance of evidence to the contrary.

And if we as a people ever stop believing that could be us on the TV screens or in the White House, America is likely to become a far darker place, because the impulses and moods kept in check by that hope have been decidedly uglier since at least Vietnam. Fear, paranoia, and a will to dominate are dangerous in any country, but as armed as the U.S. has been and will remain, woe to the country that eclipses us in the future. We're going to need to hold onto our ideas and ideals because they're the most effective weapon we have against our own darker natures.

Day trippin'

2006-11-14T21:52:00.000-06:00

I managed to come down with the worst sore throat of my life by the time we left Pedernales on Saturday, although I didn't realize it until I woke up around midnight. I got about eight hours of sleep total over the weekend, given the whole sleeping on the ground thing.

I think I realize now why it had been so long since I'd been camping - I don't enjoy it very much.

Seeing the falls was really cool and hanging out with friends was fun, but I think I prefer the idea of day trips ending in a nice, soft bed at night. It was definitely worth seeing, though.

Speaking of worth seeing, if you skipped The Prestige a few weeks ago, definitely check it out. This is one creepy, mind-bending, suspense movie, reminiscent of Memento. It's based on a novel, but is at no time less than compelling watching. And the ending is a kick in the gut, even if you see it coming.

Pedernales camping.

2006-11-12T13:23:00.000-06:00

Getting animated

2006-11-07T21:50:00.000-06:00

I saw Flushed Away after work today, Aardman's new computer-animated film. It retained all the wit and inventiveness of the claymation films in the move to the new medium, a feat in and of itself. It's also one of the best films I've seen this year. I envy kids growing up now the quality of their animated entertainment. I watched cartoons growing up, but the only thing that really holds up to adult viewing is Batman: The Animated Series on the television side, and some of the Disney movies. (I'm referring to what was originally released while I was a kid, not the classics.) Between Pixar, Aardman, Miyazaki, and Dreamworks, there have been more great animated movies released in the last five to ten years than in all of my childhood combined. This is undoubtedly the reason I'm still such a fan of the medium that I go see them in the theater by myself, as I did tonight.

I'm going camping this weekend for the first time in almost ten years, so I had to go buy a tent. I went to Wal-Mart looking for just a couple things, including the tent. Both the air filter and the headlamp bulb I needed for my car were out of stock, the only models of each that they didn't have. I told the woman helping me there must be a lot of Eclipse owners shopping there lately.

Journals

2006-10-14T11:18:00.000-05:00

I was just reading a review of a book I'll likely never read that referenced a scene in which the narrator refers to a room of his house where one wall is concealed floor-to-ceiling with journals, some of which are written in huckleberry juice. This immediately made me think of Fight Club, when Edward Norton is reading stacks of old books and magazines rotting away in a house with leaky ceilings and sporadic electricity. But I also wondered, how long would it take to read all that stuff?

When you consider how long it takes you to write a page versus read one, it's pretty clear you could do it up until a certain point in your life, even if you wrote in your journal everyday. The serial killers and mentally ill you read about may even write all day everyday to accumulate their libraries. But there would eventually come a time in everyone's life when it will become impossible to read everything you had written up to that point in the remaining life left to you.

This blog is only the fourth journal I have ever kept, following an English class assignment, my travels on my semester abroad, and "Notes from the Road", published here in February 2004. My roommate keeps journals, and when he comes to the end of one, he re-reads what he's written before starting the next one.

Now imagine how much better of a grasp you could have on your own history if you were to read your journals all the way from the beginning to the present. Memory is unreliable, personality is malleable, but the written word doesn't change. Assuming you weren't making things up, and allowing for the fact that you may have consciously or unconsciously held things back when writing, you may discover truths that you were blind to at the time and gain real insight into yourself. Or you may just unearth forgotten memories and the faces of lost friends, like looking through a photo album.

But this is the promise of blogging for me, and probably many others, keeping a record and being able to reflect on it in the future. Sometimes we lose ourselves to our circumstances or surroundings, and this is a new tool available to us to find our way back. It's up to each individual whether or not to let others peek in at the same time, like handing someone your diary, and here's the difference: almost everyone blogs for the world, while reading someone's diary is still an intimate act, and done without permission, a violation. I don't know if that's a sign of the connected world's narcissism or truly a blossoming of openness in expression, but it feels like a good thing to me.

Lovesick

2006-10-08T22:30:00.000-05:00

I haven't had many relationships, and they've all been short except one, which probably doesn't count as a relationship since we were living hundreds of miles away from each other for most of it. I don't have the experience of most people my age, and lately I've felt that lack.

One day I woke up and realized I was bald, a bit overweight, and feeling old, and it occurred to me that I might never have the chance to make someone else happy and fall in love. That was a scary moment. In some Asian countries, due to the preference for male babies over girls, there is now a 3-1 ratio, and since very few have the means to leave, there's going to be a large population of men that simply never get a chance to start a family. I read this fact has been identified as a threat to the future security of the world, as men who can't find an outlet for their emotions are more susceptible to manipulation by terrorist recruiters, cults, and the like. While that's thankfully not the case here in the U.S., the fact is the longer you wait, the harder and more uncertain it is when you start seriously looking, at least in my experience.

I spent years as a single guy with no attachments, and someone was recently telling me how studies have shown relationships are harder to maintain for people like me because they're used to getting their way to a large extent, and doing what they please. This makes me fear I may have grown selfish with my time and energy, and while I have tried to meet people and dated some in that same timeframe, I really wish I had made more of an effort now. Part of it was circumstance, probably some of it was arrested development, but I can't deny that it was also lack of interest. I felt like there was no hurry, and while that was true of getting married, say, it wasn't true of learning how to love someone.

Which is a long way of saying, when you do fall in love, you realize what you've been missing, and cherish it all the more, regardless of whatever else may be wrong.

I can already hear the counter-argument from those who fell in love at a young age only to be hurt repeatedly, and it's true I don't know if it's worse or better than the heartbreaks when love fails. But right now, I have to side with the poet who said "'Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all." Because the feeling of loving someone is worth having, and holding onto, even when it's not returned. I can only imagine how much better it must be when it is.

Drama

2006-09-30T18:32:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been experiencing situations commonly known as "drama". It's a mixed bag, but a few of the good things to come of it are:

1. Loss of appetite = potential weight loss
2. Creativity up = writing again
3. General warm fuzzies in close proximity to object of affection

The bad things include:

1. Sleepless nights
2. Restlessness and difficulty concentrating
3. Extra sensitivity to harmless comments meant to amuse

I'm a very laid-back person under normal circumstances, so this is rather unfamiliar emotional territory for me. I'm lucky to have friends and family to talk to, but I can see how people in other circumstances can have trouble with this kind of thing. I'll try to be more sympathetic in the future.

Golden age

2006-09-23T09:21:00.000-05:00

I've been reading that we're living in a golden age of television at the moment, with more popular series that are also high quality than have been on the air in many years. I wouldn't know, since I rarely watch series TV, but there have been a few things that have caught my interest in the last couple years.

Right now, I'm in the middle of watching the second season of Lost on dvd. I watched most of the first season and lost track near the end, so I gave up on it for a while. Then I borrowed season 1 from Jim, and fell in love all over again. When Julia offered to lend me season 2, I jumped on the chance and I'll be done with it in less than a week. It's that good.

But it's not perfect. The first season really suffered from poor music selection at the end of episodes, where some horrific thing or other was usually glossed over in the last minute with a pleasant guitar strum under slo-mo laughing on the beach. I haven't caught as much of that in season 2, thankfully, but there's also the matter of the pregnant pause. In typical Hollywood fashion, no one can say anything just prior to a commercial break that doesn't cause a complete halt in the conversation for at least five seconds of emoting before the cut to black.

Still, I look back on all those afternoons and evenings of my childhood, when I would watch whatever was on for no reason whatsoever, regardless of quality, and I wish they'd been making material like this at the time. Thanks to dvd, I have the opportunity to catch up on other shows like the Shield, the Wire, and Deadwood. Almost makes me want to get cable again.

Scene from my night

2006-09-12T22:02:00.000-05:00

"I don't hold your hope against you," I told her as we stood with our arms around each other in the parking lot.
"I'll call you," she replied.

And just like that, she was gone.

Remembrance

2006-09-11T21:49:00.000-05:00

So I hear everybody's posting where they were when the 9/11 attacks happened today. I was at work. I heard the news on a coworker's radio, then turned on mine to listen. There were two television sets in the gym on the first floor of our building. After the first couple hours, we took turns going down to watch. In the days after, I remember news reports saying no one believed the buildings would collapse, but everyone in my office was talking about it as if it was a foregone conclusion. It was just a matter of when. One of my coworkers had been in the Air Force. When I asked him where he thought the president was, he told me without hesitation that he would already be out of the country in flight, so I was surprised when he was in Washington by that evening.

The drive home took me past the DFW airport, and it was immediately obvious there was not a plane in the sky. That was the first time ever I hadn't seen a plane landing while driving that road, and it made me sad.

When I got home, I went to the gas station across the street and filled up. There was a line formed already by 6:00pm. I had cable at the time, so I watched news, flipping from channel to channel until night fell, and then as I laid in bed in the dark, hoping that when I woke up it would all have been a bad dream.

Back in slack

2006-09-04T12:39:00.000-05:00

I needed a breather. Buying, moving everything, then getting settled into the new house took a lot out of me. On top of that, my life's been changing in other ways since I turned thirty in May, and I've had a lot to think about.

I went and saw my uncle in Florida two weekends ago. He lives in a retirement community surrounded by golf courses, and I played almost as much golf in three days as I had in my entire life. It was good practice, but when I played again with a coworker yesterday, it was clear that old habits die hard. I need to start going to the driving range.

My right wrist started aching shortly after I got home from Florida, and I chalked it up to all the golf I played, but I'm pretty sure I've got some of that carpal tunnel syndrome that probably doesn't help. I've been playing video games since I was a little kid with an Atari 2600, and last spring I noticed for the first time I was having trouble holding the controller when I was playing my cousin's X-Box because my thumbs were aching. Not a good sign.

The Roky Erickson project is finally seeing a little movement. The Staple! producer left town and gifted me a couple hundred copies of the dvd that I've been letting out as a calling card and conversation starter.

I've been dating a slightly older woman for about a month now. She seems to share some of my sensibilities, while being polar opposite in others. Maybe that's a good mix. Meanwhile, I've been trying to get my head straight over some other relationships in my life, with some success. I'm not much for handwringing anymore, and I've begun using "high school" as an epithet for a way of behavior I used to suffer from, but managed to get over by the time I graduated college.

Other than that, all is well. The Simpsons season 8 just came out on dvd and is probably my favorite of the series. Today is a holiday, the second Monday I've had off in a row. I bought a bunch of new audio equipment and a tripod to supplement my video offerings for rental and production capability. I have to start seriously committing some time to studying for a certification test for work, since my free time there has disappeared of late as I've taken on a new duty that should prove valuable to the firm and my bottom line.

Drop me an email or a comment if I haven't talked to you lately.

The new place.

2006-06-24T18:59:00.000-05:00

Home sweet home

2006-06-24T18:57:00.000-05:00

We closed on a house yesterday in south Austin, so I am now officially a first-time homeowner. It's pretty exciting, and also a little daunting. I need to get the power turned back on, but things are shaping up pretty nicely.

Royal welcome

2006-06-16T17:49:00.000-05:00

I bought a cd of Prince's greatest hits on my birthday last month, since I knew he was a phenomenal guitarist by reputation and I knew so many of his songs, which have gotten a lot more radio play in recent years. I don't know if that's because all his lawsuits were finally finished, but there was a time when I never heard him on the radio a few years ago.

I remembered liking "When Doves Cry" when I was a kid, and of course he did the soundtrack to Batman, which was interesting, and then there was the New Power Generation. His videos with them are the first that come to mind for me, probably because his '80's videos (the only one I actually remember clearly was for "When Doves Cry") were a little dated by my teenage years.

One of the few music videos my mother ever told me she didn't want me watching was "Gett Off", and of course that made it all the more memorable. By that point, Prince had taken his raunchy style to its logical conclusion, just in time to re-embrace Jesus and disappear for a while. I didn't remember just how strange and wonderful that song was until I heard it on this cd, but what struck me the most was how it was pretty much of a piece with the rest of his work, rather than an anomaly.

I can't think of any other pop artist of the time who was so willing to twist and distort his voice for bizarre effect at the top of his career. Just listen to that screech he lets out to begin "Gett Off", followed by some kind of wimpering moan that seems to go on and on. Or the way he uses a computer-like voice filter to drone on at the beginning of "When Doves Cry". Or his strangled scream at the climax of "Little Red Corvette" that follows a vocal run up and down the registers.

That got me to thinking, maybe Prince wasn't so popular in spite of such touches, but because of them. In fact, at least on the pop charts, we have nowhere near the eclecticism of the '80's, and to a lesser extent the '90's before the death of grunge. "American Idol" and the like push a kind of studied perfectionism on the world of pop music that, together with modern digital correction, results in a bland, perfect sound on every song.

Lest I sound too old-fogey-like, I must admit I've liked Kelly Clarkson's new album a lot, despite the fact that it suffers from the above, as well as being way over-played. At least she knows how to pick a good song. It's just too bad there isn't room at the top anymore for the artists really willing to be idiosyncratic and weird in the pursuit of their fame and fortune. Like System of a Down, they have a hit here and there, but they don't get to rule the airwaves like they used to.

Running man

2006-06-10T09:27:00.000-05:00

I started a running program on Monday with Runtex, an athletic store chain down here that's pretty popular. One of my coworkers bet me $80, the cost of one month's program, that I couldn't take the class and then finish a 5k run afterward. I think he was just trying to motivate me to get in better shape, and maybe wanted a partner to do the class with since he joined too. I've never been much of a runner, but it will probably do me good, especially since it's difficult for me to work out with weights. Ever since my shoulder injury a few years back, I have to be careful and can't really push myself like I used to.

Speaking of which, we got massages at work yesterday for the first time in months. This guy seems pretty capable and knowledgeable, and even thinks he can help with the shoulder thing. I hope so, as nothing would make me happier.

Time will tell

2006-06-10T09:19:00.000-05:00

It's funny how technology can destroy and create trends. Like fashion, sometimes it can even bring them back from the dead. Consider the pocketwatch.

A small device carried in the pocket used to tell time.

Sounds like a cell phone to me. I know maybe one or two people that still wear wrist watches, but nearly everyone I know has a cell phone. Ask them for the time, and that's where they'd check. Don't count on seeing the little chains anytime soon, though.

Party time, excellent

2006-05-27T15:58:00.000-05:00

The party/birthday party went well last Saturday. We had a good number of people show up, so the duplex was full but not crowded for the afternoon. I got cool gifts, mostly involving alcohol, which I will use eventually, although I stuck to beer for the party. Phil, Lyndon, and I jammed on the back porch for a bit, including "Laid" by James, which pretty much rocked.

I was thinking starting the party at 1pm might result in the party being over by the time evening came, but we ended up with a small group sticking around all night. I turned in aroud 1:30am, and I was the first one out. Good times were had by all.

As I write, my parents, my younger sister, and her husband are driving down from Indiana to visit for the week. Tomorrow, my cousin Jim will be here too. I'm looking forward to spending some time with them.

We've basically settled on two houses to put bids on. South Austin, here I come.

Turning pages

2006-05-10T18:37:00.000-05:00

My birthday's coming up soon, and we're having a party May 20th to celebrate. We're going to have it here at the place, like we did with Phil's back in October. I'm not promising I'll wear the Viking helmet or the T-shirt, but they'll be here just in case.

Phil seems to enjoy his new job, even as he's learning by experience rather than training. Jumping in the deep end, if you know what I mean. I'm taking on new stuff at work, which has made it a bit more hectic, but I can handle it. I sought out the new activity after all, since I hate being bored at work.

We're a step closer to getting into a house today than we were yesterday. It's getting kind of exciting. We won't be moving until June at the earliest, but I'm already thinking about boxes.

Walking out

2006-05-01T21:33:00.000-05:00

I did something I'm not proud of tonight, and I don't know if I've ever actually done it before. I went to see Silent Hill, and I walked out a little more than a half hour into it.

Now, I love movies, and I've seen my share of horror movies at this point, although I didn't come to the genre until I was in college. It just didn't interst me as a teenager for whatever reason. But this movie turned me off in a big way, and it just wasn't worth my time to ride it out.

The thing is, I paid $8.25 for this turd, and I didn't want to go home without seeing something, so I ducked into Scary Movie 4. For about ten minutes. That one wasn't any good either, plus I felt a little guilty, even though I bought a Coke slurpee for almost $5.00 after I used the restroom. Maybe I should have asked for my money back, but I didn't feel like it.

I sincerely hope this never happens again, but jeez. Everybody says how faithful to the game it is, which makes me wonder if I'd like the game at all.

Man about town

2006-05-01T18:49:00.000-05:00

I spent about an hour at Eeyore's birthday party on Saturday. It was interesting. When I first got near it, I thought it was a little like ACL, but after about ten seconds I realized how different it was. It was also a little like that Mardi Gras party I went to, Carnaval. There were lots of hippies and at least four drum circles, none of which stopped while I was there. It was a different kind of crowd than you see just about anywhere, at least in my experience.

Meanwhile, I had to replace my new computer chair, since one of the thin plastic arms that held it together broke in two places. I didn't realize this when I bought it, but like several others at Fry's the chair that broke was designed such that the arms were the load-bearing support between the back and the seat, which is not a smart design when you're using cheap plastic for the arms. Needless to say, when I turned it in for a replacement, I picked one that had a metal plate connecting the back and seat with a bunch of screws.

My roommate's got a new job, while continuing to work on his final Master's report. There's a bus that runs from right across the street from our place to right next to where he works, so he hasn't been driving his car much lately, or riding his bike, the preferred method of travel. I haven't ridden my bike since last spring, I think. Too bad, but riding a mountain bike on the road is harder than I remembered.

I watched the entire British TV series The Office over the weekend. It was quite good, if squirm-inducing at times. They pulled one of the more perfect endings I've seen to a sitcom, as well. I don't watch the American version, since I don't watch TV much at all anymore, but I did write a short spoof that incorporated elements of office culture, which I'll probably revise and try to shoot this year.

Going out

2006-04-20T22:52:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, I went to Nate's white trash theme party. It was pretty fun, but for some reason, none of the liquor stores were open, so I had to settle for beer. The costumes were great. I kept it simple with a white, see-through t-shirt, jeans shorts, and tennis shoes, but the highlight was the faux-preggers woman with rollers in her hair, a drink in one hand, and a cigarette in the other.

Last night, I saw The Proposition, a gory Australian Western that knocked my socks off. Seek this one out, if the preceding description interested you at all. You won't be sorry.

Tubing

2006-04-16T02:39:00.000-05:00

OK, it was the Comal River we went tubing on, but next time it may be the Guadalupe. I hear that's more of a real river, and less of a theme park ride. Not that there was anything wrong with tubing the Comal, it was a lot of fun. I got some very weird sunburn shapes on my shoulders where I apparently didn't do a very good job applying the lotion, but nothing too terrible. It wore me out more than I expected, though. I was almost asleep by 10:00pm. That's what beer and sun will do to you on a hot afternoon.

All the latest

2006-04-13T20:42:00.000-05:00

Gearing up for the weekend again tonight, since I have tomorrow off. I'll likely be going tubing on the Guadalupe River for the first time since I moved to Austin. I've wanted to go since I found out about it, but never had the opportunity until now. I hope the weather's good.

Last weekend was great, hanging out with friends, watching bands, walking around downtown, and driving through the northern neighborhoods at night. I'm coming out of a funk that's persisted on a low level since my computer blew up, and got worse when I started having some digestive problems a few weeks ago.

It's all better now, and I'm ready to get back to work on some music videos for spec. That and I'm buying new stuff for the business to actually make use of some of this capital that's been sitting in a checking account earning no interest for months.

On top of that, I think I've hit on a way to lose some weight that's not onerous and should work for me. I plan to start working out again Monday, after about a month's hiatus. That's the news.

Snakes on a Plane

2006-03-28T18:31:00.000-06:00

OK, the upcoming movie Snakes on a Plane has officially become a pop culture event, months before its release. And I understand the appeal. The title says it all - Samuel L. Jackson said it was the reason he signed on, and when there was talk of changing it, the internet rose up in protest. It's become such a word of mouth phenomenon, Entertainment Weekly and others recently reported the production got more money out of the studio to make it that much more exciting and gross, in order to meet the raised expectations and get an R rating.

Why is this title so great? Snakes by their very nature stay as close to the ground as possible. There's something incongruous about such a creature flying thousands of feet above the Earth. They just don't belong.

Seeing as how I would love to make a movie that gets one-tenth the attention that this movie has already gotten in the press, I've been trying to come up with my own take on this concept. Here's what I've got so far:

Gophers on a Bus

An Octopus on my Head

Paris Hilton in a Movie

and my favorite...

U.S. Troops in Iraq

Do you have a better one? E-mail me.

Winding down

2006-03-20T18:49:00.000-06:00

Wow. That was one hell of a week we just had.

So a friend of Phil's from Purdue, who I'd met once before, and her boyfriend, who I totally recognized but never figured out from where, drove down for SXSW. They crashed at our place from Tuesday to Sunday and it was a blast. A friend of Phil's friend happens to have moved to Austin a couple months ago, and she stayed with us a few nights too. On Saturday night, another friend of Phil's came up from San Antonio to hang out, and he stayed too. How we fit all these people in our living room I have no idea.

But now they're all gone, and I'm sitting here by myself and feeling lonely.

Come back soon, y'all.

Changing tastes

2006-03-01T21:50:00.000-06:00

I just watched Sideways for the first time, while drinking a bottle of Solaz. I figured, if I was going to watch it, I might as well participate. This movie was very much in danger of drowning in critical praise last year, making it harder to enjoy on its own merits, but I did enjoy it, and the Solaz, a Spanish wine.

There's a scene in Sideways where the main character, played by Paul Giamatti, drinks wine out of a styrofoam cup. While never having done this myself, I did witness a similar scene my senior year of college, and it's still amusing. I never really drank wine much myself until the past year, since I get it free at work occasionally, and I've enjoyed it more than I expected.

One of my favorite wine-drinking memories goes back to 1997, when I spent a semester in Melbourne, Australia, on study abroad. For some reason still unknown to me, one of the women staying in my dorm, which catered to international students, meaning there were few Australians living there, invited me up to her room to drink a box of wine with her and a few other women staying there. Boxes of wine didn't carry quite the stigma there that they do, oh, pretty much everywhere else, and I was happy to join them. I don't remember what we talked about, but it was a fun time. It never happened again.

I have very occasionally picked up a bottle of wine since then, but that may change. I was having a conversation recently about taste, and we disagreed on one point. I've come around to the belief that taste changes dramatically as we get older. For instance, I rarely eat chocolate, specifically candy bars, anymore, but I loved them as a child. We always had candy in the cupboard when I was growing up, and I know I ate some every day. Not anymore. Maybe once a week on average, do I have anything chocolate other than milk. The way I see it, I've grown out of the taste for that kind of thing. In the same way, I believe we sometimes grow into a taste for something. For instance, alcohol.

When I was a kid, my father would sometimes give me a sip of beer, and I'm sure it amused him when I made a face and said it was gross. Needless to say, I no longer think beer is gross. I've grown into the taste for beer, wine, etc., some more than others. When I was young, my father never drank any other alcohol than beer, at least in my memory, but in the last ten years, he too has grown an appreciation for wine.

I don't think anybody's fooling themselves when they find a taste for alcohol as an adult. Tastes change. Just as kids who won't eat broccoli grow into adults who become vegan, I've found a taste for red wine, when time was I couldn't stand the stuff.

Drink up.