And Still We Wii

I know that I'm a tad behind the times getting a Wii this year, but wow. Even with just one controller, WiiSports and a very small space to play in the farm house, we continue to just play, play, play...

The amazing part is Slick's 81 year old Granny. She's bowling great. She only left 2 open frames last night. Sure, we're helping her position and click buttons until it's time to swing, but she's directing us. "Don't forget to move me over."

flyDad loves the golf. No surprise there. He's analyzing the course, looking for places to shorten the hole. He's reading the greens. He's then helping the rest of us when we do it.

The Queen & I are really into the tennis game. We totally need two controllers to play together. Of course, there's no room here for both of us to play anyway. Can't wait to get it home in my TV room.

I've started researching games & accessories to pick up. Obviously, we want at least one more controller. What about the voice accessory? More controllers? Do we want the Fit (Which is expensive.) Can't wait to get it hooking up to my network and try out all the other features as well. Cainam has already told me that we can Mario Kart together over the internet.

Slick wants a guitar game. She's just not sure which. So, we have to look into that as well. My gut says that we'll get a 2nd controller, a guitar game & a used game and enjoy those for a while.

This is seriously going to cut into our World of Warcraft time.

WoWii

Merry Christmas! Slick and I are up on her Grandmother's farm.

It's been a great time here. Last night all 35 members of the family gathered and had the annual party & gift-exchange. Today, most of us gathered again for Christmas dinner. Slick's family is a group of bright & diverse people. Conversations are varied. One minute I'm talking with one cousin about literary giants, then I move on to a conversation with the BMW-driving Network engineer and the next minute I'm talking to Slick's uncle about the bear he shot. Again, varied...

After making us agree to cut back on gift prices this year, the Queen & flyDad surprised us a Wii. Apparently, flyDad sat in a KMart parking lot before 6AM to get one. Needless to say, we are surprised and excited.

So tonight after dinner, we hooked the Wii up to Granny's TV and started playing WiiSports. I got Granny to play. She "humored" me and tried bowling with us. The Queen tried tennis & flyDad played some golf. I think they should have gotten themselves a Wii for Christmas instead.

John Adams on DvD

A number of my readers (both family & friends) are American History buffs. To them, I say rent John Adams!

Of our founding father's, none is more perfectly simultaneously praised and vilified as our first VP John Adams. This is the man who worked with Ben Franklin & Thomas Jefferson to get the Declaration of Independence written. He's also the fool who signed the alien & sedition act. A one-term lame-duck who tried to honor Washington's wishes to remain neutral in the war between France & Great Britain even in the face of saber rattling inside his own cabinet.

HBO did a mini-series on the life of John Adams which is now available on DvD. For anyone with a passing interest in the Revolution, the founding fathers or the early years of our great nation, this is a must see.

As a person who grew up fed on the "perfection" of Washington, Jefferson, Adam, Franklin...well, Franklin was the "odd" "eccentric" grandfather in the room. We were taught to laugh at his antics & admire him even more. Instead, HBO humanizes these men. He paints a deeply flawed Adams, a hopelessly idealistic Jefferson, a Franklin who knew "the game" of politics and enjoyed it a bit too much. Only Washington remained the larger than life figure I remember from history classes. Yet, even Washington was painted a pawn to Hamilton's federalist ambitions.

This HBO series is the kind of dramatic interpretation that rekindles my curiosity and makes me want to dig through my college books.

Watch it. Love it. Note that the minor historical inaccuracies or simplifications mean nothing. They have captured the time, the events and the emotions to make them more real than real. HBO films did such an incredible job casting Paul Giamatti that I forgot thinking about him as the actor.

You will learn to simultaneously love and despise John Adams by watching this film.

Test Post

This is just a quick post from a new iPod/iPhone app for blogging. Headed out of town for the holidays and will only be bringing the ipod for blogging.

The app is called blogwriter lite. It looks easier to use in the touch screen than google's interface, but I can't really do more than post text.

Safe holiday travel to all of us. We have a 12+ hour drive ahead of us tomorrow. Wish us luck.

Almost Like Losing a Member of the Family

Majel Barrett Roddenberry died this week. She is the voice of the ship computers, she was Nurse Chapel, she was Troy's mom. When she did a guest appearance on Babylon 5 it was a sign to a lot of us fans that the show had arrived in SciFi circles. There has never been Trek without her. She will be in the upcoming JJ Abrams reboot, but after that...

Trek has been a part of my life for so long. I was in high school when the Next Generation came out. My friends, the geeks that we were, all took on the persona of crew members. Being the youngest & shortest I was, sigh, Wesley. Actually, they called me Mr Crusher. :-D

This is something I've kept hidden for years because of all the Wesley-haters out there.

But frankly, Will Wheaton and his blog is becoming a sort of hero of mine, so I don't care who knows anymore.

In our 2nd year of college, every night 11PM was "Trek" time. So many people watched the nightly ST:TNG reruns that you could walk the halls of my dorm (men's and women's sides) and never miss a beat from the episode. Star Trek movies would often come out just in time for my birthday. Our old Nissan still has my "Klingon Warrior Academy" window sticker on it.

I just plain like Trek.

Thanks for helping to keep your husband's dream alive and for being a part of my life for so long. You will be missed.

Holiday Update aka Victims of the Almighty Sarlacc

You know all those letters you get in your holiday cards from people with the exciting stuff like "and our son just got accepted in a Doctoral program at Oxford." Yeah well, this isn't one of those updates...

It's been a "growth and development" year at the LRN's household.

Slick's job is absolutely nuts. Filed under "be careful what you wish for" Slick started 2008 looking for new career challenges and found them working on the development of a new product for her company. Of course, the project was "inherited" in an already precarious state wracked with uncontrollable and utterly unforeseeable setbacks. She with the support of her new boss has helped to guide the damn thing from the brink. My analogy has been that the new product was Han Solo trapped in carbonite. They've gotten to the point where they've rescued him from the carbonite. Currently, Slick is now stuck in chains and everyone's about to be fed to the Sarlacc.

Of course, things aren't all that bad from my end. Remember what Princess Leah was wearing at that point in the film? ...

Oh, I'm so dead for writing that.

Oh, it was so worth it!

Honestly, from my limited view, things are going exceptionally well. Sure, she's stressed as hell. Sure, she's working like mad. Sure, there's that whole Sarlacc thing. BUT she's been "noticed" at work for all the right reasons. And, I honestly think they are going to succeed. They just need to watch out for Bobba Fett.

Bobba Fett? Where?

As for me, it's all about putting one foot in front of the other. After another year of living with Fybromialgia, I'm still missing out on a lot of my "old" life. The new medications are providing hope, but they've also contributed to my re-gaining 5-10 lbs.

Hey, it's not the 50-extra I started with and it's better than being stuck in carbonite!

In a lot of ways, it's been a bad luck year for me. The intestinal infection this spring took months to get over and forced me to start over with a lot of my exercise program. This fall has been all about changing medications and dealing with side-effects. Every change has meant new adjustment periods. Yet, I honestly see myself moving in the right direction. My energy, my symptoms, my worst days are still never as bad as they were the year I stopped working. I still need to get to the "next level" - whatever that means - but it's still progress.

Let go your feelings...

I accept that dealing with a "life-altering" condition isn't about taking some pills and going about my day. These things take time. If nothing else, these last few years have taught me patience & acceptance. Those are big - HUGE - lessons for me.

Hmmm...size matters not...

I really wanted to do a lot more in the garden this year. I wanted to plant some shrubs, work on the lawn, start a veggie garden. None of that was really possible. So, I compromised with the indoor garden. Our house-plants are really happy with me. I'm enjoying it. It's baby-steps. Again, patience & acceptance.

I sense much spaz in him...

The Moose is currently barking at the kids playing outside. Turning 6, he's no longer "young." He's still a spaz at times, but he's a generally happy & healthy dog. His new thing this year is that he's learned to pull back the covers and make a nest in our bed. He also likes to snuggle up with his head on a pillow & tucked under the blanket with Slick when she goes to bed. This is fine until I want to go to bed.

I know I tend to be overly optimistic around New Year's, but I'm really excited about 2009. I mean, what's the worst that can happen? Well, I suppose my fybro could get really bad, Slick could lose her job and thus our house, & the dog could find a skunk or get lost chasing a deer.

Because if I think of the worst thing that can happen, things usually work out much better and I stay happy.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year & above all watch out for intergalactic bounty hunters!

Would You Shut Up & Let Them Debate!

On Sunday, Meet the Press nearly featured a really great debate about health care between Gov Granholm (D) of Michigan & former Gov Romney (R-MA). Unfortunately, David Gregory cut them off.

The core question was the magical $2000/car extra labor cost. Both governors were articulate, knowledgeable and passionate about the issue. Gov Romney was making the union-busting argument based on the idea that American car companies can't be competitive due to all the salary & benefit costs. Gov Granholm was making the counter-argument that non-American companies have a leg-up due to government health-care and related government support. The debate, which I was very interested in, started there...

And then got quashed, dismissed really, by David Gregory. Actually, I thought his moderation style was rushed and lacking style. I don't like his presence in the least. But, I digress...

In a world of cable news & talking heads, there's never really any time for actual discourse. Everything is spun and filtered. Everything is presented in Sesame Street speed. Countdown (which I love), O'Reilly (boo), & all those shows is still just about listening to pundits ramble. Blah, blah, blah! Once and a while I want to hear people with "actual" knowledge & passion about an issue engage in healthy discussion. More importantly, I was really impressed with both of the Governors and wanted to hear where this was going.

The problems with the "big 3" are broader than the UAW, but the way that this is handled is going to have lasting ramifications for the American labor force. So, I don't get why these two had to be cut short so we could listen to David Gregory talk to two other reporters about how Obama's transition team is or isn't managing the Blagojevich question.

Maybe my real problem is that I'm a big enough dork to watch Meet the Press.

Legend of the Seeker

One of the best fantasy writers I've had the pleasure of reading is Terry Goodkind. His "Wizard's First Rule" was an instant classic and launched The Sword of Truth, a series of dark and violent sword and sorcery style books centering around a young protagonist named Richard Cypher. My good friends Crash & Cainam are huge fans of the series. I unfortunately found myself forced to stop after the 3rd or 4th book. Goodkind's descriptions of Richard's various "trials" became too much for me. I am not a "detached observer" when I read books. Still, I recommend any fantasy fan pick up the first book and go from there.

So today when I came across a new show on Hulu based on the Sword of Truth series, I tuned it. In the muddy and disappointing waters of fantasy TV, the pilot episode of "Legend of the Seeker" stands out. While it essentially follows the same basic premise of the first few chapters of "Wizard's First Rule," it's admittedly not on par with the books. It faces a daunting problem for fans of the books because it very quickly avoids many of the moral grey areas that make the books what they are. Book to TV/Movie purists like Cainam will be hard-pressed to like this show.

Given all the crap in the fantasy/scifi TV genre, past and present, this pilot stands firmly in the middle. For every Battlestar Galactica there's an equally horrible show like the original Battlestar Galactic and it's spin-off BGS 1980. *puke* Even the best, long-running shows like Stargate & Star Trek:TNG started with so-so pilots. And while there are also plenty of quality modern fantasy shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there is a massive void in the classic sword and sorcery end of the spectrum. There have been modest attempts in the past like the short-run Roar with a very young Heath Ledger. There have been tons of OK miniseries like Earthsea. Still, the most popular shows I can think of were the Hercules & Xena shows. This pilot, while cut from the same cloth, was much better than your standard Kevin Sorbo fare.

If this review is leaving you with a lukewarm feeling, I understand. Still, if your a fan of the genre, it's worth checking out. I assume that it's available on cable TV, so set your DVR and watch when you're looking for a distraction. Or if you're like me, catch it on Hulu while playing Warcraft or writing in your blog.

addition

I just watched episode 3. I take back what I say about it being "much better than you standard Kevin Sorbo fare." Now that they've covered the backstory, it's essentially Hercules without the campy humor. The special effects are modernized & the fight-sequence use some Matrix-style slow-mo, but it's still just another legendary journey. Sigh!

On Advent & Absent Friends

The other day Posey reported that Forest is missing. This made me think about the time, years ago, that my old cat went missing for days because he got stuck the neighbor's garage. I remember how miserable I was. I remember having given up hope then hearing him crying out at 2AM. I went outside and listened. As soon as I realized where he was I woke my sister up and made her call our neighbor. My parents were away somewhere. My sister did not hesitate to rescue my cat.

I keep hoping that they find Forest because I know exactly what they are going through.

Tigger was a Christmas present when I was 12. He was the best cat a boy could have. All through High School, I never needed an alarm clock. Instead, Tigger would wake me up every morning at 6AM by standing on me and meowing for breakfast. When I would come home during college breaks he would always greet me with the "where have you been?" look before hoping on my lap and reminding everyone that my lap was his personal space. He lived with my parents for years after Slick and I got married. He might have moved in with us. Alas, it just wasn't possible. After years of separation, I became horribly allergic to him. Besides, by that point he was old and set in his ways.

Tonight, I was sorting through some old photos using Picasa when I found this picture of Tigger at my parents during Christmas of 2000. In the same batch, I also found a picture of my Grandmother, iDad's mom. Neither of them are with us now.

Tigger
Best Cat A Boy Ever Had

The holidays are a bittersweet time. They bring back joyful memories and fill us with sorrow.

Advent, the weeks leading up to Christmas, is a paradox. It's about hope, yet it's also like the gravedigger in Hamlet. Death lingers over Christ's birth the way it lingers over our holiday decorating. We get closer to celebrating the birth of Christ, but it's also a long prelude to Good Friday. Every year, I listen to Handel's Messiah when we trim the tree. This year, my fingers hung over the butterfly ornaments that once adorned my grandmother's room in the nursing home. As I hung them on the tree, I thought of her and I thought of Karen. I remembered Posey's phone call last year telling me Karen had died and realize what a bittersweet Christmas this will be.

"The voice of him who crieth in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the lord."

Was the voice of the prophet the sound of a courageous trumpet or the sound of a scared and hungry cat? Sometimes, I wonder. But then the words of the prophets come to me in song.

"Comfort ye my people."

I think of those words and I know that everything will be alright. Absent friends are not so far away. Pain and sorrow turns to grief and hope. That's the message of Christmas. The foregone conclusion is not a Shakespearean room full of dead bodies. It is Easter morning. It's my hope for lost family and friends. I listen to the prophet sing those words of comfort and I know we need not be afraid. I hear it clearly and recognize the voice for what it truly is...

The voice of the prophet is a big sister who rescues your cat.

Random Late Night Observations

I'm tired, but can't sleep yet. My mind is racing through a bunch of potential blog topics. So, here comes another random topic post.

I'm fairly certain that I'm not sleep blogging...

First, I learned tonight that Doug Glanville writes a part-time Op-Ed Column for the NYT. Check out his page here. Doug Glanville was a favorite in our house when he played in Philly. I think Slick even had a secret crush on him.

NBC Nightly News did a segment on the increase of public Library use. Well duh! Slick and I re-discovered the library over a year ago as part of our own cost-cutting strategy. Of course, this comes at a time when municipalities are cutting library funding. I should really consider how much money we're saving checking out library books & the donate a small % back to our local branch.

Observations stop here because this is where the medication starts doing the talking. Now is the time I can stagger into bed and pass out. Now is not the time for me to check the deals on gifts on Amazon.com.

John Stewart is My Hero

Check out last night's Daily Show via Hulu.

He's having this long interview w/ Mike Huckabee. Huckabee is arguing this point about not trusting government to handle issues like the auto industry & social services. John Stewart comes back with...

"The fact that you would trust the government with tanks and neuclear weapons but not to pass out cheese to poor people..."

Thank you John.

Update: John then grilled him on gay marriage. It's awesome. Must see...

Fibro-Frustration

I'm going to vent today so I can just get this out of my system and try to move on to salvage this week.

In many way, I've gotten used to my weird cycle of fibro symptoms. For the most part I can manage a week around them. I can have a few productive days (or hours in a day) and then need a few days or hours to recover. It leads to an almost normal life. It starts to make me think about a future where I'll do more thing like work part-time or volunteer. It gives me hope.

Then weeks like this one happen. Several of my most egregious pain & muscle fatigue symptoms are in full bloom. And yet, I'm feeling active and aware. In other words, I'm not having a chronic fatigue week where I'm hazy and tired, I just HURT! Being hazy and tired would almost be preferable. At least when I'm hazy and tired I have but one choice, go lay down.

Instead, after surviving a fall chock full of fighting off sinus migraines, I'm dealing with a mid-December pain onslaught. My back hurts. My neck hurts. My legs hurt from my hips to my toes. My arms hurt from my shoulders to my finger. Heck, my fingers hurt enough that I feel the click of every keystroke writing this. Gripping my fucking coffee mug hurts.

I'm completely and utterly conscious and in need of mental stimulation. I just can't seem to find something to occupy my mind that doesn't HURT!

This all started Sunday and has gotten progressively worse all week. Today, I just want to find a dark corner and crawl into it.

And now, having gotten that out of my system, I'm taking a deep breath, grabbing the iPod for some soothing music and will attempt to walk the dog.

The Football Mistress

Tonight my other "home town" team prepares for MNF. The game is actually being broadcast on network TV, so I can watch. I really do "like" the Panthers. I can't imagine ever really being a fan. Football teams are like wives, you can't have two. Sadly, following the Panthers week-in and week-out means that I'm beginning to know them better than my Eagles. I feel dirty. Is this what cheating is like?

Coach Fox is a stand-up guy and calls a hard-nosed style of football that I like. Steven Smith is a headcase, but Fox generally keeps him under control. Delhomme plays with passion and loves to throw under pressure.

They strike me as a team that plays better with a lead, but then they amaze me with their ability to run the 2-minute drill. That's something that Reid & McNabb have consistently disappointed me on through the years.

And tonight is the kind of game that's perfect for MNF. It's December. It's a conference showdown. The winner takes first place in the NFC South.

Are you ready for some football?

Damn, this is the kind of excitement I want for my Iggles.

Eagles

Now that the Eagles have ripped off a pair of impressive wins including one against the hated Giants, I've got to pontificate.

flyDad and I talked at length about this over Thanksgiving. Even after the wins, my gut still says the same thing: It's time...

It's time for Reid & McNabb to consider moving on. I am grateful for them the way a fan should be, but maybe next year needs to be a rebuilding year. It's got to be considered even if the utterly improbable takes place and the Eagles "earn" a playoff bid by winning all the rest of their games & getting a LOT of help.

Even after last season when I nicknamed McNabb "Bounce Pass" I regularly defended Reid, McNabb and the Eagles system. Unfortunately, it sure feels like that system has run it's course in Philadelphia.

Reid's style of west coast offense has consistently missed a power back and a deep threat to spread the field. Over the last two seasons, teams throughout the league have developed defensive systems to stop the screen pass (Reid's version of the run) consistently. Perhaps teams really have figured him out. He's adjusting, but for how long? It's the nature of the beast. Systems come and go.

McNabb continues to live a "what-if" life. What if he hadn't gotten so many season-ending injuries? What if the team had invested in real receivers? (We do not speak of the T.O. era in this house.) Maybe he is still in the top 25% of QB's in the league. Maybe he still has some good years left in him. Should they really be in Philly?

Then I think, "What about DeSean Jackson? He's the future right? McNabb could throw to him." Sure but Jackson and McNabb are starting to feel like two ships passing in the night. If Jackson is going to be the future, then shouldn't he be the tip of the spear, not the end of it?

Brian Westbrook is my favorite NFL player of all time. He has redefined the all-purpose back role and opened the door for players like Reggie Bush to flourish. Well OK, Marshall Faulk did the redefining, but Westbrook is still da man! Unfortunately, da man is also becoming the Millennium Falcon of the NFL - down for service more than running. The Eagles should have paired him with a durable power-back years ago. Instead, he's shouldered too much of the burden and lost almost as many games by his absence as his presence.

All these points don't even get into the aging defensive secondary or the long-term cohesion of our offensive line. I don't want to be a sub-500 team anymore than the next fan, but I also don't want to languish just outside of play-off range year after year. It's the curse of the aging 10-6 team. 10-6 looks and feels really good. Tickets get sold. The team makes money. There are exciting games. Fans have "hope." You slip into the play-offs every now and then. You talk about "next season" but are afraid to make any significant moves for fear of going 9-7 or 8-8.

The problem is that you do go 9-7 or 8-8. And eventually the wheels can fall completely off the bus because you didn't make the hard choices and you become the Detroit Lions or the Kansas City Chiefs.

We are where the Packers were last year only McNabb is no Brett Favre and the Link is no Lambeau Field. Even if the Jets win the Superbowl, the Packers should not regret moving on. They should regret how they moved on, but not moving on.

Perhaps it's time for the Eagles & McNabb to do the same.

I try really hard to let that warm glow of World Champion Philadelphia Phillies & President Elect Obama shelter me from my football negativity. Then I see the tie game on the Eagles record and I get a bit worked up.

It's not the money, smoke or my inability to drink that keeps me from going to the sports bar to watch the Eagles. It's my fragile mental health that keeps me from going to the sports bar to watch the Eagles. It's stuff like that stupid tie that makes it so fragile. tie, tie, tie...

I mean, FUCKING TIE?!?!

Who the fuck lets a game end in a tie? This isn't hockey! It's football! Win or have the common decency to choke down a loss. Don't let someone tie with you. Stupid tie...

This blog post has been stopped to protect my home and my hand from being broken before I hit that rather inviting wall over there.

Comfort is a Warm Doggy

It's Sunday night and I'm feeling fuzzy, tired and hurting. So the dog and I are snugged up on the couch, watching football, surfing the Internet on the iPod & eating cookies.

Of course if Baltimore continues to crush Washington, I'm going to need something else to watch besides SNF. Few things please me more than watching a division rival get beaten, but blowouts are boring.

Oh No! Smart People?

What are we thinking?

Academic elites fill Obama's roster
Critics worry about insularity as Ivy League graduates crowd cabinet posts

Oh thank God! The best and the brightest from our nation's best and brightest academic institutions are being selected by Obama to work with him.

Seriously, I don't want people like you or me running this country. I want people SMARTER than you or me running and fixing this country. The Bush Presidency's demystification of the White House is complete and utter foolishness. The "every man" should not be running the country. Also note, even with plainspoken manner and all those Bushisms, Bush is still an Ivy League grad from an aristocratic family. He's retiring to a 2 million dollar home.

I am not saying that smart people don't come out of small liberal arts colleges or state schools. I'm not suggesting that the every-man doesn't have things to offer. I'm saying that our country depends on Obama's selections, so I want him to pick really smart people.

And, IMHO, anyone who disagrees with me automatically joins me on the list of people "not smart enough to run the country."

House Plants

I've been busy with the house plants since my last post about them. I took some parts to some old IKEA storage shelves I had in the shed, combined it with some scrap lumber I had in the garage and *presto-chango* instant plant shelves.

The Green Zone

This house plant haven faces SW, gets light all day and good afternoon sun. The plants are flourishing there. Bob, the ivy plant, is doing exceptionally well in his new pot and is taking over much of the right part of the shelf. I have to rotate him every couple of days because his leaves turn to face the sun. Part of me wants to see just how much he can grow.

And yes, I named the ivy plant Bob. Your point? We also have Grace the Spider Plant & Fred the nearly dead peace plant.

Bob, the Ivy

During her Thanksgiving Visit, the Queen bought me a Christmas Cactus. It's in bloom and adds some much needed color to the green zone. There was some obnoxious debate about what I would name it. Out of revenge, I've named it pRick. The P is silent.

pRick, the Christmas Cactus

I'm also trying to root some more plants. Grace produced two more babies (in addition to the 8 she gave us this fall) and I'm seeing if I can get some of Bob's vines to root.

The Nursery

The other project is an indoor herb garden. This is requiring regular care because the house is so dry. I'm spraying them with a water bottle twice a day and wondering how they will handle our leaving for Christmas.

The herbs have already been put to use to make some leftover ham & lentil soup and some turkey soup. Mmmm...homemade soup with fresh herbs! I've decided to not name any of them since they are technically food.

Herbs

Note: When I originally posted this, I accidentally wrote that Bob was a fern. The Queen corrected my mistake.

Bill Ayers in NYT Op-Ed

In case you missed it.

The Real Bill Ayers

It's a quick read but thought provoking. I think intelligent people (just like the idiots) can draw their own conclusions about Mr Ayers. So, just read the piece and decide for yourselves.

Friendship, Video Games & Learning About International Politics

Every now and then I realize just how much I don't know about the world.

Because of my World of Warcraft playing, I know people who live very far away from me. I've played with people who live in Australia, Thailand, Germany, parts of South America, Canada and all across the United States.

After logging in and chatting with people every day for months, conversations move past game-play or idol chit-chat. There are a number of people that I know a great deal about having never met them, seen their faces or even knowing their real names. In game, people become identified by their "main" character. My name is Beroth. Even after switching to a new main character, I'm still Beroth. But, as usual, I digress...

One of these international friends is a guy we call Karthis. Karthis lives in Canada. He and I share a lot of the same passions including politics. We like to chat about stuff a lot including politics. Through these conversations, we've learned that we are not speaking the same language.

I've always liked to consider myself a man of broad, general knowledge. I knew that my understanding of the Canadian Parliamentarian system was limited, but I had no idea just how limited. Even the lingo throws me. Perhaps it's my "American" hubris, but I've had this image of Canada as being more like the 51st state. Yes, I know how that sounded. Karthis' reaction has been similar to mine, although I think he understands more about our politics than I of his. The big issue is terminology. Political parties, ideologies, stances on various issues don't appear to fit into the traditional framework we put on our Republicans and Democrats.

As far as I can tell, Karthis is small government, fiscal conservative but with fairly liberal social viewpoints. His read on me is that I'm a left-leaning centrist. That's generally accurate.

After today's big issue with Parliament, Karthis sent me a link to his favorite political blog, Macleans.ca.

He warned me that the writing would be "somewhat off-the-cuff, but hits on a lot of issues we're struggling through right now." I'll be honest, I'm going to be doing a lot of Wikipedia searches to get through the most resent post. But, I'm trying. It's an opportunity to learn something about a friend, my neighbors to the north and broaden my understanding of the different forms of democracy in this world.

Now, the challenge is for me to send him something. What should it be? Do I simply send him to the NYT OpEd section where I get most of my political commentary? Do I go all out (and show my party loyalty at it's most extreme) and send him the link to Daily Kos? Perhaps I really try and freak him out by sending him to The Huffington Post. Do I explain that I can't stand watching Fox News and get generally frustrated with any news shows. OK, I admit liking Keith Olberman, but he's more for the entertainment factor.

The truth is that I start with the NYT. I skim Daily Kos and then use google new feeds to find interesting stories. When possible I watch PBS to watch the NewsHour With Jim Lehrer. I then look for the BBC new service. It gives me a lot of news about us from the outside world's prospective. And, I eventually catch Keith's show on the iPod over breakfast the next morning.

Any way, the change for you, dear readers, is to learn something about something you "thought" you knew but really don't. Let me know how it goes.

No, leave me alone so I can decipher this blog his sent me.

Tree-like

 

Well, we finally did it. We got a "fake" tree. Actually, it's an anniversary present from the Queen & flyDad. For the last several years, we've been away for 1-2 weeks at Christmas. Spending $60-80 on a tree only to come home to find it completely dried out and having to spend hours cleaning up pine needles seemed impractical & dangerous. Artifical trees are a lot nicer than when I was a kid. This one setup in minutes and came with lights built in. So, now we get to enjoy the season without the Christmas tree argument.

We decorated today. Heck, Slick & the Queen even put up lights in the windows. It's rather festive around here.

My iPod Touch: Typing

This is a little interlude for the ongoing series of posts about the iPod Touch.

One of the great features of the iPod touch is the multi-touch screen. This allows me to actually type fairly efficiently. It lacks the tactile feel of dedicated texting devices and the auto-correct software can struggle with names and unusual words.

Still, with a little practice I've gotten efficient enough to publish this blog post using nothing but my thumbs.

My iPod Touch - Part Deux

Stop!

Consider reading My iPod Touch - Part 1 before moving on here.

Good to go? Excellent...

Let's get Technical

I have the 16gig 2G iPod Touch. I settled on 16gigs after weighing considerations between storage space & cost. I surmised, correctly, the 8gig version would not be sufficient for my storage needs. That bed was too small. The 32gig, while attractive, was just way too close to the cost of a new laptop. That bed was too big!

iPod Touch Techical Specifications
iPod Touch Features

Music, Music, Music...

Because my Nano "only" had a 2gig capacity, I was selective in my music choices. Currently, the digital portion of my music library is hovering around 6 gigs. That may sound like a big library. But truth be told, it's a modest sum. It's from a mix of sources including CDs, iTunes, free sources & other digital download sites. I probably have 50% of my CD collection that still hasn't been converted. The Nano's size meant that I was simply reluctant to unload favorite mixes to get at the bottom shelves of my music collection. Great stuff like Rush's Moving Pictures went unplayed. Other stuff like Sound Garden hasn't even been transfered from CD.

The first thing I did was load my entire digital collection onto the iPod Touch. The 8gig model would have been done then and there. With the 16gig model, I've started converting more CDs and adding them to the collection.

Now, the delema with that much music is playlists. You can forever make playlists and always miss music. You can hit shuffle on everything and never get a good mix. Apple added two really good features to their current Touch/iTunes software to help. First, they finally added playlist shuffle. This means that you can shuffle a playlist on the fly without have to resort. Second, they added Genius feature.

Genius is an "opt-in" option for iTunes. By opting in, you sync your music collection with Apple's database...

No really, I turned this feature on! It's an uncomfortable experience knowing that someone is looking over your shoulder even if they "claim" to make everything annonymous. Visions of the RIAA coming along with a Lawsuit to look over Apple's client info crept into my nightmares. Folks know that I'm a bit of a goody-goody and even I've got some "free" music scattered about my collection. But I digress...

Once the sync is complete, you can choose any song in your collection for iTunes Genius to create a 25-song playlist around. They also, not surprisingly, use it as a vehicle to "suggest" music from the iTunes store. At first it was "good." Then a recent iTunes update improved the song selection. Then last week's Touch software update 2.2 came along and made it even better by allowing me to Genius playlists directly on the Touch and to "refresh" song-based playlists when I'm ready for a change.

And the results?

Sometimes I get surprised when Dusty Springfield shows up on the same playlist as AudioSlave. And yet, on that playlist based on Seven Nation Army by White Stripe, it totally works. In fact, I'm hearing and loving songs that I've not heard in a long time. I, for whatever reason, rarely listed to any of my Pink Floyd, but now it's appearing on my Genius playlists.

Genius is yet another example of Apple's ability to make Net Neutrality, Open Source-lovin' types cringe. For those of you who don't know what this means, it's like Libertarians on the internet. We (yes I include myself in this crowd even though I'm an Apple-Lovin' Fool) want nothing less than a free and open internet where people "respect" intellectual property rights & privacy, yet share ideas, bandwidth & software freely. Apple's system is so controlling & invasive, but it's so amazingly good.

So, now you've got your music, your playlists, your Genius playlists and your ready to listen. Now, the Touch's cool-factor kicks in. The iPod Touch music navigation starts with a really efficient menu system and then converts to a cover-art flow. I've never been about the extras. Yet, the extras are just too cool to ignore. Skimming through my music collection with a flick of my finger is a fun experience.

But how does it Sound?

Sound quality, oddly, is a bit of a low priority for Apple. If you're a true Audiophile you hate MP3 music anyway. But, truthfully, the only thing holding my iPod back is the earbuds. Better earbuds, just like better speakers, make most digital music sound great.

Next post: the other stuff...
Which is to say a lot is still left to cover. We haven't talked about iPhone/Touch Apps yet. We haven't discussed WiFi access.

My iPod Touch - Part 1

Back in Sept my 1st Gen iPod Nano's battery stopped holding its charge. The charge was already going for months, but by Sept it was finished. The click wheel had also been giving me trouble for a few months. So, 3 months shy of it's 3rd birthday, my Nano was essentially dead. Now what?

The anti-iPod/iTunes crowd are right in their criticism of Apple's system. iPods are expensive. When the battery dies, you're kind of stuck. iTunes can be cumbersome. Apple's DRM system locks you in. I couldn't agree more with any of these complaints. Yet, my first instinct was another iPod. Heck, my 2nd, 3rd & 4th instincts were another iPod.

It was a great 3 years. I tend to take care of my gadgets, but when I like something - as I did my iPod - I use it a lot. The Nano went with me everywhere. I would use my Nano to walk, exercise, hike, work in the garage, nap, eat, clean, took it on my one and only trip to Europe, sit in coffee shops, grocery shop, even used it once to get a promotion at my old job (That's a funny story.)

When I went from Doctor's office to Doctor's office, from test to test trying to get a diagnosis for my Fibromyalgia, the iPod was there. When I learned that relaxation was an important part of managing my condition, I went straight to iTunes to download meditation podcasts onto my iPod. When I drove 12 hours to see my dying Grandmother in the hospital, my iPod (loaded with audio books) was my travel companion.

My wife openly admits that my iPod was the single best Christmas present she's ever given me. Whatever replaced my iPod had "big" yet small, portable shoes to fill.

At the same time as my iPod's unfortunate demise, 2 other events were occuring. First, we were coming to terms with the state of our 6 year old laptop. With it's minimal hard drive, dead battery & scratched up screen, it had long become little more than an over-sized email device. Second, Apple announced their new iPod lineup including the new 2nd Gen iPod Touch.

Why were these two events important? I knew that I needed a new MP3 device (or a repair of my Nano.) I also knew that we would have to start seriously considering something to replace the laptop. We both just got new desktops this year, so neither of us had any interest in buying another computer. Was there an alternative? I wanted an MP3 device. I wanted "mobile" access to my email and the web.

I wasn't considering a smart phone. Sure, I know plenty of people who love their Crackberries. iDad loves his iPhone. But, there was no long-term justification for the extra monthly cell phone costs. It just didn't fit my lifestyle or our budget. No, what I wanted was a portable WiFi device that would play music, videos, and games while allowing me to check my email & even do some web surfing. What I wanted was the new iPod Touch.

For a few more weeks, I pondered. The new generation Touch was minutes old. I'm purposefully not an early adopter. I'm skeptical of day-one reviews of products. The price tag was daunting. Still, the more I waited, watched, read, drove Slick nuts as I debated about it to her (not with her) the more I liked it. So, one day - perhaps out of a sheer desire to shut me up - Slick told me to buy one. I did.

Now, after nearly 2 months, I decided that it was finally time to write about it. Yes, I absolutely love the damn thing. But is it worth the insane cost? Yes and no. Did it replace my Nano, Laptop & even my Nintendo DS Lite? Yes and no. It's not flawless as the Apple-gushers might have you believe, but with the recent release of software version 2.2, it's getting even better. Mostly, it's right for me, but may not be right for you.

Every negative thing said about the new iPod Touch is 100% true. It's stupid expensive for an MP3 player. It's stupid small and lacking in Flash support for a web-surfing device. Most of the "Accelerometer" based games will suck your battery dead. For these reasons, people who waste their money buying these for their kids are either stupid or rich or both. Some 3rd-party applications crash regularly. Because it's not a phone, there are times when you can't check your email or use the web. It's basically an iPhone without the Phone or the camera. (Or the monthly service fees.) Did I mention that it was expensive? Did I mention the word stupid?

It's all true, but it's all missing the mark. The cost is high for an MP3 player. But it's not just an MP3 player. It's high for a video playback system. But it's not just a video playback system. It's also not just a portable gaming device or a mobile WiFi device. The Touch is not a "replacement" for a laptop or desktop, but a reasonable option when one is not available. It's all these things. You can find individual things that can do one part or another better, but the complete package is what makes it a very good value.

In Part 2, I'll break down the features, discuss issues like battery management & get into iTunes controls.

Frustrating Weekend

After a wonderful date w/ my wife Friday night, I was so eager to get my day started Saturday. I felt ready to be productive around the house, ready to for some solid gaming time on the 2nd full weekend of the new World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King expansion.

Then at 8:30AM, I realized that the "unthinkable" had happened with my gaming account. After years of system security obsession, my game password had been stolen. I had been Hacked. (Click the link to get the whole story.) Blizzard Entertainment had taken the necessary steps to freeze my account and start restoring my virtual stuff. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done. I obsessively needed to do a complete security review of every piece of hardware and software on my home network. No cleaning, yard work, meals or anything would get done until I knew that I knew the cause for this breach & had quashed it.

I'll skip the boring details and just say that I used "not my regular" computer to log on to WoW after it had been turned off for a while but before new virus definitions could be loaded. I should have, duh, changed my password (sooner than my usual once every 60 days) but it never dawned on me that I could actually have been hacked.

I'm back on the game today. I've made adjustments to my system security and have purchased authenticator keys which will make my video game security more protected than most online bank accounts. Sad really!

But, that one event was like a snowball at the top of a miserable weekend. I was pissy about the computer security. Slick was pissy about things needing to get done while I was dealing with the computers. Eventually we got a little pissy at eachother. Eventually we got a lot pissy at eachother. "Fights" are so rare in our household, that to have one on my birthday weekend is like the biggest anti-gift ever.

Thankfully, the whole thing became a catharsis for us. We both eventually started laughing and being really obnoxious with one another. Stuff started getting accomplished. And, while my account lock-out frustration kept rearing it's ugly head, we just kept moving past it to find "something better" to do with our time.

Sunday proved to be a bit better. Still no game access, but we moved passed that to get an over-due Costco trip out of the way. The house cleaning was finished for our guests. I accepted the reality of things. Slick played WoW and I watched my Tropic Thunder DvD from Netflix. Not our usual, intended, Sunday night, but it worked out.

It's going to be a good week with Slick's family and that's all that matters...that and questing after everyone goes to bed. Must level my Feral Druid Tank to 80 before Christmas vacation!

Bond, James Bond

Last night, Slick took me to see Quantum of Solace. Let me cut to the chase and say, I enjoyed it. Instead of giving a potentially spoiler-ridden review of the film, I bring context for the life-long Bond film fan.

In an odd way, I have not seen a more angry, driven 007 since License to Kill (1989.) Yes, I acknowledge that Dalton's two lackluster outings are barely worth mentioning in the cannon of Bond films, but hear me out. Of the 22 (23, or do you really think "we" could forget Never Say Never Again!) theatrical releases, three stand out above all others as containing moments where Bond reached real moments of happiness, even contentment only to have them shattered by tragedy that can't just be forgotten with a quip, a drink & a one-night stand.

One was Felix's wedding at the beginning of License to Kill. One dead Mrs Leiter & a shark-eaten Felix later and we have Bond forgetting Queen & Country and focusing only on revenge. It was a disappointing film, yes, but it's still the best way I can describe Bond's mindset at the start of Quantum. Or is it?

Consider if you will, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969.) At the end of this singular George Lazenby (who?) portrayal, Bond gets married to Tracy only to have her killed by Blofeld in the closing sequence. Yes, Lazenby was a disappointing Bond. But, it was one of my favorite Bond films. (Just missed my top 5 at #6!) And it ended tragically with the death of Bond's one true love. "There is no hurry...We have all the time in the world."

Tracy Bond is the "one true love" alluded to throughout over 40 years of Bond films. When Bond drinks all those Martini's and sleeps with all those women, is he trying to block out all the faces of all the men he's killed or is he trying to forget the face of that one woman?

Unfortunately, Bond fans had to wait over a decade (6 Bond films) for anything remotely qualifying as "continuity" for the opening sequence of For Your Eyes Only (1981.) Sadly, this continuity comes only as part of a truly disappointing opening sequences. Here we see Bond at Tracy's graveside before a harrowing remote-controlled helicopter ride at the hands of Blofeld. (Remember that one?)

What might have been if Sean Connery or a very young Roger Moore had been given the opportunity to chase Blofeld & Specter for the death of his wife in an entire film?

This is the true beauty of the Daniel Craig reboot. Unlike the decade following Tracy Bond's film death, we didn't have to wait to see the weakest of all Bond pre-credit opening sequences to see Bond get Blofeld. Unlike License to Kill, we didn't have to agonize through a bad 80's drug-lord story-line to see Bond driven for blood.

Casino Royale (2006) brought us the new Tracy, aka Vesper, for a new era. And in this new era, Quantum tosses aside Bond-film tradition and picks up where we left off, with an angry Bond grappling with loss, betrayal, resentment and a growing addiction to vodka. To make it worse for Bond, everyone else that he's remotely close to end up in danger in this film. This just serves to fuel the fire. It is pulse pounding. And how does Craig pull it off?

Craig's Bond in Quantum is a joyless, haunted killer on the verge of falling off a cliff. Gone is the disarming charm of Sean Connery or the silly ease of Roger Moore. But gone too is the forgettable acting of Lazenby and Dalton. Where Pierce Brosnan might have taken all the best laughs from Connery and Moore, Craig has taken all of their screen presence.

It is Bond's joylessness that has simultaneously become my biggest lament and biggest cause for praise of this film.

As for actual stuff about the film? Do you expect me to talk? No Mr Reader, I expect you to see the film!

Bonus Material:

LRN talks favorite Bond Films - I can pick out favorite moments from just about every Bond film. The second I start singling out 4 or 5 "favorites" someone will quickly ask how I can forget From Russia with Love or For Your Eyes Only. To you I say, make your own list!

- The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - While Eva Green, aka Vesper, nearly dethroned her, Barbara Bach, aka Agent Triple X, is my favorite Bond "girl." This is the movie with the Lotus Esprit as a sub. The hot Russian agent, the return of Jaws to kill them both, Roger Moore at his prime and one hell of a kickass opening downhill ski chase.

- Goldfinger (1964) - When accounting for favorite Bond, best overall plot, villain, and considering everything that should be in a Bond film, this is my OTHER favorite Bond film. Not only does it have two of the best Bond quotes, it's got Oddjob! And..."My name is Pussy Galore." "Of course you are!"

- Octopussy (1983) - Perhaps it was because I first saw it at just the right age to start getting the sexual references. Perhaps I just loved the Bede BD-5J mini-Jet. Octopussy is a personal favorite without any redeeming qualities.

- Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) - I still contend that Pierce Brosnan got the Bond role 10 years too late. But, then again, if he had gotten it "on time" he may never have gotten to team up with Michelle Yeoh for one of the most creative motorcycle chases in film.

- Casino Royale (2006) - I admit being perfectly blown away by Craig's opening sequence, by Eva Green's piercing eyes, Judi Dench's solidly locking down her place as the best M of them all and the best overall Bond plot since the early days of Dr No & From Russia with Love.

And where do I stack the new movie up with these? That remains to be seen.

PS. Opening sequence music was meh! I like Jack White. I appreciate Alicia Keys. I think they should have listened to Sheena Easton, Duran Duran, Paul McCartney's openings a little more. They knew Bond music. Granted, big surprise, my favorite Bond song is from my favorite Bond movie because Nobody Does It Better sung by Carly Simon.

PPS. To Avouz & Crash, my fellow Bond geeks, it's good! You will not be disappointed!

Pathetic

At approximately 11:20 AM EST, it dawned on me that today might, in fact, be November 21st.

One seriously has to question the sanity of someone who can get through the entire morning without realizing it's his birthday.

Sigh!

Star Wars vs Star Trek

This is a follow-up of sorts to my really negative review of the Clone Wars DvD last week.

First up, the new Star Trek movie trailer is up and it's absolutely perfect.

Official Star Trek Trailer

Once in a great while, a trailer comes along that just gets me jacked up for a movie. The first Spiderman movie trailer, the first trailer for Watchmen with the Smashing Pumpkins music as the background, etc.

I am so jacked up about JJAbrams reboot of Star Trek, words can not describe...

But I digress.

So, what does this have to do with Star Wars? I'll let Scott Kurtz do my talking for me.


Sometimes guys like Kurtz, Johnson & Kovalic are able to say things in comics that we would never dare say and yet they just sum up everything in a few comic panels.

Of course, none of these "titans" of online comics do it better than XKCD.

Recent State Anti-Gay Marriage Laws

Anyone else really bothered that states are passing laws to systematically treat a group of people as second-class citizens?

I would like very well to respect the "moral" arguments of fellow Christians and other religious people. I try really hard. The so-called moral decline of our society is a farce. Were we more or less moral after the Emancipation Proclamation or Women's Suffrage? Shall we undo those? And if so, how far back would people like to go for a more pure and moral society?

Shall we return to the time of Prohibition? Because, those were certainly moral times. Further? The Constitution? Folks were certainly less rebellious before then. Oh I know, let's go back to the times of Puritanism. Yeah, nothing like a good witch burning! Screw it, not moral enough. Clearly, all this is sinfulness is the result of so-called individual rights. Let's forget about the Magna Carta while we're at it.

Still not far enough back. Shoot, the Cruisades were an up-right "Christian" period. Just have to pick one. I mean, if we can't bring morality to the world by looting and pillaging once or twice, we'll try nine times over several hundred years just to make sure!

If I keep going back, I'll get all the way back to Sodom and Gomorrah right? The basis for every half-baked argument against gay rights. Yes, that's why all of society's problems are because of us Liberals right?

Everyone seems to have a lot of hang-ups about sex. (We seem fine with a little violence, but I digress...) I understand this is hard to wrap our brains around because of all "our" collective hangups, but Gay Marriage is not about Sex! It's about the rights of two equal people to share their lives together and receive the same legal and societal rights as anyone else.

And before the cowards start arguing that opening the law to gay marriage suddenly opens the law to other types of unions, just don't! One injustice a moral-buffer does not make. Defend or attack the rights of gays on their own basis. Do not lump them into the moral quagmire of other "alternative" forms of relationships.

Sorry for the rant. It's late, I've had a two-day migraine, I can't sleep and the top story on MSNBC was about this shit.

Clone Wars

Every now and then a movie or video game disappoints me even when I've already set my expectations impossibly low. This is one of those times.

The new Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated feature recently arrived on DvD and found it's way into my Netflix queue. It was "highly" anticipated this summer, but I skipped it to watch on my small, yet big, screen. This new story of the intervening years between episodes 2 & 3, was also the launch-point for the new series appearing on Cartoon Network.

I have stated, numerous times to anyone who would listen, that the original Cartoon Network series of animated shorts is one of the finest parts of the Star Wars saga. The artistic style made famous in the Emmy award-winning Samaria Jack series was further proof that American animation could be as inventive and revolutionary as Japanese Anime. It was also further testimony that the animated medium could offer quality and compelling story-telling for adults and still be accessible for kids. It also saved the larger Star Wars saga for me, enabling me to rewatch the prequels and even connect with Anakin Skywalker.

Alas, Lucas Films is clearly plotting to destroy my last best hope for preserving my favorite childhood franchise with their latest film.

I want to start by saying that the film wasn't "bad." Nor can I say that the CGI was "bad." Sure, I miss the old animated style and that longing was sure to taint my perspective. They did a fine job. It wasn't mind blowing good. I think it should have been their goal. Knowing that they wanted to morph this into a weekly TV show probably shaped their decisions. If it was too perfect, the bar would be way too high to reproduce week in and week out. Still, my issue was and is not with the CGI.

The film had horrible pacing. The acting and dialog was so-so. There were times when I actively wondered if the actors had all done their lines separately in sound rooms and then it was all spliced together. The best animation can be destroyed by really bad acting. It's why some Anime (like Akira) must be watched in it's original Japanese. Inflection, tone, mood, interaction are all set by good voices doing their jobs right. That's not to say I disliked their voices, but it just didn't work.

It felt like a kids movie and not in a good way. I know that Lucas' intended goal was to make this for younger viewers. I don't fault him there. But great films for kids end up being great films for adults too. Movies like Disney's Aladin or Pixar's Finding Nemo are instant classics for all ages. I know adults who quote Finding Nemo that don't even have kids. That's quality cinema. So, I refuse to give Lucas a pass for the "Huttling" or the totally Gay Uncle the Hut. In fact, Lucas should be ashamed for drawing on such classic stereotypes for creating characters like that. Especially when the film is aimed at kids. Star Wars has it's androgynous token gay character. Adding a "flamboyant" hutt was in poor taste.

Still, the failure of the film was not the animation style, the phoned in voices, the bad choices in character creation, or even the truly flimsy plot (which was waifer thin.) No, the agregious problem was pacing.

It could have easily been done as 2 to 3 part premier episode of a TV series. It didn't have a sweeping movie plot. It didn't transition from event to event well. The sense of drama was completely lost. The big climatic moment of the film perfectly positioned itself to make a nice squishy plop like that of a freshly produced cow-pie. It was warm, stinky and you really wanted to avoid stepping in it. So close to a real Star Wars fight, but no.

And so, this is what they want us to ignore/replace the original Clone Wars series with? This marketing contrived, shallow, cow-pie of a movie?

I was so utterly disappointed with this film, I paused it several times to do some email, make some calls, by my wife's birthday presents on Amazon.com. Each time I went back expecting the next scene to be the one that propells this new franchise and convinces me to spend money to watch future episodes on DvD or iTunes.

Use the FORCE George, because it's the only thing you've got keeping me from never looking at another Star Wars product again.

Fybro Update

The roller coaster ride continues this fall. I have a few good days followed by a few bad days. It took me 4 days to rebound from going to the Obama rally. I'm not regretting it, but it was hard. Over the weekend, we did some much needed yard work & were really busy. By mid-Monday, I felt like I had hit a brick wall. The fatigue the last few days has been really rough, but general pain is still down.

I also had my first "Ambien" events last week.

On Monday night, I fell asleep on the recliner until after 4AM and then could barely stand up to get myself into bed. On Tuesday night, I apparently got up, turned on the lights and used the bathroom and then went back to bed without turning the lights off. Slick reported this to me, but I have no memory of the event. Things are really out of sync.

Neither of these compare to what happened Saturday...

I was reading on the couch waiting for sleepiness to kick in, but it never seemed to. So, I got up and looked at my music library on iTunes. At some point the meds kicked in, but I didn't actually fall asleep. I just kept on surfing and then went to bed. I remember doing all this and yet it's all sort of vague. The next morning I found that i had bought several videos in the iTunes store. I have since changed my settings to make it harder to purchase things. One-click shopping is bad for sleepwalkers!

I was really embarrassed about that one and pissed at myself. I'm getting over it. Blogging about it and letting you share in my misery helps.

On Wednesday, I had a 4-week checkup to see how I'm doing with the Lyrica. I reported my sleepwalking to my Doctor along with my other symptoms.

The Lyrica and the Ambien together are probably doing this. Since, my Doctor wants to double my Lyrica dose now, we're going to try to see if I can be weaned off the Ambien.

Needless to say that my body is really pissed off at me today. I'm tired, I hurt, I didn't sleep well last night and I think I'm experiencing side-effects from the increased Lyrica dose. It's going to be a really fun couple days as I adjust.

Geek Anniversary Presents

Ten years ago this week, Slick and I were in Hawaii on our honeymoon. It was our intent to go back in 5 and then in 10. Neither year has been particularly good years for spending the time or money to do so. So, what are we doing to celebrate 10 years?

On Friday, I made a romantic dinner complete w/ roses, candlelight, champagne, and all that stuff.

Today, we get our gifts. It's 2 copies of the new World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King which came out today.

I'm in the middle of installing the expansion on both computers while I type. This weekend we'll lock ourselves in the computer room madly leveling in brand new content only to emerge for food and to take the dog out.

Yes, instead of black sand beaches, we're killing virtual undead on a frozen wasteland located in a server in California.

Isn't it romantic?

The Versatility of Karl Urban

Every now and then, Hollywood gives us an actor with versatility and the "hey wait, isn't that..." surprise. The amazing thing is the number of these guys who've been in Lord of the Rings. And yet, few seem to surprise me like Karl Urban. He's no leading man. He's not academy award kind of guy. Yet he's gotten some interesting supporting roles & he changes with the role.

It's hard to connect the assassin from Bourne Supremacy to Eomer in Lord of the Rings to Vaako from the Chronicles of Riddick, but I assure you that they are all the same guy. And now, to really shock and confuse your senses, I realized today that he's playing the new JJ.Abrams version of Dr McCoy from the USS Enterprise!

Frankly, I don't know which is more unsettling; hearing Silar say "Illogical" or hearing Vaako say, "He's dead, Jim!" Sadly, I have to wait until May to hear both.

Be Careful What You Say

Several months ago, iDad jokingly challenged me that if I could "deliver" the state of North Carolina for Obama he would pay for a year of lawn care service. For weeks, he would razz me about how he was giving Connecticut to Obama and how if only I could deliver North Carolina then I wouldn't have to worry about my lawn. Then with the economic crisis, the tide started turning. iDad started backpeddling.

And now, with NBC announcing that Obama is the apparent winner in North Carolina, I just have one question.

iDad, when should I expect the work crews? I could really use one more mow and the leaves are starting to fall.

Voting @ 5:45AM

This one is from iDad. He arrived at the polls at 5:45 AM and was greeted by a line.

#304

I'm sitting at the little coffee shop in town drinking my free coffee for voting and surfing on my iPod touch via the shop's wifi.

Slick reported that she stood in line for an hour, but I was in and out in 5 minutes with no wait.

It's been an awesome time following this election. Hope for a happy ending tonight.

Unfiltered Photos

I took over 100 shots during the rally on Monday & made three very short videos. There are some good shots, but most of it's crap, but instead of cleaning and filtering, I'm just going to let you see them all on my web album. Why? Because, the shots - good and bad - paint a good picture of the hours upon hours I spent standing around waiting for the speech.

Obama Rally UNC Charlotte 11-03-08

Enjoy!

Exciting Day

Barack Obama Gives An Emotional Speach at UNC Charlotte

I'm home. I survived the drive, the bus ride to the event, the mile-long line, the hours of waiting in the rain and the horrible lines waiting to get back on the buses. I have over a hundred pictures from the event which I plan to upload unfiltered in a day or two for you all. I'm too tired to really go into the whole experience. He cried a bit when he talked about his grandmother and clearly went off-prompter for it. Otherwise, it was all the same stuff I've seen/heard him say on the stump these last few months.

The big, most inspiring thing was the diversity of the crowd (obviously bolstered by the students of UNCC.)

EST Sucks

I love daylight savings time. Eastern Standard Time sucks. The only real problem I've ever had with EDT is the time adjustment playing online games with our friend living in Thailand. Now that we're back to "regular" time, it's a 12-hour difference. Aside from that, I see no intrinsic value to EST. When the sun suddenly set at 5:30 today, it just felt screwy. All I get from this so called "regular" time is less sunlight and a need to remember to turn on the front lights before Slick comes home. I don't understand why we can't just say screw it and adjust all the clocks 1 hour and be done with it. Who needs extra daylight first thing in the morning?

Seriously, if I wanted less light to be a "feature" I would move to Canada. Granted, if McCain wins on Tuesday...

There's A Place For Caps

Slick and I went to Linens & Things today. She's been talking about getting some new bedding for a while & since they are going out of business, there's a huge sale.

Slick spotted this "Cap Rack" that hooks to closet doors & holds up to 9 hats. Well, I've needed a place to store my hats. It seems that all over the house on numerous chairs & hooks is inappropriate.

Yes, I know...

I need more Phillies hats!

Note: Sing this post title to "There's a place for us."

North Carolina Politics Goes Nuts

I don't know if you all know this, but Lizzy Dole is in danger of losing her senate seat to Democrat Kay Hagen. Kay seems to be a moderate southern democrat and is definitely getting my vote next week. Over the last few months the democratic party has does a good job attacking Dole's record and effectiveness. It's the kind of attacks that point out important facts about the candidate that avoid personal attacks and focus on record. I don't like negative adds, but the ones we've been seeing against her have been tastefully done and on message.

Then last week, a television ad ran suggesting that Kay Hagan was "godless." The shocking message has spread accross the state and have left me feeling a dark line was crossed. Kay Hagan needs to respond and here it is!



Simply put, this is the same blame through association game played out against Obama due to his academic contacts. It's everything that's wrong in American politics. It feeds on voters prejudices. It's just plain wrong. Senator Dole should be ashamed of her campaign for such an add.

On the 4th, you can vote with the moderate democrat seeking to find common ground or you can co with the senator who barely visits our state anymore and runs slanderous adds against her opponent.

Champs

I'm basking in the glow of the Phillies championship!

Keyboard & Mouse

I asked this question to Nothing Knew in an email, but I thought I would put it out to my readership as well.

I was wondering if you had any suggestions about keyboards & mice.

My fibro causes pain in my hands and wrists similar to the issues of arthritis &/or carpal tunnel sufferers. Meds help, hamd exercises help, but I often have trouble with comfort at the computer. (And the car and all sorts of other places.) The issues are long periods typing but more importantly gaming.

Standard just plain keyboards work fine from a functional standpoint. The standard mouse is too small and not shaped right. The keyboards provide no support and positioning hurts after a while.

I have a few things I've tried. I have a Microsoft wireless comfort keyboard & wireless laser mouse 6000 I got a few years ago. They are perfect from an ergonomic standpoint and I like the feel and throw of the keys. But the wireless is suspect, especially when gaming. It also cuts out in the presence of other wireless devices.

The wife has a Logitech cordless desktop mx3000. Wireless connection is much better, but the keys are too tight together and the clicks feel hard. The mouse is way too heavy.

I've got a Logitech Trackman ergonomic wheel mouse which is great but I can't do serious gaming with it. I've tried and it's too much.

So, what I'm looking for is something wired (usb) that has similar feel and comfort as my microsoft keyboard/mouse but at a reasonable price.

Sick as a Dog

Our poor pooch isn't feeling well. He's not "rush to the vet" sick yet, but I'm getting ready to boil some chicken and rice for him. He's trying so hard to alert me to "daddy, I need to go outside." But it's hard for him. The rug at the back door is about to spend it's second day in the washing machine.

This combined with me feeling all sluggish is making for a real fun time in our house. Poor Slick just comes home and looks at us with a "Now what do I do?" look on her face.

Health Update

Talk to the Hand
My hand is much improved. The swelling decreased a great deal on Friday. My hand still has a big silver-dollar sized "sunburn" on it, but otherwise fully functional. I've been taking some time to reorganize and resupply the emergency kits in the house and cars since it's clear that I'm allergic to wasps.

Fibromyalgia
I'm up to 75 mg of Lyrica a day. It seems to be helping with a lot of my fibro symptoms. Specifically, the day to day tingling and numbness in my hands, arms, feet and legs is almost completely gone. My issues with cold in my extremidies seems to be better. Muscle aches are greatly reduced. I'm hardly touching my painkillers. The side effects are harsh and I'm not sure if I'll be able to go to the next level of dosing because I don't think I'll be able to handle taking it during the day.

Unfortunately, my headaches have been bad due to seasonal allergies. And with everything that's been happening between the new meds, the allergies and the wasp sting, my fatigue issues have been really bad for the last few weeks. It's been one thing after another.

Today I found myself just frustrated with everything and had to just give myself a time out. I screwed around with a box of computer parts in the closet, played on the computer and the wife brought home some takeout so I didn't have to cook. (She's so understanding.)

Hopefully, with the first frost of the season expected tonight, the wasp sting healing & generally getting used to the new medications, I'll have a good November.

Stung

On Tuesday, I took the car to the shop and walked home with the dog. Unfortunately, about a mile from home, I got stung by something on the left hand. I honestly thought it was a wasp, but the whole thing happened so fast, it could have been just about anything from a fire ant to a spi...nothing to see here dear... There was no visible stinger and other than a mark on my hand and a sharp sting I seemed OK. I arrived home without further incident. I got through the rest of the day and aside from a pin-prick of pain forgot about the whole incident. No worries right? Yeah well...

By Wednesday morning the back of my hand was red and itchy. By Wednesday night, the back of my hand was red, itchy and swelling. We applied various bite creams and looked in WebMD for treatment info. By Thursday morning the swelling increased, the itch spread to my wrist and my hand was in pain. Sigh! On Thursday afternoon I saw the Nurse Practitioner at my Doctor's office, who basically told me that since I had survived the first 48 hours, I would probably live. She directed me to ice, elevate and increase my Benadryl dose. She warned me that the spreading might continue a little more but not to panic unless...

So, I spent the evening semi-sedated with my hand elevated & wrapped in ice. Stupid

This may be my last post for a few days since typing is uncomfortable. If you've had a hand or wrist injury, you understand my frustration. I can use my hand if I have to, but it's not comfortable.

Did I mention sigh!

Gotta Know When to Walk Away, Know When to Run

Coming home today from the daily dog walk, my dog saw my neighbor & her dog outside and absolutely had to say hi. Our neighbor is great. I could pontificate about her greatness, how she takes care of Max when we're away, watches her grandchildren,...but that's not the point of this post.

Her brother & sister-in-law are visiting with their dog. After we got over the pleasantries of dog-ownership, dog-breeds & weather the conversation accidentally turned to politics. These very "moderate" (not) leaning folks are voting McCain and it's rather clear that their big issue is abortion. I very carefully defused the issue with an agreement that we're all faithful people and that we can simply respect eachother's position. Then the brother makes an aside comment about Obama's being Muslim.

I was floored. In that instance, I wanted to shout at this nice retired gentleman, "WHAT ARE YOU STUPID?" I wanted to point out all the fundamental problems with the lies he's obviously been spoon-fed. I wanted to remind him that this is a fundamentally pluralist society and that Muslims have died defending his right to say stupid stuff like that.

Instead, I took a deep breath, remembered how much my neighbor means to me, and beat a hasty retreat.

For King M from Slick

You Want to Talk About Fear?

I'm watching last night's debate this morning.

I want to take a moment to comment on one of the issues that I never identified as important but has quickly become so in this election cycle: Health Care.

I've looked it over and I'm afraid of McCain's health care plan. In debate, he keeps side-stepping the lost coverage, exclusion from coverage issue. Obama keeps suggesting (as do a number of articles I've read) that people with preexisting conditions will not be covered in the "open market." McCain's dismissal is to suggest that only people with "Gold-Plated" plans that cover insane medical proceedures might have problems. What about people like me?

I have to go to the doctor's office a lot. I have medical tests several times of the year to make sure that my symptoms aren't something else and to make certain that my medications aren't having an adverse affect on me. I regularly feel punished by our insurance company to find approved medication. Because it's so much fun skimming through the "approved medication" list with my doctor every time we want to try something new or every time they come out with a new list.

There's no way I'm getting into an open-market health care plan. There's no way I'm going to save money even with the tax credit if our premiums and deductables keep rising. (Which they are.)

I'm not saying that the Obama plan is the end-all-be-all. It's just scary because the cost of my medications would be unaffordable without health care coverage.

On a side-note: I've spent 2 weeks now on a minimal dose of Lyrica and have been seeing very positive results. So, we're going to the next level. It's very exciting.

I'm Casting My Vote for...

Baseball!

Tomorrow night at 8PM the Phillies have a chance to make it to the World Series. I am NOT switching to the debate when it comes on at 9PM. I should be able to download the debate on Hulu or iTunes anyway. Heck, I can watch MSNBC's Countdown postmortem as a PodCast if I want. Also, it's much easier to ignore specific news about the debate than it is to avoid the score of the game.

Besides, I decided to cast my vote for Obama about 18 months ago.

Bottom of the 9th

I can't stand it! Slick has gone to bed and I'm left here holding my breath. Can Lidge finish them off?

I got your drill right here

The political advertising onslaught continues here in North Carolina. Once considered to be a Republican stronghold, Elizabeth Dole is vulnerable and McCain is apparently not winning here right now either. Fingers Crossed!

Consequently 2/3 of all TV commercials seem to be political. Most fall into 3 categories: Attack ads on Kay Hagan (Democrat running against Dole), attack ads on Obama and positive, uplifting ads from Obama. Please note that there are plenty of ads attacking McCain & Dole and all sorts of politicians in-between.

It also seems like every office is up for grabs including Governor.

I've been feeling almost guilty about not paying enough attention to the Senate race. I don't like to blindly go into the booth and vote party-line. Sure, I've never done otherwise, but I like to be an "informed" voter. I believe that voting & paying taxes (zing) are my patriotic duty.

Thankfully, two very helpful organizations sent us mail today. One is "Freedom's Watch" who told me that Kay Hagan supports windfall profit taxes on oil companies & that she sides with organizations like the Sierra Club in blocking more off-shore drilling. The other is the "Associated Builders and Contractors Free Enterprise Alliance" who tells me that Dole wants to open more areas offshore & lift the moratorium on oil shale exploration.

Apparently, both organizations think that more oil drilling is good. And that more oil drilling will reduce our dependency on foreign nations. Of course, I think more oil drilling is stupid & that energy diversity will do a much better job. That's just me, a granola-eatin', Sierra Club lovin', Democrat-votin' fool.

Also, I like to read the New York Times! Gasp!

So, thanks to both of these wonderful right-leaning organizations for making me feel better when I go "all in" with the Democrats on Nov 4. Jerks!

Note: In NC, you can't "one stop shop" for a party. You must vote for president & then cast your party ticket. Otherwise, the vote for president won't count.

Thank You FOX tv

FOX television has the rights to the NLCS & the World Series. This means I will be able to watch the Phillies! As cable prices rise & wallets shrink, this is a big deal.

So, that iDad doesn't miss a game, here's the current schedule for the first 4 NLCS games. Note that game 2 starts at 4PM!

Phillies vs Dodgers

Thursday - 8PM
Friday - 4PM
Sunday - 8PM
Monday - 8PM
All times Eastern.

Remembering Karen

Posey & MrsKnew (the real power behind the throne) are participating in the Philadelphia 3-day walk for a cure in just a few weeks.

A few weeks ago, Slick and I were visiting with my inlaws and their friends at the beach. The one day everyone was sitting around watching sports and reading books when I overheard the Queen and some of her friends talking about someone they knew who has breast cancer. Sitting there, reading my book, thoughts of Karen suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. I had to force myself to swallow the tears and keep reading.

Since then, thoughts of Karen keep hitting me. Out of nowhere I've been remembering visiting her in the hospital like it was yesterday instead of last year. I think about settling into our dorm sophomore year. I think about Karen's laughing down the hall. I think about how close we are to Halloween. I pray that we find a cure so no more families have to go without a wife and mother.

Please support your local Breast Cancer fundraisers.

Slick recently switched to Yoplait and is saving her lids.

Also, check out Army Of Women.org. It was featured on the Oct 1 broadcast of the Nightly News with Brian Williams. It's a place where healthy women can sign up to become potential breast cancer study volunteers.

As my sister is apt to say, God's peace ya'll!

Thank You Joe

I promised I wouldn't be posting more politics posts for a while, but I have to share my moment of thanks to Joe.

The setting:
Gov Palin has just evoked Dark Lord Cheney as an example for her Vice Presidency.
Me:
"Fuck this! Throw the gloves off Joe. Don't let her use Cheney as a role model. Tell the world how evil that bastard is!"
Joe:
"Vice President Cheney has been the most dangerous vice president we've had probably in American history..."
Me:
Fists pumping in the air, shouting, nearly missing the rest of his comments and getting odd amused looks from the wife.
"THANK YOU JOE!"

Indeed I was very impressed with Joe throughout the debate and could go on at length. But I just really wanted to share that moment.

Phillies Take 2-0 Lead

So, who was the MVP of the game? Was it Victorino with 3 hits and a grand slam or was it Myers with 7 beautiful innings pitched and some clutch at bats of his own? I just can't decide!

Next game on Saturday @ 6:30 at the Brewers.

NYT Article on the Crisis

Here's a phenomenal article on the events of the past few weeks. It puts everything into context. Amazingly, several of these events reminded me about worst case scenarios from training during my BFC days.

36 Hours of Alarm and Action as Crisis Spiraled

And yes, I saw the news from the Senate. I'm not sure if I should be relieved or cry.

P.S. Last economy/politics post for a while. This stuff gives me heartburn. I can't wait until Nov 4.

Yes, yes, the bail-out sucks. Still should have passed it STUPID

I know there are a lot of people on both the liberal & conservative sides who hate the idea of the Wall Street bail-out. I personally get sick to my stomach thinking about it. They fucked up, we have to pay for it. That doesn't sound right. The guy who ran WaMu for a week got over $10 million for doing what? Presiding over a major corporate collapse for a week. I'd take a few bucks, a cup of joe and some Cobra benefits for a week's work clearing out the trash for a week.

So, I will give bail-out haters their due. This just plain sucks.

No one should be surprised by Monday's global stock market dip. Tuesday's bump, thanks to bargan hunters, was great, but it didn't help the Credit market which is the real source of our issues. Eventually, things will work themselves out. Our response may help determine if things get better within the year or take a decade.

What folks are missing by actually caring about the reasons for the bail-out or by complaining about the elements of the bail-out is the harsh reality of the situation. The dullest, most back-water element to global corporate finance had a freaking asthma attack. Overnight loans between BFC's aren't happening. This has ripple effects to everything we do. They don't extend credit to each other, then companies don't loan money to us. They don't have liquidity to pay for capitol equipment or pay employees. Mortgage rates, car loans, credit cards, all this shit could feel the ripple effects. You think unemployment and foreclosures are bad now? Watch this shit drag out a few more weeks, then we'll see how those numbers look.

The bail-out is about fixing that.

And, if you don't think this is about helping "Main St" then you're wrong.

Yeah, it should never have gotten here. Yeah, this medication tastes horrible.

The longer this drags out the more concessions we will see to corporate lobbyists and conservative "deregulation" politicians. If you didn't like the plan that failed this weekend, you're probably going to HATE the one that is being proposed this week. And you'll loath whatever finally gets passed. You can't get what you really want in a Democracy. You simply have to hope that the compromise does what you need.

Meanwhile, the BFC's that survive this are going to get bigger and more powerful. Instead of correcting this imbalance between the rich and the rest of us, we're going to see it grow.