10.30.2002
GOD SAVE THE SEX PISTOLS
It's been 25 years since "Never Mind The Bollocks... Here's The Sex Pistols" was released. The album is known far and wide by just about anyone with an interest in rock. Even if you never heard a single one of their songs, the names Sid Vicious, and Johnny Rotton are known to many. Funny thing is that their populariy in the states is a fairly recent thing. That watershed album didn't even go gold in the US (Sales of 500,000 copies) until i was a senior in high school. I was 8 when it was released so you do some math ok? The fact of the matter is that the pistols will never be remembered for their music. They will instead live in the infamy that are the deaths of SId Vicious and Nancy Spungen. It will be the way they bewildered an American audience in the Burgeoning Post Elvis era. It will be the notion that any talentless prick with balls could make a career in entertainment for themselves. Punk is Dead! Long live the Punk!
go and tell me all about it
It's been 25 years since "Never Mind The Bollocks... Here's The Sex Pistols" was released. The album is known far and wide by just about anyone with an interest in rock. Even if you never heard a single one of their songs, the names Sid Vicious, and Johnny Rotton are known to many. Funny thing is that their populariy in the states is a fairly recent thing. That watershed album didn't even go gold in the US (Sales of 500,000 copies) until i was a senior in high school. I was 8 when it was released so you do some math ok? The fact of the matter is that the pistols will never be remembered for their music. They will instead live in the infamy that are the deaths of SId Vicious and Nancy Spungen. It will be the way they bewildered an American audience in the Burgeoning Post Elvis era. It will be the notion that any talentless prick with balls could make a career in entertainment for themselves. Punk is Dead! Long live the Punk!
go and tell me all about it
10.28.2002
MORE TRAVEL
So I'm all booked for my biz trip to Daytona Beach. Not looking for a lot of sympathy form you, dear reader on this one, but it's not like I'm gonna be sitting on the beach drinking various rum drinks so, don't be a hater either. I actually am going for something that the fine folks at the U.S. Dept. of Education call collaborative exchage. What this means is that a host school, that has received funds as part of the USDOE PT3 (Preparing Tommorows Teachers for Technology) Grant, have folks from other recipient institutions come see what they are doing, and give feedback. Woo Hoo! So far the conferences I have attended have amounted to little more than some glad handing and a few sales pitches. I'm hoping that the more intimate setting of the CE visit actually provides some insight into what it is we are trying to accomplish here. Oh well, I'll know in less than a month. I just hope that the new laptop that is on order for me gets here before I fly out. as the hotel I'm staying in has dataports, and if nothing else, I can surf, and check my e-mail, and generally not be so damned bored like I usually am during these trips.
go and tell me all about it
So I'm all booked for my biz trip to Daytona Beach. Not looking for a lot of sympathy form you, dear reader on this one, but it's not like I'm gonna be sitting on the beach drinking various rum drinks so, don't be a hater either. I actually am going for something that the fine folks at the U.S. Dept. of Education call collaborative exchage. What this means is that a host school, that has received funds as part of the USDOE PT3 (Preparing Tommorows Teachers for Technology) Grant, have folks from other recipient institutions come see what they are doing, and give feedback. Woo Hoo! So far the conferences I have attended have amounted to little more than some glad handing and a few sales pitches. I'm hoping that the more intimate setting of the CE visit actually provides some insight into what it is we are trying to accomplish here. Oh well, I'll know in less than a month. I just hope that the new laptop that is on order for me gets here before I fly out. as the hotel I'm staying in has dataports, and if nothing else, I can surf, and check my e-mail, and generally not be so damned bored like I usually am during these trips.
go and tell me all about it
10.24.2002
UPDATES
Ok, so the memory, hard drive, keyboard and mouse are all here, and last night Scott a fine freak in his own right, helped me get OS X loaded up on the G3. The Tower itself has a lot of, well, character. The back handle is cracked, and it looks as if the guys at Los Alamos, may have been playing kickball with it before they sent it to auction. Still after a minor hiccup - not realizing that a Western Digital Hard Drive, on it's own IDE channel, with no slave drive, does not need a jumper - We got X up and running. I took it home, and hooked it up to my DSL router, and fired it up. Sweeeeet If you have the means, just bite the damn bullet, and show Billy Gates what you think of him and his screwed up company, by buying from his oldest competitor. Now I'm not a Steve Jobs worshiper by any means. But I decided that I prefered supporting a Meglomaniac as opposed to a lying thief, which if you didn't follow the Antitrust trial of Microsoft, is pretty much what Gates showed himself to be. Again, I will happily keep my current Windows boxes up and running, but I see no migration to WinXP anytime soon, nay ever.
I really need to make my hotel arrangements for Daytona Beach. It will be a major pain in the ass. As I have to fly into Orlando and take a shuttle van to Daytona, which is around 45min to an hour away. Because my flight back to Albuquerque is so early, I really need to get back to Orlando the night before, which means booking 2 different hotels for a 3 day stay. Pain in the ass...
Did you know that Orlando Airport is the test site for advanced X-ray machines that can see through your clothing, but not your skin? Seriously. This irritates the hell out of me for a number of reasons, not the least of which is I don't think that the Feds have any justification of looking under my skivvies without my permission. I'm tempted to take some Viagra prior to going through their screening, just so they have something to look at, the invasive bastards. -end rant
Off to Albuquerque this weekend. Shopping for home improvements. I'm not complaining. I find that home ownership is a quick way to making you suddenly care about latex paint, lighting fixtures, and sinks. We're gonna gut the kitchen sometime in the next 6-9 months so it's research time....
go and tell me all about it
Ok, so the memory, hard drive, keyboard and mouse are all here, and last night Scott a fine freak in his own right, helped me get OS X loaded up on the G3. The Tower itself has a lot of, well, character. The back handle is cracked, and it looks as if the guys at Los Alamos, may have been playing kickball with it before they sent it to auction. Still after a minor hiccup - not realizing that a Western Digital Hard Drive, on it's own IDE channel, with no slave drive, does not need a jumper - We got X up and running. I took it home, and hooked it up to my DSL router, and fired it up. Sweeeeet If you have the means, just bite the damn bullet, and show Billy Gates what you think of him and his screwed up company, by buying from his oldest competitor. Now I'm not a Steve Jobs worshiper by any means. But I decided that I prefered supporting a Meglomaniac as opposed to a lying thief, which if you didn't follow the Antitrust trial of Microsoft, is pretty much what Gates showed himself to be. Again, I will happily keep my current Windows boxes up and running, but I see no migration to WinXP anytime soon, nay ever.
I really need to make my hotel arrangements for Daytona Beach. It will be a major pain in the ass. As I have to fly into Orlando and take a shuttle van to Daytona, which is around 45min to an hour away. Because my flight back to Albuquerque is so early, I really need to get back to Orlando the night before, which means booking 2 different hotels for a 3 day stay. Pain in the ass...
Did you know that Orlando Airport is the test site for advanced X-ray machines that can see through your clothing, but not your skin? Seriously. This irritates the hell out of me for a number of reasons, not the least of which is I don't think that the Feds have any justification of looking under my skivvies without my permission. I'm tempted to take some Viagra prior to going through their screening, just so they have something to look at, the invasive bastards. -end rant
Off to Albuquerque this weekend. Shopping for home improvements. I'm not complaining. I find that home ownership is a quick way to making you suddenly care about latex paint, lighting fixtures, and sinks. We're gonna gut the kitchen sometime in the next 6-9 months so it's research time....
go and tell me all about it
10.22.2002
PLACES
A list of Places I've been this year;
Amastedam, Netherlands - vacation baby, Mattypants made it over from the burgh, so there was much fun to be had.
Cologne, Germany - part of the same trip - check out Carnival for a demented Euro holiday. Think Halloween, Oktoberfest, and Mardi Gras wrapped into several beer soaked days.
Perry, Florida - Visit my longtime friend Bill. He's out of the Navy, Married, Learning to fly a plane, bought a house, oh yeah he's also a hell of an Engineer as well.
Ruidoso, New Mexico - Proof that there are large areas of New Mexico covered with trees! A Resort town in the southeasterly direction of the state. Had to go there for "Strategic Planning" conference, with numerous other educators. Decided that Educators at meetings are way to impressed with their vocabularies to tolerate for more than a few minutes at a stretch.
San Antonio, Texas - National Educational Computing Conference, Hot as Balls! Who decided to have this thing in southern Texas in JUNE! Saw the Alamo - big whoop.
Santa Fe, New Mexico - Software Training, that coincided with perhaps the bigest Rodeo in the state, and Believe me New Mexico has a lot of Rodeos. Managed to avoid said Rodeo.
Washington, D.C. - Department of Education National PT3 Grantee conference. More evidence that Teachers and conferences are two great tastes that just plain annoy the hell out of me together. Good restaurant at the hotel though, and Got to hang with an old college chum D.P.C., who consults for the dept. of Labor or some crazy thing. Check out The Chop House restaurant near the MCI Center.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - My spiritual Homeland. A major restoration of Chi, or Karma, or what have you. Never get tired of going home again, regardless of the old cliche that says you can't.
Las Vegas, Nevada - If there is a place you go when you die, I can only hope it comes close to Vegas. My folks are semi-retired out there, and It makes for a great excuse to live the high life for a few days.
Pending.... Daytona Beach, Florida - Merrilville, Indiana - and a repeat performance in Pittsburgh, all by end of year.
I really need to start enrolling in the various frequent flyer programs.
go and tell me all about it
A list of Places I've been this year;
Amastedam, Netherlands - vacation baby, Mattypants made it over from the burgh, so there was much fun to be had.
Cologne, Germany - part of the same trip - check out Carnival for a demented Euro holiday. Think Halloween, Oktoberfest, and Mardi Gras wrapped into several beer soaked days.
Perry, Florida - Visit my longtime friend Bill. He's out of the Navy, Married, Learning to fly a plane, bought a house, oh yeah he's also a hell of an Engineer as well.
Ruidoso, New Mexico - Proof that there are large areas of New Mexico covered with trees! A Resort town in the southeasterly direction of the state. Had to go there for "Strategic Planning" conference, with numerous other educators. Decided that Educators at meetings are way to impressed with their vocabularies to tolerate for more than a few minutes at a stretch.
San Antonio, Texas - National Educational Computing Conference, Hot as Balls! Who decided to have this thing in southern Texas in JUNE! Saw the Alamo - big whoop.
Santa Fe, New Mexico - Software Training, that coincided with perhaps the bigest Rodeo in the state, and Believe me New Mexico has a lot of Rodeos. Managed to avoid said Rodeo.
Washington, D.C. - Department of Education National PT3 Grantee conference. More evidence that Teachers and conferences are two great tastes that just plain annoy the hell out of me together. Good restaurant at the hotel though, and Got to hang with an old college chum D.P.C., who consults for the dept. of Labor or some crazy thing. Check out The Chop House restaurant near the MCI Center.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - My spiritual Homeland. A major restoration of Chi, or Karma, or what have you. Never get tired of going home again, regardless of the old cliche that says you can't.
Las Vegas, Nevada - If there is a place you go when you die, I can only hope it comes close to Vegas. My folks are semi-retired out there, and It makes for a great excuse to live the high life for a few days.
Pending.... Daytona Beach, Florida - Merrilville, Indiana - and a repeat performance in Pittsburgh, all by end of year.
I really need to start enrolling in the various frequent flyer programs.
go and tell me all about it
RAINY DAY FLASHBACK
It's quite chilly today with a light steady rain. This is quite odd for my part of New Mexico, where usually you get a 5 minute deluge, and then sunshine - lots of rainbows to be seen around these parts. I imagine most people who have lived here all their lives don't even notice them that much. I do though. Today is a lot like the first time I ever rode a mountain bike offroad. It was late October, and I had spent the previous month or so, scraping together various parts to cobble my own ride, as I had previously been a "roadie", and not a very fast roadie either. So the saturday morning shop ride comes, and it is maybe 50 degrees at about 8 in the AM, with a steady light rain, that only enhances the lack of warmth. There are maybe 8 or 10 of us out for the ride, and I am the lone newbie. I'm in for either a really great or really miserable initiation into the world of Mountain Biking. We're riding "The Dumps", a patch of trsils frequented by Motocrossers, on the outskirts of South Park, the soil is riddled with clay, and the rain makes for a combination of poor traction, and clogged tires. The rain is steady, and the heat I'm generating is doing a fine job of fogging my glasses. Half my water goes to keeping my lenses clear enough to see. At the end of 2 hours, I'm soaked to the bone, cold as hell, and covered with mud, a good bit of which I seem to have ingested. I'm Hooked.
Thin is, that over time, I spend less time on the bike and more time around them in the shop. Diversions, money, and school all conspire to keep my riding to a minimum. Finally after I leave the shop, I don't even own a bike any longer. Until this past summer. I discover probably the best thing going in the area - The Cibola National Forest, in McGafee, sweet trails, the kind east coasters only see in Magazines. A beautiful combo of technical single track, and plush scenic trails. Plus I remind myself that Moab is only a 5 HOUR DRIVE from home. I picked up a Gary Fisher Sugar 3+ Full suspension rig, and Ann my lovely wife is sporting a Trek Fuel 90 WS - she'll be kicking my ass soundly as soon as she gets over the fear of desending. But it has been a great rediscovery of something I though might be lost. Now if I can Just Get Dave, Matty P, and Char Char out here in the spring to ride Moab.... hmmmm need to start lobbying soon.
go and tell me all about it
It's quite chilly today with a light steady rain. This is quite odd for my part of New Mexico, where usually you get a 5 minute deluge, and then sunshine - lots of rainbows to be seen around these parts. I imagine most people who have lived here all their lives don't even notice them that much. I do though. Today is a lot like the first time I ever rode a mountain bike offroad. It was late October, and I had spent the previous month or so, scraping together various parts to cobble my own ride, as I had previously been a "roadie", and not a very fast roadie either. So the saturday morning shop ride comes, and it is maybe 50 degrees at about 8 in the AM, with a steady light rain, that only enhances the lack of warmth. There are maybe 8 or 10 of us out for the ride, and I am the lone newbie. I'm in for either a really great or really miserable initiation into the world of Mountain Biking. We're riding "The Dumps", a patch of trsils frequented by Motocrossers, on the outskirts of South Park, the soil is riddled with clay, and the rain makes for a combination of poor traction, and clogged tires. The rain is steady, and the heat I'm generating is doing a fine job of fogging my glasses. Half my water goes to keeping my lenses clear enough to see. At the end of 2 hours, I'm soaked to the bone, cold as hell, and covered with mud, a good bit of which I seem to have ingested. I'm Hooked.
Thin is, that over time, I spend less time on the bike and more time around them in the shop. Diversions, money, and school all conspire to keep my riding to a minimum. Finally after I leave the shop, I don't even own a bike any longer. Until this past summer. I discover probably the best thing going in the area - The Cibola National Forest, in McGafee, sweet trails, the kind east coasters only see in Magazines. A beautiful combo of technical single track, and plush scenic trails. Plus I remind myself that Moab is only a 5 HOUR DRIVE from home. I picked up a Gary Fisher Sugar 3+ Full suspension rig, and Ann my lovely wife is sporting a Trek Fuel 90 WS - she'll be kicking my ass soundly as soon as she gets over the fear of desending. But it has been a great rediscovery of something I though might be lost. Now if I can Just Get Dave, Matty P, and Char Char out here in the spring to ride Moab.... hmmmm need to start lobbying soon.
go and tell me all about it
10.20.2002
NEW TOYS
So if you have a TV set and a pulse, you have no doubt witnessed the "phenomenon" that is Apple Computer's "Switch" campaign. Ordinary folks standing in fromt of a white background relating how the Windows PC's of their past infuriated them, and how now is all bliss thanks to the purchase of a Macintosh computer with OS X.
Thats a load of bullshit.
Don't get me wrong, I like Macs, and I think OS X is probablt the most significant advance in a desktop operating system since, well since the original Mac OS really. BeOS was cool, and I actually owned a Commodore Amiga, which was so ahead of its time it was doomed to fail like it did, but this OS X is gonna catch on I think.
Problem is, That PC's are what we are used to for the most part. Unless you are into Audio, Video, or Graphic arts/Publishing, chances are a Wintel box is the norm, and you have finally come to grips with it. If you can read, and don't expect machines to think on their own, chances are your PC does just fine. In fact I've got 2 PC's networked in the house, and I love em, no chance of me trashing them anytime soon.
Still The "Switch" is on.
A co-worker made the 2 hour drive to Albuquerque for a weekend of geek heaven. The Bently's auction. Where places like Los Alamos Labs, and Sandia Labs surplus off their old equiptment. I asked him to try and pick me up a very specific item, and lo and behold he came through. I am now the proud owner of my first Mac. A pretty Blue and White G3 350mhz job, that accorfing to the diagnostics run on it, shares the same build date as my wife's birthday - weird, and cool, and utterly meaningless. I still have to get it up and running. Places like Los Alamos, and Sandia, don't really want you getting any of their data, so they strip all the hard drives out and destroy them. Pretty good idea really, because as any good computer forensic expert will tell you, even deletet data can be recovered by those in the know. So I eagerly await the parts from Macmall, and am no lustily looking for good deals on digital video cameras. See, I actually have a degree in production, that I have practically never put to use, and I thought this new Mac would make the basis for a fine editing station. Perhaps, If I actually start doing something decent, I'll treat myself to a copy of Final Cut Pro - its way spensive for messing around with, but like I say, I'm hoping for some creative success with this little venture.
I'll let you know when I get my trip to Sundance lined up.
go and tell me all about it
So if you have a TV set and a pulse, you have no doubt witnessed the "phenomenon" that is Apple Computer's "Switch" campaign. Ordinary folks standing in fromt of a white background relating how the Windows PC's of their past infuriated them, and how now is all bliss thanks to the purchase of a Macintosh computer with OS X.
Thats a load of bullshit.
Don't get me wrong, I like Macs, and I think OS X is probablt the most significant advance in a desktop operating system since, well since the original Mac OS really. BeOS was cool, and I actually owned a Commodore Amiga, which was so ahead of its time it was doomed to fail like it did, but this OS X is gonna catch on I think.
Problem is, That PC's are what we are used to for the most part. Unless you are into Audio, Video, or Graphic arts/Publishing, chances are a Wintel box is the norm, and you have finally come to grips with it. If you can read, and don't expect machines to think on their own, chances are your PC does just fine. In fact I've got 2 PC's networked in the house, and I love em, no chance of me trashing them anytime soon.
Still The "Switch" is on.
A co-worker made the 2 hour drive to Albuquerque for a weekend of geek heaven. The Bently's auction. Where places like Los Alamos Labs, and Sandia Labs surplus off their old equiptment. I asked him to try and pick me up a very specific item, and lo and behold he came through. I am now the proud owner of my first Mac. A pretty Blue and White G3 350mhz job, that accorfing to the diagnostics run on it, shares the same build date as my wife's birthday - weird, and cool, and utterly meaningless. I still have to get it up and running. Places like Los Alamos, and Sandia, don't really want you getting any of their data, so they strip all the hard drives out and destroy them. Pretty good idea really, because as any good computer forensic expert will tell you, even deletet data can be recovered by those in the know. So I eagerly await the parts from Macmall, and am no lustily looking for good deals on digital video cameras. See, I actually have a degree in production, that I have practically never put to use, and I thought this new Mac would make the basis for a fine editing station. Perhaps, If I actually start doing something decent, I'll treat myself to a copy of Final Cut Pro - its way spensive for messing around with, but like I say, I'm hoping for some creative success with this little venture.
I'll let you know when I get my trip to Sundance lined up.
go and tell me all about it
10.17.2002
FASHION - Turn to the left, FASHION - Turn to the right
How one presents themselves is key. I believe it is the number one way in which a person states who they are as a person. Regardless of budget, there are do's and dont's kids. And remember even the "experts" make mistake. The goal is to learn from them.
Most of us really don't put much thought about what we wear until the High School years. There are a few who pick it up earlier, but i write that off to pushy mothers, or older siblings. It's not until you get to shop for yourself, unobserved that you are really working outside the influence of others. For me High School, was pretty much an attempt to not draw too much attention to myself, but not look like a total twit in the process. Sadly, High school for me occurred in the years 1983-1987, so you can guess what kinds of horrid couture I lavished upon myself. Some of the fashion faux pas I was guilty of during this period include - Striped Jeans, Acid Washed Jeans, and "pegging" the cuffs of my jeans. None of these things are a particularly good move, and the only thing that saved me was the hordes of other oblivious teens following in lock step with those trends. The Real damnation came in that moment-in-time we call the Senior Picture. By the summer of 1986, I had decided that my straight as a pin hair looked better propped up with various viscous styling products, and that my eyeglasses, which have been a staple of my existance since i was 6, should be roundish, metal-framed, and tinted. That's a pretty good look we've got going already, and we haven't picked out a suit yet. Off to Jeans West! NOTE: Never buy a suit from a store that emphasizes denim in it's name. I went for a sweet double breasted job, in some unnatural purplish hue, and topped it off with the requisite skinny tie. Lucky that I should catch the end of that revival eh? At least it wasn't leather, as more than a few of my classmates opted for. But it was pink, so a major reduction on points there. If you were to look at the resulting picture, you might say, as more than a few suggested, that i resembled Ric Okasic - lead singer of The Cars. You would be right too. Luckily, High School was not the end-all be all of how I defined myself as a person, but there were more mistakes to be made.
Entering College, which is an opus in itself, I was dabbling with some more horrid trends. Anyone Remember the Bugle Boy Trend? Cargo Pants, weird ass shirts with odd panels sewn on them for no apparent reason, and a pair of Bass Loafers. Oh yeah, thank god that trend didn't continue too long. In fact I think the Loafers are the only part of the ensemble that doesn't make me wretch thinking of it.
College for me breaks down into two components. Commuting, and Living on my own. This is where the reality of having to finance a lot more than my pizza intake came into play, and actually I think my fashion sense was for the most part improved by it. Thrift Store became my almost exclusive outlet for clothing, save Levi's Jeans which have been and will remain the only denim I put on my heiney. And I could never understand the need to have jeans alread broken in, There is something to making denim fit you like a glove, but I digress. It is during this time that I adapted myself to the "retro cool" look that swept all involved with college radio, or working in record stores. Chuck Taylor low tops, or Doc Martens, short sleve button down shirts (mostly rayon or some other synthetic), and for me lots and lots of old Izod Sweaters - I was sort of Gen X's answer to Mr. Rogers - "Can you say Kamakazi shot? I knew you could."
This look carried me through the bulk of my twenties, as I was a destitute graduate / grad student for most of that time. Several bouts with unemployment also helped keep me browsing the thrift scene as well.
Eventually all good things come to an end, and lucky for me good turned to better. With Marriage and relocation to New Mexico came gainful employment and a real disposable income. A chance to buy clothing at retail! An opportunity to redefine my style. I still favor my Levi's as my day to day leggings, due to the casual enviorns of working on a college Campus, but when called upon to work a more "professional" look, I make the 2 hour drive into Albuquerque and hit The Men's Warehouse. The selection is good, the price is competitive, and for me at least, the service is second to none. Camel Hair Sportcoats, Wool Suits, and silk T-shirts are now major players in the wardrobe. I will say this though, try and have an idea of what you want, or you will walk out with too much. Don't be afraid to be specific in your desires. It took some time, but I was finally able to convince the staff, that no matter how "timeless" it may be, I was never going to put on a Navy Blue suit or blazer. Black is the new Black I say, and have kept my color selections in the black, grey, and tan tones aside from dress shirts and ties, where a little flair is a good thing. Burke knows a thing or two about fashion as well, and was actually ahead of the curve by quite a bit. Hell he's still the only guy I know who can pull off "Dress Sandals". And I find that it really is true - It's better to look good than to feel good. Usually looking good is all it takes to feel better.
go and tell me all about it
How one presents themselves is key. I believe it is the number one way in which a person states who they are as a person. Regardless of budget, there are do's and dont's kids. And remember even the "experts" make mistake. The goal is to learn from them.
Most of us really don't put much thought about what we wear until the High School years. There are a few who pick it up earlier, but i write that off to pushy mothers, or older siblings. It's not until you get to shop for yourself, unobserved that you are really working outside the influence of others. For me High School, was pretty much an attempt to not draw too much attention to myself, but not look like a total twit in the process. Sadly, High school for me occurred in the years 1983-1987, so you can guess what kinds of horrid couture I lavished upon myself. Some of the fashion faux pas I was guilty of during this period include - Striped Jeans, Acid Washed Jeans, and "pegging" the cuffs of my jeans. None of these things are a particularly good move, and the only thing that saved me was the hordes of other oblivious teens following in lock step with those trends. The Real damnation came in that moment-in-time we call the Senior Picture. By the summer of 1986, I had decided that my straight as a pin hair looked better propped up with various viscous styling products, and that my eyeglasses, which have been a staple of my existance since i was 6, should be roundish, metal-framed, and tinted. That's a pretty good look we've got going already, and we haven't picked out a suit yet. Off to Jeans West! NOTE: Never buy a suit from a store that emphasizes denim in it's name. I went for a sweet double breasted job, in some unnatural purplish hue, and topped it off with the requisite skinny tie. Lucky that I should catch the end of that revival eh? At least it wasn't leather, as more than a few of my classmates opted for. But it was pink, so a major reduction on points there. If you were to look at the resulting picture, you might say, as more than a few suggested, that i resembled Ric Okasic - lead singer of The Cars. You would be right too. Luckily, High School was not the end-all be all of how I defined myself as a person, but there were more mistakes to be made.
Entering College, which is an opus in itself, I was dabbling with some more horrid trends. Anyone Remember the Bugle Boy Trend? Cargo Pants, weird ass shirts with odd panels sewn on them for no apparent reason, and a pair of Bass Loafers. Oh yeah, thank god that trend didn't continue too long. In fact I think the Loafers are the only part of the ensemble that doesn't make me wretch thinking of it.
College for me breaks down into two components. Commuting, and Living on my own. This is where the reality of having to finance a lot more than my pizza intake came into play, and actually I think my fashion sense was for the most part improved by it. Thrift Store became my almost exclusive outlet for clothing, save Levi's Jeans which have been and will remain the only denim I put on my heiney. And I could never understand the need to have jeans alread broken in, There is something to making denim fit you like a glove, but I digress. It is during this time that I adapted myself to the "retro cool" look that swept all involved with college radio, or working in record stores. Chuck Taylor low tops, or Doc Martens, short sleve button down shirts (mostly rayon or some other synthetic), and for me lots and lots of old Izod Sweaters - I was sort of Gen X's answer to Mr. Rogers - "Can you say Kamakazi shot? I knew you could."
This look carried me through the bulk of my twenties, as I was a destitute graduate / grad student for most of that time. Several bouts with unemployment also helped keep me browsing the thrift scene as well.
Eventually all good things come to an end, and lucky for me good turned to better. With Marriage and relocation to New Mexico came gainful employment and a real disposable income. A chance to buy clothing at retail! An opportunity to redefine my style. I still favor my Levi's as my day to day leggings, due to the casual enviorns of working on a college Campus, but when called upon to work a more "professional" look, I make the 2 hour drive into Albuquerque and hit The Men's Warehouse. The selection is good, the price is competitive, and for me at least, the service is second to none. Camel Hair Sportcoats, Wool Suits, and silk T-shirts are now major players in the wardrobe. I will say this though, try and have an idea of what you want, or you will walk out with too much. Don't be afraid to be specific in your desires. It took some time, but I was finally able to convince the staff, that no matter how "timeless" it may be, I was never going to put on a Navy Blue suit or blazer. Black is the new Black I say, and have kept my color selections in the black, grey, and tan tones aside from dress shirts and ties, where a little flair is a good thing. Burke knows a thing or two about fashion as well, and was actually ahead of the curve by quite a bit. Hell he's still the only guy I know who can pull off "Dress Sandals". And I find that it really is true - It's better to look good than to feel good. Usually looking good is all it takes to feel better.
go and tell me all about it
10.16.2002
LIKE THE DESERTS MISS THE RAIN
Ok, so I live in the fucking Desert. Not the hip Travel Channel southern Arizona Desert, not even the fabled California Death Valley Desert. No I live in the 4 corners Desert. Where elevations run higher, and temperatures run lower. I have days when I look outside and am amazed with the stark beauty of the landscape. Then ther are the other times.
This place has a lot to offer, if you have an intrinisic interest in native arts and culture, there is also ample opportunity to sample the New Mexican cuisine - "Red or Green?" a reference to the type od chili sauce you want on your dish is asked in most every restaurant in this area, save the fast food chains. Alas, I am not particulary interested in either of these things. I want to see a good play like I used to see on a regular basis. I'd like to have a few dining options that did not assume a love of chili peppers (though I will admidt I do like my food spicy, which is a new development). Imagin if you will, that every restaurant in Pittsburgh served sandwiches with fries and 'slaw on them. Or that the only thing you could get for dinner in Philly was a steak sandwich. You see where an abundance of one thing is a potential downer, I'm sure. Don't get me wrong, I've never been Mr. Variety, but this is the kind of place that demands you get into a rut and sit there. Even I have limits on how repetitive I can be apparently, or maybe it's that the quality of what I am forced to repeatedly consume, both edible and cultural, is just not as good as what I used to have. Hindsight is 20/20
Stupid fucking hindsight.
go and tell me all about it
Ok, so I live in the fucking Desert. Not the hip Travel Channel southern Arizona Desert, not even the fabled California Death Valley Desert. No I live in the 4 corners Desert. Where elevations run higher, and temperatures run lower. I have days when I look outside and am amazed with the stark beauty of the landscape. Then ther are the other times.
This place has a lot to offer, if you have an intrinisic interest in native arts and culture, there is also ample opportunity to sample the New Mexican cuisine - "Red or Green?" a reference to the type od chili sauce you want on your dish is asked in most every restaurant in this area, save the fast food chains. Alas, I am not particulary interested in either of these things. I want to see a good play like I used to see on a regular basis. I'd like to have a few dining options that did not assume a love of chili peppers (though I will admidt I do like my food spicy, which is a new development). Imagin if you will, that every restaurant in Pittsburgh served sandwiches with fries and 'slaw on them. Or that the only thing you could get for dinner in Philly was a steak sandwich. You see where an abundance of one thing is a potential downer, I'm sure. Don't get me wrong, I've never been Mr. Variety, but this is the kind of place that demands you get into a rut and sit there. Even I have limits on how repetitive I can be apparently, or maybe it's that the quality of what I am forced to repeatedly consume, both edible and cultural, is just not as good as what I used to have. Hindsight is 20/20
Stupid fucking hindsight.
go and tell me all about it
10.14.2002
SLACKING
Sorry for the lack of posts last week, I wasn't out of town or anything, just unable to come up with anything I thought was worth posting. There you have it. Seasonal change is in the air in a major way in this part of New Mexico. Sunny days, followed by crisp cool nights. The temperatures swing close to 40 degrees on any given day, and it is still not a phenomenon I have come to complete grips with. I'm always screwing up the whole layering concept when dressing myself, and find myself the only guy wearing a jacket or sweater on many occasions, ah well, at least I look good, if out of place. I've been finding out more about what home ownership encompasses. Apparently climbing up on your roof is a big part of it. Particularly if you decide to take up chimney maintainence, and winterizing your evaporative cooling unit, for your own entertainment. This is a nice complement to the crawling under the house (crawlspace only, no basement in this abode), that I have done in the past to wire phone jacks, and network my computers. The bonus to ll of this sillyness is a serious feeling of self satisfaction, plus the fireplace rocks now that I can actually use it. I've been waiting for the nightime temps to drop since we moved in in May, and now the season is upon us! I guess I've always been a bit of a closet pyromaniac, and it's a fine thing to have a place to watch the flames that's safe and legal.
go and tell me all about it
Sorry for the lack of posts last week, I wasn't out of town or anything, just unable to come up with anything I thought was worth posting. There you have it. Seasonal change is in the air in a major way in this part of New Mexico. Sunny days, followed by crisp cool nights. The temperatures swing close to 40 degrees on any given day, and it is still not a phenomenon I have come to complete grips with. I'm always screwing up the whole layering concept when dressing myself, and find myself the only guy wearing a jacket or sweater on many occasions, ah well, at least I look good, if out of place. I've been finding out more about what home ownership encompasses. Apparently climbing up on your roof is a big part of it. Particularly if you decide to take up chimney maintainence, and winterizing your evaporative cooling unit, for your own entertainment. This is a nice complement to the crawling under the house (crawlspace only, no basement in this abode), that I have done in the past to wire phone jacks, and network my computers. The bonus to ll of this sillyness is a serious feeling of self satisfaction, plus the fireplace rocks now that I can actually use it. I've been waiting for the nightime temps to drop since we moved in in May, and now the season is upon us! I guess I've always been a bit of a closet pyromaniac, and it's a fine thing to have a place to watch the flames that's safe and legal.
go and tell me all about it
10.07.2002
Admission of sheer stupidity
Ok, I am going to come right out and say what many of you will think when you read what follows - boy am I an Idiot! This involves my home, my money, and the handyman who came between them.
I had some problems getting the hardwood floors refinished this past summer, and long story short needed to bring someone else in to finish the work. Enter Frank. Frank seems like a nice enough guy, he's punctual, softspoken, and did what we needed him to do when we wanted him to do it. That's pretty swell. So impressed with Frank was I that I decided to hire him on to do some more work inside the house, as well as some landscaping out front. The only catch was, he was going to be using some helpers, and wanted us to pay a bit more than half the job up front to cover for labor (around here, there are many guys who make a buck laboring for others on a per job basis, and I don't doubt that most of it is under the table), This is my first and biggest mistake - I pay him cash (see first sentence above before you e-mail me reminding me what I already know), still after day one, most of the front yard is cleared up, and it looks to me like another day or two plus the interior work is all that needs done. Alas, this is all that gets done by Frank and his helpers. I discover that Frank has skipped town, hopped a bus out of here, and no doubt used his cash advance to help finance his journey. I really don't expect to see the money again. I am guilty of trusting someone I knew little about. I am guilty of not seeing the red flags when they were right in front of me, I am guilty of being optimistic, which is particularly rare for me. Still none of that adds up to the Guilt that Frank is walking around with, not that he cares, because Frank is little more than a thief plain and simple. I call it an expensive lesson that I will never forget.
go and tell me all about it
Ok, I am going to come right out and say what many of you will think when you read what follows - boy am I an Idiot! This involves my home, my money, and the handyman who came between them.
I had some problems getting the hardwood floors refinished this past summer, and long story short needed to bring someone else in to finish the work. Enter Frank. Frank seems like a nice enough guy, he's punctual, softspoken, and did what we needed him to do when we wanted him to do it. That's pretty swell. So impressed with Frank was I that I decided to hire him on to do some more work inside the house, as well as some landscaping out front. The only catch was, he was going to be using some helpers, and wanted us to pay a bit more than half the job up front to cover for labor (around here, there are many guys who make a buck laboring for others on a per job basis, and I don't doubt that most of it is under the table), This is my first and biggest mistake - I pay him cash (see first sentence above before you e-mail me reminding me what I already know), still after day one, most of the front yard is cleared up, and it looks to me like another day or two plus the interior work is all that needs done. Alas, this is all that gets done by Frank and his helpers. I discover that Frank has skipped town, hopped a bus out of here, and no doubt used his cash advance to help finance his journey. I really don't expect to see the money again. I am guilty of trusting someone I knew little about. I am guilty of not seeing the red flags when they were right in front of me, I am guilty of being optimistic, which is particularly rare for me. Still none of that adds up to the Guilt that Frank is walking around with, not that he cares, because Frank is little more than a thief plain and simple. I call it an expensive lesson that I will never forget.
go and tell me all about it
10.04.2002
THE SLIPPERY SLOPE
My longtime friend Bill and I used to argue about wether Western Civilization was still ascending or if we had peaked and were now just waiting for the inevitable collapse that all civilizations seem to encounter. Bill is a man of science. He holds a BS in Chemical engineering, and pulled 8 years in the US Navy as a Nuclear engineer. He can do differential equations in his head. Bill is one smart bastard. It is not surprising that his view is a bit more optomistic than mine, he points to the constant evolution of our technology, our medicine, our lengthening lifespan as indicators that we are on the way up.
Now me, I've been a hardened cynic since about the 6th grade which is a bit young to be that jaded, but I attribute that to reading the Newspaper on a daily basis as well as watching the local and national news on the tube. This is pretty much a sure fire way to sour yourself on society as a whole. I point to the increasing disparity between rich and poor, the factionalizing of almost any type of group - be it religious, political or social, as an indicator of our impending collapse. I suggest that for all our technology, we really have not made any meaningful improvements to the quality of life for most folks, and in fact our tech has helped to make us more shut off, more paranoid, and quite frankly weaker as a species. People no longer can take responsibility for their actions, and that to me is the final nail in the coffin. When people sue Fast Food restaurants because their coffee was too hot, or Executives sell off all their stock options, while their employees are locked out of selling as the share price plummets, you pretty much realize that more so than ever before, it's every man for himself. I think that the rampant materialism that has gripped our culture is the most blatant symptom of our devolution. What bothers me most is I don't have a single suggestion as to how to fix it. I don't advocate shucking all modernisms and heading to a survival shelter, because that is just another form of regression. I mean do you think that they thought about getting rid of Aqueducts in Rome as a way of preserving the empire? Our advancements are truly amazing, but we seem to always apply our intellect at the lowest common denomenator. Do we really need DVD payers in our SUV's? Do I really need to get my e-mail on my cell phone? Do I really need a cell phone? or a PDA? The answer to all of these of course is no, BUT it's sooooo cool. We are destined to be undone by our ability to take amazing ideas and marginalize them accross the board. Ah nuts, I've got an instant message to attend to...
go and tell me all about it
My longtime friend Bill and I used to argue about wether Western Civilization was still ascending or if we had peaked and were now just waiting for the inevitable collapse that all civilizations seem to encounter. Bill is a man of science. He holds a BS in Chemical engineering, and pulled 8 years in the US Navy as a Nuclear engineer. He can do differential equations in his head. Bill is one smart bastard. It is not surprising that his view is a bit more optomistic than mine, he points to the constant evolution of our technology, our medicine, our lengthening lifespan as indicators that we are on the way up.
Now me, I've been a hardened cynic since about the 6th grade which is a bit young to be that jaded, but I attribute that to reading the Newspaper on a daily basis as well as watching the local and national news on the tube. This is pretty much a sure fire way to sour yourself on society as a whole. I point to the increasing disparity between rich and poor, the factionalizing of almost any type of group - be it religious, political or social, as an indicator of our impending collapse. I suggest that for all our technology, we really have not made any meaningful improvements to the quality of life for most folks, and in fact our tech has helped to make us more shut off, more paranoid, and quite frankly weaker as a species. People no longer can take responsibility for their actions, and that to me is the final nail in the coffin. When people sue Fast Food restaurants because their coffee was too hot, or Executives sell off all their stock options, while their employees are locked out of selling as the share price plummets, you pretty much realize that more so than ever before, it's every man for himself. I think that the rampant materialism that has gripped our culture is the most blatant symptom of our devolution. What bothers me most is I don't have a single suggestion as to how to fix it. I don't advocate shucking all modernisms and heading to a survival shelter, because that is just another form of regression. I mean do you think that they thought about getting rid of Aqueducts in Rome as a way of preserving the empire? Our advancements are truly amazing, but we seem to always apply our intellect at the lowest common denomenator. Do we really need DVD payers in our SUV's? Do I really need to get my e-mail on my cell phone? Do I really need a cell phone? or a PDA? The answer to all of these of course is no, BUT it's sooooo cool. We are destined to be undone by our ability to take amazing ideas and marginalize them accross the board. Ah nuts, I've got an instant message to attend to...
go and tell me all about it
10.02.2002
Radio, Radio
Have you listened to the radio lately? I'm guessing that unless you are a big Talk, Sports, or NPR fan, probably not. Which is strange in my mind because the ubiquity of radio is really hard to beat as far as an entertainment medium goes. You can listen (virtually) anywhere, the ratio of advertising to programming is usually not too bad, and unlike TV, there is really no Taboo about radio in the workplace.
So why are less of us tuning in? The answer is amazingly simple, yet even the radio industry itself is loathe to admidt it. The formats of radio have become to rigid, too inflexible, too predictable, too boring. Now this has been going on for a long time, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that 20 years ago things were so much better, because this all started in that general timeframe, with the first relaxations of communications law that allowed corporate ownership to expand the number of staions they were able to own at any one time. The trend continued bit by bit until 1996 when the Communications Deregulation Act of 1996 passed (and BOTH parties are responsible for that fiasco so spare me the partisan bickering on this one), and the number of stations could own overall increased, and the number of stations that could be owned in a single market went through the roof. This would be akin to one guy owning every Wendy's McDonald's and Burger King in your town - they might have a slightly different feel to them, but you can bet that management would operate them day to day in a similar fashion, and with no competition keep an eye on cutting costs, and not retaining customers (after all where else are you gonna go?). So what we have now is a market dominated by Millenium Media, and Clear Channel Communications, and while they operate stations with numerous formats, in most cases they actually operate multiple stations out of a single physical space, sharing administrative and technical staff, and in many cases, even on-air personalities. It's pretty damned homogenized, much like the product they have developed under that system. Playlists have become even more repetitive (30 odd years of "Classic Rock" to choose from, yet they still play they same 4 fucking Who songs), Radio used to be a place where you could occasionally "discover" a band, but you can bet that anything making it onto the airwaves of your local commercial FM station has been scrutinized, analyzed, and sanitized in a very calculated fashion. These days you have a better chance of finding out about a cool new band watching a Mitsubishi ad (and that is a whole seperate rant). At this point I would normally tell you how you should call a congressman or senator, and bitch to them, but they are so deep into corporate media's back pocket they have no chance of responding to you in a rational responsible fashion. So turn the radio off, or move the dial to a local NPR station, or get an MP3 player, and control the music for yourself.
go and tell me all about it
Have you listened to the radio lately? I'm guessing that unless you are a big Talk, Sports, or NPR fan, probably not. Which is strange in my mind because the ubiquity of radio is really hard to beat as far as an entertainment medium goes. You can listen (virtually) anywhere, the ratio of advertising to programming is usually not too bad, and unlike TV, there is really no Taboo about radio in the workplace.
So why are less of us tuning in? The answer is amazingly simple, yet even the radio industry itself is loathe to admidt it. The formats of radio have become to rigid, too inflexible, too predictable, too boring. Now this has been going on for a long time, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that 20 years ago things were so much better, because this all started in that general timeframe, with the first relaxations of communications law that allowed corporate ownership to expand the number of staions they were able to own at any one time. The trend continued bit by bit until 1996 when the Communications Deregulation Act of 1996 passed (and BOTH parties are responsible for that fiasco so spare me the partisan bickering on this one), and the number of stations could own overall increased, and the number of stations that could be owned in a single market went through the roof. This would be akin to one guy owning every Wendy's McDonald's and Burger King in your town - they might have a slightly different feel to them, but you can bet that management would operate them day to day in a similar fashion, and with no competition keep an eye on cutting costs, and not retaining customers (after all where else are you gonna go?). So what we have now is a market dominated by Millenium Media, and Clear Channel Communications, and while they operate stations with numerous formats, in most cases they actually operate multiple stations out of a single physical space, sharing administrative and technical staff, and in many cases, even on-air personalities. It's pretty damned homogenized, much like the product they have developed under that system. Playlists have become even more repetitive (30 odd years of "Classic Rock" to choose from, yet they still play they same 4 fucking Who songs), Radio used to be a place where you could occasionally "discover" a band, but you can bet that anything making it onto the airwaves of your local commercial FM station has been scrutinized, analyzed, and sanitized in a very calculated fashion. These days you have a better chance of finding out about a cool new band watching a Mitsubishi ad (and that is a whole seperate rant). At this point I would normally tell you how you should call a congressman or senator, and bitch to them, but they are so deep into corporate media's back pocket they have no chance of responding to you in a rational responsible fashion. So turn the radio off, or move the dial to a local NPR station, or get an MP3 player, and control the music for yourself.
go and tell me all about it
10.01.2002
Hype, or why millionaires should not dance on television.....
I'm a huge fan of the sport of PROFESSIONAL Football. I make that distinction because I find while an occasional college game is interesting, trying to keep up with the numerous conferences, not to mention the joke that is the BCS National Championship is just plain silly. No, I prefer my football players just a tad more seasoned. Lately however I have become increasingly distressed with something that needs to be snuffed out of existence once and for all.
A starting Linebacker in the NFL is almost certainly making 7 figures a year over multiple years. The reason? He has the ability to stop the 7 figure earning offensive players on the other side of the ball. Therefore, when a sack is acheived, or a back knocked for a loss on second down, there is no need for you to shimmy and shake like you are at a freaking sock hop or fresh fest. It's been said by many before, but it bears repeating - It's your job to do that. People don't high five after succsessfully completeing a macro in Excel, so please don't give me the impression that you are surprised with your success. For 7 figures, I pretty much expect you to do that, so save your moves for your brother's wedding reception ok? And no I'm not singling out Linebackers, but I will say that Defensive guys seem to celebrate more often when there is little cause. And for the sake of all watching who appreciate the game - do not celebrate ANYTHING while you are losing by double digits. You look like a dolt. You are not bringing a new dimension to the game, and you are not auditioning for Dance Fever, so knock it off, and focus on being a professional athlete. After all that's why we watch the game. If I wanted to see someone shaking their heiny around I would be at a strip club, not watching you.
go and tell me all about it
I'm a huge fan of the sport of PROFESSIONAL Football. I make that distinction because I find while an occasional college game is interesting, trying to keep up with the numerous conferences, not to mention the joke that is the BCS National Championship is just plain silly. No, I prefer my football players just a tad more seasoned. Lately however I have become increasingly distressed with something that needs to be snuffed out of existence once and for all.
A starting Linebacker in the NFL is almost certainly making 7 figures a year over multiple years. The reason? He has the ability to stop the 7 figure earning offensive players on the other side of the ball. Therefore, when a sack is acheived, or a back knocked for a loss on second down, there is no need for you to shimmy and shake like you are at a freaking sock hop or fresh fest. It's been said by many before, but it bears repeating - It's your job to do that. People don't high five after succsessfully completeing a macro in Excel, so please don't give me the impression that you are surprised with your success. For 7 figures, I pretty much expect you to do that, so save your moves for your brother's wedding reception ok? And no I'm not singling out Linebackers, but I will say that Defensive guys seem to celebrate more often when there is little cause. And for the sake of all watching who appreciate the game - do not celebrate ANYTHING while you are losing by double digits. You look like a dolt. You are not bringing a new dimension to the game, and you are not auditioning for Dance Fever, so knock it off, and focus on being a professional athlete. After all that's why we watch the game. If I wanted to see someone shaking their heiny around I would be at a strip club, not watching you.
go and tell me all about it
