Addon Hell

Going off on a geek-tangent here, so stick with me. With the demise of the much loved Wowaceupdater, (much loved by me at least) I gave the Curse updater a try and found out what a mind blowing, wicked abortionality it is. My addons were soooo messed up, I decided to just start over and build my UI back up from scratch. And this is turning out to be a good thing, because I am trimming the fat and getting rid of a lot of crap I hardly (or never) use. Altoholic is awesome. Never use it. All those raid addons? Never raid. (Will revisit those if I ever start raiding I suppose). The new UI will probably end up looking an awful lot like the old one, but hopefully leaner and meaner. No sense screwing with basic things like keyboard shortcuts and macros that are pretty much hardwired into my brain by now. :)

Project Runway

Yeah, I watch Project Runway. Big whoop, wanna fight about it? Season 5 of Project Runway started last night, and my early favorite has to be the dreamy Bettie Page look-a-like, Kenley. /swoon Although I am also rooting for Kelli, who has a shoppe right here in Columbus.

Level 70!

Well, I made it. My first level 70 in World Of Warcraft with my Hunter. Wheeeeee . . . Below is a screenshot showing that I spent a total of: 14 Days, 17 Hours, 33 Minutes and 31 Seconds to get there. Wow indeed.

Geeking Out

Been geeking out pretty bad lately. These damn podcasts about videogames (read that: PC Games, NOT console games! Although there IS some inevitable console talk . . .) are addictive! Well, I also do my weekly Car Talk podcasts, which is also geeky, but in a different geeky way. A few of the ones I like are: 1up Yours - lots of general gaming shit, usually quite funny too. GFW Radio - Almost completely about PC gaming, also funny. Legendary Thread - All about World of Warcraft and MMO's. Still funny. PC Gamer Podcast - Just PC Games, "cleaner" than the other, and still good. The Instance - All World Of Warcraft, all the time. Retronauts - "A podcast for old people", but really a podcast for people that like to hear about older games. Car Talk - A wonderful call-in show about car problems. Much funnier than it sounds! Check out some of these podcasts and let your geek flag fly!

Clicky Keyboards

If you are old enough to remember learning to type on an actual typewriter, you may fondly remember the venerable IBM Selectric II. What a beast that thing was! You could actually feel the thing huuummmmmm when you turned it on, it was ready and willing to take years of abuse. I actually saw one at a garage sale a few weeks ago, and am still wondering why I didn't pick it up! Other aged folks may remember the wondereful "clicky" keyboards of yore, such as those that came with the old IBM (again!) computers. A few companies still make sweet clicky keyboards like that, and one still makes the actual "Model M" that came with the old IBM's. Check the links for clicky goodness! Unicomp Customizer (original clicky IBM keyboards). daskeyboard.com (a new-fangled take on the clicky keyboard).

China Girl

On a bit of a Bowie kick today, and was really digging on China Girl. Aside from the obvious (short but sweet) Stevie Ray Vaughan solo at 3:29, I was loving the almost Bolero-esque feel Stevie brings all the way until the "shhhhhh" part when the solo begins. He is really working it in the background, bringing it a little louder, a little more forceful each time he comes around, finally reaching that signature dirty Stevie tone right after Bowie sings "Its in the white of my eyes" around 2:22. Check it out, it is quite a piece of work!

Almost Over . . .

So this morning on NPR I hear 'ol Georgie is ready to talk with Iran about its supposed nuclear weapons program. Wow. After eight years of "sticking to his guns" and thumbing his nose at anyone who doesn't agree with him, all of a sudden al options are on the table. Unfuckingbelievable. This probably his way of deflecting some of the good press Obama gets because he says he will talk with anyone. Then when it comes to debates and meetings, McCain can say, "well the republicans are willing to talk to anyone too!" Fucking idiots. 'da whistles go Woooooooo! If you don't know what that is, type 'bubb rubb' into youtube . . .

Cute tidbit on NPR this morning: Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez banned The Simpsons from the airwaves in his country because it is a bad influence on children. The Simpsons was replaced with a far less detrimental show - Baywatch Hawaii. Boom!

Whatever happened to Peas, Luv and Understandishing?

I read and participate in a lot of forums related to computer games (Oh my god, I am part of a "community"!), and I have learned quite a bit about the games I play. I also have learned quite a bit about the people that post on computer game forums. Aside from having to parse: "amg u luzr go back 2 carebear server and QQ their or i am going 2 wtfpwn u!!!!!ONE!11!elevensies!!11" I find certain things particularly annoying. Grammar, spelling and punctuation. Now, I am not perfect, but it can't be said that I don't make an effort. Here is an example from a poster over on the Asheron's Call Official Forums: yes i know i have a chest.. its full yes i have mules as well... 11 total to support 5 characters one of those 5 characters only has 3 weapons (still low only need a few) the problem lays within the ammount of stuff i need muled really i have a mule just for imbue salvage which will get used fairly quickly when i get around to leveling my noob as i will need more weapons and such another mule just for armor tink things (steel,cov salvage,imbues ect...) which will aslo go fairly quick once that noob gets a major suit... oh yeah i have 2 mules just for majors as well i have to they simply arent strong enough to hold it all and no i dont need all of them but who knows what ill need in the future ? rather have it now than need it later Now, content aside, this poster (name witheld to prevent ridicule) may be trying to have a "style" by using no punctuation. Maybe his shift key(s) do not work . . . but oh, wait . . . he CAN use punctuation. There are some periods... and parentheses and even a question mark! Pretty fucking lazy and pretty fucking hard to read with no capital letters too. Thankfully, most forums make it easy to ignore or block messages from people and I make liberal use of that feature. The sad part is the poster in the example has some decent ideas sometimes. I just cannot bear to read it. And what about people that cannot (or will not) use paragraphs? Bah. That is another story for another time. Anyhoo, welcome to "Teh Innerweb"! Read at your own risk!

Happy Birthday

Sending out a special Happy Birthday wish to Brad Thompson, wherever you are.

I am an "Artiste"

Well it was going to happen sooner or later. There is now an "Artiste" page on MySpace Music for the band (me) The Mortal Groove! Check out The Mortal Groove MySpace Artiste page! Three songs posted there for your enjoyment, or your torture. You decide.

Mortalgroove.com !

Well the mortalgroove.com website got an overhaul! What that really means is that it no longer points to this blog here on blogger. Awhile back I had set up a nice little template with some CSS and a few tabs. I think it works well, but it is a work in progress, so head on over to mortalgroove.com and check it out! You can also check me out on MySpace!

So it continues

Well, I had that conversation with my supervisor about the criminal abuse of the sign-in sheet. And she promised that she (and the other supervisors) would keep a better eye on it. Fine. Now, the offenders of the redline just sign in under the redline and "forget" to put down what time they actually came in. Then, at the end of the day, they "remember" to put down a time. A big fat fucking lie of a time. Unfuckingbelieveable.

My ethical dilemma:

My ethical dilemma: I work for the state government and we sign in every morning on a sign-in sheet that is broken up into the different times that the various positions come in (6:30am, 7am, 8am). At the designated time, a supervisor will come and use a red pen to underline the last name that signed in at that time, so that anyone that signs in after that is "Late." We call is being "redlined!" Now, my direct supervisor is off on Mondays (works a 4 day week), and one other supervisor does not come in until 8am, and another is often absent due to illness. There are a few people that take such advantage of this situation that it is criminal. If there is no redline, they sign in as normal, even if they came in 85 minutes late. If there is a redline, they will sign in and write down some fictional time that they pretend they came in at. These people are stealing from the state, sure as someone who steals transparent tape at christmastime. My problem is: 1. Hard to prove - my word against theirs. 2. The NARQ! tag - everyone hates a tattle tale, especially supervisors. 3. Retaliation - There is no anonymous way to complain about this. 4. I think my direct supervisor knows about some of this and turns a blind eye. What should I do?

House Hunter

Closing in on the kill. I hope. A word of caution if you ever intend to buy a house that is a bank short-sale: Be patient! My paper work was done over a month ago, and I am still waiting for the bank that started foreclosure proceedings to approve everything. Insane.

Delicate

So why'd you fill my sorrow With the words you've borrowed From the only place that you've known And why'd ya sing Hallelujah If it means nothing to ya Why'd you sing with me at all? Yeah, yeah, it's more Damien Rice, but he's fucking brilliant. Just enjoy it.

Damien Rice

Damien Rice has been featured before on this page, but his new album is out, and I thought I would give you a heads up. It is pretty darn fantastic. I really love "Coconut Skins" and "Dogs." Here is the bridge section of "Dogs." (You should, of course, buy the album and listen to the whole damn thing!) "Dogs" (Bridge) Oh and she's always dressed in white She's like an angel, man She burns my eyes Oh and she turns She pulls a smile We drive her round And she drives us wild Oh and she moves like a little girl I become a child, man She moves my world And she gets splashed in rain And turns away and leaves me standing

Heed The Call

My favorite MMORPG of all time is Asheron's Call. (MMORPG means Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game.) You get to play with real people from all over the world! Asheron's Call is unique among other games because it offers a constantly evolving world, with new content added every month! In celebration of their 7th anniversary, they are offering a FREE 14 day trail! So please go to http://trial.ac.turbine.com/ and give it a try!

Little Bonnie

I've been really digging this new song by Drive-By Truckers called "Little Bonnie." Track it down and give it a spin! LITTLE BONNIE On the day that she was buried Her Daddy stood out by the cemetery fence And prayed to God for forgiveness As if this was punishment sins Laid her in the family garden Said you could hear his heart breaking miles away All the men pitched in and bought a marble angel To mark the piece of land where little Bonnie lay Grandma said she would keep her in the morning So her Mama could sleep a bit and do the chores and such She'd read her stories about little girls and magic powers That would never ever let a pretty angel hurt Mama's always been a beauty She's still beautiful to this very day But they say Bonnie's crystal eyes put the stars to shame Maybe heaven needed Bonnie's face Grandma said she would keep her in the morning A swollen angel who never would complain She'd read her stories about little girls and princesses Whose Daddy's don't feel punished for what heaven takes away Little Bonnie never married Little Bonnie never even made it four But I grew up in her presence Even though she was gone before I'z born Even though she was gone before I'z born

Make A Pledge

You may know by now that I am a big fan of NPR. You may not know that most public radio stations run on very tight budgets. I make a donation every year to my local NPR station, WCBE, and I encourage you to do the same. Please make a pledge to WCBE or your local station and support National Public Radio.

The Redemption of Christopher Columbus

Since today is Columbus Day in the US, I offer you an excellent reading recommendation: Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus Orson Scott Card created an amazing blend of science fiction and history in this novel, and I still pick it up and reread it every couple of years. Kick back and enjoy it!

Cannonball

Stones taught me to fly Love taught me to lie Life taught me to die So it's not hard to fall When you float like a cannonball

Roll With The Changes

While having lunch at our favorite restaurant, The Knotty Pine (must have the Mini Cheesburgers, and the Fish Sandwich is fantastic), the radio was on some station that was playing something like "Hits of the 70's and 80's!" This is good for me since I am old enough to have grown up on those songs. :) Anyhoo, "Roll With The Changes" by REO Speedwagon comes on, and while I was sitting there listening to it, I realized this is one of the best songs ever recorded. It is a ripping tour-de-force of soaring guitar lines and amazing vocals. So if youre tired of the Same old story Turn some pages Ill be here when you are ready To roll with the changes If you haven't heard it, or not heard it in awhile, give it a listen. It still blows me away.

Barenaked Ladies Are Me

The new album (yes, I am old enough to still call them albums!) from the Barenaked Ladies, Barenaked Ladies Are Me was released last week, and I have to say, it is really, really good. It took me a couple of listens but it grew on me really fast. They have always had what I think were sophisticated, strong, and often funny songs, and these songs continue in that tradition, but they just seem more mature, and maybe a bit more consistent. Take It Back is my favorite so far, and I think TJ will find a few things to read into the lyrics as well :) Take it Back It's hard enough to notice Harder still to react Just a stone's throw from the centre of our attention We all fade to black Save me from a villainous imagination Deliver me from my friends If I said something to make you mad I will take it back It's hard enough to stomach But try to look away Is this a news report or a trailer for a motion picture? It all fades to grey Save me from a villainous imagination Deliver me from my friends If I said something to make you mad I will take it back Long lines and warning signs Think of all the lives saved by plastic knives It's naive, but make-believe We will never lose if we remove our shoes It's hard to keep your mouth shut Harder still to make noise But we can't have the perfect 20/20 hindsight That our fate enjoys So save me from a villainous imagination Deliver me from my friends And if I said something to make you mad I will take it back I will take it back

The Writer's Almanac

My favorite time of day: Weekdays at 2:55pm, just before Fresh Air with Terry Gross, when Garrison Keillor (of Prairie Home Companion, and Lake Wobegone fame) does a little 5 minute show called The Writer's Almanac. He usually mentions famous (or infamous) people who were born on that day, goes a bit more in depth about one or two of them, then he ends each show with a poem. Today, he floored me with a reading of a poem called "Apology to the Wasps" by Sara Littlecrow-Russell: Apology to the Wasps Terrorized by your stings, I took out biochemical weapons And blasted your nest Like it was a third world country. I was the United States Air Force. It felt good to be so powerful Until I saw your family Trailing shredded wings, Staggering on disintegrating legs, Trying desperately to save the eggs You had stung to protect. Yeah, those are eleven pretty powerful lines, eh?

Touchdown. Welcome home.

I don't know about you, but I feel a huge sense of relief everytime the space shuttle comes back safely. It is still pretty amazing to me. So, to the crew of the shuttle, I am happy you are home safe. And I am happy you went too. :)

Google Suggest

I am a huge fan of Firefox and this sweet extension called Customizegoogle. The best feature of this extension is that it will suggest things as you type into the search box on Google. All of a sudden, this feature stopped working for me and I am going out of my mind trying to fix it. Google did introduce its own Google Suggest thing, but that doesn't work for me either! Please give it a try and let me know that it is not just me. Firefox just released an update, so I am thinking that the new version might have borked this sweet, sweet feature of customizegoogle. EDIT: All is right with the world - Google Suggest seems to be working again. We now continue with our regularly scheduled program.

The Songs In My Head

Just when I thought I had become totally bored of all the songs (800+) on my mp3 player, I came across this nugget today: "Maybe You Heard" by Kris Kristofferson. This particular version was sung by Todd Snider, and I guess it slipped through because I had just downloaded Todd's new album and saw a couple of oddballs from him that I hadn't heard. This song was done as part of the album The Pilgrim: A Celebration Of Kris Kristofferson. What a freaking fantastic song. Just wow. I knew Kris had written alot of wonderful songs through the years, but I guess I just missed this one. It is now in permanent rotation. :) Maybe you've heard, your ole buddy's gone crazy Searching for words, too deep, sweet reason and rhyme Living alone, more and more and he's prone to be lazy Turning to stone, blasted and blind. Chorus: Don't turn away there, hey, goddamn you, he was your brother Turn on your father, sister, mother, brother He was your friend. Don't you condemn him, leave it to strangers You ought to know him, give him a hand, if you can But at least for Jesus Christ's sake, understand him. Maybe you've heard that they say that the lady's been changing Day after day, more than her mind Learning to play, where the part has her turning to strangers Going too far, line after line. Chorus: Don't turn away there - hey - goddamn you, you used to love her Turn on your father, sister, mother, mister She was your friend. Don't you condemn her, leave it to strangers You ought to know her, give her a hand, if you can But at least for Jesus Christ's sake, understand her.

Dig It

My Mom and stepdad (Richard) came for a visit this past weekend and helped us update the tiny landscape plot in front of our apartment. Here they are posing with their hard work:

Happy Happy Joy Joy

It is my brithday today. Whee, what fun.

More Songs I Wish I Wrote

Today, we revisit a (semi) oldie, but a real goodie. Listened to “Solsbury Hill” by Peter Gabriel a few times today, and after all these years, I am still completely dumbstruck by how good this song is. A lot of folks will hear biblical references in the song or cite how he wrote it as a “passage” from being in Genesis to becoming a solo act, and that is fine. Music is out there for people to interpret in their own way. I do hear/see parts of the above mentioned things in “Solsbury Hill” but it is more than those things to me. It is hard to say what makes it so special to me. I guess it just feels like the power of redemption. So I went from day to day Oh, my life was in a rut 'Til I thought of what I'd say Which connection I should cut I was feeling part of the scenery I'd walk right out of the machinery My heart going boom-boom-boom Hey, he said, grab your things I've come to take you home Eh, back home