Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Help me ...

I'm spending the last few minutes of 2008 messing around with virtualizing my laptop, because I have this insane idea for running two copies of my laptop on one, and somehow getting more work done. This will also go on the resume, as I see lots of jobs looking for experience with VMWare. Umm, just nod along, non-techies. ;)

Meanwhile, Melissa is playing Neverwinter Nights on the home PC, and Jordan and Josh each have one friend over, and the four of them are all playing Wii and yelling at each other at ear-splitting volume.

Yes, this is how I'm spending NYE 2008. I think I need more of a life.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

The MOG rejected post that must go somewhere


~K7GobJFxSmO.mp3~

Subtitle: The post where I try for the record for the most YouTube embeds ever, and try to bring both MOG and YouTube to their knees. Muwahahahaha and apologies for some of the lousy sound or dorky fansub vids.

Now, to refresh your memory, here is the list that I made for the first half of 2008:

  1. Portishead - Third
  2. Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now Youngster
  3. The Kills - Midnight Boom
  4. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
  5. Foals - Antidotes
  6. Ladytron - Velocifero
  7. These New Puritans - Beat Pyramid
  8. Sons & Daughters - This Gift
  9. M83 - Saturdays = Youth
  10. The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead

Now, on to the list for the full year.

40. Crystal Castles

39. Like Honey - Leaves

38. Soundpool - Dichotomies & Dreamland

37. Friendly Fires

36. Darker My Love - 2

35. Correcto

34. Bauhaus - Go Away White

33. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig! Lazarus! Dig!

32. The Faint - Fasciination

31. The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead

30. Neon Neon - Stainless Style

29. Tearwave - Different Shade of Beauty

28. The Courteeners - St. Jude

27. Bloc Party - Intimacy

26. Wire - Object 47

25. The Notwist - The Devil You & Me

24. Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling

23. The Dandy Warhols - Earth To The Dandy Warhols

22. British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?

21. Sons & Daughters - This Gift

20. Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs

19. For Against - Shade Side Sunny Side

18. The Daysleepers - Drowning In An Ocean of Sound

17. M83 - Saturdays = Youth

16. Ladytron - Velocifero

15. Nine Inch Nails - The Slip

14. The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust

13. Longwave - Secrets Are Sinister

12. The Charlatans - You Cross My Path

11. Los Campesinos! - Hold On Now Youngster

10. Uh Huh Her - Common Reactor

9. Secret Shine - All of the Stars

8. Glasvegas

7. Foals - Antidotes

6. These New Puritans - Beat Pyramid

(MUST. SEE. LIVE. NOW.)

5. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours

4. Portishead - Third

3. The Kills - Midnight Boom

2. The Presets - Apocalypso

1. Blackstrap - Steal My Horses And Run

(Figures, my #1 band of the year is camera-shy. Ugh.)

Questions? Glaring omissions? "You listen to THAT?!?" moments? Comment away.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

So what IS your superpower?

Inspired by Annie's comment on Henry's fatherhood post.

I think my superpower is my memory for obscure trivia; musical, scientific or otherwise. I'd be a great "Phone A Friend".

So what's yours? And no ladies, you cannot ALL claim "growing a person", even if it's true. Your superpower is as unique as you. Let's hear it.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

My wee Wordle


This is what a month's worth of listening to music has wrought. Good times! Thanks Anne.

Unfortunately, I cannot copy from my Most Played app in Winamp, so I had to save it into a playlist, do lots of manipulation in Excel, then paste into Wordle to get it to work. I'm pretty happy with it.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Yeah, so, Facebook

I know, another social network; I need one of those like I need a hole in my head.

MySpace ... lies dormant, except for the semi-monthly check for messages and band updates.

MOG ... I still use pretty frequently, still do most of my writing there.

Multiply ... My most frequent place to be on the Interwebs, because the conversations here are so engrossing. I don't know how they figured out updating comments, but it's genius.

Last.fm ... I still scrobble, and that's it.

And now, Facebook. The main reason I joined was to allow me to keep in touch with my friends from church, and to keep tabs on Morgan, who has an account there. Plus, I see using my status messages as a new level of EMCD'ing. Check the current status, muwahahaha.

In fact, the reason I have an account at all is because the doofus decided he wanted an account last May, so he set one up, using MY e-mail address. It was a bit of a shock to find out I was a member of Facebook, then to realize what happened. I couldn't even get mad at him, because it was so stupid.

Anyway, I found Blair and Amber, and Jameson already found me. So hit me up if you're there. I'm not competing with Morgan for the largest group of friends, so whatever.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Please tell me I made the right choice ...

No, not about the election. I feel as comfortable as I can with my choices there.

If you read my previous blog (and if you haven't, go ahead, this isn't going anywhere), I posted that I had essentially been offered a job with Cognizant Technologies, to move to Omaha, NE and work as a Windows systems administrator. They had couched it in some strange language, but that is essentially when they were doing. They had not given me a definite salary figure, but the money figure being tossed around was far above not only what I'm making now, but way above market value as I have seen it. They also offered to cover relocation, which is something I've been wanting.

Today, I told them no thanks.

The reason I said no is because the position as described would not give me any additional opportunities for growth as a sysadmin. My responsibilities as a sysadmin would have consisted of hardware and OS, which is pretty much what my job is now. In fact, it's even less, as I manage the patching and security audits here and now.

They did inform me that they would consider fast-tracking me into project management, but to be honest (and no offense to the PM's here), that's not where I'd like to go with my career. I'm really looking to diversify my technical skills at this time; you know, get more into open-source, SQL, Exchange.

The HR person with whom I spoke was polite but clearly disappointed. I can't blame him, but I didn't want to drag it out any further if I had no real intention of taking the job.

Stil not completely sure I did the right thing though. ::sigh::

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Anyone ever heard of Cognizant?

Sometime last week, I got a call out of nowhere for a position in Omaha, NE, with a company called Cognizant Technologies. I schedule an interview, and end up having a brief (15 minute) technical interview. I think it goes OK; I don't know the difference between Windows 2000 DNS and Windows 2003 DNS, but I remember all the roles within Active Directory for once.

Fast forward to Tuesday. I get another call out of nowhere, this time from a project manager with the same company, telling me that I've been "accepted" for the position. Accepted?!? I'm stunned, because this is NOT the way I pictured receiving a job offer. There's no specifics about salary or anything, but he wants to send me the background screening form and a drug test. Um, okay.

Later the same day, I get another call, this time from their HR person. He at least gives me a salary range, and goes over some of the benefits. They're willing to fully pay for relocation, which is nice, and the rest of the benefits match up pretty well with where I work now. However, at this point I still have no clue what they're expecting me to do. I've not met the staff, not spoken to my soon-to-be-manager. Way too much up in the air. So I start asking for specifics on the job itself, and he can't tell me anything other than, "You know, it's Windows systems administration."

This morning, I get another call, this time from someone local, but still not the manager at the site. He's at least able to tell me how many machines, whether or not there's an on-call rotation, some of the upcoming projects, and such. It's just maintaining hardware and OS, which I do now and have really been looking to expand. Still no details about the data center and such, so I finally break down and ask for a flight for my wife and I to Omaha, so my wife can check out houses and schools and I can visit the data center and meet my teammates. He says he'll get back to me.

So, is it just me, or is there a lot of "cart before horse" happening here? Am I right to feel kinda queasy about the job?

BTW, I got an e-mail yesterday from the manager for the job in St. Louis, and they have a couple of last-minute candidates, but I'm their top candidate so far. Then again, they wouldn't pay for my on-site interview, which seems kinda chintzy. re they going to be willing to pony up the cash come job offer time, or am I going to have to fight for every little dime?

Ugh, job hunting SUX!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Thank you Microsoft!

Thank you for strutting around with your big impressive software, thinking you're all big bad stuff, so hackers the world around want to find new and exciting ways to take over your OS's. Way to put a target on your backs, boys!

Thank you for opening two new security holes for every one you plug. Seriously, you guys need better stress testers.

Thank you for creating mass hysteria with your lousy out-of-cycle patch for the Server service, which of course is on EVERY Windows machine in our enterprise!

And finally, THANK YOU for releasing your critical patch on the day before our big Man Vs. Wild campout, so I get to make my two oldest boys sad by telling them that I can't take them to the campout because I have to apply patches ALL STINKIN' WEEKEND!!!

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/ms08-067.mspx

Friday, October 17, 2008

Get To Know Me!

01) Are you currently in a serious relationship? - Seventeen years serious enough for ya?

02) What was your dream growing up? - Surf all day, party all night. Um, that didn't so much work out, did it? ;)


03) What talent do you wish you had? – Songwriting. People who write music that touches the soul amaze me.

04) If I bought you a drink what would it be? – Fruit punch, please! ;)


05) Favorite vegetable? – Yellow onions, sauteed in olive oil. Y. U. M!

06) What was the last book you read? – The Book of Mormon, I read a chapter a day with the kiddies. BTW, have I mentioned that I'm LDS? :D

07) What zodiac sign are you? - Cancer/Leo cusp.

08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? - Not a one. Used to wear clip-on earrings when I was feeling wild until a girl ripped it off my ear. OW!

09) Worst Habit? – Overeating and under-exercising; it's still an uphill battle.

10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride? – Sure, you seem nice enough.


11) What is your favorite sport? – Football, preferably college football. Long live Saturday!

12) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude? - Pessimistic. Sorry, it's true.

13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me? – Stare at my shoes unless you initiated conversation.

14) Worst thing to ever happen to you? - Tie: 1) lost sister when she was 8, 2) lost father when I was 21, freshly returned from a mission and all.


15) Tell me one weird fact about you. – I have a brain filled with trivia and a pathologival need to share that trivia whenever possible.

16) Do you have any pets? – Nut the dog, and Jeffrey the betta fish.

17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly? – I'd be fine, because I love surprises. Melissa, OTOH, would have a conniption fit.

18) What was your first impression of me? – Dude, you listen to some weird wild music! (Sorry Sam.)

19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary? – Scary!!!

20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be? – Learn how to smile in pictures without looking like a complete tool. Ugh.

21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience? – Conscience, as the CoaMono crew can attest. :)

22) What color eyes do you have? – Blue

23) Ever been arrested? – Yup, for driving on a suspended license. Yeah, they dragged me into the pokey for that. Crazy, huh?

24) Bottle or can soda? – Bottle

25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it? – Buy a car, something that gets really good gas mileage. Then buy a good bike and let the car sit. :)

26) Favorite band to listen to when you're mad? – Ministry. YOU'VE RUN OUT OF LIES!!!

27) What's your favorite place to hang out at? – Erin's house. :D

28) Do you believe in ghosts? – Yes, I do.

29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time? – Spare time? What's that?!?

30) Do you swear a lot? – Amber thinks I do. ;P

31) Biggest pet peeve? – Knee-jerk people that fail to do research and fail to engage brain before engaging mouth.

32) In one word, how would you describe yourself? - Encumbered.

33) Do you believe/appreciate romance? – I believe in it, but sometimes wouldn't recognize it if it bit me in the tush. Ask Melissa.

34) Favourite and least favourite food? –Favorite: warm French bread; omigosh, I could eat a whole loaf without thinking about it. Least favorite: sauerkraut; BLEECH, even the look of it gives me the willies.


35) Do you believe in God? – Our Father in Heaven, Elohim, the one who created us, then created this planet upon which we try ourselves, and has prepared an eternal reward greater than anything we can imagine? THAT God? Why yes, yes I do. :D

36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you? – Looks like I just did, knock yerself out. :)

Saturday, October 11, 2008

So why are you changing jobs?

Subtitle: Globalization Hits Home

You've probably heard of this poem before; if not, its history can be found here.

"When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out."

For years, IT companies have been sending jobs overseas. In the case of my current employer, they go to India. Now, management has been careful to tell us that they'd never send away our precious jobs, because they could never replace our precious skill set. I've never really bought it, but didn't really complain because it wasn't hitting home.

Well, BAM! It hit home this week. In our team meeting this past Thursday, we were all informed that our biggest customer is moving their equipment out of our data center, and into a data center where they can be supported by systems administrators from India. The team will be onsite next month to cross-train. Now, once again, I have been assured that MY job is safe, but there are others in my own team that will not be safe. One of our most outspoken UNIX admins even went so far as to blurt out, "So, do you want me to quit NOW?!?" Amen sister.

You know, in a way it's funny. I've been job-hunting for about three months now, and I've struggled to answer the question every potential employer asks when they look at my resume: "You've been at your current employer for a long time (16 years), why are you leaving now?" Now, I've got a really good answer.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Severe disappointment alert

Those of you that know me, or have read this before, know that I've been job hunting for a while now. Recently, I had been working for some time for a position in San Diego. I grew up in Orange County, so San Diego was a VERY enticing destination, even without e-family there. ;)

I had had an initial interview that went fairly well, but then had not heard anything for two weeks. Yesterday, out of the blue, I got a call from the HR person asking to set up a technical interview for this morning. He even went so far as to confess that he had offered the position to another person who had turned them down. Weird, but their loss was my gain, so yay!

Apologies to those non-techies reading this, but I think you'll get the gist without knowing all the gritty details. It's just extra flavor to those that are technical.

First, the technical contact calls two hours late, so I'm already on edge. Then he fires some questions at me related to command-line tools that I don't use, and was therefore unfamiliar. He asked me some Active Directory questions, which I think I was able to answer sufficiently. He asked me if I do some scripting, and then asked me a couple of questions that I couldn't answer, because I haven't managed to remember every possible WMI service provider.

When I write a VBscript, I spend a lot of time on MSDN looking up specific service providers so I get the verbiage right. I don't memorize all that. That would be like asking Amber to figure out possible interactions with two prescriptions without using any reference material.

Anyway, after 20 minutes, he was done, I was gutted, and I just knew that I wasn't getting the job. A call back to the recruiter 30 minutes later confirmed as much.

From now on though, I'm keeping my trap shut about the whats and wheres of my job serch henceforth, until the new job is located. It's too hard dealing with this garbage with just my family, without dragging the e-fam into this as well. :(

And since I had teased Todd about it, the job was supporting the game servers running Windows for Sony Online Entertainment. Argh! How much geek love would that have been?!?

And since I did some quick Google'ing after the interview:

You change an IP address from the command prompt by typing 'netsh interface ip set address [network name] [IP address] [subnet mask] [default gateway] [metric]'.
You stop a service on a remote system by typing 'sc \\[computer] stop [service]'.
The process ID would be found by returning the ProcessId value from WMI provider Win32_Process and searching on the Name value.
And you replace text using Replace([text file],[old text],[new text])
DUH!

:((

Thursday, September 25, 2008

San Antonio update

Short answer: nope.

Longer answer: I got an e-mail today from the recruiter there, thanking me for my patience. They felt I was a low-to-mid Level 2 sysadmin, which I suppose is fair. I have loads of experience is some things, but things most sysadmins work on constantly, like SQL Server or Exchange, I've barely touched. And I'm rusty as all get out on IIS. Anyway, they were looking for a high Level 2, so I didn't really fit what they were looking for, but would keep me in mind for something a bit lower on the food chain.

On the bright side, I did get a trip to San Antonio out of the deal, got some face-to-face interviewing experience, and have a clearer picture of my strengths and weaknesses.

Plus, I had three good interviews for other jobs. One is local, the other two are in San Diego and Pasadena. I would have greatly enjoyed San Antonio, but San Diego ... wow! :)

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

No more e-life tonight

Well, our son Morgan was cutting the grass in our backyard and found the exposed "precious cable TV cable" with the blade, nalling it good. Of course, never mind that I told him that he could use the mower only when I was outside to watch him with the riding mower. And never mind that he's so broken up about it that he immediately ran downstairs to play Rock Band. Grrrr

So, no internet at home. I'm over at the in-laws' house on their wireless typing this.

1) I've cooled off enough now that I don't want to kill him, but it was touch and go there for a bit.
2) I get to work from the in-laws' all day tomorrow, which is always such a joy.
3) The cable guy is due between 5 and 7 tomorrow, and who knows how much this will cost.

Can I go back to Monolith NOW? Please?!? :(

See y'all tomorrow.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

MOGolith 2008 is in da house!

Just stopping in for a quick "Hi!" before heading out the door for the Monolith Festival.

The crew is Lizzie, Amber and Dan, Mike and his wife Heather, Mike Zero, Erin, Sam, and myself. We all got together last night with a fantastic barbecue at Erin's house; she was a wonderfully attentive host. Sam joined us with the MOGochellalith guitar (Courtnet Mae) which we all signed. Mixes and hugs were exchanged. There's a rumor that Sam and I danced slowly, but that's all it is, a rumor, with no basis in reality (until the pix come out).

Much love everyone, wish you were all here. :)

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

San Antonio

Not that big a secret, but I've been job-hunting for about two months now. It's been a long hard slog, much like having a second job, really. Sometimes, when I'm getting callbacks and interviews, it's very gratifying. Makes you feel worthwhile, ya know? Then there are the times when you get loads of e-mails saying "Thanks but no thanks" or when you bomb an interview. That stinks, no two ways about it.

Why change now? Getting no raise two years running, while getting more and more work, but only in a limited technical scope. So I'm struggling more and more to pay bills, but my skills are eroding. Nice combo. And the trinkets they keep sending me are nice but not enough.

So, here I sit. For the first time in my life, I've been flown to a remote location to interview for a job. To be honest, I hadn't thought that I did well on the initial phone interview. I found myself hitting Google pretty heavily to brush up on questions they had asked. Then last week, they offered to fly me out to their site in San Antonio for a face-to-face interview. Oh joy!

I promise there will be more information as things happen, but right now I'm looking forward to chilling on one of the TWO queen-size beds in my hotel room, taking advantage of their high-speed Internet, and blasting Burial.

PS: I'm still trying to find someplace close to the e-fam, but if this comes through, at a good salary, I'm taking it. Appreciation FTW!

Friday, August 29, 2008

A to Z thingy - yoink'd from Rhonda

A is for age: 39. Geez Louise, I'm old.
B is for beer choice: IBC root beer, although I've pretty well avoided soda with the diet.
C is for career right now: Ready for a long-overdue change. More details as they become available.
D is for your dog's name: Nut. because she's nut brown and clearly insane.
E is for essential item you use everyday: Laptop baby!
F is for your favorite TV show at the moment: Good Eats, don't watch much else.
G is for favorite game: Neverwinter Nights
H is for hometown: San Juan Capistrano, CA, where the swallows return every spring.
I is for instrument you play: Bass guitar
J is for favorite juice: Cranberry
K is for whose butt you'd like to kick: My current boss, waiting for the change of career mentioned above.
L is for the last place you ate: Village Inn, just got back from having some pie there. Yum.
M is for marriage: Sixteen terrific years. :D
N is for your name: Dale
O is for overnight hospital stays: One, for a sleep study that found that I had sleep apnea. The weight loss made that go away, yay!
P is for people you were with today: Wife, kids. That's it, don't get out much.
Q is for quote: "When an individual is motivated by great and powerful convictions of truth, then he disciplines himself not because of demands made by the Church, but because of the knowledge within his heart" - Gordon B. Hinckley, 1910-2008 RIP
R is for biggest regret: Letting myself get so fat, and not finishing my Bachelor's degree.
S is for status: Blazing, according to MOG.
T is for time you woke up today: Six o'clock. ugh.
U is for underwear you have on now: My temple garments.
V is for vegetable you love: Onion, sauteed in EVOO with kosher salt and pepper.
W is for worst habit: Staying awake far too long when I don't have to work.
X is for x-rays you've had taken: Teeth.
Y is for yummy food you ate today: Carne asada burrito, and the afore-mentioned Village Inn pie.
Z is for zodiac sign: Leo-Cancer cusp.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Just asking ...

Anyone know anyone that wants a spare ticket to Monolith Festival Saturday, 9/13? I can no longer afford to make the trip.
Ticket and fees came to $75, that's all I want back for it.
Sorry guys, I really really wanted to make it but it just can't happen.
:(((

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Gigabeat RIP 02/22/2007 - 07/22/2008

I posted this as a comment on Lizzie's MOG post, but though you might all want to know. I mean, sheesh! Seventeen months! I've had friendships last monger than that!

Tuesday night, I was getting ready to work out at the local YMCA, and was changing clothes, when I reached for the Gigabeat and its case. Alas, I had failed to zip up the case, because I jerked it out of my bag, and the Gigabeat flew out of the case and crashed to the floor. I ran over to retrieve it, and saw that the shell had flown open, and the LCD had stuck out. I gently put it back together and turned it back on. The LCD failed to start, but the player worked enough that it would play my current playlist.

I took it home, put it under some lights, and tried to do as much surgery as I could, but nothing worked. It boots, all the data remains thereon, but no screen so I can't change what's playing.

I've been looking around on eBay all night, but the Gigabeat model I had is fairly old now, and not readily available. I'm even considering the leap to a same-size (gulp) iPod.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

There IS some good music out there!

It's fun to note the people make the "what the heck?" music out on MOG, but it's refreshing to note that there are a few good people making great music and posting it on MOG.

Note: I'm not counting Ben Gibbard or ?uestLove or the like, that haven't posted in ages.

Check these out!

Our boy Henry, of course: Indio.

Erik of Denver shoegaze band A Shoreline Dream: neverChanger

Marcel of LA atmospherics Black Kites: Paper Heart

Colin Sheridan and Kaitlyn Ni Donovan of Portland dreamers The High Violets: Love Is Blinding
(Yes, it's my post, they don't post much. Yes, I'm cheating :P)

Look, I'm not gonna BS you and tell you that I've listened to every song every MOGger posts, but just wanted to show that there is something good still out there. So go on, click a red button, that song might be your life, to paraphrase. :)

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Got a joke for you ...

What's the difference between a good Latter-Day Saint* and a bad one?

Give up?

The temperature of the caffeine they drink!

Har de har har.

(Feel free to insert "Mormon" here)

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Drama on the high seas - Girls Camp Day 4



I wonder if I've driven everyone away by these, because I can't imagine these posts being interesting for anyone but me. If you have read all four of these the whole way through, you deserve a big gold star.

It's a natural fact that when you put 100 women in a cramped location, that drama will happen. Us men are normally (aside from Gale our fearless leader) just not privy to all of it. This day, I got a faceful, and lived to tell the tale.

I arose at 7AM to the sound of a woman in tears. Usually, our quarters are off-limits to the womenfolk, but since we had the sweet digs, including a nice little kitchen table (and did I mention the AC?), our cabin had become home to a few meetings, and sometimes just a nice hideout for the camp leaders to get out of the way and get things done. No worries, but crying meant something bad. I dressed quickly and came out to see what was going on, and found the camp leader telling Gale how another woman had usurped her authority and changed things out from under her. With only one full day of camp left, we offered the best advice we had: continue to serve the girls, and try your best to not let them notice what's going on.

After she left, Gale and I talked it out for a bit, and we figured out that the two leaders had been butting heads for weeks, and it had carried over to camp. The meetings every evening where we correlate the enxt day's activities were not happening, so people weren't on the same page. Thankfully, I don't think most of the girls noticed, but we realized that the contention between the two leaders was most likely the source of the "dark vision" that Gale had before camp. Alas, there was nothing more to do but get back to work, so after a quick shower and breakfast, it was off to the races.

Today's big feature was a canoe trip across the lake for the fifth-year and older girls, something we've never let them do before. To pepare, we set out all 11 canoes, and cleaned them of spiderwebs and mayfly nests. I was expected to give a brief talk, so I placed my scriptures in a plastic bag and stuffed them into my backpack, along with sunblock and bug spray. We got the girls loaded into the canoes and sent them off, after giving them directions. I stayed back, and one of the leaders and I waited to make sure the girls were headed in the right direction.

Have you ever met someone that just thrives on drama, that actively seeks it everywhere she goes? We had one of the at camp. Let's call her Emily. She's in her sixth year, and she's been at the center of drama every year I've seen her. I can't imagine living that way, but that's just me. Anyway, since she's not an especially strong swimmer, we placed her in the middle of a canoe with two good swimmers, and sent them off. Sure enough, their canoe zigzags across the lake, with us slowly trailing them. I tried to give them advice, but it just wasn't working. They made it to the other side, all the while complaining that their canoe was cursed. Uh-huh.

Melissa and her helpers in the kitchen had set out a nice fancy lunch (crab salad on croissants, ooh la la), and after lunch I gave my talk. I wish it had gone better; I spoke about Rebekah at the well, and from the few words written about her (Genesis 24), some of her characteristics. I got so nervous that I failed to conclude the talk properly; I had wanted to show them that if they prepared themselves properly, that the right man would come to them, that they didn't need to worry about chasing down the right man. Not terible, but it could have been so much better.

After that, it was back out to the canoes for the trip back. One pair needed to use the ladies' room, and didn't want to squat in a bush, so they made a vapor trail to the other side of the lake; I had to haul tail just to make sure I could see them as they turned around an island in the lake. And predictably, Emily's canoe once again fell behind, as they just seemed unable to keep the canoe going straight. I tried to instruct them again, going so far as to tell them, "Paddle left! Paddle right!", but to no avail. At about the midway point, Emily reached the end of her tether, started screaming about how frustrated she was, and stopped paddling, along with the rest of the canoers. We paddled over to them, grabbed the rope at the front of their canoe, I tied it around me, and pulled them in. As we neared the shore, I heard Emily say, "We should probably help, huh?" to which I thought, "Please don't help." Hehehehe. We then pulled the canoes back onto the shore and returned to camp.

Next up for the campers were skits. In previous years, they were elaborately prepared, but this year each cabin was given a bag of props and asked to come up with something in one hour. The men's skits used to be pretty lame, but since Jim and I (both natural hams) showed up, things have gotten much better. We took our bag and managed, in one hour, to cobble together something based loosely on "The Wizard of Oz" that I wish I could find on YouTube, because it really was funny. The girls' skits were good too, although the girls often forgot to E-NUN-CI-ATE and talk to the audience. Good times were had by all.

Dinner was pizza, which led to the most unexpected beat-down I got all week. I was casually eating my salad and pizza, and decided that I was going to need a third slice, as I had a long night of tearing down canopies in my future. I had no sooner sat down with that third slice (and a mess of green beans), when I hear "ARE YOU CHEATING?!?" to my left. Stunned, I look over and see Maddie, a third-year girl who'd said maybe three words to me in her previous time, Staring me down. I had no idea how seriously the girls took my diet, sheesh! Feeling a bit guilty, I explained that I would be doing a lot more work that day, and it was just a small slice of Hawaiian pizza, and could I please have it, with puppy eyes and everything. That smoothed things over. ;)


After that, it was off to tear down canopies and put away the canoes, oh joy. The work was only interrupted by a detour to put on all my black (I'm a ninja!) and get to shoot a Nerf arrow at the leaders, who then got to attack me and beat me down. I didn't get to stick around and see the purpose of the thing, but I'm sure they tied it in nicely.

One final thing: we finally got to relax with a late-night swim at the pool with all of the adult and girl leaders, followed by letting the girls raid the fridge and stay up late and goof off for a while. Good times. There's no way anyone got to sleep before 2AM.

Oh, and here's day 5 in a nutshell: we cleaned up, got on the bus, and made it straight home. Yay!

Ah, a good night

I had planned to take the two youngest boys out to the YMCA so they could swim and I could go run, but there they were, sitting on our bed watching our DVD of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", looking so darn cute together, that I just didn't feel like sharing them

So we hung out together. I made us pizzas; heavy on the cheese and pepperoni for them, light on the cheese but HEAVY on the sauteed onions for me. We then squatted on the bed and watched DVD's with a bowl of Sour Patch Kids for dessert. Our choices? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, and Big Fish. Mmm, Mara Wilson sandwiched by Tim Burton. That's how we get down. :)

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Leave me alone, I'm cookin' chicken - Girls Camp Day 3

Fair warning: this is not near the fun read the others were, because for me his was not a fun day. Well, let's get to it.

My alarm woke me at 5:30 this morning, although I had no reason to wake up at that hour. I tried to get back to sleep, but only slept in fits and starts until 7, when I had to wake up. At this point, I should have realized that this would not be my day.

After a quick breakfast, it was time to set up for the big activity of the day, a small Renaissance Faire on the camp grounds. We had rented a jumping castle, dunk tank, and inflatible climbing pyramid, all of which needed to be set up and staffed. In addition, there were photo booths, jousting suits, and stations for making daisy chains. Lunch this day would also consist of chicken drumsticks, as opposed to the traditional turkey legs, so girlls needed to be staffed and about 150 drumsticks needed to be grilled.

Before camp had started, I had been asked to sit in the dunk tank. Early in the morning, this didn't look so fun, but by 10AM, the sun was shining bright and warm, and the water looked inviting. I went and changed into swim clothes, but all the other men had been asked to man the climbing pyramid, so I was handed charcoal and asked to grill the chicken.

Let me stop here and declare that I love to cook, it's one of my favorite hobbies. Ask the Coachella gang if you don't believe that. However, my least favorite method of cooking is grilling. Yes, I assure you that I'm actually a red-blooded American male, but my Y chromosome must be slightly malformed. Anyway ...

So away I went, to grill and grill and grill. While the other adults got to interact with the girls, get wet in the dunk tank, and do whatever else. I grilled. For four hours. That entire time, I was either wrestling with coals, grabbing bags of drumsticks from the kitchen, or delivering the finished drumsticks to the oven to make sure they weren't bloody. Or singeing my arm hairs reaching across the grill to flip the legs. I tried to put on a happy face when people asked me how it was going, but I'm pretty sure I failed miserably.

Next up, I had been asked to teach the third-year campers how to navigate using a compass. It's become a tradition, something I've done for four years of camp, and I enjoy it greatly. Part of the process is teaching the girls how to calculate their pace by having them walk 50 feet and divide by the number of steps. The previous night, I had placed two rebar poles out to mark the beginning and end of the course. As I took the first group to the starting point, I saw that they had been removed. I asked if anyone knew what had happened to them, and found out that an adult had been driving along in a golf cart and scratched her leg by brushing one of them. She found them and threw them away in a rage. So, there's that mystery explained. I ran and found my tape measure and we made do, but the first group was put off at that point. Several of them whined their way through the (short and simple) orienteering couse, and I got them through it as fast as possible, just to be done with them. Thank goodness, the second group actually enjoyed the process, and we laughed and joked through the entire course.

Next, it was off to the waterfront for canoeing. Usually, this is very well-attended, but this year, the third-year girls were taken to go tubing at an adjoining lake, and that made the canoeing lose a lot of its luster. In previous years, I've had six or seven canoes in the water at a time. This year, three sufficed.. I finally got to play in the water, at least, as I helped the girls get in and out of the canoes and watched to make sure they didn't get too far away. After two enjoyable hours, it was time to head back to camp, so I put away the three canoes and made sure everything was cleaned up before heading back.

Dinner was short, as I needed to help tear down everything from the Renaissance Faire and get it stowed away. Frankly, I don't really remember the rest of teh day, which is just as well. I was essentially shoved off to bed at 10PM by Gale, which figured out that I had reached the end of my tether. After a few blissful minutes of music, I was long gone, but not before fixing the alarm so it would wake me at a much more proper 7AM.

Leave me alone, I'm cookin' chicken - Girls Camp Day 3

Fair warning: this is not near the fun read the others were, because for me his was not a fun day. Well, let's get to it.

My alarm woke me at 5:30 this morning, although I had no reason to wake up at that hour. I tried to get back to sleep, but only slept in fits and starts until 7, when I had to wake up. At this point, I should have realized that this would not be my day.

After a quick breakfast, it was time to set up for the big activity of the day, a small Renaissance Faire on the camp grounds. We had rented a jumping castle, dunk tank, and inflatible climbing pyramid, all of which needed to be set up and staffed. In addition, there were photo booths, jousting suits, and stations for making daisy chains. Lunch this day would also consist of chicken drumsticks, as opposed to the traditional turkey legs, so girlls needed to be staffed and about 150 drumsticks needed to be grilled.

Before camp had started, I had been asked to sit in the dunk tank. Early in the morning, this didn't look so fun, but by 10AM, the sun was shining bright and warm, and the water looked inviting. I went and changed into swim clothes, but all the other men had been asked to man the climbing pyramid, so I was handed charcoal and asked to grill the chicken.

Let me stop here and declare that I love to cook, it's one of my favorite hobbies. Ask the Coachella gang if you don't believe that. However, my least favorite method of cooking is grilling. Yes, I assure you that I'm actually a red-blooded American male, but my Y chromosome must be slightly malformed. Anyway ...

So away I went, to grill and grill and grill. While the other adults got to interact with the girls, get wet in the dunk tank, and do whatever else. I grilled. For four hours. That entire time, I was either wrestling with coals, grabbing bags of drumsticks from the kitchen, or delivering the finished drumsticks to the oven to make sure they weren't bloody. Or singeing my arm hairs reaching across the grill to flip the legs. I tried to put on a happy face when people asked me how it was going, but I'm pretty sure I failed miserably.

Next up, I had been asked to teach the third-year campers how to navigate using a compass. It's become a tradition, something I've done for four years of camp, and I enjoy it greatly. Part of the process is teaching the girls how to calculate their pace by having them walk 50 feet and divide by the number of steps. The previous night, I had placed two rebar poles out to mark the beginning and end of the course. As I took the first group to the starting point, I saw that they had been removed. I asked if anyone knew what had happened to them, and found out that an adult had been driving along in a golf cart and scratched her leg by brushing one of them. She found them and threw them away in a rage. So, there's that mystery explained. I ran and found my tape measure and we made do, but the first group was put off at that point. Several of them whined their way through the (short and simple) orienteering couse, and I got them through it as fast as possible, just to be done with them. Thank goodness, the second group actually enjoyed the process, and we laughed and joked through the entire course.

Next, it was off to the waterfront for canoeing. Usually, this is very well-attended, but this year, the third-year girls were taken to go tubing at an adjoining lake, and that made the canoeing lose a lot of its luster. In previous years, I've had six or seven canoes in the water at a time. This year, three sufficed.. I finally got to play in the water, at least, as I helped the girls get in and out of the canoes and watched to make sure they didn't get too far away. After two enjoyable hours, it was time to head back to camp, so I put away the three canoes and made sure everything was cleaned up before heading back.

Dinner was short, as I needed to help tear down everything from the Renaissance Faire and get it stowed away. Frankly, I don't really remember the rest of teh day, which is just as well. I was essentially shoved off to bed at 10PM by Gale, which figured out that I had reached the end of my tether. After a few blissful minutes of music, I was long gone, but not before fixing the alarm so it would wake me at a much more proper 7AM.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Mind where you crouch - Girls Camp Day 2

(simulcast on MOG)



OK, this song's a real stretch, but it sorta connects. Trust me on this.

Day two started at the obscene hour of 5:30. I have no one to blame but myself, as I had noticed that there was a early-morning hike for the first-year campers, and had asked if they wanted a guy on board. They decided they did, and would I be so kind as to come along? Of course, but it didn't sound so appealing at that wakeup call. Being dutiful above all else, I dress and throw the necessities in a backpack, including bug spray and the first aid kit.

After a slight delay, our sleepy-headed first years arrived and we set out. We got to see a lovely sunrise over the lakefront, and chance to feel the cool air for about the only time all week it felt anywhere near cool. Then we headed into a lovely tree-lined amphitheater called the Green Cathedral, where Chris had started making some yummy Dutch-oven breakfast with cinnamon rolls and hash browns and scrambled eggs. We then hiked back and rejoined the rest of the campers.

The four of us men all got together and set out to set up two more canopies before the skies, which had grown progressively more grey, started to open up. I caught up to them just as they had finished setting up the first canopy. Gale said that he still had a funny feeling about the camp and asked me to offer a prayer of blessing on the site. That's when the miracle occured.

Last year, I had lost so much weight that my wedding band no longer fit, and it was literally hanging off my finger. Well, two days into Girls Camp I lost it. I told Melissa right away, and we were bummed but not overly stressed. The campers were shocked and appalled, and many of them spent time combing the campground looking for it. I figured it had fallen onto the ground somewhere and had been lost, and when no one could find it, I gave up hope, and we replaced it with the ring I wear now.

Back to the present day, right after I offered the prayer, Jim grabbed the bag that held the spare parts for the canopy we had just set up when he noticed something round and silver fall out. He held it up for me to see, and sure enough, it was my old wedding band. The four of us looked at it in amazement, then we tried to figure out the best way to tell everyone. I finally hatched a plan with the camp leader, who took the band. We'll return to it later, I promise.

The rain started falling, so plans for outdoor team-building exercises were put on hold, and indoor workshops were held instead. I was invited to demonstrate "putting on the armor of God", which involved me getting shot with a Nerf gun with no protection. I got one stuck on my upper lip, another on my neck. Then I was suited up with a breastplate and helmet, and given a shield, and asked to defend myself. Exce3pt for one shot the eluded the shield and hit me in the upper thigh, I was totally protected. We then read Ephesians 6:11-17 and discussed at length. We then repeated the process for the other half of the campers, with similar results. You would have been so proud of my shield-weilding prowess.

Now would be a good time to hit the red button.

After this, Chris and I decide that we had best go check on last night's work and ensure that our canopies are still standing. We head down to the waterfront, but not before being alerted by the camp leaders that girls were trying to sneak down to the waterfront without supervision, a big no-no. We head down and inspect our work, and after tightening a few lines, head back. As we're walking, we hear the unmistakeable sound of giggling girls up to no good, so we investigate. After walking along a way, we find two girls crouching behind some trees, hoping we wouldn't see them. What they had not noticed, and what we immediately point out, is that they're standing in a nice batch of poison ivy. We send them immediately to the nurse's station for a checkup, laughing inside that they had been so addled-brained to jump into some weeeds without looking. (They were fine, no worries.)

Lunch this year was a revelation, as the girls were expected to cook their own lunch two days. Day two was one of those days. I was invited to come and eat with the first years, and was happy to see that they had laid out the fixings for some yummy ham-and-pineapple kabobs, with lots of onions and green peppers. Delicious, and it didn't mess up my diet at all. That's right, for the most part I kept up with my diet, despite the extra workload.

After lunch, it was decided that we would try to open the pool so the girls could go swim, and I volunteered to assist there. The kids were playing along, and having a good time, when I heard a rumble of thunder. I hoped it would be a one-off, but I heard another one shortly thereafter. Caring for the firls' safety above all, I stood up and asked everyone to get out of the pool. There was quite a bit of grumbling, but they did leave the pool. Maybe a minute after everyone left, KA-POW! a HUGE peal of thunder sounded right over our heads. After regaining our bearings, the next sound we heard was the camp leaders running to the pool to get everyone out. I reported that everyone was already out, to their immense relief. Yay for foresight! The lightning and rain clear after a few minutes and the pool repoens later.

Not long thereafter, Melissa finds me and reveals that she doesn't think there will be enough pulled pork for tonight's finner, and asks if we would be willing to grill some burgers for dinner to supplement the pulled pork. We dig up the grill, find cleaning tools and charcoal, and proceed to cook 80 hamburgers. At the same time, some of the girls decide it would be great fun to squirt the men with water guns. I do my best Roadrunner impression for a while, but finally let them soak me good, which felt nice standing in front of the hot grill. We deliver the cooked patties in time for dinner, where the girls predictably wolf down the burgers but barely touch the pulled pork. Figures.

Ah yes, back to the missing ring. There is a tradition at camp that if someone misplaces anything, and it gets turned in to lost and found, the owner must sing for the missing item. It's a cute way to remind the girls to take care of their stuff, and provides free entertainment to boot. This time, the camp leader gets up and asks if anyone lost a silver ring with the words "Families Are Forever" etched thereon. I make like I'm embarrassed to get up, then start walking up to a rising chorus of cheers, as the girls who were at camp last year realize what's happening. Someone pulls Melissa out of the kitchen as I sing "Love At Home." Melissa then slinks back into the kitchen, since she's not a big fan of singing in front of crowds, unlike her weirdo husband.

We had a light load the rest of the night, as everything was set up. I did have to flex my PC skillz, as we had some difficulty with a presentation running from a laptop, but nothing I couldn't handle. All in all, a great day, one for the books.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

The devil, sleepy driver, and a big sail - Gils Camp Day 1

(simulcast on MOG)

I spent last week "swimming in the estrogen ocean," as I put it in a previous post. To be more descriptive, I spent Monday through Friday last week with about 100 women and girls, all LDS and all from west Wichita and the surrounding towns, at their annual camp, deep in the heart of Oklahoma. Yeah, 100 women and 4 men, we were a bit outnumbered. We were also far removed from cell phones and malls and other distractions, so the girls got the learn to cook outside and sing silly songs and bond together. Us four men were there mostly to do man things like heavy lifting, removing pests and unclogging toilets, but we were able to do more than that, rest assured.

Late last Sunday night, I ran a few things out to Gale, our leader and one of the finest men it's been my pleasure to meet. While there, he scared me a bit by saying that he had a "dark vision" and to be sure to pray before we left that the girls would be protected and kept from Satan's grasp. Unfortunately, he didn't elaborate until much later in the week, so I had a lot to chew on that night and didn't sleep much.

Monday arose warm and muggy as Melissa and I went to church to meet up with everyone else who was going. Oh yes, we both went this year; her mom watched the kids so we could do so. Melissa ran the kitchen staff this year, which is beyond funny as I do most of the cooking at home. We checked in on the girls that we knew, and most were excited to go, although the first-year campers were very nervous as well. It didn't look like anyone had much sleep. I packed the essentials: trail mix and baby carrots to keep me from running for candy, towel and toiletries, and of course the Gigabeat which had to be kept on the DL since the girls weren't allowed to bring any electronics. Heehee. Alas, that means no camera, so no pix, boo.

This year, instead of having many people drive a few girls, we rented two school buses to drive most everyone down. The drivers appeared to be competent and ready to go, so we got the girls piled into the buses and I said goodbye to Melissa, who would be driving in later with the food. I took a seat near the back and prepared to take a nice long nap for the four hours until we arrived.

About 30 minutes into our drive, one of the adults near me pointed and said that she thought the driver was sleeping. I didn't think so at first glance, but another adult up front concurred, so I walked up close to confirm. Sure enough, he was rubbing his face and head in that same way that I've done on so many trips driving at 2AM from a show. Oh great, he is sleepy! Driving all thoughts of sleep out of my own head, I grab my stuff and sit right behind him so I can talk to him and keep him alert(er) the whole trip. It wasn't perfect, but after a couple of long stops we managed to get to camp, a bit shaken but none the worse for wear. We do however inform the camp leaders so they know to call the company to request a different driver for the trip home.

After checking in, I proceed to my home away from home, to find that we scored the only place with central air in the whole camp. w00t! I meet up with Gale and our other two men, Jim and Chris. Gale, Jim and I have done this the past three years, so we work together really well, but Chris is a n00b, so we take some time to go over the basics, then we get started setting things up.

First thing to set up is coolers filled with ice water, a clear necessity in summer. We dig up as many coolers as we can find, fill them with ice and water, and set them out strategically throughout the camp. So far, so good.

The next big project is to set up four large canopies so the girls can get respite from the sun, rain, or wind. Two need to be set up at the water front, so Chris and I set about it. Of course, while we do so a fierce wind kicks up, so as we attach the canvas fabric to the metal frame we about get taken on a ride. After two good hours of sweating and stressing, we manage to get them tied down enough that we think they'll stay in place. Just in time too, as by the time we return to our base, the rain starts to fall.

After dinner, it's back to work, so after a quick meeting, it's off to the cabins to ensure that the girls are all safely inside. I check in with the girls from my ward and find them playing nicely together while decorating their cabin. I get a few minutes to talk to Melissa about her trip down, which wasn't as eventful as mine, and then head back to set up more stuff, including a campfire for the second-year campers for s'mores and such. Yum! It was about 11:30 when I finally crashed on my bed and grabbed the Gigabeat for some bedside listening before getting shut-eye.

More tomorrow, sleep now.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

No rest for the weary

It's been a doozy of a week here, busy busy busy. Tomorrow will just be the cherry on top, I guess.

Let's see, I have:

To deliver seminary completion notices for Melissa to the other bishops,
A meeting at 10AM with the Elder's Quorum,
A 10-15 minutes sermon to give during sacrament services,
A Sunday School lesson for about 40 minutes,
and a 35-minute lesson in Elder's Quorum, because we have no instructor yet.

But, as D&C 84:33 teaches us:
"For whoso is afaithful unto the obtaining these two bpriesthoods of which I have spoken, and the cmagnifying their calling, are dsanctified by the Spirit unto the erenewing of their bodies."
So, I have to look forward to, which is nice. :)

Monday, May 26, 2008

That big job thing ...

You may recall that one of the things stressing me out last week was that our bishop had been hinting that a new calling would be heading my way. Well, it finally hit yesterday. I was asked to come to church a half-hour early, where I was called to serve as a member of the Elders' Quorum presidency. I will be released from my current position as finance clerk, and most likely also from my Sunday School position as well.

Um, for those not LDS (like, alomst all of you) some definition would help.

One of the facets of LDS life is being part of a lay clergy. No one gets paid to serve, except those who serve full-time, and they get a very modest stipend to cover expenses. That way, we serve because we want to serve, with no hope of monetary reward. Our bishop, for example, works at Cessna full-time, then spends hours a day managing the affairs of our congregation (called a ward). Just about every adult has some kind of position; here in Kansas, we usually have two or more.

Also, the men in the Church are grouped into quorums based on priesthood office they hold. Most men hold the office of elder, so they meet in Elders' Quorum. The president and his two counselors make sure the elders are doing their duties, like visiting ward members and being good fathers and husbands. No small task, to be sure. So, that's what I'll be doing now.

In a way, it'll be less time-consuming, as I won't have to spend hours after church every Sunday counting donations and writing checks. I'll be able to go to and from church with my family most every Sunday.

On the other hand, this will likely mean more meetings during the week, as we try to figure out what we're supposed to do and get about the business of taking care of so many men. Frankly, I have no idea what's in store, and it's that unknown that freaks me out.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Here's a thought ...

On the week that I have the following work/home things going on:

  • Three unbelievably nit-picky IT security audits
  • Health checking for Windows, Citrix, and SSH
  • performance monitoring tool goes belly-up, and I'm the only one that can fix it
  • Another round of Microsoft patches
  • My turn to be the on-call sysadmin 7PM to 7AM
  • School's out and the boys are hanging around the house all day
  • Helping the wife out with a big campout for next month, with a pre-camp this weekend
DON'T get attitude when I dismiss you because I don't want your advertising on my yard. Contents under pressure, dude, capice?

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Wichita River Festival Musical Acts Announced!

Friday, May 9

Opening Night Concert and Fireworks

  • Gates open at 3:00 pm
  • $10 at the gate, Riverfest Button Required!
  • 8:50 pm COLBIE CAILLAT
    Newly released into the music industry, COLBIE CAILLAT has left her mark on the online community Myspace. She held the No. 1 unsigned artist spot on Myspace for four months! She now has over 10 million song plays on her page. Colbie has a low-key, refreshing style. Armed with her acoustic guitar and her dusky vocals, she evokes the same gentle yet spirited style of her musical influences John Mayer, Bob Marley and Lauryn Hill.

Saturday, May 10

Bombardier Learjet Presents Legends of Rock

  • Gates open at 3:00 pm
  • Riverfest Button Required
  • 4:00 pm Twist of Fate
  • 4:00 pm Midlife Crisis
  • 6:00 pm Uche
  • 7:00 pm The Angel/Devil (formerly Gooding)
  • 8:30 pm Three Dog Night


  • The sound you just heard was me struggling to avoid gouging out my eyes. Can these two weeks PLEASE go by faster?!?

    Thursday, March 20, 2008

    Is it too early ... ?

    For my March Madness bracket to go down in flames?

    Stinkin' Bulldogs! Georgia's beating up on Xavier, which threatens to ruin my bracket all the way to the Elite Eight.

    Gaaah!

    Monday, March 17, 2008

    Corned Beef (no cabbage, thanks)

    Last Saturday, I was out with the boys doing the grocery shopping. I had planned on doing a nice simple beef stew for St. Patrick's Day dinner, but came upon a lovely corned beef brisket at a price that made it practically leap into our cart.

    Today, it's been cloudy and rainy enough to really evoke images of Eire, except for the lack of greenery. Oh well. It got me in the mood.

    So, I busted out my cast-iron Dutch oven, and put it over medium heat on the stove. I then smashed a couple of garlic cloves and threw them in with two tablespoons oil. Once the oil was hot, I took out the brisket, which I had washed in cold water to get the goo off it, and placed it in the pot. I fried it for about five minutes each side. Meanwhile I cut two onions into quarters and halved six small red potatoes, then cut six carrots into large chunks. After the meat had finished browning, I tossed in the veggies and added enough water to cover the meat. Finally, I put the lid on the Dutch oven, then put it in a 350 degree oven for 2 and a half hours.

    The family was really nervous at first ("It's still pink!"), but after having a taste, we all agreed it had come out well. I might just keep this in the back of my mind for future St. Patrick's Days.

    Wednesday, March 12, 2008

    Need I add anything? A Place To Bury Strangers @ The Conservatory, Oklahoma City

    (simulcast on MOG)

    I knew when I left home yesterday, after extricating myself from the myriad conference calls that dot my schedule, that seeing A Place To Bury Strangers live could either completely satisfy, or prove a massive disappointment. There was no middle ground. I had heard too many good reports from faithful moggers whose word I trust.

    Being too excited to possibly wait, I left home at 4pm, hopped in the Jetta, cranked the MP3 player, and got on the road. The albums on the trip down were:
    The Bravery (homonymous)
    The Cribs - Mens Needs, Womens Needs, Whatever
    Silversun Pickups - Carnavas

    (I feel a need to stop and point something out. Remember that Top 40 albums of 2007 list I did? No Cribs thereon. Just goes to show, I'm an idiot. Moving on.)

    About a half-hour into the trip, I realize that I forgot the digital camera, so no pictures. D'oh!

    Five minutes later, it hits me that I also forgot to bring the MOG stickers; I was hoping to hook up some people, including APTBS bassist Jono, with a sticker. Double D'oh!

    I must have been terribly excited to make the trip, because I got to Oklahoma City in record time. I was at the venue by 6:40, which was ridiculous. I couldn't get in the club, so I milled around the record store next door. Good thing I didn't have tons of money, because they had some very tempting stuff, including a vinyl copy of the new Bauhaus album. Drool, and I don't even own a record player.

    I walked back to the car and noticed that the front bumper had broken free, and was barely hanging on. I tried to fix it, but I'm pretty helpless mechanically. Just then, a guy showed up, asked if I needed help, and set about helping me re-attach the bumper. I'm telling you, music fans are the nicest people! I picture Coachella weekend being a lot like that.

    Finally, about quarter to 8, I get in and survey the proceedings. The Conservatory is my favorite venue because it's so small and intimate. I love the beat-up checkerboard floor most of all. I'll go back sometime, just so I can take pictures so you can enjoy the view. Anyway, the club is pretty empty, which saddens me. Don't these people know what they're missing?

    Another thing I notice: the club is no longer selling ear plugs. Melissa had offered me a pair, but I had said that I would get my own, and now I couldn't. And I'm gonna get assaulted by noise. Triple D'oh!

    Pre-show and between-set entertainment was provided by the DJ team of I Can Has Dance Party. Yes, LOLcats have arrived at the heartland. They have now jumped the shark. The DJ's played some great music to get us in the mood.

    After a longer-than-necessary wait, the first band, Portland's Panther, take the stage. They played some good music, but it's two guys, a drummer and a vocalist. I got a distinctive whiff of karaoke from their show, because the singer, would just pull up a track on his laptop, maybe add a few vocal effects, and sing along, while the drummer did his thing. OK, he did play the guitar on two songs, but still. Anyway, their music is pretty good; their album is out on Kill Rock Stars, so check 'em out.

    Ah, I forgot to mention that as soon as Panther took the stage, I planted myself dead in front, just a touch to stage right. It was fine for Panther, but as they cleared off and APTBS took the stage to set up, I knew I was in the right spot: directly in front of Oliver Ackermann. Yes! It was fascinating to watch him set up his pedals (I counted seven), in addition to a black box that did who knows what. I fought back the urge to pepper him with question, like which ones he built himself, and let the band get set up and finish soundcheck. The last thing we heard from Oliver all night was a simple command: "Kill the lights."

    With that, we were off. As has been noted before, there was no interaction between band and audience, not that I cared. The only light, until the last two songs, was from the projected images from the back of the venue.

    The band played only seven songs total, making the show far too short for my taste. They also played three songs I didn't recognize, maybe songs from their debut CDR. I didn't grab the setlist, as tempted as I was; for some reason, it didn't feel right to touch their stuff, but the songs I did recognize were:
    To Fix The Gash In Your Head
    Another Step Away
    I Know I'll See You
    Ocean (the set-closer, of course)

    On record, the drum tracks don't particularly jump out, likely because they were done by drum machine. Live, their drummer smokes, and he and Jono lay down some heavy rhythm over which Oliver lays down much beautiful noise.

    Being perfectly perched to observe Oliver, he showed the quiet intensity I expected, keeping his head down and singing into the mic or checking his pedals. He was still mesmerizing, although I stole furtive glances at Jono, mostly trying to figure out the bass tabs for the songs. Heh.

    And Ocean ... oh my goodness. I was breathless by the time it was done. The flashing strobes, the fog machine, and the assault of pure noise was a wonder to behold. The finale was about 90 seconds of raw feedback, so powerful.

    I walked out shortly thereafter, skipping the headliner. Sorry guys, I have a long drive ahead of me. For a half hour, I just let the noise in my ears ring, providing the counterpoint to the beautiful noise I had just experienced. Then I got wise and played some Bloc Party, Lush, and She Wants Revenge.

    This morning, after getting a totally refreshing four hours sleep (yeah right), I tried to explain to Melissa how good the show was. All I could come up with, for a long time, was "it was loud." Now she thinks I went to a metal show, LOL. I went ahead and played Ocean and set her straight.

    Thursday, February 14, 2008

    I have

    A bass guitar and practice amp.

    In my house.

    As a Valentine's present from Melissa.

    More details later, but for now let me say ...

    SQUEEEEEE!


    Monday, February 4, 2008

    1055rock.gr NOW

    They're playing She Wants revenge ... you know what that means.

    http://1055rock.gr_online_servers.html

    Monday, January 7, 2008

    Choco-Doodles (or proof positive my wife's an evil genius)

    Today, along with whipping up the normal snickerdoodles for the family, my wife asked if we could try introducing some cocoa powder to the cookie dough, and rolling them in powdered sugar. Oh, so wrong. It's like she WANTS me to regain my weight. ;)

    OK, let's start with the basic snickerdoodle dough:

    1/2 cup shortening
    1/2 cup (slightly rounded) sugar
    1 egg
    1/2 tsp vanilla extract
    1 cup (slightly rounded) flour
    1/4 tsp salt
    1 tsp baking powder

    2 tbsp sugar
    1 tsp cinammon

    Cream the shortening, sugar, and egg until white and fluffy. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Mix flour gradually into sugar mixture until a slightly sticky dough comes together.

    Mix the sugar and cinammon together in a small bowl and set aside.

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

    Scoop the dough into a tablespoon (for uniformity), and roll into a ball, then toss in cinnamon sugar mixture until coated. Place on a lightly greaed cookie sheet, and bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then store or eat as desired.

    Now, the choco-doodles:

    To the flour mixture, add 1/4 cup cocoa powder.
    Skip the cinammon-sugar mixture and roll the dough in 3 tbsp powdered sugar.
    Otherwise, same as above.

    Sorry, no digital camera means no pix, which is just as well, b/c the more I'm around those cookies, the more likely that I'll eat them.