Tuesday, September 30, 2003
Okay, now I'm going to start working on the movie reviews I promised. Jeepers Creepers 2 is a well done horror film. It takes place after the first one, although the only characters the two movies have in common is the monster and the main character of the first one (who is only in it in a dream sequence and they never explain who he is). The first part is a interesting concept. A horror movie set in the middle of the day where you can see for miles around. It takes place, for the most part, on a school bus broke down on a small road in the middle of corn fields. Like most horror movies, the people do things no real people would do. For example, if a bunch of teenaged guys have to take a leak in a vast cornfield, they won't be standing shoulder to shoulder.
Anyway, it's a good, if not groundbreaking horror film. None of the actors are well known. One actress starred in a TNbc saturday morning show and had a near-identical sister on Roswell. Another is famous for being a up-and-coming starlet, although I don't know anything else she's been in. (And I don't quite feel she's worth looking up in the IMDB.
With the first one, the problem that stuck with me is that there was no ending. The stars got away, but the bad guy never got killed. The main problem I had with the second one was also the ending, although for a different reason. I liked the final ending of the film. I don't want to give it away, but everyone in the audience will have it figured out within seconds of the start of the final scene. The part I had problems with is the "final battle". It involved the various survivors running off into the cornfield in various directions. When the action was over, they never showed some of those students. It's never made clear which one lived and which one died. In one case, one of the main students jumps from a pickup truck racing through the field. Now she probably lived. The truck couldn't have been going that fast and it wasn't like she was falling onto concrete. And she was jumping out of the cab, so there wasn't much vertical distance to fall. But they simply never showed her again, either dead or alive. Also, I think the guy who was driving the truck died, I'm not sure though.
In the end, though, I think the whole movie was based on the idea of the final scene. If you go into the movie with reasonable expectations (it's a horror movie) then you shouldn't be disappointed.
Anyway, it's a good, if not groundbreaking horror film. None of the actors are well known. One actress starred in a TNbc saturday morning show and had a near-identical sister on Roswell. Another is famous for being a up-and-coming starlet, although I don't know anything else she's been in. (And I don't quite feel she's worth looking up in the IMDB.
With the first one, the problem that stuck with me is that there was no ending. The stars got away, but the bad guy never got killed. The main problem I had with the second one was also the ending, although for a different reason. I liked the final ending of the film. I don't want to give it away, but everyone in the audience will have it figured out within seconds of the start of the final scene. The part I had problems with is the "final battle". It involved the various survivors running off into the cornfield in various directions. When the action was over, they never showed some of those students. It's never made clear which one lived and which one died. In one case, one of the main students jumps from a pickup truck racing through the field. Now she probably lived. The truck couldn't have been going that fast and it wasn't like she was falling onto concrete. And she was jumping out of the cab, so there wasn't much vertical distance to fall. But they simply never showed her again, either dead or alive. Also, I think the guy who was driving the truck died, I'm not sure though.
In the end, though, I think the whole movie was based on the idea of the final scene. If you go into the movie with reasonable expectations (it's a horror movie) then you shouldn't be disappointed.
Thursday, September 25, 2003
Is it possible for a song to "jump the shark"? There are some songs that are great and then, for some reason, they are still good but you just can't listen to them anymore.
I propose this. A song can jump the shark, but most top 40 pop song jump the shark when they get played so much nobody can stand to hear it one more freakin' time.
Potential possible signs of a song jumping the shark:
- You can flip through all the radio stations on the dial and hear it on atleast 5 stations on the dial. (I've done this years ago with G'n'R's "Patience and this year with the Rock'n'Crow's "Picture")
- Use in a commercial. ("Lust for Life" used in cruise ship commercial)
- Used in a children or family movie or a commercial for a children or family movie. ("Tubthumper" used in Home Alone 3)
- Sung by a group of nameless kids or any kind of real or animated animals. (Anything sung by the Chipmunks)
And the two signs (and songs) that got me started thinking about all of this.
- Covered by an artist who has no business covering it. ("You shook me all night long" covered by Celine Dion)
- Sung on a tv show by main characters on the show when the show doesn't center around the show. ("Old Time Rock N Roll" on the tv show Growing Pains)
Yeah, what got me thinking about this was hearing the AC/DC and Bob Seger classics back to back one night on the drive home and realizing that these two great songs just haven't had the same effect on me recently. I'd rather prefer to hear other songs by the artists. I love hearing "Back in Black", "Dirty Deeds (done dirt cheap)" or "Turn the Page", "Rock and Roll Never Forgets". And, after thinking about it, "You shook me all night long" hasn't been the same since Celine Dion (along with anastacia) covered the song on one of those vh1's misnamed "Divas" concert. (Aretha Franklin is a diva, but Brandy? Shania? No F**kin' way.) Not even AC/DC performing it with Steven Tyler could cleanse the effects of the Celine performance.
It took a while to figure out the cause of the downfall of the other song. At first I thought maybe it was hearing too many bad wedding bands murder the Bob Seger classic, but I eventually narrowed it down to a episode of Growing Pains where the family got the father's old band back together for his birthday and they concluded the episode with the band playing with Alan Thicke on lead vocals (I think) and Kirk Cameron on keyboard. I haven't seen the episode in about 15 years or so and the image of Thicke walking over to the keyboard mike and singing a chorus sharing the mike with Kirk is still embedded into my memory.
I just thank god that both Bob Seger and AC/DC has enough songs that they all can't be ruined. All though I dread the day Britney or the Olsen Twins cover "Come to Poppa" or some athletic equipment company includes "I've got big balls" in a commercial.
I propose this. A song can jump the shark, but most top 40 pop song jump the shark when they get played so much nobody can stand to hear it one more freakin' time.
Potential possible signs of a song jumping the shark:
- You can flip through all the radio stations on the dial and hear it on atleast 5 stations on the dial. (I've done this years ago with G'n'R's "Patience and this year with the Rock'n'Crow's "Picture")
- Use in a commercial. ("Lust for Life" used in cruise ship commercial)
- Used in a children or family movie or a commercial for a children or family movie. ("Tubthumper" used in Home Alone 3)
- Sung by a group of nameless kids or any kind of real or animated animals. (Anything sung by the Chipmunks)
And the two signs (and songs) that got me started thinking about all of this.
- Covered by an artist who has no business covering it. ("You shook me all night long" covered by Celine Dion)
- Sung on a tv show by main characters on the show when the show doesn't center around the show. ("Old Time Rock N Roll" on the tv show Growing Pains)
Yeah, what got me thinking about this was hearing the AC/DC and Bob Seger classics back to back one night on the drive home and realizing that these two great songs just haven't had the same effect on me recently. I'd rather prefer to hear other songs by the artists. I love hearing "Back in Black", "Dirty Deeds (done dirt cheap)" or "Turn the Page", "Rock and Roll Never Forgets". And, after thinking about it, "You shook me all night long" hasn't been the same since Celine Dion (along with anastacia) covered the song on one of those vh1's misnamed "Divas" concert. (Aretha Franklin is a diva, but Brandy? Shania? No F**kin' way.) Not even AC/DC performing it with Steven Tyler could cleanse the effects of the Celine performance.
It took a while to figure out the cause of the downfall of the other song. At first I thought maybe it was hearing too many bad wedding bands murder the Bob Seger classic, but I eventually narrowed it down to a episode of Growing Pains where the family got the father's old band back together for his birthday and they concluded the episode with the band playing with Alan Thicke on lead vocals (I think) and Kirk Cameron on keyboard. I haven't seen the episode in about 15 years or so and the image of Thicke walking over to the keyboard mike and singing a chorus sharing the mike with Kirk is still embedded into my memory.
I just thank god that both Bob Seger and AC/DC has enough songs that they all can't be ruined. All though I dread the day Britney or the Olsen Twins cover "Come to Poppa" or some athletic equipment company includes "I've got big balls" in a commercial.
Friday, September 19, 2003
I think my current favorite line from a movie is for a movie I haven't even seen yet. It's from the movie The Fighting Temptations and everytime the line pops up in a commercial for it, I just laugh my butt off.
The scene is set in church. Cuba Gooding Jr.'s character's cellphone rings in church and the preacher says, "Son, if that ain't Jesus calling, shut it off."
I just hope that the line is kept in the movie. Often times, good lines from the trailers end up not making the final cut.
The scene is set in church. Cuba Gooding Jr.'s character's cellphone rings in church and the preacher says, "Son, if that ain't Jesus calling, shut it off."
I just hope that the line is kept in the movie. Often times, good lines from the trailers end up not making the final cut.
Thursday, September 18, 2003
By the way, the American Heartwalk is just over two weeks away. I'm walking in it and it benefits the American Heart Association. For more information or to donate with a credit card, click on my page on the Heartwalk site. If you want to pay via cash or check, you got to give it to me in person.
Okay now. It's been a hectic week at work. I have a bunch of stories to tell, including reviews of Jeepers Creepers 2, Matchstick Men, The Sleeping Dictionary, Punch-Drunk Love, and the second season of 24. I'll get them all posted eventually.
But first, I have some new info about my speeding ticket. For those few pitiful souls who read this space regularly know, I got a speeding ticket last month. I decided to fight it. I didn't really have too much of a case, honestly. I don't think I was going as fast as the officer said I was, but I can't prove that. My defense was going to be to tell the judge that I didn't think I was going 60.9 in a 45 zone, point out my excellent driving record when it comes to moving violations and pray for leniency.
The hearing was Tuesday. It was about fifteen minutes from my house, but if I missed a turn, it could take me 45 minutes, so I left early and got there at 9:30 am for a 10am hearing. I was the first one there. The district justice office is located in a stripmall-type place. The office is in what looked to be an old dentist office. I entered and walked up to the receptionist window. A guy, who I immediately decided was the judge was in there talking to the receptionist. I said that I was here for a hearing. I signed my name on a yellow tablet and sat down.
I spent some time looking at a copy of the PA "points" system that was on the wall. I noticed that 15mph over the limit is 4 points and 0-5 is only 2. You lose 3 points a year and you have to take a special class if you get up to 6 points, so there's a significant difference between 5 and 15 over the limit. And that's not even counting the fine.
Did I mention that I dressed in a suit and tie for this hearing. I figured that the notice said that I was allowed to bring an attorney and since I was acting essentially as my own attorney, I should dress accordingly. The other people who had hearings scheduled started rolling in and I soon came to the conclusion that I was over dressed. The second person to arrive was a lady in a blouse and jeans. Another person was a delivery guy in his work uniform. The only other guy dressed up was a man in a suit and tie, minus the suit jacket. I was hoping that maybe the judge would be impressed that I got dressed up for it.
At 9:50, I hear the judge tell the receptionist that he's going to start the procedures. My name was first on the sign-in list so I got called in first. I walk in. He states my name and asked if he pronounced it right. (He actually did.) I waited for him to ask me to plead my case. Instead, he asks me if I would be willing to plead guilty if the officer was to drop the charge down to 5 over the speed limit. I said "Yes. And then I thought about it. Then I said "Yes" again. Like I said, there's a significant difference between 5 and 15 over the limit. He said that there's a difference in the fine and I'll be getting a refund from the fine that I had already paid. Then he asked if I had any questions. I hesistated. He said, "don't worry. I've heard them all." So I decided to ask him about how many points will I be getting. I stated the question ever so eloquently. I asked, (and I am quoting here) "Um, points?". He said Zero points. I said okay. He said I could go. I asked if I had to sign anything and he said no. So I left. I didn't even think about whether I was supposed to stop by the reception desk and pick up the refund or it would be mailed to me. I guess I assumed that they would send it to me like the city of Pittsburgh did when I argued my only other ticket 8 years ago and got that reduced. I'm going to call the district justice office and make sure they're sending the refund. I was just glad to get of there without having to even try to make a case. I'm not saying I was guilty. I'm just saying I'm not good at public speaking.
Okay, I'll have movie reviews and other various stories coming soon.
But first, I have some new info about my speeding ticket. For those few pitiful souls who read this space regularly know, I got a speeding ticket last month. I decided to fight it. I didn't really have too much of a case, honestly. I don't think I was going as fast as the officer said I was, but I can't prove that. My defense was going to be to tell the judge that I didn't think I was going 60.9 in a 45 zone, point out my excellent driving record when it comes to moving violations and pray for leniency.
The hearing was Tuesday. It was about fifteen minutes from my house, but if I missed a turn, it could take me 45 minutes, so I left early and got there at 9:30 am for a 10am hearing. I was the first one there. The district justice office is located in a stripmall-type place. The office is in what looked to be an old dentist office. I entered and walked up to the receptionist window. A guy, who I immediately decided was the judge was in there talking to the receptionist. I said that I was here for a hearing. I signed my name on a yellow tablet and sat down.
I spent some time looking at a copy of the PA "points" system that was on the wall. I noticed that 15mph over the limit is 4 points and 0-5 is only 2. You lose 3 points a year and you have to take a special class if you get up to 6 points, so there's a significant difference between 5 and 15 over the limit. And that's not even counting the fine.
Did I mention that I dressed in a suit and tie for this hearing. I figured that the notice said that I was allowed to bring an attorney and since I was acting essentially as my own attorney, I should dress accordingly. The other people who had hearings scheduled started rolling in and I soon came to the conclusion that I was over dressed. The second person to arrive was a lady in a blouse and jeans. Another person was a delivery guy in his work uniform. The only other guy dressed up was a man in a suit and tie, minus the suit jacket. I was hoping that maybe the judge would be impressed that I got dressed up for it.
At 9:50, I hear the judge tell the receptionist that he's going to start the procedures. My name was first on the sign-in list so I got called in first. I walk in. He states my name and asked if he pronounced it right. (He actually did.) I waited for him to ask me to plead my case. Instead, he asks me if I would be willing to plead guilty if the officer was to drop the charge down to 5 over the speed limit. I said "Yes. And then I thought about it. Then I said "Yes" again. Like I said, there's a significant difference between 5 and 15 over the limit. He said that there's a difference in the fine and I'll be getting a refund from the fine that I had already paid. Then he asked if I had any questions. I hesistated. He said, "don't worry. I've heard them all." So I decided to ask him about how many points will I be getting. I stated the question ever so eloquently. I asked, (and I am quoting here) "Um, points?". He said Zero points. I said okay. He said I could go. I asked if I had to sign anything and he said no. So I left. I didn't even think about whether I was supposed to stop by the reception desk and pick up the refund or it would be mailed to me. I guess I assumed that they would send it to me like the city of Pittsburgh did when I argued my only other ticket 8 years ago and got that reduced. I'm going to call the district justice office and make sure they're sending the refund. I was just glad to get of there without having to even try to make a case. I'm not saying I was guilty. I'm just saying I'm not good at public speaking.
Okay, I'll have movie reviews and other various stories coming soon.
Monday, September 08, 2003
Back in college, I got involved in the sports department of my college radio station. That involved doing radio broadcast of the university's football and basketball teams, as well as occasionally soccer, hockey, and baseball games. I even got to travel with the teams and the reason why I can say I've met the Boston Celtics and been to Graceland. As long with broadcast of sporting events, the station has a call-in talk show called Sportsline. (It was called Sportsline long before CBS's sports site came into being.) I moved up (partially by default) to become sports director of the station and host of the talk show. After I graduated, I still occasionally help out with the sports staph, producing the game broadcasts and being a guest on the talk show. The radio station broadcast over the internet as well as the air, so pretty much anyone who can read this can listen to the show. It's a no-frills, barely-structured call-in sports show. I plan on being a guest when my schedule allows.
It's on Tuesday night at 10pm, if anyone is interested. Click here to listen or for more info.
It's on Tuesday night at 10pm, if anyone is interested. Click here to listen or for more info.
With only one week down, the Steelers are already alone in first place in the AFC North. This year they're not even giving the other teams the illusion that they have a chance.
I was at Heinz Field sunday. And even better, I also have tickets (great tickets in fact. First row of the upper level) to the Browns game at Heinz Field. They are probably going to be the two best games to go to at Heinz Field this year.
I was at Heinz Field sunday. And even better, I also have tickets (great tickets in fact. First row of the upper level) to the Browns game at Heinz Field. They are probably going to be the two best games to go to at Heinz Field this year.
Sometimes I see actors that have a resemblance to each other and I think that they've got to end up playing either characters that are related or the same character at different ages. For instance, ever since seeing the movie 40 Days and 40 Nights, I've been hoping to hear that Josh Hartnett would be in a movie playing the younger version of a character played by Tommy Lee Jones.
However, the one that I've been saying most nowadays is that Hilary Duff and Jenna Jameson should star in a (main-stream) movie playing either daughter/mother or younger sister/older sister. I think that Hilary looks like Jenna would have at that age if Jenna hadn't gotten her looks modified via plastic surgery. I think they look that much alike. Now Hilary has done a "Got Milk" ad, and, quite frankly, I think the ad backs me up.
However, the one that I've been saying most nowadays is that Hilary Duff and Jenna Jameson should star in a (main-stream) movie playing either daughter/mother or younger sister/older sister. I think that Hilary looks like Jenna would have at that age if Jenna hadn't gotten her looks modified via plastic surgery. I think they look that much alike. Now Hilary has done a "Got Milk" ad, and, quite frankly, I think the ad backs me up.
Wednesday, September 03, 2003
Okay. I'm not usually one to ask people for money, but my company is one of the sponsors of the Fayette County Heart Walk. Every employee in my office is walking in it, so I can't go asking my co-workers for donations. They have it set up so donations can be given by credit card via the web.
The walk, which is on October 4th, is in support of the American Heart Association, which I will be needing after walking the 8 kilometers involved.
So if you would like to help me out, just click here.
Thanks everyone.
The walk, which is on October 4th, is in support of the American Heart Association, which I will be needing after walking the 8 kilometers involved.
So if you would like to help me out, just click here.
Thanks everyone.
It's amazing how times have changed. Back in my day, if a kid got in trouble, parents would support any deserving punishment for their kids, as long as it wasn't unreasonable. Now I see a story on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette website where a mother tried to get her thirteen year old daughter out of a suspension by claiming that oral sex on a school bus is not unacceptable.
Tuesday, September 02, 2003
Here's something I'd like to see more of: more discussion and less burying. Alot of art (whether it is painting, sculpture, literature, or movies and whether it's good or bad art) was made during a different time and is now often buried just because in today's world it might offend people. In this case, they are showing old movies with discussion on why it's offensive to some people. In my opinion, it's always better to show the past and discuss it than bury it and pretend it doesn't exist.
Okay, I'm all caught up with the past few weeks.
Wednesday, Tiff and I went to eat at a great local italian restaurant called "Pasta Too". My little nephew once again stole the show. He can pick up high school girls like nobody's business. Tiff gets along great with my family. Now if she only liked my friends...
(Tiff is going to kill me for that one.)
Thursday, I went over to Tiff's to watch the VMAs. Chris Rock-hosted VMAs are the only ones really worth watching, although I can't say I didn't mind seeing Britney kiss Madonna. I also chose my fantasy football team at the time, and because of the bad draft positioning, I came up with too many Steelers. It's a good team. It's just that I have five steelers and five bench spots, plus two QBs who are not steelers, so I'm going to have to make some moves before Pittsburgh's bye week.
Friday we went to downtown so Tiff could take pictures and we could exchange Pirate tickets from a rainout for ones for the game on sunday. There is a story about a sniper on a rooftop in Pittsburgh, but Tiff really needs to tell that story. Of course, at the end of the evening, we ended up at Steak and Shake.
Saturday was the Alabama concert. We got there late and watched from high up on the lawn. We did get to see a bunch of drunk people try to square dance in what can best be described as a "country moshpit".
I spent Sunday with Tiff and her folks. We went to the pirate game and sat in the middle of some Atlanta braves fans. I sat next to one who made fun of the pirate fans for cheering for a great play by the short stop ("geez, they act like it's the first double play they've made this season."), yet cheered for all the good plays the Braves had.
We also went to Dave and Busters where I'm almost at the point where I can get another DVD player if I want one.
Yesterday, I drove with my family down to the Wheeling Island casino/hotel/dog track. I was down alot, then, right before leaving, hit a $250 jackpot and ended up coming out about even.
(Tiff is going to kill me for that one.)
Thursday, I went over to Tiff's to watch the VMAs. Chris Rock-hosted VMAs are the only ones really worth watching, although I can't say I didn't mind seeing Britney kiss Madonna. I also chose my fantasy football team at the time, and because of the bad draft positioning, I came up with too many Steelers. It's a good team. It's just that I have five steelers and five bench spots, plus two QBs who are not steelers, so I'm going to have to make some moves before Pittsburgh's bye week.
Friday we went to downtown so Tiff could take pictures and we could exchange Pirate tickets from a rainout for ones for the game on sunday. There is a story about a sniper on a rooftop in Pittsburgh, but Tiff really needs to tell that story. Of course, at the end of the evening, we ended up at Steak and Shake.
Saturday was the Alabama concert. We got there late and watched from high up on the lawn. We did get to see a bunch of drunk people try to square dance in what can best be described as a "country moshpit".
I spent Sunday with Tiff and her folks. We went to the pirate game and sat in the middle of some Atlanta braves fans. I sat next to one who made fun of the pirate fans for cheering for a great play by the short stop ("geez, they act like it's the first double play they've made this season."), yet cheered for all the good plays the Braves had.
We also went to Dave and Busters where I'm almost at the point where I can get another DVD player if I want one.
Yesterday, I drove with my family down to the Wheeling Island casino/hotel/dog track. I was down alot, then, right before leaving, hit a $250 jackpot and ended up coming out about even.
Okay, now for the continuing chapter of my long island adventures. The morning after the power came back on, I discovered that the build of the release I was supposed to test wasn't going to be ready in time for me to test it before I had to catch a plane so it became obvious I was going to have to go back on monday. I caught an early evening plane to Baltimore and made it back to my place just before midnight on friday. On saturday, I caught up on sleep. I also did something that evening, but I don't remember what it was. That sunday, there was a spaghetti dinner after church. I helped out by watching my nephew as well as helping sell raffle tickets for some prizes that were donated. Sunday evening, Tiff came back from Ohio. She came over to make sure I could get up early enough to drive to baltimore to catch a flight up to long island. When I got there, my supervisor wasn't there so I had to get everything organized myself. I couldn't the system that the system I'm supposed to test working. So, between waiting for the guy who can fix that system, new builds of the release I was supposed to test and having to wait for a government test of a different part of the system, I ended up not being able to test. I told the people at work that if I can't test, I'm going home thursday because I had Aerosmith/Kiss tickets which I didn't want to miss because I was waiting for a system to get fixed up in Long Island, especially since last year I had to sell my Aerosmith/Run DMC/Kid Rock tickets because of a long island trip. So I left early Thursday morning to fly to Baltimore to fly back. I stopped by the office on the way home and found out that they fixed the problem so I was going to have to go back the next day.
When I got back to the office, I found out that they had pushed a file cabinet into my cube because they were shipping out computers and needed floor space. They also had moved my books from a nearby desk because they needed that space, so there were stacks of books on my desk. Finally, my computer had that damn computer worm. So by the time I fixed that and read my email and made plans to go back on friday, I had time to drive home and shower before my cousin Kim picked me up for the concert.
The concert was great. We hit traffic, so we missed the opening act, Saliva, which wasn't too big a deal. I got to see Kiss perform in full make-up. Aerosmith did basically a greatest hits type show since they weren't supporting a current album. I would have like a more obscure song or two, but they did mostly 1st Columbia era stuff, so that was great. Most bands nowadays save a couple of their big songs for a planned "encore" where the band says goodnight and leave the stage to give the audience time to chant for them. Aerosmith didn't do that. They played all their usual encore songs without pausing for the encore break. Some in the audience complained about the lack of encore but to me it was just like they did the encore without making us wait.
When we got into the car, there was a ton of traffic. After sitting not moving for twenty minutes, we finally started crawling. And I was half-sleeping when Kim said that the car had stalled. It wouldn't start either. We pushed it out of the line of traffic, but since, when we tried to start it it tried to start, we figured it wasn't the battery. So we just sat there figuring out what to do next. Finally a guy in a cart whose job it was to help people who couldn't start their car. He tried to jump it and it actually started, although the lights were dimmed, so it was almost definitely the alternator. I haven't talked to kim yet to see what it was. So she drove me to my place where I hurried up and packed and drove to Tiff's where I showered and Tiff gave me instructions to the Cleveland airport. It takes about the same time to drive to baltimore and fly to long island as it does to drive to cleveland and fly (via baltimore) to long island. I was falling asleep the whole way to the airport, but I made it there alive. I slept on the first flight, but by the time I got to work I was exhausted.
When I got to work I found the one system thing from the previous week was fixed, but a part of the thing I was supposed to be testing wasn't working so I couldn't test. Finally, I got a call from my supervisor. He was coming up the next day (saturday) and we could fix it then. So he couldn't get a plane up until late afternoon, so I slept in and then spent some time at the Long Island Dave and Buster's. So, finally, between saturday evening and sunday, we got things working and tested. I couldn't get a flight home sunday night, so I got a flight home monday.
When I finally got home, Tiff was excited to see me until she saw that I hadn't shaved in a while and almost had a full beard. I also smelled from a day's worth of walking in airport, napping on planes, and driving through Ohio. She was very displeased. I have since showered and shaved my beard back down into a goatee and she's a little bit happier.
Tuesday, I went back into work and had to do updates on my windows box so I could block that microsoft worm. I had stopped doing updates since the last time I did a update, it totally killed my computer. It wouldnt' reboot and I endedup having to reinstall windows and losing my whole C: Drive. I also had to fill out my expensive report to get back the money I spent on air flights, hotel rooms, and rental cars. So it was well into the week before I started doing real work again.
When I got back to the office, I found out that they had pushed a file cabinet into my cube because they were shipping out computers and needed floor space. They also had moved my books from a nearby desk because they needed that space, so there were stacks of books on my desk. Finally, my computer had that damn computer worm. So by the time I fixed that and read my email and made plans to go back on friday, I had time to drive home and shower before my cousin Kim picked me up for the concert.
The concert was great. We hit traffic, so we missed the opening act, Saliva, which wasn't too big a deal. I got to see Kiss perform in full make-up. Aerosmith did basically a greatest hits type show since they weren't supporting a current album. I would have like a more obscure song or two, but they did mostly 1st Columbia era stuff, so that was great. Most bands nowadays save a couple of their big songs for a planned "encore" where the band says goodnight and leave the stage to give the audience time to chant for them. Aerosmith didn't do that. They played all their usual encore songs without pausing for the encore break. Some in the audience complained about the lack of encore but to me it was just like they did the encore without making us wait.
When we got into the car, there was a ton of traffic. After sitting not moving for twenty minutes, we finally started crawling. And I was half-sleeping when Kim said that the car had stalled. It wouldn't start either. We pushed it out of the line of traffic, but since, when we tried to start it it tried to start, we figured it wasn't the battery. So we just sat there figuring out what to do next. Finally a guy in a cart whose job it was to help people who couldn't start their car. He tried to jump it and it actually started, although the lights were dimmed, so it was almost definitely the alternator. I haven't talked to kim yet to see what it was. So she drove me to my place where I hurried up and packed and drove to Tiff's where I showered and Tiff gave me instructions to the Cleveland airport. It takes about the same time to drive to baltimore and fly to long island as it does to drive to cleveland and fly (via baltimore) to long island. I was falling asleep the whole way to the airport, but I made it there alive. I slept on the first flight, but by the time I got to work I was exhausted.
When I got to work I found the one system thing from the previous week was fixed, but a part of the thing I was supposed to be testing wasn't working so I couldn't test. Finally, I got a call from my supervisor. He was coming up the next day (saturday) and we could fix it then. So he couldn't get a plane up until late afternoon, so I slept in and then spent some time at the Long Island Dave and Buster's. So, finally, between saturday evening and sunday, we got things working and tested. I couldn't get a flight home sunday night, so I got a flight home monday.
When I finally got home, Tiff was excited to see me until she saw that I hadn't shaved in a while and almost had a full beard. I also smelled from a day's worth of walking in airport, napping on planes, and driving through Ohio. She was very displeased. I have since showered and shaved my beard back down into a goatee and she's a little bit happier.
Tuesday, I went back into work and had to do updates on my windows box so I could block that microsoft worm. I had stopped doing updates since the last time I did a update, it totally killed my computer. It wouldnt' reboot and I endedup having to reinstall windows and losing my whole C: Drive. I also had to fill out my expensive report to get back the money I spent on air flights, hotel rooms, and rental cars. So it was well into the week before I started doing real work again.
