I like Macs. I’ve bought five over the years, starting with that little darling, the Mac SE. My latest is the latest 20″ iMac. I even own Apple stock. So I like the current round of ads with the slightly annoying Mac and the more than slightly nerdy PC — see them all here.
Archive for category Me
Guilty Pleasure
Dec 31
Yesterday we had rain that quickly changed to sleet in the morning. Last night it changed to freezing rain in a lot of areas, and then early this morning it changed back to snow. To the west, a lot of snow fell (16 inches in Columbia), and to the east, a lot more freezing rain fell. About 500,00 people in the St. Louis metro area were without power (including my parents in Kirkwood – thankfully they just called to tell me it was back on). It was, even by St. Louis standards, a freak storm. Beware of storms that track north and south – they pack a wallop. We’ve had thundersnow here before, but I think this is the first time we had thunderfreezing rain. Actually, we got so much rain at my house it all didn’t freeze – part of my driveway was washed clean of snow and ice by all the runoff last night.
Yesterday I was sick at home with food poisoning; today I didn’t go in after my wife and I watched our neighbor give up trying to get up the hill out of our subdivision. What a difference a day makes.
Since we didn’t lose power here, I could admire the beauty, and took a break from shoveling my driveway to do so:
You can see my house and partly shoveled driveway. All of the tree branches are weighed down with snow and ice – one of them on the dogwood in my front yard snaped.
The view down my street — I think it’s pretty any season, but I don’t get to see it this way too often (thankfully). They didn’t plow here until mid-afternoon. My son spent the day sledding on a locally famous hill (no, not Art Hill – by locally, I meanlocally). I spent the day shoveling, and visiting my parents.
My neighbors across the street lost several large limbs out of their silver maple (word of advice – never plant a soft maple). This one first landed on their roof before winding up in their driveway. They were happy Brian’s truck wasn’t parked there as it usually is. I think just about everybody had a tree that dropped a limb. On the way to my parents one street was closed, and another had a lane blocked by a huge limb that came down. We even saw a pin oak bent over double with the top in the street. A couple of doors up from my parents a tree limb pinned a power line leading to a neighbor’s house.
I have to admit, it sure was a winter wonderland around here today. The bradford pear in this picture is missing a half due to this summer’s freak summer storm that left half a million without power.
Shelley has several posts about the storm: Icicles, Again, one of the lucky ones, and Let’s talk about the weather.
Gateway Pundit has a post, St. Louis gets slammed with ice.
And Jim Durbin has power but no propane.
Deeply Disturbing
Sep 25
I found this article (h/t J Bowen) about a man from Huntington Beach who travelled to Lompoc to get, well, you’ll have to read the article, but it brings new meaning to the phrase sowing wild oats, deeply disturbing. And I was disturbed more than most of you, because back when I lived in Huntington Beach I stayed in Lompoc on business a couple of times. And for the record, I wore a suit and had zero contact with horses.
I Live
Sep 8
Just in case you’re worried, I am alive. I’ve been busy personally and professionally (does that make me a professional? I suppose so) and I’ve been working on a couple of larger posts. While I’m not the best writer in the world, I’m no where near the fastest. I don’t even rise to the level of half fast.
Survival Gear
Jul 18
Paul Graham writes in The Island Test:
I’ve discovered a handy test for figuring out what you’re addicted to. Imagine you were going to spend the weekend at a friend’s house on a little island off the coast of Maine. There are no shops on the island and you won’t be able to leave while you’re there. Also, you’ve never been to this house before, so you can’t assume it will have more than any house might.What, besides clothes and toiletries, do you make a point of packing? That’s what you’re addicted to. For example, if you find yourself packing a bottle of vodka (just in case), you may want to stop and think about that.
For me the list is four things: books, earplugs, a notebook, and a pen.
Oddly enough, that is exactly the four things I packed above and beyond clothes and toiletries (and 5 flashlights – it gets very dark in the wilderness) when I went to Boy Scout summer camp this summer. I brought the notebook and pen for writing, hoping to get thoughts down and even a bunch of blog posts in the can, but I only used them for official Boy Scout Business – mainly taking notes at the leaders meeting, and some signing off in their scout books. I didn’t crack my book open, although I did read a good part of an issue of Atlantic when I was virtually alone in camp as most everyone had gone on the canoe overnight camping trip – yes, a camping trip within a camping trip, only this time no tents but still rain.
And that brings us to the ear plugs. Mr. Graham and I bring them for the same reason – quiet. Only where he wants quiet so he can think, I want them so I can sleep. I used my earplugs just as I wanted – every night. They are the best value in weight you’ll ever take on a camping trip. I have to agree with Mr. Graham’s final sentiments:
There is a point where I’ll do without books. I was walking in some steep mountains once, and decided I’d rather just think, if I was bored, rather than carry a single unnecessary ounce. It wasn’t so bad. I found I could entertain myself by having ideas instead of reading other people’s. If you stop eating jam, fruit starts to taste better.So maybe I’ll try not bringing books on some future trip. They’re going to have to pry the plugs out of my cold, dead ears, however.
I could do without the books, notebook and pens, but I couldn’t have survived 6 days in camp without those earplugs.
Things That Make You Go Hmmm
Jun 28
After I read this morning an article about how breathing any amount of second hand smoke is harmful, I’m sitting at a stoplight on my way to work with the drivers of the two cars in front and one behind smoking.
I voted yesterday. As always, my polling place was staffed by seriously old people. As I was going through the line of getting my ballot, one of the staffers complained to another that this getting up before breakfast was for the birds. So I chimed in with “You’re making Democracy possible. Thanks.” I got no response, so I have to assume that I didn’t speak loudly enough for either of them to hear. But I still want to thank you two and all the other people who take the time to make democracy possible.
Check Engine Light Solution
Feb 15
If your check engine light comes on in your car, tighten your gas cap first. You might even consider taking it off and putting it on again but this time tightly just to make sure. I’m embarrased to tell you how much it cost me to learn this lesson, but I provide it to you for free. That’s just the kind of guy I am.
More I Just Don’t Get It
Jan 27
Yesterday I mentioned I have been searched only once by the police. It happened in college when I was back home over the Christmas break (we could actually use that word back then). Three other friends and I went to a Pizza Inn or Hut in Rock Hill late one evening. The place was closed early, and so after pounding on the door and examining the posted hours, we discussed where to go to assuage our hunger. We noticed a police car in the filling station across the street, so when we headed west on Manchester with the police car following, the driver, Dave, made sure to stay below the speed limit.
The police officer turned on his lights just before we entered Warson Woods, so by the time we actually pulled over at the Warson Woods shopping center, we had an officer from Warson Woods, and a Sargeant from Glendale in addition to the officer from Rock Hill. The Rock Hill officer, who wouldn’t tell us why we were pulled over, was none too happy when Dave gave him a paper driver’s license which was a temporary because his original had been destroyed in an apartment fire in Columbia. So they went off to the Rock Hill car to sort matters out, leaving us with the Warson Woods officer standing alongside the passenger side ignoring my friend Greg in the back seat who kept asking him why we were pulled over. Greg’s brother had apparently had a number of run ins with the Rock Hill police and his family didn’t have a high opinion of them. Greg wanted to get out and address the officer directly, and since it was a two door car, I got out to let Greg out. The Warson Woods officer was none too happy that either of us got out, so he told us to get back in the car. Greg told him he wouldn’t get back until we were informed why we had been pulled over. The officer than said he was giving us a lawful police order to get back in the car. I complied, Greg didn’t. So they handcuffed Greg, searched all of us and searched the car.
All they found was four college students looking for pizza.
I have to admit I snickered when I was ordered to take the keys out of my pocket “real slow” while the police officer watched very intently with hand on gun following the discovery during my patdown that I had a large metal object in my pocket. My keys were on a very large brass K.
The Glendale sargeant eventually persuaded the Rock Hill police officer, who about went ballistic when we told him we’d simply follow him to the Rock Hill police department and pay $500 cash to bail Greg out of jail, to let us go since we were “super squeeky clean” and he was glad he wasn’t the one who would have to write this one up. So after Greg “apologized” we were on our way.
So why bring this up? Did you notice something? We were searched without a warrant. Some would have you believe that’s a violation of the fourth amendment. Apparently not. Anything else? It was Greg, and Greg only who “didn’t obey a lawful police order”, but we were all searched along with the car. That’s right, I, who did obey the order, was searched, along with my two friends who weren’t even subject to the order. You mean they could search a person’s associates? Just in case there’s some question, we were all US citizens on US soil.
One last thing – they finally told us what we were pulled over for while driving 28 MPH down Manchester Road — loitering.
Four In The Morning
Jan 24
I’ve been vandalized. Who knew laywers were into tagging, but the Listless one tagged me with the “Four in the Morning” meme.
Four Places You’ve Lived:
1. Kirkwood MO
2. Palo Alto CA
3. Huntington Beach CA
4. Kirkwood MO
Four Jobs You’ve Had In Your Life:
1. Stump Remover — no power tools allowed.
2. Hasher.
3. Rocket Scientist.
4. Authority Figure — at least to the Fruit of My Loins.
Four Movies You Could Watch Over And Over (and Over and Over):
1. True Grit. The Duke finally wins his Oscar, thus showing what a fat old man can do.
2. The Shawshank Redemption. I get to watch it over and over on cable.
3. Duel at Diablo. The Thinking Man’s western.
4. Groundhog Day. Bill Murray’s Catholic allegory.
Four TV Shows You Love To Watch:
1. Seinfeld
2. Rockford Files
3. The Amazing Race
4. Monk
Four Places You’ve Been on Vacation:
1. Eureka MO
2. Sheffield IA
3. Walt Disney World FL
4. Interlaken Switzerland
Four Websites You Visit Daily:
1. Google News
2. Instapundit
3. Macsurfer Daily News
4. Ed Driscoll
Four Of Your Favorite Foods:
1. Italian Salad, St. Louis Style (Pasta House, Rich & Charlies, Massas etc.)
2. Chicken Scaloppine.
3. Key Lime Pie (if it is yellow, not green).
4. Peanut Brittle
Four Places You’d Rather Be:
1. Heaven
2. No Place
3. On Vacation
4. There is no 4th place
Four Albums You Can’t Live Without:
While I’ve fully embraced Mix, Rip, & Burn, Kevin’s Favorites 1 to 4 wouldn’t mean much. I did the same thing in the heyday of cassette tapes, but Long, Obscure and/or Weird 1 and 2 also wouldn’t mean much.
1. Illusions on a Double Dimple
2. The Unforgettable Fire
3. Close to the Edge
4. Reach the Beach
Four People To Tag With This Meme
1. Tom McMahon
2. Jenne
3. Charles Austin
4. Busymom
