Just A Different Flavor At The Track.

F1 fans are extremely passionate about their sport. You have to be if you're traveling across continents. Wandering around the pits yesterday I heard Spanish, Japanese, German, the British version of English, and some tongues I had no clue what they were. However some things are universal. F1's safety car is a race preped Mercedes tuned by AMG. AMG is Mercedes' in-house factory tuner division. AMG makes a Mercedes engine sound like 60's Impala and that's a good thing! The Pillar of Hoosier Centrism and I zoomed over to see the safety cars going, "Oh look an AMG!" Two or three Japanese guys zoomed in from the other way and I heard "wha, wha, gibberish, wha AMG!" The group stared silently in awe at the machinery. Finally the Pillar Of Hoosier Centrism turns his head and says, "I want." The closest Japanese man goes, "I want also." *SMILE*

8 pm Saturday on Speed will be a show discussing the U.S. Grand Prix. That show will be heavily edited from what really occurred on Thursday. One Toyota driver, I don't know his name, signed Toyota hats on stage and tossed them into the audience. One came my way and 4 guys in front of me lunged backwards to get it. Despite my Superman complex I couldn't support the 4 guy colliding into me. Momentum is a pain.

Grid girls. 'Nuff said.

I will go to the track to see quals on Saturday. I had a chance to go to the race on Sunday, but I already penciled in other plans for later that day. I think I'll have fun either way.


Quotes of the day: Fer sure. Is fantastical. Good morning ladies, how are you doing?

Going To See The F1 Cars.

My lifestyle has numerous disadvantages. However it does have the significant advantage of lots of free time. The Pillar Of Hoosier Centrism has invited me to see the F1 cars at the track. They won't be running, but it appears we get access to the garages and other activities going on at the track. Is this a public relations move for the track and F1? Of course it is! Will I enjoy it? I think so.

I'm still not into the F1 scene, but anything that showcases Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the city is good in my opinion. As I told my dinner companion last night, "F1 brings a lot of positive attention to this city for foreigners to see. If they have a good time maybe they'll invest some cash here like Honda did."

*NOTE: I'm not saying Honda decided to create a plant because of the F1 race. I'm saying Hoosier Hospitality can bring in new opportunities.

Am I Going To Have To Visit This Version Now?

Scientists have discovered what they believe to be a tropical Stonehenge in the Amazon jungle.

"The 127 blocks, some as high as 9 feet tall, are spaced at regular intervals around the hill, like a crown 100 feet in diameter.

On the shortest day of the year — Dec. 21 — the shadow of one of the blocks disappears when the sun is directly above it."

If true, it shows the culture was more sophisticated than previously thought. You have to know some decent math to create an observatory. Scientists will return to the site after the rainy season to begin carbon dating.

Getting to Stonehenge on the Salsbury plain was far easier than getting to this one. I may have to skip visiting this structure.

Pimps Better Start Paying Taxes.

"Sen. Charles Grassley, chairman of the tax-writing
Senate Finance Committee, wants the Internal Revenue Service to chase after pimps and sex traffickers with the same fervor it stalked gangster Al Capone for tax evasion."

Certain criminal acts would now be tax crimes as well. [Why didn't we think of this earlier?] A senior fellow at the Hudson Institute [Wouldn't a thinktank be an interesting place to work?] believes pimps could be wiped out without the problems of difficult trials and relying on abused women and girls to testify against their pimps.

For each and every employment form that a pimp fails to file then proposed penalty is a 10-year sentence and $50,000 fine.

Does anyone else like this idea? Jail is nothing compared to the IRS.

Make It So.

If Honda actually comes to Greensburg, Indiana as expected it does absolutely nothing to diversify the job base of this automotive manufacturing state. However you can't turn down 1,500 well paying jobs even if they're automotive related. At least many workers laid off by GM, Ford, Chrysler, and Delphi could get jobs there. I simply wish state of the American auto industry wasn't so bad that so many excess workers were available for transplants.

My guess is when the plant opens in 2008 it will manufacture a newly redesigned version of the Honda Fit. While the subcompact and efficient Fit is new to the U.S. everywhere else in the world it is already a 5 year old design. Hybrids, we don't need no stinkin' hybrids!

EDIT: WE GOT IT!

Name Dropping.

I went to a meeting tonight. No the meeting did not begin with, "Hi my name is Brian and my last drink was..." The guest speaker was from a location that I want to work for. After the meeting I did a little meet and greet with the speaker for about a minute or so. Cards were exchanged, she stated they're hiring, and she encouraged me to write to Human Resources.

Naturally I dropped her name into the cover letter I just typed up. I hope this tactic yields some positive results. Good night folks.

I Survived The Big City

80/94 to Chicago sucks, as usual, for construction, as usual. I'm glad I didn't take it. The CAG gave me some back road instructions to get to the southwest suburbs through rural Indiana and Illinois. Between her instruction and the maps I downloaded from Mapquest I had the route planned out. (Mapquest would NEVER create a route like this, but I'm glad you can drag a window along a route to see the turns you'll need to make.) I did good time on the trip with just a tick over 3 hours including a quick rest stop, one overshoot of a turn (that sign for 231 was tiny), and spending an hour on the backroads. I bet 80/94 would take more than an hour.

Both the Cylon and Pet Doc were busy this weekend so I couldn't fit them in, nor head up Friday night since I couldn't crash there. However a weekend with the CAG and *cough* a friend who was supposed to call me back *cough, cough, glaring to the western 'burbs.* would be a good time. The CAG has a new townhouse. Very open, full of windows, has a huge basement perfect for a party, and ridiculously overpriced. For my Chicago area readers I find your real estate prices to be absolutely insane. Perhaps not California levels of insane, but I honestly don't see how anyone can afford housing up there.

I'm growing to love the METRA trains. One hour ride to downtown and I don't have to worry about parking. (Yet another reason why I want to see suped-up elevated monorail for Indy.) The only problem with the train was the CAG read the schedule incorrectly so we had to wait an extra hour. (NOTE: with a computer controlled elevated monorail in theory wait times would be less. No need to pay for conductors so a train can be run more frequently.) The temp was in the 70's and sunny. Far better than my last sub-zero trip in February for the auto show. We were to take a riverboat tour of the downtown architecture. My only fear would be the Dave Matthew's Band tourbus on a bridge at the wrong time. Sadly we couldn't get the actual architecture tourboat because it was sold out. "I guess I should have got the tickets online like you said." I merely nodded in agreement. We hit the next ticket window and found another ride. I called my other friend to see about dinner on Sunday *cough* but she still didn't answer her phone.*cough, cough, glaring at western suburbs.*

I love being on the water. Maybe one day I'll purchase a boat. Lake Michigan was fairly smooth, only disturbed by other boats' wakes. We had great views of the Chicago skyline. If you're ever in Chicago, you must take a boatride.

Frontera is a upscale Mexican restaurant. "The guy is semi-famous. He has his own show on PBS." I still haven't heard of him. The margaritas were good in the bar. After an hour the CAG and I are seated.

CAG: I'm really interested in the [duck dish]. But what do you recommend?
Waiter: [Starts talking about the pollo de Caribbean which sounds like a fabulous chicken dish.]
CAG: Umm...okay. [End of coversation and waiter turns to me.]

Question: what did the CAG just order? I was ordering the chicken anyway. Our dishes arrive and the CAG takes a bite and looks at mine.

CAG: [takes one bite and looks at mine] They screwed up my order. This tastes like chicken instead of duck and looks exactly like yours.
ME: [one raised eyebrow] No you ordered the chicken.
CAG: NO I DIDN'T! I wanted the duck.
ME: [verbally repeats the above conversation she had with the waiter.] That sounds like you ordered the chicken to me.

Perhaps the waiter should have repeated back what he thought the order was; however, as a customer I feel you should always name the thing you're ordering just to be sure. Oh yeah, the margarita we had with dinner was the most bitter and sour drink I've ever had. I'm still not sure what grade to give Frontera. Parts of the experience were great. Other parts were very subpar.

Enough for now I need to get some things accomplished today. I enjoyed the mini-vacation overall. Sometimes you need to not be home for a weekend.

Beware Of Llamas For They Spit.

You Should Visit Peru

Peru is ideal for your "off the beaten path" traveling style. Head out to an ancient Incan city, visit a volcano, and don't forget to pet a llama.

What Latin American Country Should You Visit?

Friday Quotes: Football Season Is Coming Soon!

One of the best football movies ever: The Replacments.

Quaterback Shane Falco: I wish I could say something classy and inspirational, but that just wouldn't be our style.

Quaterback Shane Falco: Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory... lasts forever.

John Madden: I love to see a fat guy score.
Pat Summerall: Why?
John Madden: Because first you get a fat guy spike, then you get the fat guy dance.

Coach Jimmy McGinty: When the Washington Sentinels left the stadium that date, there was no tickertape parade, no endorsement deals for sneakers or soda pop, or breakfast cereal. Just a locker to be cleaned out, and a ride home to catch. But what they didn't know, was that their lives had been changed forever because they had been part of something great. And greatness, no matter how brief stays with a man. Every athlete dreams of a second chance, these men lived it.

Chrysler Back In The Mid-Sized Sedan Market?

Chrysler has been dropping pics (click here for high-resolution exterior shot) of their newly redesigned Sebring. The oft delayed sedan has finally gestated. The styling was locked in before the smash hit that is the Bentleyesque 300 so we get a Crossfire-inspired hood. That's fine as the failure of the Crossfire had nothing to do with the styling. I'm not certain of the horizontal crease going across the doors. This execution appears better than on the Saturn Ion, but I'm still uncertain about that detail.

The interior appears to be in the standard Chrysler design language (which isn't a bad IMHO and I love the flipping front seat for added cargo versitility), but I hope they use higher quality materials in the past. The biggest cripe with Daimler-Chrysler vehicles lately is the apperent cheapness of the interior materials.

The looks are producing a typical Chrysler love-it-or-hate-it reaction among the internet viewers. If you're in Europe you have the availability of a manual transmission and a VW-sourced diesel engine. Neither option will be available in North America sadly. Come on guys give me a near-lux family sedan with a clutch please. I'll settle for it being on only the 2.4L 4 cylinder, but if you can offer it on a V6 that would take on potential sport sedan lovers.

A Dodge twin - a mini-Charger inspired Avenger - will be replacing the Stratus. With luck a SRT (Street Racing Technology) varient will be available sometime and the 3rd pedal gods will favor us, the chosen one.

I'm Still Primative For I Lack An iPod.

You Communicate With Your Ears

You love conversations, both as a listener and a talker. What people say is important to you, and you're often most affected by words, not actions. You love to hear complements from others. And when you're upset, you often talk to yourself. Music is very important to you. It's difficult to find you without your iPod.

How Do You Communicate?

I Blame Lawren For This One.

As seen on Martinis, Persistence, and a Smile. I never liked Jamie Kennedy. I never really liked Bob Saget either as he was lame on America's Funniest Videos. I can't decide is AFV makes hosts lame due to the weak material or if lame hosts are attracted to AFV.

This answers the question: what would a rap tribute to Bob Saget look like? (NSFW, I repeat NSFW. Please waste your non-work resources on this. Thank you.) This is very funny. Is it funny because it's good and a complete twist on our cultural expectations of Bob Saget or is it funny because it's so bad?

PS: I can spot George Lucas easily enough, but has anyone yet found John Stamos?

You Need To Announce Your Public Meetings A Little Earlier.

Dear IndyGo,

I'm glad you've decided to work on a downtown transit center. Building near the new stadium makes some sense. However if you're going to have a public forum to discuss the idea could you have the local major paper announce that information BEFORE the actual day of the forum?

Finding out on Wednesday morning that a public forum will occur at 4:30 that afternoon doesn't help interested parties. We need to plan our time in advance.

Thanks.
Concerned Citizen.


In all seriousness folks I hope this helps creating a viable public transportation system in town. Perhaps this will also spur that regional rapid transit system I want. I know the upfront costs of an elevated system sound daunting, but you make up for it on the operational costs. Why do upgraded bus lines or light rail when you can BUILD quiet monorails to where you exactly need it? Just build the damn thing already!

See LGG, Hoosiers Aren't Totally Stupid.

Guess what folks, we like Daylight Saving Time. Indiana joined the 20th Century and we seem to enjoy that extra hour of daylight at night. Unless you're a kid: It is light out so we must play. Parents if you're in that situation buy some blackout curtains and point to the clock. It is bedtime for the tykes.

Never Let The Facts Get In The Way Of A Politician.

British lawmakers (Parliamentarians, such a quaint word) want to get rid of the infamous bearskin hats worn by the royal guards. They wish to transition to an artificial fur.

In a letter to her colleagues Conservative lawmaker Ann Widdecombe notes, "Black bears, who are intelligent and curious animals, are slaughtered in Canada so that their skins may be used for ceremonial hats."

Statements like that make me raise my eyebrow so I was happy to see this counterpoint. "Not a single bear is killed (solely) to make a bearskin hat," the army spokesman said. "Both governments in the United States and Canada have policies to keep the bear population under control." Yes we do hunt Yogi and BoBo because too many bears populate the areas we've reserved for them. The army also tries to repair hats when possible.

Bearskin hats are expensive. "The Defense Ministry buys 50 to 100 bearskin pelts a year to outfit its five regiments wearing them. One complete bearskin hat costs $1,197 and can last up to 40 years."

It would be wrong to watch the Changing Of The Guard ceremony if the guards aren't wearing the cool hats.

Ice, Ice, Baby

The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Edmunton Oilers for the Stanley Cup. That's hockey folks. I note this for my 2 or 3 loyal hockey lovers.

I would like to introduce a rule into the sport of hockey: no team shall be based where ice does not occur naturally. It seems wrong to have hockey teams in San Jose, Florida, or North Carolina.

You're In Trouble Now.

Oh yes this will help my public persona so much. Oh well it is a fun quiz. Courtesy of Legal Quandary.

Your Personality Is Like Heroin

You're capable of the highest highs and the lowest lows. Addicted to feeling good, you'll do almost anything to avoid pain. People seek you out, even though you can be quite moody. They're hooked on you!

What Drug Is Your Personality Like?

Confessions Poll: Do You Care About The World Cup?

Nope! Been odd to see so much passion from my friends about the kicky ball, but I simply don't care. The sport does nothing for me.

The Movie Meme

EDIT: You're getting close to finishing all of them.
EDIT v2.0: Movie #9 is the only one left. Can someone step up to the plate?
EDIT v3.0: Congrats. All 11 movies have been found! I admit I made it a little hard by giving a few of the more obscure quotes and spanning nearly 28 years worth of films.

Braingirl at Hoosiers Ate My Brain tagged me (you little ... ;-) ). I was going to blog about eating at Brugge Brasserie (thus intruding on Braingirl's Feed Me/Drink Me domain) but instead I now must do this meme.

A. Pick 11 of your favorite movies.
B. Then pick one of your favorite quotes from each movie.
C. Post the quotes on your blog.
D. Have commenters guess what the movie is.
E. Either strike out the quote once it has been correctly identified or place the guesser’s user name directly after the quote.
F. Extra points for knowing the actor or character’s name.

Movie #1 (This entire movie is nothing but good quotes.)
"Good. Bad. I'm the guy with the gun. "
Army of Darkness - Ash - Bruce Campbell. Guessed by Bauer.

Movie #2 (Once again this entire movie is nothing but good quotes.)
"Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration, don't fail us now. "
Blues Brothers. I'll give you credit even though you were unsure. Guessed by Bauer.
Said by Elwood - Dan Ackroyd.

Movie #3 (Not my favorite quote, but if I go with one of the best ones it makes the movie too easy to guess).
Woman: Please tell me what you're feeling.
Man: There's a man out there I haven't seen in 15 years who's trying to kill me. You show me a son that'd be happy to help. My son. My life that could have been... and wasn't. How do I feel? Old. Worn out.
Woman: Let me show you something that will make you feel young as when the world was new.

I'll provide another hint as this one is stumping all. I dare say: BEST DEATH SCENE EVER!

"We are gathered here today to pay final respects to our honored dead. But it should be noted that this death takes place in the shadow of new life, the sunrise of a new world; a world that our beloved comrade gave his life to protect and nourish. He did not feel this sacrifice a vain or empty one, and we will not debate his profound wisdom at these proceedings. Of my friend, I can only say this: of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most... human."

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. First quote is Dr. Carol Marcus and Admiral James Kirk played by Bibi Besch and William Shatner. Guessed by Bauer. The second quote is naturally Kirk's funeral speech for Spock.

Movie #4
Man #1: I'm sorry about that delousing. Just standard procedure.
Man #2: It's powdered sugar.
Man #1: The lice hate the sugar.
Man #2: It's delicious.
Super Troopers - Farva & the Stansberry Police Captain. Guessed by Bauer.

Movie #5
Boy: We've got company.
Man: Police?
Woman: How many?
Boy: Uh, all of them, I think.

I'll try another hint. These might be the next lines actually.

Other Man: I'll take care of the police.
Boy: Hey, wait! You swore! [to not kill]
Other Man: [smiles] Trust me.

Terminator II: Judgment Day. First clue is Dr. Dyson, Sarah Connor and John Connor discussing the arrival of a few hundred cops at Dyson's corporate headquarters. Correctly guessed by E. McPan. Second quote is the Terminator and John Connor discussing how to deal with the few hundred cops.

Movie #6
Woman: You could die. At least tell me your name.
Man: It's not who I am underneath, but what I *do* that defines me.
Batman Begins. Guessed by lawgeekgurl.

Movie #7
Woman 1: If I was a guy, I think women would like, line up to go out with me. I'm smart. I have a good sense of humor. I make a great living.
Woman 2: I'd fuck you.
Woman 1: Thank you, honey. I know you would.
The Truth About Cats And Dogs. Guessed by TSC Girl.
Dr. Abby Barnes and Noelle played by Janene Garafalo and Uma Thurman.

Move #8
"This is the captain. We have a little problem with our entry sequence, so we may experience some slight turbulence and then - explode."
Serenity. Again guessed by lawgeekgurl. I put that one in JUST for you.

Movie #9
"Bring us a pitcher of beer every seven minutes until somebody passes out. And then bring one every ten minutes."

I'll provide another hint. It really is a great movie if you've seen it.

Woman, "I'd love to go with you, but I've got a class right now."
Man, "Well, why don't you come and see me some time when you have no class. "

Okay this is the third and final hint. The best analysis of the VietNam War ever.

"Is she right? 'Cause I know that's the *popular* version of what went on there. And a lot of people like to believe that. I wish I could, but I was *there*. I wasn't here in a classroom, hoping I was right, thinking about it. I was up to my knees in rice paddies, with guns that didn't work! Going in there, looking for Charlie, slugging it out with him. While pussies like you were back here partying, putting headbands on, doing drugs, and listening to the goddamn Beatle albums! Oh! Oh! Oh!"

DING DING DING! Senor Pez is correct. The movie is the Rodney Dangerfield classic Back To School.

Movie #10
"What we do in life echoes in eternity."
Gladiator - Maximus - Russell Crowe. Guessed by Bauer.

Movie #11
Woman: "Don't worry I got you."
Man: "You! You got me? Who's got you?"
Superman. Once again guessed by lawgeekgurl. The scene where the helicopter crashes on top of The Daily Planet and Lois Lane is hanging out the side. Superman reveals his existance to the world that dark and stormy night. CLASSIC.

I forgot to tag some unfortunate victims. Since TSC Girl is good at this you get one :-) Legal Quandary needs a bar review study break. LawGeekGurl needs an assignment when she gets back from her trip. Robin you'll be great at this too.

Happy 38th Anniversary Parents.

I knew I was forgetting to mention something today.

Things To Do Today: Let The Dog In. Let The Dog Out.

I get to do some dogsitting this week. Isn't MacGyver cute? Almost 10 years old and 40 lbs of sleeping, eating, territorial, shedding fuzzbucket.

No One Will Hack This Network.

Our internet has been down for over two days. We were upgraded to a higher speed DSL, but we needed to enter in various User IDs and passwords. Whumpa and I have been on opposite schedules the past few days so this afternoon we finally got it working. The ultimate in network administration security: no one person has all the passwords required!

I had the account passwords, but Whumpa's router is the hardware we're using.

I'll admit the extra $3/month is an excellent tradeoff for double the speed. The internet does fly pretty well now.

What The *&$% Is An Aluminum Falcon?

I don't know how I found this, but imagine the phone call Darth Vader had to make the Emperor after the Death Star blew up.

Please view this only from home as this is completely against every work interet usage policy I'm aware of.

Just Another Manic Monday

I can't provide details, but I had a coffee explosion today. The new mop is getting quite a workout.
This is not a good start to the week.

The Wisdom Of Gil Grissom

Normaly I don't watch CSI, but the irony should not be lost.

[To a reality TV camera crew shadowing him]
Detective Gil Grissom: There are too many forensics shows.

I Will Finally Get A Dryer.

Yes I realize my life is pathetic, but I've been without a dryer since March or so. Or maybe I've been without a dryer since Februrary. I don't recall which. The dryer made protesting squeaks for a month or so then decided to not run again. The washer is fine.

This resulted in the unusual dance of washing my clothes at home, but going somewhere else to dry them. The laundromat a few blocks down is a pretty nice place for a laundromat. Very clean, well-organized, and you can get a tan there as well. I thought my Spanish would get better the more often I went there, but native speakers talk much faster than I can listen so I got 1 word out of 4.

I also went old school college and brought the wet laundry to my parents' house. Hi Mom! Just like old times eh? The fact I often received a free dinner and played with the dog had nothing to do with my decision to come over. You're fixing taco salad? Excellent.

Word to the wise: Sears Outlet stores sell appliances cheap! That is where I purchased the washer/dryer about 10 years ago so I went back. Scratch and dent and customer returns. These things are in a utility room so what do I care about scratches and dents. $235 for a dryer is cheap. They had only one basic dryer that inexpensive. When a $900 dryer is selling for $735 I wonder what makes it so expensive. It had a nice stainless steel cover and it "talks" to the matching washer. What do a washer and dryer need to "talk" to each other about? Sometimes simpler is better I feel.

Sears has an independent contractor delivering the dryer today. He likes cash only. I don't mind the delivery fee and the disposal of the old dryer fee. $20 to attach the electrical cord from the old dryer to the new dryer is a ripoff I feel. I may do that myself if he takes a break.

I might liveblog the event if I'm bored enough.

9:54am waiting for that 10-2 delivery window.

10:25am watching White House spokesman Tony Snow give a press briefing on blowing up a big terrorist al-Zarqawi in Iraq. Yep it blows to be on the wrong end of America's pointy tip of the spear.

10: 51am roommate Whumpa wants unlimited long distance on the phone. AT&T has a $15/month unlimited service. I order it online and then get the dreaded, "Due to technical problems, we are unable to process your order online at this time. " I hate having to call people to resolve problems. I was in tech support for years. I know what it is like to be on the other end of the phone call!

11:35am watching The History Channel special on the whaling ship Essex. Crew was attacked by a sperm whale and had to resort to cannibalism to survive on the lifeboats. This story inspires Herman Melville to write Moby Dick. Meanwhile I’m reheating leftover chicken fingers in the microwave oven.

12:01pm the local news is on. For once it has nothing to do with the 7 people gunned down on the east side. I know it was a shocking and important story, but I feel the local media has pounded it to death. Instead they’re talking about the terrorist we blew up.

12:36pm and I’m wondering why the toilet is still running. I guess the rubber flapper didn’t close properly. Pop off the lid and WATER SPRAYS OUT EVERYWHERE! Shut off the toilet valve now!!!! It isn’t shutting off the water flow. On that’s right it doesn’t work. WATER IS SPRAYING ALL OVER THE WALLS AND FLOORS! RUN OVER TO THE UTILITY CLOSET AND SHUT OFF THE MAIN VALVE. I hear the water turn off. After wiping off my glasses and shirt I grab a mop. Okay why did that happen? A rubber/plastic tube isn’t connected to the water output to direct the water down into the tank. Place tube back in place and slowly open the main water valve. Toilet tank fills in a normal, non-explosive, fashion.

12:54pm and I hear the rumbles of a diesel engine. One large Dodge dually is hauling a 20’ trailer. Two guys show up. They haul out the old dryer. They switch the electrical cable. The factory doesn’t install cabling because two different types exist: a four-prong and a three-prong. I’m guessing that is because of housing codes. New dryer is installed and after flipping the circuit breaker switch it runs.

1:13pm and I see Blogger is down.

2:18pm and Blogger is still down.

3:02pm and Blogger is still down.

8:37pm and Blogger is up so now you get the rest of the story.

Some Canadians Need Something Better To Do.

Search engines are interesting constructs. They can take random words that appear on your blog and report it as a result. We need smarter search engines to take advantage of this poor soul's interesting kink.

I'm sorry sir/ma'am, but what you want isn't found on Confessions.

Going To Be An Expensive Weekend...

...for those who have money. Thursday has StrawberryFest at Monument Circle. Friday and Saturday has ItalianFest. Saturday has a latin festival in Military Park. Saturday also has a free music festival at the Harrison Center. Saturday and Sunday has the Talbot Street Art Fair. Sunday has a Russian Festival at Butler University. A hot rod show is at Raceway Park the entire weekend.

With luck I can hit a few of these and still get something useful accomplished.

I Have The Power!

Your Power Level is: 57%

There's a good chance you feel pretty powerful, and with good reason, you're already fairly successful. Keep developing your goals and skills, and you'll be surprised by what you can really achieve.

How Powerful Are You?

Money Money Money....MOOOONNEEEY!

Yes I'm on a roll with song titles/lyrics today.

Just got a call from payroll. It appears I wasn't paid for one week. I thought work ended in the middle of a pay period. When the last check came in short I didn't think anything of it. They're mailing a supplemental check with 4 days on it. Cool.

We're On The Highway To Hell.

With apologies to AC/DC.

Hell, Michigan (yes that is the real name to the tiny hamlet) is throwing a 6-6-6 party today. A shop owner plans on having 666 t-shirts with 666 on them. A children's party will have the Gates Of Hell installed.

I wonder what Halloween is like up there.

It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine).

Okay folks listen up as I'm providing this public service only once. This is not 6-6-6, nor is it really 06-06-06. At best it is only 6-6-2006 but that is only with the Gregorian calendar. If you go by Jewish, Chinese, or other calendars it isn't even the year 2006 or any other year that ends in 6.

The world isn't going to end just because of some number. If it were wouldn't it actually have ended by in the Year 6? Although they didn't understand the concept of ZERO back then so the calendar was backdated to the Year 1. Would that make Year 6 really Year 5? Ugh, my head is spinning from the altered math.

This is all the fault of Daylight Saving Time.

If you feel the rapture is coming please go to an island and isolate yourself. Perhaps Krakatoa would be a good place. Just leave all your worldly possessions with me.

Quotes Of The Weekend.

I could provide context for the quotes, but why bother? It is far more entertaining to give you the quote and let your mind wander for context.

"Yes I failed to be an arms dealer this weekend."

"I guess they were afraid of exercising hoodlums."

Share And Share Alike.

Having a roommate means you have to share some things. Sadly we couldn't share the DSL connection. One router or the other had to be on, but not both. The FAQ list at AT&T suggested we set up a home network to share the one DSL connection. Duh!

Luckily Whumpa's router has wireless capabilities. My laptop has a wireless card, but my desktop doesn't. Whumpa solved that problem. For my birthday he got a wireless network adapter that plugs into a USB port on the computer.

I'll be honest. I only understand the bare basics of wireless LAN as the technology simply didn't exist when I got out of computers. I'm old school in that I understand cables! Installation of the hardware was easy. I just set the receiver on my desk and plugged a long cable into a free USB port. We had some difficulty configuring the hardware though. At first it didn't see the network, then it wouldn't connect with it. I have no idea what Whumpa did, but he got it to work. He had to go upstairs and adjust something on his router.

Regardless now I don't have to unplug him if I want to connect with the internet. We can share now!

NOTE: this post brought to you via our wireless connection.
PS: We've enabled security so don't try to hack it.
PPS: If by chance you manged to hack it the range is very limited and I can simply shoot anyone nearby stealing our internet access. Heck I could just throw a rock at you.

For Those Curious.

Just a quick update.

Tuesday went okay. Interviewed with a panel of 3 people. Some questions were fine, others exposed the fact I'm a nugget with little, if any, experience (legally that is). Hopefully a Round 2 of interview to be next week.

Wednesday went great I thought. It is a small firm with the classic problem of more work than they can handle. I should hear something next week as well.

Friday I am looking forward to. It is similar to Tuesday, but in a different location. Hopefully the questions will be similar.

The birthday dinner was Rick's Boatyard Cafe. I went there last year as well, but we got far better service this year. I wanted to go someplace nice that wasn't a chain restaurant. Thai and Indian were out because my mom can't stand the heat. We stayed in the air-conditioning because my dad can't stand the temperature. *sigh* At least the food was great.