J.P.

Walt Disney World’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa.

Well we are settled in safe and sound at Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa at Walt Disney World. This was after about 22 hours of driving. I found the drive enjoyable.

We made a side trip to visit my godparents for a little bit on our way to Orlando. They live about 40 minutes outside of the city and have become Upstate New York snowbirds. These are the folks that find a place to retire to during the more harsher months of the year back home. They found a quaint little trailer in a small retirement community. The visit was enjoyable; we had not seen them since before the holidays. It’s always good to visit with the relatives from time to time.


Upon our arrival at the room, we freshened ourselves up (I had been wearing the same clothes for three days) and headed over to the Magic Kingdom. This is a tradition in our family; we always spend the first night at Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom. The first ride is on the PeopleMover.


We made our way around Tomorrowland, enjoying the Carousel of Progress, Space Mountain and the Buzz Lightyear attraction before calling it a night.

Now we are just waiting for our groceries to be delivered so we can pop some corn before hitting the hay.

– Proudly posted using BlogPress from my first generation iPad

10 March 2012 by Fun and Games Dept 3

Midtown Savannah, Ga.

Tonight we have stopped at the brand new Hampton Inn in beautiful midtown Savannah, Ga. We have done little more than drive and eat. States passed through include Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

Interstate 81 is more congested with trucks in Virginia than I like. The trucks like to get side by side and climb hills together. The problem is that they like to take the challenge slowly, which backs up traffic behind the coupled trucks. This does not make for a pleasant driving experience for the rest of the motoring public.

We thought we had a reservation at the Hampton Inn at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport but we did not. A few quick fingers on an iPad and we had the last room at the next closest Hampton Inn. Apparently it was the last room, period, for the entire city of Savannah because Bike Week is gearing up and people are staying in this area on their way down to Florida. I-95 should be a hoot tomorrow.

I’m going to get some rest.

10 March 2012 by Fun and Games Dept 0

Top Of The 80s.

Well we are settled in at the Top of the 80s for the night. We have stayed at this Hampton Inn before, it seems to be a popular stop for our drives. We are going to get up bright and early and keep heading south tomorrow. I’m hoping to make it to Savannah or even farther.

I have hopes.

As usual, it’s raining in Pennsylvania as we make our way along our vacation route. It would not be a vacation unless it was raining through this part of Pennsylvania. It doesn’t rain when we go to Philly, but it rains in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton. It’s just the way it is. I’m without complaint. I know it doesn’t sound like I’m without complaint, but I just make observations. That’s the way it is.

As promised, I am using nothing but my first gen iPad as my computing device of choice for this vacation. I’m excited by the challenge. And based on the number of messages I received since blogging this afternoon, I may really get the “I’m a first gen iPad owner!” t-shirts printed up with a retro Apple logo on them. I could make a mint.

– Proudly posted using BlogPress from my first generation iPad

8 March 2012 by Fun and Games Dept 0

Resolute.

Ok, so I wrote two blog entries yesterday. In the entry titled “Resolution“, I mentioned that I was still not interested in the new iPad that was announced yesterday. Then, after the announcement of the new iPad that’s called ‘the new iPad’, I admitted that I wanted one.

Now I have mentioned that this blog, amongst other things, functions as an insight to the way I am in real life. While it is a controlled atmosphere of sorts, I still am pretty open with the way I function in the real world with my writings on this blog. What you see is what you get. And this flip flopping back and forth regarding the new iPad makes Mitt Romney look like he’s got his mind made up about everything.

How embarrassing.

This morning as I was driving into work, I went into daydream mode and hashed out what’s been floating around in my head for the past 24 hours or so and I came to the determination that in reality, the new iPad (which is called ‘the new iPad’), while very nice, makes me more ornery than anything. You see, there is nothing wrong with my first generation iPad. Nothing at all. When taken out of it’s case it’s still looks all shiny and new. I don’t have the need for a camera on my iPad and in the one instance that I saw a person using an iPad2 to take a photo I pointed at them and made a snorting noise that was meant to resemble mockery. The only reason that I would need the new iPad (which is cleverly called ‘the new iPad’) would be to run the new iPhoto app, because Apple released that yesterday and to run the new iPhoto app, you need a front-facing camera because apparently someone wants to watch you use the new iPhoto app.

I kind of find that weird.

I often talk about using older computers and gadgets and the like until you can’t squeeze any further porn productivity out of them. We shouldn’t fill landfills with electronics that still work when we’re not going to be around to deal with these landfills to begin with. That’s just silly. And quite frankly, it’s time for me to starting walking the walk instead of just talking the talk.

So now the ornery in me is turning into it’s own resolution. Write this down or take notes if you give a damn.

1. I have a 2008 MacBook Pro that is going to continue to be my laptop until it costs more to support it than buy a new one or I can’t use it anymore because it’s just not compatible with what I need to do on a laptop.
2. I am keeping my current iPhone 4 at least until I am eligible for an upgrade, which isn’t until February 2013. And I might keep the iPhone 4 around longer just to prove that I can.
3. I am going to use my current iPad in all it’s delicious glory until it’s impossible to get anything accomplished on it.

And to take this stubbornness one step further, for the vacation that we are about to embark on at 1600 EST today, I am taking ONLY my iPhone and my iPad and I am going to blog and share pictures using these outdated devices to prove to the world that it can be done no matter what Apple says. I love my Apple products and I absolutely believe that they have the best hardware out there, but I’m not going to upgrade just because they have decreed it to be so.

And that, gentle readers, is me not flip flopping on the issue anymore.

Note to my dear husband: feel free to print this blog entry out and shove it in my face the next time I mention buying something new just for the sake of buying a new Apple gadget. Gifts, however, are always welcomed.

– Proudly Posted using BlogPress from my first generation iPad

8 March 2012 by Geek 4

Resolution.

It is 55F in Central New York today. The snow is melting rapidly and the sunshine is shining brightly. Today is the cooler of the next few days, tomorrow it’s suppose to reach 60 and for that there is much rejoicing. Tomorrow night Earl, Jamie and I leave for the House of the Mouse, with our actual stay starting Saturday until the following Friday.

Life is so very good.

As the sun beams into the Jeep as I write this, I can’t help but wonder why we try to kickstart our healthy living habits and the like with the onset of the New Year, when we should be doing it at spring time. I don’t know about any of my gentle readers, but I don’t really like the idea of trying to lose weight when the snow is (theoretically) piling up outside, daylight is at a minimum and it’s very, very cold out. Trying to shed a few pounds by hitting a gym in the dead of winter is crazy. Now is the time that I want to start being healthy again. With the onset of this spring like weather, now is the time that I want to get the extraneous details of my life that I have been ignoring back in order. With the impending rebirth of life after a (theoretically) long, hard winter, now is the time that I feel like really living again.

I think part of this has to do with suffering from the winter blahs. I try so hard to not get feeling glum in the winter time, and while the winter season is in progress, I think I’m doing an ok job at keeping a chipper spirit around but then a day like today comes around and I realize that I was feeling the same sort of seasonal depression that I feel every year. No matter how much I bathe myself in natural light or down Vitamin D tablets, I just don’t feel overly enthusiastic in the winter time. Spring rolls around and then I feel enthusiasm again. I’m thinking that I’m going to try to hit the gym at Disney a couple of times. I’m going to walk more than I need to. I’m going to limit my popcorn intake to “occasional” and I’m going to make sure that I make smart choices when choosing from the delights flashing on the overhead menu. It’ll be a challenge, but it’s something that I think I can do and I feel enthusiasm about taking this approach to the vacation.

When we get back from vacation, Daylight Saving Time will be in full swing (though I despise the practice of moving the clocks around very much) and I will be able to ride my bike after work again. I haven’t done that as much as I’d like to since starting my current job a few years ago, I’m going to make that change this year.

I just heard the ghost of Michael Jackson whisper “Make that change” in my head and it was really creepy.

I’m 43 years old so I’m a realist about what I can obtain health wise, but on the other hand, I’m only 43 years old. And I’m going to start a Spring Resolution right now to enjoy life to the fullest, feeling the best I can by doing the things I want to do to make it all happen.

I think Spring Resolutions are the ticket for me in the future. Let’s see how this first attempt at it goes.

And as a quick sidebar on the resolution thing – still not buying the latest incarnation of the iPad, no matter what they announce today, unless it comes with a daily full body massage.

7 March 2012 by Ponderings and Musings 1

Sleep.

So a couple of weeks ago I remarked about my sleeping habits and how I was going to try something a little different with my sleep patterns. Historical evidence shows that in the past some folks would have “two sleeps” every night with a waking interval in between and my body has been showing signs of wanting to do the same thing so I decided to try that approach.

In the past 10 days I have had three nights where I woke up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. Instead of having some sort of silent fit, whirling around in my bed to find a new comfortable position and then flipping my pillow around to find the cool side, I would sit up in bed and see if both eyes were functioning. If both eyes were open and functioning, I would get up and walk a lap around the bedroom and then the rest of the house. Ok, I’d pee too, but only in the bathroom. I’d then calm my mind by telling myself that my forefathers could have been doing this very exercise of walking around in the middle of the night and they did it with wood teeth and everything (why I think this I have no idea since it’s a completely unrelated point). I’d then do another walk around the downstairs and then head back up to bed, where I’d put my headphones back on and give the sleeping thing another whirl. I’d end up sleeping right through to the alarm.

I feel better than I did before I started this approach. I haven’t had to spend one moment trying to find a private napping spot in my cubicle during the afternoons at work (don’t tell my boss).

Now this little experiment is completely unscientific and there could be a million and three other contributing factors as to why this is working better for me but I’m not one to complain, as long as I feel well rested and productive during the day.

Yesterday I ended up taking a small nap during my lunch hour and it was enjoyable. I think this was a recharge of Monday more than a need for actual sleep, however, as the nap was more meditative than actual deep sleep. But I think I’m onto something and that can only be a good thing.

Now last night I tried a new soundtrack for the headphones that I wear when I sleep and it helped me have some very vivid and lucid dreams. I love it when I can steer the scenes going on in my head during my dreams. It’s a skill I pretty much mastered when I was a kid and I consider myself quite lucky to still have the ability to do this on a regular basis. Perhaps that’s why I am in such a good mood today.

6 March 2012 by Geek 2

Pretty.

My mind is churning through the typical Monday mush and I can not find the means to write a coherent blog entry today, so we’ll go with a picture of some pretty clouds. I took this picture on Saturday.

20120305-122655.jpg

5 March 2012 by Ponderings and Musings 0

Rambling.

I have mentioned before that I place a certain amount of credibility in my dreams. While most thing that a dream is nothing more than a brain defrag, the opportunity for our brains to exercise themselves when the rest of the body isn’t doing much, I’m part of the minority that puts a little more stock into the content of our dreams. I remember at least one dream at night, and I have actively maintained a dream journal since my high school days. One of the earliest dreams I recall involved playing BINGO with the Brady Bunch, because they’re showing opening had that grid thing and I figured they must have loved BINGO. I know I was pretty young when I had that dream, because it was when my sister was still in her crib (she’s two years younger than me) and I had my own bed in the back bedroom of our little mobile home we lived in at the time.

Anyways, back in 2002 or so I wrote in my dream journal that I was driving along Route 5S near the Village of Fort Plain (with a question mark next to ‘Plain’ because that didn’t feel quite right). I was in a black car (at the time we owned a maroon Impala) and I was driving home from work (I didn’t work anywhere near Fort Plain, today I do). I encountered a tornado and had to take shelter. It was a thrilling dream for me as I survived the storm just fine and I had always wanted to see a tornado. The black car even survived.

I had the same dream last night, though the black car was a black Jeep and I wasn’t in Fort Plain. I was in Fort Wayne. This is interesting, because I have never been in Fort Wayne in my life but I do suppose that because of their geographical location, they are apt to get a tornado or two during the appropriate season.

Perhaps Earl and I need to visit Fort Wayne.

There wasn’t much else remarkable about the dream. Just a lot of wind and rain and thunder and me crouching in a ditch as I watch the tornado go by a little ways up the road. My work badge, which hangs on a lanyard around my neck, is flopping around a little bit but I didn’t notice much else about me. The terrain was relatively flat in that I could see quite a ways off and I could see sun off in the distance, so I knew the storm would be short-lived. I woke up with a feeling of exhilaration, though, because I had finally experienced a tornado up close and personal.

I think I’m ready for some spring storms.

I can’t decide if there is a meaning behind the dream, other than me living out my desire to chase storms. Perhaps the flapping badge indicated that work interferes with chasing that dream.

What’s most important about the whole thing is that I felt relatively rested when I woke up this morning, despite my chasing tornadoes.

2 March 2012 by Fun and Games Dept 2

Privacy.

So to ready myself for Google’s new privacy terms of service and search methods, I deleted my Gmail account last night. If you’re still sending email to my old imachias-at-gmail.com account it won’t go anywhere anymore. I also deleted my Google+ account because no one seemed to be saying anything over there anyways, so I didn’t want any data left hanging around where I would ultimately forget about it.

I’m obviously not paranoid about online privacy since I write in a personal blog and share good chunks of my life right there through words and photos. But there is something that creeps me out about the fact that starting today, if I were to search for some random phrase on Google, it’ll present me with a list of search results that contains what Google thinks I’ll want to see, based on the content of my email, calendar, Google+, previous searches, YouTube views, etc. I find that creepy. I don’t want predictive search results and I don’t want someone randomly labeling me as eccentric until they have met me in person and realized it for themselves first hand. I am not comfortable with a scenario where I search for a news article, for example, and am presented with results from MSNBC, based on what I’ve said about politics in the past, whereas the same person is presented with results from Fox News based on their leanings. That’s taking the autonomy away from the individual. It should be up to me to decide whether I want to look at MSNBC or Fox News as the source of the information I am seeking, without being encouraged by my search engine based on what I’ve done in the past. I feel creeped out and I feel pigeon-holed, and if there is one thing that really gets on my nerves, it’s being pigeon-holed.

“Well, you’ve always wanted to look at MSNBC News before.”

Well what if I am trying to expand my horizons by trying to seek out all points of view?

I am working on ridding myself of my Google account completely. The only thing that remains is Google Reader account, and I use that because it keeps my RSS feeds in sync between multiple devices. I wish there was a generic way of doing that, but I haven’t found a solution to that yet.

My search engine of choice has become duckduckgo.com and I highly recommend it. No tracking, no suggestions, no telling my Facebook friends, no hollering at the empty caverns of Google+ telling my former circles what I am looking for. I type in a search phrase and it gives me results. Once upon a time that could easily be accomplished by AltaVista and it was a beautiful thing. Today it’s DuckDuckGo and I am sticking to this for as long as I can.

I think part of my privacy concerns is fueled by the fact that all this data is designed to improve advertising metrics so that ads are targeted specifically to me based on my life history on the web. I hate ads on the internet. I hate sites that squeeze a bunch of mediocre content between flashing, bare-chested advertising panels in an effort to generate revenue. The more ads, the more mediocre the content, because the site owner is just throwing crap at the web trying to generate as much traffic as possible to their site. I find this approach offensive to my sensibilities.

And now I’ll probably get twice as many ads in my email because I’ve written about them.

1 March 2012 by Geek 2

About J.P.

Just a guy with a husband. We’ve been together 28 years and he still makes me see fireworks on a daily basis. Hiker. Storm Chaser. Private Pilot. Tech Guy. Hackerish.

Weird? Eccentric!

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