J.P.

Central Time.

Central Time, originally uploaded by iMachias.

I just completely lost myself in a Friday evening for five hours and I feel magnificent. Once again I was playing with my school clock collection, something I haven’t really done over the past year or so.

After restoring the clock from my elementary school my OCD kicked in and I could no longer accept the fact that there was one room in our house that did not have a clock from my clock collection, and that room would be the kitchen.

The reason I never put a clock in the kitchen was mostly by design but partly due to laziness, the kitchen walls (at least where a clock would go) are all outside walls and our outside walls are stuffed to the gills with insulation. The thought of fishing the necessary wiring for a clock in the kitchen was overwhelming; I have a hard enough time pullng wire through inside walls let alone finding my way through insulation, so I went with a quartz clock instead and left well enough alone.

Until tonight.

About a week ago I saw a beautiful clock from a Kansas school from 1919 or 1920. It wasn’t an ebay find, but rather I stumbled upon it through an online search (on Bing!). It was at an antique shop. I contacted the owners to see if they would ship it up here and a week later, here it is.

This clock is slightly different in design from it’s younger siblings in the house and uses a different mechanism than the others but a little wiring ingenuity and it’s clicking right along with the rest of the clocks throughout the house. Pulling the wiring through the wall only took about five hours and I didn’t even have to rip out the wall to do it.

The exercise of installing the clock was oddly relaxing for me and I feel great that accomplished something I couldn’t do.

I haven’t cleaned the clock up yet, aside from removing several layers of dust. The paint splatters from it’s former classroom actually match the paint in our kitchen so I’ll probably wait awhile before repainting it, if I ever do. I kind of like the history of the clock being on display like that. Earl told me this is one of his favorites in the collection. That’s always a good thing.

I think it’s one of my favorites as well.

14 August 2009 by J.P. Fun and Games Dept 2

Tags.

So I read today that beginning in April 2010 all New Yorkers will be required to purchase new license plates for their cars. Again. We last went through the rigmarole back in 2001 when we transitioned from the 14-year old “Liberty” plate design to the current blue, white and elaborate graphics plates. The cost for the new plates will be $25 on top of your registration fee (which will be increased by 25%) and if you want to keep your current plate number that’ll be an additional $20.00.

The state claims that the reflectivity on the 2001 plates is wearing off and that it is a safety concern. I don’t believe a word of it.

The new plates will bring in $130 million in additional revenue in 2010 alone.

More money for the wainkers in Albany to waste.

I have lived in New York State for 38 of my 41 years on this planet. I have always considered myself to be “Empire State Proud”. I’ll even admit that I got excited when we went from the yellow-on-blue plates to the Liberty plates back in ‘86 and I kind of liked the transition to the current plates back in ‘01 but now is not the time to burden New York State drivers with additional taxes disguised as a fee to address a “safety concern.”

I call bullshit.

This legislation was passed through Albany in the waning hours before the current recess, you know, the one they took after not working for a month, when they did everything but actually work.

Here’s the thing. The downstaters (the five boroughs, surrounding counties and Long Island) always scream that they’re supporting the upstaters and the upstaters are always saying the opposite. This is clearly a case where the upstaters are hit harder with fees because there are many people in the City of New York THAT DON’T HAVE CARS. If there was some sort of guarantee that ALL the money generated from ALL upstate fees collected on the new plates were going to remain for upstate purposes than I think I would be somewhat slightly less incensed than I currently am about this whole thing. But that’s not going to happen. We know it won’t happen, instead it’ll be wasted on some study or salary or other ridiculous attempt to nanny the citizens of New York to death.

I have been told that it is impossible to even consider spinning New York (City) and Long Island into it’s own district a la Washington, D.C. If we did that upstate would crumble into oblivion and everything short of a big wide chasm engulfing the whole place would happen. Clue phone: Upstate New York is already crumbling and it’s because industry, services and people are fleeing from the high taxes and ridiculous number of “fees”.

Governor Paterson seems to forget that he was never elected to the post that he currently has (we can thank Eliot Spitzer for that). And I am all but 100% certain that he will not be re-elected in 2010.

I think the whole lot of them need to be voted out, REGARDLESS OF PARTY AFFILIATION, and we need to start from scratch.

13 August 2009 by J.P. Politics. 2

Republicans.

This morning I was watching a segment from MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on the grass-roots protests going on at the recent Town Hall meetings that discuss Nationalised Health Care. A simple bing or google search will probably turn up the video; since I’m on the road at the moment I am unable to put a link in this entry for you. How very un-bloglike of me.

When did the Republicans become such lunatics? Now I’m not saying that all Republicans are lunatics, quite the contrary, I know a lot of Republicans that are well-adjusted, proactive members of society that happen to fall slightly to the conserative side of that great divide that seems to get wider and wider through our society. When I was younger I always knew the Republicans to be about fiscal responsiblity and a smaller, less intrusive government whilst perhaps holding onto a more conservative spin to their values. I guess the Republicans I have always known were more the libertarian type. They said "let me do my thing and don’t take too much of my money in the name of taxes."

This is not entirely a bad thing.

Today the Republicans are represented in the media by these crazy Bible-beating people that are obsessed with gay marriage, the fact that we have a black President and a complete disregard and preferred obliteration of those that don’t fall into their very narrow stereotype of what an American should be. To me, this is a very sad thing.

As I said before I know a lot of Republicans. In fact I know quite a few gay Republicans. I don’t see them as Bible beating or bat-shit crazy or terrified of the big Rapture that the extremists have been babbling about for a couple of decades or anything like that. The Republicans I know are the more conservative (as opposed to crazy conservatives) with a live and let live attitude (or possibly, "I don’t get it but it’s none of my business" attitude) that don’t want to turn over 50% of their paycheck to the government and quite frankly would just rather be left alone and not nagged to death by governmental programs that have no hope of succeeding. Am I one of them? No, but I certainly see and accept their point. I don’t expect everyone to jump up and down with glee because I’m an out and proud gay man but I will not tolerate someone that wants to change me or condemn me because of who I am. I get it if they don’t get it but just let it be. I work in that environment everyday. Am I discriminated against because of it? I like to think not but that’s because I refuse to be a victim and be discriminated against. My thought is if you don’t like me for who I am then I’m not going to better your life by contributing to it so I’ll just take my toys and go home.

I think the type of Republicans that I know should be making big strides to take their party back from the crazy people that are gracing the airwaves these days. These huge chasms between the extreme left and extreme right are not the identity of either respective party and quite frankly I believe the U.S. would be a much better place if people would come back to the middle and start "getting it" again.

By the way, in case you’re wondering, I do not identify myself as a Democrat or a Republican. I am a Libertarian through and through and believe in the "live and let live" attitude and demand financial responsibility from our government. I love the United States of America very much and want to see her continue to thrive and be all she was designed to be back in 1776.

We just need to get the loonies under control.

12 August 2009 by J.P. Politics. 2

Growth.

So I am sitting in my car enjoying the summer sun during my lunch hour. The sky is partly cloudy today; some of the clouds have a base of gray, indicating the possibility of a storm here and there this afternoon and/or this evening. This is not entirely a bad thing, though if the truth were to be known, I’m ready for some dry, warm weather to carry us through until autumn. I’m tired of the rain and clouds. This time of year is not my favourite of the seasons as I prefer the crisp feeling of autumn. In the past couple of years, autumn has saddened me because of the depression I felt with the onset of the colder months and what I suspect is Seasonal Affectation Disorder (or whatever it’s called when you don’t get enough sunlight.). I intend on doing my meditation and tai chi practices in front of a lightbox this year to help alleviate this issue.

I gave away the remaining beer at work today. There are still cries of disbelief that I have given up drinking, being partly (and visibly) Irish and all. Not to fear, the Irish temper still raises it’s head more than it probably should.

I was talking with my friend Dave last night on Skype. He asked how much "purging and pruning" was going as I make adjustments throughout the many facets of my existence to better myself in the ways I feel appropriate. I told him that whatever is left standing in a week is something I intend to keep. I’m still purging things I no longer need: there are several ebay auctions in progress for material stuff I no longer have interest in, I wiped out a few websites that were just kind of hanging around without any input or need, etc. As I was falling asleep last night I found myself making a list in my head of ways that I suspect could better my life by saving money or taking out the complicated stuff. The growth is good. The feeling is positive.

12 August 2009 by J.P. Ponderings and Musings 2

Sober.

I was never much of a drinker for the first 35 or so years of my life. I wasn’t chomping at the bit to turn 21 so that I could legally drink and when I finally reached that age I celebrated with a diet coke at DiRocco’s in Tyngsboro, Mass. as my friends toasted their beers and mixed drinks around me.

Once in a while I’d pop open a beer or have a mixed drink when DJing, but usually I opted for straight cranberry juice or diet pop with no ice. I started enjoying beer more toward the end of my days in radio and have kept up the practice since then. I have never been drunk to the point that I passed out or puked; I usually get really chatty, really silly, really dizzy and then fall asleep, hopefully in that order. Occasionally I’d drive home while buzzing which is a very, very stupid thing to do. I have sat through more than one meal where I recall nothing aside from what Earl told me, an order of ribs at Zebb’s (in which I apparently loudly exclaimed “I hate ribs” and proceeded to fall asleep in the coleslaw) or a full dinner for breakfast at Denny’s (because I absolutely had to have pancakes so I ordered fried chicken). I find this embarrassing.

I know a man that is 50 years old and has never been drunk in his life. I don’t believe that he has ever had a drink before. I know another that is a few years older than me that has never drank at all. I know a 19 year old that has sworn to never drink for his entire life. I admire them. On the flip side, I know a few too many who drink without reason; there’s no party, no one around, they just drink. Perhaps they drown their sorrows.

If I ever had a sorrow it seemed to get worse when I drank.

If I ever had a happy moment, it didn’t really get that much happier when I drank. In fact, it’d usually turn a little weird and then fade away with the drink I had in celebration.

So today I pledge to never drink alcohol again. This is not an easy thing as I enjoy the taste of beer, but there’s enough non-alcoholic varieties out there to keep things interesting in a pinch.

I don’t expect anyone to follow my lead. I judge no one, I think no less of those that enjoy a beer or a cosmo or a Long Island iced tea, quite frankly it’s none of my business. I expect no change from others, I am selfish in this endeavour and doing it only for me. I have made great strides in the health department as of late, this is my next jump over a hurdle.

It’s time to clean the mind as well and experience everything the Universe gives me in full technicolor without messing with the horizontal or vertical hold.

Bye-bye, Bud.

10 August 2009 by J.P. Fitness. 7

Relaxed.

190.365, originally uploaded by iMachias.

How relaxed do I look today?!? I am very relaxed. It was a successful weekend being off the grid. Who would think that a geek like me would find such comfort in being unplugged?

9 August 2009 by J.P. Fun and Games Dept 2

Off The Grid.

189a.365, originally uploaded by iMachias.

Earl and I are playing relatively close to home this weekend and I’m playing off the grid by not using my iPhone; no updates to Facebook or Twitter, no checking my e-mail on the road, no text messages to friends in far away places.

I have taken quite a few photos today. I started by exploring the land behind our house for the first time since moving in nearly six years ago. The few shots I was pleased with are available here, in addition to my “365 days” photo for today, photo #189.

This afternoon Earl and I went exploring around the Utica Marsh. I usually ride my bike through this area and I don’t really pay attention to what’s in the woods around me; today we walked the area and I snapped quite a few photos. They are available here.

Afterwards we scoped out a new section of the Erie Canalway trail; I plan on using my forced day off on Monday to ride this new portion and I wanted to make sure it was paved before I took my road bike down there for the ride. I’m really looking forward to riding it on Monday.

Being disconnected from Facebook and Twitter (and constantly checking various messaging services) is very relaxing. Earl and I have both commented on how wonderful we feel today.

8 August 2009 by J.P. Fun and Games Dept 0

Longevity.

To celebrate the weekend, another Human League track. Before we get on to the video though, I’d like to share a reminder of the longevity of the internet. Here is a message I wrote on usenet back in 1990:

Clickable to make it bigger.

A simple Google search brought up my message today, almost 19 years later. Just for kicks here is what I looked like back then.

Now, the first single from the 1990 “Romantic?” album, here is The Human League with “Heart Like A Wheel”. (Personally I like the 12-inch single version better).

7 August 2009 by J.P. DJ Geek 3

Enough.

I have been pruning my Facebook and Twitter friends lists and my blogroll lately. The reason for this is simple: I can’t take the friggin’ negativity any more. My god there seems to be a lot of down people on these interweb tubes. Is this limited to the social circles in which I travel or is there a prevailing wave of depression making it’s way through the U.S. these days?

“I need the purple pill (the one that makes you happy)” Just get the hell out of bed.
“I’m fat.” (Yeah? So am I. Stop eating.)
“No one looks at me.” (Stop being ugly on the inside!)

Listen, I know that a lot of people in this world have a lot of problems. And the gods know that I have bitched and bitched and bitched (like right now!) on this blog on more than a few thousand occasions but when Every. Single. Blog. Entry. or every twit, tweet or twat is about how horrible the world is because your clothes are too tight or the oil ran out of your car or your hairdresser bleached your hair too blond or you’re shocked I tell you, shocked because you just found out that a hamburger with cheese and bacon wrapped in roast beef is bad for you and you’re blue flunking it all becomes very, very tedious.

It’s dragging me down, baby.

You want something to bitch about? How about the fact that there is no cure for AIDS yet or that our government is spending money like a sailor in a whore house by throwing money in every direction hoping that something somewhere gets fixed or we are eating food that is undoubtedly going to fill us with cancer 30 years from now or that today’s kids will have no imagination because everything is being electronically fed to them. You want to complain? How about the dead Americans and Iraqis in a war that doesn’t seem to have an ending or what about all the men and women still sitting in their living room full of despair everyday because they lost a loved one. What about the way we shove our elderly into nursing homes or burn oil in these outrageous behemoths in the interest of having the biggest car (and smallest dick, apparently) on the block? I could go on and on and on about issues that have a national or even global effect.

I like writing fluff pieces here in this blog. (Hey Paula!) I also like writing the heavy stuff once in a while. And yes I do complain a lot. But goddamn it, life is not that bad and when it is, it’s probably going to be something that you’ll laugh and/or be embarrassed about 10 minutes from now anyways so for the love all that’s holy mix it up a little bit!

I am going to try to do something this weekend that I’m not sure I’m capable of doing. I am going to power down the iPhone and leave it in the drawer of my nightstand both Saturday and Sunday. My contact with the outside world will be with real human interaction. I’m not going to twit, tweet, FB or interact with anyone that isn’t either talking to me on the landline at the house or better yet engaging in a conversation face to face. I’m going to hike or go to the beach, chase storms, take pictures and spend time with my family and recall what life was about before I became so embroiled in this digital revolution that I forgot what the sun looked like and what a sunny disposition felt like. You want to talk, call me on the home phone and c’mon get happy about it. Better yet? Visit me!

Enough is enough. I’d break into song here but I can’t remember if I prefer the Barbra or Donna part.

6 August 2009 by J.P. Why. 3

Fail.

This is a tech-related post but I have to vent about something so I’m putting it on my regular blog instead of posting it on one of my tech blogs.

The other day I posted that I started using an iPhone app called “TrailGuru” in tandem with my cycling. The app promises all sorts of geeky wizardry to accompany my cycling regimen by allowing me to track how many feet I climbed, how fast I went, how many calories I burned and the like. It even allows me to map my route to share with the world. The screen looks something like this.

You will notice that in 1 hour, 10 minutes and 51 seconds I averaged 2.0 mph and traveled 2.38 mi. That’s riding _really_ slow.

Here’s the thing. Apple says that they give the premium computing experience to their users. They are the chicest of the chic, the finest of the fine and the shiniest of the shiny. This is why they have the power of approval on their app store; they don’t want anything installed on the iPhone that is going to compromise the iPhone experience. This fact has never been so prevalent than when Apple denied the addition of a Google Voice app, saying that it duplicated too much of what was already offered on the iPhone.

I guess I can get that, though I don’t really agree with it.

While TrailGuru promises the world through it’s application, it can’t really handle the iPhone very well. For two days in a row now the program has crashed whenever a text message is sent to my phone. The little pop-up comes up saying that I have a text message and then all is lost on TrailGuru. Everything but the timer comes to a halt, the battery drains and the phone gets really hot.

It’s a good thing this app is free.

There has been a small wave of iPhone abandonment in the tech world since the denial of Google Voice being added to the app store. I haven’t jumped on that bandwagon yet; for the most part I love my iPhone 3G dearly and I often find myself marveling at what I can do on this little technological wonder. However, I find it hypocritical of Apple to allow apps such as TrailGuru in all it’s crashing glory to be added to the app store fine and dandy when it can be crashed by something so obvious as a text message when they won’t allow better apps to be added because of a purported compromising of the Apple experience. That is kind of big brotherish.

In short, do I love my iPhone? Yes. Would I buy another one? No.

5 August 2009 by J.P. Geek 1

J.P.

Central Time.

Tags.

Republicans.

Growth.

Sober.

Relaxed.

Off The Grid.

Longevity.

Enough.

Fail.

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