Ponderings and Musings

Waiting.

I’m sitting here on the couch in the “great room”. Tom is curled up next to me, he has two paws resting on my leg for comfort. Otherwise he’s sound asleep and having quite the dreams because he’s twitching and thrashing about. He’s like his dad when it comes to restless dreaming.

Our new computers have been shipped and should be here by the end of the week. Thank goodness. I will have three Macs for sale, let me know if you’re interested in a first generation Mac Mini, a last generation iBook or a G3 blueberry iMac. I’d rather sell them to a reader before I throw them up on ebay and I’ll deliver to within 300 miles if it means I get to meet a reader. I’m not getting rid of my PowerBook G4 that I’ve loved for the past 42 months; he is getting reassigned to exclusive DJ duty. I think it’s better to have a separate computer for my DJ gigs.

Our midterm grades are announced tomorrow and I have to admit that I’m a little nervous about my calculus class with Professor Frightful and his cast of voices. The adjoining classroom has been populated by a professor with a LOUD computer this week and Professor Frightful keeps thinking it’s someone asking him a question so he stops the class to talk to the computer in the other room. It’s a little weird.

Other than that, it’s a typical week in the life of iMachias. This weekend I’m off to Connecticut to be the “sound designer” for the Connecticut Gay Men’s Chorus. I’m looking forward to the experience.

Cleveland Hopkins Int’l Airport.

And now Earl and I are on a 90 minute layover in the glorious city of Cleveland, Ohio. It’s 29 degrees but sunny. The snow still appears to be melting despite the temperatures lower than freezing.

Some random thoughts that have crossed my mind while flying and sitting here in the airport terminal.

1. The ovens wouldn’t work properly on the flight from Las Vegas to Cleveland delaying our cheeseburger by 60 minutes. I don’t know why it made me nervous but if the ovens aren’t working what’s going on with general maintenance of the aircraft? It’s a good thing I’m not a nervous flyer. On the other hand, a passenger in the row in front of us lodged a complaint due to the lack of nuts. The flight attendant offered a spare, cold cheeseburger. She declined.

2. Cleveland Airport charges for internet access. Both Syracuse and McCarran had free wifi internet access. I believe it should be free. “Free the bits”, that’s always my motto. It’s applicable to many situations.

3. If the flight attendant is not going to trust me with a whole can of pop then they should go all the way with the mothering and say “Don’t Spill It”, despite the fact that I’m 39 years old.

4. Do long flights like the 19 hours it takes to get to Australia employ the same 3-3 or 2-3-2 configuration that I’ve encountered? It seems like it would be wicked cramped to be squished between two people for 19 hours. I’m not sure I can hold my breath that long.

5. As soon as the flight staff announced that it was o.k. to use our cell phones, things started ringing from every direction imaginable. I joined in the fun and sent an e-mail from my iPhone.

6. The guy across from me in the terminal has his MacBook Pro decked out with various stickers, including one for “In and Out Burger”. MacBook Pro points aside, he totally rocks with that sticker.

7. Earl and I have had more computer conversations than Earl would like to admit during our flight home. I’ve promised to sell two computers (both Macs) currently in the stable, see local listings for further details. I might sell a third as well.

McCarran Int’l Airport.

So the trip to Las Vegas is coming to an end and Earl and I are sitting at McCarran airport waiting for our flight. We take off at 9:35 a.m.; it is currently 8:03 which is 11:03 Eastern Time. My body is already back on EDT.

The trip has been enjoyable. I got some much needed sun and I have a slight sunburn to prove it. While we don’t have more money than when we arrived, we aren’t going home broke. That’s always a good thing.

Last night I walked the entire strip while Earl played in a poker tournament. I walked from the Luxor to Circus Circus and back, stopping at various casinos along the way. I mentioned on my tweets last night that I found Circus Circus sort of disconcerting. It was my first time there and for some reason I felt like I was watching trained monkeys as people did circus type things while folks gambled below them. It seemed like an odd disconnect to me. I’ve always thought of Las Vegas as an “adult playground” (in many senses of the phrase) and for me it seems odd and somewhat wrong to bring children into the mix. Walking by the Bellagio I heard a woman remark that she shouldn’t have to navigate around baby buggies on the Las Vegas Strip, especially at 10:00 at night. I agree with her completely.

All in all it’s been a good trip and I feel relaxed and ready to tackle school and whatnot in the weeks that lie ahead. As we started the trip I remarked to Earl that with this spring break I am exactly halfway to my degree. That thought makes me feel relaxed as well.

Vanna.

So a popular (and I believe relatively new) game here for slot machines fans is the “Wheel of Fortune” game. Eight players are seated around a big wheel just like Pat Sajek spins on television. Everyone has a video slot machine at their station and they feed money into the thing, play 45 lines six ways from Sunday and win an assortment of cash and prizes. If you hit three “bonuses”, you get to spin the big wheel.

There’s a lot of fanfare when it’s your turn for the big wheel. Vanna comes on and gives a very dignified speech about being a good player and other cheerleader-like statements without the rah rah. She’s looking slightly away from you as she reads her cues, but her heart seems to be in it.

Last night at The Mirage I hit the big wheel three spins in a row. On the first spin I landed on the big money, “1000” which of course means 1000 coins. Since I have a hard time keeping track of how many coins equals how much (especially after three martinis), I ended up walking away with a little over $300. I had fed the machine $50. I guess that’s good.

When a bonus comes up, the video screen instructions you to stand up and yell like you were on the real “Wheel of Fortune” game show. I had three drunk women to my right at their terminal. They were sharing $10 and playing one line. On the other hand, I always hit Max Bet, because Earl taught me long ago, you either lose big but hopefully you win big, so always max the machine. It’s a fairly credible theory.

The three drunk women shrieked when they saw that I got to spin and started yelling like they had just been given a White-Westinghouse Washing Machine from behind door number three. None of them were dressed as a carrot. Oops, wrong game show.

It was good to have a cheering squad, including Vanna’s dignified soliloquy. And the winnings went into the geek bank for future gadget purchases.

No Need To Evacuate.

Back in August 2003 Earl and I drove to Wisconsin on an extended vacation. We made the drive in mid-August and had a wonderful time visiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and other touristy type places. While the trip was wonderful, this trip is memorable because every hotel we stayed at had a twist – the fire alarm would go off in the middle of the night and we would have to evacuate our room. This happened several times on the trip, once during a violent thunderstorm, another time due to rowdy college kids pulling fire stations and the third time was a fire alarm system malfunction.

It’s been several years since we’ve had to evacuate our hotel room and we chuckle when we think about that adventure.

We’ve been in Las Vegas for six hours. The power is currently out on one end of the strip, including several casinos: Excalibur, Luxor and Mandalay Bay. Generators are keeping the slot machines and elevators running, but the restaurants, common areas, retail establishments and bathrooms are completely dark.

I guess this hasn’t happened in a long time in Las Vegas, but folks are just going about their business and making the most of it. Earl called me (I was walking on the strip at the time, he was in a poker tournament) to make sure I was o.k. and once he heard my voice he went back to his hand. He doesn’t get excited about these things. I made my way down the darkened strip and found him and we rode a generator powered elevator back to our room. The hall lights were out but the vending machines worked.

Time to toast a diet pop.

Rensselaer, New York.

Earl and I are stationed in lovely Rensselaer for the evening. It’s the bi-monthly bear night in Albany and we are looking forward to meeting up with friends. We were lucky to snag the last room here at the “official” motel which is an Econo Lodge. Getting the last room means we are in the honeymoon suite, which happens to have a red, heart-shaped jacuzzi with red spot lights shining on it from several directions.

Yes, it’s tacky.

There are several buildings on the grounds of this Econo Lodge and the bears originally had one building for themselves. The quite chatty woman at the front desk referred to said building as the “whore house”. I guess it’s appropriate, being in the “Capital District” and all.

We made our obligatory stop at the Apple store for a sip of kool-aid. I’ve officially picked out my next computer and I showed Earl what I want when the funds are available. I’m opting to add a black Macbook to the collection. My PowerBook is going on four years old and while it won’t be retired (I love it too much), it will be relegated to DJ gigs exclusively. I also picked up Logic Express to replace ProTools in the mixing studio. I’ve never been a huge fan of ProTools and I want to give Logic Express a go for the original music mixes I’ve been making.

So tonight it is “Kegs ‘n Kilts” night at bear night. I’m wearing my obligatory Guinness gear for the party. I don’t feel that formal kilt attire would be appropriate, so I’ll go with jeans and the red hair/beard to maintain me Irish heritage.

The Back Bedroom.

So it’s not even 9:00 at night and I’m lying in the new bed in the back bedroom surfing away on the internet. I’m wicked tired tonight and I attribute that to no sleep last night worrying about today’s exams and the appropriate amount of studying I did yesterday and today. Tomorrow is the last day of classes before spring break. Thank goodness there’s only one quiz in Physics (what goes up, must come down, instant A) and a lecture from Professor Frightful and the voices in his chalkboard.

I’m lying in this bed because this is the room in the house that’s used the least. I wanted to see how this new bed and mattress feels; I have to admit that it’s quite comfortable. It was a good investment. Tom doesn’t know what to make of Daddy lying on the bed in the spare room but he still purrs with contentment. I guess he’ll purr anywhere.

Earl and I went out for supper tonight to one of our favorite haunts, Zebb’s. It was frightening in that within eyeshot I could spot three mullets (with obligatory baseball hat) and one really bad hairpiece. Even the one beer I had didn’t help the scenery.

I made a video this afternoon after my calculus test but I don’t think I’m going to post it as I’m worried about overloading the blog with video clips. When I’m just rambling I feel exceedingly boring when I watch my stuff; it’s better to post video of things that are actually interesting.

An iSight webcam shot will have to suffice for the night.

Beefcake.

American Idol: Top 12.

So I’m going to try blogging while I’m watching American Idol. I’m currently watching it in TiVo time delay. I’m not going to edit; I’m just going to jot down notes and post them at the end of the show. They are singing Lennon/McCartney tracks for the first time.

1. Syesha Mercado. “Got To Get You Into My Life”. Wow, pitch is all over the place, she’s nervous. I’m not impressed.

2. Chikezie. “She’s A Woman”. I don’t remember a Beatles hoe down song. He’s in tune. I’m having Taylor Hicks déjà vu with the arrangement of the track. Soul Patrol! Not too bad, the ball squeezed note at the end was quite decent. I’m somewhat impressed.

Paula seems somewhat “grounded” tonight. WTF. Ryan Seacrest needs to learn the meaning of the phrase “non-partiality” as he rubs Chikezie’s head.

3. Ramiele Malubay. “In My Life”. First thought – Deniece Williams or Stephanie Mills sounding voice. The little person fills the stage very well. I thought she did very well, and I haven’t been a fan of hers. I don’t really agree with the judges.

4. Jason Castro. “If I Fell”. I’m not caring for the unplugged approach to the performances this season. I don’t believe it allows us to focus on the vocals nor does it level the playing field amongst the contestants. On the other hand, I found his vocals to be pretty good and they fit his appearance well. He doesn’t blow my skirt up or anything, maybe I don’t get him.

5. Carly Smithson. “Come Together”. I think it’s a well established fact that I love me Irish. Carly is no exception. I like her take of this song and I find her vocals flawless. She could easily make this a single and do well on an active rock station. I think she’ll be in the final two with David Archuletta.

6. David Cook. “Eleanor Rigby”. (Not a fan of his hairstyle). He’s holding back too much and his pitch accuracy is missing. I’m not enjoying the performance at all. His take on the chorus of the song was kind of good, but I HATED the verse.

Wouldn’t it be groovy if one of the contestants sang the Stars on 45 medley of Beatles tracks?

7. Brooke White. “Let It Be”. She doesn’t seem confident playing the piano tonight. I’m not one to talk, but if you’re going to sing and play piano simultaneously you can’t look at the keys. She’s struggling, both vocally and with the showmanship aspect of her performance. She’s missing quite a few notes with pitch issues. Mumbled words. I like her, but I’m disappointed. I think she knows she blew it.

Crimminy, here Ryan goes with the shoes and feet again.

I don’t like the new American Idol graphic used before commercials. It looks bare without the oval.

8. David Hernandez. “I Saw Her Standing There”. I don’t remember “pizza bistro” being a wink-wink code for “gay bar strip club”. His vocals are decent but I don’t find him to be suited to this type of music. He’s trying too hard.

9. Amanda Overmyer. “You Can’t Do That”. She’s a natural on the stage. I love the way she approaches a track and she definitely has her own style. Not sure it’s marketable in today’s pop climate. Her embellishing on the melody is impressive. She reminds me of a girl I went to college with. Her name was Kayleigh.

I’m glad Simon told Paula to shut up. She needs another distemper shot.

10. Michael Johns. “Across The Universe”. (I prefer Carly’s Irish accent, but that’s probably predictable). He totally reminds me of Michael Hutchence. The performance is not engaging me but the vocals are good. Kind of boring.

11. Kristy Lee Cook. “Eight Days A Week”. Not liking the country spin of the track at all. It doesn’t twang well, though she is nailing the vocals for what it is. Paula was on target with her comments. It reminded me of Carmen Rasmusen.

I really dislike Ryan Seacrest. I twittered the he would be hot naked if he had a gag in his mouth. I was wrong. Even that wouldn’t be hot.

Quick aside during the commercial, the Bimbo Jones remix of Yoko Ono’s “You’re The One” is actually quite fun.

12. David Archuleta. “We Can Work It Out”. Wonder boy forgot the words! He’s stressing himself out way too much. His weakest performance of the competition, still an excellent performer.

Say Ahh.

Last night Earl and I joined First Earl for dinner at a local Italian restaurant. The restaurant is called Joey’s, only seats 38 people, is in a charming old store front and is appropriately located in the Italian side of town. We love it there1.

While I was enjoying my New England Clam Chowder, I realised that it was too hot for consumption after I had a big hunk of clam in my throat. (Typing that sentence kind of makes me gag a little). My first instinct was to swallow the clam, which I tried to do, except it was too big to swallow, so it just kind of hovered in the back of my throat where it proceeded to burn. As I grabbed for my drink (which was beer – fuel for the fire), the clam made it’s mark on the back of my throat where it apparently made a burn mark that now rides on my tongue. My throat is sore and it feels like I have the constant presence of a clam in my throat. It won’t go down, it won’t come up, it just sits there. I’m sure it’s just some swelling where the burn mark is and that it’ll all heal in a couple of days but it’s wicked annoying.

I’m such an idiot sometimes.

1 When Olive Garden was staking out potential sites in our area, they ate at Joey’s. After their meal they decided that they could never compete here and abandoned plans to come to the area. They also asked for a jar of Joey’s sauce so they could analyse it.