Harrisburg, Pa.

So tonight we made it the farthest we’ve ever gone the first night on this trek to Florida. We are in Harrisburg, Pa. for the night. Tomorrow morning we’ll be making our way down US Route 15 into Maryland and finding our way over to Interstate 95, where we will undoubtedly join many others as they head south.

It is 20 degrees warmer than it was at home when we left this afternoon. This has already brightened my mood.

Tomorrow we have 11 hours of driving ahead of us. This keeps my mood bright. I’m looking forward to the drive.

For now, we sleep.

15 March 2013 by Fun and Games Dept 2

Countdown.

2013-03-15 12.50.16

In four hours we will be on our way to a warmer climate. I haven’t started packing yet, but the pet food is in place and Tom has instructions on how to torment the house sitter.

Judging by the weather today, we need to get the hell out of here.

15 March 2013 by Fun and Games Dept 0

Do No Evil?

Chances are that if you’re reading this blog, you’re probably reading a feed of it, whether it be via a Twitter link, via Facebook or Google+ or by what is called an RSS feed. Many folks that follow blogs and the like via RSS use a service from Google called Google Reader.

Google announced today that they’re sunsetting their Google Reader service.

In the interest of trying not to use salty language, I won’t type what I said when I found this out. To say this is disappointing would be accurate. There are worse things in the world, but I keep up on all those blogs in the right hand margin via the Google Reader service. Using Google Reader, and apps that use the API, I am able to keep up on news from many sources and I’m also able to read the blog entries of many fellow bloggers that sit down and take the time to write out their thoughts in spurts that are longer than 140 characters.

By the way, I added a new blog to the blog roll today. Hello Tom Whittaker!

I’m bummed (but not about Tom’s blog).

Since Google has randomly decided to end support for Google Reader, and judging by the outrage on Twitter and the like, I’m not the only person that’s bummed, I begin to wonder what other services Google might kill in the future. Tired of supporting Gmail? Kill it.

Tired of supporting Blogger? Kill it. (That’d be hard for many bloggers, including the very popular Joe.My.God..

Tired of supporting Google Wallet? Kill it.

They’ve done the same thing with countless other products and quite frankly, Google is just erratic enough to make me stay solidly in the Apple/iOS walled garden. Apple might be thought of as evil by some, but at least their evilness is complete and solid.

Google’s mantra has always been “Do No Evil.” I hope that someday they live up that mantra. Because right now they’re failing at it.

13 March 2013 by Geek 6

Safety.

The sounds of helicopters were heard a little while ago. They were on their way to nearby Herkimer and Mohawk, where a gunman shot six people today. Four of them are dead. Four people were shot at John’s Barber Shop in Mohawk, the other two were shot at a car wash in Herkimer. The gunman apparently set fire to his house before heading over to the barbershop.

It’s kind of weird knowing that this is happening so close to home. What’s really weird is that I know John the barber. He used to cut my hair back when I had hair. Earl and I have both been to his shop on many occasions. He has a really great singing voice. I hope he is safe.

The area schools are in lockdown. The story has made it to the national news.

Though the shootings took place 10 miles away, I’m still locking the windows and doors. It never hurts to be cautious.

13 March 2013 by Ponderings and Musings 2

Why.

I eat dry toast and cardboard that is scented like bacon. My sandwiches are devoid of bread at lunchtime because the carbs are bad for me, so they say. Any soup I have tastes and looks like it is just rinse water that was ran over a cow. I count calories, compute body fat and bargain with the scale every morning.

I want a cheeseburger. I want a double Big Mac with a super-size fries and a Gloomberg-defying 32 oz diet pop (must watch the calories, after all). I want to relax for a moment. I want to consider a bloomin’ onion without the masses shrieking in horror. I would kill for a hearty soup. I would rejoice over a reuben made with corned beef instead of a healthier turkey substitute. And pile on the sauerkraut while you’re at it, honey. And yes, double the Russian dressing, double it.

The old scale and the new scale are arguing over four pounds. The new scale won’t budge on his number. He’s a mean, spiteful, son-of-a-bitch that goes and tattles to the world what he just read my numbers as via a nifty wi-fi connection. Who’s friggin’ idea was that? Why does my phone care as to why I weigh? Old scale, always filled with the fear of another dropkick, gives me a number that I can deal with.

I went to the gym last night and spent an hour working out at a pretty good clip. It was a cardio experience. There was lots of sweat, horrible infomercials on the screens and toothpicky people working out for a mere 5 minutes all around me, all so they could go enjoy an evening snack consisting more of inhaling the cat’s food vapors. Not me. You better work it, boy. You might earn a dried grape if you work off 800 calories. I’d rather eat a dog biscuit. I did my tricks.

Somehow I gained 3% body fat in my sleep last night, according to the new scale. Well the new scale can go suck it, as far as I’m concerned.

And today I will soldier on. Cheers to you with a piece of dry, toasted cardboard!

13 March 2013 by Fitness. 3

Siriusly?

So I read in an online forum today that Sirius/XM is thinking about adding commercials to their political talk station, POTUS. One of the things I like about POTUS is that it doesn’t have ads every 30 minutes, especially since Sirius/XM seems to only be able to sell male enhancement ads and spots for Christian Mingle. (The two might be related). I have always wondered why God needed to run an ad to get Christians to hook up in the biblical sense, or why he even needs the Internet to accomplish his destiny. I mean, he/she is God, after all. I don’t see God as the point and click type.

I hate advertising more and more each day. And I struggle with the fact that as a Sirius/XM subscriber I still have to listen to commercials. I shouldn’t have to pay to listen to commercials, it just seems backwards to me. Well, actually more irritating than backwards. If I wanted to listen to commercials, I’d listen to terrestrial radio.

I understand that the talk show hosts need to take a break to pee and the like once in a while, but there’s no reason that Sirius/XM can’t just run promos during these periods instead of paid ads. The idea of putting ads on a currently ad-free site makes me wonder if Sirius/XM is going to be around in five years. Could they be going belly up? Maybe instead of renewing I should just use the money to beef up my data plan on my phone and just stream music or talk radio that way. My music or talk on my schedule without the ads.

Now that is something to ponder.

12 March 2013 by Fun and Games Dept 1

A.

Fellow blogger Dave2 from Blogography recently posted a new music video on his Facebook timeline. Not seeing the name of the artist when I clicked through the link this morning, it was a few moments before I let out a gleeful squeal. I recognized the voice instantly.

Agnetha Fältskog is back! In May, one of the “A”s from ABBA will be releasing her latest album, “A”. In the meanwhile, here is her first release, “When You Really Loved Someone”.

I have already pre-ordered the album on iTunes. And I’ll probably squeal again.

At 2:45 in the video, I am very much reminded of Agentha and Bjorn back in the day.

12 March 2013 by DJ Gayish. 1

Talent.

Earl is watching “American Idol” off the DVR as I type. I grew tired of this show years ago but Earl holds the torch and watches with jaded interest. I can’t take the caterwauling.

I took a cursory glance as I found something else to do, namely fold laundry, and quite frankly, this show where they announced the newest Top 10 has to be one of the most awkwardly staged shows I’ve seen in a while. The huge audience can’t see the results, the judges can’t see the results, only the home audience sees the secret announcement. The announcer says in a hushed whisper, “The password is AWKWARD.” After Ryan Seacrest (he’s grown enough to shave like a big boy now!) makes one of the contestants burst into tears, they walk down a makeshift hallway, making small talk through the tears and then they stand in the dark. Once in the dark, Ryan has an awkward conversation with the contestant, who has absolutely no lights on them. They didn’t even try a half-light.

Screen Shot 2013-03-11 at 9.18.15 PM

After they talk in the dark, well Ryan is lit up but the contestant isn’t, they open the stage doors so they can see the judges reaction. Then they show the audience. Oh, then they have the contestant sing off-key to a karaoke track with the mic turned up to only 1, maybe 2, while the backing track is at 15. The woo-woo people are louder than the contestant.

What the hell.

“American Idol” has become such a train wreck that I truly missed the days when they dressed the judges up like Klingons.

paula20060221

11 March 2013 by Why. 1

Yeah.

I saw the following letter on this blog entry. It is entitled “How To Be Free”.

Um, yeah.

Dear Jake and Connor,
I turned down a really good job offer today. To tell you the truth, it wasn’t even that hard. Even in this new normal, post Great Recession world, the allure of a good job working for someone else just doesn’t exist for me anymore.
It could be because I know it will never be a great job. It could be because my freedom – and the ability to see you guys whenever I want – means too much to me.
You are only 7 and 3 years old right now. You haven’t caught on to the changes that have happened in our lives and in the world over the last few months and years.
The past 2 decades have brought to the world a revolution like no other. The world is now digital and flat and you are connected to almost every other person on earth. You have access to every great idea ever thought by mankind.
This is a threat to anyone with power right now. They aren’t sure what to do….they don’t know how all of this is going to shake out.
As you read this remember that people often overestimate what they can do in 2 years but they wildly underestimate what they can achieve in 10.
Never under estimate yourself! The key to happiness and success in this world is believing you deserve it and knowing you can achieve it. You can! It is as simple as deciding right now that you are happy. That you will define your own success.
I have no idea how old you are going to be the first time you read this but at 7 and 3, you are both incredible people. All parents think their kids are smart and cute and funny so I’ll spare you what I think and let you know that other people tell us these things all the time.
You both have a magnetism that isn’t easily explained. You make people feel better about themselves. In this crazy world, that is truly a needed talent! I hope you both recognize it in yourselves and I hope your mother and I have properly nurtured that talent….because the world needs more of it.
I want to explain something to you guys: At some point, the world is going to offer you a deal.
It will try to convince you that what it needs from you is what you really want.
It will spend millions of dollars on advertising and education, info-tainment and propaganda to steer you in the direction it needs you to go.
The world will tell you that if you work hard, you will achieve success.
That success and happiness are just over the next hill top.
You will go to the finest universities and you will meet incredible people.
Almost all of them, with their souls quietly yearning for something bigger than themselves.
The world will promise a decent living at a good wage. You will travel. You will see foreign lands.
It will offer you guarantees from exile, with friends and followers willing to pretend they are hanging on your every word, as long as you pretend to hang on theirs.
You may even be one of the lucky ones to whom the world offers a soul mate.
Of course, it will neglect to tell you that your submission to the world means you may not be soul mates forever.
It is going to offer you safety and security. It will entice you with imagery of comfort and luxury.
The world will offer you a steady paycheck. A release from the fear of being able to provide or survive.
It is going to offer you the dream of a happy, care free retirement. It will offer you equity in its markets, it will be kind enough to let you relax in your golden years.
The world will offer you a death with dignity. You do not need to suffer alone or be in fear it will say.
The world will take care of you.
This is a generous world. For all of this, it only asks for one thing in return. All the world wants is your humanity.
Fuck the world….go your own way and never look back.
Go make deep connections with incredible people.
Don’t subsist on the shallow connections the world wants you to have.
Go discover new things. Create. Be beautiful.
Don’t buy into the world’s illusion of happiness through wealth.
Go teach people that they don’t have to trade their humanity either.
Show the world you don’t fear expulsion because the connections you have made are too real….too deep.
Show the world you want to be with your soul mate forever. That you won’t sacrifice your love or your family because the world says that is the way it is supposed to be.
Show the world that you do not need its illusions of safety or security.
That you do not want its versions of comfort and luxury.
Show the world that when you make deep connections you do not have to suffer alone or live in fear.
Show the world that when you keep your humanity you get to share it with others.
Only then will you be free.
Love,
Dad

11 March 2013 by Ponderings and Musings 1

Survey.

I was happy to see that Delta Airlines cared enough about my travel experience that they sent me a survey to complete for them. It was waiting for me in my work email this morning. I filled it out honestly and provided the feedback they were looking for.

Though the cynical side of me thinks that the surveys are for marketing purposes only, after all they just want to convince me to fly their airline more often, there’s part of me that hopes that this is a demonstration of concern for the wellbeing of the airline traveling individual. I know that I enjoyed my Delta experience to Texas and back and that I look forward to flying them again to North Carolina next month. Aside from the GoGo being a NoNo on the longest leg of my flight, the experience was flawless. Some passengers in Detroit tried to make the check-in counter attendant’s life hell, but that’s what passengers in sweat suits and velour do. They make everyone’s life a living hell.

I wonder what folks in Texas would say if they were surveyed about what life is like here in Central New York. I wonder if people in Central New York realise that there is life outside of this area. Everyone seems tuned into their own little world and only take very brief glimpses at anything that could resemble a bigger picture.

Perhaps there should be a survey on what’s in the big picture.

As many men have proclaimed loudly over the years, “Survey says!”. Were there a ding sound, the card would flip over and say, “needs a nap”. And that is what I shall do.

11 March 2013 by Fun and Games Dept 3

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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