Life Is Such A Sweet Insanity.

I’m A PC.

I know typing that title is going to make my Mac fans gasp in horror but at the very least I can proclaim that last night I was a PC. It was last night that we celebrated all things geeky with a Microsoft sanctioned Windows 7 House Party.

Our party was a happy hour.

Now I know that visions of nerdy types with pocket protectors drooling around a laptop in a dimly lit room instantly come to mind when one thinks of a party celebrating a computer operating system, but this wasn’t the case at all. Thursday night Earl and I planned out a relatively nice menu for the event that was pulled off well. The only problem with the food was the vegetable tray; apparently the catering service we ordered it from had new help or something because the broccoli was frozen broccoli that had been cooked and was turning brown. It was arranged quite nicely but it looked, tasted and smelled awful. The ranch dip was bleu cheese and the tomatoes looked like they had already hit a politician. So we skipped the veggie plate but the rest was quite nice. Beverages flowed, conversation ensued and fun was seemingly had by all.

The actual Windows 7 part of the party went on a little longer than I anticipated. I set up my Lenovo desktop computer in the living room and used our 42-inch plasma television as a monitor, which was great for the presentation. There were several themes that you could pick from for your party and I chose to focus on the media capabilities of Windows 7 and the User Interface enhancements. I went into instructor mode and kind of lost myself in the demonstration a little bit in that I was really enjoying it; Earl said he never realised that I could show computer stuff like that because usually I shove him aside and hastily click click click my way through his latest technological problem. I told him that I would remember that conversation and in the future be kinder when he needed help from me.

At the end of the night I gave away some Windows 7 swag; everyone got enviro-friendly shopping bags with the Windows 7 logo on them and I had some drawing for door prizes, including a puzzle and a deck of cards. The grand prize was a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium Edition. I think that was well received.

All in all the party was a great success. I have to admit that spending yesterday finalizing ideas of what I was going to show off during the little presentation really made me appreciate Microsoft’s efforts to make the Windows 7 experience simpler for their users. Last night I made constant comparisons between Windows 7 and it’s older siblings and it’s biggest competitor OS X. It is obvious that Microsoft was inspired by Apple on some of the new User Interface elements of Windows 7 (the Dock-like taskbar being one of them), but as I said last night, I have used every version of Windows since Windows/286 and this is clearly the best version of Windows I have ever used. It looks good, it feels solid and it behaves itself. And ironically, the company doesn’t feel as Draconian as Apple these days.

I have pretty much made Windows 7 my main operating system of choice. So I guess it’s true, I’m a PC once again.

24 October 2009 by J.P. Geek 3

Lunch.

Before I get into today’s blog entry, I’d like to thank the anonymous folks with the wifi network called “Belkin” in their home. I am sitting in a parking lot outside of the baseball field and the aforementioned wifi network is BLAZINGLY fast. I am impressed. I can only imagine how fast it would be if I were actually inside the house.

I am enjoying some of the gray October day during my lunch hour, opting to let the cleaning crew at home do their thing uninterrupted. I am listening to NPR (it’s not a ‘news’ broadcast right now, so it’s safe for me to listen to); Diane Rehm is conducting an interview with the author of “Public Produce: The New Urban Agriculture” by Darrin Nordahl. The interview is quite interesting as the author is discussing the reasoning as to why the “urban poor” are getting fatter in this fine 21st century; he believe it’s because of the lack of quality produce in larger urban areas. I guess this is something I never really thought about. I understand that there is a tendency for those less fortunate to rely on fast- and convenience food because it’s cheaper to buy but I never really associated it with just a lack of produce in urban areas. I’m finding the interview to be quite interesting as they are discussing the concept of edible landscaping in public areas (fruit trees, vegetable plants, etc). This makes sense to me. I don’t know why we didn’t think of this before.

I guess I find it surprising that shortly after World War II the United States had nearly six million farms and now we have around two million, with a larger population of course. The small family farm has given way to the corporate machine, it’s a little disturbing. I suddenly feel the need to engage in a Green Acres experience, or at the very least visit Homer and Henny Penny or Brett and his family.

21 October 2009 by J.P. Ponderings and Musings 2

News.

I have grown tired of trying to keep up with the news. Usually I like trying to have a handle on what is going on in the world but I’m finding myself either distrusting or just plain angry when I watch or listen to the news. If I want something ‘fair and balanced’, I opt to read or listen to the BBC. There are no ads and they’re not being lobbied against (that I’m aware of) so I figure they’re the most neutral thing out there. That’s a good thing.

At work we are being told that pay cuts are still in place, with some hopes of a partial reinstatements possibly at the end of the year, while others on the news and various politicians are spewing talking points about how the recession is over, the economy is recovering, the stimulus package is working and we are just a melodic introduction away from a heart-warming rendition of “Kumbaya”. I want to believe that, I really do, but the only signs of the stimulus package I have seen in our area is a six-month old photo of an older man in a suit with a shovel full of dirt somewhere on Long Island as he builds a bike path in his Armani getup.

By the way, economy graded gas was $2.65 9/10 per gallon at 7 a.m. At 11 a.m. it was $2.79 9/10 per gallon. That’s a 6% jump in four hours. It was $2.29 9/10 per gallon in Lynchburg, Va. last week. The lowest I have seen here in months is $2.65 9/10.

I refuse to ignore that “9/10” of a cent from this moment forward. “How much is that candy bar?” We’d pitch a fit if the cashier responded “$1.29 9/10”.

My head is still in a great place after this past weekend and the vacation beforehand. I have goals that I am working towards. Like previous vacations, the path that lay before me became blissfully crystal clear as I explored and lost myself in the drive.

But I just can’t take the news anymore.

20 October 2009 by J.P. Why. 3

Accomplishment.

So I am back from my vacation week and fully in the swing of things. I have the luxury of not returning from vacation to an on-call week so the high I’m feeling continues. Work was good today. I did a lot of thinking on my trip and my career path was part of my thoughts. Wheels are turning.

I decided that I would get things accomplished today, what with this new spring in my step and all, and so I did a load of laundry before work, another during lunch, a third after dinner, made supper, mowed the lawn and caught up on my e-mail. I feel like I have accomplished quite a bit. This is always good. When you’re stagnant you’re not really living, so it’s good to feel like I’m living.

Making supper was very important to me. Back when I was in school I made supper every night. Then I got wound up in the whole work thing and stopped making supper. I miss it. Making supper tonight was a way of getting back into the swing of things.

The momentum is back. I’m going to strive to keep it up.

19 October 2009 by J.P. Ponderings and Musings 1

Autumn.

258b.365, originally uploaded by iMachias.

They say we are under a Winter Storm Watch tonight with up to seven inches of snow expected. Earl and I readied the back patio and made sure we were ready by gassing up the snowblower.

Ironically, it is gorgeous today. I decided to take some photos in the back yard celebrating how I feel today. The big guy expressed his pleasure with my decision to go back to the big ‘stache.

16 October 2009 by J.P. Fun and Games Dept 1

Back.

So I am back from my Big Geek Adventure. I decided to skip the social networking thing for a couple of days and kind of just go searching for myself while I was roaming around exploring. I saw a lot of leaves, had an incredible bike ride (in which I forgot the camera) and spent some time assessing where I am in my life at 41+ years old and where I want to go from here. I feel more grounded and complete than I have felt in a very long time. I have plans to be implemented and I learned a lot about myself in many different areas of my life. I knew I just needed to get out so that I would be able to clear out my head.

Yesterday I made the long trip home in one big chunk. I drove nearly 700 miles to get back home, taking 12 hours to do so. Traffic from Washington, D.C. to York, Pa. was out of control due to weather. Once I got north of Harrisburg, Pa. Mother Nature decided to throw her comments on the drive and I found myself driving in snow. The hilltops had about an inch of snow but the roads were just wet. The scenery was incredibly beautiful as I made my way through the twilight. The snow gave way to wet leaves above Scranton, Pa., by the time I was about an hour from home the roads were dry and the sky was clear.

The Jeep doesn’t accommodate the iPhone very well so I opted to flip around the radio for most of the ride. I found myself landing on a country station and ended up listening to country music for the entire 12 hours on the ride home. (That cheering you hear is from my mother.) I haven’t really listened to country since I left the radio station in ’04 but I really liked what I heard.

One song that all the stations played in their “new music” category was Lady Antebellum and “Need You Now” (YouTube link). I really like this song. I found the artist and title using the Shazam app on my iPhone to identify songs for later purchase. If you’re not familiar with Shazam, it allows you to point your mobile device at a speaker and take a sample of a song and then it will identify the artist and title of that song for you. You need to have an internet connection while you’re doing it. The iPhone app works brilliantly and allowed me to purchase from iTunes if I was so inclined. It also tweeted my discoveries, so if you were following my Twitter updates you’ll note that I was discovering a few country songs here and there along the ride. I reprogrammed my radio when I got back home and I now have the local country stations just one button away.

16 October 2009 by J.P. Spiritual Stuff. 3

Lynchburg, Va.

This afternoon I am in Lynchburg, Virginia. I am currently sitting in a Panera enjoying a (relatively) healthy lunch and using the wi-fi for a bit. The drive has been spectacular today. I’m taking mostly back roads; the leaves are just starting to change in these parts and the sun is shining brightly. It’s around 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

I spent last night in Winchester with our friend Thom (see ‘Thoughts Made Bald’ in the blogroll). Thom and I have chatted for a number of years online and Earl and I have met him in person before. We both enjoy cycling and more importantly, Thom holds the distinction of being the first reader of my blog to ever reveal himself to me, way back in 2001.

Thom has been feeling a little bit under the weather for the past couple of days so we didn’t go for as long of a bike ride as originally planned, but yesterday afternoon we took a respectable jaunt around the area. He has warned me over the years that he’s not a fast rider and was worried that I would be bored. The bike ride worked me out a little more than anticipated because if anything, he is not a slow rider by any means. Our ride went at a pretty good pace. It was good to ride with someone else.

After the ride we relaxed a bit and grabbed some dinner. It was a good night and he was an excellent host. Earl and I look forward to returning the favour the next time he’s passing through our area (he makes a yearly jaunt to Quebec every summer).

This morning I was up and about and on the road, opting to head through Central Virginia. Right now I’m on the route I believe we took back in 1976 when my family was down here bringing my aunt back home to Blackstone, Va. ‘Tis true; I have roots in these parts (I told my friend Shirley that some of my kin lived here) and I’m enjoying the exploration off the beaten path.

13 October 2009 by J.P. Fun and Games Dept 0

Turnpike.

It’s a well-established fact that I am a road geek. Driving the roads is what I do for enjoyment and this is what fuels much of my adventure time. Today I walked on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It wasn’t the first time that I have done this.

Here, I made a little movie for you.

After walking on that abandoned section of the Turnpike, I stopped at a lookout over where I was standing. The view was beautiful.

By the way, I mention in the video that I would give the directions on how to get where I hiked up onto the road. It’s pretty easy. From Breezewood, Pa. (Turnpike Exit 161), take US Route 30 East to PA Route 915 NORTH. Take 915 NORTH a few miles to your first turn on the left, which will be Oregon Rd. This is a barely maintained road so you might want to have a sturdy vehicle. Go in a couple of miles to the Oregon Camp buildings and park along the left side of the road. There is a barrier to prevent motorised vehicles from entering the public trail, just follow the trail about 3/4 mile to the roadway. You’ll literally merge on as if you were merging into traffic.

Here’s the view from the hill atop the tunnel. I remembered to smile for the camera this time.

After heading back to Breezewood I jumped onto Interstate 70 south and then took US Route 522 South through that sliver of Maryland, a suggestion of West Virginia and now I’m in Virginia. I’m going to meet up with Thom in a little while for our ride; I’m hoping the weather clears up because right now it doesn’t look like ideal riding weather.

12 October 2009 by J.P. Fun and Games Dept 3

Breezewood, Pa.

Gold is the prevalent colour in the Southern Tier this year.

Today I began what I am calling the “Big Geek Adventure 2009”. I left The Manor around 3:00 p.m. with a Jeep full of goodies: a few days worth of clothes, a lovely lunch pail packed by a thoughtful husbear, a duffle bag or two of geek stuff and toys and most of all, my cycling gear.

I am on vacation this week. Earl is not able to take all of this week off along with me, so with his blessing I am on a multi-day roadtrip. Some people don’t understand how I can go on vacation without Earl. I’m not vacationing to get away from Earl by any means. He knows that I like exploring by driving endless hours on miles and miles of road, wandering aimlessly here and there and he enjoys helping me indulge in this, hence my ride this week.

I was going to try to wander today by sticking to two-lane roads but after taking nearly 2.25 hours to drive 80 miles I was losing my mind, so I decided to change my route a bit and take scenic freeways. Believe it or not, we have scenic freeways in these parts. Once the weekend is over and such, the Sunday drivers should be back at home lapping up spoonfuls of Sominex and leaving the roads fairly clear, so I’ll start the two-lane road thing again in a day or two.

I have a destination planned for tomorrow; I am meeting up with our friend Thom in Northern Virginia for a bike ride, hence the bike in the back of the Jeep. Thom and I have talked about riding together for a number of years and haven’t been able to make it happen, so this is a good chance to see him again and to finally go on that bike ride. I’m looking forward to seeing him.

My first change in course was to turn west at Binghamton along NY Route 17, which is Future Interstate 86 (at least where I was). Here Route 17 follows along the Susquehanna River for a bit, and one of the rest areas are conveniently situated on the banks.

After a bite to eat from the aforementioned lunch pail, I headed west to Corning and then turned south along US Route 15, which is Future Interstate 99 in these parts. We apparently have a bright future ahead of us. Along Route 15 I quickly left the Empire State behind and ended up in the Keystone State, where I headed straight south through Central Pennsylvania. Tonight I am spending the night in Breezewood, Pa., known as the place where you have to exit Interstate 70 to get onto Interstate 70 after driving by a bunch of motorist friendly establishments.

By the way, I have been here before. The room is configured the same but the curtains are different this time around.

Tomorrow morning I intend on continuing the trip to Thom’s in Virginia. My Twitter (see right hand column) will be kept up to date and I am on a geek experiment during this trip: I have only a Windows 7 computer to use for my tech needs. I will be writing a review of my Windows 7 experience in a couple of days on my geek blog.

Now, to get some sleep.

Update (10/12/2009 00:20) — I’ve started my Windows 7 experience on my ‘geekdom blog’, which is now called ‘From Mac To 7’. You can see it here.

11 October 2009 by J.P. Fun and Games Dept Geek 1

Goodly.

I love the English language. My abilities in the language are not the model of perfect syntax but I strive to speak and write well by utilising the skills I learned as a youngster and continue to learn each day. I try to talk English more goodly when I talk.

I was recently reading an article about the rapid demise of the proper use of English among students. College professors are shocked at the appearance of words such as “AFAIK”, “LOL” and the like are showing up in term papers. Students are now using text-messaging shorthand in lieu of forming complete sentences. The nuances of the language are rapidly falling away. Why describe something with a colorful, elaborate prose when you can plunk it out in terse, utilitarian, plain ol’ black and white on a tiny keyboard?

With the advent of spelling correction and the like, people are paying less and less attention to their spelling and in many occasions are using a program where they aren’t autocorrected. This drives me insane. I admit that I have my share of spelling and grammar mistakes on my blog. Due to my history of writing advertising copy, I tend to write as a person would speak versus how a person would read and that informal style tends to carry over to my words here. I write casually but I try really hard not to be casual with my spelling, as there really isn’t a formal and casual way of spelling a word. So I’d like to take a moment and review some of the basics that really get on my nerves:

lose vs loose
“Emma wanted to lose some weight so her pants would be loose.”
“Matt played with the loose change in his pocket.”
“I won. You lose.”

Here is how I remember: when you lose something you want to only lose one ‘o’. When you’re loose, you’re probably having double the fun.

desert vs dessert
“J.P. and Earl went for a Jeep ride in the desert.” (note: we were not driving through an ice cream sundae.)
“I think I’ll have the apple pie for dessert.”

Here is how I remember: There is one desert in the U.S. and once in a while I wish I could have two desserts.

their, there and they’re
“They’re happy that their mobile home was still there after the tornado.”

‘They’re’ is a contraction of they are. “They’re excited about winning the lottery.”
‘Their’ is possessive. “It’s their kid that is screaming.”
‘There’ refers to a place. “Put the couch over there.”

I just remember that one, though I occasionally mix it up when I’m typing quickly.

11 October 2009 by J.P. Everyone's A Critic. 3

I’m A PC.

Lunch.

News.

Accomplishment.

Autumn.

Back.

Lynchburg, Va.

Turnpike.

Breezewood, Pa.

Goodly.

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