Flashy Camping.

Earl and I are situated at site 23 at Hillside Campgrounds. We are here until Sunday. Mother Nature is currently treating us to a spectacular lightning show, complete with thunderous accompaniment, but she’s decided not to rain on us. The light show is breathtaking, especially sitting in the middle of the woods in a popup camper.

There’s much that could be said about these escapism weekends we love so much here at Hillside, but I’ll save that for another time. Tonight we’re just going to hang with friends and more importantly, relax.

After all, Frankie says RELAX.

24 August 2007 by Fun and Games Dept Gayish. 1

Dab of CNY: Saranac Thursday Night.

I’ve often said that I’m a two beer queer. This has somewhat been proven to be a false theory during my recent trip to Prince Edward Island where I had seven beers with our friends that live on “the island”. I once again proved that to be a false theory this evening where Earl and I hung with our friends and I had four Utica Clubs. For some reason Utica Club just knocks me completely on my ass so I kind of think of Utica Club as more than one beer per cup but that might just be symantics.

Anyways, I’ve mentioned before that one of the favorite attractions of our area is “Saranac Thursdays”, the largest happy hour in the area held at the local brewery. Our brewery is the home of Saranac beer, as well as that old staple Utica Club (and their mascots Shultz and Dooley), the first legal beer released after the repeal of prohibition. Many men of my sexual persuasion like to drink those trendy beers such as Michelob Ultra and whatnot. Blah. Personally, I enjoy Utica Club. It’s probably obvious from this blog entry syntax.

Utica Club.

The evening started off innocently enough when a dilly of a thunderstorm blew though around 4:00. I was worried that this would put a damper on our happy hour plans at the Saranac, where we planned on meeting several people from Earl’s office and several people from my office. The last hour of work in the telephone company network operations center proved to be very busy, as expected, but that didn’t slow us down.

While Mother Nature blew through and did her Dena Dietrich “It’s Not Nice To Fool Mother Nature” trick with the lightning and thunder, Earl and I enjoyed a nice homecooked meal of steak strips and grilled peppers and rice. Have I mentioned that Earl is a fantastic cook? He rates right up there with Grandma Country. Anyway, I figured going to happy hour on a full stomach was safer than going to dinner on an empty stomach. This was later proven to be rather wise.

We met up with our friends Michael and Chris (Chris works with Earl) and Shirley and Ryan and his girlfriend Jacqueline (I work with Shirley and Ryan) and enjoyed the sounds of “The Band Charlie”. When we arrived the crowd was rather sparse, obviously tentative due to Mother Nature’s hissy fit that had since subsided.

Saranac 3.

Can I just say that if you have the opportunity to attend an event where “The Band Charlie” is playing that you should absolutely do so because they are clearly the best band we heard play at Saranac Thursdays thus far. A couple of weeks ago there was this battle of the bands thing going on where they all sucked and I could have wiped them out by playing Do-Re-Mi on a Fisher Price bell set but “The Band Charlie” is awesome. They use real instruments and everything. “The Band Charlie” kicks ass, go see them.

After Mother Nature gave us the “all clear” sign, indicating that the storms were over with a little bask of sunshine, the crowds started to fill in up to normal population levels. That’s when I started taking random pictures.

Saranac 1.

I just held up the camera and starting shooting in various directions paying no attention to what I was doing, as I learned how to do from Mark and Brian during GB:NYC this past Memorial Day. Here’s another totally random shot.

Saranac 2.

Earl and I hung with our friends, scoped out the crowd and jammed to the music. I drank beer, Earl drove. If you ever have the chance to go to Saranac Thursday, go for the people watching because it’s one of those settings where people from all walks of life mingle as they should, simply as members of the human equation. Class, status, dress, money, sexuality, color; none of it matters at Saranac Thursday. I fscking love it. And it’s very rare that you’ll hear me say this, but I feel a little bit of home turf pride while we’re there. I love the people Earl works with, I love the people I work with and I love the fact that we recognize people from various area interactions (restaurant servers, bartenders, bank tellers, toll collectors, etc) at Saranac Thursday. It gives me a tinge of “hometown pride”. I even told Earl that I could live here the rest of my life and only complain about it slightly.

Afterward, Earl took me, well us, to our local haunt, Zebb’s, where we had Supper , consisting of chicken wings and loaded fries. I think I talked a lot. I don’t really remember. I did find this charming picture on the camera though whilst I was uploading to the blog. I thought I’d share.

Saranac 5.

So remember, look us up on a Thursday night and join us at Saranac Thursday. It’s a guaranteed good time.

23 August 2007 by Fun and Games Dept 1

Gmail.

I have a tendency of using multiple computers in my life. Between having a PowerBook, an HP laptop, multiple servers, a Mac in the music studio and my work computer, I never know where I’m going to check my e-mail from. To solve this problem I have abandoned the use of mail programs that reside on a computer and have opted to use the web-based mail clients instead. There are several to choose from including Hotmail, Yahoo!, AIM/AOL and Gmail. I decided to run with Gmail from Google.

I dislike it.

Now I know that anything Google does is the bees knees of the geek set. I love their search engine, I love their calendar and I love their photo editing software, Picasa. I get Google. But I just can’t wrap my head around Gmail. I find the interface maddening.

First of all, I have this tin-foil hat thing going on with messages being archived forever. This isn’t necessarily a fault of Google, as all of the web-based mail clients do this, but for some reason when I see messages such as “You don’t have to delete your messages, ever!” as an advertising point, I get nervous. Somewhere, someone is reading some seedy message that has been sent to my account (obviously in error) and I don’t like that. As I work for an internet provider, I can confidently say that there are no secrets on the internet, but for some reason that whole “store it in the cloud” thing makes me nervous. That’s not Google/Gmail’s fault however.

What I really don’t like about Gmail is the interface. With efforts in simplicity and trying to look like the Google default homepage, Google has made the interface somewhat non-standard. I haven’t found a way to drag and drop files where I want them. I have a hard time finding the print button and I don’t like the way the messages are grouped into discussions.

Surprisingly, I like Hotmail. Even though Hotmail is part of Microsoft, for some reason I don’t get as nervous about them storing my old e-mail. I figure they’ll lose them sooner or later like most Windows users lose their files from time to time. I’ve been a Hotmail user since the days before it was owned by Microsoft, so using their software is like wearing a comfortable shirt. In addition, Microsoft has tweaked the interface enough that it’s now much like Outlook, which we use at work. Again, it’s the comfortable shirt thing.

I’m thinking of moving off of Gmail and onto Hotmail. I know it isn’t the trendy thing to do but for me I think it’ll work better, and after all, I like doing my own thing.

22 August 2007 by Geek 1

My Own Little World.

Here it is Wednesday and I’ve barely even thought about my blog. Usually I’m stumbling through life and running across scenarios that just sing “Why, this is blog worthy!” but apparently I’ve been stumbling in the wrong direction because there hasn’t been much that has tickled my fancy this week.

I think it’s because I’ve sort of just been living in my own little world. Life has settled down to a routine for the past couple of weeks and I’ve found the experience somewhat enjoyable. I’m a loner at heart and quite frankly I am quite content to amuse myself (please note that I avoided saying ‘playing with myself’, though that is enjoyable as well if I must be blunt) and if I see something occur in any given situation, I may have my own little chuckle at the absurdity of it but then decide that my point of view would be too whacky for public consumption. There are few that can keep up with the way that my mind works, with my hyperspeed jumps from topic to topic and a point of view from a different seating area. Thank goodness Earl can keep up with it all.

All in all, all is well in the life of J.P. and Earl. In fact, it’s downright glorious. It just glorious in a mundane sort of way.

And that’s not a bad thing.

22 August 2007 by Ponderings and Musings Quirky. 1

Buzz.

The energy of downtown seems to be missing today. Not that there’s a lot of energy to begin with but there just seems to be a stillness in the air. I don’t know if it’s the cooler temperatures or if people have gone on vacation or what, but the streets seem rather barren.

I told Earl last night that I am really looking forward to going back to college next Monday. Armed with my new school clothes (the aforementioned new t-shirt from Boscov’s), I feel like one of the cool kids now. I think I’m going to be able to maintain some part-time hours with the phone company while I’m at school this semester so I’ll have some mad money to play with, er, rather, _we’ll_ have some mad money to play with. I’ve already picked out Earl’s Christmas present (usually I wait until December 15th or so) and now it’s just a matter of securing the funds. Maybe I’ll make like Lucy and squirrel some money away from the grocery budget in the cookie jar.

While I’m having a good, albeit quiet day today, I have to admit that I’m really looking forward to this coming weekend. Earl and I are going camping at Hillside Campgrounds. It’s Bears In The Woods III (we missed the “II”). Bears In The Woods are always a good thing.

20 August 2007 by Ponderings and Musings 2

Neshaminy Mall.

While traveling I always find visiting a mall in any given city to be an interesting experience. This morning we stopped at Neshaminy Mall outside of Philadelphia. Earl was kind enough to help me pick out school clothes for my upcoming run with college. We bought a t-shirt that cost $3.39.

While at Neshaminy Mall we stopped at the food court for a bite to eat from Saladworks. I say when you’re going to pig out at a picnic in the afternoon it’s good to have a healthy salad in your stomach to soak up an alcohol you might consume later on. While dining in the food court I enjoyed my sport of people watching.

To our left were a group of five elderly women. The youngest had to be 75 if she was a day, and Earl and I suspect that she was the designated driver, as she was the only one without a walker or a cane. Her four partners in crime had their walking accessories scattered about in disarray. The oldest looking of these women was busying herself freshening her lipstick and makeup. Her friend was wondering aloud why there were so many numbers on the lottery ticket she was feverishly scratching at. The others in the group were just chattering and having a grand old time. It did my heart good to see these women, who have probably seen and experienced a big chunk of this life experience, out and about enjoying their Saturday afternoon together. I respect that and wish them further years of these experiences.

Behind them was a thug type looking kid. He was blinged to the hilt and had this “don’t fsck with me” attitude going on. I was a little startled when he sat down, took off his hat and prayed before eating his meal. I may not believe as he does but I respected that he took the time to acknowledge his beliefs.

Now we’re getting ready to head to the family picnic. The weather is absolutely gorgeous and the vibe is good. I love Philadelphia and it’s people, with their tough sounding accent and their overwhelming Eagles pride. There’s good people here.

###

Here’s a little video from last night:

[MEDIA=24]
18 August 2007 by Fun and Games Dept 2

Responsibility.

It was over three years ago when I started my job at the local telephone company. Having never worked at a telephone company before, despite a strong interest in the field and a near obsession with “all things connected”, I was rather nervous about the new adventure I was about to embark on. I can still remember my first day with crystal clear accuracy. I had arrived early and subsequently couldn’t get into the guts of the building as I wasn’t really sure where I was suppose to go, plus the front desk attendant had not arrived yet. So I was standing out in the front lobby when someone came off the elevator and asked, “Can I help you?” I announced that my name was J.P. and that I was the new guy. The person helping me out asked me to wait where I was and went into the network operations center, where my arrival was announced with a hearty “New guy alert! The new guy is here!” Everyone greeted me warmly and welcomed me to the group. Though I left the position at the end of last year and have just recently returned on a part-time basis while I continue my education, I still really enjoy the people in that group and consider them my friends. We’re a team that works well together.

When I arrived at my desk that first day, aside from the unpopped bags of microwave popcorn at my station (as a gift from my co-workers that had obviously googled me a little bit), I noticed there was a large goose statue on top of the one of the filing cabinets. She was decked out in a two piece bikini because as I later learned, it was August and in August we swim. For the next couple of years, I learned that Goose had a full wardrobe to choose from and would be dressed appropriately for any occasion. She had a Santa outfit for the holidays, rabbit ears for Easter and a cap and gown for graduation time. Heck, she attended the wedding and reception of the team leader, complete with wedding gown and even had a black shawl that she draped over her face when folks were laid off (much to the chagrin of management). Goose was accompanied by several friends, including Duck, Egg, Chick and Cow. When I gave out cubicle name plates for Christmas one year, Goose received her own, denoting “Goose and Family”. I thought she deserved that special touch.

This week the company is moving it’s headquarters to a new building, so we have been packing up the Network Operations Center, throwing out tons of paperwork from back when Verizon was kind and called “New York Telephone” or “NYNEX”. I think I even threw out a manual on how to dial your own call without operator assistance (these people keep EVERYTHING). While Goose and Egg are moving with us, it was decided that the little ones, Duck, Chick and Cow (who also have a selection of cotture) should leave the nest and strike out on their own.

Earl and I are now the proud parents of Chick and Cow. While Earl finds the whole thing to be nuts, I look forward to carrying on the tradition of making sure they’re decked out properly for the season. Chick is in her gardening hat, Cow is doing her thing. I may buy her a mini-pasture with some grass to make her more comfortable.

Chick and Cow.

17 August 2007 by Quirky. 1

Old Habits.

It’s been said that in her later years, Erma Bombeck obtained a state of the art word processor to write her newspaper column, “At Wit’s End” and her last few books. After several attempts at being witty while following the cursor on the screen, she subsequently ignored said electronic wizardry and opted to use her trusty typewriter instead.

I totally understand where she’s coming from.

I have a Mac PowerBook G4 that’s approaching three years old. It’s still quite functional, it’s beautiful to look at and it purrs along like a content kitten. However, during our time together updates from Apple and the more and more software I’ve added have taken it’s toll on it a little bit and have subsequently slowed it down. It still trudges along doing it’s thing but it doesn’t have the zip or pizazz it had when it was a young chip.

When I started school last year we bought an HP laptop that had Windows on it but was converted to Linux (after a number of false starts) a couple of months ago. The computer is a delight to use and I’ve tried on numerous occasions to make it my main computer but I just can’t into it. Like a favorite pair of underwear or the t-shirt that makes me feel sexiest, I just like the feeling of using my PowerBook. So it takes a little longer to download porn or watch the BearForce1 video on everyone’s blog. While the cool kids at the internet café are doing their thing on their zippy MacBook Pros, there I am sitting in the corner with the MacBook’s big brother.

I guess as I get older I’m less concerned with keeping up with the Joneses and have ended up set in my ways.

16 August 2007 by Geek 4

Friendship.

My friend Eric and I got together for supper and just to hang out this evening. We’ve known each other for several years, and though we get together rather infrequently, we always have a good time when we finally get around to seeing each other. Tonight was no exception to the trend.

During supper we got talking about classic television shows, reminiscing about the oldies such as “One Day At A Time”, “The Electric Company” and “Benson”. Imagine my surprise when I found out that the alarm clock on his cell phone plays this tune:

I don’t know what was more frightening, the fact that he has this theme song on his cell phone or the fact that I was able to tell which season the track was from.

15 August 2007 by Ponderings and Musings 0

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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