Once You Go Mac…

So I’m back on my PowerBook G4 full-time again. Last night I had to catch up on some web site work for my various sites, as well as some sites I maintain for various charitable organizations. While I don’t use a lot of the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editing functions unless I’m in a crunch and use the same text editor on both Linux and OS X (Vim for the most part), I had a dilly of a time trying to create graphics and maintain the sites using the tools available on Linux. I could accomplish the task, but it wasn’t as easy to do as it was on my PowerBook.

Plus, any and all fonts look infinitely better on OS X and that makes a considerable difference when you’re staring at the screen for long periods of time.

So I moved all my files to the larger server in the house (we have two here, yes I am an übergeek), powered down the HP computer and powered my PowerBook back up. The rest of my editing flew once I switched back and the whole experience felt more comfortable.

If you don’t want or have a Mac, I still recommend Ubuntu Linux for the everyday chores. I had a weird thing going on with YouTube videos locking up the system that I couldn’t solve and I couldn’t make any vidcasts using Linux due to a lack of webcam drivers, but for everything else I must say that Ubuntu was adequate. It’s not as nice as Mac but it’s not as vulnerable as Windows when it comes to security and the great part is the fact that it’s free.

I guess it’s true that once you go Mac you never go back.

21 May 2007 by Geek 1

And We’re Off.

Still quite puffed up from the final grades for the last semester, I eagerly jumped into the swing of school again this morning with my one summer course: “Intermediate Algebra”. The joy of dancing variables will last for eight weeks.

One thing that was readily apparent is that my fellow students are serious students. Most of them are over the age of 30, they all seem to be serious students (whereas during the regular semester there’s some that are not so serious about their studies) and more importantly, three are super woofy. When I told Earl of this last point he said I need to take pictures.

Since this is a 12 week course in an eight week slot, classes are longer and the pace is considerably faster. The teacher seems enthusiastic and people were actually participating in class, so I have to say that I’m quite excited about this little quick burst of education. Whereas last semester I waited for others to participate before jumping in on the discussion, this morning I answered the very first question and thank the universe I was correct.

Let’s see how enthusiastic I am in a week when I’m swimming in polynomals.

21 May 2007 by College Kid. 1

Quick Weekends.

I decided to take a little break from blogging this weekend just for the heck of it. Earl and I have been keeping busy with picking up patio furniture, amassing everything required to build a set of stairs for the patio and going to bear night in Albany.

I guess I’ll be in a bloggy mood tomorrow after my return to college.

It’s all good.

20 May 2007 by Ponderings and Musings 1

First Step.

When I decided to return to college to pursue a completely different career (but something I am very interested in), I was hesitant. I have to admit that I felt very ‘safe’ in what I had been doing for the telephone company. I worked with a great group of people, I had a handle on what my responsibilities were and tried to do my job to the best of my ability. While my work felt safe and comfortable, I didn’t feel challenged.

It was Earl’s prompting that convinced me that I should take that leap and go back to school for a degree in Civil Engineering. He has more confidence in me than I have in myself. I was convinced that I would be a lousy student, since I was a lousy college student the first time around 20 years ago. I was all worried that I would be this old guy sitting in a room of young folks that were avoiding me like the plague.

I quickly learned that there are a lot of adults heading back to school and that I easily connected with my fellow students. I was a little rusty when it came to studying and quite frankly I don’t know how the young folks do it these days; there’s so many distractions with instant messenger, iPods, cell phones and whatnot, during my first run at college I had a hard enough time dealing with Rock 102 on the radio and Bewitched reruns blaring on the television set.

Nevertheless, I tried my hardest at my five courses this first semester. I participated in class discussions and took the initiative in my drafting classes when I felt I had a handle on the drawing but others around me were struggling.

Today I got my first “report card”. I don’t like to brag, but…

Grades.

I start my one summer class on Monday. It’s a math class I must take to catch up with the rest of my peers, since I hadn’t done advanced algebra in 20+ years and I needed to take a refresher course this past semester.

In January I was very nervous about starting school. Today I’m actually excited to be starting classes again.

18 May 2007 by College Kid. 10

Fun Music.

Remember when you could turn on a Top 40 radio station and hear fun music made with real instruments? Here’s a very rare fun song from 1987.

Presenting “Holiday”, by The Other Ones. I used to spin this record a lot when I was a baby DJ.

17 May 2007 by DJ 0

Last Minute.

I am on public wi-fi once again, tonight I am sitting in the terminal at Syracuse Airport. I’m waiting for Earl’s plane to land as his flight is expected in the next half hour or so.

I really don’t know how people fly regularly as part of their business responsibilities. Earl flew with a colleague to Tennessee. They were booked on the same flights and were to sit side by side on all four legs of the journey. For some reason Earl got bumped to standby while his colleague didn’t. Since they had driven to the airport together yesterday morning, the logistics didn’t work out when Earl ended up sitting in D.C. for five hours waiting for a new flight while his colleague flew home as scheduled.

This is where I come in.

I don’t mind picking Earl up at the airport at all, in fact I enjoy it a lot. I think it’s important to have your loved one waiting for you when you step off a flight, especially after a long day of waiting in airports.

17 May 2007 by Ponderings and Musings 1

Perspective.

I am once again sitting in a service area on the New York State Thruway. This service area of choice is called Scottsville and is in the Rochester area. Earl is out of town on business in Knoxville, Tennessee, hence my little road trip today. I just got off the phone with him and wished him sweet dreams. He was concerned about my driving home this late (I still have over two hours to drive and it’s currently 10:45 p.m.) He forgets that I love driving at night.

I spent the day driving to the southwestern most part of New York State and explored around the city of Jamestown. Once upon a time I lived there. I actually had two appearances in Jamestown, 1987-1988 and 1990-1991. I’ve taken Earl there a couple of times since. Today I spent quite a bit of time there looking around and reminiscing.

I find Jamestown to be an interesting city. First and foremost it’s the hometown of Lucille Ball. You can not look in any direction in the downtown area without seeing an image of Lucy on a billboard or a poster or on a building. It’s also home to Natalie Merchant and the 10,000 Maniacs, and her music is still quite prevalent on the local station, SE 93.

The area around Jamestown is also very scenic. Rolling hills lead the way to Chautauqua Lake. While Chautauqua Lake is similarly sized, it doesn’t really fit in with the neighboring Finger Lakes of Upstate New York. It sort of does it’s own thing. Wineries dot the shoreline of nearby Lake Erie. Old villages such as Fredonia and Falconer still have active, vibrant downtown areas. It’s hard to describe, but I feel very comfortable in the terrain and vibe of Chautauqua County. While hilly, it still feels expansive. In the Mohawk Valley, where we live now, it’s hilly but it feels very closed in to me. I never feel completely settled in the Mohawk Valley. The pace in Jamestown is a little more relaxed and the natives are decidedly friendlier. I think it’s because that corner of The Empire State is knocking on the Midwest’s front door, and I’ve always been a fan of the Midwest.

As I drove around Jamestown and Chautauqua County today, I realized that when I had lived there I never really allowed myself to enjoy the experience. I was part of a relationship that wasn’t going very well. He had grown up in the area and was constantly looking for a way out. I didn’t allow myself to like that area simply because I was always being shown the negative aspects to living there. “It snows.” “There’s no ocean.” “It’s not progressive.”

Looking back at myself almost 20 years ago, I guess I’ve since learned that life is what you make of it. While I believe that we have a basic idea of what we’re going to do when we come into this life (via reincarnation), I fully believe that you make your own paradise or you make your own hell. My ex was choosing his own hell and trying to pull me into it. (By the way, he deserted the area long ago and lives somewhere on the ocean in California. I hope he’s happy. I don’t need to confirm if he is or not. I don’t really care.)

Today I saw the area in a whole new light and I really liked what I saw. It felt good. I felt like my smiles and warm feelings chased away the negativity I had 20 years ago. While stopped for supper, I cheered on the Buffalo Sabres right along with the rest of the crowd. (Jamestown is about 80 miles from Buffalo.) I really like the sports fan pride that’s so obvious as you drive around. We don’t have that at home. I told Earl I was going to start cheering on Buffalo for all sports and he told me “not football.” I told him, “we’ll see” (Earl is an Eagles fan).

So now I’m getting back on the Thruway, totally sugared up with a couple of donuts from Tim Hortons (thank the Universe they have Tim Hortons out here!) and ready to rock the road.

16 May 2007 by Ponderings and Musings 3

Reimagine This.

The more I think about this reimagining of “Bionic Woman” coming to NBC this fall, the angrier I get. I know that there are much more pressing issues going on in the world today, but I am really angry about this latest reimagining of a classic television series. I’m not just angry, I am “they canceled Judging Amy” angry.

I understand and accept the fact that I am no longer part of the coveted 18-34 demographic that controls much of what we see on various media outlets. At nearly 39 years old, my vote and money no longer matter. I’m no longer hip, I’m no longer “cool” in the eyes of the Hollywood pocketbooks. I accept that.

I also accept the fact that Hollywood has apparently “gone dry” on ideas and imagination and now the best they can do is rehash something that was once good. However, apparently it wasn’t good enough though because they can make it better. I am still terrified to see what they’re going to do to “Bell, Book and Candle”, originally starting James Stewart and Kim Novak (among a bunch of other greats) in the late 1950s and now being “reimagined” for Alicia Keys in the starring role.

This new “Bionic Woman” is the latest casualty in a long line of Hollywood WTFs. I don’t have a problem with the fact that they’re creating a new bionic series. NBC has a hit in “Heroes” and they’re naturally going to play that to the hilt and add sci-fi shows all over the place. They’ve apparently never heard the phrase “Too much of a good thing.”

However, If the online sneak peeks are any indication, the producers are going much darker and more violent in this new series. I guess that’s to be expected, considering all the violence and such we see all over television these days. Plus, they need to keep up with the times, and the world is certainly a darker place today.

Here’s what I have a problem with: the character is named Jaime Sommers. And that’s the only thing that’s similar to the original “The Bionic Woman”. Lindsay Wagner won an Emmy for her portrayal of Jaime. She created a likeable character that is a permanent part of classic television. NBC is simply riding the coattails of the success of the original (no confidence in the new concept?), and Lindsay’s hard work, by naming the character Jaime Sommers. Since this new show is a decidedly different show, there’s no reason to name the character the same as the original. They should ADD to the “Bionic Universe”, not start it over from scratch. Acknowledge what has been by creating their own character with her own quirks and personality. As it currently stands, they’re basically slapping fans of the original version across the face and saying “Your version sucked, so it needs to be forgotten. Ours is better. *This* is Jaime Sommers.”

So I am boycotting the new “Bionic Woman” until they change the name of the main character. They can name her anything else. Just don’t call her “Jaime Sommers”. Oh, and I’m going to be really loud (but not tedious in the blog) about the fact that I am boycotting this show.

Oh, I have one other demand. They’ve got to bring back the bionics sound effect.

16 May 2007 by Why. 1

Cathy.

I’ve mentioned before that I am a huge Cathy Dennis fan. Originally with the group D-mob in the late 1980s, Cathy embarked on a solo career in 1990 with top hits such as “Just Another Dream”, “Touch Me (All Night Long)” and “Too Many Walls”. After a couple of albums, Cathy found contentment in writing and producing, working with artists such as the Spice Girls, Kylie Minogue (she wrote “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head”) and others. Cathy also had a hand in the theme from Pop Idol/American Idol and wrote singles for many of the winners. She sings the famous “Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh” on the American Idol theme song.

As a former club DJ it excites me in many ways when I discover ‘lost’ versions of singles. While browsing YouTube, I found the video for the original version of “Just Another Dream”. The instrumentation is considerably different from what became popular in late 1990, and, there’s an extra verse in there. And despite urban legend, that is not Rick Astley singing the male vocals on the track, it’s actually Dancin’ Danny D from D-mob.

Here’s the video for the original version of “Just Another Dream” courtesy of YouTube. I would *love* a copy of this version on MP3 if anyone has it to share.

Find it here

15 May 2007 by DJ 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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