Weather and a Donut

The Laundry Witch and I journeyed to Florence,Sheffield, etc. yesterday. Returned a healed PC to her sister and had a great trip. Very easy Alabama day that started with a health food breakfast at Krispy Kreme. I understand why Elvis liked 'em so much. We shopped around limited somewhat by my wasp stung foot then met her sister. After another health food experience at the Peking Chinese Restaurant we installed the computer and then returned home last yesterday evening. LW has a new Pontiac G6 that is awesome.

Internet connectivity is spotty so they are working on the problem. Wind warnings were up to 60mph last night so it would be frightening if they weren't having a few problems. It's still gusty outside. We tried to play Guild Wars late, but my 2-5 minutes at a time connections finally got the best of me and I went to bed. Since the sun is trying to shine and I have things to do it's time to finish Sunday afternoon working. Later.

"What some people mistake for the high cost of living is really the cost of high living."
-Doug Larson

Full Footal Assault

It's late and the general spirit around the beach house is warp whine. This morning Mr. Red Wasp decided to pay us a visit. The med taken to relieve the poison of the sting makes me groggy and besides, it still hurts like hell! It entered my shoe somehow and stung the instep of my foot. Thought I'd stepped on a piece of glass!

Whiny boy out! TGIF.

"Don't have sex. It leads to kissing and pretty soon you have to start talking to them."
-Steve Martin

Browser Wars

I think this is just about tacky - ExplorerDestroyer. It's no secret that Firefox is favored over Internet Explorer at the beach house, but this campaign seems almost underhanded. Hey, what should you expect from the people that in a different incarnation wanted you to pay for a webbrowser back many years ago? After all, a lot of the coders, engineers, etc., that work for the Mozilla Project (they created and maintain Firefox) came from what is now AOHell uh, uh, AOL. The browser division seems to have formed from people that were Netscape employees back before AOHell acquired them. I do use Firefox as the default browser, but sometimes IE does a better job. Anyway, this is most likely going to deter as many folks as it attracts. Negative thinking sucks.

Any opinions?

"I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain."
-Baldwin

To Dream Perchance

Up late trying to diagnose a server problem that seems to be rooted in some bad code included a proprietary software application. Methinks the software was never meant to really make nice nice with Windows 98. The solution will be interesting.

It's beat me up enough for one day. Catch you all on the Thursday side.

"My father taught me to work; he did not teach me to love it."
-Abraham Lincoln

Geeks with Parrothead Style

Good to see some interest in the LAN Party planning. We will definitely organize some groups for quests and missions in GuildWars. There will be a possible run to Galrath and Sanctum Cay if enough people are interested. Let me know if other quests/missions are needed. We are open for suggestions. If you are new to the game there will be people available to help with initial installations, first quest, etc.

Switches will be provided as will cables and electrical outlets. If you want battery backup please bring your own. A wireless access point will be up and running. One purpose of such a soiree is to bring your gaming machine and style with it. Monitors? Bring 'em. For those that volunteer to help with the setup on Friday afternoon, food and drink will be on the house. Yes, there will be a trial run that night. Kudzu Dragons will be available on party day to aid and abet and believe me much knowledge will be shared. Saturday during festivities food and beverage will be available until it runs out. No charge, just a tip jar in a prominent place.

FreeBSD and Linux PCs will be up and running for those interested in Windows alternatives. Want to bring an Apple? We promise no one will rag you too much. Most likely Linux SUSE and Mandriva will be the flavors online. No decision on that yet. Since my Mandriva machine is an older Mandrake version and the OpenOffice install is in Portuguese (don't ask because I have no idea how this happened) we may install Ubuntu. Hopefully the kewl Red Magnet people will help with that.

Tomorrow should see a return of regular posts concerning Windows help and an occasional adventure of Arnold, the Nazi Possum that hangs out in the big oak just outside this window. Yes Robin, Hamboni the Jinn is still alive and living in the big foot SCSI hard drive used as a door stop. He will make predictions soon. There will be occasional information about the geekfest over the next few weeks so please bear with me.

Have most satisfying Tuesday.

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."
-Patton

LAN Partayyyyy!

This is a late post due to the site host being down for a while today. GuildWars was enjoyed over the weekend and the yard is mowed. Still have some touch up weed eating, but with rain in tomorrow's forecast that looks like a good project for Wednesday late afternoon.

There will be a LAN party at the Saltillo Beach House over the Memorial Day weekend. Festivities will commence at 5:00pm on the 27th of May. Of course the game will be GuildWars. You don't have to be a Kudzu Dragon to attend. We welcome members of local guilds and others to plan on stopping by and hanging out. A lot of folks just enjoy the food and beverage. Contact me if you want to volunteer setup or bring food. In the past everyone liked burgers and dogs so that's a start of the menu.

Efforts are being made to have some machines set up so a few new people at a time can get online and play the game. Plans are to have Pre and Post searing up. Pre is for the newbies and Post is for those that have played for a while. Our group is very casual and laid back. The camaraderie and talk are usually more fun than the actual gaming. We will have ample parking and probably even game on the veranda and patio. WiFi will be available.

Such a geekfest takes some planning and coordination. Hep me! Hep me! This year everything will be setup and ready so Saturday can be dedicated to the cause. Rock on my fellow nerdlings.

"Happiness is a very small desk and a very big wastebasket."
-Orben

Battle of the Saltillo Ditch

After working in the yard yesterday I am sore. Need to do it again today. The majority of mowing was done with one minor mishap. Mudslingr said my mowing reminded him of an elephant riding a turtle. My small, compact riding mower is green and a GOP fan here, so no offense is taken. Somehow the reverse gear stuck and I backed it off in a ditch. While pinned under the the mower down in the ditch the humor of it all overwhelmed me and my mind's eye was broadcasting pictures of my predicament. After a fit of laughing and realizing this might go unseen the mower was finally lifted enough to unpin my leg. It still tickles me to think of how stupid things can surround me, especially when alone.

The new Sony z520a cell phone is pretty dad-gumm awesome. After answering calls and no one saying anything it was finally realized the wrong button was being pushed and the phone was sending busy signals. Well, duh? RTFM. And after reading the manual it was discovered that the reception is steady and clear. It has a camera n other goodies. Beagle programmed it with neat pictures and a bunch of Jimmy Buffett, Beatles, etc. ringtones. Talk time is 9 hours and standby is over 500 hours. At first it seemed the buttons were small for my hands, but that has disappeared after a few days of use. So far it's a go. It feels solid and should hold up. Just hope Sony didn't put a root kit in it, LOL.

It was brought to my attention that Windows and Gates have taken a beating in here due to the stopping support of Windows 98,etc. Some things they do are a bit iffy. Please understand that I realize Bill Gates made it possible for us to afford decent machines. Left to a world of Steve Jobs we'd be using 2 year old technology and basic machines would cost a small fortune. So yes, a Windows fan here. And maybe a bit too hard on Apple users when it's just a few that rant and rave. I stand corrected.

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."
-Shaw

Upgrades, Hardware and the Orchard

Recently received a great question via email, "What hardware do you need to upgrade from an older version of Windows?" Let's assume this means Windows 98, 98SE or ME. That means an upgrade to Windows 2000 or XP at this time. Windows Vista will be out later this year and since predicting the release date requires some serious voodoo spells requiring animals other than chickens killed let's leave it at later this year.

There's a major difference in 2000 and XP. Basically if you are running an Intel PII CPU or AMD equivalent processor and are somewhere around 200 megs of RAM, 2000 will run fine. If upgrading to XP the real world bare minimum is at least an Intel PIII or AMD equivalent. XP will run on a faster PII machine with plenty of RAM, but it will be slow. Let's face it, XP wants 512megs of RAM and a faster processor. Your better off with a processor that is 1gig or better and RAM is just like kitchen cabinet space - you just can't have too much.

XP or 2000? There are hints that Billy boy and the Microsmooze crew will kill complete support on 2000 soon in order to pressure you to upgrade, especially with Windows Vista just around the corner. I don't understand this but many things computerese aren't comprehendable. Windows 2000 is a great operating system. Yes XP is built on the same NT5 kernel and has many of the same features. The Pro version is the way to go with XP. Home Edition is light and I feel not as stable as Pro or 2000. I certainly am not going to upgrade my 2000 machines right now.

The rumor mill is churning with various lists of hardware requirements for Windows Vista. Seems the gist is 2.5gig CPUs and 1gig of RAM. DON'T PANIC. It's not available yet so wait and see. If your machine is old though, now is a super time to make a purchase. The computer market is a buyers market presently and don't expect it to stay that way. Purchase the maximum CPU possible and get mucho RAM. I still prefer HP/COMPAQ and have no problem with Dell. Dell will cost more. I shy away from eMachines and their new subsidiary Gateway (only because Gateway is now part of the eMachine). AMD or Intel? To avoid a bitch slapping fight let's get this out of the way and say take your pick. Hey at least you won't be paying money to Darth Jobs for an Apple.

Why not Apple? Here goes - you may be instantly associated with some of the weirdest nerds on the planet. Most of them lie because they believe in lies that have been told to them. These machines are slow, overated and wayyyyyy overpriced. Appleites will argue until death that Apples are faster than PCs. They are not. Hell, they are not even close. Since they have started using Intel CPUs this will probably change. They do have a nice operating system, OSX or whatever Roman numeral now appropriate, that was gleeped from the open source FreeBSD people and made proprietary. And then there is Darth Jobs. You really want to put money in this jerk's pocket? I don't. Yes, they are great when it comes to Photoshop, MAIA and other software of the rendering genre. Not a good main computer and it does not belong in an office scenario even though Microsoft Office is the most popular selling software for an Apple computer. You can bet there will be emails over this paragraph. Some of these Apple people are scary. Let me bare my soul and admit that I am considering the purchase of an Apple. There is a place here for another Apple tech. Yes, I have met stable Apple owners. This diatribe may run even them off, though. BTW one of my favorite sites, Slashdot is run by Apple aficionadoes. Will keep you posted.

Ashby Rhett Culpepper disagrees with me. I don't think the office arena is ready to run FreeBSD. He says with the proper IT person it will work. Yep, sure will. Ashby has the credentials and knowhow to do this; I don't at this time. The Ernie Ball guitar string company went Linux several years ago and I understand they haven't looked back. Yes, it can be done. My daily visits to the field convince me it won't be easy. Honest to God, you'd have to explain on the front end about how much time will be spent with your IT on site and the costs. Unless you find a business owner that is geeked to such an alternative this will be an uphill battle. I hate it. But that's the way it is out there. I like FreeBSD, a LOT. Some Linux flavors ain't bad either!

These are my opinions. This is NOT a forum and if it is not apparent that I favor certain areas of the computer realm then my ability to write is mediocre at best. You can comment all day long and I welcome them. I welcome even those who disagree. This last paragraph is written to forewarn the mad Appleites that their comments will be edited if profane. That's my story n Ima stickin' to it.

"Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't."
-Jong, How to Save Your Own Life

Beach House Rain Forest

Click on this button and find out about your level of geekness. Mine is 53%. This certainly NOT a 10 question test. Sorry, sometimes such things attract me. It's fun, especially at my age. This was stolen from a Beagle post at SouthernPhried.

Yard mowing is not on the agenda today. It rained overnight and this morning, so the ground is wet. Perhaps tomorrow. Yes mudslingr, I too have heard the lion prowling about in the tall grass.

Just hope that Arnold, opossumus germanicus austriabodicus, is safe in his tree. He may actually be that creature prowling around. Probably looking for a dog or cat upon which to open a can of whupass. Saw him briefly the other night. It's been a while.

"The first law of dietetics seems to be: if it tastes good, it's bad for you."
-Asimov

Why Hail Yes

Over the past 2 days the demise of Windows 98/ME has been discussed as has the possibility of upgrading to newer Windows operating systems and various alternatives. It is good to see two knowledgeable IT people comment with pertinent opinions and info. Thanks Beagle and Ashby. Your input is graciously received.

After trying to sneak around and mow the yard this morning it has been decided that will be a quick random decision from hence forth! Gathering my duds n stuff ready to repair a damaged tire on the mower my attention was suddenly drawn to a slight pecking sound. Then literally, all hail broke loose! Small, diameter of a dime to a quarter and it didn't last but a few minutes.

Now it's time to hit the trail and return to the jungle later this evening. Enjoy Thursday. Weekend starts tomorrow!

"Laughter is higher than all pain."
-Hubbard

Same Song Second Day

Okay, I've received numerous emails about things said here before, but yesterday's post prompted even phone calls. Why? The questions are: Upgrade to what? Should I wait on Windows new operating system (it's officially called Vista now)? Is it true I have to buy a copy for each computer? Do I use XP Home or Pro? Is Windows 2000 still supported? Why did that sorry bas---- Gates do this to his customers?

Let's start by saying that the COMMENTS line at the bottom of each post are there for a reason. Certainly don't mind phone calls and really encourage emails, but use that which is handy and EASY. Just click on it, type in a name if you like (have fun, make one up!), make your comment, and hit the publish button at the bottom. Painless, I must say. I do reserve the right to edit comments, but so far have not used that right. It is VERY desirable that the comment have something to do with the post. Again, this is NOT a forum. If edited it will say so and hey, we live in a world that is ate up with some silly political correctness thangys.

Upgrade to what? Most likely Windows. There are viable alternatives such as several flavors of Linux. FreeBSD for the average office may be a bit too much although they seem to be headed towards an easier GUI installation program. Apple's OSX might be considered if the rumors are true about it being made compatible with PC machines. Don't hold your breath. I certainly wouldn't buy Apple machines for an office environment. Anyway, most likely Windows. Should you wait on Vista? This is a roll of the dice since they are not due for retail sale until the fourth quarter. Also, it's rumored that Windows Vista is going to require some pretty beefed up hardware. Upgrading from many Windows 98 PCs to even Windows XP will be hardware constrained.

XP Home Edition or Pro? Spend the money. I don't care if Pro is twice the price, it's a better operating system. If you are a user that just checks email, files recipes, writes letters, etc., Home Edition may suffice, but I wish the Redmond bunch had never created it. That simple. You think the 2 choices of XP are confusing, try 7 or 8 varieties of Vista when it arrives! Seems people smart enough to write code for OS stuff would learn from their mistakes, but apparently Microsoft hasn't a clue. Yes, you do have to buy a copy for each computer. It's the law. First, make sure you have ample hardware and then look into buying a package deal that includes multiple license. Yo yo yo, good rule of thumb about hardware; if you have less than 512megs of RAM in your present PC, consider upgrading your machine.

Windows 2000? Still my favorite because it actually worked when it first sold. 2000 had stability not seen in previous versions. And hey, it followed that horrible ME disaster. NOTE: Windows 2000 and XP share the same kernel - NT5. Support life expectancy? I am working on an answer. The net is very vague. Why is Gates and company constantly upgrading? Think Detroit and you'll have your answer.

Whew! Tired now and must go work. Hope this helps.

"Consider the postage stamp, my son. It secures success through its ability to stick to one thing till it gets there."
-Billings

Microsoft Support of Windows 98, 98SE, ME

Anyone using Windows 98, Windows 98SE, or Window ME please stop reading this and click on Geek.com. Please read the whole article including Matthew's Opinion. Support stops July the 11th. Last Thursday PCWorld ran an article about the support ending as well. The first link is concise, informative and brief. The second link is a bit more detailed. With the advent of Windows Vista upon us I think it's time to put away these older operating systems and upgrade. Yes, I know it hurts the pocket book.

A possible scenario: You still run 98 later this year, it gets infected, the computer geek of your choice tries to cure the damaged registry, but cannot due to lack of support. You have to pay the tech and pay for the upgrade. Save some money. Be wise. Upgrade before July.

My guess is that this article will be one of the most viewed on this site before the year ends. We'll see...

"Never miss a good chance to shut up."
-Will Rogers

My Computer's Fallen and It Can't Get Up!

Best backup system to use? This question is heard a lot. One answer is external hard drives. If you don't have a lot of data then save some money and use a jump drive (AKA travel drive, thumb drive, pocket drive, etc.). These are small in form, plug into the USB port and usually come with a lanyard so it can be worn around the neck. Nice jump drives can be found for under $100.00 all day long. Wally-World even carries them. I'd try OfficeMax first due to selection and they usually have great prices.

If you have a lot of data then consider buying two, yes that's right, TWO full size external hard drives. This will give you the ability to tell everyone that you have ascended in the techno realm and become a walking RAID 1 array. ROFL! Okay joke's over, back to the serious. Be sure and purchase external hard drives that are intended for backup use. They will include the needed software. The reason for two is that if your data is extremely important then you will always have a backup on site and off site. That makes sense, doesn't it? Like in case of fire?

Shop around for these items. Most of the jump drives are reliable and I have several clients that use these devices for backup, moving files, etc. As far as the external hard drive backups I like the Maxtor. May cost a few dollars more, but the software is very user friendly.

If you are adventerous and lean towards geekness you may want to try a RAID array using the SATA hard drives. Really geeked? Then you probably have found SCSI by now. Old technology that is still super fast and very dependable. It costs though.

If you have a CD or DVD burner in your machine there are several software companies that make it easy to use these devices for backup. The best? Go with the latest version of Nero. They rock.

"Why don't they make the whole plane out of that black box stuff."
-Steven Wright

And a Small Child Will Lead Them

Today, God has blessed me. Oh it's certainly not the first time. Through His Grace I have led a blessed life. Today is special though. It's no secret that I am a geeky, techno kind of person. Years ago I started piecing together an ample home theater system. Just a while ago I realized why this has been important to me.

All my life I've been connected to C.S. Lewis and John Tolkien (they were close friends). My father was such a fan of Mr. Lewis, especially his works concerning Christianity. Fortunately, he also wrote three interconnected Sci-Fi pieces sometimes referred to as the Ransom Trilogy. This introduced me to a world of people believing in right is might and that going towards the dark side is bad juju. But, back to today.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the first of the seven chronicles of Narnia. This is a fantasy world that has fawns, talking beavers, centaurs, meanass wolves, orcish bad guys and one very evil witch. Four children enter this world and their attitudes and family bonds are tied to the realm of good and evil. If you read these books when younger you might want to get them out again.

The movie is well, AWESOME!!!! Truly there is magic here. It's almost certain Clive Staples would be very proud of this rendering of his story. The complete aura of the whole tale is well represented and the special effects are gorgeous. This is NOT a movie for very small children. There are battles, war, and death so use the noodle and review the movie before you introduce it to your children. I just thank the Good Lord that both of my daughters were turned on to Narnia. Their lives have been touched by Aslan, Peter, Mr. Tumnus and the rest.

My emotional makeup was thoroughly tested. Yes, it is allegory. Yes it is about sacrifice and grace. As I watched my heart laughed, I wept and was chilled right to the marrow. If you are Christian it will suprise me if you don't like this masterpiece. What a wonderful way to spend Easter afternoon. I've come away a better man. Daughters of mine, your spirits soar like little Lucy. Thank you God, for everything.

"Reason is the natural order of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning."
C. S. Lewis
-

Truth is Beauty?

Today I have realized some important things:

1. Never again shall the tires go completely flat on the riding lawn mower.

2. The name of the Daddy of the young bicycle rider that keeps flying by while I am attempting yard work and screams "lardass" at the top of his voice will be mine. Daddy and I will have a chat. He will be reminded that the Chief of Police is my neighbor.

3. Somehow I will find a way to lose weight because young cycle rider screams by bearing the truth. Number 2 may take some rethinking as a matter of fact. This may actually be a good thing.

4. Never again will I attempt to mow the front yard with my push mower. I vaguely remember the last few rows of the 5 that were done and looking out the window you'd think I'd reverted to my Purple Haze years.

5. My next major purchase after replacing a network computer will be an automatic dishwasher that'll be turbocharged and require dylithium crystals (see www.startrek.com).

6. My bathroom shall never revert to its present state. Mr. Clean shall become a daily operative in that conquest.

7. Double 'A' batteries will always be purchased in a minimum of 6 packs.

8. After some thought strike number 2 from the list.

This is lardass saying, "Outta here n Diet Sierra Mist rules!"

"I dream for a living."
-Steven Spielberg

Whaat's Up, Dock?

It's Good Friday. That means there are only two more days to work this week. Hey if you see that silly rabbit with the eggs go ahead and hide them without me. I think he hangs out with the old dude in the red suit. They just don't find time to stop at the beach house. Think the 'Scrooge Lives Here and Elmer Fudd Visits' doormat has anything to do with all this? Okay the whine stops now; it's time to think positive about a holiday weekend.

Think I'll barbeque some bologna for Easter dinner, better yet mebbe some fried rabbit! Let's see what goes good with bologna grill? How about parsnips? Perhaps a beige wine? Yes a sandwich even, with horseradish, onion and mucho tomato topped off with one of my favorite health foods - Blue Plate Mayo. Large cheese slice of the yellow extra sharp cheddar variety, another favorite health food. How about a real honest to goodness Coke, in a tall glass with crushed ice? Yes oh yes! Okay, let's forget about the parsnips. Shoot, forget the bologna and substitue country ham. Then chocolate ice cream smothered in strawberries and whipped cream with 3 cherries on top! Then another real Coke! Please excuse me now. I have wortked up the nerve to tackle that thing that lives in my fridge. This has become a mission.

If Christian, celebrate the ascension of Christ this weekend. Call it Easter, Passover or whatever. Hide the eggs and watch the gleeful faces as they enjoy finding goodies. Pray prayers of gratitude while watching the small ones. Spend some money on an Easter basket. Your child/children deserve it. After all they have to tolerate you. While your at it get the spousal unit a LARGE chocolate bunny. And hey, if you believe all that malarky about Easter egg hunting being bad because it has pagan roots then don't put up a Christmas tree this year either. And I'll loan you my doormat.

"The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no matter what my circumstances."
-Flatt (Amen, my brother, amen)

It Glows, Purrs, n' Sometimes Roars

Always love to see good computer builds. Yes, there are some people still willing to pay for the quality and detail found in custom built PCs. This one is a screamer built by mudslingr Note: even the power supply is clear. This is pure, raw power utilizing an Asus motherboard, blistering Intel P4 CPU and mega RAM. The hard drive is a Maxtor SATA and all the other drive components are Sony. One sweet machine. Want one of these? I do. Next project for a Beach House resident machine will involve such style and grace. Congrats out to the mud man and the new owners for a sweet build!

Put together a good looking machine lately? Send pixs. Have a safe, enjoyable Thursday. Weekend starts tomorrow and April 15th ends at midnight Saturday!

"They've finally come up with the perfect office computer. If it makes a mistake, it blames another computer."
-Milton Berle

Even With Their Evil Root Kit Fiasco, I am Still Going Sony

After some study and good input it looks like the next cellphone will be a Sony z520a. Good reports about battery life and range. My poor beat up Nokia is almost dead and the phone is critical to business. The Nokia has been replaced which was a slight hassle due to Cingular's attitude towards customers. They are jerks. Thanks for the tip MJR on the store out west on Main St. And thanks for steering me away from the Razor. My ears ring 24/7 so another buzzing I don't need in life.

Time to work. Don't let things get you down, the weekend is just two days away.

"The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat."
-Lily Tomlin

Let's Boogie

New Orleans came up in conversation this past weekend. I care not that Mayor Nagan is a racist, such people tend to fade away nowadays and that's good. I do care about this city full of tradition and wonderful people. The Jazzfest is just around the corner and here's a partial lineup:


Fri Apr 28: Cowboy Mouth
Sat Apr 29: Galatic & Dave Matthews
Fri May 5: Little Feat
Sat May 6: Buckwheat Zyedco, Jimmy Buffett
Sun May 7: Paul Simon, Fats Domino

Wow, wow, wow! To see Little Feat and Buffett in the same weekend is marvelous! Throw in Pink Floyd and a life long dream will be realized! You can read more about it at NOLA.com.

"Alas for those that never sing,
But die with all their music in them!"
-Oliver Wendell Holmes

Can We Say Navin Johnson?

Relief at last! The cell phone will be replaced this weekend! If you have a cingular phone that you like please comment and give a model number. I really like the black razor, but it might be too delicate. The Nokia 3595 I've carried has been replaced once and it has NOT been reliable. Battery life is good though and that's important. Help me! Comment!

"The new phone books are here!"
-Steve Martin, The Jerk

Lord forgive me, I gotta work.

I procrastinated(see yesterday's post). Now I am up and running to get two days work done in one. Contrary to the belief of some lunatic fringe religions, my work day is not 24/7 and sometimes it is just good to slow down. Please, my cell phone is on its last leg so bear with me if trying to call. Complain to Cingular. It has decided to turn off at random, so spending extra time checking to see if it is on frustrates me to no end. The backlog of work due to recent crisis should end in a few days. Thanks to those that have been supportive of my efforts to regain control. Y'all da bomb!

Red Dragon and I will look at lead sleds late today. Got two 75s in mind that are 'build from the ground up' material. The Dragon can do it! Great reward at the end of the day. Thanks to Forest Whistler for the great help in the continuing GW saga. The Teamspeak server is once again back up and bear with me if I don't answer during the game. Most likely I am on the junky phone or at the door dealing with the fringe. Have a glorious Sunday and please remember me in your prayers.

It'"s a shame that the only thing a man can do for eight hours a day is work. He can't eat for eight hours; he can't drink for eight hours; he can't make love for eight hours. The only thing a man can do for eight hours is work."
-William Faulkner

Stormhouse Gathering

Last night the weather outside was frightful. As I saw the internet go down while shouting hello into the cell phone with no answer it was decided a planned night of Guild Wars would not transpire. Being in a rush all week meds have been forgotten twice and the container of emergency dosage went with the stolen lead sled. Must remember to put some in the latest ride. Anyway, taking meds at 6:00pm or so after a long day made for a nice extended nap on the couch. After the internet returned a bit ago my latest quandary is whether to work today or procrastinate and do it all tomorrow. Hmmmm, will make that decision this afternoon.

Teamspeak is back up and running. Sorry about last night, my weather controlling technology lacks perfection. If it rains today, grill out on the veranda I say. Later, y'all.

"Doing nothing is very hard to do...you never know when you're finished."
-Leslie Nielsen

Orchard Invasion

Yes it's true. The rumors about running Windows on Apple machines has come to light. Read about it at PCWorld's Techlog. My question is , "Why?!?!?!" This seems backwards to me. I want Apple's OSX operating system to run on PC machines. That would make more sense. OSX is based on FreeBSD and might be a viable option to the ever dominating Windows family. BTW, the most popular software for OSX is Microsoft Office. Next thing you know Mr. Gates and Darth Jobs will be seen on the golf course together, probably taking lessons from Tiger.

Have a casual Thursday. Eat an apple today. . .okay, make it apple pie.

"Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday."
-Dale Carnegie

Music Truly Moves the Soul

Works days are still long and fun. Playing catch up is surely coming to a close. The past few months have been difficult and getting through all of it has been very tough at times. God in Heaven has blessed me with friends that have such great timing. An injection of hope here, a bright light there, constant encouragement, a continuing bolster of the ego and patience in listening are such great things to have and experience. Truly, I am a blessed man with many friends and a great family. No man on earth could ever have felt the joy and delight of my two daughters, IMHO, the best ever! My heart sings happy melodies.

Why so melancholy and reflective? I've been listening to Todd Rundgren and Warren Zevon. Ever heard Tenderness on the Block? Mr. Zevon, I'd like to think, wrote this song for me. If you love your daughter/daughters and listen to this song without a tear then please seek therapy. And hey, what can I say about Todd? A Wizard a True Star is in the all time top five of Dock's favorite's. His Something/Anything album has one of the most moving ballads I've ever heard - It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference. It's all about forlorn love and recovery. No, she doesn't read this page. Don't let the dates fool you. This is some of the best engineering ever! Interesting note; Mr. Rundgren plays all the instruments and sings all the vocals. Awesome.

Have a most casual day and listen to a great old favorite today. Or try one of the above. Outta' here and loving my job!

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all art and science."
-Albert Einstein

Email Early Sunday Morning

One of my best buddies sent this to me and I thought why email it, post it!

Answer the following in your own thoughts

1. What time is it? 6:35AM

2. What is your full given name? Let's leave it at Mike West or Dock or Big Daddy or ole Lard Butt

3. What are you most afraid of? The smelly thing that lives in the SW corner of my garage.

4. What is the most recent movie that you have seen in a theatre? LOTR III, yeh, I should get out more

5. Place of birth? Memphis, TN and shortly thereafter returned to Mississippi thank the Good Lord (the dinosaurs attacked us on the way back, Mom said)

6. Favorite new food? All except stuff with curry powder - that stuff sucks!

7. What's your natural hair color? Various shades of gray with highlights of brown and scalp

8. Ever been to Alaska ? Do they have beaches, palm trees and boat drinks? If so then yes I've been there...

9. Ever been toilet papering rolling? Not in 6 or 8 years - thought about it as a profession

10. Love someone so much it made you cry? oh Lordy yes.

11. Been in a car accident? yes - thought about it as a second profession

12. Croutons or bacon bits? Pork Fat rules!

13. Favorite day of the week? If I ever get another day off I'll enjoy that one (hope it's a Sunday)

14. Favorite Restaurant? Automatic Slims, possibly the only attractive thing in Memphis - well there is the Peabody for dessert after eating just across the street at Automatic Slims

15. Favorite Flower? Dutch Iris

16. Favorite sport to watch? Ole MIss Football, you can have the rest of it

17. Favorite Drink? Real Coke w/rum or sans rum

18. Favorite ice cream? Breyer's Mint Chocolate Chip

19. Disney or Warner Brothers? Gimme the Mouse House although I aspire to be Yosemite Sam or that fat pig

20. Favorite fast food restaurant? Taco Smell! Weak right now for a bean burrito

21. What color is your bedroom carpet? Builders' grade tan, it sucks

22. How many times have you failed your driver's test? Never, but I am permanently banned from a certain go cart track

23. Before this one, from whom did you get your last email? PNY trying to sell me memory

24. What do you most often do when you are bored? Start with Homestar Runner on the internet then Guild Wars!

25. Bedtime? Determined by supply and demand

26. Who will respond to this e-mail the quickest? Only Kim, doing this to blow her mind!

27. Who is the person you sent this to that is least likely to respond? George W.? Osama? The Donald? Kathy Lee Gifford? Oprah?

28. Who is the person that you are most curious to see their responses? Oprah, of course!

29. Favorite TV shows? Friday night Sci-Fi channel, love Firefly (of course it's been cancelled for 4 years now)

30. What is your most cherished possession? Used to be my lead sled el camino until it was stolen...uh uh I must shut up now - promised not to warp whine anymore.

31. Ford or Chevy? Chevy of course

32. What are you listening to right now? Mindi Abair, awesome soft jazz with a rock flavoring

33. If money and time was not a barrier where would you go on vacation? To Alaska silly looking for palm trees n boat drinks - that way I know if I'd been there before.

34. How many tattoos do you have? None, almost got the Grade 'A' Prime USDA seal on my butt when in Nam

35. How many pets do you have? None, but I do create these nasty little bone horror thingys in Guild Wars. Hey, I like 'em

36. Which came first the chicken or the egg? Have no idea but I bet Colonel Sanders was lurking in the background when this event took place


37. What would you like to accomplish before you die? To see those Alaskan palm trees


38. How many people are you sending this e-mail to? lol

On occasion I will return some email thangys. I liked this one! Thinking about retiring to Alaska now. Can't wait to laze under the palms!

Later ya'll, must get ready for work.

"A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking."
-Earl Wilson

Ready for Uber Cute?

When the article read like this:

ToeSocks06 writes "The cutest site i've ever or youve ever seen is this one CLICK IT NOW LOL!!! because they have the cutest pictures you will ever see :) :) :) Like hamsters wearing SO CUTE hats and so many kittens zomg i love kitties especially that brown one i hope they show him with hats to LOLOLOLOLOL!!! Ok I gottta go now bye!!!"

it was impossible for me NOT to click on it. Try it out! Stolen from Slashdot. Thanks to Toesocks06 for the link!

I've always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain't that the truth."
-Quincy Jones