I know Mr. Timberlake has been kind of a twit lately, but after my friend in Boston sent me a link today, I just had to share these pictures of Justin at the spa. He's still pretty damn hot.

The sound is even louder today, though still sort of in the distance. But the bugs are definitely close up. The tree by my entrance isn't too bad but one just across the complex is covered. See for yourself.

They aren't cicadas making that sound after all... the Flying Saucers are coming!

A CNN report on the cicadas

Happy birthday to Enya. The New Age superstar is 43 today -- that is unless she is actually just a digital construct, as some suspect.

The sound started yesterday.

As I was walking to the gym through an older wooded neighborhood, I could hear it somewhere off to the right. Though I saw 'them' all around me, none of the cicadas nearby were making the noise. But it sounded like there were lots of them doing it together... somewhere.

And it wasn't just a buzz... it was this undulating sound, a kind of ruhruhruhruhruhruhruh...

I was struggling to think of a similar sound, and what I thought of was a flying saucer from the old B&W sci-fi movie Earth vs. the Flying Saucers.

I was surprised to read in the Washington Post today that an expert used an almost identical analogy:

Christine Simon, one of the country's premier cicada experts, a precisely spoken evolutionary biologist, resorts to Hollywood to find a metaphor. A mass of singing cicadas, she says, sounds like "flying saucers from a 1950s sci-fi film."

I was surfing a bit before heading to the gym (through the minefield of cicada carcasses) and found Pen & Paper :: RPG Database >this nifty web site. It's not a complete bibliography (though that reminds me, my personal web page is in sore need of updating) but it has stuff that I forgot I even worked on!

I was relucant to say anything about how the whole Brood X cicada thing was overblown, since I've only seen a few scattered about my complex. I thought maybe, despite there being many large trees about that it's because I live pretty close to the city or something. Then I read that the cicadas could be around for as much as a month.

This morning the walk was littered with little empty exoskeletons, and there were quite a few cicadas on the wall and trees.

It's just beginning.

I don't know why, but I just love Richard Thompson's offbeat cartoons...

Today I want to rant about the Metro system. I have always thought it was very cool and sleek and futuristic (and actually, I still think the design is). Architect Harry Weese designed it: large oval vaults made up of coffered concrete tiles. All the lighting was carefully arranged to be indirect and dramatic. As you can see here, when a train arrives a slice of the ceiling darkens.

Unfortunately, it turned out that the indirect lighting was insufficient on the upper platforms where the farecard machines were, and they retrofitted these ugly hanging cylinder lights. And the elegant coffers seemed to amplify the noise of the electric trains, so they had to install these clunky sound dampening panels in all the tiles in the upper areas of the stations. Well, sometimes these things happen.

But my main beef is with how the system has been badly mismanaged over the last several years. Huge sums of money are spent on seemingly pointless things, such as a staff of lawyers and a new law library (!?) and this electronic sign system that cost millions of dollars, and after several years still doesn't work properly. Last night I arrived at Farragut North to find the outgoing platform completely packed, and people piled on the escalator and milling around on the upper level. Obviously there was a serious delay/breakdown, but the upper level sign only scrolled the tired old security message and a list of elevator outages.

Maintenance is an ongoing problem. Escalators seem to be broken as often as they are working. Trains are overcrowded and aging.

And now they want to raise the fares again. Grrr.

Ahhh! The cicadas are coming! Actually this Washington Post article isn't nearly as fun as the prediction of coverage that Gene found. The thought of Gurvir Dhindsa in a cicada costume made me laugh out loud.

I've been trying to tell people that the things are harmless and to stop panicking, but I have to admit that I was a little creeped out this morning when I was walking to work and one got a little fresh with me and tried to fly up my shorts...

For those of you who also watched JEOPARDY tonight, we learned that Anderson Cooper is not only hot, but smart and clever and charmingly self-deprecating. *Sigh*

Hmm. Haven't looked in my archives in awhile.

One year ago: Activism Lite

Two years ago: Star Wars Fan Movies

I'm copying them to a word file for archiving...

Granted, I'm not an expert on battery technology, but the iPod tip in the newest issue of MacAddict seems counter-intuitive to what I thought I knew about rechargeable batteries. They say to keep your iPod plugged in to the Firewire port/charger as much as possible, and to prolong battery life do not let it drain completely.

It was just a few years ago that I had a utility on my laptop designed to drain the battery so that you would get a full charge and avoid some sort of 'memory' condition.

Think I'll research this more...

A few minutes, some coffee and some Googling later...

Ah ha! Interesting. According to this page, 'memory effect' is pretty much a thing of the past. Lithium batteries are immune to the effect, and a lithium technology battery is apparently what my ipod uses. And here they specifically say to avoid full discharges with lithium batteries. I'll never doubt MacAddict again!

(I've explored the new features area a bit and it looks like some cool stuff, including the ability to include comments. But I think I'll give it a week or so and let them work the bugs out before I go messing with the template. I'm also paranoid about losing all the archives. I wish there was a way to save it all on disk.)

Friday Night I watched a couple of episodes of the old Lost in Space... a few observations...
1. Don West is even hotter than I remember.
2. I don't understand why they didn't stick Smith in a freezing tube and leave him there (oh, that would have made too much sense.)
3. Some of the special effects are pretty cool even now. When the Jupiter 2 first crashes on a planet, the shot is spectacular. And the Chariot is nifty too; the whirlpool shot is quite good for the time.
4. The show is actually kind of... boring. There's a lot of standing around talking and not enough action.

Sunday I met up with Enviroboi at the National Gallery, and we went in to see the Maya exhibit, which was quite interesting. We then went down the Mall to the Natural History Museum and saw an exhibit on Ancient Seaside Villas of the Roman Elite which was interesting as well.

Then we went up to Dupont Circle, were joined by Robert and Sean, and ate and drank the rest of the day away!

(Hmm, there's a new blogger interface. I'm not sure if I like it yet or not. There are buttons for formatting but they don't seem to actually work... probably a Mac thing. Sigh.)

Anyway, I have tickets to see Varekai and those delicious Atherton Twins! Be jealous!

Also, this is wonk week on Jeopardy! The only reason I really care is that hottie Anderson Cooper is going to be on. Tuesday I think. Hope he doesn't make a fool of himself.

The more I read about Kerry the more I dislike him. Not that I would ever in a million years consider voting for Bush, not that THAT matters either since my vote doesn't count in overwhelmingly Republican Virginia, thanks to the aforementioned Electoral College.

So maybe I'll just vote for Nader.

Another Electoral College article in the Wikipedia U.S. Electoral College.

And the final results of the 2000 election... in case you were curious.

Angry yet? Feel betrayed and uncounted?

A fascinating article about the evolution of the Electoral College

Ooooh! Is this for real? t r u t h o u t - Top Aide: "Colin Powell Wants Out"

Sometimes I feel like the only person in the entire world who never got into Friends. I never really got Seinfeld either, though. I don't think I ever sat through an entire episode of that show. Friends I may have watched a couple of, but it never appealed to me (despite thinking that Matt LeBlanc was pretty darn hot). I happened to catch a few minutes of the clips preshow last night (no, I didn't bother with the final episode), and it struck me how oddly gay/not gay that show was. In one clip Ross is hanging around Joey's waist (his face just about in Joey's crotch) while Joey hangs from a fire escape and Joey is trying to get Ross to let go... I'm sure you know the rest. Then in another scene Chandler is complaining to Ross and Joey that Joey's tailor groped him. Joey protests that it's just the way tailors measure your inseam: "...then he moves it to the other side and measures there, then around the back, isn't that how they do it?" And Ross says "Yeah... in prison!!!" (insert laughs).

And I recall one episode where Joey and Chandler borrow a baby to wheel around outside thinking it would be a chick magnet, but everyone assumes they are a gay couple. I just found it all rather annoying.

Though I don't even like Will & Grace anymore; everyone on the show has become even more of a shrill parody of an actual human character than they started out to be. Now they just exist to bounce snarky, too-clever one-liners off each other.

Maybe the sitcom deserves to die.

Well, I've got the latest episode of Angel and the increasingly lame Enterprise, not to mention two eps of Charmed (is Chris yummy or what?) on TiVo, so I have some catching up to do this weekend. What did I do before TiVo?

Oh and for those who were wondering, the Friday Five is no more. :-(

A nice little CNN bio of one of my personal heroes: Steve Jobs

CNN.com - Bush: Abuse of Iraqi prisoners 'abhorrent'

I don't see anywhere in here where Bush actually apologizes. Typical of this administration (notice below that the military official personally apologized). Instead Bush tried to distance himself from the scandal, claiming that this isn't the America that he knows, and launches into some garbage about compassion. Where is his compassion for gays and lesbians? F*cking holier-than-thou hypocrite.

Because today I am bored and disenchanted, let's go back in time and review this hilarious summary of the final episode of Boy Meets Boy (about to be available on DVD with alleged extra footage... hopefully including lots of allegedly str8 Franklin with his shirt off...)

Oooh! An entire archive of video reports by my favorite flight director! (oh yeah and some other people too).

A couple choice Bush quotes, courtesy of Gene Cowan.

When Bush says stuff like this (and his line about the Iraqi insurgents who 'hate freedom') it boggles my mind. How can he so radically oversimplify things and ignore the blatant ironies in his words? I guess that assumes he knows what he is saying -- as opposed to just parroting things his Sith Lord Darth Cheney is using the Dark Side of the Force to make him say.

In all seriousness, is Bush really that stupid, that clueless, or just a big fat liar? (or all three).

The only good thing is that our 'president' (who, I remind you, got 540,000 fewer votes than Gore) and his ridiculous pronouncements provides ample fodder for Doonesbury and Boondocks.

Apparently some of the guys atSlashdot have a little too much time on their hands... it was funny though.

One little footnote about Brazil Boy from cycling instructor training... When we three guys were in the locker room changing before lunch, Castro guy suggested we go to Subway, and Brazil said he couldn't because he was on the Atkins diet. I was incredulous. This guy wasn't 5% body fat, but he sure didn't have even the tiniest roll of fat over his skintight bike shorts either.

Castro then asked "How's that working for you?" and Brazil said that it was really effective.

Well... maybe he'd been on it and already lost almost all he needed or something... but it just seemed a little weird to me. This Atkins thing is out of control.

Brazil ended up going to Subway with us and getting a salad. He turned out to be one of those guys who asks for special stuff, like "can I have extra of (this or that) because I'm not getting (this)?" and wheedling the server to give him just a little more baby spinach... a little more?

It was a little annoying, but maybe that's because I was brought up in a "Take what you are served and be happy about it!" household.

My sister posted this link on her blog, and I wanted to add it to mine.CNN.com - Defending Kerry, senator blasts 'chicken hawks'.

So, Bush's service consisted of a year of National Guard where he may not have even shown up, and Cheney somehow didn't serve at all; yet they attack Kerry. Interesting how it's always the guys who never actually fought who are so intent on sending young men and women to fight and die. The Joint Chiefs are never eager to jump into war. And as an aside, Cheney really gives me the creeps.

Now I remember why I stopped listening to Morning Edition after Bush stole the White House.

It just makes me furious.

It's not Morning Edition, but it's hearing about the unbelievably atrocious things Bush and his cronies are doing. And there are still people out there who would vote for him.

Two things today:

1. Bush and Cheney are meeting with the 9/11 commission. BUT... it is off the record, they won't be under oath, and they INSISTED on meeting with the commission TOGETHER. Isn't it obvious that they want to be able to tell any lies they want, and they need to be together to keep their story straight!? HELLO!

2. I do miss Nina Totenberg's Supreme Court coverage. Where else do you hear the justices actually grilling the lawyers, interrupting, asking probing questions. I admit that the operations of the court fascinate me. Today's story was about the men who are charged as enemy combatants. The Bush Administration thinks that because we are in a state of war (which, uh, didn't we declare?) they can hold American citizens they suspect of terrorist acts -- or even thinking about committing terrorist acts -- in solitary confinement, indefinitely, with no access to legal counsel, without charging them with a crime. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? Fortunately, most of the justices seemed very skeptical of this policy.

This morning I had one of those NPR moments, where you are in your car listening to a story and you get to your destination but the story isn't over so you just sit in your car and listen until it's over. It was Bob Edwards interviewing June Lockhart about her roles in Lassie and Lost in Space!

I remember loving LiS when I was a little kid (maybe having a strange little crush on Will Robinson too), and it was funny to hear June talk about the most ridiculous episode of all ("The Great Vegetable Rebellion," of course!). Her description of the 'stunt Lassie' was pretty funny too.

I used to listen to Morning Edition all the time, but when Bush stole the White House the news on NPR became too depressing and i switched to the commercial classical station; the curmudgeonly host of which i liked, even though the commercials were really annoying. Then that host retired and i would listen to ME again sometimes. And now of course, our days with Bob are numbered so I listen almost every day... you never appreciate things enough until you realize you are about to lose them.

For some reason, as I was drifting off to sleep the other night, I started thinking about the mall near where I lived as a kid, South Hills Village. I'm sure it's changed a lot since my sister and I used to sit outside the Bailey Banks & Biddle (a huge snooty-looking jewelry store) bored to tears while our parents went in and looked at god-knows-what for seemingly hours. It was even worse when they went to the women's clothing stores.

When I was there, the anchor stores were Gimbel's and Horne's, both gone now, and when we got to eat out someplace special it was at Stouffer's, which I remember was big and dark and had an asian decor. years later I would work there a couple of college summers as a grill cook, and met the cute and brilliant but rather odd (he had a page-boy haircut, of all things) fellow UVa student Zuard R. Wonder where he is now...

I see SHV has a food court and a multiplex. It used to have one huge theater, which I think is a church (of all things) now...

Well all day Spinning Instructor Training wasn't so bad.

At first I was afraid I would be the only guy with 14 women (and the male instructor), but at the last minute a not-bad looking guy in a skin-tight sleeveless UnderArmor shirt came in (so tight I could see he had a nipple-ring), and a minute later gorgeous young man (Brazilian it turns out) came in. Very cute, excellent shape but not overly buff, darling smile.

Turns out that nipple ring lives in this big apt building called 'The Castro' in the heart of gay-ghetto Dupont Circle (and he seemed so butch too). The Brazilian has lived here many years so speaks perfectly but has a slight accent. He actually started talking to me (put his hand on my arm! don't get excited, I saw him do it to nipple-ring too). We all went to lunch together (with a couple of the women).

After lunch Brazil asked if he could share instructor books with me (he registered late so didn't have one.) We all were having the lecture part in an aerobics room, it was hard not to notice how good he looked when he rolled onto his stomach and showed off his, ahem, assets in his bike shorts right next to me. But, he had a big gold ring on his right ring finger (gay marriage finger) what a flirt. But still, wish I'd gotten his email address.

Are you surprised that all three guys in the spinning instructor class are gay? ;-)

Do you ever notice...

That on TV shows, the computers you almost always see (at least owned by cool people) are Macs? Seinfeld had a Mac, Willow on Buffy had a Mac (though, annoyingly, they covered the logo with a sticker), and they always have a Mac on Real World. Jeff Goldblum had a Mac in Independence Day (though I'm still hazy on how a virus sent on a Mac managed to crash the alien computer...). Even in the comics, most of the time you see the characters using Macs: Non Sequitur, Sally Forth, and others.

And it seems like a lot of the scientists at JPL use titanium Powerbooks.

So who are all these boring people who make up the other supposed 97% of personal computers running windows?

By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.
Open, locks,
Whoever knocks!

Macbeth. ACT IV Scene 1.

Happy Birthday, Will Shakespeare!

Ugh, I've been feeling more tired than usual lately. Not physically tired, but more mentally tired, I think partly it's the stress of all the changes at work (e.g., my asst. Ken leaving and the agonizing search for a replacement, another staff member stolen away to a remote site--and the client at that site being very demanding--new branch manager hired out of nowhere... I could go on and on). Though in many ways I have it pretty easy. I've been allowed to run my department the way I please with little interference. And here I sit in a t-shirt and shorts, pretty nice to be able to be so casual. But this is a high-pressure business, lots of deadlines and sometimes persnickety equipment can make for stress.

Anyway, I'm not much looking forward to spending nine hours tomorrow in Spinning Instructor Training, but it means free gym membership and $50 for every class I teach... not to mention the little ego trip...

In honor of Earth Day...

Is this cool or what? I'd love to have a house off the grid.

I'm going through gay tv withdrawl.

Last year we had Reichen and Chip on Amazing Race, Queer Eye was fresh and new, and best of all we had the so-bad-it-was-fun Boy Meets Boy. At least we still have that cutie-queen Wes' website to visit.

I don't get Showtime, so no QaF for me, but that show was too over the top for my taste anyway.

While lying about my house being a slug yesterday, I finally watched White Squall, which I had TiVo'ed from the day before. It's one of those movies that people were surpised that I hadn't seen before (maybe because it featured a shipload of high school boys often with their shirts off? I don't know).

Anyway, it was good from a cinematic standpoint (Has Ridley Scott done a visually bad film?), though I found it amusing that by 20 minutes into the film, cute little Scott Wolf had already been shown making serious puppy-dog eyes at Captain Jeff Bridges at least half a dozen times. And the movie's eye candy certainly lived up to its reputation. In particular of course was the ever-beautiful Ryan Phillippe, looking especially fetching in his high-and-tight haircut. One of the first times we see him, he is dripping wet and shirtless, his eyes blue as the sky and those lips to rival Angelina Jolie's. Later on we even get a gratuitous shot of his butt in soaking wet (and so translucent) tighty-whities... a preview of Ryan's famous nude rear shots in Cruel Intentions and 54 I suppose.

The ending was a bit much, and was awfully reminiscent of Dead Poet's Society, but overall I enjoyed it. I'm wondering if I should rent the DVD, since of course the TV version was edited.

While Thunderbirds was not my favorite of the old Gerry and Sylvia Anderson 'supermarionation' shows (I preferred Stingray), I think I am gonna have to see this! Jonathan Frakes (Riker from ST:TNG and director of Star Trek: First Contact) is directing, Bill Paxton and Ben Kingsley are in it, and those sons look pretty hot. Not to mention the special effects look like a cool mix of modern and the goofy models-on-wires of the old version.

Remember my 'Adopted' Marine in Iraq, Jose Santos? Well thankfully he still isn't on
this grim list, and in fact here he is recently photographed, and I'm not sure from the article, but it sounds like maybe he's back home in the US! (How many Marine Lance Corporal Jose Santos' can there be?)

One of my favorite Pet Shop Boys songs, from their album Very. The first few times I listened to it though, I didn't understand what the lyrics were really about...


Can You Forgive Her?

Another night with open eyes
Too late to sleep, too soon to rise
You're short of breath, is it a heart attack?
Hot and feverish you face the fact

You're in love, and it feels like shame
Because she's gone and made a fool of you in public again
You're in love, and it feels like pain
Because you know there's too much truth in everything she claims

So ask yourself now: Can you forgive her
If she wants you to?
Ask yourself: Can you even deliver
What she demands of you?

You drift into the strangest dreams
Of youthful follies and changing teams
Admit you're wrong, oh, no, not yet
Then you wake up and remember that you can't forget

She's made you some kind of laughing stock
Because you dance to disco, and you don't like rock
She'd make fun of you, and even in bed
Said she was gonna go and get herself a real man instead

So ask yourself now: Can you forgive her
If she begs you to?
Ask yourself: Can you even deliver
What she demands of you?
Or do you want revenge?
But that's childish, so childish!
(But that's childish, so childish!)

Remember when you were more easily led
Behind the cricket pavilion and the bicycle shed
Trembling as your dreams came true
You looked right into those blue eyes and knew

It was love, and now you can't pretend
You've forgotten all the promises of that first friend
It's bad enough, she knows how you feel
But she's not prepared to share you with the memory

So ask yourself now: Can you forgive her
If she begs you to?
Ask yourself: Can you even deliver
What she demands of you?
Ask yourself now: Can you forgive her
If she begs you to?
And ask yourself: Can you even deliver
What she demands of you?
Or do you want revenge?
But that's childish, so childish! You could do anything...

Oh, Damn.

I lived in Charlottesville for 16 years including my undergraduate time at the University, and I left with mixed feelings (employer in financial trouble, and not much of a social life for a gay guy). After a decade in the hell-hole of arrogance commonly known as Washington DC, I've been really thinking about selling my overvalued Arlington condo and moving back. I still have friends there. The problem is that good jobs are scarce in C'ville...

And on a related front, happy birthday, Mr Jefferson.

Note that on his self-written epitaph he mentions founding the University, but not that he was the third president of the United States.

More Scary Bush Stuff this time in the Boston Globe, care of Gene. The Bushes in bed with the Saudis...flights that 'didn't take place' and bin Laden family members. Very creepy. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

It would seem like a weekend full of questionable TV...

Saturday night I watched the last part of The Odyssey on Sci-fi channel (the one from a few years ago with Armand Assante, Vanessa Williams, and Isabella Rossellini as the rather bemused goddess Athena). I think I'd seen parts of it before, but I'd forgotten how incredibly hot Odysseus' son Telemachus was (played by the beautifully lean and toned--and usually shirtless--Alan Stenson, wish I could find a picture!).

Then I started watching a cheesy remake of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. They changed the scientist's assistant in the original book to his young daughter and had Capt Nemo and Ned Land (who was hot) vying for her affections. ICK! In the book Nemo was mad with grief over the murder of his wife and son, and hated war (and so destroyed warships) because his family had been tortured and killed to try to make him tell his tech secrets to a military power; he certainly wasn't interested in wooing the ladies. I HATE it when they completely change the intent of the book to add some 'romance.' The old Disney version was MUCH truer, and James Mason made a wonderful Captain Nemo (and the Nautilus sets and model were much, MUCH better). I suffered through the entire movie Sunday on TiVo, so I could zip through the commercials and slow bits. The only other highlight was Ned Land shirtless...

I skipped the Nick and Jessica Variety Hour Sunday night except for about three excruciating minutes of Nick singing a duet with Kit the car from Knight Rider (and it wasn't even Kit's real voice). I enjoyed Tom Shales' comment this morning in the Washington Post that Nick and Jessica seemed to have competing cleavages: his pecs were hanging out of his unbuttoned shirt about as much as her boobs pushing out of her blouse. Not that I would complain; 98 Degrees' best asset was three sets of perfect pecs...

Well Spike TV is now showing Deep Space Nine and I just watched Crossover, the one where Kira and Bashir end up in the parallel universe first visited by Kirk & co. on TOS in Mirror Mirror. I bet it was a hoot for the actors, and the whole Intendant self-love/lesbian thing was... interesting. (Made me feel a little better about the gay theme in my sci-fi story.)

And of course, it was another situation (see Wrath of Khan) where Kirk got himself into something and made a unilateral decision (give the genetically enhanced people a planet to play on; arrange an overthrow of the Terran Empire) and for one reason or another, it went horribly wrong. Makes you wonder what else he screwed up while violating the Prime Directive.

Last night I had some time to go through the extras disc of my Star Trek: Voyager Season One DVD set, and by far the most interesting thing was the footage of Genevieve Bujold as the first actor cast as Janeway. Woah. All I can say is thank god she quit after a day and a half. She was AWFUL. People kept saying what a talented actress she was, but I thought she was terrible, really flat, almost emotionless most of the time, no presence at all. Granted it was weird seeing her play scenes that in my mind Kate Mulgrew had made her own ("It's not crunch time yet, Mr. Kim; I'll let you know.") Mulgrew was so much better as Janeway: commanding but compassionate, strong but still a woman. She would stride onto the bridge and take command.

Oh, and maybe this is catty, but Bujold was just physically wrong. Short, with that mousy grey hair, and these really big low hips that made her look almost deformed in a Star Fleet uniform. Why did they choose her in the first place??

Seeing the rough cut with Bujold really also brought home how hard it must be to act on a sci-fi or fantasy show where a lot of what happens around you is special effects added later. The controls don't beep, some of the displays aren't even there, the viewscreen is a big green thing, and the approaching wave of destruction is a guy off-camera counting down so the actors can get ready to fall out of their chairs.

One other little clip was an interview with Mulgrew telling that many scenes were filmed with her hair down in a sort of neck-length bob, but the 'suits' didn't like it. So came the infamous 'Janeway bun,' and at great expense they re-shot a bunch of scenes in the pilot.

Now we're talkin!

In today's Washington Post:

"I've already called Justin, but unfortunately, he hasn't called back."

-- pop star George Michael, confessing that he would like to duplicate the infamous Madonna- Britney Spears lip lock on the guy's side with none other than Britney's ex, Justin Timberlake, according to London's Daily Mirror.

Well well. Some interesting points about what Dubya wasn't doing on the morning of 9/11

My favorite Flight Director (scroll down and click on Flight Director Update under Multimedia) is wearing a rather tight shirt today! I'm all atingle!

After a sabbatical, the Friday Five Returns!

1. What do you do for a living?

I'm the Digital Dept Manager at a printer/reprographics firm, which means I do everything from graphic design to troubleshooting print jobs to maintaining all the software and hardware for the digital departments in our D.C. shops, to supervising the staff... (Oh and I write fantasy and sci-fi freelance, but that's another story).

2. What do you like most about your job?

I'm always learning new things, and seeing the work that comes in from clients (everything from environmental nonprofits to area architecture firms to law firms) is often interesting.

3. What do you like least about your job?

When clients don't know what they are doing and send in incomplete projects, demand unreasonable deadlines... it seems like the architects are the worst. And often the most arrogant too.

4. When you have a bad day at work it's usually because _____...

Some days everything goes wrong. The printers jam, the computers and RIPS crash, somebody sends some hideous job in using Microsoft Punisher (Publisher) or Word... and wonders why their job looks like crapola. And it's amazing the number of people who do not understand the concept of proportion

5. What other career(s) are you interested in?

Ironically, I Have a B.S. in Architecture and enjoy the design aspect. Also writing of course. Aerospace Engineer? ;-)

Now I remember why I haven't watched A.I. Artificial Intelligence since I bought the DVD. It's beautiful (drowned NY, Jude Law, the soft light, Rouge City) but very, very depressing.

"I want to be a real boy!"

Link from Gene C. About Ashcroft's lates Jihad (guess I better hurry up and fill out my Bel Ami DVD collection!), and a really scary DVD player:Does this sound Talibanesque to you?

Hmm, Clearplay... Clearchannel? Coincidence? I don't think so.

More cool pictures from Mars. That trough with the rocks in the bottom in the Opportunity picture is very interesting, and the hazy distant rim of Gusev from Spirit... eerie.

And scroll down for another video update from my favorite Aerospace Engineer and Mission Director, Chris Lewicki!

Big article about Apple Computer on the front page of the Business section of the Washington Post today. As seems typical of media coverage of Apple, it has this attitude of "Apple is doing great, go figure!" followed by "it's bound to collapse eventually; the company is on borrowed time." They've been saying this for 20 years.

Though I remember the really dark times of Gil Amelio. When Steve Jobs came back I distinctly remember telling a skeptical Vince: "He is going to save the company. I wish I had money to buy stock!"

Then came the iMac. Jobs (and let's not forget brilliant designer Jonathan Ive) turned the company around, gave it vision again. Ive designed both iMacs and the iPod, but Jobs was the motivator, the inspiration.

There are rumblings that he should take over Disney. Imagine what he could do!

"Dr. Grant, my dear Dr. Sadler, Welcome to Jurassic Park"

Yes, I watched it again over the weekend. I just love the music (scroll down and click on "Theme from Jurassic Park".

For you fans of the athletic Atherton Twins Kevin and Andrew, Bravo is having another Cirque blowout. Varekai is on April 10 at 8 pm and 12 am.

And for you fans of Anderson Cooper, he is apparently going to be on Jeopardy in May as part of some media/politico week. I'll try to keep you posted, and we'll see if he's as smart as he sounds.

Gene C. beat me to posting about Penguin suddenly and mysteriously changing their mind about republishing Mrs. Vice President Lynne Halliburton-Cheney's bodice-ripper/lesbian romance novel from 1981. Here's his post with a full quote: Just As I Thought: I won't even comment

Hell, I originally wrote my cheesy Space Master story back around then too, and while it's not my best work either (gay space-opera based on my role - playing game anyone?) but I wouldn't complain about it getting published. But then I'm not Lynne Cheney either; might not take much to send Dick's ticker into fibrillation...

I can't help it.

I'm still watching the Brini Maxwell Show. Someone described the viewing experience as similar to "watching a train wreck: it's awful, but you can't tear your eyes away." Last episode 'she' was doing embroidery while riding in a somersaulting biplane.

Style network's flip-side show, New York Nick I haven't been so religious about. We need less of Viv and Aunt Diz and more of Nick Scotti in a wifebeater (or, preferably, less... that teaser for the show of him getting out of bed nude was just that: a tease!). It's true he looks a little weaterbeaten in teh face, but I still wouldn't kick him out of my place, especially if he cooked me meals like he does on the show.

Well, after being awakened at around 4 this morning by howling winds and spattering rain against my window, I decided that I wasn't going to brave the bike tour today. It cleared up for awhile, but as I sit in my warm room, the clouds have descended and it's raining again, wind gusts to 40 mph -- try that on a bike! *Brrr.*

Last year a warm drizzle on the Middleburg ride was not too bad but today with the temps in the 40's, (they even said possible snow flurries) it would be awful. I still feel a little guilty, but between the weather and the Daylight Saving thing (I don't know why, but just the one-hour change completely messes me up every spring -- I'm not this bad with jet lag!) I'm completely out of it. I didn't even go to the regular cycling class at the gym. I hope to pull myself together and go over there later today.

But first, more coffee I think, and rustle through the paper some more. There was an article about a new Mayan exhibit at the National Gallery I hope to check out soon.

Then maybe one of the episodes of A History of Britain I have on the TiVo.

Feeling blah today, not sure why. Was up a bit late but just at home, not out partying or anything. I think it is partly the antihistamine I reluctantly took a few hours ago because my sinuses (aka 'the faucet') were driving me crazy, so now I have 'balloon-head.'

I should be hauling my bike out of storage and pumping up the tires in preparation for the ride tomorrow, but instead I am wandering around the house in a daze, picking up the paper or a magazine, flopping on the bed, getting up, going to the computer, folding laundry... Ugh. And cycling/pilates in less than 2 hours too.

Must... get... moving... must... zzzzz.

Wow. Gateway to Shutter Stores On April 9, Cut 2,500 Jobs.

Meanwhile, the Apple Stores are doing very well.

While I wish Air America Radio all the best, I fear that it is doomed to fail. Why? Because I don't think it's in the nature of liberals to want to go out and attack people. That's why we're the peaceniks and the conservatives are the warmongers. They're just plain meaner.

Though I do enjoy a joke at Ann Coulter's expense now and then.

Well good for this girl! Though I have to admit, while I knew Ken was gay all along, I just assumed that Barbie® was his clueless beard. Who knew she was a lesbian!

Today is the birthday of Sir Alec Guinness. "Use the Force, Luke!"

I like to call this new picture from Opportunity "So, we meet again!"

I love the drama of the rover's shadow looming over this isolated rock that, strangely enough in all this empty plain, Opportunity bounced on when arriving on Mars while still in its airbag protection.

Ah, the joys of home ownership. (Or even condo ownership.)

On the plus side is of course the snazzy tax deduction, and of course the fact that your monthly payment is actually going towards buying a home of your own rather than getting sucked into some rental void.

However, when you own your place, of course you own all the stuff inside it. And when that stuff breaks you can't just call the landlord and arrange to have it fixed. Over the last two years I've replaced every major appliance in the kitchen and the air-handler part of my heat-pump. Yoicks.

It's been a mixed bag overall. None of the kitchen stuff had downright failed (except for the microwave above the range, that died; and my little old counter-top model I hauled out of the attic just didn't cut it) but the dishwasher just wasn't cleaning the dishes, and the fridge was making that death-rattle. Everything was also pushing 20 years old. So these are my results.

Dishwasher: I got a GE Triton with three (three!) spinning washers and a built-in disposer. That thing kicks ass. Totally happy with it.

Fridge: I got a GE, wanted a side-by-side but they are a lot more expensive and turns out not made narrow enough for the space I have. I DID get an icemaker but now I regret not getting the filter attachment, as I discovered that the regular tap-water ice smells yucky. I drink water only from my Brita, which I guess has been smart because now there is a lead-in-water scandal in the DC area.

Range/Microwave: I had one of those all-in-one units, range/oven below and microwave above, which they apparently don't make anymore. So I had to pay to have the guys come in and build a mounting to hang the microwave, kind of sucked. However, I love the new microwave! GE also, it totally kicks ass, way more powerful that my old one or the counter one. Does a big bag of popcorm in 1:45 instead of 4:30!

The range is ok I guess. I like the digital controls, and the ceramic top is nice for cleaning. But it is SO SLOW. I had gas in Charlottesville at Ashtree, and I got spoiled. Gas is the only way to go if you are any kind of serious cook. So, it's okay... for what it is.

And now the toilet flusher is acting up. Needs replacing, which I have done before. Glad I'm not squeamish about that sort of minor home repair. Time to haul out the crescent wrench.

If you hurry you can go here, scroll down and catch a video of cute as a button NASA flight director Chris Lewicki talk about Opportunity activities.

Ahhh. This really takes me back. Scott Madsen -- The Original Soloflex Poster Boy

NPR : Color TV's 50th Anniversary. I think I'll spend the rest of the afternoon/evening in front of my color 52" LCD HD TV. Maybe I'll watch the Disney classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, in color, of course.

Ah ha! As soon as I saw this picture from Spirit I was wondering what that little object was on the far edge of the crater. it was obviously artificial. Just the heatshield! But it does seem like an interesting coincidence that after driving hundreds of meters towards this crater, Spirit should happen to come upon one of the two other man-made objects withing thousands of kilometers? (the other being the parachute and upper portion of the capsule).

This morning I heard that there were actually 24 suicides by US soldiers in Iraq last year. The suicide rate there is much higher than that in the armed forces in general. Suicides in Iraq, Questions at Home (washingtonpost.com)

And I ment to link to this page again on the first anniversary of the misguided war in Iraq...

Do you ever wake up early in the morning, about an hour before the alarm goes off (4:30 in my case), and just kind of lie in bed in a half-asleep daze? I did this morning and as I rolled over for some reason I asked myself who I wished was here with me. My parameters for candidates were kind of hazy, but included past boyfriends (not that many, and as I ran backwards through time it occurred to me that I hadn't seriously dated anyone in nearly eight years, since before I had moved out of Dupont Circle and into Arlington).

Strangely enough, I went all the way back to Charlottesville and my last roommate, Paul W. We never even messed around, and as far as I know he's straight. But we had a pretty good roommate relationship until the end when his med-school stresses and my neuroses caused a breakdown between us. But before then we would cook and eat together, I would happily be his 'patient' (he was studying to be an opthalmologist, get your mind out of the gutter!) and we would give each other backrubs. Yes, I did have the hots for him but I was still struggling with denial. We'd also wrestle sometimes. I think he must have suspected I might be gay but it didn't seem to bother him. Anyway, he was (usually) a good guy to be around, and I still think about him.

The other guy was Dave D., who as far as I know is also straight (he's married with 2 kids in fact) but we used to wrestle after a few beers. And we shared the same bed on several occasions--even snuggling together--but nothing sexual ever happened. I remember waking up one morning in bed with him at Pete and Olivia's house after one of their wild parties. The window was open onto their balcony and the sun was shining outside--we could even hear Pete and the O. outside having coffee. Dave and I goofed around in bed for a while, just tickling each other and playing around, all pretty innocent.

Those were the good old days. And those were the only two guys I could think of in my semi-awake state who I would have wanted to be there right then. Or actually right now.

Whoa. MediaGuardian.co.uk | Media | US government faked Bush news reports

Opportunity made it out of the crater! Check out this panorama!

Happy Birthday Captain Kirk!

I love it! Ex-Adviser Says Bush Ignored Terror Threats

This week's (rather pedestrian) Friday Five:

If you...

1. ...owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve?

I like all kinds of food (except Indian)... burgers, steak, Thai, Vietnamese... and there would have to be a fabulous bar.

2. ...owned a small store, what kind of merchandise would you sell?

Role playing games, sci-fi stuff.

3. ...wrote a book, what genre would it be?

I already have written a couple. Fantasy and sci-fi!

4. ...ran a school, what would you teach?

Evolution, among other things ('creation science' is an oxymoron). It would be all about the sciences.

5. ...recorded an album, what kind of music would be on it?

Either Baroque classical or sugary dance-pop.

Argh! Parents angered by book about gay princes

Holding the book hostage from the library because THEY don't think it's appropriate! I call that attempted censorship.

I say send 'em a bill for the book and order a replacement.

Maybe it's me, but sometimes when I look at these Mars pictures of the desolate landscape marked by the little rover treads I'm overcome by this feeling of the loneliness of the place. Of course they are just little robots, but I've always had a bad tendency to anthropomorphize things. And I saw Silent Running, with the irresistably cute (much cuter than R2D2) robots Huey, Dewey & Louie. I cried at the end.

Well, I'm excited and a little nervous. I just got an email from my cycling instructor saying that after I passed my certification (a day long class at the end of April) that Washingtonsports would hire me to be a cycling instructor! Woo!

No, I am not changing careers; I'm doing this to supplement my income. At first I would just be subbing for other instructors, but hopefully if I do well I'll get assigned my own regular class. The benefits of doing this are 1] Free club membership (that saves me $80 a month right there), 2] $50 per class I teach, 3] You can deduct all related expenses (clothes, CDs, music... I'll be shopping at the iTunes Store!) from your taxes; and last but not least: 4] I'll be able to inflict my Cher, Boyband and Pet Shop Boys remixes on a bunch of poor sweating minions while ordering them to "Cycle faster, bitches!" ('bitches' part only in my mind of course)

More cool stuff from the Mars Rovers! I haven't been mentioning them as often, but I go to the NASA site at least once a day to check on their progress. Opportunity is about ready to roll out of the crater it landed in, and Spirit may be about to move into the crater Bonneville that it has just arrived at. Interesting drifts outside Bonneville. Both Rovers are in excellent health, the only problem with Opportunity being that the shortening days at Meridiani mean less sun on the solar arrays, and so the rover has to take a nap during the day to recharge.

On a related topic, the other day I stopped by the Mars Exhibit at National Geographic Explorer's Hall (National Geo HQ is literally around the corner from my office; I should really visit more often.) The exhibit is pretty cool, with high-res versions of the cool digital animations, a full-scale model of the rovers, and this nifty 3D map of Mars that you can navigate around. I recommend it if you are a Mars fan and in the area!

I think when we were kids, the parents took Tam and me to Cypress Gardens on one of our (I think) several winter trips to Florida. I remember it being sort of interesting but sort of boring. We also went to Weeki Wachee (I remember it being cheesy even back then, but in a fun way, with the fake mermaids) and Busch Gardens in Tampa. Sometimes we would go to Sanibel island, a couple hours south of Tampa. I remember one time getting a terrible sunburn.

Another Friday Five:

1. What was the last song you heard?

Pet Shop Boys: Where the Streets Have No Name (on my ipod)

2. What were the last two movies you saw?

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King... and, um... Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

3. What were the last three things you purchased?

Star Trek Voyager Season 1 DVDs, Fall of the Kings, a book by Ellen Kushner and followup to her excellent Swordspoint, and a latte at the Java Shack yesterday.

4. What four things do you need to do this weekend?

Cycling class, pilates class, layout some report for work, and shop at the Whole Foods.

5. Who are the last five people you talked to?

Ken (my assistant), Keya (our HR person), Larnell (works in finishing), Patrice (Customer Service) and Oscar (Xerox)

Voyager DVD report: well, it is the same tv proportions as DS9 and the opening suffers from an annoying pixelly "Hello... I bought a DVD and I have this monstrous 52" HD ready tv, I want.. BETTER" annoyance, but once you get past that...

Tom. Harry. Chakotay. Tuvok. Did I mention Harry? Harry Kim? The cutest boy ever to grace a starship?

I just finished watching Caretaker and remembered why I love Voyager. Maybe it was co-creator Jeri Taylor (I swear the 2 women co-screenwriters on LotR made the characters come alive) who made these characters more interesting people in some ways than ST:TNG and DS9.

Ok, *sniff sniff* I am not tearing up, really; there's just something under my contact lens. Okay maybe tearing just a little.

I just watched the new Lord of the Rings Trilogy 'supertrailer' that covers all three movies. It's a big fat 71 meg Quicktime download, but well worth the wait. I'll be burning this on CD.

I'm just a wee bit excited. My DVD set of Star Trek Voyager - The Complete First Season is arriving today (along with a couple of books recommended by my Swiss friend and some sort of Yaoi thing that I bought on a lark).

I'm really hoping that the quality of the Voyager DVDs is better than the DS9 sets I've gotten. DS9 suffers partly because it is old tv-formatted and on my widescreen TV it looked boxy of course. But also the quality seemed inferior. It especially looks bad compared to my DVDs of the Stargate Series. Of course that was filmed in quasi-letterbox, but it also seems sharper and more defined.

Poor David Has Weak Ankles. I feel for him, I do too. Some dramatic closeups of his face with the story.

I remember seeing David 'in person' at the Accademia in Florence several years ago. It was the closest thing I ever had to a 'religious experience.'

Some great quotes from the Dino movies:

Jurassic Park, the scientists chastising Hammond:

Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
Ian: God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs...
Ellie Sadler: Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth...
Ian: The complete lack of humility for nature that's being displayed here is staggering.

And Lost World:

Ian Malcolm: Oooh! Ahhh! That's how it always starts. Then later there's running and screaming.

--

John Hammond: Don't worry, I'm not making the same mistakes again.
Dr. Ian Malcolm: No, you're making all new ones.

Sigh

I just watched Jurassic Park for the umpteenth time (some at the theater, some on DVD). and you gotta love Michael Crichton. Andromeda Strain, Terminal Man, Westworld, J.P, Sphere, Congo (the last two, books WAY better than movies). He taps into our culture and writes intelligent, gripping fiction. Who else would have conceived of an island of resurrected dinos using DNA from mosquitos in amber? And we have Speilberg to bring it to life.

I highly recommend Andromeda Strain, book and movie.

It's worth linking to this bizarreness again! The Gallery of Regrettable Food

Now unlike Pat Roberston, who hinted that god should kill off certain more liberal members of the Supreme Court, I don't hope that the fascist Ashcroft dies, just that he is forced to resign. Soon.

This week's flashback Friday Five:

What was...

1. ...your first grade teacher's name?

I don't remember, but I do remember being glad I didn't have Mrs Kerr, who would tie rambunctious boys to their chair (no lie). My favorite teacher was Mrs. Updike in 3rd Grade.

2. ...your favorite Saturday morning cartoon?

It's a tie between Space Ghost/Herculoids and the original 'no girls allowed!' Jonny Quest.

3. ...the name of your very first best friend?

The first one I can remember is Ryan Schmidt

4. ...your favorite breakfast cereal?

Cap'n Crunch!

5. ...your favorite thing to do after school?

I don't remember any one thing. I liked to build models and I had these Lego-like blocks...

I've been feeling... I'm not sure what.

Ambivalent?

Indifferent?

Over just about everything. As I get older I find that it is more and more difficult to get motivated to do things, and to concentrate. I'm not sure if that's just aging or if my serotonin reuptake needs inhibiting. I really don't want to go that route again though.

Well, off to work. Hopefully not too many fires to put out.

Well... Good news from the Governator: Schwarzenegger, Bush at odds over FMA

Thrilling news for Mars! Scientists are convinced that the rocks Opportunity has been studying were once drenched in water!

Imagine Mars with oceans; it's no longer just a fantasy. And with oceans may have come... life.

Current iPod listening:

Jurassic Park soundtrack, John Williams
Return of the King soundtrack, Howard Shore
Trouble With Boys, Loreta
Enya
Pet Shop Boys
Various mixes for cycling class

Wow, even I didn't dare hope that the Lord of the Rings (let's face it, they were really giving awards for the entire trilogy) would do this well at the Oscars!