Sunday, August 20, 2006
Arizona summers are like northern winters: the plants die, most of the birds migrate elsewhere, and everyone stays indoors to escape the extreme weather. Main difference is, here we don't get a nice blanket of snow to cover up the mess that is the yard. All our sins, in the form of abandoned gardening tools, half-finished projects, and crispy hanging plants that we forgot to water one week in May, are naked for the eye to see. That's why I was out in the heat this weekend sweeping several inches of monsoon litter off the patio, ripping up dead tomatoes, and bailing swamp water out of the pond. I'm refinancing the house, which means an appraiser will be out here this week or next, and I don't want the place to look like a disaster area. Last time I did a re-fi the appraiser did a drive-by and valued my house based on another one in the neighborhood that supposedly looked similar. Bleh.
The re-fi is because I'm doing a remodel on the kitchen. The little galley kitchen I've got was fine when I moved in straight from my apartment, but it's gotten cramped over time and showing its age. What I originally proposed to the contractor was "well, I just want to replace the cabinets and countertop, maybe a larger sink.." And he's all "You need to get rid of this window and move the door so we can pull the breakfast bar out and put in corner cabinets with lazy susans..." And it was hard to argue with the guy because he was reading my mind.
I just hope the job doesn't take as long as the quote has. He's better now, but the guy developed kidney stones halfway through and was on interesting drugs for about a week. Holy cow.
1 comments
The re-fi is because I'm doing a remodel on the kitchen. The little galley kitchen I've got was fine when I moved in straight from my apartment, but it's gotten cramped over time and showing its age. What I originally proposed to the contractor was "well, I just want to replace the cabinets and countertop, maybe a larger sink.." And he's all "You need to get rid of this window and move the door so we can pull the breakfast bar out and put in corner cabinets with lazy susans..." And it was hard to argue with the guy because he was reading my mind.
I just hope the job doesn't take as long as the quote has. He's better now, but the guy developed kidney stones halfway through and was on interesting drugs for about a week. Holy cow.
1 comments
Friday, August 18, 2006
Most peculiar.
Blogger cut out my link to this news article in my previous post. And the sentence it was in.
http://www.theregister.com/2006/08/17/flying_toilet_terror_labs/
0 comments
Blogger cut out my link to this news article in my previous post. And the sentence it was in.
http://www.theregister.com/2006/08/17/flying_toilet_terror_labs/
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Quickie post tonight.
Meanwhile, we apparently aren't too concerned about the homeless blowing up shelters.
And finally, just because I like the headline: Zoo Rescues Dolphin Trapped in Speedo. Steve Zissou, where are you?
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Meanwhile, we apparently aren't too concerned about the homeless blowing up shelters.
And finally, just because I like the headline: Zoo Rescues Dolphin Trapped in Speedo. Steve Zissou, where are you?
0 comments
Thursday, August 17, 2006
This blog is in imminant danger of collapsing into nothing but my cat's acne and snarks about work, so I present the first in a series:
Compare and Contrast, Episode One
In this episode, we compare and contrast The Piano Tribute to Pink Floyd (David Ari Leon) and The String Quartet Tribute to Nirvana's Nevermind (Tallywood Strings).
Both albums are classical interpretations of the original rock tunes - well, that's stretching it a bit: the piano one frequently sounds like something you might hear on the "cool jazz" station where the Uncola guy does the call letters. Both make you dig through the fine print to find the artist's name, because the point of the album is not who's performing it now. One covers all the songs from a classic rock album, the other is a "greatest hits" homage.
First up, we have The Piano Tribute to Pink Floyd, TPTPF for short. This album is a real pleasure to listen to. I really enjoy the arrangements the artist has done; they bring out the beauty of the original melody, from the jazzy, saucy "Money" to moody "Dark Side of the Moon/Total Eclipse", which is my favorite off the disk. I had this in my car all last week and didn't get tired of it.
The cover of TSQTNN is essentially the cover to Nevermind with the baby missing, and that's what it sounds like. This isn't a bad album, but the arranger doesn't do anything with the arrangements and the players don't do anything with the notes. Leon sounded like he was having a ball; these guys sound like they're picking up a paycheck.
Next time, I compare and contrast original Amber vs. Amber Jr.
0 comments
Compare and Contrast, Episode One
In this episode, we compare and contrast The Piano Tribute to Pink Floyd (David Ari Leon) and The String Quartet Tribute to Nirvana's Nevermind (Tallywood Strings).
Both albums are classical interpretations of the original rock tunes - well, that's stretching it a bit: the piano one frequently sounds like something you might hear on the "cool jazz" station where the Uncola guy does the call letters. Both make you dig through the fine print to find the artist's name, because the point of the album is not who's performing it now. One covers all the songs from a classic rock album, the other is a "greatest hits" homage.
First up, we have The Piano Tribute to Pink Floyd, TPTPF for short. This album is a real pleasure to listen to. I really enjoy the arrangements the artist has done; they bring out the beauty of the original melody, from the jazzy, saucy "Money" to moody "Dark Side of the Moon/Total Eclipse", which is my favorite off the disk. I had this in my car all last week and didn't get tired of it.
The cover of TSQTNN is essentially the cover to Nevermind with the baby missing, and that's what it sounds like. This isn't a bad album, but the arranger doesn't do anything with the arrangements and the players don't do anything with the notes. Leon sounded like he was having a ball; these guys sound like they're picking up a paycheck.
Next time, I compare and contrast original Amber vs. Amber Jr.
0 comments
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
I'm off to San Jose tomorrow night for another round of recording. Tonight I'm sitting here like a tired lump after giving blood and eating a huge meal to make up for it. Tomorrow I will be telecommuting from home in hopes of getting some laundry and packing done. I so do not have my crap together. I haven't found a petsitter for Friday morning - I may just have to put extra food out and hope the Bobsy Twins don't eat all of Peasie's food, and vice verse.
Oh, and I finished the Whacking Huge Book of Amber, I'm just too wiped to update the sidebar.
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Oh, and I finished the Whacking Huge Book of Amber, I'm just too wiped to update the sidebar.
0 comments
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Hippos on a Helicopter
My wonderful Cox telephone service is down - reliable as their cable service, I see - and until the neighbors get home I can't get ahold of customer service, because their 24/7 web support center is only 24/7 for cable and internet problems. My theory is, Cox found out I'd ordered a cell phone from Verizon and got jealous. Yes, the last holdout has entered the cell age, surely a sign of the Apocalypse. Unfortunately, said phone is currently sitting in a box at the FedEx center in Tempe, since they don't deliver without a signature.
It's one damn thing after another.
0 comments
My wonderful Cox telephone service is down - reliable as their cable service, I see - and until the neighbors get home I can't get ahold of customer service, because their 24/7 web support center is only 24/7 for cable and internet problems. My theory is, Cox found out I'd ordered a cell phone from Verizon and got jealous. Yes, the last holdout has entered the cell age, surely a sign of the Apocalypse. Unfortunately, said phone is currently sitting in a box at the FedEx center in Tempe, since they don't deliver without a signature.
It's one damn thing after another.
0 comments
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Wallabies on a Unicycle
So today, at work, I was on the phone with one of those egregious voice-recognition automated menus, saying, "I want information. In-for-ma-tion. Information!!" And giggles arose from the cubes around me, along with Prisoner jokes.
I'm not up to actually writing anything tonight, so here's some stuff I found while surfing. (Yes, work has been slow lately.)
This bill, passed by Congress and on its way to the Senate, bans people who use the library for Internet access from accessing their blogs and other "social networking" sites. It's a poorly-conceived attempt to protect children from sexual predators on the 'net - well, no, it's yet another pathetic demonstration of lawmakers not understanding the technology.
This site is, quite simply, the realization of the Web's great potential. Yes, you too can put Stuff on your Cat.
And here, from A Midsummer Night's Dream, we have a scene between Titania and, ahem, Bottom. Whatever is the world coming to? (This week's sequence may not be work-friendly. Depending where, of course, you work.)
Here's a twist to your standard employee-fired-for-carping-about-the-boss-on-his/her-blog story - the blog was on the CIA's own network.
Emma Bull's newest novel is at the editor!
Neat facsimile editions of old books!
Speaking of The Prisoner, this story has since been debunked - well no, just the Christopher Eccelston part of it.
And Tom, if you're still wondering where your flying car is, it's in Australia.
0 comments
So today, at work, I was on the phone with one of those egregious voice-recognition automated menus, saying, "I want information. In-for-ma-tion. Information!!" And giggles arose from the cubes around me, along with Prisoner jokes.
I'm not up to actually writing anything tonight, so here's some stuff I found while surfing. (Yes, work has been slow lately.)
This bill, passed by Congress and on its way to the Senate, bans people who use the library for Internet access from accessing their blogs and other "social networking" sites. It's a poorly-conceived attempt to protect children from sexual predators on the 'net - well, no, it's yet another pathetic demonstration of lawmakers not understanding the technology.
This site is, quite simply, the realization of the Web's great potential. Yes, you too can put Stuff on your Cat.
And here, from A Midsummer Night's Dream, we have a scene between Titania and, ahem, Bottom. Whatever is the world coming to? (This week's sequence may not be work-friendly. Depending where, of course, you work.)
Here's a twist to your standard employee-fired-for-carping-about-the-boss-on-his/her-blog story - the blog was on the CIA's own network.
Emma Bull's newest novel is at the editor!
Neat facsimile editions of old books!
Speaking of The Prisoner, this story has since been debunked - well no, just the Christopher Eccelston part of it.
And Tom, if you're still wondering where your flying car is, it's in Australia.
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