tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60801892011-04-21T18:26:24.175-04:00My life, other people's lives, weird stuff, U2, and interesting things.Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comBlogger1671100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1101583450605417732004-11-27T14:08:00.000-05:002004-11-27T14:24:10.606-05:00

Depending on which city Bono's in when you ask him, that'd be New York or London, now what city am I in right now? This past week has been a whirlwind! On Monday I did make it to the "secret" U2 show by the Brooklyn Bridge. It was SO wonderful to see them live again after three years. Bono sounded much better than he did on SNL last week, the band was in good form, and everyone was happy!

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1101070787037721402004-11-21T15:40:00.000-05:002004-11-21T15:59:47.036-05:00

So, the plot has been thickening with U2's "secret" (ha!) show. Looks more and more like it is a go - but just how many stops on the U2 train will there be tomorrow? Looks like the more definite stop will be right here in good ol' Brooklyn. Already hooked myself up with the ticket. The original rumored place is not out of the question though, we may be getting the U2 love throughout the city

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1100840526015200182004-11-18T23:47:00.000-05:002004-11-19T00:02:06.016-05:00

I am all over this like a monkey to a banana tree, yessir. Going to be a little tricky getting out of work early that day, but I can swing it. From that sketchy post, I had all the details within a few hours. The U2 fan grapevine is good... Means working all weekend though in between the laundry and the packing. And, I got the actual real album today, five days early. I looove New York...

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1100579748258468962004-11-15T23:01:00.000-05:002004-11-15T23:35:48.256-05:00

I am still alive! As if anyone is still checking this. Yes, I went on a bit of a walkabout away from the blog. Unplanned, mind you. Life...no, I have no life so make that work, got me away from it for awhile. Anyhow, today is the one year anniversary of when I started this thing, so I figure it's a good time to get back into it. May still be a bit spotty over the next week or so, but I am

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1095999018115284262004-09-23T23:38:00.000-04:002004-09-24T00:10:18.116-04:00

Nothing to kick me out of my blogging slumber than some brand, spankin' new U2. Ahhhhhh... And boy, are they kickin' it with Vertigo! Lean, mean, and ready to rock 'n roll. The worldwide radio release is tomorrow, but as is customary, Irish radio played it today. That was the cry for other radio stations to jump the blocks, and the tune was out on the 'net within an hour. Haven't heard that

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1094701959480241942004-09-08T23:34:00.000-04:002004-09-08T23:52:39.480-04:00

So, as if 16 hours getting home yesterday wasn't bad enough, it took two and a half hours to get to work this morning. Not that I got in trouble or anything for it, because everyone in the NYC metro area was late for work this morning. A major metropolis brought to its commuting knees because of three and a half inches of rain from the remnants of Hurricane Frances. At one point, nearly every

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1094618119115111182004-09-07T23:43:00.001-04:002004-09-08T23:59:08.820-04:00

It took me 16 hours to fly home from Florida today. 16 hours. Just eight more hours and I could have driven home. Well, if I could drive... I know that Hurricane Frances wreaked havoc with airports all weekend, but I was closely monitoring the situation yesterday, and all seemed to be normalizing. Ha! I check in at Fort Myers airport this morning at 5:30am for a 7:05am swamp jump to Miami

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1094185925954731162004-09-02T23:55:00.000-04:002004-09-03T00:32:05.953-04:00

Welcome to sunny Florida. Ha! Well, it has been sunny here, but that's about to change big time. I made my escape from NY on Saturday, going to the parents' here in Naples, Florida. Escaping from the storm of the RNC, now only to face the storm Hurricane Frances. I'm being personally melodramatic though, as it looks like Naples will escape the brunt of Frances, as it escaped Charley a couple

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1093581164608805292004-08-26T23:59:00.000-04:002004-08-27T00:32:44.606-04:00

Following up on my previous post, the RNC/Bush protests are starting already as well! There were at least three protests today. One was a conventional march/rally type of thing, no arrests or any trouble there. The other two protests were quite imaginative, I have to say. First was a naked protest down in front of Madison Square Garden, where about a dozen people took off all their clothes

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1093547549457699802004-08-26T15:02:00.000-04:002004-08-26T15:15:46.610-04:00

Looks like the hunker down is already starting for Fortress Manhattan during the Republican National Convention. On the bus this morning, the bus driver made an announcement saying that people should not drive into Manhattan starting as early as tomorrow through the end of the RNC because of gridlock caused by vehicle checks. In addition, I just found out that parolees in NYC are being made to

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1093409188499334552004-08-25T00:46:00.000-04:002004-08-25T00:49:16.380-04:00

Well, it seems like Dubya's finally gotten hip to this blogging thing - The President's Blog. Wonder when the FBI's gonna come knocking... Although he's blown off talk of a Presidential run in his native land, we fans will make Bono President of something (via U2Log), dammit! Even if illegal.

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1093322213649969462004-08-23T23:59:00.000-04:002004-08-24T00:36:53.650-04:00

Just realized that it's been over a week since I've last written! Work is the main culprit. Summer is supposed to be quieter and more laid-back (and July actually was) but this month's been pretty non-stop, even with the boss on vacation. Got home around 9pm more than once last week, and I put a couple of hours in on Sunday. I have three proposals and one report to get done before I leave for

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1092370405250056202004-08-12T23:28:00.000-04:002004-08-13T01:50:16.103-04:00

Oh wow. That's what I said loudly in my office when I saw the headline on my desktop that Gov. McGreevey of New Jersey resigned and totally came out of the closet (I'm not putting a link, just go to any news site, it's on the front page). The whole thing had me and most of my office gobsmacked because of the unequivocalness of his statement and the suddeness with which this went down. It seems

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1092029168465817362004-08-09T00:45:00.000-04:002004-08-09T01:26:08.466-04:00

Haven't been really doing much on the weekends of late, although I am making myself go out and about (as weather permits) just to enjoy the sunshine. I really don't function well on less than seven hours sleep, and ideally eight which I never get during the week, so it's usually catch up on the weekends. Which means I don't get out until pretty late in the day. At least the weather has been

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1091680362277397242004-08-05T00:02:00.000-04:002004-08-05T00:32:42.276-04:00

Well, a slow concert year looks like it's going to pick up in the Fall. Got knocked back into the loop with the announcement of the Vote for Change tour with 34 shows in states identified as swing states in the November Presidential elections. New York is not a swing state, but Pennsylvania is and one stop is in Philadelphia - Springsteen, REM and others, and obviously I support the cause...

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1091596861464564772004-08-04T00:17:00.000-04:002004-08-04T01:39:19.753-04:00

My mom was a lot better today, thankfully. They could finally get her off of heavy sedation and some more machines, and was talking again. My dad and brother (who's there now) told her not to do that again! Anyhow, some stuff that I've passed by in the past few days... Make your own stamps - and it's legal. Can use any photo you want to make stamps that you can use as postage on your mail. Of

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1091419239044626482004-08-01T23:34:00.000-04:002004-08-02T00:00:39.043-04:00

As if this week hasn't produced enough anxiety, we're under a heightened state of terror alert again. We're still Code Orange, but it really sounds like they're rolling a lot more out for these new specific threats. I'm no intelligence expert, but something has not been sitting right about every time they talk about chatter and getting specific targets and all that. I don't doubt that somebody

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1091416617615043842004-08-01T22:33:00.000-04:002004-08-01T23:16:57.616-04:00

This wasn't a good weekend for my Mom. A couple of years ago she started getting anxiety attacks all of a sudden, and she was taking medication for it. Of course with the surgery and all, she had to stop taking it. Well, while my dad was taking my sister to the airport (again!), Saturday morning, my Mom had a doozy of an anxiety attack. Not a good thing when recovering from surgery and still

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1091160271501626112004-07-29T23:48:00.000-04:002004-07-30T00:04:31.500-04:00

Well, my Mom had surgery this morning, and made it through.  My Dad said the blockage was pretty big, but they got it out and also fixed her hernia.  Still a bit early to say it was with flying colors, but thankfully no complications as of now (knock on wood).  It's going to be quite awhile before she's totally over this though, she's going to need a second surgery in about six months to reattach

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1091159254579826752004-07-29T23:15:00.000-04:002004-07-29T23:47:34.580-04:00

...As Bono wisely sings to John Kerry and those assembled at the Democratic National Convention.  Well, Bono wasn't doing it in person, although he was there on Tuesday.  But, Beautiful Day did break out as  John Kerry took his "victory lap" around the Fleet Center after finishing his acceptance speech.  A warning from the party, or just sunny optimism?  Actually, I thought Kerry did pretty well

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1091073739301325312004-07-28T23:25:00.000-04:002004-07-29T00:02:19.300-04:00

I don't usually have bad days, just different shades of normal.  But, today was not a good day.  Actually started out last night when I found that I'd missed a deadline...for some reason I thought it was in August but it was last Friday.  This was for one of our steadier funders, so I was pretty upset, we cannot afford to forego any easy funding this year.  It was already around 7PM when I

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1090802579201553912004-07-25T19:20:00.000-04:002004-07-25T20:56:10.803-04:00

I read earlier this week about the star-studded opening of a new Target store (the second largest in the country) at the new Atlantic Terminal mall in downtown Brooklyn.  Only in NYC would a Target opening be an ultra-hip social event.  Even with that though, I'm thinking cool, I like Target, maybe I'll go check it out this weekend.  I think this is the fifth Target in the five boroughs, but

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1090553112072588382004-07-22T22:58:00.000-04:002004-07-22T23:28:49.486-04:00

Blech, it can't get any muggier out there, stick a towel on the sidewalk and 10 minutes later it'll be sopping wet.  OK, that's an exaggeration, but when the a/c was out at work the first part of the week, everyone was walking around the office sopping wet.  Thank goodness it's fixed now.  Strangely, my a/c at home has stopped dripping water on the inside...beginning to think it's condensation

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1090296027467743942004-07-19T23:22:00.000-04:002004-07-20T00:00:27.466-04:00

What color is drama anyway?  Maybe drama.  Heh, just wanted to test out the nifty new posting colors.  But, some people have been seeing red at work lately, particularly R., the Director of Administration.  There was a bit of a blow out at the staff meeting on Friday.  What happened was that we had an exercise where we each wrote down anonymously a couple of the little things that could go more

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1089779811136925392004-07-13T23:45:00.000-04:002004-07-14T00:36:51.136-04:00

It was a very rainy summer night in NYC yesterday, perfect to go inside to see His Purple Majesty - Prince, at Madison Square Garden. I have most of his stuff through the early 90s, when he started to stray away from the funky stuff a bit. His guitar is superb. But, I had never seen him play live before...almost did back in 1988, but something happened with the tickets my friends were supposed

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1089605637186106382004-07-11T22:58:00.000-04:002004-07-12T00:13:57.186-04:00

Nice weekend weatherwise in NYC, didn't do much but I did get out a little bit. I'm on a little bit of an iced caramel coffee kick (macchiato or latte, depending on whether I'm in Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts) of late. Caramel macchiato is really the only coffee I like at Starbucks, but I've stopped by a few in the past week. I will never be like this guy though - Seeing the World on Ten

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1089259815907928192004-07-07T23:56:00.000-04:002004-07-08T00:10:15.906-04:00

Everybody's heard about the rising gas prices, but I've noticed that the prices of a lot of things have been creeping up lately, especially groceries and food in general. Items in the supermarket are up 20 cents here, 30 cents there, 70 cents that way. I reckon my grocery bills the last couple of months have risen 5-10%. And morning breakfast from the cafe/deli I pick it up at has jumped up

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1089086460184748632004-07-05T23:51:00.000-04:002004-07-06T00:14:53.176-04:00

Hallelujah! Looks like U2 has finally finished the new album! For real this time. Not only that, but while I was on planes and such, a small leak occurred of one of the tunes, All Because of You, on the new album. Only a 52 second and really crap quality sound file, but the song sounds promising. I can tell there's a lot of stuff going on in the background there, but it's all muffled here (

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1089085831972509212004-07-05T23:08:00.000-04:002004-07-06T00:35:43.773-04:00

I'm back from my whirlwind 24 hour journey to Seattle. Well, it was more like 27 hours when you count getting to and from JFK in there. All went smoothly except that I was so tired at the end of it! Although, I wouldn't have been quite as tired if I'd gotten a decent night of sleep the night before, procrastination meant that I only got four hours sleep before heading off. Just can't seem to

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1088980297142794072004-07-04T18:31:00.000-04:002004-07-05T10:56:52.750-04:00

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1088867771186105452004-07-03T11:04:00.000-04:002004-07-03T11:16:11.186-04:00

I did the crazy thing and went ahead and booked the flights for tomorrow. It will be a 24 hour odyssey - flight leaves at 7:30AM, arrives back at 7:13AM on Monday. Sleep all day Monday. ;-) I'll have 13 hours on the ground in between flights, so it's definitely enough time to see some things. 10,668 total frequent flyer miles, a nice haul. I could have added about 2,800 miles to that haul by

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1088799919163470072004-07-02T16:23:00.000-04:002004-07-02T16:25:19.163-04:00

Take the quiz: "Which Random Irish Gaelic Phrase Are You? "Teastaioinn cineal uaim Teastaioinn cineal uaim - 'I want sex.'Horny little bugger, aren't you? You enjoy porn and being naked. Hell, you're probably naked right now. Both hands on the keyboard, you pervert! Hahaha!

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1088789805962307142004-07-02T13:19:00.000-04:002004-07-02T13:50:40.456-04:00

Yes, I'm thinking about getting back on an airplane this weekend. On my Argentina trip, I made Platinum frequent flyer status on American, this entitles me to double miles for any American flight. Trouble is/was that I probably won't be able to take too much advantage of that between now and next February when it expires (although I should still have Gold status for a year after that) -

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1088788695038723402004-07-02T12:48:00.000-04:002004-07-02T13:18:15.036-04:00

Boy, am I glad to be back in NYC. While where we were in Kentucky looked lovely and pastoral, it was the most boring place ever. Somebody had the presence of mind to buy some playing cards, so Tuesday evening I ended up playing Spoons and Texas Hold 'Em with some attendees from the Southwest. I'm not a big card player, but I learned Texas Hold 'Em from Celebrity Poker Showdown, so I joined in.

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1088472965065805252004-06-28T21:28:00.000-04:002004-06-28T21:36:05.066-04:00

I spent today in the first of two and a half days of conference here in Wilmore...a lot of talk about technology stuff and messaging and things like that. Think I impressed H. with my very intuitive computer skills, I set up wireless networking and activated the firewall on Windows XP effortlessly and did all sorts of amazing computer tricks, but that was about the only impression. Ah well, I'm

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1088392601907362502004-06-27T23:00:00.000-04:002004-07-02T13:57:11.936-04:00

So here I am in lovely downtown Wilmore, Kentucky. A town with almost NO stores and certainly no recreation. We got here yesterday, even though the conference doesn't actually start til tomorrow morning, because the flights today were so expensive. Fortunately, I hooked up with people who had rented a car, so I got to go touring a little bit today. Took a paddleboat down the Kentucky River,

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1088267384429729462004-06-26T12:29:00.000-04:002004-06-26T12:29:44.430-04:00

I'm off later this afternoon to a conference for work in Kentucky. Small town of 5,000, but with a college that has a conference center. Going with secret crush object, H., and my boss' boyfriend who works for another organization and heads up a technology project. Should be interesting, although I don't think anything really interesting will happen. ;-) Had to finish up a proposal this

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1088131575438867642004-06-24T22:02:00.000-04:002004-06-24T22:46:15.440-04:00

Looks like Belle de Jour and an ex of hers simultaneously had a momentary lapse of reason and had one of those nights that exes sometimes do...and she's not liking the consequences. I had one of those nights once. In my late teens and early 20s I had a major unrequited thing for R. (who is mentioned somewhere in the archives). After about five years of being just friends, things suddenly

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1087964954552368842004-06-22T23:59:00.000-04:002004-06-23T00:40:56.700-04:00

This is a tale of serious wardrobe malfunction. I'm sure everyone has experienced something like this at least once, but never talk about it. But, this was the strangest thing. I have this pair of pants, perfect for hot and muggy days like today was. Light and loose khaki cropped pants, material like a cotton sheeting. Have had these pants for a couple of years now, picked them up on sale in

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1087963444335041132004-06-22T23:51:00.000-04:002004-06-23T00:04:04.336-04:00

Well, back to blogging. Yes, I've been quite remiss the past couple of weeks! The blogging part of my brain just decided that it wanted to take a vacation. Actually my whole brain went on vacation one of those weeks... Anyhow, how have I been spending my online time? For starters, I went on a Blogshares investing spree. I signed up around the beginning of the year, but hadn't really done

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1086580040884441142004-06-06T23:37:00.000-04:002004-06-06T23:47:20.886-04:00

It was a crap weekend weatherwise around here, so I got to work a bit more on renovating around here...looks decent, yes? I figure that, with the new Blogger templates and hitting the six month mark, it was time for a little redecorating. It's different, but still within the Melon color scheme, so it's more like an evolution. Took me half the night to figure out how to get the Haloscan

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1086481914335186822004-06-05T19:57:00.000-04:002004-06-06T15:24:19.843-04:00

I've been reading a lot about the plans for NYC during the Republican National Convention this summer, and I'm getting headaches just thinking about it. Like they are just starting this week to build a pedestrian bridge from the main post office across 8th Avenue to Madison Square Garden, what a headache that will be in getting it done in two months. I'm reading about all the contingency plans

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1086479542182616842004-06-05T19:43:00.000-04:002004-06-05T19:52:22.183-04:00

Been spending a bit of time on webgeek stuff over the past couple of days. I've been contemplating getting my own domain name(s) and springing for a hosting service to encompass my web stuff. Found a couple of suitable names that surprisingly haven't been taken! If and when registration goes through, then I'll tell. If I do go with a hosting service then this blog will reside there, although

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1086406901502409802004-06-04T23:38:00.000-04:002004-06-04T23:45:52.750-04:00

...good wins! About what I expected, this blog is basically nice, but occasionally a bit snarky.

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1086318759225752152004-06-03T22:57:00.000-04:002004-06-03T23:12:39.226-04:00

New Jersey's director of Civil Rights has ruled that Ladies Nights are illegal. I don't live in NJ, and Ladies Nights in bars have been illegal here for a number of years, but give me a break already! Don't we have bigger issues of discrimination to tackle? Like the discrimination that exists with same sex couples and the right to marry? Housing discrimination? Sheesh, I mean Ladies Night is

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1086317746502586242004-06-03T22:50:00.000-04:002004-06-03T23:23:21.936-04:00

Pursuant to yesterday's post, it seems like the trend is more international than I thought - No sex please -- we're Japanese. And apparently Americans have the most sex... Where are these Americans, I need to meet one...

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1086233297446252242004-06-02T23:11:00.000-04:002004-06-02T23:33:12.586-04:00

I sense a pattern here... German reality show to help men get partners back Euro MEP hopeful says German women 'too lazy' to get pregnant Childless German couple told to try sex I think Germany needs to get, I don't know, some local porn stars to do some public service announcements, looks like the people need it!

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1086034456717559662004-05-31T16:03:00.000-04:002004-05-31T16:14:16.716-04:00

One thing I have is a head for useless trivia. This doesn't really do me much good normally, but it impresses my family at Christmas when we're watching TV, and people that I play Trivial Pursuit with. My family has been saying forever that I should audition for Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, but I've never really gotten around to doing it, other than a couple of half-hearted phone attempts.

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1085984341204741712004-05-30T23:59:00.000-04:002004-05-31T02:26:45.496-04:00

I don't have a job that entails much travel (I kind of wish I did!), but once in a blue moon I get to go somewhere. So, I have one of those trips coming up at the end of June - four days in deep Kentucky. While this might be interesting from a sociological perspective, how come I never get to go someplace like, say, San Francisco? This trip might actually get quite interesting though...not

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1085802448150599822004-05-28T23:28:00.000-04:002004-05-28T23:57:56.430-04:00

I meant to comment on this yesterday, but I forgot! I was very sad to hear about the London art warehouse fire that destroyed over 100 contemporary art pieces in Charles Saatchi's collection. The works destroyed included the Chapman Brothers' impressive "Hell", and some other works that I saw at the Saatchi Gallery, which I visited the the last time I was in London late last year. Since I had

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1085589993599830512004-05-26T12:38:00.000-04:002004-05-26T13:29:14.846-04:00

So, I'm reading The New York Times review (free registration req.) of Madonna's tour opener, and this passage caught my eye: Madonna's clashing identities collided brilliantly during the dazzling second act, a military dream sequence that evoked a world of panic and confusion. It started with "American Life," the electro-pop title track from the album, newly pumped up with a roaring guitar riff.

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-108554085700407262004-05-25T22:52:00.000-04:002004-05-25T23:07:37.003-04:00

Well I posted early in the season, now we're at the end of the American Idol season. And a pretty dire one it was. I caught all but one week of the show this year. First, I had high hopes for Jon Peter Lewis stirring things up and loosening this show up some, but then he got serious there for a couple of shows, showed no pop chops and his allure fizzled. Then all the good singers started

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1085454699392729602004-05-24T23:01:00.000-04:002004-05-25T11:44:50.866-04:00

Wow, it's been a week since I last posted...where does the time go? I know...work. I'll be better this week, I do have a few thoughts... In the meantime, the second and final part of the photos from my trip to Argentina are now ready for your viewing pleasure. This batch of photos features the city of Salta and the Northwest region of Argentina including the Quebrada de Humahuaca, the

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1084853796410657132004-05-17T23:02:00.000-04:002004-05-18T00:23:16.783-04:00

I didn't have anything planned for yesterday, so when I heard that Bono was going to speak at a rally in Philadelphia co-sponsored by his DATA organization, I figured why not go daytrippin' down. Since I'd just come back from a huge trip, and this was a little trip, I was a little bit cost-conscious. So, I went with one of the Chinese Chinatown-to-Chinatown bus services for the first time. I

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1084679313085417212004-05-15T23:41:00.000-04:002004-05-15T23:48:33.086-04:00

Here ya' go, finally...Part I of the photos of my trip to Argentina. This part contains photos of Buenos Aires, Tigre, and Colonia, Uruguay. If you missed my trip narratives, begin with the April archives, mid-month, through the first couple of days of May. 144 photos, and that's after cutting out the duds and duplicates! I hope to have Part II covering the Salta/Northwest Argentina portion

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1084423972421850302004-05-13T00:47:00.000-04:002004-05-13T01:01:09.803-04:00

It's a common misconception that Brits are prissy, uptight people. From my many visits I can tell you that's not so, and here's proof. The implications for the average NYC commute are mind-boggling should this trend hop the pond. I might have to rethink getting a new phone with bluetooth, I don't know how interesting I want those late night or weekend express bus rides to get!

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1084421783412477222004-05-12T23:59:00.000-04:002004-05-13T00:25:58.550-04:00

Since I had some forum library work to do and, of course, real work, I'm still organizing the photos for mass viewing. Here's a few more tastes of Argentina (and one from Uruguay!) for you though, they're thumbnails to speed the loading time, just click on them to see the full size photos: Using Photobucket for these photos, think I am going to switch photo hosting for the blog from my

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1084200132136356652004-05-10T10:33:00.000-04:002004-05-10T10:42:12.136-04:00

Blogger went through some big changes yesterday! Looks like some are good and some are meh. I think I can e-mail in posts now, which may have good implications for when the U2 tour starts (can e-mail a setlist update from my phone and it will post to the blog!). I will try that later. They also have some new templates, and I'm thinking of changing to this one, with some tweaking. I don't

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1084116551057742312004-05-09T11:19:00.000-04:002004-05-09T11:33:41.810-04:00

These class-action suits are a great kind of racket, I keep getting these unexpected little checks! A couple of months ago I got a check for $13 and change from that CD settlement. On Friday, I got another unexpected check, this time for $21.94, from the settlement of an interest overcharge lawsuit against American Express. Had no clue I was getting this one, I thought I might see a couple of

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1083894623353049532004-05-06T21:25:00.000-04:002004-05-06T22:01:04.250-04:00

Got my trip photos back and they actually came out pretty decent, considering my lack of skills! Only thing is that I need to hold the camera steadier... 365 photos...it's going to take me a couple of days to sort it all out for online viewing, but here's a few tastes: This is the big flower that I just had to see! The very pretty Hill of Seven Colors in Purmamarca Somehow my camera was

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-108389228897606652004-05-06T20:52:00.000-04:002004-05-06T21:17:28.403-04:00

Ah, the album's at the mixing stage now, and I don't think Bono mixes much, so it's time for him to go a-travelin' again and his next stop is right here for the Tribeca Film Festival. I don't have a ticket for the concert he's speaking at, but I think I'll try to get into the screening of the Heart of America documentary about his tour to raise awareness of the AIDS in Africa epidemic and take

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1083731479068915772004-05-04T23:59:00.000-04:002004-05-05T00:37:30.700-04:00

Back to work and the daily routine. My end of work looks like it held up well, with no emergencies, during my time away...miracle! Of course, I have a stack of proposals to write this month, but that's par for the course, especially since it's been difficult to extract money from new funders in the current funding environment. While I was away though, somebody there got fired for doing

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1083556317041826332004-05-02T22:46:00.000-04:002004-05-03T00:03:58.340-04:00

Yesterday was my last day in Buenos Aires and the last one of my vacation. As my stomach was still experiencing major pain at times, I had to take it pretty slow, hoping that the pain would subside by the time I had to take my flight. After checking out of my hotel, I headed over to the Japanese Garden. A small place (with an admission charge!), still it was quite peaceful. I took my time going

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1083369281445388672004-04-30T19:54:00.000-04:002004-04-30T19:59:00.670-04:00

I arrived back in Buenos Aires midday on Wednesday, and since then I have been filling in the gaps on what I've wanted to see. This hasn't been helped by the fact that I've been a tad under the weather fighting a cold (I seem to be winning that one) and either a stomach virus or a really bad case of trapped gas today. Or maybe the cold and stomach thing are related. Pretty sure it's not "

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1083282697849286782004-04-29T19:51:00.000-04:002004-04-29T19:55:54.966-04:00

On Tuesday, I took my final tour in the Salta region. This one went south, winding through the Quebrada de Cafayate to the town of Cafayate and beyond into Tucuman province and the Quilmes ruins. Again, most of what I saw is difficult to describe in words, you really need the visuals. I took this tour with a different company, Movitrack, which caters toward a bit younger demographic (although

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1083203676759244652004-04-28T21:54:00.000-04:002004-04-28T21:58:53.343-04:00

Back in Buenos Aires now after five days in the Salta region. As promised, a bit of catch up on where I've been the past couple of days... Monday it was off to tour north of Salta. What a mind-blower. Again the tour is more about the journey than the final destination. Words cannot really describe the mountain scenery, pictures speak so much more - and I took many of them! It was still very

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1083112785683031532004-04-27T20:39:00.000-04:002004-04-27T20:45:31.483-04:00

Another even longer day of touring today...I've done nearly 1,500 kilometers and three Argentinian provinces in three days! A lot of ground covered, and a lot of fantastic sights experienced. And with an 8:45AM flight back to Buenos Aires in the morning, I will tell you about the past two days tomorrow. :)

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1083028951137629752004-04-26T21:22:00.000-04:002004-04-26T21:28:04.326-04:00

...Although it looks like a very real possibility that we're on the same continent at the moment, one which is neither of our homes, I am not Belle de Jour - ha! It was a very long day of touring today, and I'm too tired and it's too late to blog a report today, and I have to be up and out at 6:20AM, for my final day trip to Cafayate/Quilmes ruins. Will catch up on the sightseeing reports

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1082942817164312512004-04-25T21:26:00.000-04:002004-04-29T19:02:32.920-04:00

Today was the first of three full-day trips around the region. Today's trip is billed as one to Cachi, but really it's the trip, not the destination, that is the reason to take this tour. The tour winds through the Valles Calchaiques, around and up many mountains. While going up, you basically experience four different microclimates and terrains, all in the space of about a four hours drive.

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1082845504953237972004-04-24T18:25:00.000-04:002004-04-24T18:29:15.466-04:00

After being inundated with the multitude of people, sights and sounds here Thursday night and Friday midday when school let out, it's gotten considerably quieter around here. I took a stroll out of the center and soon found myself at one of Salta's main parks (I think it's called Parque San Martin, but I don't want to pull the guidebook out right now). It's been overcast and cool but there were

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1082731609287861522004-04-23T10:46:00.000-04:002004-04-23T10:50:57.950-04:00

Here I am in Salta, Argentina! Salta is a small city up in NW Argentina, a base to explore all around the Noroeste. It is certainly much different here than Buenos Aires. Unlike the rest of Argentina, whose people are entirely of European descent, Salta and the Northwest have a sizeable number of the last remaining indigenous people in the country. In addition, since it's close to Bolivia,

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1082596819551552832004-04-21T21:20:00.000-04:002004-04-21T21:24:26.170-04:00

Got a slightly late start today...slightly after 10, still not too bad. After five days of glorious weather, today dawned a bit overcast. So, I figured today was cemetary day - Recoleta Cemetary. It was kinda of a trip, it's all mausoleums, all elaborate. It's like a netherworld city in miniature with alleyways lined with classical structures housing the non-living and cats roaming free in

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1082508485952566742004-04-20T20:48:00.000-04:002004-04-20T20:52:10.966-04:00

Today I went on a day trip to Colonia, Uruguay. This is a popular day trip because it's only an hour high-speed boat ride from Buenos Aires, and I get to add another stamp to my passport! :) Colonia is a very quaint riverside town that is designated as an UNESCO world heritage site. There's an old section of town where there are many structures, both well-preserved and in ruins, dating back to

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1082417507388069352004-04-19T19:31:00.000-04:002004-04-19T19:35:51.000-04:00

So, the big news here right now is that Boca Juniors soccer legend, Diego Maradona, is in intensive care in the hospital...not quite sure with what, but apparently he is pretty critical. For those not up on their soccer, he is about as close to Argentine royalty as one can get. If he died, it would be like when Princess Diana died in the UK. Wait, I was in UK (well there and Ireland), when she

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1082330343840705892004-04-18T19:19:00.000-04:002004-04-18T19:23:06.250-04:00

Ha! Didn't actually get to see Lost in Translation yet...wasn't playing at the Village Recoleta movie theater. Anyhow, it was another glorious day and night weather-wise here (although I hear it's exactly the same weather back in NYC...NOW they have good weather). Saturday nights are always the biggest challenge when traveling alone, especially in a party city like Buenos Aires. I decided I

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1082246061546325312004-04-17T19:54:00.000-04:002004-04-17T19:58:22.903-04:00

Day 2 here in Buenos Aires and the weather was exactly the opposite of yesterday - gorgeous, bright sun and mid-70-ish temps. The title is a bit of a fudge because the fumes didn't bug me today like they did yesterday! Either it was the weather, less traffic, or I'm used to it now - who knows. Last night I turned in pretty early (for around here!), I was so wiped out. So I made dinner a

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1082150366654059362004-04-16T17:19:00.000-04:002004-04-17T20:00:18.826-04:00

I'm here in Buenos Aires and I'm sleepy at the moment. Flight went fine...very little bumpiness, especially considering it's a 10 hour haul. And actually, it didn't seem quite that long, once one ate, saw the movie (School of Rock), slept, and ate again. Once again, a good experience on American Airlines going long-haul. Arrival was fine as well...arrived to a downpour that persisted through

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1081917780075583002004-04-14T00:21:00.000-04:002004-04-14T00:54:23.076-04:00

Well, this should be it until I hit Buenos Aires. Finished laundry and did the lion's share of packing tonight, it helped that Dubya was on TV tonight instead of American Idol and he was more painful to watch than John Stevens performing My Girl... It's getting mighty tight in my big suitcase - might have to also take the carry-on bag for toiletries, etc.! Here is some of the schedule -

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1081832156402101462004-04-13T01:15:00.000-04:002004-04-13T01:47:22.826-04:00

Well, it seems daunting that I leave in less than 72 hours time, but I'm slowly getting my act together. Now I can say that I couldn't do as much as I wanted last week because I was busy prepping the online forum I am Sysop of to merge with another forum. Said merge will take place while I'm away. Just what I needed. At least the U2 section lives on there. So, it was crazy scrambling doing

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1081834099508977452004-04-13T00:58:00.000-04:002004-04-13T01:46:06.186-04:00

This will probably be my last post unrelated to my trip for awhile, but at least with the trip reports I should be blogging more regularly! Anyhow, I came across this test on, of all places, Bob Mould's blog (yes, that Bob Mould - he's just as big a geek as the rest of us are!). After a long battery of questions, I would like to introduce my theoretical dream man: People taking the test

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1081308557840414632004-04-06T22:58:00.000-04:002004-04-06T23:33:52.186-04:00

Well, 9 days to go until I take off for Argentina, and I'm less in prep mode now than I've been for weeks! That always happens, I don't know why. I'll be obsessed for weeks and then in the home stretch the mind finally focuses on other things, when it really should focus on the trip. And just when I think I have my schedule all worked out between now and then, something else crops up that

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1080971464283675732004-04-02T23:59:00.000-05:002004-04-03T01:09:04.340-05:00

Something light on a Friday night... You're Switzerland! While most people think you're sort of stuck up, it's really just that people don't interest you that much.  That's why you'd rather just stay out of everything and be as neutral as possible.  Somewhere in there is an ability to be a psychiatrist because you're so objective, but you might just be too cold for that.Take the Country

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1080832889303424672004-04-01T10:21:00.000-05:002004-04-01T10:25:07.826-05:00

Oh goodness, this is getting bad...so little news is coming out of the U2 camp these days that none of the various sites even have fodder for the usual April Fools feature. I tried, but it was kind of lame. I keep thinking "two months, two months..." We'll at least have, or be close to having, a single (for the Spiderman 2 movie) by then... Oy.

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1080708232132309582004-03-30T23:18:00.000-05:002004-03-31T00:30:23.623-05:00

Came across another interesting site today. Fund Race 2004 is a searchable database that lists all the individual contributors to the various Presidential campaigns this year. It would raise some privacy concerns but campaign contributions are supposed to be transparent and of the public record for accountability purposes. Also has some nifty maps plotting contribution hotspots across the

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1080706657324116222004-03-30T23:12:00.000-05:002004-03-30T23:48:54.186-05:00

Been awhile since there was anything interesting on the 'net, but I came across this the other day. Pretty gross, but kinda makes sense given that other body waste products supposedly have sterilizing qualities... Top doc backs picking your nose and eating it No joke. Have at it, kiddies. ;-)

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1080017031999698942004-03-22T23:04:00.000-05:002004-03-22T23:47:17.280-05:00

So, I've been off the concert trail since the Radiohead show in London last November. Saw a lot of shows last year because it seemed everyone, except U2 (sigh), was coming around. Think I went to about 12 shows, which is a lot for an "off year". So, after I saw Radiohead I declared a moratorium on shows for awhile. That moratorium ended today when I picked up a pretty good ticket to go see

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1079758243901047952004-03-19T23:37:00.000-05:002004-03-19T23:54:04.966-05:00

This isn't a Friday only blog, I swear! I'll snap out of it soon, if nothing else by about four weeks when I will be completing my first day in Argentina. Anyway, here's this week's Friday Five: If you... 1. ...owned a restaurant, what kind of food would you serve? Latin food...in the Puerto Rican vein, but in a hip atmosphere in a place where it's not commonplace. 2. ...owned a small store,

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1079154585500145062004-03-12T23:54:00.000-05:002004-03-13T00:12:57.560-05:00

My thoughts are with all those in Spain affected by that horrendous attack yesterday. Which I would venture to say is just about everyone. I hope they quickly round up the bastards who did it, this madness just has to end. Sad to say though, it probably won't for some time to come. On a different take, I didn't actually hear about it until the 11PM news last night, I was in a workshop all

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1079153484221697212004-03-12T23:35:00.000-05:002004-03-12T23:54:35.670-05:00

Oh, this is not good, since the last time I posted was also Friday...ah well, I will get out of this one track mind phase, I promise! In the meantime, another Friday Five. 1. What was the last song you heard? What I Like About You, can't remember who by...The Del Fuegos? Anyway, it was a car commercial about two minutes ago. 2. What were the last two movies you saw? (Not counting TV movies

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1078547565090279132004-03-05T23:27:00.000-05:002004-03-05T23:36:21.983-05:00

The Friday Five folk had the blogging blues last week (seems to be an epidemic), but this week it's a stroll down memory lane... What was... 1. ...your first grade teacher's name? Mrs. Catagno...really hard for a first grader to spell...or pronounce! 2. ...your favorite Saturday morning cartoon? Bugs Bunny...timeless 3. ...the name of your very first best friend? Carol...she very blond and

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1078464432223111002004-03-04T23:49:00.000-05:002004-03-05T00:37:39.390-05:00

Oy, this work week has been a tale of two schedules - Monday and Tuesday were pretty nuts, I was so tired on Tuesday night that I hurt all over. Wednesday was the hump day with the normal schedule, and today and tomorrow somewhat light in office time although I do have work to do at home to compensate. One thing outside of work I am concentrating on is getting some of the miscellaneous plans

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1078102454477386802004-02-29T19:02:00.000-05:002004-02-29T19:57:09.200-05:00

This weekend in NYC was one of those where everyone scampers outdoors as if they've just been released from an eternity in a cage. The cage in this case being winter; the release comes because the weekend was absolutely beautiful with temps in the mid 50s to low 60s. Today, I joined the masses getting out and about to enjoy our renewed freedom. I left home with the intention of making my way

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1077942229179773912004-02-27T22:21:00.000-05:002004-02-27T23:29:48.653-05:00

The direction this Presidency is taking is just too out of control. I can't really express the level of my disgust at the stuff coming out of the White House day after day. Proposing a constitutional ban against same-sex marriage goes against what I think the Constitution is about...ensuring certain rights, not selectively, but rights for all. Not putting up barriers to groups of people to

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1077684035455141282004-02-24T23:24:00.000-05:002004-02-24T23:46:20.856-05:00

I checked my mail today and was very surprised to receive a check for $13.86. I was amazed to receive it because it was the payout for the now-famous Compact Disc Minimum Advertised Price Antitrust class action lawsuit. Basically, the Attorney Generals from 43 states sued most of the major record companies on price fixing charges that kept the price of CDs artificially higher by about $1. The

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1077333529565417302004-02-20T22:08:00.000-05:002004-02-20T22:25:14.450-05:00

Another Friday, another five to enlighten you about my life: When was the last time you... 1. ...went to the doctor? Last September, an ENT follow-up for when I nearly broke my nose and my ears felt funky. 2. ...went to the dentist? Ages ago, teeth are holding up well though, better since I discovered the spin brush and white strips. Never had a cavity in my adult teeth. What does need to be

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1077254003651602902004-02-19T23:23:00.000-05:002004-02-20T00:23:46.280-05:00

I've been neglecting the blog this week, but I've been pretty brain-dead after work (and even during work...), so I haven't really been inspired to. Not that I'm really inspired now... Anyhow, just to update on my last post on the trip plans, almost as soon as I decided on one itinerary, I changed it. Not that I'm not going to the same places, I'm just going to do it differently. Going to

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1076903748789568672004-02-15T19:32:00.000-05:002004-02-16T03:05:55.590-05:00

After weeks of surfing the Lonely Planet boards and reading my 3 guidebooks (I don't obsess much do I?), I've been surfing around like a maniac this weekend, firming up in my head (but not in actual bookings yet) my vacation itinerary and the costs involved. My tax refund is basically going to my Buenos Aires flight, so I was really looking at other costs. One thing I found is that 16 days

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1076778842311061072004-02-14T12:04:00.000-05:002004-02-14T13:19:02.390-05:00

Alas, no roses from admirers for me today (I don't think!), but I couldn't help but think how cool this was. It's an image from the Spitzer Space Telescope that shows a formation of new stars with the shape and colors of a rosebud. The stars know...

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1076733010562233632004-02-13T23:19:00.000-05:002004-02-13T23:32:43.950-05:00

It's that time again! 1. Are you superstitious? I am some. 2. What extremes have you heard of someone going to in the name of superstition? Don't know of anyone who's gone to extremes in the name of superstition. 3. Believer or not, what's your favorite superstition? Those mostly having to do with specific dates, numbers, things like that. 4. Do you believe in luck? If yes, do you have a

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6080189.post-1076617118851041032004-02-12T15:18:00.000-05:002004-02-12T15:22:02.700-05:00

Barbie and Ken 'Split' After 43 Years. The shock! This is worse than Tom and Nicole splitting. Worse than my aunt and uncle splitting after 29 years. They've been together as long as my parents, and they can't make it?? There's just no hope in this world. Ken should get major alimony out of this.

Melonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08977757075516056896noreply@blogger.com