November 29, 2006
This Is What Dinner Looks Like
Potato soup with smoked sausage by Aimee. Sourdough bread bowls by Panera. There's nothing else I can say except you should've been here. As good as the picture looks, the soup is even better. Yep, it's that good.
// posted by wayne @ 11/29/2006 03:32:00 AM 
November 22, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving!
Just wanted to take a minute to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving 'cause I'm sure I won't be able to tomorrow.
Please remember to drive safely and if you have to fly somewhere, please remember that no only does it suck for you, but those poor people are not with their families either!
Please remember to drive safely and if you have to fly somewhere, please remember that no only does it suck for you, but those poor people are not with their families either!
// posted by wayne @ 11/22/2006 07:41:00 PM
November 21, 2006
A new record!
I'm pretty sure this is officially the longest I've gone without a post since starting this shindig. Sometimes, that's how it goes so let's recap a bit.
I know you got out and voted, right? Of course, you did. You're all responsible, civic-minded individuals just like me. The only problem seems to be that you did not get out and vote, or we wouldn't have Nancy-frickin-Pilosi as the speaker of the house, now would we? Seriously, it was 'in the cards' this time. Not that it actually matters, though. We still have a Republican president and the senate is split almost 50/50. So what does this mean for us reg'lar folks? Simple: more business as usual. The Dem's will cry and wank about whatever the 'Publicans are doing (and rightly so) and the 'Publicans will accuse the Dem's (and rightly so) of being soft on everything. Nothing will be accomplished and we'll have wasted 2 years in the process. Which should be just enough time for folks to figure out the Dem's were not able deliver the big changes people were hoping for when they went to the polls back in '06. Oh, it won't be any fault of their own--rather it will be the fault of The Machine. That is to say, we call it a "lame duck" session for a reason. The Pres can't get crap done, but neither can the house or the senate. There aren't enough votes in either side to get a thing done without a LOT of cooperation from across the aisle. And even if there is, the president still has the power of The Veto--and isn't it about time he used it?
While waxing political, here's a question for you: (by the way, if I've already asked this, just sit there politely and nod, woudja? I'm too lazy to go back through almost 3 years of archived ramblings to double-check). The first amendment to the Bill of Rights is as follows: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The second reads like this: A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. Unless you're viewing the internet on an old black-and-white gopher-net version, you should be able to see that I've red-lighted the two things the amendments have in common. So why is it that so many folks seem to think the people in amendment 1 is any different than the people in amendment 2? Oh yeah, it is also worth noting that they are both RIGHTS. Not privileges. Just a little something I was pondering earlier today.
Also of note is the condition of the master bedroom. It's been painted, redecorated, the new bed has been assembled (and it is frickin' suh-weet!) and we're working on the last pieces of art. Which is why you didn't get a post last night. I was in the garage from about 5pm 'til 4am. Or thereabouts. I was making many picture frames. 3, actually. One of them is absolutely huge, however, and because our miter saw, outstanding thought it may be, will not cut all the way through a 1x6 when turned to a 45, I was unable to get a perfect mitered corner, never mind 4 of them. As a result, I came up with the cool idea of adding brushed stainless accents to the frame which look great but whose real beauty is how well they conceal my crappy joinery! I promise pictures of the room when it is finished so, at the absolute least, Kelly will be able to see the fruits of his labor. Since The Beardking and his lovely wife (does that make her the Beardqueen?) life about 38 seconds from an IKEA (well, more like about 10 minutes) Aimee and I enlisted his assistance in obtaining 3 of the art pieces for the room. For some strange reason, the canvases were in stock, but they just couldn't be bothered to send them to Oklahoma. Which means not only did Kelly have to put up with the store and all it's lovely shoppers, but he also had to ship them to us! But they are kind of a centerpiece feature, so hopefully he'll agree they were worth the 23 emails back and forth trying to figure out the whole shebang. Thanks again, home-skillet.
Finally, for tonight, I got a nice, bright, shiny Wilson's Combat drop-in .45 barrel in the mail Saturday and it is great except for one thing. I can't get the stupid link pin through the lugs! I'll save you the boring techno-jargon and simplify it for you thusly: I can't get a round peg to fit in a round hole. And it is driving me nuts! I know these things are a friction-fit (rather than being peened or staked) but this is the kind of tight that makes me think I may need a press or something to install it. I emailed Wilson Combat before I started this post, so let's see what they've got to say about the matter, mkay?
I can't think of anything else for now, so it's bedtime.
I know you got out and voted, right? Of course, you did. You're all responsible, civic-minded individuals just like me. The only problem seems to be that you did not get out and vote, or we wouldn't have Nancy-frickin-Pilosi as the speaker of the house, now would we? Seriously, it was 'in the cards' this time. Not that it actually matters, though. We still have a Republican president and the senate is split almost 50/50. So what does this mean for us reg'lar folks? Simple: more business as usual. The Dem's will cry and wank about whatever the 'Publicans are doing (and rightly so) and the 'Publicans will accuse the Dem's (and rightly so) of being soft on everything. Nothing will be accomplished and we'll have wasted 2 years in the process. Which should be just enough time for folks to figure out the Dem's were not able deliver the big changes people were hoping for when they went to the polls back in '06. Oh, it won't be any fault of their own--rather it will be the fault of The Machine. That is to say, we call it a "lame duck" session for a reason. The Pres can't get crap done, but neither can the house or the senate. There aren't enough votes in either side to get a thing done without a LOT of cooperation from across the aisle. And even if there is, the president still has the power of The Veto--and isn't it about time he used it?
While waxing political, here's a question for you: (by the way, if I've already asked this, just sit there politely and nod, woudja? I'm too lazy to go back through almost 3 years of archived ramblings to double-check). The first amendment to the Bill of Rights is as follows: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The second reads like this: A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. Unless you're viewing the internet on an old black-and-white gopher-net version, you should be able to see that I've red-lighted the two things the amendments have in common. So why is it that so many folks seem to think the people in amendment 1 is any different than the people in amendment 2? Oh yeah, it is also worth noting that they are both RIGHTS. Not privileges. Just a little something I was pondering earlier today.
Also of note is the condition of the master bedroom. It's been painted, redecorated, the new bed has been assembled (and it is frickin' suh-weet!) and we're working on the last pieces of art. Which is why you didn't get a post last night. I was in the garage from about 5pm 'til 4am. Or thereabouts. I was making many picture frames. 3, actually. One of them is absolutely huge, however, and because our miter saw, outstanding thought it may be, will not cut all the way through a 1x6 when turned to a 45, I was unable to get a perfect mitered corner, never mind 4 of them. As a result, I came up with the cool idea of adding brushed stainless accents to the frame which look great but whose real beauty is how well they conceal my crappy joinery! I promise pictures of the room when it is finished so, at the absolute least, Kelly will be able to see the fruits of his labor. Since The Beardking and his lovely wife (does that make her the Beardqueen?) life about 38 seconds from an IKEA (well, more like about 10 minutes) Aimee and I enlisted his assistance in obtaining 3 of the art pieces for the room. For some strange reason, the canvases were in stock, but they just couldn't be bothered to send them to Oklahoma. Which means not only did Kelly have to put up with the store and all it's lovely shoppers, but he also had to ship them to us! But they are kind of a centerpiece feature, so hopefully he'll agree they were worth the 23 emails back and forth trying to figure out the whole shebang. Thanks again, home-skillet.
Finally, for tonight, I got a nice, bright, shiny Wilson's Combat drop-in .45 barrel in the mail Saturday and it is great except for one thing. I can't get the stupid link pin through the lugs! I'll save you the boring techno-jargon and simplify it for you thusly: I can't get a round peg to fit in a round hole. And it is driving me nuts! I know these things are a friction-fit (rather than being peened or staked) but this is the kind of tight that makes me think I may need a press or something to install it. I emailed Wilson Combat before I started this post, so let's see what they've got to say about the matter, mkay?
I can't think of anything else for now, so it's bedtime.
// posted by wayne @ 11/21/2006 04:53:00 AM
November 06, 2006
SAFER
Ladies and Gentlemen, your link for the day:
Safer Choice.org
Safer Choice.org
// posted by wayne @ 11/06/2006 05:48:00 AM
November 03, 2006
Finally!
After five weeks of waiting patiently, the Shuffle has arrived. And it is TINY. I mean freakin' small, people. And I love it already. What was the first podcast I enjoyed? The NPR 5 minute news summary from 10:00am, 2 November 2006. May I have my pocket protector now, please?
The gen 2 shuffle comes in one flavor: 1GB. I just finished the 'autofill' on the iTunes menu, and it crammed in 180 songs with 2.6MB to spare. I've got Tori Amos, Bjork, Killswitch Engage, Death Cab for Cutie, Radiohead, Tool, Badlands, Corrosion of Comformity, Dishwalla, Tonic, The Streets, Coldplay Evanescence, and even a little Led Zeppelin. Basically, I gots a little bit o' everytin'.
I will say this, however: it is not perfect. Well the device itself may be, but the headphones--those iconic white spaghetti straps all the hipsters wear like a badge of honor--are absolute crap. Go outside, pick up two small rocks and jam them in your ears. Now put on your favorite cans OVER your gravel-filled ears and you'll get the idea. I have no idea why people would continue to use these things unless they have no other option, or looking cool is really that important to them. I honestly can not imagine wearing those things long enough to complete a workout. They are that bad. And they sound tinny have 0 bass response. Strange how Apple chose to put out such a sweet piece of gear and then saddle it with crap earbuds.
In any event, I'm duly impressed. Even the packaging was exciting. I felt like I was opening a box of fine chocolates or something. Seriously. You may not agree, but considering that almost everything else audio-esque comes in the ubiquitous sonic-welded clamshell package, I actually stopped to take note that even the manual and quick reference card were afforded such detail. I figured you guys deserved some pics after reading all this, so kick back relax and enjoy the bright, shiny, pretty thing.
The gen 2 shuffle comes in one flavor: 1GB. I just finished the 'autofill' on the iTunes menu, and it crammed in 180 songs with 2.6MB to spare. I've got Tori Amos, Bjork, Killswitch Engage, Death Cab for Cutie, Radiohead, Tool, Badlands, Corrosion of Comformity, Dishwalla, Tonic, The Streets, Coldplay Evanescence, and even a little Led Zeppelin. Basically, I gots a little bit o' everytin'.
I will say this, however: it is not perfect. Well the device itself may be, but the headphones--those iconic white spaghetti straps all the hipsters wear like a badge of honor--are absolute crap. Go outside, pick up two small rocks and jam them in your ears. Now put on your favorite cans OVER your gravel-filled ears and you'll get the idea. I have no idea why people would continue to use these things unless they have no other option, or looking cool is really that important to them. I honestly can not imagine wearing those things long enough to complete a workout. They are that bad. And they sound tinny have 0 bass response. Strange how Apple chose to put out such a sweet piece of gear and then saddle it with crap earbuds.
In any event, I'm duly impressed. Even the packaging was exciting. I felt like I was opening a box of fine chocolates or something. Seriously. You may not agree, but considering that almost everything else audio-esque comes in the ubiquitous sonic-welded clamshell package, I actually stopped to take note that even the manual and quick reference card were afforded such detail. I figured you guys deserved some pics after reading all this, so kick back relax and enjoy the bright, shiny, pretty thing.
// posted by wayne @ 11/03/2006 05:14:00 AM
November 01, 2006
Do the Shuffle!
I'm not really sure if there was ever a shuffle to go with the mashed potato or the twist, but mine is finally inbound. You know, if Apple had told me they weren't shipping until October 31st BEFORE I checked out on their website, I probably would've waited a bit and added that money to the .45 fund. But this is good--I will finally be able to take all my Sam Harris, Hillary Clinton and Chuck Schumer podcasts with me whever I go. Yeah, boy!
Seriously though, I imagine I will end up loading up some hot musical action at some point, but at first I'll be a podcasting fool.
I wonder if Moveon.org has podcasts? Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer!
Seriously though, I imagine I will end up loading up some hot musical action at some point, but at first I'll be a podcasting fool.
I wonder if Moveon.org has podcasts? Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer!
// posted by wayne @ 11/01/2006 04:51:00 AM
