I find it very telling that a year after our new President takes office and almost a year after the rest of his "Good 'Ol Boys" were hired, we still refer to them as "from Texas Tech." They have been outsiders from day one and have made no effort to integrate themselves into our world that is OSU.
These FIVE articles were in the campus paper today...
Faculty resign in wake of investigation (it should say Staff)
O-Key program possibly insecure
Faculty resign from OSU IT (it should say Staff)
Students notice OSU’s new Web calendar
OSU IT ready to repair the damage done
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
3 Days in Tulsa, Part 3 - Sunday
We spent Saturday night at my sister's house, as we had planned to. I did get up early Sunday but wasn't quite as excited about going back. Saturday is traditionally the "big" day with the major celebrities and increased attendance but it really didn't seem so this year. Maybe Trek Expo, for as popular as it appears to be, pales in comparison to some of the other cons I've been to. The lack of dealer space, lack of parallel activities (i.e. movie rooms) and its being held in a giant f'ing warehouse has never impressed me... but I go for its proximity and the ability to take celebrity photographs.
At any rate, almost everyone on the schedule for Sunday was on my "must see" list so I was ready to head back.
I don't really recall what time we got started but we missed Vaughn Armstrong. He was at Trek Expo a couple of years ago so it wasn't a great loss to miss his stage time. He's a super nice guy but not one of those people who I follow.
Shelly wanted to see Teryl Rothery's second appearance at 11:30 so we made it by then. As opposed to her Friday appearance, she was a lot more social this time around. Not that she was anti-social on Friday but she hopped off the stage to give some kid a hug and couldn't figure out how to get back up. Not wanting to miss an opportunity, she came out to the "cheap seats" and was talking to people there. I find it so cool when celebrities do stuff like that. One of my favorite memories of Trek Expo was when Garret Wang took a walk around the auditorium so everyone had on opportunity to get a good picture. Plus, one of my favorite concerts was in Kansas City when Rick Springfield came out into the audience (I got good pictures of that, too - we were on the 6th row).
I will miss seeing her on Stargate SG1.
After Teryl Rothery was Katee Sackhoff, yet another Sci Fi babe. Katee played Starbuck in the SciFi Channel version of Battlestar Galactica. This having been the first opportunity to see any B.G. celebrity after its airing, I asked her if she was a fan of the original and how she felt about the re-telling.
Honestly, she had never seen the original, having been born after it was off the air, but she knew about it. She commented that she grew up in a "sci fi household" and had heard of the show. When she was cast, she called her father to tell him about her character... "She's really cool. She's tough, she's smart and she kicks some ass."
"What's your character's name?" her father asked.
"Starbuck."
"Sweetie... you need to watch the original."
She had to back up the DVD because she missed "her" then finally figured out the original Starbuck was a guy.
Ronny Cox was up next. He came out on stage wearing bluejeans, a faded blue shirt, a black vest and black hat. He struck me as one of those people that accept their celebrity but it's just like any other job to him. He explained that his first love was music - hence the concert the night before - and acting was something extra. It's obvious that he takes both seriously. He mentioned that, even though his first several jobs were as all-around nice guys his last few have been sneaky, smarmy bad guys (Dick Jones, Cohagen and Kinsey) and he's loved playing them.
Boy was I surprised when John Billingsley came out on stage. I've seen pictures of him sans makeup and prosthetics but I was not ready for this. He came out in faded black slacks, a bowling shirt with wide, vertical stripes alternating black and white, hair that looked like it hadn't been cut (or combed) in about three months and a face that hadn't seen a razor in at least five days. Don't get me wrong, he made it work but all I could think was here was this 40-year-old schlub who could fit in with the audience as well as he could work it on stage.
Let me put it this way. Do you remember the pudgy nerd you knew in High School that had a certain lack of social skills who spoke very seriously about time travel and maybe even asked you to come along on the trip once he built his time machine? He had unkempt hair, wire-frame glasses, and a distant look in his eye... and he was a freaking genius? Do you remember that guy? Now, make him 40 and you have John Billingsley... creepy.
I'm not saying he was creepy. Quite the contrary, actually. I'm saying it was creepy how much he looked like "that guy." His appearance was actually quite amusing and he was fun to listen to and seemed very friendly and energetic. He and Dominic Keating must get a long quite well because he kept taking jabs at him. (Keating was a guest at Trek Expo 2002)
After Billingsley was Lexa Doig (the emcee pronounced it "doyg" like "boy" with a G). Lexa plays the title character on Andromeda with Kevin Sorbo. A couple of seasons ago, Michael Shanks did a guest spot and she became quite smitten with him. So much so that they're now married and she's 6-months pregnant! Lexa had a lot of fun talking about the antics on the set, especially Kevin Sorbo's infatuation with his Force Lance.
I should mention here that I've noticed a trend. Many of the on-set antics on many of the sci fi shows tend to center around flatulence. That's right, they all seem to talk about funny noises, gassy co-stars, and odiferous events. I guess fart jokes are funny no matter who you are.
The final guest of the weekend was Michael Shanks. I thought I was most interested in seeing Brent Spiner on Saturday but it turns out that I really wanted to see Michael Shanks. There was an electricity in the air as he took the stage. Maybe it's because he's on a current show, maybe it's because he's on my favorite show, maybe it's because I really like his character and how he portrays it (I just don't care for James Spader!), and maybe it's a combination of all of these things but I was very excited to see him.
Of course, it might have had something to do with my having coaxed (like I had to twist her arm) Teryl Rothery earlier in the day to make an appearance on stage with Michael for a photo opportunity. Surely enough, he was on stage for about 40 minutes when, over the speakers, there came a voice that asked, "I have a question. Why did Janet have to die?" Shanks turns around and through the curtain comes Teryl Rothery and his wife, Lexa Doig. The dynamics between the three of them was absolutely wonderful to see. Michael and Teryl talked fondly about how Janet was with Daniel when he ascended (died) and Daniel was with Janet when she died. Teryl did take the opportunity to say that, as an actress, her character's death wasn't so hard to take because the scene wasn't shot on her last day of shooting for the episode.
Shanks continued to take questions, that they all answered, and about ten minutes later this older guy wearing bluejeans, a faded blue shirt, a black vest and black hat wonders onstage. The ladies noticed him but Shanks didn't as he was near the edge of the stage paying attention to the audience. As he finished answering a question, the next person stepped up to the microphone and asked, "Can we do something about the guy in the black vest?" Confused, Shanks turned around to see Ronny Cox standing there and was COMPLETELY surprised. It was a way cool moment in con history for me and one that I won't soon forget.
After another couple of minutes, they all sat down like a Stargate panel discussion (although Michael was the main focus, given it was his stage time) and the audience had a wonderful time. These last few minutes were well worth the price of admission and turned what for me was a mediocre weekend into a fantastic one. Everyone booed the emcee when he had to call an end to the festivities. I think he would have let them continue but, as he explained, Shanks & Doig had to catch a plane.
Wow... what a weekend. I'm already looking forward to next year and I think we might try to make it to StarFest in Denver again.
Live long and prosper!
At any rate, almost everyone on the schedule for Sunday was on my "must see" list so I was ready to head back.
I don't really recall what time we got started but we missed Vaughn Armstrong. He was at Trek Expo a couple of years ago so it wasn't a great loss to miss his stage time. He's a super nice guy but not one of those people who I follow.
Shelly wanted to see Teryl Rothery's second appearance at 11:30 so we made it by then. As opposed to her Friday appearance, she was a lot more social this time around. Not that she was anti-social on Friday but she hopped off the stage to give some kid a hug and couldn't figure out how to get back up. Not wanting to miss an opportunity, she came out to the "cheap seats" and was talking to people there. I find it so cool when celebrities do stuff like that. One of my favorite memories of Trek Expo was when Garret Wang took a walk around the auditorium so everyone had on opportunity to get a good picture. Plus, one of my favorite concerts was in Kansas City when Rick Springfield came out into the audience (I got good pictures of that, too - we were on the 6th row).
I will miss seeing her on Stargate SG1.
After Teryl Rothery was Katee Sackhoff, yet another Sci Fi babe. Katee played Starbuck in the SciFi Channel version of Battlestar Galactica. This having been the first opportunity to see any B.G. celebrity after its airing, I asked her if she was a fan of the original and how she felt about the re-telling.
Honestly, she had never seen the original, having been born after it was off the air, but she knew about it. She commented that she grew up in a "sci fi household" and had heard of the show. When she was cast, she called her father to tell him about her character... "She's really cool. She's tough, she's smart and she kicks some ass."
"What's your character's name?" her father asked.
"Starbuck."
"Sweetie... you need to watch the original."
She had to back up the DVD because she missed "her" then finally figured out the original Starbuck was a guy.
Ronny Cox was up next. He came out on stage wearing bluejeans, a faded blue shirt, a black vest and black hat. He struck me as one of those people that accept their celebrity but it's just like any other job to him. He explained that his first love was music - hence the concert the night before - and acting was something extra. It's obvious that he takes both seriously. He mentioned that, even though his first several jobs were as all-around nice guys his last few have been sneaky, smarmy bad guys (Dick Jones, Cohagen and Kinsey) and he's loved playing them.
Boy was I surprised when John Billingsley came out on stage. I've seen pictures of him sans makeup and prosthetics but I was not ready for this. He came out in faded black slacks, a bowling shirt with wide, vertical stripes alternating black and white, hair that looked like it hadn't been cut (or combed) in about three months and a face that hadn't seen a razor in at least five days. Don't get me wrong, he made it work but all I could think was here was this 40-year-old schlub who could fit in with the audience as well as he could work it on stage.
Let me put it this way. Do you remember the pudgy nerd you knew in High School that had a certain lack of social skills who spoke very seriously about time travel and maybe even asked you to come along on the trip once he built his time machine? He had unkempt hair, wire-frame glasses, and a distant look in his eye... and he was a freaking genius? Do you remember that guy? Now, make him 40 and you have John Billingsley... creepy.
I'm not saying he was creepy. Quite the contrary, actually. I'm saying it was creepy how much he looked like "that guy." His appearance was actually quite amusing and he was fun to listen to and seemed very friendly and energetic. He and Dominic Keating must get a long quite well because he kept taking jabs at him. (Keating was a guest at Trek Expo 2002)
After Billingsley was Lexa Doig (the emcee pronounced it "doyg" like "boy" with a G). Lexa plays the title character on Andromeda with Kevin Sorbo. A couple of seasons ago, Michael Shanks did a guest spot and she became quite smitten with him. So much so that they're now married and she's 6-months pregnant! Lexa had a lot of fun talking about the antics on the set, especially Kevin Sorbo's infatuation with his Force Lance.
I should mention here that I've noticed a trend. Many of the on-set antics on many of the sci fi shows tend to center around flatulence. That's right, they all seem to talk about funny noises, gassy co-stars, and odiferous events. I guess fart jokes are funny no matter who you are.
The final guest of the weekend was Michael Shanks. I thought I was most interested in seeing Brent Spiner on Saturday but it turns out that I really wanted to see Michael Shanks. There was an electricity in the air as he took the stage. Maybe it's because he's on a current show, maybe it's because he's on my favorite show, maybe it's because I really like his character and how he portrays it (I just don't care for James Spader!), and maybe it's a combination of all of these things but I was very excited to see him.
Of course, it might have had something to do with my having coaxed (like I had to twist her arm) Teryl Rothery earlier in the day to make an appearance on stage with Michael for a photo opportunity. Surely enough, he was on stage for about 40 minutes when, over the speakers, there came a voice that asked, "I have a question. Why did Janet have to die?" Shanks turns around and through the curtain comes Teryl Rothery and his wife, Lexa Doig. The dynamics between the three of them was absolutely wonderful to see. Michael and Teryl talked fondly about how Janet was with Daniel when he ascended (died) and Daniel was with Janet when she died. Teryl did take the opportunity to say that, as an actress, her character's death wasn't so hard to take because the scene wasn't shot on her last day of shooting for the episode.
Shanks continued to take questions, that they all answered, and about ten minutes later this older guy wearing bluejeans, a faded blue shirt, a black vest and black hat wonders onstage. The ladies noticed him but Shanks didn't as he was near the edge of the stage paying attention to the audience. As he finished answering a question, the next person stepped up to the microphone and asked, "Can we do something about the guy in the black vest?" Confused, Shanks turned around to see Ronny Cox standing there and was COMPLETELY surprised. It was a way cool moment in con history for me and one that I won't soon forget.
After another couple of minutes, they all sat down like a Stargate panel discussion (although Michael was the main focus, given it was his stage time) and the audience had a wonderful time. These last few minutes were well worth the price of admission and turned what for me was a mediocre weekend into a fantastic one. Everyone booed the emcee when he had to call an end to the festivities. I think he would have let them continue but, as he explained, Shanks & Doig had to catch a plane.
Wow... what a weekend. I'm already looking forward to next year and I think we might try to make it to StarFest in Denver again.
Live long and prosper!
Monday, June 28, 2004
3 Days in Tulsa, Part 2 - Saturday
I had had some trouble with the card reader Friday evening and was not able to clear one of the memory cards. When we got home late Friday night, I went ahead and hooked everything up to the desktop system in my office and was able to read the card without a problem. While I was at it, I went ahead and copied the pictures already on my laptop to the desktop.
As I was reviewing the photos, I noticed that several of them had lots of electronic noise - the digital equivalent of film grain. I was surprised by this since the camera I was using was capable of 8 megapixels, had a great lens and was set to its highest resolution. As I dove into the setup menu on the camera, I realized it was simulating ASA 800 film. Good for taking low-light pictures, yes, but it forces the gain on the CCD (the part of the camera that actually takes the picture) up so high that you get electronic noise, or grain, on your pictures no matter how good the light is. I played with it between 200 and 400 for the rest of the weekend and got some pretty decent shots.
I was excited so I got up around 7am on Saturday. I made sure batteries were charged, etc. and repacked everything so I could carry my rolling backpack with me instead of leaving stuff in the car. I went ahead and rousted Shelly at about 8:50am after posting a quick blog entry. We hit the road at about 10 and arrived at Expo Square right at 11:30, which is when Kristen Dalton was scheduled to be on stage.
Because we were just getting our bearings, I didn't get to listen to her Q&A but did manage to get a couple of pictures. She was wearing her hair kinda funky so I almost didn't recognize her.
Next up was Gil Gerard and Erin Gray. These two used to play Buck and Wilma on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Amazingly enough, Gil Gerard, before becoming an actor, was a rocket scientist. Seriously! He is a chemical engineer and worked on the boosters for the Titan missile system. After that he worked with Michael Landon quite a bit and a show called Sidekicks.
Erin Gray is one of those people that pops up now and then in a movie or on television. I remember her from Buck Rogers, Six Pack and Silver Spoons. She still works as an actress but also runs an agency that represents actors, such as Gil Gerard, for public appearances, etc.
Up next was Ray Park. Once again, he brought Daniel Logan and Sala Baker up with him. Nothing new there except a few more pictures.
When Penny Johnson Jerald took the stage, I snapped a few pictures for posterity, listened a bit about her work on 24 (a show I've never watched) and left.
We went to sit and chat at one of the tables near where the signing guests were seated. We weren't very far from Ray Park and he was pretty much right in my line of sight. There were about three 12-year-old boys milling about and all of a sudden, Ray comes out from behind his table and starts having slow-motion mock light saber battles with them. It was really cool! He's dodging swings from them, he's helping them dodge swings from him, he's rolling around on the floor... those kids were grinning from ear-to-ear. At one point, he located the 6-foot warhammer someone had made (one of the foam and duct tape versions) and brought that out and started swinging it (slowly). The boys took off in "terror" giggling all the way!
At 2:00, it was Ron Perlman. My wife likes anything associated with the short-lived TV series, The Magnificent Seven. We were back at the stage in plenty of time to see him.
It was very interesting to listen to him talk about his experiences. Most actors I've heard talk about prosthetics really don't have much good to say about them. You generally hear about how long it takes to apply them, how hot they are, how some limit your movement or field of vision... not Ron Perlman. Even with makeup as involved as Hellboy and Vincent for Beauty and the Beast, Ron really likes working in prosthetics. In fact, he said that he enjoys mask work immensely because it gives him a chance to really become someone and something different - to really get involved in the character.
At 3:00, they had a preview of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow featuring live and in-person, Bai Ling. I know Kevin has a thing for asian women so I was sure to snap a few pics for him... then moved on.
When that was over, Ronny Cox came in and did a 3 or 4-song set to preview his concert that was set to begin at 10:00pm that evening. Good music but not really my style.
At 4:00 was the headliner of the Expo (or so we thought at the time), Brent Spiner. You may remember him as Commander Data on Star Trek The Next Generation or Dr. Okun in Independence Day (the dude @ Area 51 that got nabbed by the alien). He also played Bob Wheeler on Night Court and Billy Bob Conroy on Mama's Family. Other credits to his name include Out to Sea and Dude, Where's My Car.
Brent, unfortunately, was a typical Star Trek star on stage. He was funny, energetic and captivating... and brought nothing unique to the stage. To a first-time con-goer, he would have rocked. To a seasoned con veteran... not so much. His presentation was a lot of fun but it was difficult to seperate the real information from the BS he was handing out (they all do it - usually giving grief to their castmates). There's a delicate balance you have to strike to be popular across the board and I guess once you've seen it a hundred times and once you've presented it a hundred times it gets a little hard to get excited about.
At the end of the day was the event I'd been most looking forward to - Supper With The Stars. Supper With The Stars is a charity benefit for the Tulsa Boy's Home. Basically, for $25/person you get a meal and some "unscripted" time with any of the celebrities who choose to show up. Last year, I had a most wonderful time and managed to see some of the celebrities that I would have missed (I was unable to attend on Sunday last year). The food was mediocre but spending time with the celebrities was fantastic.
This year, they finally managed to hire a decent caterer. Although the menu said burgers and hot dogs, we were treated to some WONDERFUL brisket and fried chicken. In addition, a new pizza place in town donated pizza for the event (the were also stocking the green room the entire weekend) so food was plenty and it was good.
Unfortunately, they screwed up the schedule in such a way that nobody really had time to rub elbows. Let me explain...
The event traditionally starts around 7:15pm and ends around 9:30pm. Last year, the public was let in at 7:15, the celebrities arrived 7:30ish and food was served around 7:45. The hosts asked everyone to let the stars finish eating before taking pictures and interacting. Everyone was pretty much finished around 8:15 to 8:30, giving everyone an hour or so to spend time mingling.
This year, for some reason, some knobhead decided not to even serve dinner until 8:30. Even though we were let in at 7:15, we were greeted with the same, "please try not to bother the stars until they finish eating" speech. Well, of course, the celebrities themselves got restless around 8:00 and started mingling. Then, just as the party started swinging, we were interrupted by dinner. By the time we finished eating, there were only about 3 celebrities left and about a half hour for EVERYONE to take a turn getting a picture or shaking a hand.
I managed to get several candid shots of the stars and came within inches of getting a picture of Shelly with Ray Park. I'm thinking of sending an email to the people at Starbase 21 about my experience. Now that they have the food right, I hope they can get the experience right next year. After all, I could care less about the food.
Next installment: 3 Days in Tulsa, Part 3 - Sunday
As I was reviewing the photos, I noticed that several of them had lots of electronic noise - the digital equivalent of film grain. I was surprised by this since the camera I was using was capable of 8 megapixels, had a great lens and was set to its highest resolution. As I dove into the setup menu on the camera, I realized it was simulating ASA 800 film. Good for taking low-light pictures, yes, but it forces the gain on the CCD (the part of the camera that actually takes the picture) up so high that you get electronic noise, or grain, on your pictures no matter how good the light is. I played with it between 200 and 400 for the rest of the weekend and got some pretty decent shots.
I was excited so I got up around 7am on Saturday. I made sure batteries were charged, etc. and repacked everything so I could carry my rolling backpack with me instead of leaving stuff in the car. I went ahead and rousted Shelly at about 8:50am after posting a quick blog entry. We hit the road at about 10 and arrived at Expo Square right at 11:30, which is when Kristen Dalton was scheduled to be on stage.
Because we were just getting our bearings, I didn't get to listen to her Q&A but did manage to get a couple of pictures. She was wearing her hair kinda funky so I almost didn't recognize her.
Next up was Gil Gerard and Erin Gray. These two used to play Buck and Wilma on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Amazingly enough, Gil Gerard, before becoming an actor, was a rocket scientist. Seriously! He is a chemical engineer and worked on the boosters for the Titan missile system. After that he worked with Michael Landon quite a bit and a show called Sidekicks.
Erin Gray is one of those people that pops up now and then in a movie or on television. I remember her from Buck Rogers, Six Pack and Silver Spoons. She still works as an actress but also runs an agency that represents actors, such as Gil Gerard, for public appearances, etc.
Up next was Ray Park. Once again, he brought Daniel Logan and Sala Baker up with him. Nothing new there except a few more pictures.
When Penny Johnson Jerald took the stage, I snapped a few pictures for posterity, listened a bit about her work on 24 (a show I've never watched) and left.
We went to sit and chat at one of the tables near where the signing guests were seated. We weren't very far from Ray Park and he was pretty much right in my line of sight. There were about three 12-year-old boys milling about and all of a sudden, Ray comes out from behind his table and starts having slow-motion mock light saber battles with them. It was really cool! He's dodging swings from them, he's helping them dodge swings from him, he's rolling around on the floor... those kids were grinning from ear-to-ear. At one point, he located the 6-foot warhammer someone had made (one of the foam and duct tape versions) and brought that out and started swinging it (slowly). The boys took off in "terror" giggling all the way!
At 2:00, it was Ron Perlman. My wife likes anything associated with the short-lived TV series, The Magnificent Seven. We were back at the stage in plenty of time to see him.
It was very interesting to listen to him talk about his experiences. Most actors I've heard talk about prosthetics really don't have much good to say about them. You generally hear about how long it takes to apply them, how hot they are, how some limit your movement or field of vision... not Ron Perlman. Even with makeup as involved as Hellboy and Vincent for Beauty and the Beast, Ron really likes working in prosthetics. In fact, he said that he enjoys mask work immensely because it gives him a chance to really become someone and something different - to really get involved in the character.
At 3:00, they had a preview of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow featuring live and in-person, Bai Ling. I know Kevin has a thing for asian women so I was sure to snap a few pics for him... then moved on.
When that was over, Ronny Cox came in and did a 3 or 4-song set to preview his concert that was set to begin at 10:00pm that evening. Good music but not really my style.
At 4:00 was the headliner of the Expo (or so we thought at the time), Brent Spiner. You may remember him as Commander Data on Star Trek The Next Generation or Dr. Okun in Independence Day (the dude @ Area 51 that got nabbed by the alien). He also played Bob Wheeler on Night Court and Billy Bob Conroy on Mama's Family. Other credits to his name include Out to Sea and Dude, Where's My Car.
Brent, unfortunately, was a typical Star Trek star on stage. He was funny, energetic and captivating... and brought nothing unique to the stage. To a first-time con-goer, he would have rocked. To a seasoned con veteran... not so much. His presentation was a lot of fun but it was difficult to seperate the real information from the BS he was handing out (they all do it - usually giving grief to their castmates). There's a delicate balance you have to strike to be popular across the board and I guess once you've seen it a hundred times and once you've presented it a hundred times it gets a little hard to get excited about.
At the end of the day was the event I'd been most looking forward to - Supper With The Stars. Supper With The Stars is a charity benefit for the Tulsa Boy's Home. Basically, for $25/person you get a meal and some "unscripted" time with any of the celebrities who choose to show up. Last year, I had a most wonderful time and managed to see some of the celebrities that I would have missed (I was unable to attend on Sunday last year). The food was mediocre but spending time with the celebrities was fantastic.
This year, they finally managed to hire a decent caterer. Although the menu said burgers and hot dogs, we were treated to some WONDERFUL brisket and fried chicken. In addition, a new pizza place in town donated pizza for the event (the were also stocking the green room the entire weekend) so food was plenty and it was good.
Unfortunately, they screwed up the schedule in such a way that nobody really had time to rub elbows. Let me explain...
The event traditionally starts around 7:15pm and ends around 9:30pm. Last year, the public was let in at 7:15, the celebrities arrived 7:30ish and food was served around 7:45. The hosts asked everyone to let the stars finish eating before taking pictures and interacting. Everyone was pretty much finished around 8:15 to 8:30, giving everyone an hour or so to spend time mingling.
This year, for some reason, some knobhead decided not to even serve dinner until 8:30. Even though we were let in at 7:15, we were greeted with the same, "please try not to bother the stars until they finish eating" speech. Well, of course, the celebrities themselves got restless around 8:00 and started mingling. Then, just as the party started swinging, we were interrupted by dinner. By the time we finished eating, there were only about 3 celebrities left and about a half hour for EVERYONE to take a turn getting a picture or shaking a hand.
I managed to get several candid shots of the stars and came within inches of getting a picture of Shelly with Ray Park. I'm thinking of sending an email to the people at Starbase 21 about my experience. Now that they have the food right, I hope they can get the experience right next year. After all, I could care less about the food.
Next installment: 3 Days in Tulsa, Part 3 - Sunday
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Fond Memories Upon my Awakening
JD*, our dog, has taken to sleeping in the bathroom. I'm not entirely sure why but it's one of his favorite places lately. I think he feels safe in there for some reason.
The bathroom door is about three feet off my side of the bed. In recent weeks I've gotten used to hearing JD roust himself and start moving about as I hit the snooze button at least twice each morning. Then, when I finally clear the alarm and swing my feet over the side of the bed, he'll come trotting out, round the corner and head for the living room. Tradition states that I follow and let him out the back door.
This morning I woke up and JD was lying on the floor near my side of the bed. As I swung my feet from under the covers they dangled just above him. I leaned forward slightly and began swinging my right foot, running it up and down his left side. I was instantly reminded of Baron who, from the day we welcomed him into our lives, often slept next to my side of the bed.
It all brings a smile to my face. What a great way to wake up.
-----------------------------------------------
*JD is short for Jack Daniel
The bathroom door is about three feet off my side of the bed. In recent weeks I've gotten used to hearing JD roust himself and start moving about as I hit the snooze button at least twice each morning. Then, when I finally clear the alarm and swing my feet over the side of the bed, he'll come trotting out, round the corner and head for the living room. Tradition states that I follow and let him out the back door.
This morning I woke up and JD was lying on the floor near my side of the bed. As I swung my feet from under the covers they dangled just above him. I leaned forward slightly and began swinging my right foot, running it up and down his left side. I was instantly reminded of Baron who, from the day we welcomed him into our lives, often slept next to my side of the bed.
It all brings a smile to my face. What a great way to wake up.
-----------------------------------------------
*JD is short for Jack Daniel
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
His blood pressure is falling, doctor.
The last three days at work have been an absolute JOY!! I have been busy as crap but I've loved every minute of it.
Why?
Two words... customer service.
That's right, we've finally turned away from our barreling freight-train project and started actually fixing things that are broken. Some we told them that was driving the train would break.
The train may start moving again but we're definately going to make sure there's track ahead before we throw the first shovel of coal.
It's good to be back.
Why?
Two words... customer service.
That's right, we've finally turned away from our barreling freight-train project and started actually fixing things that are broken. Some we told them that was driving the train would break.
The train may start moving again but we're definately going to make sure there's track ahead before we throw the first shovel of coal.
It's good to be back.
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
3 Days In Tulsa, Part 1 - Friday
I was anxious to get my con weekend started. Even though nobody I really wanted to see was scheduled until 1:30pm, I wanted to experience it all. I knew it was unrealistic to even think we'd make it by 10:00am when the festivities opened but I was eager to be there by 11:00 or 11:30. In the end, due to sleeping habits and an errand we had to run in Tulsa, we made it by noon-ish.
As we entered the Expo Center (one of the reasons it's called Trek Expo) at the Tulsa fairgrounds I could see that some of the stars were already at their tables at the East end of the exhibit area. I spotted Jeffrey Combs and Kristen Dalton right away but resisted the urge to run over and start going "fanboy" on them. I did snap a couple of quick photos, though.
A short time later, we went to the stage and found a couple of seats. Daniel Logan was scheduled for noon and Sala Baker was scheduled for 12:30. When we arrived, it appeared that they had shared their stage time and had even dragged Ray Park up for moral support. It was obvious the three of them were friends.
I fired off some pictures, learning more about the camera I had borrowed with each shot, then sat and went over the schedule with my wife. The 1:30 presentation was for the Star Trek Villains, Marc Alaimo, Casey Biggs and Jeffrey Combs.
In my last few years of going to conventions I've noticed a trend in the way these presentations go. In the past, the stars would usually talk a few minutes about "what it was like to work on [insert scifi show title here]" which is a question that always comes up. Only after this introduction would they open it up for questions. I don't think anyone gave an introduction this weekend - not even Brent Spiner. Each presenter would come out, pose for a couple of pictures, and immediately start taking questions.
Maybe they're tired of telling the same stories over and over. Maybe they don't want to look foolish telling the same stories over and over. Maybe they want to customize what they say to what the specific audience wants to hear. I don't know but I miss the opening stories. I think the last person I saw who did that was Garret Wang from ST: Voyager. His was one of the best stage appearances I've seen in a long time and he took hardly any questions. I could have listened to him for another hour.
Of course, in all fairness to the celebrity who is solely responsible for me starting this blog, Wil Wheaton had an absolutely wonderful stage appearance. His presentation, however, was very different. He took some questions but concentrated on readings from Dancing Barefoot. Fun, fascinating and somewhat related to Star Trek but different enough that I don't lump him in that same category.
To get back to my story, Alaimo (it's pronounced uh-lie-mo), Biggs and Combs were fun but there was nothing overly memorable about their stage time. I do recall, however, that a fan dressed as an Andorian (the blue guys with the antennas) approached the microphone. As she did, Biggs and Combs, who plays an Andorian on Enterprise (among other things), started commenting on her costume. Eventually, Biggs placed his mic on top of Combs' head and Combs followed suit to make him look like he had antennas. I have a picture of the incident that I may share with you as soon as I get the 600+ pictures I took sorted a little bit better. (I did print it out as an 8x10 and I got the two of them to sign it.) Before they finished, I had already filled most of a memory card and had to dash out the car for a bit. That's when I posted the first audio blog.
Next up was Teryl Rothery from Stargate SG-1. We first saw Teryl at StarFest 2002 in Denver, CO. She was a hoot then and she's a hoot now. She has a lot of fun talking about her character and working on Stargate SG-1. She's also one of those celebrities who loves to talk to her fans. If you ever get a chance to see her, drop by and say "hello."
After Teryl Rothery was Mercedes McNab. I've never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer nor Angel but after seeing this SciFi babe and seeing a picture of Julie Benz at the DragonCon site, I'm beginning to wonder why not. I mean, Sarah Michelle Gellar is pretty easy on the eyes, I've always had a thing for Alyson Hannigan (she's a redhead, I can't help myself) and now I see these two. I mean, Buffy had more babeage thanBabewatch Baywatch. WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING not watching this show!!??
We didn't really hang around for McNab much longer than it took me to take a few pics (I tried not to drool on the camera as I did so). We went in search of Greg and Mia. We met Greg and Mia at Trek Expo two years ago. I was bouncing about taking pictures, as I normally do, and my wife was just looking for a place to sit down and cool her heels. The only open spot was next to this person creating beaded bracelets. Being as I wasn't there I can only assume they began making small talk at some point and Shelly found out that, like me, Greg attends SciFi conventions mainly to take pictures and Mia tags along to get glimpses of the stars and maybe a few choice autographs. We've been con buddies ever since.
When we saw Greg this year, he was sporting a "Staff" badge. Turns out that Starbase21, who sponsors the event, had some difficulty with their staff photographer last year. Greg offered some of his photos for the web site and they asked him to be their official photographer this year. In exchange, he got free admission and a chance to hang out back stage a bit.
After chatting with Greg a bit, we went back to the stage to see Jennifer Lien. She came out on stage looking a bit lost. This is not unusual for celebrities who are not used to the SciFi convention phenomenon but she looked really out of it. She waved to the audience then turned to stare at some guy, who we later figured out was her significant other, that came out on stage with her and was trying to be inconspicuous in the back corner. Eventually, she took a seat and got ready for questions.
As always, the emcee started off the questions with, "How did you get your start in acting?" It seems to be a nice ice-breaker and usually gets them talking. Not this time boy-o. Her response, and I'm quoting as verbatim as I can remember here, was, "Um... I did some plays, then I went on some auditions and got some parts."
Okaaaaaaaay... Maybe she hasn't ever done this before and the answer really was that simple to her but that's not what the fans want to hear. After snapping a few pictures I simply had to leave the stage area. Her answers weren't getting much better, the emcee was carrying the "interview" and it was like watching a train wreck because they still had 45 minutes to go. We figured that either she had a cold and the antihistimines were knocking her for a loop, she's ill and is losing some of her mental faculties or she's burned out too many brain cells doing drugs. It was truly sad to see, whatever the issue.
That evening we decided to attend a performance of "Who Calls Me Villain" with Marc Alaimo, Casey Biggs and Jeffrey Combs. I can't give too much away but they read scenes from different plays, etc. I enjoyed it and it gave me a taste of the range each of them can play. If you get a chance to see it, do so.
Coming soon: 3 Days In Tulsa, Part 2 - Saturday
As we entered the Expo Center (one of the reasons it's called Trek Expo) at the Tulsa fairgrounds I could see that some of the stars were already at their tables at the East end of the exhibit area. I spotted Jeffrey Combs and Kristen Dalton right away but resisted the urge to run over and start going "fanboy" on them. I did snap a couple of quick photos, though.
A short time later, we went to the stage and found a couple of seats. Daniel Logan was scheduled for noon and Sala Baker was scheduled for 12:30. When we arrived, it appeared that they had shared their stage time and had even dragged Ray Park up for moral support. It was obvious the three of them were friends.
I fired off some pictures, learning more about the camera I had borrowed with each shot, then sat and went over the schedule with my wife. The 1:30 presentation was for the Star Trek Villains, Marc Alaimo, Casey Biggs and Jeffrey Combs.
In my last few years of going to conventions I've noticed a trend in the way these presentations go. In the past, the stars would usually talk a few minutes about "what it was like to work on [insert scifi show title here]" which is a question that always comes up. Only after this introduction would they open it up for questions. I don't think anyone gave an introduction this weekend - not even Brent Spiner. Each presenter would come out, pose for a couple of pictures, and immediately start taking questions.
Maybe they're tired of telling the same stories over and over. Maybe they don't want to look foolish telling the same stories over and over. Maybe they want to customize what they say to what the specific audience wants to hear. I don't know but I miss the opening stories. I think the last person I saw who did that was Garret Wang from ST: Voyager. His was one of the best stage appearances I've seen in a long time and he took hardly any questions. I could have listened to him for another hour.
Of course, in all fairness to the celebrity who is solely responsible for me starting this blog, Wil Wheaton had an absolutely wonderful stage appearance. His presentation, however, was very different. He took some questions but concentrated on readings from Dancing Barefoot. Fun, fascinating and somewhat related to Star Trek but different enough that I don't lump him in that same category.
To get back to my story, Alaimo (it's pronounced uh-lie-mo), Biggs and Combs were fun but there was nothing overly memorable about their stage time. I do recall, however, that a fan dressed as an Andorian (the blue guys with the antennas) approached the microphone. As she did, Biggs and Combs, who plays an Andorian on Enterprise (among other things), started commenting on her costume. Eventually, Biggs placed his mic on top of Combs' head and Combs followed suit to make him look like he had antennas. I have a picture of the incident that I may share with you as soon as I get the 600+ pictures I took sorted a little bit better. (I did print it out as an 8x10 and I got the two of them to sign it.) Before they finished, I had already filled most of a memory card and had to dash out the car for a bit. That's when I posted the first audio blog.
Next up was Teryl Rothery from Stargate SG-1. We first saw Teryl at StarFest 2002 in Denver, CO. She was a hoot then and she's a hoot now. She has a lot of fun talking about her character and working on Stargate SG-1. She's also one of those celebrities who loves to talk to her fans. If you ever get a chance to see her, drop by and say "hello."
After Teryl Rothery was Mercedes McNab. I've never watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer nor Angel but after seeing this SciFi babe and seeing a picture of Julie Benz at the DragonCon site, I'm beginning to wonder why not. I mean, Sarah Michelle Gellar is pretty easy on the eyes, I've always had a thing for Alyson Hannigan (she's a redhead, I can't help myself) and now I see these two. I mean, Buffy had more babeage than
We didn't really hang around for McNab much longer than it took me to take a few pics (I tried not to drool on the camera as I did so). We went in search of Greg and Mia. We met Greg and Mia at Trek Expo two years ago. I was bouncing about taking pictures, as I normally do, and my wife was just looking for a place to sit down and cool her heels. The only open spot was next to this person creating beaded bracelets. Being as I wasn't there I can only assume they began making small talk at some point and Shelly found out that, like me, Greg attends SciFi conventions mainly to take pictures and Mia tags along to get glimpses of the stars and maybe a few choice autographs. We've been con buddies ever since.
When we saw Greg this year, he was sporting a "Staff" badge. Turns out that Starbase21, who sponsors the event, had some difficulty with their staff photographer last year. Greg offered some of his photos for the web site and they asked him to be their official photographer this year. In exchange, he got free admission and a chance to hang out back stage a bit.
After chatting with Greg a bit, we went back to the stage to see Jennifer Lien. She came out on stage looking a bit lost. This is not unusual for celebrities who are not used to the SciFi convention phenomenon but she looked really out of it. She waved to the audience then turned to stare at some guy, who we later figured out was her significant other, that came out on stage with her and was trying to be inconspicuous in the back corner. Eventually, she took a seat and got ready for questions.
As always, the emcee started off the questions with, "How did you get your start in acting?" It seems to be a nice ice-breaker and usually gets them talking. Not this time boy-o. Her response, and I'm quoting as verbatim as I can remember here, was, "Um... I did some plays, then I went on some auditions and got some parts."
Okaaaaaaaay... Maybe she hasn't ever done this before and the answer really was that simple to her but that's not what the fans want to hear. After snapping a few pictures I simply had to leave the stage area. Her answers weren't getting much better, the emcee was carrying the "interview" and it was like watching a train wreck because they still had 45 minutes to go. We figured that either she had a cold and the antihistimines were knocking her for a loop, she's ill and is losing some of her mental faculties or she's burned out too many brain cells doing drugs. It was truly sad to see, whatever the issue.
That evening we decided to attend a performance of "Who Calls Me Villain" with Marc Alaimo, Casey Biggs and Jeffrey Combs. I can't give too much away but they read scenes from different plays, etc. I enjoyed it and it gave me a taste of the range each of them can play. If you get a chance to see it, do so.
Coming soon: 3 Days In Tulsa, Part 2 - Saturday
Anniversary approaching
Kevin and I took a look this afternoon and I started this blog on July 5, 2003. I'm coming up on my one-year anniversary!
I have a special post slated for the Independence Day holiday (July 4) which I'll probably start working on very soon. In the mean time, I have about 90% of the first (of three) Trek Expo post ready to go. It may get posted tonight, might be tomorrow.
I have a special post slated for the Independence Day holiday (July 4) which I'll probably start working on very soon. In the mean time, I have about 90% of the first (of three) Trek Expo post ready to go. It may get posted tonight, might be tomorrow.
Sunday, June 20, 2004
Has anyone else noticed...
... that since Google took over blogger, the service has become less reliable?
AudioBlog Letdown
It sucks that the one weekend I want to make heavy use of AudBlog it goes down.
We're back from Trek Expo and had a great time. I'll be posting detailed accounts in the coming days.
We're back from Trek Expo and had a great time. I'll be posting detailed accounts in the coming days.
Saturday, June 19, 2004
Filler sounds
My sister gave me crap about my filler sounds ("uh", "um", etc.) in those last two audio posts. I knew they were full of them but decided to carry on. I was burning minutes yesterday and didn't want to re-record. Today will hopefully be a different story.
Anyway... Last night we attended "Who Calls Me Villain" presented by Marc Alaimo, Casey Biggs and Jeffrey Combs. It was fun but not quite as side-splitting as I'd hoped. I don't want to give too much away but I'll just say that my father would have LOVED it.
Today should be hopping! There's usually increased attendance on Saturday and I'm looking forward to "Supper With The Stars" this evening. It's a charity event and the stars are usually willing to pose for pictures, etc. Con staff say that everyone has expressed an interest in attending but Brent Spiner is on the fence and Katee Sackhoff won't be able to attend because her plane arrives too late.
Now it's taken me too long to add links and I have to go get the wife out of bed so we can be there in time for the first presentation. I'll audio post later... and I'm still working on getting someone to say "hi".
Anyway... Last night we attended "Who Calls Me Villain" presented by Marc Alaimo, Casey Biggs and Jeffrey Combs. It was fun but not quite as side-splitting as I'd hoped. I don't want to give too much away but I'll just say that my father would have LOVED it.
Today should be hopping! There's usually increased attendance on Saturday and I'm looking forward to "Supper With The Stars" this evening. It's a charity event and the stars are usually willing to pose for pictures, etc. Con staff say that everyone has expressed an interest in attending but Brent Spiner is on the fence and Katee Sackhoff won't be able to attend because her plane arrives too late.
Now it's taken me too long to add links and I have to go get the wife out of bed so we can be there in time for the first presentation. I'll audio post later... and I'm still working on getting someone to say "hi".
Friday, June 18, 2004
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Now the fuse is lit...
Today started out building stress like you wouldn't believe. The knot in my stomach just kept gitting tighter and tighter...
Then it happened.
I received some news that started that knot untying. I can't go into any detail but let's just say our management structure has undergone some changes (see previous post "Deeper and Deeper" for a hint) and we're again starting to focus on customer service.
More details as I can provide them.
Then it happened.
I received some news that started that knot untying. I can't go into any detail but let's just say our management structure has undergone some changes (see previous post "Deeper and Deeper" for a hint) and we're again starting to focus on customer service.
More details as I can provide them.
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
What makes a blog important?
I hate personal web pages. You know the ones I mean. "Hi, this is me. Welcome to my little corner of cyberspace..." and the rest reads like the stats for a Playboy centerfold. This is all you have to offer? Why should we care?
I have three different web sites and each of them has their own subject. I have one that is an archive of movie lines in .wav format. Another is of photographs that I've taken and the third is celebrity photographs. There is an "About Me" page in the wav archive but I figure it doesn't get a lot of traffic because the information is fairly static and somewhat uninteresting.
I was just reading a Time Magazine article about blogging. In that article it states that blogs are, "amateur websites that provide news, information and, above all, opinions to rapidly growing and devoted audiences drawn by nothing more than a shared interest or two and the sheer magnetism of the editor's personality." It goes on to say, "Over the past five years, blogs have gone from an obscure and, frankly, somewhat nerdy fad to a genuine alternative to mainstream news outlets, a shadow media empire that is rivaling networks and newspapers in power and influence."
Now, I'd love to have power and influence but my generally apolitical nature makes that highly unlikely. I don't get involved in causes, I don't report breaking news of senatorial indiscressions, I'm not part of any watchdog group, and I have no clue where my representatives stand on any issues. I like to go through life blissfully ignorant of most of these things. Call me a sheep if you like but it lets me sleep better at night.
Later in the article, they point out, "Blogs can be a great way of communicating, but they can keep people apart too. If I read only those of my choice, precisely tuned to my political biases and you read only yours, we could end up a nation of political solipsists, vacuum sealed in our private feedback loops, never exposed to new arguments, never having to listen to a single word we disagree with."
Honestly, I don't like reading political blogs. They tend to be too esoteric for my tastes and bore me. I'd rather laugh and smile than become concerned over whether or not John Kerry will stick to a decision. I read blogs for entertainment. I enjoy reading about competitive lawn mowing, the trials and tribulations of being a police officer and puppy love in the UK with a born-again mother.
So, since I'm generally apolitical and I tend to read generally apolitical blogs does that mean that my (our) blog is the journalistic equivalent of a personal web page? Does the fact that I (we) steer away from politics and world news make me (us) a second-class blogger? Will society look down upon me (us) because I (we) do not contribute my (our) fair share?
What do you think?
I have three different web sites and each of them has their own subject. I have one that is an archive of movie lines in .wav format. Another is of photographs that I've taken and the third is celebrity photographs. There is an "About Me" page in the wav archive but I figure it doesn't get a lot of traffic because the information is fairly static and somewhat uninteresting.
I was just reading a Time Magazine article about blogging. In that article it states that blogs are, "amateur websites that provide news, information and, above all, opinions to rapidly growing and devoted audiences drawn by nothing more than a shared interest or two and the sheer magnetism of the editor's personality." It goes on to say, "Over the past five years, blogs have gone from an obscure and, frankly, somewhat nerdy fad to a genuine alternative to mainstream news outlets, a shadow media empire that is rivaling networks and newspapers in power and influence."
Now, I'd love to have power and influence but my generally apolitical nature makes that highly unlikely. I don't get involved in causes, I don't report breaking news of senatorial indiscressions, I'm not part of any watchdog group, and I have no clue where my representatives stand on any issues. I like to go through life blissfully ignorant of most of these things. Call me a sheep if you like but it lets me sleep better at night.
Later in the article, they point out, "Blogs can be a great way of communicating, but they can keep people apart too. If I read only those of my choice, precisely tuned to my political biases and you read only yours, we could end up a nation of political solipsists, vacuum sealed in our private feedback loops, never exposed to new arguments, never having to listen to a single word we disagree with."
Honestly, I don't like reading political blogs. They tend to be too esoteric for my tastes and bore me. I'd rather laugh and smile than become concerned over whether or not John Kerry will stick to a decision. I read blogs for entertainment. I enjoy reading about competitive lawn mowing, the trials and tribulations of being a police officer and puppy love in the UK with a born-again mother.
So, since I'm generally apolitical and I tend to read generally apolitical blogs does that mean that my (our) blog is the journalistic equivalent of a personal web page? Does the fact that I (we) steer away from politics and world news make me (us) a second-class blogger? Will society look down upon me (us) because I (we) do not contribute my (our) fair share?
What do you think?
This explains a lot...
Your Brain Usage Profile:
Auditory : 50%
Visual : 50%
Left : 41%
Right : 58%
Joe, you are moderately right-hemisphere dominant and have even preferences between auditory and visual processing, traits that might make people perceive you as "slightly off balance."
You are most likely to be slightly disorganized, a "dreamer" and a person who focuses more on the end result than the immediate task at hand. You are creative and spontaneous if somewhat lacking in direction and focus. You are a learner who is generally patient and a person for whom time is an ally, not an enemy.
You are more passionate than most people with regard to life and learning and recognize your own intuitive abilities. You have sufficient goal-direction to satisfy yourself and guarantee success without being or feeling driven. You are willing to be reflective about yourself and others without getting lost in rumination.
The balance of your sensory modes allows for both learning and expressive capabilities achieved by few. You are active and "seeing" while retaining an equally strong propensity for being reflective which slows you down a little but allows for a more comprehensive perception and analysis of situations and problems. You do not spend excessive time analyzing since you mostly trust your perceptions.
In all likelihood, you have a tendency to overcommit and cannot understand why others get upset since you operate on a different "time table" than they do. Your organizational abilities are frequently overwhelmed by the stimulation seeking and active nature of your mind as well as by the tendency to create new categories and gloss over details, making categorization and classification almost impossible at times.
To the extent that your career path allows for creativity and abstraction as well as a bit of disorganization, you should find yourself equipped to handle any learning that is required. Your own personal adjustment to your style should come naturally although you are likely to feel frustrated by your own limited discipline and often wonder "Why?"
Try it yourself...
Auditory : 50%
Visual : 50%
Left : 41%
Right : 58%
Joe, you are moderately right-hemisphere dominant and have even preferences between auditory and visual processing, traits that might make people perceive you as "slightly off balance."
You are most likely to be slightly disorganized, a "dreamer" and a person who focuses more on the end result than the immediate task at hand. You are creative and spontaneous if somewhat lacking in direction and focus. You are a learner who is generally patient and a person for whom time is an ally, not an enemy.
You are more passionate than most people with regard to life and learning and recognize your own intuitive abilities. You have sufficient goal-direction to satisfy yourself and guarantee success without being or feeling driven. You are willing to be reflective about yourself and others without getting lost in rumination.
The balance of your sensory modes allows for both learning and expressive capabilities achieved by few. You are active and "seeing" while retaining an equally strong propensity for being reflective which slows you down a little but allows for a more comprehensive perception and analysis of situations and problems. You do not spend excessive time analyzing since you mostly trust your perceptions.
In all likelihood, you have a tendency to overcommit and cannot understand why others get upset since you operate on a different "time table" than they do. Your organizational abilities are frequently overwhelmed by the stimulation seeking and active nature of your mind as well as by the tendency to create new categories and gloss over details, making categorization and classification almost impossible at times.
To the extent that your career path allows for creativity and abstraction as well as a bit of disorganization, you should find yourself equipped to handle any learning that is required. Your own personal adjustment to your style should come naturally although you are likely to feel frustrated by your own limited discipline and often wonder "Why?"
Try it yourself...
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Starstruck Weekend
In about 61 hours, I will be enjoying a freedom from work that I have been anticipating for three months. At 11:00am central on Friday, June 18, 20004, Trek Expo begins in Tulsa, OK. Trek Expo is a yearly pilgrimage for me. During the Expo, I take hundreds of pictures of celebrities, listen to behind-the-scenes stories about Star Trek and my other favorite Sci-Fi shows, and collect autographs.
In past years, I've seen James Doohan, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Armin Shimerman, Keving Sorbo, Majel Barrett Roddenberry, Amanda Tapping, Laura Bertram, Connor Trinneer, Michael Dorn, Walter Koenig, Kenny Baker, and Richard Herd.
I've also had the opportunity to meet and speak to Garret Wang (that's my cell phone he's talking on), Adam West, Kier Dullea and Gary Lockwood, Teryl Rothery, Chris Demetral, Dirk Benedict, Keith Hamilton Cobb, Vaughn Armstrong, Brent Stait, Herb Jefferson, Jr., Robin Curtis, Scott MacDonald, and, of course, Wil Wheaton.
This year, I'm looking forward to seeing Brent Spiner, Michael Shanks, John Billingsly, Ron Perlman, Ronny Cox, Marc Alaimo, Casey Biggs, Jeffrey Combs, and Vaughn Armstrong (again).
Be on the lookout for audio posts...
In past years, I've seen James Doohan, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Armin Shimerman, Keving Sorbo, Majel Barrett Roddenberry, Amanda Tapping, Laura Bertram, Connor Trinneer, Michael Dorn, Walter Koenig, Kenny Baker, and Richard Herd.
I've also had the opportunity to meet and speak to Garret Wang (that's my cell phone he's talking on), Adam West, Kier Dullea and Gary Lockwood, Teryl Rothery, Chris Demetral, Dirk Benedict, Keith Hamilton Cobb, Vaughn Armstrong, Brent Stait, Herb Jefferson, Jr., Robin Curtis, Scott MacDonald, and, of course, Wil Wheaton.
This year, I'm looking forward to seeing Brent Spiner, Michael Shanks, John Billingsly, Ron Perlman, Ronny Cox, Marc Alaimo, Casey Biggs, Jeffrey Combs, and Vaughn Armstrong (again).
Be on the lookout for audio posts...
Saturday at the Cinema
Over the weekend I rented a couple of movies I've been wanting to see. The first was 28 Days Later. Three words: Weird F'ing Movie. It was worth seeing once, I suppose, but it was somewhat predictable, full of plot holes (i.e. why didn't "the infected" attack each other?), and scientifically unbelievable.
Second, on the recommendation of my sister, I watched Dreamcatcher. She wanted me to see it because of this entry I made a few weeks ago. Those of you who have seen it will understand the reference.
Dreamcatcher is a typical Stephen King movie. It involves a group of people who have been friends since childhood who grew up and discover that they must deal with some terrible evil later in life. It also involves the paranormal, aliens and military personnel who think they have to kill everyone.
If you haven't seen it, you won't understand why I'm reminded of the movie every time I go to the bathroom... thanks Mary.
On Sunday, we went to see The Cronicles of Riddick. This is the continuing story of Richard B. Riddick, a character introduced in the movie Pitch Black. Say what you will about Vin Diesel but I enjoyed his performance in Pitch Black and have enjoyed many of his other movies. Riddick was visually stunning and Diesel carries through the character very well. Riddick didn't do anything in this movie that I didn't expect based on his actions and attitude in the previous movie. It's rare that an actor caries through a character so well these days.
Second, on the recommendation of my sister, I watched Dreamcatcher. She wanted me to see it because of this entry I made a few weeks ago. Those of you who have seen it will understand the reference.
Dreamcatcher is a typical Stephen King movie. It involves a group of people who have been friends since childhood who grew up and discover that they must deal with some terrible evil later in life. It also involves the paranormal, aliens and military personnel who think they have to kill everyone.
If you haven't seen it, you won't understand why I'm reminded of the movie every time I go to the bathroom... thanks Mary.
On Sunday, we went to see The Cronicles of Riddick. This is the continuing story of Richard B. Riddick, a character introduced in the movie Pitch Black. Say what you will about Vin Diesel but I enjoyed his performance in Pitch Black and have enjoyed many of his other movies. Riddick was visually stunning and Diesel carries through the character very well. Riddick didn't do anything in this movie that I didn't expect based on his actions and attitude in the previous movie. It's rare that an actor caries through a character so well these days.
Sunday, June 13, 2004
Easy like a Sunday... afternoon
It's a comfortable 79 degrees right now in Stillwater, OK. I'm sitting out on the back deck with the wireless card fired up. JD is out here with me and we're enjoying the guitar riffs of "Legs" by ZZ Top on the speakers I finally got mounted last week. We're actually listening to the Sirius satellite radio Big 80's courtesy of Dish Network.
JD just got checked out by a bright green dragonfly. I think it surprised him. It hovered about six inches in front of his nose and he just stared at it like it was about to bite him or something. It stayed there a few seconds then went to rest on another part of the deck and eventually went on to other things that dragonflies do.
SWEET! "Burnin' Down The House" just came on.
Anyway, I'm out here working on a project for work. "On a SUNDAY?" I hear you ask. Yes, on a Sunday. You see, this is a voluntary project and I'd like to have it ready by tomorrow... I'll give more details later depending on the outcome.
A couple of friends got married last night. They're renting our condo in Florida so that, along with a photo album, was our gift to them. I'm hoping they don't have any difficulties getting checked in.
Dan Carlile showed up to the wedding. He had been my upper-level manager for about 3 years before being "reassigned" and finally accepting a position at Iowa State. He's only been gone about six months and I didn't realize how much I missed him - and how much has changed even since he left - until I saw him last night. Just chatting with him, even avoiding "shop talk," was a real boost to my morale. He's definately in the top ten people who have had the greatest influence on my life... and he's near the top.
Well, I need to get to my work. Just thought I'd share some of the natural wonders I'm currently enjoying.
JD just got checked out by a bright green dragonfly. I think it surprised him. It hovered about six inches in front of his nose and he just stared at it like it was about to bite him or something. It stayed there a few seconds then went to rest on another part of the deck and eventually went on to other things that dragonflies do.
SWEET! "Burnin' Down The House" just came on.
Anyway, I'm out here working on a project for work. "On a SUNDAY?" I hear you ask. Yes, on a Sunday. You see, this is a voluntary project and I'd like to have it ready by tomorrow... I'll give more details later depending on the outcome.
A couple of friends got married last night. They're renting our condo in Florida so that, along with a photo album, was our gift to them. I'm hoping they don't have any difficulties getting checked in.
Dan Carlile showed up to the wedding. He had been my upper-level manager for about 3 years before being "reassigned" and finally accepting a position at Iowa State. He's only been gone about six months and I didn't realize how much I missed him - and how much has changed even since he left - until I saw him last night. Just chatting with him, even avoiding "shop talk," was a real boost to my morale. He's definately in the top ten people who have had the greatest influence on my life... and he's near the top.
Well, I need to get to my work. Just thought I'd share some of the natural wonders I'm currently enjoying.
Friday, June 11, 2004
If things look different
Call it paranoia but I've hidden several entries until a few things blow over.
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Am I fading into obsolescence?
I took the day off yesterday. I had to for the sake of my sanity. I called in and said, "I'm not feeling well," which was the truth although I was, for the most part, physically okay. The unfortunate part about it was that I am feeling the need to take these wellness days with increasing frequency.
But that's not really what this is about.
Monday was a really bad day for me. It started when I woke up. I realized what bothers me so much about the duties that have been assigned to me as of late: I have become a highly-paid secretary. And, yes, I meant to say "secretary" - you'll see why in a minute.
Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the secretarial profession but it's not what I signed on for. I am a degreed, trained and certified professional in the field of Information Technology. I have studied hardware, operating systems, networking systems and especially email systems. I want to work on computers but what do they have me doing?
I have become the "Migration Coordinator." As we work to migrate the campus from Lotus Notes and Novell to Exchange and Active Directory, I take user information from the field and transfer it, via I.M., to the people that actually do the work. That's it. There's nothing special about it. I could walk into any McDonald's in the United States, pick someone at random, and have them able to do this with the same proficiency I do with 30 minutes of training... probably less.
There's actually a little more to it than that. I also take trouble calls. If someone runs into trouble and the workstation behaves in a manner inconsistent with the documentation - which represents an ideal circumstance - they call me. To which I respond, "I'll let them know," and relay the information to the same team I relay the user information. I don't have the knowledge, training, access or tools to fix any problem they may encounter related to the migration process. I have only the power to suggest rebooting the computer and to let someone else know about it if that doesn't work.
To further my feelings of inadequacy, I have very little knowledge of how to diagnose and correct issues with the new email system. Under Lotus Notes, I have some seriously wicked troubleshooting skills.
You see, it all boils down to a toolbox.
Not long ago, the second level support team was asked to be a backup for the help desk (call center). To improve wait times, when the help desk reaches a hold threshold, they contact the EOP phone who then "activates" members of the call-center reserve. From what I can tell, it's usually not more than a couple of calls before the reserves can bow out.
I'm one of the reserves and I haven't had to take any calls yet - mostly because I'm usually waiting for calls to come in for migrations - and, frankly, I'm not sure I can handle some of the calls. The best I can do for many of them is simply report the problem. You see, my toolbox is chock full of tools that can fix a Lotus Notes email account, re-certify a Notes ID file, and update an LDAP forwarding address. I don't have any tools that reset a network password or update permissions on the network. It's not that I can't do these things, it's just that I don't have the tools in my toolbox.
Look at it this way. Imagine asking the cable guy to fix your phone. He has wire strippers and a set of crimpers but they're for a completely different kind of wire and a completely different kind of connector.
I feel the same way. I have tools, knowledge and access for Lotus Notes and I don't have tools, knowledge or access for Exchange, even though it is still an email system. This having only recently dawned on me, I do intend to start asking questions, gathering knowledge and requesting access. I feel, though, that I've been in the situation of, "I'm not asking any questions because I don't know what questions to ask or whom to ask."
For the time being, I guess I'll just continue to slip into obsolescence. I'll continue being a secretary, I'll keep applying for new jobs and I'll see if I can't get my toolbox restocked.
But that's not really what this is about.
Monday was a really bad day for me. It started when I woke up. I realized what bothers me so much about the duties that have been assigned to me as of late: I have become a highly-paid secretary. And, yes, I meant to say "secretary" - you'll see why in a minute.
Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the secretarial profession but it's not what I signed on for. I am a degreed, trained and certified professional in the field of Information Technology. I have studied hardware, operating systems, networking systems and especially email systems. I want to work on computers but what do they have me doing?
I have become the "Migration Coordinator." As we work to migrate the campus from Lotus Notes and Novell to Exchange and Active Directory, I take user information from the field and transfer it, via I.M., to the people that actually do the work. That's it. There's nothing special about it. I could walk into any McDonald's in the United States, pick someone at random, and have them able to do this with the same proficiency I do with 30 minutes of training... probably less.
There's actually a little more to it than that. I also take trouble calls. If someone runs into trouble and the workstation behaves in a manner inconsistent with the documentation - which represents an ideal circumstance - they call me. To which I respond, "I'll let them know," and relay the information to the same team I relay the user information. I don't have the knowledge, training, access or tools to fix any problem they may encounter related to the migration process. I have only the power to suggest rebooting the computer and to let someone else know about it if that doesn't work.
To further my feelings of inadequacy, I have very little knowledge of how to diagnose and correct issues with the new email system. Under Lotus Notes, I have some seriously wicked troubleshooting skills.
You see, it all boils down to a toolbox.
Not long ago, the second level support team was asked to be a backup for the help desk (call center). To improve wait times, when the help desk reaches a hold threshold, they contact the EOP phone who then "activates" members of the call-center reserve. From what I can tell, it's usually not more than a couple of calls before the reserves can bow out.
I'm one of the reserves and I haven't had to take any calls yet - mostly because I'm usually waiting for calls to come in for migrations - and, frankly, I'm not sure I can handle some of the calls. The best I can do for many of them is simply report the problem. You see, my toolbox is chock full of tools that can fix a Lotus Notes email account, re-certify a Notes ID file, and update an LDAP forwarding address. I don't have any tools that reset a network password or update permissions on the network. It's not that I can't do these things, it's just that I don't have the tools in my toolbox.
Look at it this way. Imagine asking the cable guy to fix your phone. He has wire strippers and a set of crimpers but they're for a completely different kind of wire and a completely different kind of connector.
I feel the same way. I have tools, knowledge and access for Lotus Notes and I don't have tools, knowledge or access for Exchange, even though it is still an email system. This having only recently dawned on me, I do intend to start asking questions, gathering knowledge and requesting access. I feel, though, that I've been in the situation of, "I'm not asking any questions because I don't know what questions to ask or whom to ask."
For the time being, I guess I'll just continue to slip into obsolescence. I'll continue being a secretary, I'll keep applying for new jobs and I'll see if I can't get my toolbox restocked.
Sunday, June 06, 2004
Branching the family tree
Okay, I've made three audio posts over the past three days... and I only see it getting more frequent. So my question to you, my loyal readers, should I create a new blog exclusively for audio posts or keep them here?
I'm hooked!
Science Fiction Twin, a blog I read occasionally, linked to the song/video for Bathtime in Clerkenwell from [The Real] Tuesday Weld. It thought it was quite fun and decided to watch it again last night... I went to bed with it's melodic chanting in my head. Go check it out. I bet you leave with a smile.
Saturday, June 05, 2004
Friday, June 04, 2004
Dead in the water
06-05-2004 15:04
They had to reset the modem at the hub and gave me a new modem... that makes #3. I also ended up with a new IP address and had to update my dynamic DNS address. That will take a little while to update so hopefully the pictures will be back by later this afternoon.
Say Cheese!
I really have an incredible Jones to get a new digital camera. This happens every year around this time but it's worse than ever. I'm mentally going through an inventory of my stuff trying to figure out what I can sell on eBay, at a garage sale or to the pawn shop to raise money. I'm even thinking about seeing if I could pick up some hours at Hastings, where I used to work part time.
What's the problem? The two cameras I'm looking into buying are $1,000.00 (The Sony Cybershot F828 and the Canon Digital Rebel)
What's so special about this time of year? Trek Expo! One of my favorite things to do there is shoot lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of pictures of the celebrities.
What's wrong with the camera I have? I have a Sony Mavica MVC-FD88. The pictures are great and I can get decent 4x6 prints off of them. The problem(s)?
Part of the reason I haven't upgraded before was because I could see the specs changing rapidly (2MP, 2.6MP, 3MP, 4MP...) and everyone else had a short zoom. You see, one of the things I LOVE about my mavica is the incredible zoom. It has 8x optical with 2x digital for an effective 16x zoom - unheard of when I first bought it. Now, the megapixel wars seem to have leveled out and long zooms are back in fashion.
I need to cash out my birthday check ($75 - thanks mom & dad) and stash the money away as seed money. Maybe if I leave it in a candlelit room long enough, it'll reproduce.
I'll let you know how it goes.
What's the problem? The two cameras I'm looking into buying are $1,000.00 (The Sony Cybershot F828 and the Canon Digital Rebel)
What's so special about this time of year? Trek Expo! One of my favorite things to do there is shoot lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of pictures of the celebrities.
What's wrong with the camera I have? I have a Sony Mavica MVC-FD88. The pictures are great and I can get decent 4x6 prints off of them. The problem(s)?
- It's only 1.3 megapixels. Very low resolution by today's standards (not so when I bought it about 4 years ago).
- It records to floppy. Very cool for ease of use but it gives a five second recycle time. I lost count of the lost pictures.
- At max resolution, I can only record 3-5 pictures per disc.
- No image stabilization.
Part of the reason I haven't upgraded before was because I could see the specs changing rapidly (2MP, 2.6MP, 3MP, 4MP...) and everyone else had a short zoom. You see, one of the things I LOVE about my mavica is the incredible zoom. It has 8x optical with 2x digital for an effective 16x zoom - unheard of when I first bought it. Now, the megapixel wars seem to have leveled out and long zooms are back in fashion.
I need to cash out my birthday check ($75 - thanks mom & dad) and stash the money away as seed money. Maybe if I leave it in a candlelit room long enough, it'll reproduce.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Tweak, twiddle & frob
Now, after several hours of fiddling with it, my "new" template is ready. Looks pretty much like the old one, eh? I hope this ends the "scroll lock".
Sorry about the missing pictures below. The power went off @ the house about 15 minutes after I posted that entry. I restarted it during lunch but something's not right. I'm thinking either the power went off again or I got assigned a new IP number by my ISP.
Sorry about the missing pictures below. The power went off @ the house about 15 minutes after I posted that entry. I restarted it during lunch but something's not right. I'm thinking either the power went off again or I got assigned a new IP number by my ISP.
OOOOOH! You wascally wabbit!
Thanks, Brent, for cursing my blog. He commented that he often can't comment because the entire page doesn't load.
Now, it's happened to me and refresh doesn't help. So, I'm going to change my template and see if that helps.
Now, it's happened to me and refresh doesn't help. So, I'm going to change my template and see if that helps.
Weather... or not
Central Oklahoma got some smackdown weather Wednesday afternoon. Heavy rains, small hail and 70MPH winds hit Stillwater hard, fast and continuously for about 20 minutes then moved out about as soon as it moved in. There were no tornadoes but there was damage.
Outside the building where my wife works, two trees were uprooted.
There were no tornadoes but, judging from the damage, they weren't straight-line winds, either.
When we got home, one of the gates had been blown open, some of the deck furniture was rearranged, and the grill had been knocked over. Although the fence is intact, it is loose. A buddy of mine wasn't so lucky. I was over at his house until about 10pm helping him fix this...
There's two panels down but notice the shape the panels in the far right of the picture are in. We replaced three posts, added a fourth (at the corner) and reconnected four panels.
Fun fun fun in the state of Oklahoma.
Outside the building where my wife works, two trees were uprooted.
There were no tornadoes but, judging from the damage, they weren't straight-line winds, either.
When we got home, one of the gates had been blown open, some of the deck furniture was rearranged, and the grill had been knocked over. Although the fence is intact, it is loose. A buddy of mine wasn't so lucky. I was over at his house until about 10pm helping him fix this...
There's two panels down but notice the shape the panels in the far right of the picture are in. We replaced three posts, added a fourth (at the corner) and reconnected four panels.
Fun fun fun in the state of Oklahoma.
Thursday, June 03, 2004
His Master's Voice
--This audio post was deleted when Audblog ceased operations.--
While Blogger was busy regurgitating my homework - I kept getting errors and ended up publishing that last post about six times - I decided to try out this audio blogging thing. I think I'll have fun with it. It means that, with my "free long distance" cell phone, I can post a blog entry any damn time I please.
While Blogger was busy regurgitating my homework - I kept getting errors and ended up publishing that last post about six times - I decided to try out this audio blogging thing. I think I'll have fun with it. It means that, with my "free long distance" cell phone, I can post a blog entry any damn time I please.
Learning experience?
I have recently become a supervisor. My supervisors have been instructing me in the art of delegation. Early on, they would give me a task, I'd tell them I just don't have time to do all of that, and they told me I needed to learn to delegate.
So, what am I supposed to be doing right now instead of typing this blog? Routing a bunch of trouble tickets from my boss' queue into a generic queue. He phoned it in.
So, what am I supposed to be doing right now instead of typing this blog? Routing a bunch of trouble tickets from my boss' queue into a generic queue. He phoned it in.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Dad moves into the 21st century
I helped my father start a blog this weekend. I look forward to reading his blog because I can't ever remember reading any of his writing. Check it out at All The World's a Stage.
How was your weekend?
I got asked that a lot today - as did many of you, I'm sure. I even got asked by people I don't know.
And I didn't know the answer...
Seriously. I didn't know whether to say "good" because of spending time with my family or "alright, I suppose" because of how well my luck went at Ameristar. In the end, it came out a half-hearted, "Okay," but that got me thinking...
Let me start by telling you how my luck ran this weekend.
We got to Kansas City around 3pm. We had some dinner and were at the casino by 6:30. We made arrangements to meet at 9 and I went in search of $5 blackjack tables.
I bought in for $20, as I always do, and was holding my own for about a half hour. That's when the shoe ran out.
Yellow flag #1 - I wasn't real pleased with the dealer. He wasn't bad but he wasn't fun.
Yellow flag #2 - He hand shuffled. I was upstairs and they don't have the shuffling machines up there. There's nothing wrong with it but the randomness is increased when you're using two sets of cards that are machine shuffled.
Red flag - Some guy sat down with a small stack of black chips ($100/ea) and just had the wrong attitude for a $5 table... he was just too serious.
I should have left two hands after he showed up... but I didn't and my $20 was gone pretty quick. I had more money but I knew I had all day Saturday to contend with so I spent the rest of the time watching another table have lots of fun.
Saturday was worse.
We had brunch at the casino then went to play about 3:00. The plan was to stay until 7-ish when they would hold the drawing for the Dodge vehicle.
I walked in, went to the awards booth, got my entry for the drawing, dropped it in and found an empty $5 blackjack table.
I lost the first hand.
I won the second hand.
I was dealt a 10 on the third hand. I always double-down on ten or eleven so that's what I did... he dropped a three and rolled over a winning hand.
I won #4.
I was dealt a 10 on #5. I doubled-down, he threw me a two, and flipped an 18.
I lost #6.
It took me longer to type that than it did to lose my $20.
I had $5 left and four hours to kill. So I went in search of a penny slot machine and found a penny double-diamond machine. It had 5 reels and the double-diamonds were wild and doubled your win.
I played down to about $1.50 when things started to turn around. I was hitting small wins and went to the bonus round a couple of times. I was up to about $4 when I saw a money clip and a double come up. Twelve - not bad for an 18 cent bet. No, wait, there's another money clip... and another double... and finally another money clip. I hit five in a row with two doubles... SWEET!!! I won something just under $18.00. I played a little longer and left when I hit the $30 mark. I headed back to the tables...
Big mistake.
That $20 flowed from my pocket a little slower than the first $20 but only lasted about thirty minutes. I spent the rest of my time, and the $10 I had left, back at the penny machine.
It wasn't as nice to me the second time around.
So it felt like luck wasn't with me this weekend but, like I said, all of the inquiries about my weekend got me to thinking...
All of the members of my family are currently still alive.
We love each other and get along with each other. We would each do anything for any of the others.
My parents have been married almost 41 years and there has never been a hint of separation or divorce.
My father knows I don't go fishing with him to fish. It's just a nice side benefit.
My mother loves me despite all of my shortcomings.
I have never broken a bone.
I know that a lot of people don't have these things so I guess, in a way, I'm very lucky and I thank God for it every day.
And I didn't know the answer...
Seriously. I didn't know whether to say "good" because of spending time with my family or "alright, I suppose" because of how well my luck went at Ameristar. In the end, it came out a half-hearted, "Okay," but that got me thinking...
Let me start by telling you how my luck ran this weekend.
We got to Kansas City around 3pm. We had some dinner and were at the casino by 6:30. We made arrangements to meet at 9 and I went in search of $5 blackjack tables.
I bought in for $20, as I always do, and was holding my own for about a half hour. That's when the shoe ran out.
Yellow flag #1 - I wasn't real pleased with the dealer. He wasn't bad but he wasn't fun.
Yellow flag #2 - He hand shuffled. I was upstairs and they don't have the shuffling machines up there. There's nothing wrong with it but the randomness is increased when you're using two sets of cards that are machine shuffled.
Red flag - Some guy sat down with a small stack of black chips ($100/ea) and just had the wrong attitude for a $5 table... he was just too serious.
I should have left two hands after he showed up... but I didn't and my $20 was gone pretty quick. I had more money but I knew I had all day Saturday to contend with so I spent the rest of the time watching another table have lots of fun.
Saturday was worse.
We had brunch at the casino then went to play about 3:00. The plan was to stay until 7-ish when they would hold the drawing for the Dodge vehicle.
I walked in, went to the awards booth, got my entry for the drawing, dropped it in and found an empty $5 blackjack table.
I lost the first hand.
I won the second hand.
I was dealt a 10 on the third hand. I always double-down on ten or eleven so that's what I did... he dropped a three and rolled over a winning hand.
I won #4.
I was dealt a 10 on #5. I doubled-down, he threw me a two, and flipped an 18.
I lost #6.
It took me longer to type that than it did to lose my $20.
I had $5 left and four hours to kill. So I went in search of a penny slot machine and found a penny double-diamond machine. It had 5 reels and the double-diamonds were wild and doubled your win.
I played down to about $1.50 when things started to turn around. I was hitting small wins and went to the bonus round a couple of times. I was up to about $4 when I saw a money clip and a double come up. Twelve - not bad for an 18 cent bet. No, wait, there's another money clip... and another double... and finally another money clip. I hit five in a row with two doubles... SWEET!!! I won something just under $18.00. I played a little longer and left when I hit the $30 mark. I headed back to the tables...
Big mistake.
That $20 flowed from my pocket a little slower than the first $20 but only lasted about thirty minutes. I spent the rest of my time, and the $10 I had left, back at the penny machine.
It wasn't as nice to me the second time around.
So it felt like luck wasn't with me this weekend but, like I said, all of the inquiries about my weekend got me to thinking...
All of the members of my family are currently still alive.
We love each other and get along with each other. We would each do anything for any of the others.
My parents have been married almost 41 years and there has never been a hint of separation or divorce.
My father knows I don't go fishing with him to fish. It's just a nice side benefit.
My mother loves me despite all of my shortcomings.
I have never broken a bone.
I know that a lot of people don't have these things so I guess, in a way, I'm very lucky and I thank God for it every day.
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