iMac is here!!

Picked it up at FedEx then went to BWW to play trivia. My strongest rival was there with his wife who is quite cute. And my favorite waitress, Cutie McHottie, was working. I am smitten with her. She has the cutest nose and ears.

Transferring everything from the eMac to the new iMac was totally seamless. Apple's Migration Assistant is sweet. All my files, applications and settings came up exactly as I had left them on the eMac. Thus far I am very happy. Now though I have to move the sleeper couch out of the computer room to free up space for G's computer desk so he can inherit the eMac (replacing the ancient PowerMac 8500).

so close

Got up at 6 this morning to spread weed-n-feed on the lawn while it was still wet with dew. Arriving at work at 7:10 really shocked my colleagues.

FedEx tried to deliver my new iMac this morning, but nobody was at the house. I hope to pick it up this afternoon/evening at the local FedEx facility. Once I get it home I will have quite a bit of work to do transferring everything from my eMac and rearranging the computer room to make space for the third computer desk in there. It is going to be a busy weekend.

getting closer

I checked the tracking info on my new iMac. It is currently in Indianapolis. It very likely will be here tomorrow! I guess that pretty much sets my plans for this weekend. Listening to the Cranky Geeks podcast now. Dvorak is funny.

Justine Ezarik is my current favorite techno-babe. Morgan Webb is still hot too.

slow week

Definitely feels like Wednesday or Thursday, not Tuesday. At least next week will be short, Labor Day Monday and vacation Friday.

So Larry Craig is in trouble. The whole thing is just creepy and disturbing. What's with old dudes having sex in public restrooms? I know I am staying the hell away from bathrooms at MSP and keeping my feet still and to myself everywhere else. Just weird.

Why can't lots of Americans find our country on a world map? Because lots of Americans are ignorant and/or stupid and the government schools that most of them went to stink. Simple as that. Just like in health care, we need market competition in education if we want to improve results, not a government enforced monopoly.

happy day

I got the notification email from Apple that my new iMac has shipped!! To add to today's excitement I got my Space Navigator at work. It is like Christmas in August.

mow mow mow the lawn

Since I hadn't mowed in two weeks the lawn (especially the back) was quite long. I mowed it four times today in order to gradually cut it down without leaving huge clumps of grass everywhere. Now I need a cool, humid morning to leave enough dew on the lawn to make the weed and feed work its best. J got the basement cleaned up today which means I have a lot of cardboard in the garage to recycle. I also got a good amount of film scanning done this weekend. I bought a CanoScan 4000US off eBay a while ago and have been periodically scanning all my old APS film cartridges with it. When I am all done I can resell it.

Grilled pork chops for dinner tonight, I had to clean out the bottom of the grill first though following last night's flare up. While grilling burgers last night all the crud built up in the bottom of the grill had finally collected enough grease that it caught on fire which led to things being a little more flame broiled than I would have liked.

waiting

At the auto shop this morning, waiting for oil change and tire rotation. Pretty cool that they have WiFi. Listening to the Mac Break Weekly podcast now. I have some kind of eye infection, my eyes were welded shut this morning. I guess it is time to finally get some new contacts. Tomorrow will be the day of lawn mowing. We have been getting a ton of rain the last two weeks, but it is supposed to be dry now so the mowing must be done. The back yard desperately needs weed and feed.

pretty good night

Went out to BWW to play Six. There were a dozen people playing which was cool. It was close, but I came out on top in the end! It was a very satisfying game. Unfortunately there were no hotties to check out. I went home a little after 10, got to see Megyn Kelly on O'Reilly then went to bed.

Stopped at Starbucks on the way to work this morning as is my habit on Fridays. Second time I have seen the same cute barista there which is good because I have been looking for a new favorite barista since my last one stopped working there.

lacking motivation

This week it has been difficult for me to get interested at work. I've been taking longer lunches than usual and just been under-productive in general. Maybe it is post vacation let down. I am just not engaged in what I am doing this week. I should find something fun to do this weekend to perk me up.

another ordinary night

J went out with some friends after we had dinner here. I put the boys to bed and now I am idly web surfing. The O'Reilly Factor will be on in a little while and I will have a snack before going to bed. I have to be completely on time for work tomorrow since there is an 8am meeting. I cannot roll in at my usual 8:05 to 8:10. Wednesdays Dennis Miller has a segment on The Factor. I really enjoy Dennis, especially now that he has turned to the Right.

annoying ads

I loath the anti-smoking ads run by the ridiculously named "truth" organization. Even though I don't smoke, I think the anti-smoking crusading is out of control. As far as I am concerned, the tobacco companies are the oppressed and victimized these days rather than the "poor smokers" supposedly being taken advantage of by the "evil" corporations. People smoke because they choose to, they are not forced to buy cigarettes by "Big Tobacco" any more than "Big Entertainment" forces people to watch TV or go to movies. They are businesses, they advertise, they want more customers to buy their products. I say more power to them!

new computer on order

I took the plunge and ordered a new iMac, now I need to get my current computer desk cleaned up in preparation for its arrival!

Watching LA Ink now. Not sure why. I really don't see myself actually getting tattoo, yet I think about it frequently.

uneventful Monday

Pretty low productivity today. Maybe it was the lousy weather, rained all day here.

another week of work begins

Weather was crazy this weekend, thunderstorms, sunny and hot, overcast and cool. No mowing or grilling was accomplished as a result. Installed a couple motion sensor light switches yesterday, in the two bathrooms the kids use most since they keep leaving the lights on. Unfortunately the motion sensor switches are not compatible with CFLs.

i sit alone

Here I am in the computer room in my house with only a blacklight and laptop screen providing illumination. Alone I sat in 3 bars tonight. First at BWW where I played 2 rounds of trivia. The pretty bartender with a scar on her face was there. Then I went downtown to a bar that just recently started having trivia. Not much happening there. Lastly I walked a couple blocks to a bar where I could get something to eat. There was a bachelorette party there. They seemed to be having a good time. I stopped at one more bar on the way home, but didn't stay because the bartender for whom I was looking wasn't working. And now here I am, alone.

Earlier in the evening I installed a ceiling fan in the computer room, thus the blacklight. It was the only bulb I had handy with which to test the light fixture on the fan.

Times like these I wonder what I am doing, what it's all about. Usually I decide it is about nothing and go to sleep and in the morning forget that I had been wondering. How can I be happy with what I have? I certainly spend a lot of time thinking about what I don't have. Tomorrow should include, weather permitting, excitement such as lawn mowing and house cleaning.

shockingly positive government experience

Got up early (for a Saturday) and headed to the DMV. There were many people in line for driver's licenses, but nobody waiting for vehicle registration. I was taken care of with surprising efficiency and courtesy. I was stunned as I left, I had prepared myself for a two hour ordeal, but there I was on my way out in 10 minutes with new license plates!

not a bad end to the week

Got to see my favorite hottie (girl with the belly tattoo) at work today at the end of the day. Then I left a little early so I could get two rounds of trivia in at BWW before going home. After dinner I calculated the energy involved in the collision of two protons moving at relativistic velocities to answer my son's question as to whether being at the center of such a collision would kill a person. As I expected, it would not, but it was a worthwhile exercise to show him how to answer such a question. This was a follow up to the discussion we had yesterday after seeing a NOVA episode about building the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.

too tired

I didn't go out last night. I decided it was better to stay in and get some extra sleep. First couple days back from vacation I stayed up way too late. Maybe I will go out tomorrow night. Nice hottie sitting across from me here at my usual Friday lunch place. Time to head back to the office.

back in the swing of things

Pretty much back into the regular work routine now. It has been a quick feeling week, which is always good. Might go out to BWW to play trivia later tonight. Going to the DMV this Saturday morning to try to get a vehicle registration error fixed, that should be fun.

Why do we have to register vehicles anyway? What makes them so special or different from the rest of our possessions? Certainly they are one of the most costly, but not unique. Lots of people have video and stereo equipment or jewelry that cost as much as a car, but those don't have to be registered or have a license plate attached to them. Does the vehicle owner benefit in any way from registering his vehicle?

ice in the trash, not!

What do you do with a cup (like a Big Gulp or a McDonald's cup) after you are finished with your drink? Do you drop the cup which still has ice, soda and/or water in it into the trash? I used to do that, but about a year ago I stopped. It occurred to me that it was silly to potentially entomb the liquid inside a plastic bag in a land fill. Wouldn't it be better instead to return the liquid to the earth and atmosphere to immediately be reintroduced into the water cycle? So that's what I have been doing ever since. It often garners a quizzical look, but I derive a distinct pleasure from the act of casting a cup of ice/water onto a lawn or bush or parking lot.

back to mundane reality

Wake to my alarm clock, take a shower, get dressed, drive to work, work, go out to lunch alone, go back to work, drive home, mow the lawn, eat dinner, go to Wal-Mart to buy beer, come home drink a couple beers, have a snack, watch some shows.

Nice little treat at work today when a relatively new girl in the contract services group came to my cube in a black bebe t-shirt and white jeans. Her shirt was untucked revealing enough of her midriff for me to see that she has a belly tattoo. I am now infatuated with her.

avoiding reality

Still haven't gone to bed yet because I know that when I wake up in the morning, it will be back to the daily grind. I got caught up on Formula 1 tonight and have been blogging about vacation, but sadly, I can avoid no longer so off to slumber I will go.

all good things....

No real vacationing today. Got up, packed, ate breakfast, returned rental car, went to airport, flew home (on time).

We had a great time and of course wish vacation could go on forever, but now it is back to the real world.

ways to chill out in Vegas

Another morning trip to Einstein's and Starbucks en route to the Mt. Charleston area to hike to Mary Jane Falls. Three people were at the falls when we arrived there. We took turns taking each other's pictures. J was a real trooper to get up and get going with a bit of a hangover this morning. The trail starts at ~7,800 feet elevation so it was a refreshing 30 degree temperature drop from our previous hikes.

Back to Paris to clean up and get ready for a couples massage. Very enjoyable, too bad it couldn't have lasted longer. Then on to dinner with trivia before going back to Paris for a final night on the Strip.

Walked north from Paris up the Strip checking out people and places. Stopped at several places including Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville where we saw the Miller Chill promotion girls. One of them was ultra-hot. J was ready to turn in earlier than I was and after she went back to the room I continued walking up and down the Strip checking out the scene. I went into a couple of the smaller casinos like O'Sheas and Bill's. An interesting experience I had at the latter was being approached by a hooker. Apparently she was on the lookout for guys walking alone and she homed in on me. When I suggested that going back to my room would wake up my wife, she wasn't fazed, she immediately suggested we go to another hotel.

wednesday in Vegas

After a lazy Tuesday we got up early again on Wednesday. This morning's destination was Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Before heading out there we stopped at Einstein Brothers Bagels and Starbucks for breakfast. First we hit a geocache along the White Rock Springs trail and dropped off our travel bug and picked up a geocoin. Further down the one-way scenic loop road we hiked up the Ice Box Canyon trail.

Heading back into the city, it was Sonic for lunch again and from there back Paris and into the pool. Following a relaxing time at the pool, we got ready to go out for the evening. J wanted to go to a fancy dinner at one of the restaurants in Paris and we checked out all of them, but did not find one whose menu and prices would work for us. We ended up going to Le Burger Brasserie which turned out to be a great choice! A truly excellent cheeseburger and a cute waitress!

Then it was time to take the shuttle to the Rio west of the Strip. The Masquerade in the Sky show featured some excellent female dancers shaking their hot asses all over the place. Before heading back to Paris on the shuttle, we stopped for a drink at I-Bar where we were served by a super-hot waitress in an outfit that required double-sided tape to keep her boobs from popping out.

Time then to see an off-Strip strip club: The Library. Definitely had more fun here than the previous club. Found a dancer with whom I clicked and enjoyed a few lap dances with her. J was approached by one of the other patrons who thought she was working there. A good time was had by all.

tuesday in Vegas

After the late night out, we slept in but made it in time for breakfast at Planet Dailies in the Planet Hollywood (formerly Aladdin) casino. There was a waitress who looked a lot like Maria Sharapova. She was not as tall, but had a very similar face and expressions. Breakfast was followed by general milling about after which we decided to get manicures at a salon way off the Strip. We had an early dinner at Outback on the way back to the hotel. Not very exciting, but it was there and we were hungry and we don't have one where we live so we went for it. J was sick to her stomach by the time we got back to the hotel so I went out walking around on my own. I wasn't feeling very well after a bit either so we both turned in early in preparation for the next day's hiking. Not sure if it was something specific we ate or just unsettling effects of traveling.

early hiking on day 2

Gold Strike Canyon was our destination and we got going early to avoid the mid-day heat. We stopped at Einstein Brother's Bagels for breakfast then at a grocery store in Boulder City for water, ice and Gatorade. We filled our Camelbak bladders and drove towards Hoover Dam and parked at the Hacienda casino. From there we walked down the highway and dirt roads to the canyon trailhead. Had a good hike down to the first hot springs and pools then hiked back out. By the time we got back to the car it was quite hot and we were glad we'd made an early start.

We drove back into Henderson and went to Sonic for lunch. As always at Sonic, a great burger experience. Our next stop was REI to generally shop around and also to get some trail snacks (Clif bars, GU, Clif Shots, Clif Bloks) for later days. From there we went back to the hotel, rinsed off in the shower then headed down to the pool. The water was surprisingly cold, but was very refreshing once you got used to it. Next it was time to get ready for the evening so we cleaned up and had a quick sandwich at one of the places in Paris and got ready to go out for the evening.

We took a taxi over the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino where we checked out the casino and bar and had a drink. Lastly, across the street we went to our real destination: Club Paradise. It was time to find out what a Las Vegas strip club is like. Turns out to be much more expensive than it was worth. Honestly, I got more out of the "shot girl" than the dancers.

arriving in Vegas

Not surprisingly our flight out of Detroit was 4 hours late so instead of getting to Vegas at 13:30 local time, we arrived a little after 17:30. We picked up our rental car and headed straight to our hotel, Paris. We chose Paris because of its location, cost and size. All of which are in the middle: middle of the Strip, reasonable cost and not too big, not too small. After checking into our room we went next door to the newly named Miracle Mile Shops and had dinner at Blondie's. We picked up a few supplies (wine, water) and went back to the room to get some sleep before our early start for the next morning's hike.

pre-vacation

No more work for a week. Watched Painkiller Jane tonight. The whole episode was flashbacks. I guess the writers were on vacation that week. Still definitely enjoying the show, it is based on a comic book so of course it is not particularly realistic, but the characters are interesting enough and obviously Kristanna Loken is hot.

another lonely night

Came home from work, handled the kids while the wife ran some errands, went out to BWW to play trivia. No other serious players were there so I won all the games I played which isn't really much of an accomplishment. In situations like that, the national pool of players is my real competition and I didn't fair too well, at least not as well as I would like. No unexpected hottie sightings, just the one waitress, whom we have dubbed "cutie mchottie", and the bartender with a pretty face.

I read _The End of Faith_ a while ago hoping to find some insight as to what an atheist can use to fill the places in himself that a religious person stuffs with faith. Turns out that's not what the book is about. It was fairly interesting nonetheless, but ultimately unsatisfying. My favorite part of the book was when the author questions whether you would vote for president for someone who declares himself a devout alchemist who truly believes that lead can be transmogrified into gold. And if you wouldn't, then why would you vote for a devout Catholic who believes that wine is transformed into blood on a regular basis? He questions whether many common religious beliefs are any different from the beliefs of alchemy and why we consider one ridiculous and fantastical while we accept and even defend the other. I found that comparison interesting. The rest of the book is largely about how religious faith (i.e. the belief in things for which there is no evidence) must be stopped or civilization as we know it will end in ruin. I am not as pessimistic as the author, but I agree with his questioning why so many people cling to various articles of religious faith while we (as a species) have rejected so many other beliefs of the past (e.g. evil spirits cause illness, the earth is flat, the earth is the center of the universe, doing a special dance causes rain).

Another interesting exploration of this subject was episode 24 of the Logically Critical podcasts which I quite enjoyed along with episode 19. Episode 19 is hilarious if you can appreciate poking fun at the Christian bible.

health insurance is evil

At least the way it "works" today in America. It (along with lawyers) is a major cause of increased medical costs. Do you know how much your last doctor's visit cost? Your last prescription? Your last hospital visit? Not how much did you pay, but how much it cost? Very likely you do not because you did not pay for it. You signed a form or two, verified some information and months later you got a bill for the co-payment amount. How much did your insurance pay? You have no idea. Would you have paid that much for the service, was it worth that much to you? You never had the chance to make that evaluation because the real cost is hidden from you by the insurance system.

If you want some landscaping done, you are going to comparison shop and get a price quote before you agree to their services. You might decide that $4000 is too much for that Grecian fountain and decide that the $2000 spitting frog is a better value for you. Why can't you make those same choices for your medical care?

Did you really need 3 MRI's, two leg braces and 8 weeks of physical therapy because you sprained your ankle shoveling the snow? If you had to pay for all of that yourself would you have? If people have to make cost/benefit decisions about health care and pay for it themselves, costs will come down and services will improve. It is a simple truth borne out by every competitive market ever to have existed. But this is medicine, this is different than computers or TV's you say. BS. For proof just look at corrective eye surgery. Most insurances do not cover it and guess what? Costs have decreased, technology has improved, choices abound and new methods have been developed. Why? Market competition and people paying out of their own pockets. Has the cost of any insurance covered medical procedure gone down? Why not? Because ,"the insurance will pay for it", so it doesn't matter to people what it really costs, it only matters to them what their premiums and co-pays are.

One of the best arguments I've heard about the false health insurance problem was on a Cato Daily Podcast. Why is health insurance different from auto or home insurance? Do you expect your auto insurance to pay for oil changes or new tires when they wear out or to clean the bugs off your windshield? No, you only buy auto insurance to cover big problems like getting broadsided by a van full of stoned hippies. So why do you expect your health insurance to cover everything? Why not just buy health insurance to cover the big stuff and take care of your little sniffles and sprains on your own dime?

If we could make health insurance like car insurance and institute a loser pays tort reform for medical malpractice 95% of the "health care crisis" would be solved.

back to work, but not for long

Back to the office today, two days training was a nice respite from the daily grind, but next week will be better still. Vacation all week! My legs are sore from running Monday, they need to be ready for next week.