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Phone number hunting
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Jul. 21st, 2008 @ 09:47 am
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Well, it looks like my dry-loop DSL will be up and running when I get home... and if not, I have the pager number for the installer.
Next order of business - local phone number. So I'm in search of a Grand Central invite if anyone still has any left... username at gmail.
Notification of new address, phone, etc. soon.
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Off to New York.
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Jul. 18th, 2008 @ 09:49 am
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Starting the trip in a few minutes - coach to Detroit, flight to Albany.
See many of you there.
And perhaps when I get back, I'll be up to writing again. |
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Jul. 3rd, 2008 @ 09:39 am
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The whole world can just fuck the hell off today. Seriously. |
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Jun. 27th, 2008 @ 07:09 pm
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Filling #2 is in. Much more with the drilling this time. Feel like my right cheek has a softball in it. The doc had to drill down to the jawbone - even though my teeth are in great shape, he said, this cavity was down there.
New night grinding guard will be ready next week.
And now, I have to go run some errands, not the least of which is to procure sweet, sweet coffee for tomorrow morning.
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Beer geekery
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Jun. 25th, 2008 @ 10:06 pm
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First a brewing update: with my new added capacity (a secondary fermenter), I have my Sam Smith's Oatmeal Stout and Arrogant Bastard clones both going right now. The former should be bottled tomorrow, the latter racked to secondary possibly on the weekend. 3 weeks on the Oatmeal Stout, probably 5 out on the AB.
And now, a recommendation. We have these odd groceries here in MI that are somewhat more than a convenience store and somewhat less than a grocery store. There is one between my current apartment and the new one, so I stopped for reinforcements on the way home. They are near some student apartments so they carry a lot of cheap crap, but they also have a tendency to have some interesting good beer interspersed - they often carry Samuel Smith and Rogue.
Well, they had Sierra Nevada 2008 Southern Hemisphere Harvest Fresh Hop Ale tonight, in 24 oz. bottles. (The big bottles are good for me when I get to bottling tomorrow.) It is an absolutely glorious concoction. The stats are at the link I posted, but it's not for the feint of heart. You have to really enjoy a good hoppy ale, but the finish is extremely clean for a high ABV hoppy ale. Best I've had, just edging out Dogfishead's 120 minute IPA.
And the 24-oz bottle was only $5. Not bad for a special batch craft beer.
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) tenner and pallagia, I'll have to figure out how to ship you some of my beer for the party and we'll have a tasting.
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Of interest to the Cap Region crowd
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Jun. 23rd, 2008 @ 08:14 pm
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Bruno will not seek re-election
I think I can hear hyoter cheering from here. |
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I'm Shipping Up to Boston
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Jun. 15th, 2008 @ 06:58 pm
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Well, I've actually already shipped up to Boston. I'm back in my favorite city in the world for a writer's retreat - a follow-up from last summer's conference up this way. I came up yesterday, rented a car, and with the help of harliquinn and jazzmasterson surprised Dad for a pre-Father's Day dinner. It worked out nicely - had some good conversation, and the whole plan fit right in between the Saturday and Sunday shoots for my stepmother's DVD series (she is doing a tai chi in horseback riding DVD that builds off the book she published a few years back).
Today, I got to go out and see the plane that Dad is working on buying (well co-owning with the current owner). He is so excited about it... I hope it all works out. It is a 4-seat 1968 Piper Cherokee that looks to be in general in absolutely gorgeous shape.
Because of the DVD shoot, I actually left a little bit earlier than expected, called Mom from the road and met her at the Target in Manchester for a quick chat and a hug. (I had to be back up in Boston by 3.) I didn't think she knew I was going to be in town - I didn't want to tell her because I didn't think I'd have time to see her. (SOMEONE spilled the beans though, which really took the wind out of it when I said, "Hi, I'm at the Target in Manchester...")
We're here at the Babson Executive Conference Center, which is absolutely beautiful. I'm not a big opulence guy, but this place is very nicely appointed. The rooms are modest but nice, with a large table for working. But the staff are clearly about a very high standard of service. Dinner was a massive buffet, but with a ton of options ranging from indulgent to healthy. The fitness center is excellent and very well-kept, and they have thought about details like providing bottled water for workouts rather than a cooler. There are snack stations everywhere, including one that's 24 hour, and a bar that's open until 11:30. There are little computer alcoves in the shared spaces, with printers, and indoor and outdoor conversation and sitting areas of every shape and size. We're going to use one with a large TV to watch the NBA finals later. :)
I think the retreat will be very productive... and I actually think the surroundings will have a lot to do with it. I will certainly be comfortable and relaxed so that I can do good work.hearing: Dropkick Murphys - I'm Shipping Up to Boston |
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Grah!
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Jun. 6th, 2008 @ 06:03 pm
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Apparently, God has decided that there are far too many sinners in mid-Michigan and is systematically wiping them out with tornadoes this afternoon. One was spotted on the ground about 5 miles north of here while I was in the car on the way to the airport. I hightailed it back to base, Joe, and hunkered down. It passed well north of here, and my flight has been most predictably delayed anyway.
There's a second line just west of Lansing that looks like it's going to come right over the house here, but should be away with enough time for me to catch the flight. There are no confirmations of a tornado with that line, but some unconfirmed reports. |
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HB!
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May. 26th, 2008 @ 02:33 pm
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Today's random observation
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May. 21st, 2008 @ 03:58 pm
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My brain seems to have upgraded from the default machine gun to the rocket propelled grenade launcher. My good ideas seem to no longer come in constant yet comparatively small streams, but gigantic explosive events. (Most of these involve frantic flailing of dry erase markers on the nearest convenient surface.) The reload times are long though, which involves a lot of blank staring at things. |
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Seriously, we're back around to this? Already?
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May. 19th, 2008 @ 06:14 pm
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drdingbat cited the upcoming film Chihuahua as a harbinger of the fall of civilization as we know it. Well, I see your animated dogs and raise you this:
(And not only is the premise recycled, but isn't the mom in the preview from Full House? And after Arrested Development, this was the best that Jessica Walter could do for herself?) |
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Music ∩ SciFi geekery
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 02:36 pm
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Bear McCreary talks about the operatic piece featured in the recent Battlestar Galactica episode, Guess What's Coming to Dinner. Actor Alessandro Juliani is a trained opera singer, and he and the writing team introduced the notion of his character singing an opera aria every time his recently amputated leg bothered him.
The blog entry goes into details of the writing of the song, as well as how McCreary approached using the thematic material in the scoring of the climactic scenes. There is some serious musical geekery in the entry, down to talking about how this is the first time in four seasons he's ever used a V-I cadence to end an episode.
Oh, and spoilers if you haven't seen the episode. (Big ones.) |
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Still alive
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May. 17th, 2008 @ 08:52 pm
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Yes, I am actually still alive. And finally winding down after the close to the semester.
I was in Pittsburgh all last week, with the triple-headed purpose of spending time with binxcat, going to a project meeting for the research I'm working on with my former advisor, and for the retirement of Dr. L., a professor of mine at Pitt and someone who has been written about previously in this space. The retirement followed the academic tradition - part social celebration, part conference where papers were presented honoring Dr. L.'s work. I didn't have to present a paper, but was asked to give a short speech at the reception. I have to say, I rocked. It was a great speech, despite having stayed up until midnight the night before to try to put it together.
This week, my official responsibilities for work wrap up. Our new department chair is adamant about people actually taking the summer to be away from the office and do things, both leisure and professional, that are important to them. Since 1 May, I've managed to submit 2 papers for publication, and am really close on a 3rd, with at least 2 more in the pipeline by summer's end. I'm going to be at a writer's retreat in Boston for a few days in June, and have another couple of concerts to play here, but my schedule is largely open other than that. I'm going to use that flexibility to make time for binxcat and my mom, particularly if my mom goes back into chemotherapy (a distinct possibility at present).
Today was the first of two days of the East Lansing Art Festival, and my friend and colleague J. and I went down on our bikes. There was a lot of magnificent artwork - personally, I found the photography to be excellent - and tons of people. I couldn't afford some of the really wonderful things... perhaps in future years... but I did finally succumb to a long-standing request. You see, binxcat has always wanted plastic pink flamingoes for the house in PA. We had gone back and forth on this for a while... but today, I saw some nice garden stakes that had small (about 4" tall") handpainted pink flamingoes done in sheet metal and wire. So they are here, waiting for the next trip east.
We have also had largely beautiful weather, except for a really fast-moving wind and rainstorm today that knocked down my dish (still can't get it aligned correctly) and caused a huge tree to fall on cars at the birthday party J. was at. It was intense. But it is sunny as the sun is disappearing under the horizon right now, and hopefully this nice weather will persist. This was the sunset on Thursday night:
So that's the story from here. tenner and pallagia, I'm planning to see you in July. I'm setting aside time from Dragon*Con, and expecting harliquinn and jazzmasterson to do the same. And pianodan and drdingbat, drop me a note or give a call when you're jonesing for Rock Band or to share a few beers. (I ordered the makings for Arrogant Bastard and Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout clones today, so look for those mid-summer.)
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Another reason our new conductor is awesome.
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Apr. 30th, 2008 @ 08:09 pm
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Our new conductor for the Mason Community Orchestra is not only a really gifted guy, he's a closet geek. He drops the most interesting (and strangely relevant) references in making analogies and metaphors during rehearsals. Early on, it was something about Super Mario Brothers, which of course immediately got my attention.
Last night, we were rehearsing Dvorak Symphony 9 ("From the New World") Movement 3 - the fast-moving and exciting Scherzo. At one point in the midst of work, with the clock ticking down, he asked for it to be "more Duel of the Fates," referring to the cornerstone slice of music from Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace. The reference was dropped quite quickly, right before a downbeat, only long enough for me to get a chuckle in and wonder if anyone else got it.
I had never heard the relationship before, but as soon as he said it, I heard it and couldn't un-hear it. I came up to him after and told him this, to which he responded, "I always wanted to write a dissertation titled, 'The Plagiarism of John Williams'."
It's so true. Beethoven Symphony 5 Movement IV is the genesis of parts of Superman and the Raiders of the Lost Ark theme. Dvorak 9 Mvt IV's opening is totally Jaws. Our conductor pointed out last night that some of the Tatooine themes are right out of Rite of Spring. Certainly Williams was great at lifting and adapting... but at least he lifted and adapted from the best.
And for your comparison pleasure:
Dvorak 9 Mvt 3, von Karajan conducting (a little slow for my tastes)
And Williams conducting Duel of the Fates (with some movie footage and dialogue)
And now, back to grading. Grrr... |
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An Engineer's Guide to Cats
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Apr. 26th, 2008 @ 01:05 pm
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This is made of pure awesome.
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Bad day on the old homestead
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Apr. 14th, 2008 @ 10:48 pm
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Baseball Statistical Geekery
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Apr. 2nd, 2008 @ 12:25 pm
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Mulder: I’m reading the box scores, Scully. You’d like it. It’s like the Pythagorean Theorem for jocks. It distills all the chaos and action of any game in the history of all baseball games into one tiny, perfect, rectangular sequence of numbers. I can look at this box and I can recreate exactly what happened on some sunny summer day back in 1947. It’s like the numbers talk to me, they comfort me. They tell me that even though lots of things can change some things do remain the same.
How unusual was Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak? A couple of researchers at Cornell created a simulation to find out.
Turns out the answer is, not all that unusual. The simulation turned up over half of the streaks as being 53 games or longer, with a maximum of 109 games. What is unusual is the year - the group determined that 1941 was a relatively unusual year for the streak to occur. (And it becomes less likely in the modern era.)
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Alright, Northeasterners.
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Mar. 22nd, 2008 @ 06:19 pm
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It's a trick. Get an axe.
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Mar. 12th, 2008 @ 02:18 pm
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Apparently, East Lansing has a film festival.
According to its schedule, Bruce Campbell's new movie My Name is Bruce (star and director) is being screened, tomorrow night.
Furthermore, the good Mr. Campbell will be in attendance and introduce the movie.
Moreover, the film is being screened on campus. In a room I could hit with a well-placed pitching wedge shot right now.
Huh. Fascinating.
It of course makes me think of one of my favorite exchanges from High Fidelity:
Rob: What did Laura mean last night when she said, "I haven't slept with him yet" ? Yet! What does "yet" mean anyway? It means you're gonna do it, doesn't it? Or does it?
Rob: Just come on. What would it mean to you, that sentence: "I haven't seen Evil Dead II yet" ?
Barry: Well, to me it would mean that you're a liar. You've seen it twice. Once with Laura -- oops -- and once with me and Dick remember? We had that conversation about that guy making Beretta shotgun ammo off-screen in the 14th century.
Rob: Right. But let's just say that I hadn't seen it. And I said, "I haven't seen Evil Dead II yet." What would you think?
Barry: I'd think that you're a cinematic idiot and I'd feel sorry for you.
Rob: All right. But from that one sentence, would you think that I was going to see it?
Barry: I'm sorry, Rob. I'm struggling here. You're asking me what would I think if you told me you hadn't seen a film that you have already seen. What am I supposed to say?
Rob: Just listen to me. If I said to you --
Barry: "I haven't seen Evil Dead II yet", yes!
Rob: Would you get the impression that I really wanted to see it?
Barry: Oh, uh...well, you couldn't have been desperate to see it, otherwise you'd have already gone.
Rob: Right. I'm not going to see that movie.
Barry: But the word "yet."......Yeah, you know what? I get the impression that you wanted to see it...otherwise you'd have said you didn't want to go.
Rob: But in your opinion, would I definitely go?
Barry: How the fuck am I supposed to know? Probably.
Rob: Why?
Barry: Because it's a brilliant film! It's so funny and violent and the soundtrack kicks fucking ass. I never thought I'd say this, but can I go to work now?
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Plagiarism, 80s TV Theme edition
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Mar. 10th, 2008 @ 10:31 pm
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Witness March and Procession of Bacchus by Leo Delibes. You'll need to download the (very innocuous) Sibelius Scorch plug-in to hear the music.
Do those opening strains sound familiar to anyone?
EDIT: As an alternative, here's the iTunes Music Store link too.feeling:  numb |
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