ALIVE!

Well, I made it out to San Diego/Carlsbad alive. I had grand dreams of renting a convertible, but due to many conventions, I finally found (after three other companies told me they were sold out - props to Abid at National for making a phone call so I didn't need to walk around the area surrounding the San Diego airport looking for a car) a Geo Prism. Yikes, anyway - I'll try to make a more complete post tomorrow after I'm done with training. For now, here's an interesting situation I was in on the flight from Chicago to San Diego:

Finished The Professor and the Madman (GREAT BOOK!) for the book club at work and needed some reading material...luckily I packed my other book. While reading said book, gentlemen two seats to my right (I had a window) and head one aisle was listening to his XM Radio (sans headphones...JACKASS!) to Xmas choir songs - wow...good thing I left the dust jacket at home.

In any case, this traveler needs some caloric fuel...I think I saw a sushi place within walking distance...

(no lyrics right now as i have no musak! but i will thank those of you who gave me some support over the phone while I was frantically looking how to get to carlsbad with no car! MUCH LOVE)

/drool

This is a list, one of those things people of my professional persuaion are compelled to create, of video games which I am drooling over:

• The Burning Crusade expansion
• Guitar Hero 2 (now with more Xbox 360 flavor!)
• DS Lite (yes, I know it's out - but I don't have one!)

For games, that is all. Not many, I know - but perhaps in my old age I am becoming more content with what I have. That and the fact that World of Warcraft continues to supply quite a bit of entertainment since I started the day (night, actually) servers went live. That is all for now.

if i had a shotgun, you know what i'd do?
i'd point that shit straight at the sky
and shoot heaven on down for you
Don't Push by Sublime

CSI

Yes - I watch TV from time to time...but CSI is one of the few shows I actually try to watch. The first two episodes of the season were amazing, as always; amazing enough to get two loyal Grey's Anatomy watchers to start taping that doctor-drama and watching some good stuff. Though I have to say...last night, eh. Dead people talking? Quick, disjointed and (much to my dismay) LABELED segments? C'mon Jerry and CSI writers, I know you can do better than that.

Anyway, work is exciting. Next week I'm going to CT to visit some donors and check out some of their other collections with a friend from work. Then, in November, I'm heading to San Diego for some training and I'll be taking a personal day while I'm out there to get some scuba diving in...PUMPED! As my good friend put it (in regards to La Jolla scuba): "people have even died there because of currents and such. if death is involved you know its gotta be cool." Oh yes, it will be cool. Also, I was looking through some of our collection and found some VERY cool drug posters that were used for an old exhibit - AMAZING stuff (one by Rick Griffin!)

i'm lost and i'm found
and i can't touch the ground
i'm plowed into the sound
Plowed by Sponge

Fast Forward!

Ok - so I haven't posted in awhile, but I'm not going to catch you up.

Last Saturday I was finally convinced by two friends (who have been coaxing me for the past 4 months) and two friends (whom I haven't seen in too long) to go to the Rochester Public Market. I bought a hot pepper plant and a bottle of wine; I have a feeling my black thumb will wither that poor plant to a spicy, dried husk. Then, we went to find the famous breakfast tacos - we did not find them. Instead, we found Juan and Maria's emanadas - INCREDIBLE. Let me tell you, not only did I devour one of their delicious breakfast empanadas, but I was equally tempted to get a veggie empanada! Now, crowds are an issue for me - but we went and had a great time, despite confusing signage. I took pictures. So to those four people, this is for you.

Work has been going well, and I just got permission to take pictures of a few very cool things I'm really excited to share. I hope you enjoy them too. Check back soon!

On the other hand, I've been plagued with horrible dreams this week. I know where they are coming from - they are blatant and no psychoanalysis is needed. I'm mystified to know why I'm having these dreams now. Furthermore, I rarely remember my dreams - so why is it the past three nights I've had dreams of the same nature?

Enough of the downer - on another front, my buddy and I have officially planned our first paying event. Well, we are planning our first paid event. Soon, we will have a website up (hopefully including a personal domain where I will continue my start-up web project) and the children will dance in the streets singing and dancing and drinking lemonade.

any fool can easy pick a hole i only wish i could fall in
a moving target in a firing range
somewhere i'm not
Scatterbrain by Radiohead

P.S.
Please feel free to submit questions (outrageous or not) to my project.

I have great timing...

First of all...I broke my thumb. So here's me giving the thumbs up to holistic painkillers! I went to play ultimate frisbee back at my old undergrad school; I dove to catch the disc and the ground decided to break my thumb. I'm working on getting more amusing pictues (including an x-ray) posted, but typing is difficult with one thumb in a cast and half my hand immobilized. Because of that, this will be a short post...

This past weekend was the RIT Juggle-In which was amazing...but I couldn't juggle. So, I bought a few t-shirts and left...dying for next year's. The show was good, except for the headliners. I was less than impressed with Jay Gillian's performance (though he is an amazing juggler). I guess I had hoped the performance art would take a well-deserved break since he was juggling for (mainly) jugglers. Oh well, Steve Brown was awesome and hilarious, though I didn't get to meet him. All the acts before him were equally impressive. Ok, back to work...

i will let you down
i will make you hurt
Hurt by Nine Inch Nails

Another?!

Yes...another.

First of all, head over to my buddy's site, the WAREHOUSE. If you register on the forum, make sure to tell him I sent ya there.

On another note, does anyone else anthropomorphize constantly? I have a tendency, especially with computers, to explain the happenings of a computer through this. For example, earlier I was writing an email to a boss that contained the following: "Were you running something in the background that was angry it did not have your attention?" We were going back and forth about an error beep he had been hearing - and I was trying to help him troubleshoot. Just a random thought.

i burn
the air
you breathe
I Burn by the Toadies

Can you say "Conflict of Interest?"

First of all, NPR did reviewed the Smithsonian's deal with Showtime (NPR does not support deep linking - and I love NPR - but I don't give a damn). If you're not familiar, the Smithsonian has signed a mysterious contract with Showtime to create a Smithsonian on Demand channel which gives Showtime rights to air Smithsonian material on this new channel. Essentially, it seems, anyone making a film with Smithsonian materials must offer the film to Showtime before they are allowed access to the matierals. On top of that, if you will not tell Showtime what it is you are trying to film, they can deny you access to Smithsonian materials. So, you'll have to share your idea with a producer who could, theoretically, take your idea and run. Of course, the Smithsonian is getting revenue for this (though how much is unclear) and Showtime basically gets first dibs on any films being made with the materials. While the Smithsonian is not bound by the Freedom of Information Act, they have a history of being very forthcoming. However, the will not release the contract into which they have entered with Showtime.

Linda St. Thomas, Director of Media for the Smithsonian, sounded aghast that "any filmmaker could walk in, pay a daily location fee, and film whatever they want." She cites the need to control the collection; and, while working in a museum I acknowledge the need to control and protect the collection, but this deal is a liability for those filmmakers who do not wish to work with Showtime, but wish to use Smithsonian materials. In this case, I think the Smithsonian should rework the contract to protect not only the collection, but access to that collection by allowing filmmakers access EQUAL to Showtime's access. In addition, Showtime should have NO control over access policies of a publically funded instituion.

imagine no possesions
i wonder if you can
no need for greed or hunger,
a brotherhood for man
Imagine by John Lennon

Impeach!

You know it is going to be a good day when one of your bosses tells you about the good news and exclaims "Impeach! Impeach!" (check out the graphic if you are unfamiliar with the events). So, today's lesson is one of impeachment.

Under Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution of the United States: "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." Article III, Section 3 defines treason: "shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses (Wilson and now Libby) to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court." Logically, we are in a War on Terror (yes, that is an actual government website), and so far two witnesses have pointed at the President of the United States as someone who leaked classified information which aided the enemies of said war. It seems to me that this is a logical inevitability.

Simplified, this is a two step process. First, the House of Representatives (who hold the sole power of impeachment) must pass articles of impeachment with a simple majority vote. Then, the Senate tries the accused party - for simplification, let's just say it's Dubya himself. Normally, the Vice President would preside over the Senate - however, the penguin must step aside in this case for a less invested party: the president pro tempore, Ted Stevens. Yes, the same Senator Stevens who desperately wanted to club baby seals and sacrifice baby penguins to the oil gods. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about this. So, assuming the process escalates to this level, chances are slim the President will actually be convicted - especially with a Republican majority.

So, lets imagine that Dubya admits he has been wrong and resigns. You might ask, who would be next? The order of succession, in the current administration, goes as follows:

• Vice President Dick Cheney (who permitted Libby to leak "relevant portions")
  
• Speaker of the House John Dennis Hastert
• President pro tempore of the Senate Ted Stevens
• Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
• Secretary of the Treasury John Snow
• Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld (the terror mastermind behind color-coding)
  
• Attorney General Alberto Gonzales
• ...the list goes on...
  

...a bleak future indeed. Needless to say, I doubt any of these folks will be riding the Republican ticket in 2008.

By the way, I'll be making some changes to the look of the site - leave a comment and let me know what you think.

pushing through the market square, so many mothers sighing
news had just come over, we had five years left to cry in
news guy wept and told us, earth was really dying
Five Years by David Bowie