Sunday, April 19, 2009

Proud Papa

I don't know where she gets it from really. Sarah is both smart and artistic. Neither myself or her mom are stupid by any means, but nor are we all that brilliant either. There is no way I ever came close to getting good grades in school, and I'm pretty sure her mom just scraped by also.

Sarah has maintained an almost perfect 4.0 grade point average during her entire life in the public school system, and that's never ceased to amaze me. It's been so long ago that I was really able to help her in her math studies that I really don't even remember it. She passed me by almost a decade ago.

Although it was no surprise really, imagine my pride and delight when I found out she had won a scholarship! I was even more proud when I found out that it was not exactly an "easy-to-get" scholarship either. Because her school website will most likely only have it up for a short time, I took a screen shot of it. Because it's only a screen shot, obviously none of the links on it work. (click for full size):


For people that like reading this sort of thing, here's the link to the state webpage that explains what it is and so on: http://www.wtb.wa.gov/WAVEWebpagenew.asp At the top right of that page there is a listing of the press release and the state winners too.

While I'm also proud of my son in Los Angeles who has really made quite a go of things in his life, I didn't have any part at all in raising him and have only known him for a few years. I watched Sarah born and therefore have known her for her entire life.

Times like this are pretty special to a proud papa!

Anyway, I just wanted to pass that on and thump my chest for a moment. Okay, I'm done. Now that I'm done, I want to give credit to Sarah's mom. Teresa hounds her and watches over her and pesters her and keeps her in line, making sure her homework is done and projects are handed in on time. Most of what Sarah has achieved academically is due in no small part to her efforts.

Congratulations Sarah, and thank you Teresa.

Friday, April 17, 2009

It's Been a Week

Last Friday I received my new iPod Touch, and I've had a fair amount of time to really evaluate what it does and how well it does it. Do I feel good about my purchase? Hell yeah!

It's fair to say that I've given it a good test. I've become familiar with the iTunes interface (which is what links and syncs it to my computer), and I've downloaded several apps (all free ones so far). Some of them were amazingly cool, some were just very handy, and of course--A few sucked and were removed. I've even gone so far as to "jailbreak" the thing, which is what the hacker community calls it when you unlock your iTouch or iPhone (they're almost identical) by re-writing the built in firmware that operates them. The firmware is basically like hard-wired software--It's the operating system that's contained inside. When you do that, it gives them the ability to download things from places other than The Mother Ship (Apple's iTunes site).

The built-in wireless runs circles around the Dell Axim PDA that I had previously. This thing connects instantly! The built-in browser works totally flawlessly, giving you the ability to zoom in and out at will just by gesturing on the touch screen.

The touch screen itself is worthy of a mention, but words can't do it justice, so I'll move on.

The fact that it has some sort of leveling gadget built it comes into play in several of the apps. One of them actually is a level if you can believe that! Here's a pic I stole from their site:



You can even play an electronic version of the game of Labyrinth on it by holding it and tilting it back and forth to guide the steel marble through the maze of walls and holes. It's much better than the original wooden box version of the game that you put on your lap. The coolest "useless" app by far is the Zippo lighter. It puts a full size lighter onscreen that you actually open and light. When the flame is burning, the flame actually behaves like a real flame, moving back and forth when you tilt the iPod. Bizarre! If nothing else, it puts back the possibility of using a flame in concert when it's time for the crowd to signal an encore instead of just a lit cell phone screen. Check out an excellent YouTube video of it HERE and you'll see what I mean.

Apparently it also contains some sort of built-in GPS device, because when you go to Google Maps (an included app) it asks if it can use your current location as your point of origin. It's pretty accurate too.

As I mentioned earlier, I unlocked it, or "jailbreaked" it as they say. (Hey, don't look at me--I know it's bad grammar, but that's the term they use.) I did it a couple days ago, but restored it back to factory settings again last night. I wouldn't have even attempted it unless I knew I could restore it with the factory firmware. Enough of that. I determined that there is no reason for me to get apps from anywhere other than the approved Apple site. They were riddled with ads and even slowed down my internet access. Nah, I'll stick with the straight and narrow on this one. It works great and apps for these things are dirt cheap anyway. Most of the apps that you actually pay for are only 99 cents anyway, so why gamble? Being the "tweaker" I am, I had to try it though...

Sorry I'm gushing, but everything about this thing impresses me. When you own something like this you can truly understand what drove Apple stock through the roof in the last couple of years--It's cutting edge usability! Whether it's for holding music or pictures, or running any of the myriad of little applications that make life easier, it's great.

OMG, this blog post looks like a public service announcement!

(We now return you to your regularly-scheduled program)

Friday, April 10, 2009

I Twittered a No-Hitter


It's no surprise that something as inane as Twitter would take the country by storm. By 'the country' I mean demographically-speaking of course. It's geared toward the younger set after all.

So what is Twitter? It's basically an online message board system. You know those articles you read in an online newspaper that have a place for comments at the bottom? It's a site with those comments as their sole content. You post something and wait for someone to post back, or you post something in response to something that someone else uttered in print. Any message you enter is limited to 140 characters. While that isn't much, it's perfectly suited to cell phones and other texting devices. Now you see the popularity? Twitter lets you post your own inane little blurbs on your own Twitter site, or posts similar empty phrases on anyone else's Twitter site. It's huge!

But it's not for me.

I was invited by my dear friend, Dolores. I thought, "Eh, why not give it a try? I'd like to stay in touch after all..." I started up an account, tweaked it a bit here and there to personalize it a little. I searched for people that I knew and added a few to my watch list. I posted a few things on my own site to "troll" for comments, and posted a few on others' as well.

Nothing.

Okay, end of experiment. Account deleted. I'd much rather sit and write without having to be limited by 140 characters anyway. Just as an experiment, try typing anything meaningful in 140 characters. It's not easy. Hey, maybe that was my problem:

I was trying to be meaningful...

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

The Decline of the "Service" Industry


Sue probably thinks I won't blog it, but what the hell. Like I told her last night: Sometimes my mood changes enough to warrant me abandoning a notion that sticks in my craw for whatever reason. These notions are things that I call "Blog Fodder". The downside is that because it's now a different day, I'm not spewing the same anger and frustration that it was during the events that I've noted below.

Suzie came over during late afternoon for a prearranged meeting with our wedding officiants (quite a character and worthy of a blog itself, but that's for another day). Due to the time (and me not making dinner) we decided to go out for some grub.

We decided to stop into Jack's Tavern for a burger and a glass of Hefeweizen. Apparently, the service industry has taken a hit along with many other businesses of late. At Jack's Tavern there appears to be no service. Granted--Their service has never been stellar (it's a bar after all). Last night we both ambled in and sat down, pretty much in the middle of the place. It wasn't busy or packed, and we were plainly visible. Their menu is printed on the wall, and although it's in fairly big letters, it's not all that easy to see for older folks like us (okay, me). It's especially so in a dimly lit bar atmosphere. So, we're there at Jack's for a couple minutes... Staring at the menu, then we get up and walk over to the menu and stand there staring at it for a little while. We went back to our seats and waited. Then we waited. Then we waited some more. I started mumbling remarks about their service and decided that 10 or 15 minutes worth of waiting was apparently my limit. "Let's try the Sports Page instead," I said. We got up and left, still apparently no closer to being served than when we arrived. I guess the only way to get service there now is to pour it and cook it yourself.

The Sports Page is only a few blocks away. We walked in and picked a table near a window, only about 20 feet from the bar. It was cold. I don't know if it was where we were sitting, but it wasn't comfortable. As we sat there freezing, the same feeling came over me: The feeling that it was not to be. We didn't stay there as long as we did at Jack's Tavern, but it was apparent that nobody at that time of day in either of those bars thought our money was worthy of their attention. I decided "piss on 'em" and told Suzie, "Let's go to The Pit."

Again, we got up and left.

The Pit is a fairly recent place in Auburn. When the eatery was first built it was called Henry's or something like that. Anyway, it's right next door to Auburn's newly build train station. I guess it was karma that we had stopped into two "dives" only to be rebuffed, because this place was what we needed. Greeted instantly at the door by a smiling waitress, we were seated at a nice, cozy window spot in a comfortable circular booth thing. Although our first choice of drink was out of stock (apparently everybody loves Hefeweizen), our second choice was just fine. Ditto with the burgers and fries. The Baja burger tasted fantastic, but in my opinion needed much more of all of its condiments (salsa, guacomole, etc). It just needed a bit more "slop" to it.

One thing worth noting: When we walk into Jack's Tavern we don't instantly go for a certain seat or place. It's more of an "I guess this will do" thing. It's a series of tall round tables with bar stools in some areas and long, folding cafeteria tables in the main area. We settle--Simple as that. It's pretty much the same thing at The Sports Page. It's a little bit better quality seating, but again--Nothing feels right. What do I want to feel when I walk into a bar or restaurant? I want the, "Oooo, I wanna sit here!" feeling to hit me. Both of those places have nothing in that regard. Zero. Last week when we were in Jimmie Mac's Roadhouse for the first time I said to Suzie when we first walked in, "I hope they sit us over there" and motioned to a particular spot that looked good. Guess what? The waitress took us right to it! That's what I want--A feeling that you want to spend time in a place.

I guess it was meant to be. Jack's Tavern? Crossed off my list. The Sports Page? Ditto. Although it spanks of something my old man would say, I don't feel like they deserve our business any more.

You would think in these times of monetary uncertainty that businesses would do whatever they could to separate someone from their hard earned money.

I guess not.

Thursday, April 02, 2009

Things That Piss Me Off


Every now and then things just jump out at me and make me turn my head slightly and wince. Things that--For whatever reason--I don't notice much at first, but when it happens a second time or even more often make me cringe.
I wish I had the memory that makes me remember things easily, but I just have to hope I can recall them. Here are a couple things that I can recall that anger me.

  • AM Radio announcers - I don't have a problem with most announcers really. I just can't stand the way announcers pronounce certain words. The way they turn the word "quality" into something more closely resembling "qualuddy". You know what I'm talking about. They strive for the words that enhance that "radio sound" when they speak. It's ironic really because I love to talk in a radio voice myself when I'm feeling in the mood. Maybe I'm jealous... No, I just can't stand hearing them say "qualuddy". I guess that's the price you pay if you want to listen to news on the AM dial.

  • Pill bottles - Okay, this one is kind of twofold. First of all, I don't like child-proof caps on pills, but I've come to grips (excuse the pun) with that: I just wrench the entire outer cap off as soon as I get a new bottle from the druggist. What I'm talking about is the shape of the pill bottles. Why do they have to make pill bottles with a bell-mouth end? Sure, some pill bottles are the same width from bottom to top, but all the smaller ones have an opening at the end, that--Coupled with the shape--Makes it practically impossible to shake out only one or two pills. You also can't reach into them with a finger to "slide" one out because they catch on the shoulder of the pill bottle. There is one company that I've seen that makes pill bottles that are tapered to the opening. That's the way they should all be.

  • Traffic light sensors - Don't get me wrong--I generally like traffic sensors. They have shortened light wait-times quite a bit from the pre-programmed cycle times of yesteryear. My rant involves the intersections with practically instant traffic signal triggering capability from the right lane. I don't know about everywhere else, but here in Washington we can make a free right turn after stopping. We certainly don't need a vehicle sensor in that lane that triggers the light and stops traffic in the main flow just so someone can make a turn they were going to make anyway.

  • Store employees - You know as well as I do that we need store employees. Most of them are pretty able people and do their job well, but there are others and those are the ones I'm talking about. Sometimes I'm scanning a particular area in a retail store for something. I might see the area where something should be, but can't find any of what I'm looking for. I go find an employee and ask nicely if they have any of whatever it is that I'm looking for. What do they do? They walk over to where I was, scan the hooks or shelves carefully, and say, "If we did it would be right here." Wow, thank you for that--I guess you noticed my red-tipped, white cane, eh?