Travel Woes

You know, I can't win sometimes. Even with the best intentions, it just won't go my way.

Today I have a ticket on the 4:45 US Air shuttle from Reagan National Airport to Boston. I left the conference early and arrived at the airport at 2. I have to check in at the ticket counter to get my boarding pass, and decide to see if I can get on an earlier flight. As I go there, I realize there is an extraordinarily long line at security.

I get to the agent at 2:15. She tells me that she can get me on the 2:45 shuttle. A fearful glance at security convinced me that I would not get to the gate in time. She said there was nothing earlier than my 4:45. Just before deciding that I would settle for my original time and just get a magazine, she shrieks, "Oh- an opening on the 3:45 just came up" and before I could say OK or anything, she changed my ticket to the 3:45. Well, that is something.

I head to the security line, which has somehow disappeared during the last ten minutes. I easily pass through (remembering to remove my notebook computer for once - I always seem to forget this stupid rule and force a "swabbing for biologicals", whatever that is). I get to the gate as they are finishing boarding the 2:45 shuttle. So it turns out I could have made that one after all. Oh well, it is only another hour, correct?

INCORRECT. As soon as they close the gate for the 2:45, they announce that the 3:45 has been canceled and all passengers need to make alternate arrangements. HA? I had been on the 4:45 and was quite content with that until Miss "I can get you on the 3:45" chimed in. So I rush up to the gate and swear to them that I was originally on the 4:45 anyway. Too bad, all filled up. Earliest flight available now to me was 7 forty frickin five.

All of this because I decided to try to get an earlier flight. The double annoyance is that if I took the originally offered earlier flight I would have gotten out 5 hours earlier. Even if I had touched nothing, and stuck with the original, I would have gotten out 3 hours earlier.

I wanted to punch someone, so I decided instead to find airport internet access and purchase unnecessary things over the internet. But alas, no public internet was available - and my battery was low, and everyone else on Earth was in there hogging the available electrical outlets. So, I was forced *gasp*, to buy a book and read it.

Clever Commercial

I love it when commercials are amusing. This one is my current favorite. Look for all the detail.

Any DC Readers?

I am going to be spending some significant time in the Nation's Capitol over the next two months for work (conferences and training). I have been there many times in my life but not for several years.

Any recommendations for good restaurants (something nice to go to with co-workers/clients), as well as any night life spots to visit?

Just looking for some input.

"I only use it for medical purposes"

Yeah, right.

Pop culture is full of references for the use of feel good items for "medicinal purposes" From Granny's moonshine on the "Beverly Hillbillies" to Bones' Romulan Ale in "Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan", questionable consumables are passed off as therapeutic. This is wonderful, of course.

I am very grateful for this excuse, it has come in quite handy. Personally, I use chocolate fudge brownies "for medicinal purposes". Oh, and French Fries too. Once I categorize something as "medicinal purposes", all bad attributes (like amount of total fat, calories, cholesterol, etc.) are nullified. After all, when you hear about something like aspirin, you only hear how it prevents heart attacks, not how it also prevents proper blood clotting in the event of extreme bleeding.

Chocolate has well known medicinal purposes - it raises your Seratonin levels, which boosts your metabolism and overall state of well being. French fries just taste so damned good.

I hate Grammar Check

You know, in Microsoft Word, the thing that corrects your grammar or at least points out how bad your grammar is? It seems that everything I type in Word or Outlook now is full of green squiggle lines. I would turn it off, but I do find it useful for locating unnecessary double spaces.

I can see why this might be useful for official memos and other documents, but in email? I do not really want to know about misplaced dangling participles and run-on sentences in my e-mails.

Sometimes I wonder if the green color is meant to convey "friendly constructive criticism" rather than a screaming "YOU'RE WRONG" (like the way red squiggle lines yell at you about misspelled words), but I doubt that the code writers at Microsoft were really thinking about how we feel.

Thank you, G4

G4 is my current favorite cable channel. It provides me with daily doses of the best comedy every produced and treated like crap by viewers and its own network, "Arrested Development" as well as all the Star Trek (original and Next Generation), that I could ever wish for.

And now with the newly enhanced versions of the original Star Trek being shown each week, my DVR is busier than ever. And if you have not seen these enhanced episodes, give them a shot. They actually went in and redid the special effects shots using current state of the art CGI techniques, but toning it down enough to keep it in line with the original feel of the show. It is cool though.

So to G4, thanks for catering to a Geek like me.

Lieberman can't keep his own comments straight

Anyone who has read my politically oriented posts know how I feel about Joe Lieberman. But this video, posted at You Tube, really demonstrates why this man must be sent packing.

Unfortunately, it appears that the people of CT are preparing to send him back to Washington, even though he ignored the wishes of his party. He leads in the polls because CT republicans plan to vote for him over their own candidate. You know, that says something right there. With the direction this country is heading, it seems clear that anyone who supports the "stay the course" ineptitude of the failed Bush administration really needs to be sent home.

Check the video - you'll see what I mean.

How can any intelligent people still back the Bush republicans (and Joe Lieberman)? It boggles my mind.

Hi Everyone

I have been so overwelmed at work that I have not been able to post any social commentaries. And what a shame - so much to comment on socially:

• Project Runway
• Congressional Misconduct with Pages
• Bridezillas
• The Massachusetts Gubernatorial Race
• Etc.

I'll get back to it soon. FINALLY getting some very needed help at work and hoping that things calm down a bit.

Project Runway

So I have been watching "Project Runway" on Bravo. My only question is, where have I been? Why have I not seen this show before?

I have always loved the tension on "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race" (two shows I happily welcomed back this past week), but this show makes those two look like Sesame Street. I will have to get the DVDs.

Why is it ....

... that the character of the "lost son"/"bad boy"/ "rebel" always drives some vintage car or motorcycle?

I am watching the new CBS show "Jericho" - bizarre and mostly boring doomsday story. But a central character is one of these "lost son" characters, the apparent family bad boy who returns to town after five years to collect much needed money from his family.

When he arrives, he removes a completely unmolested car cover off of a perfectly preserved 1960's era vintage automobile. Why is it that bad boy lost sons always have such cars? Or motorcycles? Can't they for once, just have an Elantra or something? I'd have loved it if he had removed the tarp and it unveiled a new Beetle.

And are we really supposed to believe that this car sat in this city parking garage, covered with a tarp, completely untouched, for FIVE YEARS? And GAWD, he is flat broke.

This is funny

The Smoking Gun decided to highlight an amusing selection of letters to the NY Department of Motor Vehicles that either complain about custom license plates, or better yet, complain how custom license plate requests have been turned down.

This one is particularly amusing. Not only is this person "outraged" that their request for the custom license plate was denied, especially "during the war on terror", but the person also goes on to say to Governor Pataki that the governor as a republican represents the party that protects individual freedoms. Ha! I bet that person feels pretty stupid four years later, when being a republican is beginning to sound a lot like being a member of the Big Brother party.

It kind of illustrates the mind set of the ultra nationalistic American though, which post 9-11 is very scary indeed. Personally, I feel it is in our best interests to understand that the US does not, and should not, "kick butt". Instead, we should recognize where our strengths AND our weaknesses are, then work with other nations to complement one another. That will be the best way to stabilizing relations with more radical nations. I suppose I should now prepare for the Crapstorm I will get over this statement.

On a less serious note, the other letters to the DMV to complain about license plates are quite interesting as well. Why do people waste their time and energy getting so upset about such things?

Happy September

I have been off work the past week and although I did not go anywhere, I did do lots of things. I actually went to the Museum of Fine Arts for the first time since Junior High School, went to the Franklin Park Zoo and did other fabulous friend/family related things. I basically just enjoyed Boston, despite the weather.

I will write this week about the Museum and the Zoo, they were interesting and thought provoking. I actually live less than a mile from these things but have never been as an adult. Stupid me.

Feels Like Fall

So it has been sort of cold this week, and wet. This is all my fault, because it is my vacation week.

Regardless of this, I am enjoying the time off. Exercising, going to museums, seeing movies and spending time with family - it has been nice. But because I have been thinking about fall, I was thinking about some fall trips. I am taking two - one to Washington DC for work and one to the White Mountains for foliage fun.

I have been to DC many, many times, but I have always stayed outside the city in Maryland - this time I will be staying right downtown at the Wyndham Resort, which is great. And even though I will be there for work, I will have plenty of free time to do some site-seeing. Most of my stays there only allow me a little time to see the city's many awesome landmarks. The question is, what do I see first?

It has been many years since I headed north to the Mountains. I am feeling a need to hike in the woods and see the "Flume" again. So one weekend in early October I will be driving up and just "walking the wilderness".

Jerk of the Week

Donald S. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense.

Rumsfeld recently had the gall to suggest that people who criticize the foreign policy of the current administration are undermining our efforts to "fight a new facism". He is simply ridiculous.

Our nation is based on the fact that we can (and, in fact must) question the decisions of our leaders. Our leaders do not have an blank check of rule and control. They do, in fact, work for US. We elect them, they are accountable to us and they cannot tell us whether to question their decisions.

Keith Olbermann on MSNBC had a great message to give to the confused Secretary. I say "confused" because Rumsfeld's comments suggests he has no understanding of the liberties our constitution protect. His commentary is worth seeing - Crooks and Liars has it here.

Technical Difficulties

Ugh. Recently I purchased a brand new notebook from a well known technology "super store". My current one, which I had had for two years, was beginning to show signs of impending doom - hard drive noises, sluggish performance. I have been doing IT support long enough to know that I was looking at problems (or so I thought). I figured I would be proactive and treat myself.

I bring the cool notebook home and install all my software and spend about a day getting it up to speed with the old notebook. Then, with the appropriate amount of pomp and circumstance, I retired the old machine.

In the two weeks since, several of the major software programs naturally released major upgrades, including my accounting software. And Monday night, I downloaded a bunch of new family photos from an event that was held this weekend.

Tuesday morning? "Cannot find Windows file HAL.DLL - please reinstall file or operating system. GOD DAMMIT. No warning at all. Just death, pure and simple. Brand new freaking machine with all the software updated. I do some quick trouble shooting (after all, I am an IT guy) and nothing. I pretty much figure that I am screwed (well, I have to deal with technical support, which is similar).

Now luckily, I am a big believer in backups and I had a fairly recent one. So I quickly dust off the recently retired computer, bring it back online and get all the anti-virus and security programs updated. But then I realize that I updated a lot of software, especially my accounting software, over the web. And now, I could not read my accounting data files. GOD DAMMIT.

Another call, to another technical support. After much back and forth with the technical support people to get them to understand what my problem was, I was finally pointed to a web site to download all the new software. So I get the old computer back up to speed and get running again.

Then what happens? My backup hard drive fails - an external one that I back up all my data to. Now fortunately this happens after I restored everything, but none the less, it was quite close to being a complete loss. Luckily I had an old one which still worked well, so I could back everything up again just in case I had another crash. Funny that the brand new computer and external hard drive fail immediately but the older computer and external drive work well. I wondered if it could have been a virus but do not believe so.

So after a lot of on hold time (Michael Bolton seems to get a lot of business with on hold music services), I am told by HP that a replacement hard drive will be sent for the new computer. Now you can imagine I do not have much faith. But once I get it, I will install it and go through the whole process of getting the new computer up and running.

I am supposed to be on vacation damit, why am I dealing with this BS?

Creepy

This is creepy - A Daily Kos poster attributes it to global warming and I do not doubt it. Scary stuff - can you even imagine stumbling across a VW size nest of Yellow Jackets?

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N....

.... In the summer sun....

I start a full week of vacation Friday, my first in over a year (and boy do I need it). It will be pretty open ended, but I am going to take it easy, if anything of interest comes up, I will report it. But man, I am so excited just to do nothing!

Quote of the week (for real this time)

"According to reports, Fidel Castro is alert and being briefed. And I'm thinking, why didn't we get a president like that?"

- David Letterman

Memo to "That Guy At My Gym"

To improve the overall morale of all the members, please start wearing underwear effective immediately.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Quote of the Week

"Your people will be assimilated as easily as Picard has been. Your attempts at a delay will not be successful, Number One. We will proceed to Earth. And if you attempt to intervene, we will destroy you".



Locutus of Borg, circa stardate 44002.3

Sorry - but it is on G4 right now as I type, and well, it's a classic.....