Frustrated Geek - An ocomik.net 2.0 site

Self-portrait taken on Christmas morning on the south rim (7,500') in the High Chisos mountain in Big Bend National Park.

I got up early in camp Christmas morning, had a brief breakfast, and then got out on the trail just as dawn was beginning to break. The hike to the south rim was just a little over a mile and a half.

Arriving at the south rim I could hear the ferocity of the wind, which was quite deafening, but I didn't feel anything but the slightest breeze. As I walked toward the edge of the rim, staring into Mexico, it became apparent that the wind, which was blowing south over the lower mountains, was hitting the sheer face of the rim forcing it to go straight up and overhead. It was an amazing experience with an epic view.

Posted by ocomik at 07:54 AM | Permalink

The picture above is me standing on the summit of Mount Evans at 14,258'

Today was a long day. Just a little under eleven miles, two fourteen thousand foot summits, some class three scrambling along the Sawtooth saddle, and nine and half hours of hiking.

Tomorrow I'll break base camp in Georgetown and head to Moab, UT for a few days to do some camping and mountain biking.

Posted by ocomik at 09:51 PM | Permalink

This is a geological feature known as the sawtooth as viewed from the summit of Mount Bierstadt.

After climbing Bierstadt on Friday to scope out the sawtooth, tomorrow I'll be heading up Bierstadt, then cross over the sawtooth to the summit of Mount Evans.

This should end up being the most technical scramble of the trip and I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Posted by ocomik at 08:46 PM | Permalink

Today was a rest day. After logging thirteen miles on Friday, (summiting Bierstadt and hiking to Barr Camp), and then nineteen on Saturday, (summiting Pikes Peak from Barr Camp and returning to the Barr trail head), I figured I have a little downtime to get caught up on my chores and get ready for tomorrows climb.

I also headed down to Idaho Springs to spend a few hours doing a little whitewater rafting on Clear Creek. Going solo does has its advantages, especially when you just want to drop in on an activity that usually requires reservations.

The rafting was enjoyable; although, a little tame by my standards.

Tomorrow I'm back in the mountains.

Posted by ocomik at 08:00 PM | Permalink

Posted by ocomik at 09:24 PM | Permalink

You know what they say about best laid plans... And if you ask me what they say is true. My late start, three and half hours to be exact, put me completely off schedule and I ended up having to stop in a little oasis known as Waco, NE.

So here I am in my tent, cell phone tethering my laptop to the Internets, listening to sound of traffic go by on I-80 composing a quick post.

Watching as the time was ticking by, knowing that I was not going to make Kearney, I grabbed a map from a Nebraska visitor center so I'd be able to find a campsite. Unfortunately, my only focus was to make sure that I was close enough to the highway so I could have cell reception without really considering the consequences of being close to the interstate.

I'm just hoping to make it out of here early enough tomorrow so that I can get into Colorado at a decent time.

Well I'm turning in... G'night all.

Posted by ocomik at 09:44 PM | Permalink

So peremptorily did these shades beckon him, that each day mankind and the claims of mankind slipped farther from him. Deep in the forest a call was sounding, and as often as he heard this call, mysteriously thrilling and luring, he felt compelled to turn his back upon the fire and the beaten earth around it, and to plunge into the forest, and on and on, he knew not where or why; nor did he wonder where or why, the call sounding imperiously, deep in the forest. ... - Call of the Wild, Jack London

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Posted by ocomik at 11:34 AM | Permalink

When I was around twelve I remember the first gaming store opened at Village Square, our local outdoor shopping center. I thought it was one of the coolest shops ever with all of its pewter figures of various dragons, wizards, trolls, etc...; multi-color, multi-sided, translucent dice; assorted role playing and board games; and those amazing covers of the dungeon master guides. They also had a whole backroom dedicated to playing RPGs (role playing games).

Most of my friends during that time thought the store was pretty lame and even now I remember how the owners and employees looked like some of the characters from Revenge of the Nerds, so I guess I could understand their impressions. But one of the employees, who was probably seven years my senior, saw my interest and invited me to participate in some of their role playing adventures (campaigns), which took place on weekend nights.

During that period I played a lot of Tunnels and Trolls, a little Dugeons and Dragons, and some WWII game, which I can't quite remember the name. What I do recall is that I had a great fun and even though the games were a big part of it, I look back now and can't help but feel that being accepted by these older guys was also a considerable part of the attraction.

So a couple of weeks ago when I stopped by my local comic store and they were playing a game called Heroscape, it reminded me of those weekend nights gaming into the wee hours twenty-eight years ago. I decided at my next opportunity I'd attempt to relive a little of those glory days.

This past Saturday I got my first opportunity, and although Heroscape is nowhere near as intricate as those RPG's I played wayback when, it was still thrilling to just dedicate a couple hours moving characters, making attack and defending rolls, and just experiencing the feel of having a D20 back in my hand. Now where'd I put that bag of holding.

Posted by ocomik at 09:32 PM | Permalink

But I'll still sing you love songs, written in the letters of your name.
And brave the storm to come, for it surely looks like rain.
Looks Like Rain - John Perry Barlow/ Grateful Dead Lyricist

To cut to the chase, my marriage is failing and when I returned back from Mexico, the first of December, Nancy informed me that she had filed for divorce.

Reasons? I'm not completely sure I know all of them but she wouldn't have taken the action that she did if she didn't feel she had valid reasons. And although I may not see eye to eye with her on this decision, I respect her too much to try and invalidate her reasons and emotions.

As for me, my emotions are still raw. Having a failed marriage is the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing that crosses my mind when I go to sleep. It haunts me and pervades my dreams. It's my scarlet letter, and although most of those around me are unaware, I now know what it feels like to be headed towards the bottom fiftieth percentile of marriage statistics.

I'm not sure how much more I'll be writing directly about this event, sans some form of legal advice, but as you look through some of the posts going down the road, it'll be quite apparent that I'm flying solo these days.

I'm going to miss not being married to Nancy and being part of a family that I will always love. But in the same breath it's the hand I've been dealt and I'm going to play it out to it's fullest.

Going forward I know there'll be days when I'll appreciate the opportunity to start anew and other days when I wish I could run off and join the Circus. Hopefully, I can find a nice balance between the two until this incredible life change is considerably down the road.

~ namaste ~

Posted by ocomik at 02:21 PM | Permalink

I've been wanting to update the Media Radar section on the site but just haven't seem'd to find the right time or motivation. Well today's the day... (See right sidebar)

*Media Radar points to various types of media, i.e. books, comics, periodicals, television, movies, games, etc..., that I'm currently consuming

Posted by ocomik at 02:28 PM | Permalink

Take me back to the place where I first saw the light
To The sweet sunny south take me home
Where the mockingbirds sang me to rest ev'ry night
Oh, why was I tempted to roam - Sweet Sunny South (Listen)

Posted by ocomik at 09:09 PM | Permalink

Saturday morning. A day when I rise early and the rest of the world seems to sleep in a little later. My routine is pretty standard, starting off with yoga, a quick breakfast, and then I hop on my bike for a three-mile ride down to spin class.

What makes Saturdays so special for me is the ride to and from class. At this time of the season it's dark when I head out, thus the world takes on a different shape and feel. The headlight on my bike illuminates, if only a brief second, parts of the road that seem to morph as I go by. The air is nip and crisp to the breath, the darkness enveloping everything it touches. The Fox River rolls along on my left and the faint outline of a squirrel crosses the trail.

Except for the squirrel the trail is empty. Most of the walkers, bikers, and runners won't touch it's pavement until the sun begins to break above the horizon. I'm alone and it feels good.

The lights from a car on the adjacent road glance off me, I'm fairly certain forming an eerie silhouette for the driver, perhaps the thought of a Ring Wraith crosses their mind.

This dark landscape creates a different sensory perception and is the perfect environment to walk the recesses of my mind.

As I make my way toward my destination there's a slight rising climb for about 100 meters and then I make a sweeping u-turn into the parking lot where I go another 50 meters to the finish.

I love this part of the ride and the story in my head is always the same. As I begin the ascent I'm always out of the saddle, consistent cadence, as I make my way up. I imagine I'm Lance Armstrong coming into the ski station at L'Alpe D'Huez for his first victory on this epic climb. That image is burned on my brain and I feel my imitation is spot on. From my cadence, to my position on the bike, everything - except I don't victory salute when I hit the line.

It's this image that I take away into my spin class and sets me up to get ready to go to work for the next forty minutes.

The ride home is a completely different experience. The landscape takes on a new look and my focus is more on cooling down and taking in the beautiful scenery that a river town like Oswego has to offer. There's something energetic about this leisurely ride back home. The trail is now buzzing with early morning life as people set out to get their workout in before the hurriedness of the day sets in.

I move along casually, announcing my way along the trail to alert those ahead. I stare off at the river, usually catching the site of some form of water fowl. Off in the distance I see a river serpent, its head raised above the surface, but as I draw closer it becomes apparent that it's just a piece of wood sticking out of the water.

Everyone I pass gets a friendly morning greeting. After all, we're part of the same club. We love the experiences that happen before most of the world is up and moving.

I ride a good portion of the way next to the river before making my ascent into downtown Oswego. I pass the bike shop, always hoping that something cool will catch my eye. I pass the Oswego Inn, which is pretty deserted and has that post-Nawlins look, the post office, and the bank. A little under a mile takes me onto the Grove Rd. trail, my home trail, and the last of the route before I hit my door.

My closing thoughts are always fairly consistent upon my return home. I love Oswego and I'm elated that I can partake in many of the joys and benefits it has to offer. As the cold season starts to set in, I sometimes think I'd like to live somewhere warm but truth be told, I need the four seasons and all of the amenities that go along with it. Oswego is the perfect setting for someone of my nature.

Posted by ocomik at 09:56 AM | Permalink

There's just something energizing about having a day off when the majority of the rest of the world has to be at work.

So was the case yesterday, as I celebrated observed Columbus day. Taking the opportunity to bask in the warm weather, something that is fleeting here in our northern clime, and get in a little fall gardening.

I pulled up the green bean bushes, picked the rest of the ripe cayenne peppers and Roma tomatoes, pulled up my green onions, which I really haven't eaten much of this season, trimmed up the cone flowers, lilies, and chives, and then put down a nice bed of mulched leaves and grass collected from the mower.

After cleaning up the garden shed and putting away the various pool equipment, there was just enough light to sit back and relax as the sun began to make its descent toward the horizon. I looked out over the backyard, a feeling of a good days work washing over me as I contemplated how nice it was to have the day off - even if it is to honor someone who paved the way for the genocide of native Indians on the American continents. sigh

Posted by ocomik at 08:53 AM | Permalink

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Posted by ocomik at 01:48 PM | Permalink

Since last Saturday I've been accumulating some blog entries, which I've been carrying around in my pocket just in case the mood struck. Well I guess the mood has struck ...

• While browsing through a local area comic book store, Graham Crackers, looking for a couple of Ultimate Spider-Man and T'Bolt comics that I missed, I noticed a rather snappy little song that was being played overhead. When I inquired I found out it was Vieux Farka Touré's Diallo. If you're ears are open to new experiences, give it a listen.


• Although I'm reading some limited series comics as well, here's the list of on-going series I'm currently supporting:
     Iron Man
     Amazing Spider-Man
     Ultimate Spider-Man
     Incredible Hulk
     Mighty Avengers
     Doktor Sleepless
     Avengers
     Thunderbolts
     Justice League of America
     Nova


• Some pics of toadstools that showed up after the rains ... (click to embiggen)
  
  
  
     This one reminds of the dancing toadstools from Fantasia.

Posted by ocomik at 02:06 PM | Permalink

Two of my RSS feeds have crossed paths today. It's made for some interesting reading over the last hour or two ... well at least for me :-).

Posted by ocomik at 02:01 PM | Permalink

Excerpt from NYTimes interview with sci-fi author William Gibson

What is your hope for the future? That we’ll turn out not to have already terminally soiled our unthinkably rare and lovely little sphere of water and air.

Posted by ocomik at 11:50 AM | Permalink

I like to watch the puddles gather rain ... - No Rain / Blind Melon

This photo was taken from my garage while the rain continued to fall. Unfortunately for us a flooded street was just one of the side effects, another being a flooded basement as our sump pump was not able to keep up with the 6.34 inches of rain that fell.

Nancy and I are in the process of cleaning up/drying out the basement with the expectation that we might be doing more tomorrow as heavy storms are predicted again for later this evening.

Posted by ocomik at 09:09 AM | Permalink

Nancy and her folks, who are in town for the week visiting, headed over to my sons to welcome the new grandpup - pictures coming soon - into the family. I declined to go so I could get in my run plus I think parents like to spend some quality alone time with their own kids.

Well I finished my run, peformed the post cool down stretch and then got into the pool for a quick, refreshing, recovery dip. I think that will be one of the things I'll miss most once the cool weather sets in, i.e the chance to submerge my whole body in a cool pool of water after a long, hot run.

Dinners cooking on the stove, Annie's organic mac and cheese (yum!), so I thought I'd sit down and put together a quick blog post. So let's get to it ...

Operation Restore Garden Splendor is now complete. Nancy and I finally have the yard back to its summer 2002 splendor. Unfortunately, because we've been somewhat busy we haven't really had the time to sit outside and enjoy it but that is coming soon.

I did an impromptu adventure for my fortieth birthday, which took place just a little over three weeks ago. It was kind of last minute thing and is worthy of its own entry.

Last Friday I had a chance to participate in the 7th annual The Great Cycle Race. It was a great time and Nancy and I really enjoyed connecting up with people we haven't seen in close to five years. Once again, in order to do this one justice it needs its own entry as well. BTW I finished third and received a really kick ass trophy.

I believe Gnomedex is coming up starting tomorrow ... *SAVE/PAUSE* (dinner time)

*Unpause* (moved outside to patio to enjoy the sunset)

... and I'm hoping Marusin and Gifford will keep me updated on the goings on. Although, I found Gnomedex to be a pretty cool event the usefulness of it has diminished with each subsequent year, hence the reason I no longer go. I also thought it was getting somewhat elitist, so much so, that some folks wouldn't even acknowledge your presence unless you were of some geek stature. I obviously wasn't and was ignored, and cast off, quite often.

In other event news, Wizard World Chicago is this weekend. What is Wizard World Chicago? I'm not exactly sure but it appears to be a "pop culture" event that also caters to comic book fans. I'd consider myself one of the later and, as such, think it would be interesting to check out at least once.

Well the sunset is officially over and I need to get back in to clean the kitchen. Then it's off to bed to do some light comic book reading before closing my peepers. ~namaste~

Posted by ocomik at 07:31 PM | Permalink

The Media Radar on the right side of the screen is getting a little dated but I wanted to comment on a few things.

To The Stars: George Takei

George Takei's autobigraphy was an OK read. It contained a lot less Star Trek stories then I would have expected considering the title and the book jacket. If you're fascinated with George Takei as an actor, then this book might just be right in your wheelhouse. If you're more into his Star Trek character, Sulu, then you'll come away disappointed.

Stardust: Neil Gaiman

Stardust is soon to hit theaters next Friday. Being that I'm still in my Neil Gaiman phase, I wanted to read Stardust before seeing the movie.

I was not disappointed. I expected a story of fairy tale underpinnings and Gaiman delivered. The characters are imaginative and interesting. The story not so long winded or caught up in the details of every scene.

The one thing that did surprise me is that I guess I'm used to reading fiction where eventually the other shoe drops around every corner. I kept waiting for this to happen and when it never did, I was relieved.

Gaiman makes you care about his characters and as such you pull for them at all times hoping that nothing bad comes their way. Good stuff!

I think I'll next pick back up Anansi Boys and give it another shot.

Entourage

I've been missing it lately as Nancy and I have been tied up with SpikeTV's new show, The Kill Point. I'll get caught back up with Entourage via torrents.

Posted by ocomik at 11:36 AM | Permalink

Last years banner was modified to reflect the new web site name as well as give a little shoutout to El Diablo, Didi Senft.

I also changed the navigational sidebar over to a nice urine stain'd monochromatic theme. OK! The monochromatic piece was intentional and I was hoping to have it be yellow based in honor of the Tour. I just didn't think that it would contrast with the banner graphic as bad as it did and make me want to take a leak.

Time permitting it may just continue to evolve until I can get the look I want. Then again, maybe not. Viva le Tour

Posted by ocomik at 02:33 PM | Permalink

These are just a few of the pictures I took during the week before last, AKA wedding week. To get a closer look, hover above each image or for a bigger picture, click on the image.


(Upper left, clockwise: Pat and his daughter Chloe; company shoes; Jeremy and his groomsmen; Megan and Dave; Logan; Mr. and Mrs. Benson; my mother; Nancy, Rory, and Nancy's folks)

Posted by ocomik at 02:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Still attempting to catch up on my blog subscriptions after wedding week (more to eventually follow on that one) when I came across the following video on Epicenter that dovetailed nicely into a conversation that my father-in-law and I had this morning about how bananas just don't last long. Come to find out if you put bananas together with apples they will ripen considerably faster. A phenomenon I have now experienced first hand.

Posted by ocomik at 01:58 PM | Permalink

“I’ve been trying to get my kids to read that”, the clerk yelled from the register.

I looked up, around, and then back at him, uncertain if he was talking to me.

“Read what?”, I asked.

“Your shirt” he replied. “Where the Wild Things Are.”

Oh! OK. Now I’m tracking. I was wearing one my spring ’95 Dead tour shirts with a picture of Max over the left breast saying “Let the royal rumpus begin!”

Before I could say anything – “I loved that book!", he blurted.

“Me too. You know they are supposedly making it into a movie.” I responded.

He mentioned that he’d heard something about that to which I said that I was really getting tired of Hollywood just rehashing stories from our past instead of coming up with something original.

He agreed and we “geeked” out for another five minutes before I had to return to work on Operation Restore Garden Splendor.

But what reminded me of this conversation was something I read from an interview with Neil Gaiman this morning regarding the movie adaptation of his novel Stardust.

Occasionally I grumble about Paramount’s intensive marketing, but I’m incredibly aware that this isn’t an easy film to market, because it’s not something you can point at and say “Well, it’s like that” and there’s not really been anything else like it and not even PRINCESS BRIDE is much like this…

It’s the only other thing, it’s the other thing in the genre… that will be like saying “Well, the Wolfman was kind of like Dracula… and well no, no it really wasn’t,” but they were the same kind of genre.

And here there isn’t anything out like this and I’m very aware how hard it is to market that and how hard it is to tell people that they really do want to see this, because it will make them happier.

So maybe all hope is not lost, and maybe just maybe, we’ll start to see some original ideas make their way to the big screen versus the soylent green, mind numbing, less than stellar entertainment thats been passed off by Hollywood over the last few years.

Posted by ocomik at 02:49 PM | Permalink

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[UPDATE] Basically, I'm fucked!

My web host just let me know that no other copies of my "running log" are available via backup after February 14th. Why? I didn't ask. I guess I'll just chalk it up as add'l reinforcement for making sure my important files are backed up in the future and move on. [END UPDATE]

When I got to work this morning I had an e-mail from my web host informing me that my "running log" had been recovered. With fingers crossed, I opened the file to find out that it only goes back to mid-February, meaning I'm missing close to three months.

I have sent back a reply asking if a later backup is available; although, I'm fairly certain I'll be told that is the latest copy they have.

Once again that feeling that I had when I first realized that I lost my running log has now returned. It's very depressing!

Posted by ocomik at 10:59 AM | Permalink

Friday evening. Nancy and I have just come back from having dinner and making our bi-monthly trip to the grocery. On the way home, I've already made up my mind that I'm going to be sitting out by the fire pit for awhile this evening.

The first fire of the spring. It's an opportunity to watch dusk slip to dark, the beginning of the new moon, a slight sliver in the western sky, its complete disc barely visible. Just off to the southwest glows a planet, I'm guessing it's Venus. The fire lets out a hiss, then a crackle. Off in the distance I can hear a dog barking, the faint cries of a child come through - perhaps not wanting to come in from the dark.

The neighborhood is still relatively quiet in the evenings. You can still hear yourself think sans the interrupting noises that are typical of suburban living.

It's getting close to my bedtime and I need the fire to die down quicker. In the meantime, I'll wait, pondering the many things that one ponders while watching a fire and relish in the magic of its wonderful dance.

Posted by ocomik at 09:29 PM | Permalink

"You OK? You seem angry", Nancy said as she was getting in bed.

I turned onto my side and smashed my head into the pillow. "Not really... I just lost almost six months of my running log."

five minutes prior
I looked over at the clock - 9:50 PM. Time to go to bed. I looked back at the screen on my laptop. Did I do a "save" already, I wondered. No problem. I hit the save button, set the laptop on the bed, and proceeded to head into the bathroom to perform my pre-bed ritual.

When I returned to the laptop Microsoft Excel had an error message informing me that the file was "write protected". How could that be? I figured it must be related to my FTP credentials timing out. I tried the save again and achieved the same result.

I looked at the data in my running log. Should I save it locally to the C: drive? I shutdown Excel, re-launched and opened the file. *Blank Spreadsheet*

Guess that didn't fix it! I tried it one more time. Same result.

Finally, I decided to access the file from the web host's control panel. When I got to the location, I was greeted with the name of the file and a zero byte count, i.e. for those of you less tech savvy, a blank file. Frustration set in and a huge pit grew in my stomach. I felt like much of what I've accomplished so far this year with my running was now lost.

The feeling grew worse when I realized that I didnt' have a backup of the file. Doh! How could I be so stupid?

I even felt stupid'r when I realized I had the chance to save the file locally and didn't.

I went to bed hoping that, just maybe, my web host would be able to restore the file for me. I was desperate and NO MATTER WHAT THE COST, I had to have this file back. No matter what the cost was my last thought as I dozed off.

twelve hours later
I've been on the phone, on hold to be exact, with my web host provider for a little under an hour. Please hold, your call is very important ...

While on hold I decide I might as well see if I can use their chat client to get a hold of technical support. Eventually SAMG shows up in the chat client. I explain my problem, he reiterates my problem, and then tells me this type of issue needs to be escalated to support level 2 - all of this occurs in the timespan of about twenty minutes.

SAMG tells me I'll be getting an e-mail that describes the process of how I go about getting a file restored. At any cost ..., I think to myself. I sign-off and bid SAMG thanks and wish him a good weekend.

I allow myself to feel a bit of relief knowing that all is not lost and that my file is able to be recovered.

Twenty minutes later an e-mail shows up from tech support in my inbox. It's a lengthy little sucker and as I get towards the bottom, I stop on a particular line, re-read it, and re-read it again.

    Please note that one file and whole site backup charge is $50.

Fifty bucks! Fifty fuck'n bucks to restore a file... If I felt dumb the night before when I lost the file, I now felt like a complete and utter moron.

At any cost ... was proving to be a little rich for my blood but I knew ultimately if I really needed wanted the file, I was going to have to pay.

eighteen hours later
I'm posting in my blog, recounting my unfinished tale of stupidity, delaying the inevitable when I plunk down the cash to get my file back.

I'm not so sure what's taking me so long to pull the trigger. Perhaps I'm hoping something miraculous will happen or maybe how I'm going to explain this little faux pas to the wife. ...

Times up! Nancy just pulled in the drive so I better get to explaining...

Posted by ocomik at 12:27 PM | Permalink

A graphic representation of one of the many rabbit holes the Internets take me down on a daily basis. See explanation below.

1. The process usually starts with some form of web aggregator, i.e news reader, in this case Google Reader.
   
2. One of my daily reads is Wil Wheaton's "In Exile" blog. He made the following reference to "Penny Arcade", which got me to thinking about one of the stories, a real tongue in check number based on New Avengers: Illuminati starring Mini Marvels, that I read in World War Hulk Prologue: World Breaker #1 .
   
3. Not knowing the title of the story or the authors name, I turned to Google, which promptly led me to Chris Giarrusso's web site.
   
4. From there, I found out that in addition to Mini Marvels and Comic Bits, Chris also guest artist'd on Player vs. Player, creating a circular reference back to Wil's post.

Although, the process is fairly common for anyone that uses the Web, I just always found it to be rather intriguing, especially considering that in most cases, individuals whom start on the same page will inevitably end up at completely different locations given a minimum number of links clicked through.

Posted by ocomik at 03:58 PM | Permalink

I was just thinking about how many choices there are today when it comes to media entertainment. No longer are we confined by the static, time constrained content delivered by broadcast/print media of the twentieth century. Now when I'm ready to be entertained I can choose between a myriad of options based around my schedule. I might choose to immerse myself in Tolkien's Middle-Earth by playing a video game, watch anyone of the new series (or old ones) that was recorded on my DVR - or even watch a show that I downloaded via bit torrent and uploaded to my Xbox, listen to Internet radio or my iPod, read my blog subscriptions, or surf the Web. I can pick up the newspaper, which is still delivered daily, a magazine - catered to one of my specific interests, read a novel, or delve into my comic collection.

My point is there are so many media options vying for our time (eyeballs/ears) that it's no longer the situation of not having anything cool to listen, read, play, or watch but instead deciding on which of these we want to invest our time. For me, I can't remember that last time I was bored. Boredom has now been replaced by a sense of being overwhelmed.

"My cup runneth over" as they say and now I'm only wondering if it's filled with all of the right cool things.

Posted by ocomik at 11:04 AM | Permalink

It's Sunday afternoon. Most of my weekend chores are put to bed so I thought I come upstairs and do a little writing to relax. Although, I don't make enough use of it, one of my favorite writing locations in the house is a chair in our master bedroom that looks out over the front of our house. I've got the windows open and a nice, somewhat bursty, southern breeze blows its way in, making more of a low howl than a whistle. It feels good especially compared to the northern wind that challenged me all winter during my Sunday morning long runs.

Happy Earth Day to those of you in the know. This is probably one of the more memorable ones for me as I continue to try and gain a better understanding of the environmental issues that face us as a society and what I can do to contribute.

"clack, clack, clack, ..." One of my neighbors is teaching her daughter to roller skate; however, at this point it's more of a roller walk. As they move along the sidewalk, the clack-clack slowly fades away and my mind drifts to thinking about Doppler shift.

On Saturday, Nancy and I headed down to the Chicago Green Festival. I wasn't really sure what to expect but was excited about the prospect of having an opportunity to learn more about alternative energy sources, organic clothing and farming, "Fair Trade" practices and anything else related to the green movement.

I had a nice time and although I didn't expand my knowledge on the subject as much as I would have liked, I believe the opportunity to do that was available. Instead Nancy and I spent considerable time checking out the various vendors and talking to a few folks about their operations.

We did pop our heads into the one of the main sessions having to do with the role of independent media during a time of war (Amy Goodman). It had a very late 60's anti-war, anti-administration feel, or at least as I would have believed it to be had I been a little older during that time. We stayed for about fifteen minutes until I looked over at Nancy and kind of got the feeling that she'd rather be somewhere else than listening to some anti-corporate media, anti-war, anti-administration radical. Shortly thereafter we made for the door and back to the burbs.

Posted by ocomik at 05:01 PM | Permalink

Today's Nancy's birthday... I wish we were celebrating it under better circumstances. I love you!!!

Posted by ocomik at 01:42 PM | Permalink

My grandmother, Irene Bagby, passed away last Easter Sunday. Nancy and I have been down in Poplar Bluff, MO since late Tuesday. It's strange being back here after being away for so long. PB, as it called by the locals, is where I spent many a summer vacation with my brother.

I'll miss her ...

Posted by ocomik at 01:21 PM | Permalink

Off to see the screen adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel 300. This is my most anticipated movie of all year. I hope it lives up to my expectations.

[UPDATE] 300 definitely lived up to my expectations. I'm not sure I'd have considered myself a fan of Frank Miller's work, having seen a short sneak preview of Sin City which formed my initial impression, but after reading the graphic novel and then seeing the film, a film I thoroughly enjoyed, I'll be adding some of his writings to my future reading list.

So what was it that I liked about the film? It's an interesting telling of the tale of the Battle of Thermopylae with some creative license taken in retelling the history, which may be viewed by some as a little over the top but I thought added an additional element to the story.

Director Zack Snyder's filming gave the a movie a unique look, providing a familiar look and feel when compared with Miller's graphic novel. I also found the film adaption was fairly consistent with the original story in the graphic novel with the addition of a backstory about what went on behind the scenes in Sparta while the battle was ongoing.

It's not too often that I purchase DVDs of movies I've already seen but 300 will make a nice addition to my collection.

Posted by ocomik at 08:27 AM | Permalink

I can't say this enough, and I don't want to seem braggadocious, but there are some really nice perks to working in higher education. One of the best - snow days!

Both Nancy and I had the day off yesterday. An unplanned day to do whatever it was that we felt like. It was an extra weekend day, nevermind that it came in the early part of the week, and for me sorely needed. I'm currently teaching at the college on the weekends during the month of February so my time to get normal weekend things accomplished has been reduced down to one day a week.

So how'd we make the most of our get off work free day? We both spent most of it working around the house. Me doing my chores and Nancy de-cluttering areas of the house in preparation for our first visit from our new cleaning service. That sounds so uppity to me...

Nancy had a dentist appointment later in the afternoon and with it still so snowing, I convinced her I would drive her there. With some reluctance she agreed. As we proceeded down the freshly snow blown drive (thanks Rich!), I glanced in her direction and could see the apprehension beginning to build.

At the first intersection in our subdivision, I decided to put her fears to rest and demonstrate my master technique of snow driving. I entered the intersection turning left as the rearend of my truck attempted to come around from the right. A slight counter steer kept the truck going straight. Just seconds into my maneuver, Nancy said, "Why do you to that?".

"Why do I do what?", I replied innocently.

"Drive fast so your truck goes sliding around the corners", she said with some level of frustration.

The counter steer took effect and the truck straightened out as we pulled up to another intersection.

I explain to her how it's good practice for driving on snow, the fact that some of it is caused by my truck being rear wheel drive, and countless other reasons that she just ain't buying.

I make another left - same technique, same result, same conversation with the added comment from her about having driven on snow countless times this year and the fact that the rearend of her van never goes sliding around ... She turns away and I feel her virtual elbow send a blow to my ribs. Message receieved.

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. Once in awhile I give it a little extra gas going around a corner but for the most part I behaved myself keeping the virtual elbow at bay.

Later we stopped by the grocery, then ate an impromptu dinner out, and finally stopped by my local comic book store to pick-up my monthly selections.

It was a real nice way to spend a day off and I think because of the lack of planning was probably also one of our, well at least for me, more productive days.

Posted by ocomik at 10:09 AM | Permalink

They're currently predicting a winter storm to be hitting the Chicago area starting late this evening. Everyone here at the college is all a buzz about it. So much so that it reminds me of how it was back when I was in grade school. The anticipation of knowing that you might get an impromptu day off school and all of the "we're gonna do this with our day off" planning that happens in the meantime.

Sometimes the snow didn't materialize. You'd wake up and the first thing you do is run for the window to see if the snow showed up only to be disappointed that it had decided to visit elsewhere, granting the wishes of school childern more deserving. Dejected you'd make your way to the kitchen table to watch cartoons and choke back some dry cereal in silence.

But then there were the days when father precip smiled on you. Snow had fallen and your quick look out the window was immediately followed with a run to the backdoor to verify the snowfall was of a substantial quantity. For the last part of the ritual, you turned on the local talk radio station and listened intently, praying to hear the name of your school listed among those closed.

Once your prayers were answered, anxiety was quickly replaced with relief - the world, at least for today, would be your oyster.

Posted by ocomik at 04:17 PM | Permalink

"Throughout the President's speech last night he expressed an idea that surely the founders, all of them, would have objected to -- the idea that the people in the room were doing The People's Work. No, that's not the idea. The idea is much heavier than that. The people in the room are the people." - Dave Winer - Full Post Link

What a novel idea and "spot on" insight from Mr. Winer. For whatever reason, and I'm sure like many Americans, I've lost sight of the basic fact that Congress is a representative of the people, a group to which they also belong. Their service is to the people they represent NOT soley to the Commander In Chief.

Forgive me if I'm stating the obvious but it reminds me of the cartoon where these aliens observe a man walking his dog. The dog takes a crap and the man scoops it up. They later approach the man and ask him to take them to his leader, which they assume is the dog.

From the aliens perspective, the man is the subservient of the dog. For the last six years, Congress has assumed the same subservient role to our President. It's become so commonplace that many, including myself, have lost sight of just how our government is supposed to operate.

Here's to hoping that with a newly elected Democrat congress that a turnaround is on the horizon.

Posted by ocomik at 02:26 PM | Permalink

I try to not write about not writing in my blog (try saying that three times fast) because it just seems, well for lack of a better word, lame.

Does the reader really need, or want for that matter, to read a post on my blog about me not blogging? I dare say no.

From my experience most of these posts consist of the following construction: (Part 1) apology for not posting/updating their site, (Part 2) generic reason as to why updates are not forthcoming with the principal reason being lack of time, and (Part 3) a promise that fresh content is on the way.

To these authors I say, "Thanks but no thanks for the no update update." It's the blog equivalent of "kissing your sister" and when used too frequently serves less as an update and more as an annoyance - not to mention diminishing the effectiveness of why I use a news aggregator in the first place.

So please to all of those bloggers out there, save the updates for real, honest to goodness updates. If you lost a limb and it's the reason behind your lack of posts, spare me the excuse and get on with the story. It makes it more interesting for the reader.

Posted by ocomik at 12:32 PM | Permalink

Spider-Man 70% Hulk 65% The Flash 55% Green Lantern 50% Robin 47% Iron Man 45% Batman 45% Supergirl 45% Wonder Woman 35% Catwoman 35% Superman 35%

Intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Posted by ocomik at 11:47 AM | Permalink

2

This is the number of stories that I have half-baked but with no completion date in sight. One of them, at least in my opinion is time sensitive. The first is my experience running this years Chicago Half-Marathon. The second involves the oppressive nature of RSS subscriptions.

25:15

This is the time I completed Naperville's 5K Turkey Trot this year. I bested my previous 5K time by 22 seconds. Although I'm happy to see that my training is paying off by allowing me to run faster times, I'm still not satisfied.

2005 TDF 2nd

In the 2005 Tour de France, Ivan Basso finished second to Lance Armstrong. Of all the challenger's that year, he looked stronger than the rest of the field with the exception of Armstrong. In 2006 he won the Giro d'Italia, Italy's grand tour and was expected to do well at the Tour de France, then that witch hunt, known as Operacion Puerto, happened ruining the season for many of the top cyclists.

Approximately one month ago, the news broke that Ivan Basso would be joining the Discovery Pro Cycling team. Good news? You bet! It means that Discovery may have another opportunity to put one of their riders on the top of the podium in France come July '07.

< 1

This is the number of days I've been running Windows Vista RTM. Haven't really done much with it; however, I'm anxious to see if the application compatibility issues have improved.

Posted by ocomik at 01:04 PM | Permalink

Inspiration, move me brightly. - Grateful Dead, Terrapin Station

To feed my creative juices I've gone ahead and upated my site with a new banner celebrating the coming holiday season. I also worked a little harder to get a consistant color theme running through the complete site. For whatever reason, I'm in the CSS zone and have been having considerable success making changes despite my low aptitude working with style sheets. Enjoy the season!

Details

• The background is custom using a P22snowf typeface. The inspiration for it comes from a flag I'd like to create, which I'd fly over my house during the winter months.
  
• The title/sub-title/greeting typeface is Frosty based on the 1969 Rankin-Bass television classic "Frosty".
  
• Design and layout done by me using Photoshop CS

Posted by ocomik at 12:39 PM | Permalink

For whatever reason, Nancy and I don't get out as much as we use to. Sure we do the normal things, like running errands, catching a movie, or hitting the occasional concert, on the weekends but rarely do we ever get to blow off a complete day and be frivilous with our time. Today was one of those days.

We started out by catching the King Tut exhibit at the Field Museum, an exhibition that was last in Chicago back in 1977. I remember being a kid in St. Louis during that time, thinking how it would really be cool to see the treasures found in his tomb.

For me the exhibition was interesting; however, it lacked the "WOW!" factor I was expecting. Initially, I figured I'd be overwhelmed by the sheer splendor and magnitude of the treasures on display but instead my experience was just the opposite. Don't get me wrong, it's a very impressive exhibit but for those of us that remember Howard Carter's description upon his first glimpse inside the burial chamber, I was expecting to come away with a similar sense of awe that never materialized.

After the Tut exhibit, Nancy and I puttered around the museum for a little bit before deciding to go and get some lunch. We decided we'd go to the Marshall Fields on State Street, now Macy's, and either eat at their restaurant or someplace nearby. With our car already nicely parked in the Museum garage, we decided a taxi would be our preferred method of transport.

So we make our way to the cab stand, get in and tell the driver, "Marshall Fields on State, which is now Macy's." He nods and in his broken English repeats back to me what sounds like where I told him we want to go.

We set out on our journey, almost rear-end another cab, cut off one or two other cars, the usual Chicago cab ride; however, nowhere near as jarring as the fuck'n cabbies in Vegas. Not wanting to seem to controlling or insult him, I decide to remain quiet as he proceeds to go considerably north of my destination, plus I'm thinking that maybe I'm confused about the location of Marshall Fields. After all, we don't get down to the city too much these days.

Finally he makes a left, which has him going east and I'm thinking, "OK - he's going to come up around my destination. No problem. He does this everyday and this must be the faster route during this time of day." But we only head east for one block, he makes a sudden right and then another subsequent right taking me back west. The whole time my inner dialogue is like "What the fuck!"

I work up the nerve and ask, "Do you know where I want to go?" "Sure", he replies. After going back one block, he makes a left, then another left and we're headed east again. "OK...", I say to myself. "Just get up to State, make a left and we'll be fine ..." but the motherfucker turns right. Exasperated I ask him, "Where do you think it is we want to go?". He responds, "State and Sheffield."

Eventually we get turned around, he shuts down the meter, and apologizes profusely for making the mistake. We're now headed South on State, a good thing, when I decide that maybe this is as good as this rides going to get. I notice quite a few restaurants in the vicinity while we're stopped at a red light, so I tell him we'll be getting out here. We settle up for a reasonable price shortly after the light turns green and the cars behind begin to lose their patience.

Out on the street I ask Nancy if she's still hungry. She gives me that look as if to say, "No dear, my hunger disappeared during that enjoyable cab ride through the streets of Chicago!". You'd think by now I'd know better than to ask.

Although my plan was to partake of some fare that is distinctively Chicago, we settle on the Rock Bottom brewery. Definitely not my first choice but with a hungry wife, I figured it was wise to err on the side of caution as she had begun to get a wee bit peckish.

The lunch was nice and we both decided it would be good idea to walk around awhile to burn off some calories. Our walkabout lasted for about an hour where we ended up at the Bean AKA Cloud Gate in Millennium Park. It was Nancy and mines first time seeing it, so we snapped a couple photos and then decided we'd had both seen enough of the city for one day.

Posted by ocomik at 01:41 PM | Permalink

UPDATE
When push came to shove, I ended up voting the most non-partison ballot of my life. Of all my selections, every issue and candidate went the other way. Republican Kendall county has once again shown that taxation is the rule of the day. (Excuse us Mr. OConnor as we reach into your pocket further...)

My initial re-action to the Democrat sweep is one of optimism. The voters let the Republican administration know they were not satisfied with the current course of action regarding a myriad of issues including Iraq, energy, and immigration. Change was in their hearts (the voters) and change is what they got. I now only hope they do right by the power we've granted them.
END UPDATE

Here it is shortly after 1:00 on Election Day and I'm still not sure exactly whom or what issues I'll be pulling the lever for this evening.

The last couple of elections have really soured me on the supporting one party policy. As a Republican, the GOP no longer represents many of my views. They have become to indoctrinated by the conservative, fundamentalist Christian sect looking to impose their morale views on the rest of the country. The party has supported the consolidation of power at the executive level, thereby weakening our long established system of checks and balances. Republicans have also launched a major frontal assault on personal liberty under the pretense that it is necessary in order for our nation to be secure. Then there's the war in Iraq and immigration.

Republican mouthpieces would have us believe that a vote for the Democrats will only make things worse. We'll be taxed into oblivion so that government can bring about all sorts of disincentive programs for those less inclined to make their own way, some of those individuals not even citizens of this country. To me the difference between the two parties is not that black and white.

Democrats don't paint a much rosier picture. In my opinion they're still the party of big government and all of the necessary programs needed to support it. And to tell you the truth, that scares the hell out of me. Although I feel that the United States is moving closer to a caste system, something I'm against, I'm still not ready to support the idea of wealth redistribution of the magnitude that many Democrats favor.

About the only thing the Democrats can hang their hat on is that they have not been in power, i.e. control of the White House and the Congress, over the last few years and thus can claim they are not responsible for the situation that our country is in. From my viewpoint, that's not a ringing endorsement.

Then there are the Greens, whom the Republicans want you to vote for as they feel it takes votes away from the Democrats ensuring another two years of GOP control. The Greens are the red-headed stepchild of political parties, offering some very interesting ideas but sporting the moniker of "can't win" so no ones willing to lay their money down. It's still a two horse race, ones pulled up lame, and the other slower horse is convinced he's doing everything right because he's in the lead.

What I do know is that I don't know. Change for the sake of change is rarely the right course of action but sometimes you just have to take your chances. Either way, it's a gamble and I'm only hoping for some clarity before I enter the booth.

Posted by ocomik at 02:42 PM | Permalink

Ever since I launched my first personal web site, www.ocomik.com, I knew the sites identity would be based around technology. It was a given. No doubts. No questions asked. Technology, and my experiences with it, would be the thesis.

I didn't have much of an interest in sharing personal experiences with my readers outside of those dealing with technology. After all, I tend to be a very private person and as such didn't find any value in discussing my private life with strangers over the Web.

During the summer of 2005, while running the music web site TheMusicNeverStopped.net, I came to the realization that I was too focused on technology, causing me to neglect many of the things in my life that were valuable to me.

It was at this time that I vowed to bring balance back to my life and to put first those people and things that had gone by the wayside.

FIN ACK (www.finack.net), in many ways, is the swan song of this previous period. It's funny because I was looking to rebrand ocomik.net to a domain name that had a higher geek quotient and that would also be a suitable title for writing about a broader range of topics*. Today it serves as a pointer to the past, an outdated, irrelevant title in need of an upgrade.

Since last year, the one word that continues to pervade my thoughts, as it relates to technology, is frustration. Maybe it's because I'm getting older and my patience isn't what it used to be, maybe it's because the return it provides pales in comparison to that of other activities, maybe its the never ending cycles of upgrades and repairs, or maybe I'm just getting tired of the chase. Whatever it is, I just want the technology I use in my personal life to work and work the first time. Hence when it doesn't, I become frustrated - a frustrated geek.

So like a phoenix rising from the fire (boy is that cliched), FIN ACK will take on the more fitting title of Frustrated Geek.

*In general terms, FIN ACK refers to the last action a computer performs to break off communication, i.e.it's the last word in the conversation between computers. In my eyes, FINACK.NET was to be my last word on any subject for which I wished to write.

Posted by ocomik at 03:42 PM | Permalink

It's Saturday, the day after the Cardinals won their tenth World Series. I'm working out in the shed getting it reorganized to accommodate the summer lawn and garden items that will call it home for winter.

On in the background is the local sports radio station, chiming in every twenty to thirty minutes with the usual sports update, which today always has them leading off with the news of the Cardinals World Series win over the Detroit Tigers. It's a good feeling, somewhat because I'm a Cardinal fan living in Chicago - take that Cubs ..., but mostly because it's good news about my hometown - a city that takes on a whole new life when the Cardinals are in the Fall Classic.

The radio report mentions that the city will hold a parade for the team in the streets of St. Louis on Sunday. I think to myself, "isn't that great!", knowing that these things usually end up happening on a weekday making it difficult for a lot of fans to see the festivities. Not this year. Having it on Sunday will pretty much ensure that all of Cardinal Nation will be present and accounted for.

I finish getting everything put away in the shed, give it one last glance, and lock the door behind me. I can officially call it a day.

It's Sunday, two days after the Cardinals won their tenth World Series.

The beauty of having a daily yoga practice, mine takes place first thing every morning, is that it provides mental clarity. It allows you to look at things going on in your life from a different and fresh perspective. It was through this perspective that I came to the conclusion I was going to St. Louis for the parade.

Unfortunately, the fresh perspective that yoga provides me doesn't always sit well with my wife.

Nancy: What you doing with the laptop?

Me: The Cardinals are holding their World Series parade and I want to see what time it starts.

Nancy: You going?

Me: I'm thinking about. *pause* Great. It starts at two.

Nancy: You're kidding, right? That's a five hour drive one way.

Me: I know but you don't understand, it's been twenty four years, blah, blah, blah, and I need to be there.

Nancy: You're not serious. Do you know how crazy that sounds? ...

Me: Do you want to go?

Nancy: No!

And with that exchange I was off to St. Louis to celebrate the Cardinals winning the World Series. The trip was quick and exhausting; however, well worth the effort. I got to see new Busch Stadium, both from the outside and inside, and participate in my first ever victory parade.

Thank you Cardinals for a great season and a memorable celebration. It was worth the twenty-four year wait.

Posted by ocomik at 01:03 PM | Permalink

In the words of Jack Buck, "That's a winner!"

The new banner celebrates the St. Louis Cardinals winning their tenth world championship. It's been twenty-four years since the last one and it was great to be in the city during last Sunday's victory parade.

Details

• The background image is the front of new Busch stadium taken by yours truly on celebration Sunday.
  
• The title font is "Sports Jersey". The 'World Champs' is "Arial Black" and the images are used without permission.
  
• Design and layout was done by me.
  

Posted by ocomik at 09:31 AM | Permalink

Unfortunately for me I haven't really had much time to post to my blog; although, I do have a couple of articles actively in the hopper that need to be completed.

As with most writers, bloggers, or self-important individuals that believe they have something to say that others will find of interest, I have a lot of ideas/experiences floating through my head, just not the luxury of time, as of late, to put them down.

So with the pinpointedness of a scatter gun, here's some of the shit I've been into lately.

Ultimate Spider-Man - I'm hooked. I've always been a huge fan of the old school Spider Man saga, so much so, that I was so excited about the movie, I snuck out and saw the first screening of it at theaters on the day it opened only to return that night with Nancy under the pretense that we were seeing it together for the first time. Guess the cats out of the bag on that one.

[Note to wife: occurred while under the great unemployment depression of 2001 so the behavior should be excused]

What appealed to me was the way the original tale was retold within an updated, contemporary setting. Little did I know that back in 2000, Marvel did something similar with Spider-Man when they released the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book series.

Currently, I'm reading it in graphic novel (trade paperback) form in an attempt to get caught up. I just finished volume four and I purchase a new volume every two weeks. At this pace, it should take me roughly twenty-eight weeks to get caught up with the story.

Heroes - Since I've been blogging about comic books, it should probably come as no surprise that I'm into NBC's new TV series 'Heroes'. A tale about a group of individuals that discover they have superhuman powers and must save the world from an evil, unknown force. What's cool about it is that Nancy is also hooked. Originally she expressed some skepticism about the storyline being kind of 'geeky' but it’s the kind of geeky that has that suspenseful edge that holds your attention.

Gardening - Nancy and I are still working on getting our flower beds/garden in shape for the fall, which will make them much easier to take care of come spring. At this point we only have one bed left to finish off and to tell the truth if it doesn’t happen before the cold weather sets in, it really doesn't matter. We've made great progress and the yard looks better than it has in a couple of years.

All of this yard work has made us realize just how bad the appearance of our yard really was. The goal now is to be able to keep it in a somewhat manageable shape throughout the seasons so we can spend more time relaxing in the outdoors rather than just working in it.

Running - Yada, yada, yada... I'm pretty sure you're tired of hearing about my new commitment to fitness so I'll spare you the details. I'm still running and don't see an end for the foreseeable future. It's one of the best ways I've found for maintaining my health and fitness.

Post-season baseball - The Cardinals are doing their usual fall run in the playoffs. I'm only hoping that they can make it to the World Series to avenge for the '04 World Series sweep they suffered at the hands of the Red Sox. Tonight is game seven of NLCS in New York at Shea, a must win for both teams. If for some reason they don't get it done tonight, Cardinal Nation is going to begin empathizing with the Atlanta Braves, whom I believe have made the playoffs fourteen consecutive times, one time in which they actually won the World Series. Ouch!!!

HD TV - Back in September I finally made the leap to high definition (HD) TV after having an HD capable TV since February. The biggest hurdle was not having the funds to rework my existing satellite TV infrastructure to allow the upgraded signal to be delivered. So far things have been working fairly well and I'm am definitely impressed with the picture quality between high definition and standard definition (SD).

I believe one of the TV manufacturers does a commercial for one of their DLP televisions where they discuss that watching football in HD is like seeing the game for the first time. I can easily concur that that's not an understatement. It's HUGE!

Posted by ocomik at 09:37 PM | Permalink

Back from vacation. A week-plus away from work and from most things cyber. I honestly never thought I could take a vacation from technology without getting the shakes but it was rather refreshing.

No blogs, no sites, no pop-up ads,
Not a single RSS feed
Like Robinson Crusoe
As primitive as can be
[Sung to "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island"]

So what's a geek to do when technology is not on the agenda?

You make time for all of those other things that have been getting neglected; one of which has been our home's landscaping.

Unfortunately since I started working again, after the great layoff of 2001 - you might have heard of it, I've just been focused on a million other things.

But maybe I should go back to the beginning for this tale. One of Nancy's and mine shared interests is gardening. As we began building our lives together, we decided having a fully landscaped yard complete with 360 degree property wrapping flowerbeds was desirable. And through a progression of adding new flowerbeds over the next couple of years, we were eventually able to reach our goal.

Initially, staying on top of the garden maintenance was no problem; however, we eventually reached a point where we had too many flowerbeds and we gradually fell behind.

Because of the time commitment involved, as well as the dollars, some of the flowerbeds fell into disrepair. Now this normally wouldn't be a problem if you're talking one or two flowerbeds but we're talking over a thousand plus square footage of beds. What I would refer to as the 'super-size' version of neighborhood flower gardens.

What were once lovely manicured gardens eventually turned into weed and grass filled expanses. Nancy and I both felt overwhelmed, so much so, that we did what we could so as to not become an eyesore to the neighborhood, while also realizing that we could never catch up just tending to things during the weekends.

I also noticed this summer that we spent considerably less time out of doors, at least in our own backyard. After all, who wants to sit among the patches of weeds and dirt to enjoy an evening cocktail by the fire. It was with this realization that we set about on Operation Restore Garden Splendor.

The task wasn't an easy one and as of this writing it's still not complete but it's a helluva lot closer than it has been for a longtime. With close to sixty-two man-hours into the operation we are well on our way to restoring our Eden.

If the weather will only holdout, perhaps even getting a couple of 'Indian summer' weekends in October, maybe just maybe, Nancy and I'll be able to have that afternoon cocktail while sitting amongst our newly created paradise.

~namaste~

Posted by ocomik at 03:15 PM | Permalink

It's Saturday morning and Mat Kearney's on in the background on my laptop singing about crashing down. Who's Mat Kearney? I didn't know until about forty minutes ago but he'll be opening up for Sheryl Crow and John Mayer tonight here in Chicago, which is my anniversary present to Nancy. Year number nine to be exact and I couldn't ask for a better partner to spend my life with.

Just doing a little blog reading and came across a couple of things I'd thought I share

• Star Trek turns 40 as of today yesterday and Wil Wheaton is writing reviews for TVSquad of classic TNG episodes. That's Star Trek Next Generation for you non-Trekkies in the audience. He also pointed to a resource that I was unaware of, Memory Alpha - the free Star Trek reference. And it's a Wiki of all things. I think I'm getting a chubby...
• I'm still trying to grok the concept of NewsRivers that Dave Winer's been evangelizing. What's strange is a lot of folks have been saying that what Dave's preaching about as a disruptive technology [my words not Dave's] that this capability has been around for years. I would tend to agree with this audience as I was reading news on the go using my Palm Vx using OmniSky, a cellular modem service that is now defunct, back in the late 90's.

  But I happy to see the new sites that are being created to read news on our mobile devices and Dave just turned me on to the fact that Digg now has their own NewsRiver.

Well I think that does it for now... Got a lot of irons in the fire and quite a few things I'd like to share my thoughts about. Hopefully I'll have the time to write about them while they're still relevant. ~namaste~

Posted by ocomik at 09:14 AM | Permalink

"You have failed me for the last time, iPod Shuffle!" And with that I sent it flying up the road ahead of me.

Nancy looked back from her bike, somewhat inquisitive as if to say, did you really just toss away a hundred dollar music player.

I kept running and removing the various iPod accessories; the lanyard and frayed iPod headphones. I was going to give them the toss as well but quickly realized that it was not the most environmentally friendly thing to do. I waited until I was going past the house and then abandoned the items.

Short of three miles Nancy pulled up along side. I could feel her staring at me. I'm not sure if she was looking for a response from me about my behavior or if she was just conducting some type of behavior analysis observation. I continued with my run, looked straight ahead, and listened to my footfalls on the pavement. She eventually fell back.

When my run was over, she got off here bike and we walked the half-mile back to the start of the trail. She asked about what the poor, innocent iPod had done. Feeling a little embarrassed by my actions, I explained how this was third time it had failed me while I was in the middle of a run and as such its life had to end. Being the professional runner that I am, I couldn't afford having it happen again. Yeah right!

Once we got back to the house and I began my post-run stretching, I mentioned how my run was just littered with problems. My new running hat wasn't fitting right and thus was getting sweat in my eyes, the iPod Shuffle gave up the ghost, and I screwed up my split by hitting the wrong button on my watch at mile marker three.

Nancy in a sarcastic but I love you tone said, "You really have some big problems. I'm surprised you're able to go on living." And then quickly followed up with something about kids in China not having hats or iPods.

I finished stretching and we headed into the house to have another one of our late evening meals.

Afterwards, I thought about this moment and realized what it is that I love about Nancy and mine's relationship. Over the years she has made me more grounded and reflective of my actions in general. That's not to say I don't fall of the horse once in awhile but I truly care about her opinon of me and as such it makes me want to be a better man. Thanks babe!

Posted by ocomik at 03:30 PM | Permalink

I received an e-mail that my RoadID shipped today; however, I'm not quite sure how I feel about it.

RoadID is a tag that you wear on your person that contains pertinent information should something happen to you while you're out running, cycling, adventuring, etc... It's a great concept and one of those simple, yet ingenious ideas that makes you think, "Hey, why didn't I think of that!"

But that doesn't really explain my apprehension.

I've been riding bikes for close to thirty-four years including some pretty long stints in racing, bicycle motocross and mountain biking. I also have spent a lot of time out on America's roadways, with the cars and trucks, experiencing my share of close calls but nothing that ever diminished my fearlessness.

That is until this year.

For whatever reason, I've become a little skittish and definitely pre-occupied with getting picked off by one of those big construction trucks, that for whatever reason, fail to recognize the rights of cyclists to be out on the roads (sorry to generalize).

Some of it probably has to do with rust, since it's been close to two and half years since I did some serious riding. Part of it is maybe the amount of traffic that is traversing the old county farm roads on which I've ridden for quite a few years. And lastly, maybe a little bit is age, which seems to diminish ones perceived invincibility.

As I explained to Nancy the other day, I love the idea of having some type of identification on me in case something happens, to which she concurred, but in the same breath I wondered if I was just playing into my fears. Feeding the paranoid beast who seems to enter my mind the first five or ten minutes of my ride and then slowly recedes as the miles pass.

So here's to keeping the RoadID mojo on the light side of The Force and the mental gremlins at bay. - ~Thrive~

Posted by ocomik at 04:55 PM | Permalink

"Fridays are golden.", she said.

These words have stuck with me ever since they were spoken by one of my co-workers. Their meaning? When you work in academia, the frantic pace, as least as it relates to information technology, is Monday through Thursday, the days when the majority of our customers are in-house and banging on the door for attention. On Fridays, the students/faculty are still around, they are just in smaller numbers and require minimum attention.

Fridays end up being days that you can focus on a single task and get it accomplished without much fear of interruption. It provides you an opportunity to lock grips with that one particular problem. The one that's only been getting part of your attention all week, not to mention bugging the holy crap out of you, and as such is still unresolved. In the truest sense, it's a time to settle your scores with your work.

Then there are Fridays during the summer semester. If Fridays during the fall and spring are considered golden, then summer semester Friday's must be platinum. The hallways are almost empty, the daylight cascading in amongst the quiet. Call volume drops down to the single digits and a few sparse e-mail trickle into the inbox. Students and faculty are almost non-existant, and of those faculty that are on campus, they're busy squirreled away in their own pursuits, preserving the sanctity of the day.

"Platinum" Fridays are the kind of days you'd expect if Willy Wonka, or perhaps Bob Marley, designed the American work week. Everyone's in good spirits, going about their tasks in an easy, carefree manner. The mood is light and the work less strenuous. In many ways, I think it ends up being more productive than Monday through Thursday.

After today, there are only five more left, after which they change back to gold. But gold's not so bad. Is it?

Posted by ocomik at 02:24 PM | Permalink