One

... is the loneliest cookout that you'll ever do.
.

My New Lampshade

It is perfect.

Hopefully by the weekend, I can show you my homemade digital TV antenna (that will replace the rabbit ears I use now, which work fairly well here in Nashville, but could be better... I can't get the ABC affiliate, 'cause the CBS affiliate's transmitter is smack-dab line-of-sight in the way of their transmitter). I picked up the piece of wood I needed on the side of the road, riding home, today!
.

No Love Being Lost

Just to tide y'all over, while Echo gets its shit back together (well, as well as it possibly can, of course).

All hail dirk gently!

UPDATE: For you Mac people having scrolling issues (known issue, and not much dirk can do about it at the moment... and sorry, but I'm tired of having to answer this every 3-4 comments!), you can try the text-only version.

For the otherwise curious, here's how you find out the text-only version of a post's comments, manually (I suspect dirk might add this as a link inside the Flash version at some point, as it does make it possible to copy text out of the previously-made comments):

* Open the Flash version by clicking on the link. The URL in the address window will have a long number at the end.

* Copy that long number, and paste it at the end of this URL:

http://bensonmum.com/comments/txtvers.php?site=jprestonian&page=

Of course, that only works for MY blogs (see the "jprestonian"?); you'd have to swap out the username AND the ID number at anyone else's blog that uses Forty, Too. Also. All of 'em!
.

Geography

I grew up and lived the first 23 years of my life in the upper lefthand corner.

My landlord also grew up inside this map, and he and I never met until 1996, after I had moved to Nashville (he moved here years before).

.

Never Look Down The Vacuum Hose

Naw, it's probably a sty.

UPDATE: If it's not a sty, it is responding to sty treatment. I did not know this, but warm compresses and washing the eyelid with baby shampoo is the gold standard of treatment.
.

Your Faster Of Messtivities™

I am beholden to no convention for the hollerdays, so I will observe by staying drunk on scotch whiskey, all night long, and... well, I can't "die behind the wheel," 'cause my wheels got no wheel. No, seriously, it's only SNPA. One per hour, max.

I've never been a drinkee whisker. It always made me sick, and I hate to be sick.

Still, given that is IS the hollerdays, and speaking of drinking, someone who is family-by-marriage gave my dad my phone number, somehow. I haven't talked to him in 20 years.

He just turned 77.

Song of the night.
.

Open Thread!

Blogger is still AFU, so use my bloggie for chat, if you like. Here we go!

UPDATE: Crack addicts, clickee here.
.

Taking A Break

Back sometime.

I just can't be part of a group that enables a histrionic, self-hating person with a martyr complex any longer, so I will work on things in meatspace, getting curlytech set up and running full-tilt before I come back. You can reach me, if the need arises.

When JeffCO gets as completely fucking sick of Ô¿Ô's bullshit as I am, I will return. Probably no sooner.

Curly fans, there are all manner of Curly photos and videos here. Sort through them, and I'll try to be back soon with new stuff. Click the "Curly" tag on any Curly post.
♥

Chris TV

Rabbit ears suck. But, I told the cable guy not to charge me for another hookup in the bedroom, so this is what I get. :)
.

Peace Be Unto You

It's the best I can do for the season, folx. Enjoy!
.

Oh, So I *DO* Get Invited

... to play reindeer games, eh? :)

THREE THINGS

Scare me: Becoming homeless, clowns, Mark Foley (a bit redundant, I realize).

People who make me laugh: Jon Stewart, Jay Mohr, anyone who can make good sound effects with their mouths.

I love: Curly, biscuits and gravy... and hoppy beer!

I hate: Assholes, rightwing talk radio, insurance companies.

I don't understand: People who spend their days buying plastic Chinese crap to fill every square inch of their homes with useless shit that'll never be used, or will break in weeks, never to be replaced; people who hate "liberals," but love the 40-hr. work-week, the comfort of a SocSec check at age 67 (or before), and don't give a shit that BILLIONS of dollars WENT MISSING under Paul Bremer in the Iraq CPA; people who think being "a patriot" includes letting the government imprison anyone on ONE man's say-so, and opening up any American's every communication to government scrutiny, by default.

Things on my desk: A checkbook, a Compaq notebook, a cup o' coffee.

I'm doing right now: This damn survey, having the morning's first cuppa, checking the news for anything particularly irksome.

I want to do before I die: Pay It Forward -- all of it; watch G.W. Bush led out of The Hague in leg irons, see America regain her status in the world as a true supporter of freedom and democracy.

I can do: Most computer-requiring tasks, a passable Ace Frehley impression given a Les Paul, people-watching.

I can't do: Your taxes, a passable Allan Holdsworth impression (given ANY guitar!), ten concurrent minutes of Sean Hannity.

I think you should listen to: Me, dammit!; Glenn Greenwald, and Your Own Conscience.

You should NEVER listen to: Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, Michelle Malkin.

I'd like to learn: Spanish language skills (conversational... enough to get me and keep me laid), CSS2 and beyond, more about JavaScript.

Favorite foods: Biscuits and gravy (already!), French Toast, bacon. I'm a breakfast monster.

Beverages I drink regularly: Coffee, water, beer.

Shows I watched as a kid: Star Trek (TOS), The Six Million Dollar Man, The Magician (starring Bill Bixby).

Tagging: Brittney, Kat, CeeElCee.

Musique Non-stop

I don't know the point, but it's floating around... I have 657 tunes on the Archos, and it's not even 25% full... dang!

Random-play, hitting "next track" when ready to answer the next question...

Opening Credits: "Birdhouse In Your Soul," They Might Be Giants (Flood)

Waking Up: "Bonnie and Slyde," Bela Fleck & The Flecktones (UFO Tofu)

First Day At School: "Bittersweet," Hoodoo Gurus (Mars Needs Guitars)

Falling In Love: "Circles of Hell," Arcana (Arc of the Testimony)

Fight Song: "Ted Just Admit It," Jane's Addiction (Nothing's Shocking)

Breaking Up: "Adidas In Heat," Adrian Belew (Lone Rhino)

Prom: "Fear Is Never Boring," The Bears (The Bears)

Mental Breakdown: "The Past Is a Different Country, I Don't Live There Anymore," Buckethead, Hellborg & Shrieve (Octave of the Holy Innocents)

Driving: "The Things You See," Allan Holdsworth (All Night Wrong)

Flashback: "Mac Man," Allan Holdsworth (Sand)

Getting Back Together: "Pilgrimage," R.E.M. (Murmur)

Wedding: "King For A Day," XTC (Oranges And Lemons)

Birth of Child: "In The Presence and Absence of Each Other (pt. 2)," Claus Ogerman/Michael Brecker (Cityscape)

Final Battle: "The Song Remains The Same," Led Zeppelin (Houses of the Holy)

Death Scene: "Skeletons," Rickie Lee Jones (Pirates)

Funeral Song: "Move Me On Down The Line," ZZ Top (Tres Hombres)

End Credits: "Soulful Terrain," Eric Johnson (Tones)

I tag NTodd, Birthday Girl, ErinPDX, Silleigh and Trademark Dave.
.

He Doesn't Even Know I'm There

Curly is totally absorbed by identified avian objects, this morning.

Looks like a scooterriffic day, ahead. Come out to Cafe Coco today between 15:00-21:00 16:00-21:00, where I'll be liveblogging for my guest worker program at Brittney's regular day gig. I'll take your pixels (if you're not pixel-shy), and if you buy me a tasty beverage, I'll give you a Curly DVD in exchange. Quantities of the DVD are limited, so, offer good while the supply holds up.
.

For The Local Folx

I've set up a blog where Nashville-area folx can trade their junk for my junk. Not that junk; get your mind out of my haidbone! :) Just made a pending deal on two items just this morning. Is this unconventional? I dunno, but it sounds like a fun way to get things I can use without having to pay for them in a traditional sense. Barter, yay!
.

Wallet Story & Beyond

Okay, long-ass story short, folx: Dave brought my wallet to me, as it had fallen out of my pocket, and was in the back seat of his Lexus. I gave him my copy of How Would A Patriot Act?, and thanked him profusely for being a good neighbor and Righteous Dude.

Wednesday... more tangential Vietnam stories.

I met a guy Wednesday while I was waiting to catch the bus. He asked me for a cigarette, and he wasn't too proud to ask me for some money, so it was obvious he was needing someone's help, somehow. All city dwellers encounter panhandlers, but Donny didn't strike me as a street performer. He did strike me as a troubled soul. We had a nice chat waiting for the bus, there. Donny's a songwriter (like every waitress in this town) said he'd been stuck at the CMA Awards when he got drunk, and his ride up and left him. He told me that he was on Veteran Disability for mental health and other reasons. Since he had an open beer with him, under his leather longcoat, and he said he had cirrhosis, I wasn't gonna give him any money, as cruel as that might sound. But he said he was walking to Bellevue -- a long damn way away from where he and I met up. So, when the bus arrived, I bought him and me each an MTA day pass, and told him how to use it to catch the bus all the way out to Bellevue (very easy -- two buses), and thanked him for his service, wished him luck when I got to my stop. He was really appreciative, but... I don't know that he won't try to get $2 out of the day pass at the next stop so's he can get another "40." Or, judging from his questions ("Y'mean, I could use this pass all day to ride anywhere on this map?") that he won't head back downtown for some other alcohol-fueled mischief. I like to have a few beers, of course, so I don't mean to pass judgement -- if anything, I think all anyone can do is in whatever small way one can, is to empower those who need our help. I don't think I was wrong to not enable him, though.

My parting thought to him was this: "You told me you needed a cigarette and some change, and you were walking to Bellevue -- I bought you that bus pass so you wouldn't have to walk so far, because I've been there, and that's not a fun place to be. You can use it, or not -- I'm not gonna tell you what you need to do, 'cause you're old enough to do what you want. But you can't say that you didn't have a ride home -- I just bought that for you. You can use it, or not, okay? It's your choice -- up to you. If you're not gonna use it, I just hope you'll give it to someone who needs a ride as bad as you do, okay? Take care of yourself, man. See ya."

I hope he got a ride home, but I'm not convinced he cared more than I did about that, sadly.

And then, I look at my situation, and how much help I've received, from you. Yes, you. I just got another check from some generous Atriot that nearly covers my rent, and it kills me... yeah, I know this person can afford that, but... damn, it hurts to not have even an arranged repayment agreement in place with them. This isn't some hillbilly version of "Catholic guilt," folx -- it's basic self-esteem. As accustomed as I have become to relying on you wonderful people to save my ass, I'm not happy about it, though I'd surely be less happy living on the street. It's still painful.

But, I'm paying it forward, too. Remember the jakeleg Pentium I notebook from this past spring? It saved me from complete netlessness back in May, but since Dr. Shouty-Crackers pooled funds from other friends I don't deserve, and sent me this kickass tebo, the ancient Toshi has been collecting dust. I just gave it to the dishwasher/busboy at Cafe Coco, 'cause his PC just died, and he's trying to keep a website goin'. He's got a metric buttload of my old bidness cards, so I'm sure the karmic ledger will all work out in the end (in his case, it already has, since I had no use for that PC, and Jonathan is a cool dude).
.

Did He Ever Recover His Wallet?

I love a good cliffhanger... you? ;)

Oh! Look at the time! I gotta jet, lest I get stuck on that fuckin' Night Owl bus, again. Not gonna do it.
.

Today's Dietary Concerns

20:25 CST

I et eggs, dammit. Yes, I've had five eggs, today. And a few ounces of cheese, even! Dunno why -- I don't normally even care about eggs all that much, but damned if I wasn't craving the fuckers, today. Yes, I went yesterday and used part of Sallyh's Kroger gift card, and one of the few thangs I picked up were a dozen (hopefully) unfertilized chicken ova.

Now, before y'all rip into me for my obviously unhealthy egg and cheese consumption, I'll have to mention that I haven't had an egg or cheese in over a month. And after the seven eggs and few ounces of cheese that remain in my 'fridge are gone, I may not have any more of either for another month, or more.

Speakin' of healthy, healthy hippo... I stopped by Kroger again, today, on the way back from Cafe Coco. I had every intention of getting a sixer of SNPA (per Sallyh's wishes), but they were all out, dammit, Jim. They had the SNPorter, but not the SNPA. So, instead, I made a decent second choice: Redhook ESB. Its quality has definitely declined since first I sampled it some ten or so years ago... it used to have a very distinct lactic acid note that gave it a very unique, subtle, creamy-almost-buttery note in its flavor, but that is now gone, sadly. Now, it's just a nice, hoppy beer. It just doesn't have the "WOW! Floral!" hops in it that SNPA uses (Saaz? Cascade? I can't remember).

The ESB is definitely getting the job done... nice buzz. :) I hope I can go outside and catch some waves, and some vibes with my friends, tonight. Or better yet, have those waves come into my tolerably-warm condo, instead (yeah, riiiight)! :) Since I need to do laundry, as soon as DVD #2 (see post below) finished burning, I'll take the GWPDA Coalition notebook to the laundrette on the off-chance that I can catch waves, there...

23:32 CST

Oh, my. It's 11:30, and I've just come back from Brewhouse West with the landlord (who came to rescue me from being locked out of the condo), and I am surely drunk. What? Six 12 oz. ESBs and three pints of SNPA -- wouldn't YOU be drunk? Well, I hope so, else I'm gonna worry about ya. :) I'm gonna post a Curly picture, and try two or three times to raise a convo, then I'm callin' it quits for the night. Nothing personal -- I know I wouldn't have much to say to me, in my condition. :)
.

Whoo-hoo! Curly!

Yes, there will be lots o' Curly, today. Here I am, at Cafe Coco, in the warm, indoor, WiFi-saturated air.

I set out this morning to accomplish these here thangs, today -- got the DVDs sent out to y'all (whoo-hoo!), but the early voting was a bust. I was sure this could be accomplished at the Metro Admin Building on 3rd Avenue North,
but I was wrong. It was at the Howard School, on 2nd Avenue South -- way too far to walk in the Tony Lamas. So, I've e-mailed the Davidson County Dems to see if I can arrange for a ride, Tuesday.

More to come...
.

Offline Wednesday

Wednesday, 11/01/2006, 10:18 CST

Well, it looks like I'll be here when Sallyh's gift of meat arrives, today (be sure to see my next post for more on this). Yep... at 7 a.m., it was cloudy and foggy; at 10 a.m., with a 30% chance of rain today, it's comin' down like piss out of a boot. That means no 'Stangtop blogging, no walking with the notebook to catch a bus to get to a dry, indoor WiFi-friendly environment. I think it's supposed to dry out tomorrow, though. If so, I will indeed be able to ship out the Curly DVDs, do the early voting thang (Thursday is the last day!), and spend the balance of the daylight hours at Cafe Coco. If not, all my plans are shot to hell. :(

16:33 CST

If you're reading this, it's because I'm sitting in the 'Stang, with a motherboard box laid out horizontally between my chest and the steering wheel, with the notebook on top of this makeshift "desk." This allows enough elevation to to get some signal, whereas setting the notebook in the passenger seat definitely does not. I just tried that out a few minutes ago to check e-mail and grab some threads, and it works pretty well, even if it does look goofy as hail.

JR pointed me to a Microsoft Knowledge Base article regarding my SNAFU trying to access the "oz" folder on the old Toshi notebook's drive (and I omitted crediting GeorgeM with sending me that 2.5" HDD USB enclosure... sorry, man; I've updated that post accordingly), and that indeed looked promising... up until the point where I had no checkbox to clear that said anything resembling "Use simple file sharing (Recommended)" under Folder Options/View/Advanced Settings, hence there's also no "security" tab under "Properties" when I look at the folder properties (I have only General, Sharing and Customize... and the Sharing tab only gives me options for enabling sharing, which leads me to confidently assert that file sharing is indeed turned off, as it should be system-wide on the desktop; what relationship that may have to "simple file sharing," I do not yet know). Perhaps that's only in WinXP Pro... when I get back online, I'll look to see if I can figure out how to turn off simple file sharing in WinXP Home, if it's possible, at all. I wanna explore this option before trying Doug's Kanotix suggestions, since I suspect there's DES encryption or some crazy shit on the folder, and I suspect if I can't get XP to let me into it, I probably won't get Kanotix to let me in, either.

The good news? Tomorrow's supposed to be bright and sunny, mid-50F, so, I'll be able to accomplish multiple thangs:

• Ship out the Curly DVDs to those patient folx who've been waiting for them;
• Go and vote (early voting ends tomorrow in Tennessee);
• Spend some time blogging indoors at Cafe Coco (and hopefully spend more time researching this Toshi HDD thang);
• Lastly, on the way home, stop at Kroger (also see next post).

I imagine that if I don't post some Curly, y'all will kick my ass, so... here he is, doing one of his favorite thangs: Rubbing his face against a wire, desperately trying to leave his scent upon it. Why they sem to like wires so damned much, I'll never know.

I really hope Maxx is okay... I hear he was having surgery, today. Be Well, Maxx!
.