the sporting life.

The Comcast Saga

2008-02-25T01:50:00.000-08:00

I am not alone. And that feels good.

5 1/2 months ago I moved into a new place. Switching the utilities over to the new address was not an altogether pleasant experience, but not too much of a hassle. Well, everything but cable. Comcast took customer disservice to a whole new level.

When I called to transfer service to the new address, I had already moved into the new place. "John" answered my call, and proceeded to sell me on the benefits of the $99/month "Triple Play". Cable. Phone. Internet. All for $99/month. Considering I was already paying $130/month for cable & Internet, it sounded like a good idea at the time.

Then "John" proceeded to sell me the HBO/Starz for an additional $10/month. OK. So for $109/month I get cable & movies. Still a deal.

The day for installation came. I took a Thursday afternoon off work to be home between the hours of 12 & 4 pm so I could have my cable hooked up. 12:30 came. 1:30 came. 2:30 came. 4 pm came. Comcast did not.

I called Comcast the next day to see what happened. It seems "John" never scheduled my installation. And the address was wrong. Comcast apologized and scheduled installation for the next day (Saturday).

Saturday arrived and so did Comcast. Amazingly "John" had failed to mention that I already had HD cable, so I was able to keep my cable box, but the impact of this omission would become evident later.

Weeks later I received my first bill. The address was still wrong, but the note online claimed this was normal, and that within a few weeks this would be corrected. I paid my bill and didn't think anything of it.

The next week I received another bill, this time for my new address. I ignored this bill, since I had already paid. Later another bill arrived, still claiming I had not paid. At this point I called Comcast to check on the situation. I was assured everything was fine.

I received another bill, again for the old address. I paid it, assuming Comcast had a handle on the situation. At this point I started getting bills from Comcast for the installation and stating I was 2 months overdue and I now owed more than $300.

I called Comcast again to find out what was going on. It seems their computer system couldn't accept payments for the SAME account from DIFFERENT addresses. Or at least, not apply them to the same bill. Eventually Comcast figured it out, my account was credited the proper amount and all was forgotten.

At least I'm not the only one.
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/01/comcast-please.html

Save! Save! Save! DANCE!

2008-02-12T01:14:00.000-08:00

Best. Commercial. Ever.

Ever.

Word of the Week

2008-02-11T23:45:00.000-08:00

The Glitter End: (thə glĭt'ər ěnd)
n.
1. The spectacular train wreck of celebrity that feeds the tabloids.
2. Brilliant and tragic flame out into psychosis or untimely overdose caused by a combination of celebrity, drugs, and showy, often superficial attractiveness.

See also: Britney Spears, Heath Ledger, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Anna Nicole Smith, etc.

This is only a test...

2007-12-31T22:58:00.001-08:00

The post that previously occupied this space was complete gibberish. The source: http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcaststechspecs.html#example

I was trying to find a way to integrate some defunct Season 1 LOST podcasts back into iTunes, after spending a year M.I.A. (funny story about me and hard drives; Nov. 2006 was not kind to me or my data)

I was trying to see if I could fake an .xml feed from a post that would mimic the real feeds used by iTunes to update podcasts in your iTunes library.

I was prepared to go the distance and hand code the .xml if this thing worked. Probably the best part is, after deleting and rebuilding my iTunes library, I didn't have to write a line of code, somehow fake a feed, or do really anything. It just worked.

Requiem In Pace Mr. Wizard

2007-11-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

(from the way-back machine)

http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=mrwizardobit13&date=20070613&query=mr.+wizard

Yea... about that....

2007-06-25T23:16:00.000-07:00

I want to clarify something. At no time, have I ever been the Burger King.

Wednesday was one of those days where you imagine everything falling apart around you, in slow motion, only to discover nothing was quite as bad as it seemed.

First the flight from Phoenix was late getting into San Francisco. Then the plane was routed to the International Terminal, which meant another trip through Security.

As my flight back to Seattle starts to board, they announce that the flight is oversold, and they need 5 volunteers to give up their seats, in exchange for free round-trip airfare to any destination in the Lower 48. SOLD!

United doesn't have another flight until 7:30 pm. (It's about 10:20 am.) They offer to book me on an Alaska Airlines flight back to Seattle, but the 12:30 flight is a full. Next available is 3:20. OK, fine. Free airfare for sitting around, doing nothing for another 5 hours. I'm OK w/ that.

Then I discover Alaska flies out of the other terminal past Security, which means another trip past the screeners. Except this time, I'm asked to step aside and wait for the next available screener. I get to step into the phone booth, have them blow air on me, and wait for the light to turn green before I can go. Then I get to sit there and watch them search my bags.

Lunchtime. Except there's nothing past Security in this terminal, save for a couple coffee shops. Great. Another trip past the guards. I get searched again.

At this point, I've been through Security 4 times in one day, and only made it onto one airplane. And half the time, I got to watch the TSA unpack my luggage to check for explosive residue. At this point I began to question my choice of flights.

About 3 pm, we board the plane. As we're boarding, the meal truck is already unloading its precious cargo of peanuts & bottled water. A short while later, the truck pulls away. Several minutes later, the captain announces over the intercom that we're waiting for the truck to come back, and it should only be a couple minutes. 15 minutes. No Truck. Half hour, no truck. 40 minutes, still no truck.

A full hour later, the truck reappears, bringing w/ it bottled water. The flight is delayed for more than an hour. For bottled water. And its a 2 hour flight. I should be halfway back home at this point. I should already be home at this point.

About 6:15, my phone rings. I had an appointment at 6 pm. And I'm on my way to my car, in the parking garage. I apologize, explain that my flight was delayed and that I've just arrived in Seattle.

Is free airfare worth all this? Really?

After I get home an unpack, I head into work. I have a couple things I have to take care of since I was gone for a few days. I plug in my laptop and power it on. Right after the Windows XP boot screen, DEATH.

I get a blue screen error message that I've never seen before and my computer locks up. I power down; restart. I attempt to boot in Safe Mode. Same error. I attempt to boot from the last known good configuration. Nope. I restart a total of 8 times. Nothing. Same error message every time.

Great. As if the day couldn't get any worse, it just did. My laptop, which I had been using that afternoon in the airport w/ no problems won't even boot up. No warning, just dead. Awesome. I can't wait to deal w/ this tomorrow...

Just when you though it was safe...

2007-06-13T22:45:00.001-07:00

The King has returned!

King Midas... fin

2007-06-02T13:49:00.001-07:00

Friday, February 23 - It's over. Finally. Nearly 9 months after the saga began, I received all my furniture.

The replacement coffee table was wrapped in plastic, carried in by two people, and bone dry. No cuts, nicks, scratches, just a brand new table. On time. (Well, almost)

Thus ends the last chapter of the La-Z-Boy Saga.

Witness

2007-06-02T11:52:00.000-07:00

Even though I have a pitcher of beer riding on Detroit winning the series, we were all witnesses Thursday night.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/318267_lebron02.html

This one is just right!

2007-04-25T00:05:00.000-07:00

Goldilocks has a new home.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1501AP_Habitable_Planet.html?source=mypi

I like Ike

2007-04-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

"Things are more like they are now than they ever were before."

- Dwight D. Eisenhower

Some Kipling ought to do the trick

2007-04-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

If

by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream -- and not make dreams your master;
If you can think -- and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings -- nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run --
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And -- which is more -- you'll be a Man, my son!

Hardball

2007-04-16T23:21:00.000-07:00

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/311853_sonics17.html

There's the pitch...

2007-04-05T23:43:00.000-07:00

"There's the pitch, slow and straight.
All I have to do is swing
and I'm the hero, but I'm the zero."

Weezer - Perfect Situation

King Midas... Reversed?

2007-03-04T23:37:00.000-08:00

Monday, February 5 - I receive a postcard in the mail. It's from La-Z-Boy. They want me to call some number about order # blah, blah, blah, at my earliest convenience.

Friday, February 9 - My earliest convenience. I call the number on the postcard. It's "Nancy" the receptionist for the Warehouse/Distribution Center. I explain that a postcard asked me to call about an order. "Right. Let me see... you have a lot of orders here." Yea, it's a long story. "This looks like a table. Yes. We have your table for you." Could it be? After all this time? "The soonest we can deliver is Wednesday or Friday, the week after next." Great. I'll see you guys Friday the 23rd. What about the table I have now? "We'll pick that up at the same time." Great.

Aight, somebody owes me a cookie... at least.

2007-02-11T23:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/12/arts/web.0212grammy.php
http://the-sporting-life.blogspot.com/2006/07/or-comeback-of-year.html

Cheer up!

2007-01-21T21:33:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is going to be the worst day of your life.

N'Joy!

2006-10-11T00:36:00.001-07:00

Taken while standing on the rocks at Pemaquid Point, looking out across the water.

Taken while standing on the rocks at Pemaquid Point.

Looking out onto the rocks at Pemaquid Point.

King Midas... Part IV

2006-10-11T00:34:00.000-07:00

Friday, September 8 - I get a call @ 5:30 in the afternoon. It's my sales person from La-Z-Boy. Good news! They have found my entertainment unit. At some warehouse in western Washington. It will be about 4 weeks before we can deliver the rest of your furniture. Another month? After all this? "That's great news. I'm glad you found it."

Sunday, September 10 - I call BestBuy to ask about the service on my TV. I told them I've called a few times and not received any answer. They're sorry for the lack of response and will look into the problem for me.

Wednesday, September 13 - I receive a call from BestBuy. They've emailed the technician find out what's happening w/ the part being ordered for service. OK. Good. Let me know what you find out.

Saturday, September 16 - I call the La-Z-Boy service department and leave a message. I explain that two weeks ago a guy came out to look at my sofa and said he'd get back to me. He never did. I leave my number and ask them to call me.

I call BestBuy and ask what they've found out about the missing part for my TV. I tell them I've called several times, and no one has ever followed up other than to say they've "emailed the technician". No one has ever called to say he responded to their email. They look in the computer and see my call history. They apologize for the poor response and promise me that I will receive a call from their manager by next Tuesday.

Day 75 of the Verizon Hostage Crisis

2006-09-19T00:14:00.000-07:00

The so-called "Hostage Crisis" ended on August, 30 2006. $60 and one Bluetooth adapter later, I had successfully retrieved all the pictures taken w/ my phone.

I doubt the cost was worth it, but it was a stand about principle. I took offense to Verizon disabling major portions of the phone's functionality just to suit their business model. In the end, I won. Verizon didn't receive one extra penny while I downloaded my pictures onto my computer.

These are the fruits of that struggle.

Taken while standing on the rocks at Pemaquid Point.

Taken at low-tide, looking out at Turtle Rock and Burnt Island.

Taken on Burnt Island, after kayaking to the island.

I'll probably flickr all of these pictures eventually. Until then, enjoy.

King Midas... Part III

2006-09-19T00:12:00.000-07:00

Sunday, August 27 - I get a call @ 10:30 in the morning. It's "George". He calls to tell me he couldn't get the video card for my TV. So he wouldn't be coming out this week to fix it. Great. I tell him that I called the retailer the day before and that I was able to get them to come out and look at my TV on Tuesday. I told him I would no longer be in need of his services. "Oh, that works out better for me." I'm glad this was all about "George" and not my TV.

I call La-Z-Boy later that day to talk to my salesperson. I am told they had talked to their manager and asked that I give them (La-Z-Boy) a few more days, till the end of the month. "OK, I'll give you till the end of the month." I explain that I feel they haven't been entirely forthcoming w/ me, and that I wished they had explained the situation to me sooner. My salesperson didn't get it. "But we told you everything as soon as we had any information. We only figured out entertainment unit had been discontinued 10 days ago."* "We don't like to alarm customers w/ news about pieces being discontinued until after we've made an effort to find those pieces elsewhere."^

Monday, August 28 - I come home from work to find a service note on my counter. My dishwasher has been fixed. The drain below the garbage disposal was cleaned out and he added de-foamer to mix. The last thing to go was the first thing to be fixed.

Tuesday, August 29 - The service guy from BestBuy comes. "Bob". He takes a look at the TV, asks me a few basic questions, the proceeds to fiddle w/ it. When he's done fiddling, he determines that the video card needs replaced. At least we're on the same page. He doesn't have the parts on hand, he has to order them. He says it will take 7 to 10 days and when the parts arrive, he'll give me a call. He seems surprised that I'm so understanding about the wait. "Well, my TV has already been broken a week, what 's one more?"

Friday, September 1 - The service guy from La-Z-Boy shows up. Finally. It was already 1/2 way through the 3 hour time window; I was afraid he wasn't going to show. I explain to him what happened; he takes a look at the couch. I press down on the middle of the couch and you can hear the squeaking and feel the bottom "drop" as one piece of the couch passes the support its supposed to be attached to. He tells me they'll come and pick up my couch, keep it for about a week. He explains what he thinks happened and tells me it's an easy fix, but a pain to get to. They have to tear the whole couch apart. Huh? That's easy? He says he'll call me later that afternoon or Saturday to set up a time to pick up the couch. I do not hear from him again that day.

Saturday, September 2 - I don't hear anything from the La-Z-Boy service department. Not even a peep.

*A word about this. This is exactly what I was talking about, and La-Z-Boy didn't understand. When they realized the entertainment unit was discontinued, I wanted them to call me. That same day.
^ Riiiiight. So two and a half months of no answers won't alarm a customer, but the gospel truth will?

Do you know what this means?!?!

2006-08-30T23:13:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken Sunday June 11, 2006. W/ my Verizon Wireless RAZR V3C.

King Midas... Part II

2006-08-30T23:09:00.000-07:00

Sunday, August 20 - I call Sharp (1-800-BE-SHARP) about my TV. It goes well enough. The guy takes my info, gives me a Case # and tells me to call back Monday between 9am and 7pm CDT.

Monday, August 21 - I call Sharp again. This time I'm connected to Dispatch, who can find an Authorized Retailer/Repair Center in my area. I'm directed to George Electronix in Bellevue.
The dispatcher gives me their phone number in case I don't hear from them on Tuesday.

Thursday, August 24 - I call George Electronix, b/c I hadn't heard from them yet. I give him my name, and tell him I'm calling about a Sharp TV that needs repaired. I hadn't heard from you yet, I was wondering if you had my information."Oh, yes. Here it is. It came in on Monday. Matt, right? You have an LC-32DA5U." Yes. "I can be out there... next Wednesday. Or Thursday. Or Friday. It depends on if I get the parts. They come 2nd Day Air. I'll keep those mornings open just in case."

Friday, August 25 - My dishwasher breaks. At 1:15 in the AM, just as I'm going to bed. And by "breaks" I mean decides to pour soapy, sudsy water all over my kitchen floor after about 5 minutes of actually washing dishes. Nice. I was wondering what the next thing would be. Now I know. The dishwasher is always the last thing to go...

Saturday, August 26 - After my experience w/ "George", I call BestBuy. They can't possibly be worse than a TV repairman who has no interest in repairing my TV, and needs a week to get parts that arrive in two days. BestBuy is friendly, helpful, and they will send someone out Tuesday morning. Wow. Two days. "George" only needed a week.

After I called BestBuy, I called "George" to tell him I was no longer in need of his services. I must have talked to his brother "Ralph", but he took the message and said he would pass it on.

I call La-Z-Boy and ask to talk to the Store Manager. I explain to her the situation, and she seems to know what I'm talking about. She takes responsibility for never giving me any information, she says she was the one telling my salesperson to "just wait a few more days". She eventually tells me that my entertainment unit was discontinued "shortly after"* I placed my order. She goes on to tell me that they were looking around all the stores to try and find one who had it on the showroom floor, and when they did they would ship it here. She says they need a few more days to do their job, and asks that I give them until next Thursday, the end of the month. OK. A few more days it is.

*A word about this. Apparently, 6 weeks counts as "shortly after" b/c that item disappeared from La-Z-Boy's website sometime after July 4. I placed my order May 29.

La-Z-Boy Revisted

2006-08-23T22:08:00.000-07:00

This is the story of my ordeal w/ La-Z-Boy. The following events are true. Names have been omitted to protect the innocent.

Over Memorial Day Weekend (that was way back in May) I ordered some furniture from La-Z-Boy. I ordered the previously mentioned couch, an entertainment unit, and a coffee table.

As I mentioned before, besides being the wrong pattern, (which I happen to like) the couch is also broken. But at least I have it in my possession. The other two pieces are MIA.

When I ordered the furniture, I asked when it would be delivered. "August" was the only answer given. Well, 1 out of 3 ain't bad.

Anyway, I've gone into the store and/or called my salesperson about once every two weeks since I placed the order, just looking for a better answer than, "August". At first, no news. Fine. This was still in June, nothing to worry about.

I go into the store over the 4th of July Weekend. "Well, the coffee table has shipped, and the sofa has been "cut" (they've cut the fabric for it, but its not finished yet). But I don't know about the entertainment unit." OK.

Two weeks later, "Well, the coffee table is in the warehouse, and the sofa has shipped. It's on its way." What about the entertainment center? "I don't know. I can't find it in the system. I'll have to ask my manager to look at it."

A week after that, "Well, the sofa is here in the warehouse." What about the coffee table or the entertainment unit? "The coffee table is in the warehouse, but I can't find it." Huh? "I'll have my manager take a look at it. Would you like to schedule delivery for the sofa? And then we'll just deliver the other pieces for free when they arrive." Yes please.

Saturday, August 5 - The sofa arrives. The delivery man asks what I want to do w/ the old couch, and offers to haul it away for $40. Perfect. But I only have $20, do you guys take check or credit card? "Let me call and ask... wait, I'll just take the $20 and say it was a chair. It just goes in a (bleep) dumpster anyway." Hmmm...

The following week I call the store asking for my salesperson, who has changed schedules and is not working that day. I ask the person on the phone to look up order and find me some answers. Where is the coffee table and entertainment unit? "Hmmm... I don't know. I don't know what this code means. It says its in the warehouse, but I don't know where that is. My manager will have to look at it." Great. What about the other piece? "Hmmm... I don't see it. I'm not even sure it was ever ordered." !!! ... Well? "I'll have my manager look at it."

Saturday, August 12 - I get a call from my salesperson. She's upset w/ me for asking someone else to look into my problems for me. She also sounds a little upset, like she had been chewed out by her manager. But mostly she was angry at me for asking someone else for help my order. (B/c she's been sooooooo helpful...) Anyway, I ask her what's going on with the two pieces I still don't have yet, and she tells me that one of them was delivered to the warehouse, but must have been damaged during shipping, b/c they put it in a location for damaged goods. That's why she couldn't find it in the warehouse. OK.

Thursday, August 17 - I get another call from my salesperson. Just calling to let me know she hadn't forgotten about the situation. Good to know. But what about my furniture? "Well, the coffee table was damaged during shipping." OK. Good to know it was the coffee table. What about the entertainment unit? "I don't have anymore information about it, but I sent my manager an email and she responded, acknowledging my email." So you don't have any information for me? "No. Nothing's changed."

Wednesday, August 23 - Today. I drive over to La-Z-Boy after work to talk to my salesperson. On the drive there, I start to get angry about this whole situation. I can physically feel the anger building up. She's not working today. She's planning a wedding, and had a dress fitting... or something. Oh. Will she be in tomorrow? I've had some problems w/ my order and I'd like to talk to her. "Yea, she should be working tomorrow."

Great. I get all worked up and go over there to tell her off, and she's not even working. I can't even get angry and yell at someone right.

It's like King Midas, but in reverse...

2006-08-20T23:52:00.000-07:00

Allow me to fill you in on my August thus far.

Saturday, August 5 - My sofa arrives. Finally. Except its the wrong pattern. I ordered this one.

What they delivered was in the same colors, but with concentric rectangles. I like the pattern. I just wish the rest of my furniture had showed up with the sofa. But that's a whole 'nother post.

Monday, August 7 - My sofa breaks. While I'm laying on it. Actually "explodes" is probably a better term. Two pieces (the main cross beam and the back of the frame) that had been in tension suddenly let go. W/ a bang. That shook the whole sofa. While I was on it.

Wednesday, August 9 - Flat tire. Flat tires are a normal, everyday occurance. But w/ me, they're more like a ritual. This is my third flat tire in 5 years. With 3 different cars. Always the right rear tire. Always a gaping whole in the edge of the tread/sidewall (shoulder). Always means I need a new tire.

Saturday, August 19 - My tv craps out. My beautiful, 32", Sharp Aquos LCD just shuts off. Two green lights start blinking at me. In a pattern of threes. I fumble around w/ the reset switches in the back. TV comes back on. I hear sound. The remote works. The screen does not. Just a black screen. The screen kinda lights up (the backlight is on) but there is no picture. Not even the built in menus. Nothing. But a black screen.

Phantom Planet is Missing?

2006-08-16T23:52:00.000-07:00

In a bid to remove Pluto from the list of "proper" planets orbiting our sun, scientists have found three more instead?

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003201928_planets160.html

I see and obey...

2006-08-05T17:42:00.000-07:00

Watch this. Now.

Day 41 of the Verizon Hostage Crisis

2006-07-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

Still no pictures... even after I purchased Music Essentials Kit - Software, USB Cable & Headset (Motorola).

What it did get me though, was the ability to charge my battery from any USB port w/out frying the battery. And some neat headphones I'll probably never use.

A list of items in my refrigerator:

1 20 oz. Safeway Bottled Water
1 12 oz. Fat Tire Amber Ale
5 Gatorade Rain
11 pack Lipton Brisk Fridge Mate
12 pack Mt. Dew Fridge Mate
1/4 Jar Spicy Tomato & Pesto spaghetti sauce
1/2 Jar Best Foods Mayonniase
1/2 Bottle French's Classic Yellow Mustard
1/2 Jar Claussen Sauerkraut
1/2 Jar Smucker's Blackberry Preserves
1/2 Block of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar
1/2 Tub T. Marzetti's Caramel Apple Dip
1 Jar Vlasic Kosher Dill Spears
1 Bottle Sun Luck Hot Chili Sauce
1 Bottle Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing (unopened)
1 Bottle Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce (unopened)

Focus on that list. Ponder its deeper meaning.

Day 33 of the Verizon Hostage Crisis

2006-07-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

Still no pictures. This is due largely to my own laziness, more than any single thing Verizon has done. They have made it sufficiently hard enough for me to take this long. Congratulations.

However, the more I read on the subject, I think it may be possible to thwart their facist attemepts by using their own hardware. Witness: Music Essentials Kit - Software, USB Cable & Headset (Motorola).

On a mostly unrelated note, let me make something clear. At no point in my last post did I claim that "Stadium Arcadium" was the best album of 2006. I merely stated something I presume to be obvious, that it would win the Grammy for Album of the Year.

To further elaborate... Does anyone actually believe "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" was the best album of 2005? No, they don't. U2 won the Grammy because the best album they ever made ("All That You Can't Leave Behind") got screwed in 2001. Piece of Jeopardy trivia... who won album of the year in 2001? And What album?

That's how the Grammys work. They make ridiculous choices one year, then they make up for it later. "American Idiot" was a better album than U2's "How to...", but Green Day had to settle for Record of the Year because that's how things work.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have been around for along time w/ out enjoying too much critical (or commercial) sucess. Stadium Arcadium was their first number one. Ever.

The establishment loves to reward aging bands for past deeds. RHCP is no different, regardless of what you think of the record.

...or Comeback of the Year

2006-07-03T23:11:00.000-07:00

This is the 2006 Album of the Year.
Unless Jay-Z decides to release another album from his retirement. (In that case, you're looking at the Record of the Year.)

Run, fly, steal a car, whatever; pick up this album.

Its 28 tracks of pure goodness, distilled for your listening pleasure.

LOST in O'Hare International

2006-06-27T23:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 18, 2006

I was wandering around the C Concourse killing a 2.5 hour layover before my flight back to Seattle.

The constant hum of people traffic and the PA system floated by largely unnoticed, like the dull roar of cars on some distant highway.

"United Airlines paging Ottawa passenger Geronimo Jackson. Please report to Gate C4 for immediate departure."

Flight Info:
United 7598 / Jun 18
From: Chicago, IL (ORD)
To: Ottowa, ON (YOW)
Departs at 1:20 PM
Gate: C4

Day 6 of the Verizon Hostage Crisis

2006-06-22T22:25:00.000-07:00

I returned from a family vacation in Maine last Saturday. I have lots of great pictures on my phone that I want to post here and talk about the vacation. But No.

Verizon thinks I should pay them special air time charges to send the pictures somewhere I could actually access them. I consider this The Ransom.

Anyway, I don't feel like paying for that, especially since my phone is more than capable of sending pictures w/out using Verizon's datacall feature. Or was. Or still is, kinda.

Two (2) things need to happen. 1) I need to figure out if it will really cost me extra to make one of those datacall thingies. 2) I need to download the drivers so that when I connect my phone via USB, I don't fry the battery. Again.

Eschatology: Death, Judgement , Heaven, & Hell

2006-06-06T01:15:00.000-07:00

Begin with the End in mind. That's sound advice. So without further ado...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology
Four Last Things: Death - Judgement - Hell - Heaven

And for your literary enjoyment:

Thanatopsis

by William Cullen Bryant

To him who in the love of Nature holds
Communion with her visible forms, she speaks
A various language; for his gayer hours
She has a voice of gladness, and a smile
And eloquence of beauty, and she glides
Into his darker musings, with a mild
And gentle sympathy, that steals away
Their sharpness, ere he is aware. When thoughts
Of the last bitter hour come like a blight
Over thy spirit, and sad images
Of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall,
And breathless darkness, and the narrow house,
Make thee to shudder, and grow sick at heart;--
Go forth under the open sky, and list
To Nature's teachings, while from all around--
Earth and her waters, and the depths of air,--
Comes a still voice--Yet a few days, and thee
The all-beholding sun shall see no more
In all his course; nor yet in the cold ground,
Where thy pale form was laid, with many tears,
Nor in the embrace of ocean shall exist
Thy image. Earth, that hourished thee, shall claim
Thy growth, to be resolv'd to earth again;
And, lost each human trace, surrend'ring up
Thine individual being, shalt thou go
To mix forever with the elements,
To be a brother to th' insensible rock
And to the sluggish clod, which the rude swain
Turns with his share, and treads upon. The oak
Shall send his roots abroad, and pierce thy mould.
Yet not to thy eternal resting place
Shalt thou retire alone--nor couldst thou wish
Couch more magnificent. Thou shalt lie down,
With patriarchs of the infant world--with kings
The powerful of the earth--the wise, the good,
Fair forms, and hoary seers of ages past,
All in one mighty sepulchre.--The hills
Rock-ribb'd and ancient as the sun,--the vales
Stretching in pensive quietness between;
The vernal woods--rivers that move
In majesty, and the complaining brooks
That make the meadows green; and pour'd round all,
Old ocean's grey and melancholy waste,--
Are but the solemn decorations all
Of the great tomb of man. The golden sun,
The planets, all the infinite host of heaven,
Are shining on the sad abodes of death,
Through the still lapse of ages. All that tread
The globe are but a handful to the tribes
That slumber in its bosom.--Take the wings
Of morning--and the Barcan desert pierce,
Or lost thyself in the continuous woods
Where rolls the Oregan, and hears no sound,
Save his own dashings--yet--the dead are there,
And millions in those solitudes, since first
The flight of years began, have laid them down
In their last sleep--the dead reign there alone.--
So shalt thou rest--and what if thou shalt fall
Unnoticed by the living--and no friend
Take note of thy departure? All that breathe
Will share thy destiny. The gay will laugh,
When thou art gone, the solemn brood of care
Plod on, and each one as before will chase
His favourite phantom; yet all these shall leave
Their mirth and their employments, and shall come,
And make their bed with thee. As the long train
Of ages glide away, the sons of men,
The youth in life's green spring, and he who goes
In the full strength of years, matron, and maid,
The bow'd with age, the infant in the smiles
And beauty of its innocent age cut off,--
Shall one by one be gathered to thy side,
By those, who in their turn shall follow them.
So live, that when thy summons comes to join
The innumerable caravan, that moves
To the pale realms of shade, where each shall take
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,
Scourged to his dungeon, but sustain'd and sooth'd
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave,
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch
About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.