Category: Uncategorized

I Love My Wife

Reason #345531145 why I love my wife, Jen:

She is suffering from an unstoppable urge to get a new gadget. Tonight we went to the new Microsoft store to look at the new Surface. (It’s cool, but I still think iPad is the better device, and Windows 8 is going to take some getting used to) We then went to the Apple store to view the new iPads. (The mini doesn’t interest me at all, and is the new, new iPad just a new iPad with a lightning connector?) We finally went to Best Buy to check out various 7″ Android tablets. (The new Samsung and Nexus are both pretty slick, and the new Kindle Fire HD has some promise too)

All the while Jen kept trying to talk me into getting a new iPad so that we could both have a new gadget. How could you not love someone like that. She is the best!

She said to me, “What’s it going to take to get you a new iPad tonight?” I swooned right there and then.

Change of subject: Did you know that you can check yourself out at the Apple Store using the Apple Store app? It only handles one item per transaction, and items must be less that $300, but it sure was cool buying a back up lightning cable without having to talk to a clerk.

Bond Movies and GarageBand

I used the built in amplifier sims in GarageBand.  I added a couple of parts to the first of the November song ideas.  The riff I came up with was faster than I could really play.  I fudged through though.  While I was playing around I had Casino Royale playing in the background.  When it ended I put on Quantum of Solace.  I had to stop playing guitar because I got caught up in the flick.  Bond movies can do that to you.

On Call Blues

I am this morning starting my third day of a six day on call.  It was supposed to be one over night on call but it ballooned to cover the holiday weekend as well.  What holiday weekend?  I’m supposed to have Monday off for Veterens Day but I volunteered to be on the skeleton crew that covers the day.  Oh we’ll.

My gorgeous wife is going to be working today and tomorrow for most of the time.  We can’t go anywhere because we need to stay close to home for the on call. I think I might spend today flip flopping between terror over the phone ringing and messing with music for national solo album month.  Why not.

I have an idea for a lyrical concept that will more than cover an album worth of songs.

The new Bond movie comes out this weekend and we won’t be seeing it.  That got me thinking… What if each new song was about a Bond villian?  I could make that happen.  I’m thinking that one song will be Dr No being pissed off over his hands.  Another could be a love song sung by Blofeld to his cat.  Goofy stuff like that.  We will see.

Bad Advertisement

I heard a commercial on the radio.  It was selling blue cross health insurance.  The ad kicks off with a woman saying her family has been using blue cross for more generations than she can count.  She then says that her grandparents were among the original customers back in the 30s.

So the spokesperson for the company cannot count to three?  There have been more generations than she can count.  Well, there were her grandparents (that’s one) and her parents (that’s two) and her (that’s three).  Yeah.  1… 2… 3…  Three.  There have been three generations, and she admits that she cannot count to three.

So the person blue cross has hired to convince us to buy their insurance is not smart enough to count to three, but apparently she is smart enough to buy health insurance.

You know… I was in kindergarten when the concept of Proof Reading was introduced to me.  Didn’t anyone stop to proof read the script at any point?  Didn’t the writer?  Didn’t the representative of the ad agency who presented the script to the customer?  Didn’t blue cross?  Didn’t the engineer who recorded the voices?  Didn’t the producer who supervised the session?  Didn’t the radio salesperson who sold the time slot?

If you cannot count to three, then I don’t want to hear your opinions on health insurance.

NHL CBA Speculation

As all hockey fans know, the NHL is still in their idiot lock out.  They are still trying to find a way to divide up their all but unbelievable record profits and the game has been shut down indefinitely while they bicker like little whiny bitches.

But there is new news over the last couple of days.  The league and the union have been meeting in an undisclosed New York location and the meetings have been going on for hours and hours.  While one would think that would be the expected behavior for two parties engaged in a labor dispute, they have shown us that the normal behavior is to not meet at all.  Still, this is not the new news I was talking about.

The big news about this round of negotiations is that no one knows what’s going on.  Neither side has been talking to the press.  There has been none of the usual public bickering about who is not taking the (non) negotiations seriously and how we should love this side and hate that side and yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah.

Both sides have been mum on everything.  This is the best news imaginable.  That means the talks are actually being productive.  They might actually be getting stuff done!  There have been rumors that the commissioner has been spoken too by a group of owners who said enough is enough, get a damn deal done so we can make money.  There have also been rumors that a number of player have, through their agents, approached the head of the union and said enough is enough, get a damn deal done so we can start playing again.

I feel conflicted about this.  I want them to come back so that everyone on the periphery of the NHL, the building staff and the surrounding businesses, can get back to normal.  At the same time, I am bothered by the thought of the league coming back because it will eventually make a hypocrite out of me.  I very much want to not get sucked back into being an NHL fan… but I know without a doubt that at some point I will be sucked back into being an NHL fan.

Oh well.  I guess I should just support the greater good.