Gmail
Gmail changed their system a bit. Now you can compose in a simplified HTML with links and the like. It makes my blogging a bit easier. I can write in gmail then copy to my HTML editor for archiving. The fonts don't work in FireFox. I'm not too worried about it. The link functions work. You can bold and change the color of the font. Do bullets and indenting. No Tables though. You cant have everything.  It is just for throw down stuff like this entry. It does make my life that one little bit easier.

April Fools
It's April Fool's Day. The only trick I had plaid on me today was the Google Gulp.

Quench your thirst for knowledge. At Google our mission is to organize the world's information and make it useful and accessible to our users. But any piece of information's usefulness derives, to a depressing degree, from the cognitive ability of the user who's using it. That's why we're pleased to announce Google Gulp (BETA)™ with Auto-Drink™ (LIMITED RELEASE), a line of "smart drinks" designed to maximize your surfing efficiency by making you more intelligent, and less thirsty. Google

I doubt that link will last. A fun article. I only found like two jokes like this. Tom forwarded me this one. Well some people have a much better nose for April Fools Jokes. Keep up the great research.

Wireless
My parents are all up and running on wireless. For some unknown their big fast fancy router will only connect to their 54 mps laptops at 11 mps. Who knows? My father has a VPN to his company. When it connects to the company's VPN the company's laptop is set to kill the other network connections. This is to keep the company's network from being infected so easily and to prevent back door peepers from spying on the network. It is difficult to explain why it takes a couple of seconds and a couple of error messages to go from one network to another.

Duh!

More than 60 percent of all cancer deaths could be prevented if Americans stopped smoking, exercised more, ate healthier food and got recommended cancer screenings, the American Cancer Society reported on Thursday. CNN

Just as long as they don't drag coffee into the mix, I'm all for it. Ban everything. Ban cigarettes and start shooting
g people who are caught smoking, Ban fatty foods. Start lacing cheese burgers with strychnine and serve them in sting operations. surgically implant electrodes into peoples tender bits and set them off if they have been sitting on their ass too long.
Shit or get off the pot. Do something. Stop your bitching. Stop telling me I'm going to die. I will die no matter what I do. Make the correct decisions the easy ones. Make the wrong decisions the hard ones.

Recipe

Beef Stroganoff INGREDIENTS:        1/4 cup butter.        1 1/2 pounds sirloin tip, cut into thin slices.        1 onion, chopped.        1 (16 ounce) container sour cream. DIRECTIONS: 1.      Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add beef and the onions; cook until the meat is browned and the onion tender. 2.      Stir in sour cream, and heat through. Do not boil. Serve over buttered egg noodles.

Anna Banana is trying to fatten me up. I must look skinny in some of those pictures.\

Taxes
I did my taxes!!! Finally. I'm getting some money back, but not nearly enough for the camera I want. I keep hearing different things about income tax.
* Flat rate, no deductions.
* No withholding. You invest your money and keep the interest.
* No income tax, move to a VAT system.
I have a bad feeling this is one of those things that is so ingrained in our every day government that we will never get a good system. Every one seems to have their own agenda. Accountants and some lawyers depend on the complexity of the tax system to stay in business. There is an entire industry based on it. No matter how many changes we citizens try to make there will be a group of people who will be displace by it, and thus fight the change. It kills me. Sometimes change hurts. Make that part of the law that people who are completely dependent on the industry of confusion and unnecessary complexity receive new training. Surly that will be a stiff bill, but it is basically a one time payment.

Support
I am apparently the go-to guy for computer shit in my entire family,  group of friends, coworkers, neighbors, and random shit-heads on the bus who hear me making a tech call while one the way home. ARGH! It has gotten in the way of so much in my life.
I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.
When people have a problem with their house, or car they expect to pay money to get it fixed. I'm sick of having everybody ask me questions about busted computers that are all their fault for doing stupid stuff that they know is wrong and expecting an answer for free.
So, what do I intend to do about it? Bitch!

Taxes
I was supposed to do my taxes again. I have been waiting on some paperwork, but I have it now. Why am I procrastinating? Because I owe money. Why else would I want to wait?

Comment
Someone made a comment on the "Vietnam Virus"

So, in terms of power structures, Vietnam had much less to do with fighting communism than it did with opposing economic development outside the US sphere of influence. Real Art

This is the comment I left on the article.
No offense, but "duh".
Why isn't any one doing anything about all the problems in West Africa? Because there are no oil, diamonds, employable people to exploit or political backs to scratch. So, millions die each year and it doesn't make that much of a headline.
I loved the banners at the protests that said "No blood for oil!" That cracked me up, because most of those people drove there in Suburbans and Expeditions

Quiz
I had some response on the quiz below. It was from one of the folks who's blog I've left a comment. I'm glad I found the path to those people. They are quite a community. I'm finding that I have a couple of regular readers out of it. How cool is that?
I did crater last night and call three people to hit my blog so I could go over 3000. I feel like a whore, but it was cool to watch the counter. I hadn't paid any attention to the numbers until it hit 2500 or so. I didn't think I would get that far in only a few months.

Day
I had a busy day. I'm working on a small project that is a huge pile of problems. I'm trying to get things working and come up with a plan for future distribution. The world will never know the toil. Oh, well.
My French Press came in. I have it in the dishwasher as I type. I can't wait to try it out. I got some Folders "special blend". I have no idea what is so special about it. It looks like it will work in the press though. I need a thermos so I can tote it off to work. The dredge they have there is a nightmare. Every one complains, but no one does anything about it. I've complained before, but it is worth two entries to enfisise the horror that is my company's coffee. ... OH, Oh, my, that is good coffee.
I'm watching Diamonds are Forever on my computer. I forgot this movie was so good. It really is the classic Bond. He relied more on panash than technology in those days. It actually has some nice car chase scenes. They don't have to wreck a million cars or destroy a city to be cool you know.
I really should do my taxes. I have some small business crap to deal with, so I'm putting it off. I had to wait until now to even look at it because of some paperwork. I would so love to hand it all to an accountant and just pay the bill.
I was supposed to help my father get his laptop up and running on the wireless router, but he didn't bring it home with him. It is going to be a pain because his company has not yer gone to SP2. MS made the whole WEP attachment thing much easier. I suppose they had to. The old system was basically unusable.

Yuck
I had to go blow my ears out. Now, I know I have to do this every now and then, but this time was special. I have been bouncing off the walls at work and nearly stumbling. This is a sign of advanced nasty ear, but I cant seem to tell when it is bad, until it is bad. I have one of those little bulb-water blower things and just evicted two meteorites from my ears. I had no idea the invasion started in my head.
"bloouukgkgkgkhkhkh!!!" You think that was hard to read? Those are my ears man. I can hear better. Double "bloouukgkgkgkhkhkh!!!"

Email
A friend sent me one of those emails where you answer the question and send it out to every one else. Well, I refuse to do the spam for them, so I'm opening it up to every one. Feel free to answer the questions and send them to me, or in the comments, or not. Whatever.

1. What time did you get up this morning?	04:30
2. Diamonds or pearls?	Stainless Steel Watch
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?	Lord of the Rings (1). It was the last because this bitch kept laughing in all the wrong places. I gave up watching movies in the theater that night.
4. What is your favorite T.V. show?	I stopped watching TV a while back. I have to say, it is whatever I can download.
5. What did you have for breakfast?	Coffee, black.
6. What is your middle name?	Michael. Actually, it is spelled Micheal on my birth certificate. However, I don't spell it that way. My grandfather accidentally misspelled it on my father's birth certificate. He deliberately misspelled it on mine.
7. What is your favorite cuisine?	I like simple. Meet and potatoes, or veggies, or more meet.
8. What food do you dislike the most?	Things that make me feel bad for eating.
9. What is your favorite chip flavor?	I prefer popcorn.
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment?	They still make CDs?
11. What kind of car do you drive?	I am legally blind and cannot drive.
12. Favorite sandwich?	The one some one else made for me when I was busy and  hungry.
13. What characteristics do you despise?	Which ever one's piss me off at a given moment.
14. Favorite item of clothing?	Steel toe boots.
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?	I have no aspirations to travel.
16. What is under your bed at home?	A 12 gage shotgun.
17. Favorite brand of clothing?	Wrinkle free.
18. Where would you retire?	I plan on working until I drop.
19. Favorite time of day?	That moment where you are just about to doze off to a good night's sleep.
20. What was your most memorable birthday?	36
21. Where were you born?	Kansas, though I don't remember it much. I've lived in Houston all my real life.
22. Favorite sport to watch?	Rally car racing. 80 mph on dirt roads with only a piece of ribbon separating you and the spectators.
23. Who do you least expect to send this back to you?	Only the shadow knows.
24. Person you expect to send it back first?	I'm surprised I filled it out. I doubt any one else will mess with it.
25. Physical feature you would change if you could?	Brain. My vision is mainly caused by a problem in my brain. At least, that is what I surmise. No one really knows what is wrong with me.
26. Coke or Pepsi?	Black Coffee.
27. Are you a morning person or night owl?	I hate to admit it, but I'm a not focal person. I'm a crab all the time.
28. What is your shoe size?	11, same as my I. Q..
29. Do you have any pets?	No, I don't like taking the responsibility for trapping an animal and keeping it for my own entertainment.
30. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with your family and friends?	That is why I have a blog.
31. What did you want to be when you were little?	Some one who could drive.
32. What were you meant to be doing today?	I worked, so I suppose I did it.
33. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?	Where I feel at home.
34. What is your favorite high school memory?	Leaving. I was an outcast, so I was happy to be done with all of it.
35. The last CD you bought/burned?	I filled my 30 gb MP3 player with nearly all my favorite music.
36. Where is your favorite place to be?	I haven't found that place yet, but Yellowstone comes in a close second.
37. Where's your least favorite place to be?	Here.
38. What's most important, strong mind or strong body?	balance.
39.what's your favorite kitchen appliance?	French press, when it comes in from Amazon tomorrow.
40. What makes you really angry?	Injustice.
41. If you could play an instrument, what would it be?	Thanks for assuming I can't play an instrument. I play the computer keyboard, so nya!
42. What is your favorite color?	Green when it represents life.
43. Which do you prefer, Sports Car or SUV?	Horse.
44. Do you believe in afterlife?	I believe in many afterlives. I believe you feel every life you ever touched. I believe there is much to do once you move on from here.
45. What is your favorite kid's book?	The Boyscout manual.
46. What is your favorite season?	"Wabbit season"
47. If you could have one super power, what would it be?	To have God change everything around me so it went my way.
48. Can you juggle?	Shit no, but I can do nunchaku.
49. What's your favorite day?	The day I learn to be happy.
50. Favorite kind of flowers do you like to receive?	I'm going to skip this one.
51. What's in the trunk of your car?	I don't have a car. My backpack has the following. Rain cote/poncho Camera Pliers/multi-tool Minni-crowbar (yup) Flashlight Glasses/contacts stuff Condoms (Shut up) MP3 Player PDA Pens/pencils Hat or two. Stamps
52. What do you prefer: sushi/hamburger?	Hamburger, but I'm not very proud of that fact.
53. Who did you receive this from?	Nat.

Monday Morning
This morning I had some one come by and ask about Jen's show this past Saturday. They chickened out for lack of
energy. I've done the same thing. Anyway. When they came into my office this morning it was really nice to say "I have some pictures on my site of the show." That is so cool. I love doing that.
For some reason, that makes me want that camera even more.

Song

Artist:	Mindy Smith [ Search RP ]
Song:	Jolene
Album:	One Moment More [ Search RP ]

Artist:	Michelle Shocked
Song:	When I Grow Up
Album:	Short Sharp Shocked

I can't link to more information on Radio Paradise any more because you have to have a sign in to get to it now. That sounds pretty frigging ridiculous to me. It just means they will not get exposure from my blog any more. I'm really getting sick of every damn place wanting me to subscribe to get anything out of them  I don't have to give my credit card number to window shop. Forget them. I usually just end up signing up for a new account anyway. I have never given the correct information to the New York Times for example. They want you to sign in just to get some news. I sign up with a new account every time. it is faster than me trying to dig up an old email or scrap of paper I probably threw away. I wish they would just give up and stop asking me to sign in.
Microsoft tried a couple of years ago to have a passport service that would allow you to log in once when you sat down and then stay online with your signature showing the whole time. I don't really like the idea of every one having all my personal information that easily. I don't like the idea of trusting Microsoft with it either. They will paten my existence and tell me to get off their planet.

Willie B's Birthday Party
I went over to JP Hops House last night for Willie B's Birthday jam. It was a great set. The performers had more fun than the guests. I had a couple of beers. I sat most of the evening with a lovely woman who's name I cannot remember because of my every day retarded inability to remember people's names. I'm trying to think of what else went on, but all I can think is that it was fun.

Pictures - Willie B's Birthday
Site - Kelly's Cheap-ass Web Page

Camera

You know, those pictures are pretty dark. They would be far more sharp if I had the new camera I want. The lens would gather much more light. The optics are vastly superior. The hardware and software are better than anything I can take with my current camera. I WANT ONE!!! It is only $1000 + $200 for accessories. What is a desperate dedicated shutter-bug to do?

Software
I use a small software package called InfanView to make those HTML pages and the thumbnails. It doesn't work on my primary machine any more. I don't know if it is the version, or the system. It gives me an error "Save Error 1" when I attempt to write an HTML file. For the time being, I can just use one of my other machines to generate the pages. I will be in the market for a new software.

Movies
So, I watched these two crappy movies about people with messed up relationships. All I wanted to do was smack these people. Don't they understand that people are just people. Why do I watch this crap. You know, some people have to remind themselves that it is just a movie in the scary parts. I have to remind myself it is just a movie when people make stupid decisions. Two movies. They both sucked. There was this funny movie also about relationships. It was these two goofy guys who marry these two old geezer women to get their money. They all four try to kill each other. It was a horrible movie, but I did laugh out loud like three times.

Rant
I hate living in an apartment. I wish I had some way of telling people they piss me off in a setting where we could actually do something about or grievances. I hate writing letters. I hate dealing with the people in the front office. They are good people here. Trust me, I've had worse. I just don't like doing it. I wish there ware a way to arbitrate without taking it to court.
This doesn't really qualify as a rant. It is far too rational. I am tired of being rational. Sometimes I would prefer living in a shack with fifteen kids, fifteen dogs and more firearms than dinner plates. It just sounds like it would be fun for a while.

Black and Blue
I ran Ad-Aware, SpyBot, AVG, and a defrag all at once, and my hard drive climbed out of my computer and kicked my ass.

Steroids in Baseball
I had no idea I felt so strongly about this subject. I left a comment on some poor sole's blog who asked what the big deal about steroids was. It is all about entertainment he said. I replied the following.
My kids (someday anyway) will want to be glorious, just like the assholes on TV who use drugs and do irreparable damage to their own bodies just to out do the other guys on their own team.  Even if we make steroids completely legal, they do horrible things to your liver and other internal organs with prolonged use at the levels you need to get the kind of difference these guys get. That is the reason they are illegal. That is the reason I don't want my kids to look up to these self centered jerks. That is why I hope they and their dealers and their coaches and their trainers all end up in prison.

F-16 Sale
This one cracks me up. It just goes to show, as long as the balance of power is kept, the U. S. doesn't care who has what kind of conventional weapon. The balance of power being defined as the U. S.'s allies having the power.

The United States has agreed to sell sophisticated F-16 fighter planes to both India and its next-door rival Pakistan, administration officials said Friday, and India immediately expressed displeasure to President Bush. The diplomatically sensitive move — which the administration was ready to announce later Friday — rewards Pakistan for help in the war on terrorism but angers India, a U.S. ally and a fellow democracy. ... The sales to two nuclear countries that have warred over the Kashmir territory could raise eyebrows among U.S. allies in Europe who are under White House pressure not to lift an arms embargo on China. The Bush administration argues that European weapons could contribute to rising tensions between Beijing and Taiwan. Fox News

24
I'm watching 24. The first and second season. I only caught a glimpse of the series when they were on. I borrowed them from a friend. I have a problem with the whole daytime story feel of the whole thing. I wish someone would blow his daughter away so the man can concentrate on his job.

Dark Mater Continued
It looks like they are finally going to abandon the dark matter/energy theory. Someone has a really good theory that refutes dark matter/energy and still allows for the universe to expand. I say the universe is not expanding. I say that we are simply not looking at the proper evidence. People just love looking at those little red lines and being able to explain by telling people to listen to a train whistle as it passes you. That is such a great analogy. Too  bad it is just plane wrong. I still say there is some property of gravity or space or time or light itself that explanes the little red line in the Doppler Shift from stars.

Day
This is one of those few days in Houston that is so very nice. Normally we have two or three weeks of nice weather all year. The rest of the time it is rainy, hot, cold, or just plane miserable. Today, though, is nice. It reminds me of days that I never lived.
At lunch, we went to some Mexican place on Westhimer. That should narrow it down. We ate outside. The birds will obnoxious, but it was pleasant. I have tomorrow off. I really wish I had the drive to run up to the park and ride my bike around. I want to take a bunch of pictures. I have the bug so bad that I nearly bought a new Canon Rebel this afternoon. That is a bad thing. The one I want is right at $1000. I will of souse need a new memory card, and of course, a new case. Fortunately, my old lenses will work with the new camera, but only at a funky multiplier (35mm / 29.Xmm). That means the math isn't quite right on the lenses. That is OK. I'll live.
I'm whipped after today. I want to go take a nap. I want to stay up and keep my sleep sickle on track.Who am I kidding. C'yall in the funny papers.

Schiavo
I am so frigging sick of hearing about this case. Congress needs to make a law that makes deliberately letting someone die of dehydration or starvation illegal. Problem solved. If Joe Blow wants to euthanize someone, he will have to be a bit more creative, or desperate.
This is a state problem. It was decided in state court. The parents of this poor woman refuse to accept their state decision. The trouble is, it is the state's decision to make. You shouldn't be able to run whining to the feds when you don't like a state court decision, unless it is in conflict with standing federal law or the constitution. That is what I think any way.
Really, I just wish the case would make its way out of the news.

Docker
I really hate it when the big name brand item really is the best in its field. I've been paying attention to which shirts get me the most compliments. Well, it is Docker shirts that fit the bill. The trouble is, these don't say "wrinkle free" on the tag. I'm so torn. I intend to go get six or eight shirts of varying pattern, mostly soled, and color, mostly dark colors, as soon as possible. They are on Amazon. How the hell do you tell what shirt size you are?

French Press
No, the kind that makes coffee. I like black coffee when it doesn't taste like crap. Instant coffee pretty much tastes like crap to me. I've seen a French Press in the movies. Someone finally told me what the hell it was called. I'm going to find one and start drinking black coffee instead of soda on the weekends. I don't care how fagot it sounds.

Thought
I'm trying to come up with a way to kill every human on Earth. Not for real, just for fun. I'm thinking a chemical that makes people sterile, stupid and horny. hmm, that sounds like marijuana. That way, I could let STD take do the job for me. There will be some hold outs, but they will get mopped up by the mobs of people looking for farmers who can grow Mo-Jo. Maybe I should start lobbying for free dope.

Joke

A mother is driving a little girl to her friend's house for a play date. "Mommy," the little girl asks, "how old are you?" "Honey, you are not supposed to ask a lady her age," the mother replied. "It's not polite." "OK", the little girl says, "How much do you weigh?" "Now really," the mother says, "those are personal questions and are really none of your business." Undaunted, the little girl asks, "Why did you and Daddy get a divorce?" "That is enough questions, young lady, honestly!" The exasperated mother walks away as the two friends begin to play. "My Mom won't tell me anything about her," the little girl says to her friend. "Well," says the friend, "all you need to do is look at her drivers' license it is like a report card, it has everything on it." Later that night the little girl says to her mother, "I know how old you are, you are 32." The mother is surprised and asks, "How did you find that out? "I also know that you weigh 140 pounds." The mother is past surprised and shocked now. "How in heaven's name did you find that out?" "And," the little girl says triumphantly, "I know why you and daddy got a divorce." "Oh really?" the mother asks. "Why?" "Because you got an F in sex."

Swapping Hard Drives
I have two primary computers at my day job. One is an every day machine that I use for programming, email and the like. The other is a test machine. The test machine gets restaged all the time. That means, I take it back to the day the operating system was installed in order to make a good test system. That helps eliminate conflicts with all the normal stuff on a day to day work machine. This arrangement has been great except for one thing. My primary machine has a fan this trying to go out. It sounds like a cement mixer. I finally got sick of it today. I swapped computers. Normally, that is a pain because I have one all set up the way I like it and the other is basically blank with some utilities on it for software packaging. However, nearly everything that has to do with configuration and setup is on the hard drive. I swapped hard drives and now I'm off to a quiet afternoon.
Now, their are a few things to keep in mind when swapping drives. These two machines are basically identical so the drivers and settings should be compatible. Some things are still different. The machines have two different serial numbers. The machines have two different MAC (network card) addresses. Little things like that all over the place. It is kind of like a person's memories. Most of your memories are kept in specific parts of the brain. If I wanted to switch bodies, all  I should have to do is figure out a way to move just those parts of the brain, or even just the information on those parts of the brain to another.
I read a short story (they made a modern Outer Limits out of it) where people could go to this place. They lay down on a table. These little micro bots crawl all over them and take a reading. More little bots across the universe create an exact duplicate including memories and current thoughts. Then the original is destroyed. Of course, the process screws up and a live person on the table has to be killed to maintain the balance.
I'm not the first one to swap out a hard drive apparently. The differences are funny. The keyboard repeat rate is different. Where the hell do you adjust that?

Contractors
I'm a contractor with a large company. I need to keep an eye on this article.

"The Idaho Statesman is carrying the story of 33 local Boise HP contract workers suing HP From the article: . They claim that they were expected to perform at the same level of expectations as HP workers and thus should be given the rights and privileges of HP workers. HP claims the suit is without merit.""The suit seeks to represent 3,000 workers in Boise and elsewhere in the company and could involve as much as $300 million, according to the complaint." SlashDot

At the top of CNN's web page are banner adds. Just below that is an area that CNN sometimes puts breaking news with a red background and white writing. The other day, I noticed I completely missed the breaking news at the top of the page because all the advertisements at the top of the page also use red backgrounds and white writing. It was only the fact that the ad seemed to be the same on every page that I noticed it. So, I can expect to miss warning signs in the future. Great. Who do I sue for that?

Robin's Computer Trouble
Robin's computer was one of the ones I worked on this past weekend. There really wasn't much wrong with the computer. The main trouble is the number of programs installed on the machine that probably should not be installed. Most "normal users" don't think twice before installing software. Ask some questions before you just say "yes" to the messages.
* Do I need this?
* What is this supposed to do?
* What else is getting installed?
* Who wants this on my machine?
* Can I get this functionality somewhere else for less cost in time and additional unneeded functionality?
Run SpyBot or Ad Aware for God's sake. Run them all the time.
She wants me to fix a relative's computer. It is an old win 9x box with some kind of video driver problem. I hate to tell her, but you probably can't find those drivers any more. I'm not sure I can help there there.

My Parents Network
The other system I worked on this weekend was my parent's. My mom bought a new notebook and I went to set up the wireless network. I turned on WEP and put the key on her machine. My father will have to do the same on his laptop. That sounds simple enough, but it took for ever. This is because of the hidden duties. These are the duties that people don't tell you about when you show up to fix one thing. For example, email address book transport, setting up her Gmail on her new notebook, Sharing the printer on her desktop to the network. A couple of other little tings.

Cynthia's Question
Sunday afternoon I get a call from Cynthia. She wanted to know my opinion on GUIs for Linux. She gave me her Criteria (which one is prettier?) and I gave it to her (Gnome). I also informed her she can install two and go back and forth, but you will have to maintain them separately. I like these kinds of questions. I don't have to sit down and fix anything.
I'm proud of any one who give Linux a try. Cynthia had a machine die and she is trying to get another computer up and running so she doesn't have to buy another copy of MS-Crap OS.

Taxes
I was supposed to do my taxes weekend before last. I suddenly got a bunch of things to do. I was supposed to do them last week. I got sick. I was kind of supposed to do them this last weekend, but a bunch of crap got in the way. I have to do them pretty soon. I plan on trying TaxAct.com this time. Wish me luck.

Weekend
Saturday, I fixed Robin's computer to a point. I think I got most of the stuff back together. She just needs some major spy-ware fixes. She also needs some more memory.
Later we all ended up watching a fight on pay-per-view at the VFW. It was a great bout. Actually, three of the four fights were very good. They were welter weights. Some serious bruisers though.
I ended up crashing at their place.
Today, I went over to my parent's house and set up their wireless network. I never could get Outlook to recognize Gmail. I ran out of gas before I could sit down and figure out what I missed. While I was there Cynthia called about Linux install. She is a convert, YES!
Now, I'm home. I'm watching The Simpson's on the tube. Block Buster just had a commercial for their new $15 a month service that mimics NetFlicks, Wal-Mart and some others. They are only about a year and a half behind the curve.

Good Dog
Many moons ago a friend of mine and his family moved into a new house. While running into his new room the 6 year old said the family mutt would not let him go in. The dad is like "what the heck" and went to investigate. The dog was laying on the floor outside the room with a dead scorpion inside its mouth. They rushed the dog to the vet and barely saved its life. My buddy said he didn't care what it cost, or that it was a mutt, "That dog earned his keep."