Year: 2007

12:40 pm-Continuing from below (I decided to place it here rather than append to the last post) (Not much else-Death in Iraq. Is there anything else? Babies being born, children laughing, lovers kissing, birds flying, flowers blooming, grandparents hugging children. As always, bad news is what makes the news. All the little miracles and good stuff that happens just happens without note, because it’s so much the norm. All the places where things aren’t bad don’t get mentioned. I read a thing a few weeks ago where the writer’s grandmother was scared to leave the house because of all the bad guys out there. One guess what was on her TV all the time. Fox News, and her favorite was Bill O’Reilly, him of “DailyKos is like the Nazi Party”, among other sparkling bon mots. Blecch. Saddening. Plus the NYPD report that the “Internet is the next Afghanistan”. Scaremongering.

Yesterday-lunch, work, Erika cleaned, library-picked up a few books, home, dinner, boys to bed, dinner, reading, TV. Today-up late, work.

4:20 pm-Teatime-I picked up a nice Earl Grey at Henry’s market-leaves are a bit broken, but it’s nice. A guy here just had a 7th child, so we had cake-his oldest is going to college. Just saw a news thing about corporate alterations of Wikipedia. Not surprising-there’s been a lot of anecdotal speculation about this, but a guy from CalTech wrote a script to comb through IP addresses of the edits and correlate them to IP address blocks and who owns them. It’s called Wikipedia Scanner. Pretty kQQl.

Listening to: Peter Gabriel, Tool, Soundwalk, Peter Gabriel, Captain Beefheart, DN!, Al Gromer Khan, Echoes of Nature, Fiona Apple, Vangelis, Monks of Santo Silos, Traffic, Holdsworth, Veruca Salt (Wolf! yum!), Led Zeppelin (I only like a few Zep songs), Loren Nerell, Royal Gamelan of Yogyakarta, Eno, Glass

Page 23, Sentence 5: “In this case, the installation program will append the boot splash information to your existing initrd file.” Linux Desktop Hacks

1:49 pm-Tired, fatigued, hard to get going today. No matter. Here’s the last few days. Friday-sat in the jacuzzi, bed. Saturday-look at antiques in San Juan, boys haircut at Mission Viejo Mall-Colin didn’t get one. Get traps, hummingbird food, fish stuff, store, home, dinner, bed. Sunday-church, storage, Johnny Rocket’s, store, Goodwill, home, rest, clean outside fishpond, sweep & scrub outside, clean behind stove, put noslip stickers in boy’s tub (Matt slipped and bruised his ribs), dinner, Erika went to the hospital with contractions-at least 2 weeks until that baby comes, sleep. Monday-found a dead rat outside, work, home to watch the kids, pay ticket, get Erika, Wild Rivers, home, dinner, Colin was grinding a geode and got a shard in his eye-hospital, bed, trapped another rat inside, sleep. Today-pick up more tea, work.I figured we can only afford a house worth $250k…So, we’re not buying around here. I guess we wait and see how far down things go, and whether the loan crisis spreads to prime.

And…Karl Rove (errr, should I say Turdblossom) quit. He says “to spend more time with his family”-pol-speak for “My boss fired me,” or “I’m getting out while the getting is good,” or “I’m leaving town before the subpoenas arrive.” The hammer is going to fall soon, given that he’s declining to talk to Congress. So-the rats are leaving the sinking ship-who’s next? Gonzales? Not much more the administration can do now…major lame duck-continue to fight a lost war. Looks like Hillary is going to be pres. Yuck. Not much else-miners are still trapped. USGS says there’s a 99% chance that the collapse caused the earthquake readings.

Page 23, Sentence 5: “Ugly country.” The Gunslinger

Listening to: Zappa, Residents, Thomas Dolby, Tuu, DN!, flamenco, Queensrÿche, Breeders, Rush, Sebastian & Barbieri?, Namaste, Bardo Thodol, Genesis, Greg Baumont, Hafiz Kani Karaca, Quiet American, Vangelis, Mickey Hart, Todd Rundgren, Orb, Tom Tom Club, South Coast Swing, Bob Marley, Malcom McLaren, David Sylvian, Tori Amos, Brainsaw, Eno, Monks of Santo Silos, Carlo Giordani, Japan, Debussy, Sneaker Pimps, Peter Gabriel

1:41 pm-It’s Friday. Whoopee. So I had to go to the shop in Lake Forest because the guy wasn’t there in Aliso Viejo. OK. Turns out my spark plugs were down to nothing, the engine had no oil, and the PCV vacuum tube was split. So, they put oil in, replaced the spark plugs and the tube, and that was that. The smog check place was closed, so I got some stuff from the store and went home. Dinner, a swim with the boys, bedtime, work, sleep. Up today, to work. Erika’s getting the car smogged and going to the DMV for the tags. Big fun all around. More impending disaster in the mortgage markets-increasing defaults in the plus-A mortgage space. I’m so glad we didn’t buy a house, or we’d be one of them.

I’ve been daydreaming about alternate life scenarios-if I had gone to U.S. in 6th grade, Rice for college, got a job in Cleveland or with Microsoft, hadn’t met Erika, etc. Just daydreams, though some say that all these alternate scenarios are spread out like quantum foam-every time a quanta moves, it spins off another alternate universe. We can’t get to them though, because our consciousness is limited to a single point stream. This could be interpreted as meaning that we all spin our way through quantum realities that only intersect in the present-sort of like the skiing dual frame overlays-as we move outward from the present our alternates slowly diverge, and since this happens continuously, an uncountably infinite quantity of alternates are forming and exist right now. The question is: how can your consciousness jump to another reality, and what happens to your consciousness in THAT reality? I dislike ST:TNG, but they had an interesting episode about just that (Parallels-Season 7, Episode 11) This isn’t really new stuff-theoretical physicists have been discussing it since the 50’s, and SF writers for longer. Here’s the Wikipedia article-I love Wikipedia.

5:13 pm-Time to go home-finished up the animation, got a bit to do next week too. Ate lunch, finished the book, went to the libe & got another, back to work. Erika got my car smogged & tagged. Mucho grateful. Transfer my stuff, leave, shop.

11:02 pm-In bed, Erika flipped to the news-King/Drew is closing, finally. Left work, shopped, home, dinner, cartoon movie, bed, and here I am. Time to sleep.

Listening to: Jeff Harrington, Peter Gabriel, Eno, Clash, Loren Nerell, DN!, Slick Shoes, Michael Stearns, Harold Budd, Orb, Rush, King Crimson, Public Enemy, Martinů, Eno, Coltrane, whale sounds, R.E.M., Dennis Brown, Mickey Hart, Mangkunegaran gamelan, Talvin Singh, Veruca Salt, AC/DC, Laurie Anderson, Echoes of Nature, Todd Rundgren, Tool, Orb, Thashi Lhunpo monks, Mozart, Lisa Gerrard, Gluck, French Frith Kaiser Thompson

Page 23, Sentence 5: “”Most of the time, when people walk outside at night and see the stars, it’s a big, pretty background, and it’s not quite real,” said the Caltech planetary scientist Michael Brown.” The Canon

1:45 pm-Time for lunch. Worked on the Flash thing in the absence of work from dev teams. Yesterday-home, dinner, swim, bed. There was a 4.5 earthquake in the valley at 1 am-I sure didn’t feel it, but we’re a long way away. Up this morning, the usual, off to work. Lunch, then get my car worked on and pick up a book at the library. I also need to stop by the pet store and pick up fish supplies-water conditioners.

Listening to: Mickey Hart, John Hanes, Thupten Pema Lama & Steve Roach, Beastie Boys, China (no idea-f**ked up id3 tags), Fripp & Eno, Tool, Alice in Chains, Diamanda Galas, Tom Tom Club, Monks of Santo Silos, Muddy Waters, Hilliars & garbarek, Fiorella Terenzi, Foamy, DN!, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Kronos Quartet, Brand X, Bach, Gordon Hempton, Tonaites & Krebs, Gershwin, Cream, Deben Bhattacharya. Orb, Loreena McKennitt, Rage, Blue Man Group, Jefferson Starship, Jethro Tull, Kate Bush, Robert Rich, Orb

12:40 pm-Waiting for a printout to finish. Last PA rad polish. Up late last night-tired today. Democracy Now! isn’t loading. Need to get my car worked on.

4:42 pm-Leaving early-the PA project is done and nothing to start yet. I have to put my car in the shop tomorrow. So, finished up, lunch, had to watch the DN rather than listen, lunch, downloaded bank stuff, bill pay, Journey website update.

Listening to: Tool, Dip Tse Chok Ling Monks, DN! (finally), U2, Hawkwind, Hendrix, Blue Man Group, Talvin Singh, Offspring, Bauhaus, Peter Gabriel, Loreena McKennitt, Akashic Crow’s Nest, Weezer, Dreams of Gaia, c. reider, Arcade Fire, Mickey Hart, Vangelis, Tool, Aphex Twin

11:51 am-Quickly. Finished up the penultimate rad PA polish. Chat with wife. Last night-Matt came in at 2. Up today, the usual. Nirvana first thing was fun. Time to get coffee and start on the last PA thing. Listening to John Pilcher on Democracy Now!-blistering. Thankfully, there are people who are doing the journalistic heavy lifting-you just have to find them. I’m sick about the Congress passing the spy bill-I guess we all hoped that they would show some spine. At least they passed the child health care thing.

8:11 pm-Watching TV-CNN on the mine collapse-dispute over whether the earthquake was the collapse or it caused it-the owner is convinced, and seems like a straight shooter. Erika just flipped to America’s Got Talent-sublime to ridiculous.

Listening to: Nirvana, Vangelis, Peter Gabriel, Harold Budd, Pink Floyd, Fiorella Terenzi, Peter Gabriel, Martinů, Bela Fleck, Tegallalang village, Iron Maiden, Rostropovich, DN!, Portishead, Tome Waits, Pat Metheny, Bach, Deben Bhattacharya, Shakti, Century of Aeroplanes, Oregon, Accran musicians, King Crimson, Chemical Brothers, Kate Bush, Duke Ellington, Vincent Bergeron, Stravinsky, Babe the Blue Ox, Cake, Gaden Shartse Monks, Residents, Quiet American, Hendrix, Rage, Cult, Gentle Giant, Monks of Santo Silos, some gamelan, Hardo Budoyo, Cult, Rage, Mangkunegaran gamelan, Einstüurzende Neubauten, Byrne & Eno, Eno (back to back), Spoonphase, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Coyote Oldman, Pink Floyd, Steve Roach, Bob Marley, Tool, Grag Baumont, resfilter, Peter Gabriel, Orb, A Perfect Circle, Brainsaw, Grateful Dead, Tuu, Schoenberg, Procol Harum, Blue Man Group, Gordon Hempton, Loop 2.4.3, Tool, R.E.M., Tom Waits, Oregon, STSI gamelan, King Crimson, Trax, Material, Peter Gabriel, R.E.M.

11:05 am-Quick recap while I’m working. Friday-finished up work, converting to javascript headers & footers. Home, dinner, kids to bed, work. Saturday-lazy, cleaned 1/2 of kids’ room, Ikea, home, dinner, bed, work. Sunday-church, TJ’s, home, sleepy, clean other 1/2 of kids’ room, fishtank, dinner, bed, work. Didn’t want to get up today.

5:10 pm-Getting ready to go-finished off 2 more rad polish for PA. Been reading Thomas Frank. He throws some heavy polemical bombs at conservative cooption of populism-without being populist at all. Also at investment pundits during the dot-com crash-plays into the populist things he said. I picked up a copy of “Commodify Your Dissent” which is a mid-nineties thing. He published “The Baffler”, which is currently on hiatus (website is down.) Cave-in in Utah-they thought it caused by an earthquake, but the collapse WAS the earthquake.

12:07 am-Moving changed docs to the iPod. Done with “TP” changes for now. Tidied up, dinner, got a check, kids to bed, work & TV. Time to sleep.

Listening to: Hawkwind, Djinnestan, Gyuto Monks, DN!, Todd Rundgren, Peter Gabriel, Chemical Brothers, Tuu, Tori Amos, Polyphonic Spree, Laju village, Soul Coughing, Pura Paku Alaman gamelan, Oregon, Hawkwind, Genesis, Soundwalk ’05 (ouch!), Hendrix, Utopia, David Byrne, Loreena McKennitt, Xenakis, Art of Noise, B-52’s, Mickey Hart, Vangelis, Chemical Brothers, David Byrne, Delta Nove, Kirtan, Harold Budd, Beastie Boys, TMBG, Mickey Hart, R. Carlos Nakai, Mozart, Orb, Laurie Anderson, Black Sabbath (War Pigs! yum! up goes the volume! there go my ears!), Zappa, Mahavishnu Orchestra (more yummy Birds of Fire), Orb, Echoes of Nature, Peter Tosh

1:57 pm-Time to go to lunch-another PA rad polish done, more TP work tonight, listening to the pod constantly now, last night-home, dinner, kids to bed, work, bed. Today-up, usual morning routine, work, some minister in Virginia got popped for DUI, public peeing and propositioning officers-he was wearing a skirt-what did he think was going to happen? Figured out how to put headers and footers in javascript.

Listening to: Rage, Mickey Hart, Glass, Monks of Santo Silos, King Crimson, Babe the Blue Ox, Frank Zappa, Alva Noto, Art of Noise, Harry Partch, Alaistair Galbraith, Can, Iannis Xenakis, Talvin Singh, Harold Budd, C. Reider, Mickey Hart, Hendrix, Monks of Santo Silos, Eno, Orb, Frank Zappa, Eno, Beck, Hawkwind, Steely Dan, Kevin Paul, Talking Heads, Genesis, DN!, Foamy rant, Aphex Twin, Jethro Tull, Morphine, Queensrÿche, Nirvana (mmmmm, Milk It, rock!), Cake, Björk, Adam Ant, k.m. krebs, Tom Waits, Vangelis, twice, Peter Gabriel, Bauhaus, Tom Tom Club, Gordon Hempton, David Byrne, Brahms, Oregon, Glass, Toshiro Mayazumi, Rush, Billy Bragg, Vincent Bergeron, Nirvana, Brahms, Daniel Lanois, Schubert, Brahms, Tool, Echoes of Nature, Harold Budd, Guns ‘n Roses, Keepers of the Earth, STSI Denpasar

12:43 pm-Taking a quick break-working through the radical PA polish. Gonna be a bit o’ TP tonight. Reading Harry Plopper-2/3 done. Yesterday-finished up work, home-the family was still at the OC Fair-started getting ready for bed, made dinner, kids to bed, dinner, Harry Plopper. Both boys loped, up, work, and here we are. A bridge collapsed in Minnesota. Our infrastructure is collapsing in slow motion. Guess why? The engineering society gives the US infrastructure a D. I read a thing: “They’d prefer to be emirs and kings running a shambling catastrophe of a country than moderately rich men in Sweden.” (Jonathan Schwartz). I also read that U.S. immigration to Canada is up 100% since Bush took over…

4:38 pm-Break from PA stuff-another polish is done. Finished Plopper. Sweet ending, exciting climactic battle. Just read that the collapsed bridge was noted in 1990 as having problems. 17 years.

Listening to: DN!, Rage, Puccini, Gaden Shartse Monks, R.E.M., Alastair Galbraith, Eno (yummy bloopy from IV), Bardo Thodol, Tool (I played the grooves off of this one), Kronos Quartet, twice, Master Musicians of Jajouka, Ozomatli, Gentle Giant, Glass

Page 23, Sentence 5: “Greeting me in the hallway of her cozy home, she leads me straight into the kitchen for a cup of tea, a slice of pound cake and, it goes without saying, a steaming vat of the freshest gossip.” Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

3:57 pm-Taking a break-working on PA radicalism polishing. Listening to Brand X. I love my iPod. OK. Read a bit more HP last night-241 pages or so. Slept late, woke up suddenly at 9. To work, Erika & kids went to the OC Fair. I worked, ate lunch, worked some more. Finally got all the flac’s converted and put everything on the storage unit-69 Gb left…

Listening to: DN!, Gyuto Monks, Guns ‘n Roses, Genesis, Mickey Hart, Jefferson Starship, Orb (Little Fluffy Clouds-yum!), Mangkunekeran Solo, Underworld, War, Mickey Hart, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Tool, Yes, The Cult, Tashi Lhunpo, Mystified, Brand X, Mystified, Latin Playboys, Tom Tom Club, Residents, Thomas Nunnally Ensemble, Tool, Golden Earring (1 guess what song…), NRPS, humpback whales, Genesis, Residents (hmmm-2 each of 5 artists-interesting), Eno

1:34 pm-In between tasks, almost lunch. After work yesterday was my birthday celebration-we had beef stroganoff, and a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake. Everything was Harry Potter themed, and I got the last book. Exciting. Unfortunately the purple icing was messed up-soapy tasting and the color is still on my hands today after repeated washings. I felt a little sick too after eating a few bites. Erika took it back and was treated shabbily by the counterperson. She called corporate this morning. Customer Service is everything, folks. So, I put the boys to bed, worked a bit, half watched the Daily Show, drank a beer, went to bed. Whoopee. Colin was up at 2 with an achy leg. Didn’t sleep very well. Up, breakfast for the kids, coffee for Erika, to work. Working. Time for lunch.

2:56 pm-Polly’s coffee in Belmont Shore has the BEST peanuts! I’m reading Hofstadter’s I Am a Strange Loop, and he’s going over ground covered by Godel, Escher, Bach…

5:04 pm-Grabbed a buncha stuff from archive.org and free albums galore. The lame decode of the flac stuff from the avant garde project is taking FOREVER. Working on another layout for PA. Home soon-Colin has impetigo. They’re going to Wild Rivers tomorrow with the Cunningham-Backstrom’s.

11:07 pm-Watching the Daily Show, reading Harry Potter. No Wild Rivers-OC Fair. Home, kids ate, pool, kids to bed, dinner, read, watched ballroom and read, TP is in a lull. Need to find a gig…

Listening to: DN!

2:05 pm-Just back from lunch-try to squeeze this in. Recap: Thursday-don’t remember-probably the usual… Friday-took Matt to get his new spacer-he got to keep the impression, work to get an insurance doc, pool, home-cleaned to the living room, but had to go to school to pick up Colin, more cleaning, dinner, watched Baraka with Colin!, kids to bed, work, Saturday-more cleaning, parents came over, cake, swimming, Erika delivered furniture to Tam, dinner, lazy. Sunday-church, shopping, home, lazy, cleaned the entrance and kids’ beds, dinner, bedtime, work. Today is my 46th birthday-didn’t want to get up, shower, work, lunch-yummy TJ’s Pad Thai plus chicken.

Listening to: Bruford, Sting, DN!, IBM podcast, Gordon Hempton, Richard Thompson, Kate Bush, Steely Dan, Akashic Crow’s Nest, Cowboy Junkies, Orb, Hole, Tuu, Los Lobos, Anthrax, X (yum! I wish I had found this in ’80 when it came out…), Stan Ridgway, Hafiz Kani Karaca, Karawitan village, firehose, Akashic Crow’s Nest, Echoes of Nature, Michael Stearns, Genesis, Kirtan, Queensrÿche, Thomas Dolby, TMBG, King Crimson, Akashic Crow’s Nest (#3!), Gershwin, Los Lobos