Incoherent Mumbling
Monday, June 19, 2006
On Wine
I have tried wine on a few occasions. I remember liking it a great deal at the restaurants where I tried it. They always recommended something. I remember not liking it when given it on a plane or at weddings. So, what do I like, how do I pick my own out?
How do I deal with anything I don't know about? I consult wikipedia, and search for wine. I learn a little history, what different wines are made from, how the different wines taste. I now decide that I can buy my own wine.
I enter the store. It has a very large selection of wines. At least one hundred different selections. I start to chicken out. But I don't want them to win. I notice the wines are grouped by country or state of origin. I want my first bottle of wine to be from Oregon, I decide.
Now the selection is much smaller. Based on the information I had from wikipedia, I had decided that I wanted either a Merlot or, preferably, a Cabernet Franc. I knew, from wikipedia, that these were both bordeauxs and they sounded as if they would fit me. I did not know that Cabernet Franc is not very popular. Hence, I could not find one in the Oregon section.
I did find a Merlot. Pavin & Riley, 2004 Columbia Valley Merlot. It turns out that it is not made in Oregon, but Washington. It must have been misplaced. But it was 5 dollars off, leaving it an irresistable $4.80. So I took the bugger home with me.
I arrived and showed my purchase to my wife. She remarked:"Finally going to cultivate a taste for wine? I think I put our wine glasses into storage."
So now I had a bottle, but no glass.
Not to be outdone by such a minor setback I went back downtown. As I am sure you are aware wine glasses don't come alone. They are sold in boxes of four. But not at Hallmark. They sell them individually. They may have pink flamingos on them, but it holds the Merlot.
So how is the wine? Good. It is pretty dry, i.e. not very sweet, but fruity, full, rich. I really like it. I think I am going to go out on the deck and smoke my pipe and have another glass.
¶ 8:54 PM 3 feedback
I have tried wine on a few occasions. I remember liking it a great deal at the restaurants where I tried it. They always recommended something. I remember not liking it when given it on a plane or at weddings. So, what do I like, how do I pick my own out?
How do I deal with anything I don't know about? I consult wikipedia, and search for wine. I learn a little history, what different wines are made from, how the different wines taste. I now decide that I can buy my own wine.
I enter the store. It has a very large selection of wines. At least one hundred different selections. I start to chicken out. But I don't want them to win. I notice the wines are grouped by country or state of origin. I want my first bottle of wine to be from Oregon, I decide.
Now the selection is much smaller. Based on the information I had from wikipedia, I had decided that I wanted either a Merlot or, preferably, a Cabernet Franc. I knew, from wikipedia, that these were both bordeauxs and they sounded as if they would fit me. I did not know that Cabernet Franc is not very popular. Hence, I could not find one in the Oregon section.
I did find a Merlot. Pavin & Riley, 2004 Columbia Valley Merlot. It turns out that it is not made in Oregon, but Washington. It must have been misplaced. But it was 5 dollars off, leaving it an irresistable $4.80. So I took the bugger home with me.
I arrived and showed my purchase to my wife. She remarked:"Finally going to cultivate a taste for wine? I think I put our wine glasses into storage."
So now I had a bottle, but no glass.
Not to be outdone by such a minor setback I went back downtown. As I am sure you are aware wine glasses don't come alone. They are sold in boxes of four. But not at Hallmark. They sell them individually. They may have pink flamingos on them, but it holds the Merlot.
So how is the wine? Good. It is pretty dry, i.e. not very sweet, but fruity, full, rich. I really like it. I think I am going to go out on the deck and smoke my pipe and have another glass.
¶ 8:54 PM 3 feedback
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
I'm nobody
Emily Dickinson once wrote:
I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us -- don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.
How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!
I am no English major, but it seems to me that she is saying she likes anonymity. The quiet life, as it were.
I have always wanted to be a somebody. The guy who invented the perfect renewable energy source, the byproduct of which is fat-free, great tasting tootsie rolls and mountain dew. Or the guy who won the nobel prize in physics & chemistry for discovering element 117 in a new fusion reaction and renaming elements 112 through 118 because unun is a stupid begining to any word. This, of course, takes place after Jen wins the newberry medal -- I was taking care of the kids while she wrote the book. A little story-time, a little experimental nuclear fusion...
Ever heard of Lise Meitner? No? I thought not. She, using data collected by Otto Hahn and in collaberation with Otto Robert Frisch, came up with the idea of nuclear fission. She did this as an expatriate Jew living in Sweden. She recieved no recognition for this in her lifetime. She just did the best she could with what had been given her.
I pray that I can do the same without care for fame and admiration of the masses. And seriously, someone must rename those elements, ununseptium, anyone? ¶ 8:20 PM 0 feedback
Emily Dickinson once wrote:
I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us -- don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.
How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!
I am no English major, but it seems to me that she is saying she likes anonymity. The quiet life, as it were.
I have always wanted to be a somebody. The guy who invented the perfect renewable energy source, the byproduct of which is fat-free, great tasting tootsie rolls and mountain dew. Or the guy who won the nobel prize in physics & chemistry for discovering element 117 in a new fusion reaction and renaming elements 112 through 118 because unun is a stupid begining to any word. This, of course, takes place after Jen wins the newberry medal -- I was taking care of the kids while she wrote the book. A little story-time, a little experimental nuclear fusion...
Ever heard of Lise Meitner? No? I thought not. She, using data collected by Otto Hahn and in collaberation with Otto Robert Frisch, came up with the idea of nuclear fission. She did this as an expatriate Jew living in Sweden. She recieved no recognition for this in her lifetime. She just did the best she could with what had been given her.
I pray that I can do the same without care for fame and admiration of the masses. And seriously, someone must rename those elements, ununseptium, anyone? ¶ 8:20 PM 0 feedback
Monday, June 12, 2006
On Love
A good friend of mine is leaving for Baltimore soon. I saw him sunday night, I probably won't see him again for a long time. I gave him a hug. But I was unable to say what I truly felt.
See, I am by default cynical and sarcastic -- thus I don't emotionally engage with anybody. But when someone breaks through those defenses, I can't tell them how much I care, that I wish them the best, that I will miss them. My exact words, during the short handshake-cum-hug that men are known for were: "It's been good".
What on earth does that mean? The conversation we just had was good, or the years of close friendship? The ice-cream, or our bond?
Another friend just graduated. I gave him a hug too. (Just the touching is a big deal for me) but didn't tell him that I was proud of what he had accomplished, that he had done well -- both true.
I am not incapable of emotion. Just expressing it. ¶ 10:02 PM 1 feedback
A good friend of mine is leaving for Baltimore soon. I saw him sunday night, I probably won't see him again for a long time. I gave him a hug. But I was unable to say what I truly felt.
See, I am by default cynical and sarcastic -- thus I don't emotionally engage with anybody. But when someone breaks through those defenses, I can't tell them how much I care, that I wish them the best, that I will miss them. My exact words, during the short handshake-cum-hug that men are known for were: "It's been good".
What on earth does that mean? The conversation we just had was good, or the years of close friendship? The ice-cream, or our bond?
Another friend just graduated. I gave him a hug too. (Just the touching is a big deal for me) but didn't tell him that I was proud of what he had accomplished, that he had done well -- both true.
I am not incapable of emotion. Just expressing it. ¶ 10:02 PM 1 feedback
Thursday, June 08, 2006
That Sidekick Guy
Perhaps you have heard of him. A man who, on behalf of a friend's lost cell phone, started a website. The site is kind of like a blog. It is a blow by blow account of his dealings with the people who picked up the lost phone.
He called the phone, offered a reward for its return. He was rejected. The friend bought a new phone. The phone is called a sidekick and it stores all the pictures it takes on a server. When the friend bought the new sidekick and activated it all her old pictures were safely loaded to her new phone, as were a few new ones. Yes, those people who picked up the lost phone had taken pictures of themselves with it. And used their aol IM account to text message.
The thieves unwittingly published their faces and aol screenname.
The website is an interesting read.
Rant
On the advice of arron, I am using this blog to rant.
Google just released an online spreadsheet application. The press has been going wild talking about Google taking on Microsoft. It's Google Spreadsheets versus M$ Office.
While I think the Spreadsheet offering by Google is neat, and potentially useful, I am irritated that OpenOffice.org gets so little press. The Google app lacks some huge features like the ability to make charts and graphs or to support macros (I am sure these features will be added later -- this product is still in beta phase). The main selling point is that the spreadsheets can be shared with anyone you wish to, simply send them an email. I am not sure if they need to be part of the gmail network or not, but I assume so. Well that, and it is free.
OpenOffice.org has a suite of products from word processer to spreadsheet, drawings to databases, presentations to formula writers. It is also free. I personally have used the word processor, spreadsheet and presentation applications and have been impressed with them all. The word processor and the spreadsheet software has had all the functionality that I have ever required. Definate rivals to Word and Excel respectively, I think. The presentation software was not as good. In my opinion, Powerpoint has it beat.
Anyway, I think that OO.o is worth the download. I recommend that anyone thinking of buying office try it first. It is as good or better for the average user. And it is free. ¶ 7:00 PM 0 feedback
Perhaps you have heard of him. A man who, on behalf of a friend's lost cell phone, started a website. The site is kind of like a blog. It is a blow by blow account of his dealings with the people who picked up the lost phone.
He called the phone, offered a reward for its return. He was rejected. The friend bought a new phone. The phone is called a sidekick and it stores all the pictures it takes on a server. When the friend bought the new sidekick and activated it all her old pictures were safely loaded to her new phone, as were a few new ones. Yes, those people who picked up the lost phone had taken pictures of themselves with it. And used their aol IM account to text message.
The thieves unwittingly published their faces and aol screenname.
The website is an interesting read.
Rant
On the advice of arron, I am using this blog to rant.
Google just released an online spreadsheet application. The press has been going wild talking about Google taking on Microsoft. It's Google Spreadsheets versus M$ Office.
While I think the Spreadsheet offering by Google is neat, and potentially useful, I am irritated that OpenOffice.org gets so little press. The Google app lacks some huge features like the ability to make charts and graphs or to support macros (I am sure these features will be added later -- this product is still in beta phase). The main selling point is that the spreadsheets can be shared with anyone you wish to, simply send them an email. I am not sure if they need to be part of the gmail network or not, but I assume so. Well that, and it is free.
OpenOffice.org has a suite of products from word processer to spreadsheet, drawings to databases, presentations to formula writers. It is also free. I personally have used the word processor, spreadsheet and presentation applications and have been impressed with them all. The word processor and the spreadsheet software has had all the functionality that I have ever required. Definate rivals to Word and Excel respectively, I think. The presentation software was not as good. In my opinion, Powerpoint has it beat.
Anyway, I think that OO.o is worth the download. I recommend that anyone thinking of buying office try it first. It is as good or better for the average user. And it is free. ¶ 7:00 PM 0 feedback
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Two posts in one day!
In a previous post I ran Dell into the ground. Well, I must now give credit where it is due. I dropped my laptop today. I know, crazy. It was on the kitchen table and the cord was hanging down. As I got up I pulled the lappy off the table by the cord with my leg.
Slow-mo:
Eric: Ooohh ccrraaapp
Lappy: falls, falls, falls. Lands with a sickening thud, on it's bottom with enough force to shut the lid.
Eric: Ooohh ccrraaapp
Lappy: is fine. Doesn't even stop loading the web-page I was browsing -- acts as if nothing happened.
Eric:Ooohh ccrraaapp, iitt stiiilll (cut the slow-mo) works. WAHOO!
So, Dell, thanks for the rigid lappy. I am now a happy customer again. ¶ 1:56 PM 2 feedback
In a previous post I ran Dell into the ground. Well, I must now give credit where it is due. I dropped my laptop today. I know, crazy. It was on the kitchen table and the cord was hanging down. As I got up I pulled the lappy off the table by the cord with my leg.
Slow-mo:
Eric: Ooohh ccrraaapp
Lappy: falls, falls, falls. Lands with a sickening thud, on it's bottom with enough force to shut the lid.
Eric: Ooohh ccrraaapp
Lappy: is fine. Doesn't even stop loading the web-page I was browsing -- acts as if nothing happened.
Eric:Ooohh ccrraaapp, iitt stiiilll (cut the slow-mo) works. WAHOO!
So, Dell, thanks for the rigid lappy. I am now a happy customer again. ¶ 1:56 PM 2 feedback
A Post!
It has been awhile since my last post. Sorry to all eight of you who frequent this space. I (and so probably do you) have a bookmark folder with all my favorite blogs, and I scroll through and check them all everyday. And I get irritated with those few who never post (DALE, DAVE). So, self-chastisement over, on to the meat.
My second daughter was born this past friday at 8:15am. She is a beautiful creature.
We were worried that Beth would be put out by getting less attention, but she really likes her sister. She has been a pretty good girl about the whole thing. There was a moment early on when she was sad and Jen was feeding Lucy (so Beth couldn't climb into her lap). She leaned on Jen's shoulder and said: "My Momma." Other than that the jealousy has been kept at a minimum.
I am enjoying a few days off -- back to work tomorrow. Changing the world one projector at a time. Well, I had better go take a shower and put some pants on. (I told you I was enjoying the time off...) ¶ 9:31 AM 0 feedback
It has been awhile since my last post. Sorry to all eight of you who frequent this space. I (and so probably do you) have a bookmark folder with all my favorite blogs, and I scroll through and check them all everyday. And I get irritated with those few who never post (DALE, DAVE). So, self-chastisement over, on to the meat.
My second daughter was born this past friday at 8:15am. She is a beautiful creature.
We were worried that Beth would be put out by getting less attention, but she really likes her sister. She has been a pretty good girl about the whole thing. There was a moment early on when she was sad and Jen was feeding Lucy (so Beth couldn't climb into her lap). She leaned on Jen's shoulder and said: "My Momma." Other than that the jealousy has been kept at a minimum.
I am enjoying a few days off -- back to work tomorrow. Changing the world one projector at a time. Well, I had better go take a shower and put some pants on. (I told you I was enjoying the time off...) ¶ 9:31 AM 0 feedback