Suprnova.org R.I.P.

It's been really fun while it lasted, but Supernova was shut down this past weekend. At least I got a t-shirt before they went under!

Scary Santas!

I laughed so hard at this link, I just had to pass it along. This is a photo collection of children with some very scary Santas. These guys could give Billy Bob a run for his money.

Happy Winter to all of you. Autumn never seems to last long, although we did have a very beautiful season this year. All of the extra rain during the summer really assisted in creating some gorgeous reds, oranges and yellows this Fall. Of course, now they're all gone, and piled up along my curb and beside my front door. I've got quite a bit of raking to do over the holidays.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and have even had our Christmas get-together with my family, which was really nice. I'm looking forward to spending some time at home over the holidays, so expect to see at least one new photo gallery very soon.

#1 Song on your Birthday?

Pretty interesting little site. Type in your birthday, and it'll tell you what song was #1 on the charts (for either U.S. and the U.K.).  On January 22, 1965, the Beatles were sitting at #1 with "I Feel Fine".

On my 18th birthday, Men at Work were at #1 with "Down Under".

What song was number 1 when you were born?...when you turned 18?

http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/cont/choose.html

Geek Toys

I have a few minutes here during lunch. So while my chili and cornbread noisily start the digestive process, I figured I'd mention some of the cool geek toys that I've seen lately.

First, Bob has upgraded his decently cool little weather monitoring station to a full fledge weather center! Very cool little station, I must say. I'm sure that Donnie would approve (not that his opinion matters...but we'll humor him).

Speaking of el Diablo, Donnie has been a busy guy with his amateur radio equipment. He's managed to install an antenna array in his back yard that would make most covenant-controlled homeowners cringe! I wonder how long it'll take his neighbor to report this one...since they can probably see it from their second floor window. Donnie's already done a "smoke test" with his new array...speaking with someone all the way over in Ohio using a repeater satellite.

Here at home, I've been enjoying the wonderful features and add-ons for Meedio for several months now, but this weekend brought the introduction of a pre-release beta of MeedioTV. MTV is a full-feature DVR (digital video recorder) application that works in conjunction with the rest of Meedio and actually puts my PVR-250 to work doing something other than just providing me with a remote control. It includes a free web-based electronic program guide (EPG) along with many of the niceties that make Tivo owners so proud (timeshifting, scheduled recordings, etc). Meedio is quickly becoming a very stable and powerful HTPC package. With a few more months of refinement, I expect it to give Microsoft Media Center Edition 2005 a run for its money.

Jason's coming up to visit this weekend. Hopefully, he'll bring his new toy...a shiny new Paul Reed Smith. I was so happy to hear that he had picked up a new guitar. For a while there, I thought that his RC airplane hobby would forever displace his interest in music.

J.D. has a bowling tourney this weekend in Tulsa (which is how Jason will be getting up here). I wish him the best of luck...may all your games be in the 200s!

Amy's at home right now nursing an early season head cold...while simultaneously trying to entertain/supervise without exposing Griffin to the bug. My handwashing habit has been kicked into overtime, and it may be a few days before she gets any kisses! The only thing worse than 2 hours of commutes each day...is 2 hours of commutes sandwiching 8 hours of work with your head stuffed with cotton. No thanks.

I hope that all of you are feeling good and enjoying this wonderful Fall weather we've been having.

Psst...Wanna see some pics?

Today, I spent a little bit of time checking out the new(ish) free photo management program, Picasa. This is a very slick little app for working with digital pics. It was developed by a small company, who recently sold it to Google. It seems comparable to Photoshop Elements, with a a little heavier lean towards photo archiving (including a pretty cool timeline mode). Anyway...one of the features of Picasa is the ability to publish a collection of photos as a web page. Since I've never really been that crazy about the way Photoshop creates picture galleries, I figured I'd give it a shot.

Finally, after a extended hiatus, here's a new photo gallery.

Trick or Treat!

Wow…I can't believe that it's already November!! I hope that everyone had a happy Halloween this year. Thanks to Griffin, I had the best one since I was around 13 years old. This was his first year for him to Trick or Treat (he had strep throat last year), and we had a blast. It was so nice to live in a subdivision that has so many young children. There were lots more people participating than I was expecting. Griffin wore the Winnie the Pooh costume that he wasn't able to use last year (not the coolest…but certainly cute). Thank goodness the rain stopped briefly and the night was relatively cool. He was able to hang in there for about an hour before he started running out of steam (and dragging his bag of goodies). Even after he was done, he really enjoyed watching all the little ghouls visit our house, and helped Amy and me give out candy until the many pounds we had were all gone.

This weekend was also special because it was my niece's birthday on Saturday. Karson is already 1 year old and extremely precious. Melissa and Rusty were brave souls to host a party at their house. All the kids played well together, even with the distractions of Karson's new toys. Griffin was thrilled to be able to play with Joshua, and got to meet Parker for the first time (he's exactly 1 month younger than Griffin). Everyone really enjoyed themselves, young and old.

I have to run…my project manager has been overseas to Dubai, Singapore, Jakarta, Perth and Bejing over the past three weeks. Her first day back is today, so I'm sure we'll be in lots of meetings this week. The new project is going very well, and I'm settling in quickly.

As usual, I'll talk about all the pictures that I've got…but I can't post them right now. I'll see what I can get done this week.

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Blackberry Blogging

Blackberry Blogging

One of the new toys assigned to me recently is a Blackberry PDA/Phone. It's a small pager-like device that works as a standard cellphone (tri-band) and wireless e-mail PDA. It has a little qwerty keyboard that you type on with your thumbs. Not something that I would want to type on for long...but good enough to tap out a thought. Since I can post from anywhere, I thought I'd give it a try. More fun with geek gadgets!

New Job

Last Monday, I started a new project at ConocoPhillips. I finished up the COE project on Oct. 1st, and started with a E-mail Archiving group on the 4th. This time, I'm working with a smallish team of people rolling out an Outlook add-on called Meridio. This is a global project, rolling out to every ConocoPhillips location throughout the world. I've been asked to get my passport and shots updated, since they may send me overseas if the need arises.

I'm very thankful that my previous project manager was able to help me get onboard with this new job. It's relatively long-term, too...currently scheduled to run through next August, although will probably run into the Fall time-frame. We are breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that we aren't facing the upcoming holiday season without a job!

Gotta run. I'll fill in some more details soon.

Settling In

We did a 24hr. whirlwind trip down to Wichita Falls this past weekend. U-Haul finally got their act together enough to get me a 1-Way truck. Between my arcade games from JD's, and the rest of our stuff from the storage unit, the truck was filled to capacity from floor to ceiling. We managed to get everything unloaded just in time to start work again on Monday.

After 2+ years in storage, most of our stuff was filthy with dust. It took quite a while to clean off the appliances enough to take them inside the house. We stressed out a bit after our fridge wouldn't work initially, but it finally came to life on Monday afternoon...whew! The only thing that didn't handle the storage and move was the dryer, so we bought a new one Tuesday.

JD took remarkably good care of my MAME cabinet. I have it running in the office now, and it facinates Griffin. We enjoyed a little cooperative-play Robotron 2084 last night. I haven't even attempted to beat JD and friends' ridiculous highscores on Galaga and Track & Field....but I've checked out my competition, and it's going to be tough to knock anybody off those charts. Jason's going to have to come up to visit and help me out. I've got a little cosmetic work to perform on the MAME machine, and then I'm going to start working on the Omega Race repairs. It was operational (albeit cranky) before I left Wichita Falls, but some part(s) have failed since then. I'm no expert, but I'll figure it out and get it running again.

One of the things that I've enjoyed the most over the past few days has been the ability to sit down and eat at a dining room table. Due to the incredibly small size of our apartment, we didn't have a table set up (it was the computer desk or a table...but not both). The past two nights Amy, Griffin and I have enjoyed our meals like "normal" people. Doesn't sound like much, but it's the little things that make a difference...and not having to eat from the coffee table makes me feel much better.

I'm still working with ConocoPhillips on the COE project. Since the research center that I've been working with has so many labs and specialized systems, my job has been extended for the next couple of months. I'll be busy converting the instrument controller and workstation computers. Hopefully, they'll find something else to assign me to, once this location is completed.

I hope everyone is enjoying their Summer. I can't believe that August is already almost over. School is back in session, and before long the mornings are going to be cool and crisp.

Work beckons me...so I'm out for now. Carpe Diem.

We're Moved!

Whew...over three weeks since we closed on our house, and we FINALLY got moved in this weekend. Special thanks to Eric for driving all the way to Tulsa from Ft. Worth to help me load/unload the truck. I couldn't have done it without you! Also, a big thanks to Melissa, Rusty, Mom and Dad for watching Griffin during the heaviest part of the move. It certainly made things a little easier without having to worry about him being underfoot. All of our things seem to have made it over intact and undamaged. No bones were broken, and minimal blood was shed. Now, Amy's moving through boxes at a rapid pace...assimilating the contents into the new house. She's got her work cut out for her. Griffin is having a blast discovering his new surroundings. He seems to be having no difficulty accepting his new home.

Next weekend, we'll head down to Wichita Falls for the final items in storage, including our refrigerator, washer/dryer and my arcade games. It'll be really good to have everything back in one place again.

There's lots to do before we get anywhere close to settled in, but we're getting there. As usual, I've been taking lots of pictures....so at some point in time, I'll get them posted up for your viewing pleasure (or torture...however you wish to look at it!).

 
Meedio is almost here!

Tomorrow morning, the much anticipated release of myHTPC's successor, Meedio, is being released.  I've been using myHTPC as the front-end for my home theater PC for many months, and I love it. All of my movies, music and photos are available on my TV at a click of a remote. I've nearly maxxed out my 250gb drive with a huge collection of media. myHTPC has been (and will remain) a freeware front-end with a very supportive community. But now, it's moving into the commercial world. Meedio appears to be even more powerful, expandable, and feature-rich than its predecessor. A review of this new application was just posted on HTPCnews.com.  My hope is that the WAF (wife acceptance factor) is much higher than myHTPC. Amy wasn't too keen on me removing our VCR and DVD player, and replacing them with a computer. She's picking it up pretty quickly, though. She particularly likes the fact that she can time-shift TV shows (ala Tivo), and watch them when she wants. A pause button is your friend when you have a two-year old in the house! 

Of course, with us trying to get ready for our move over the next two weeks, I'm probably not going to have time to set this up right away. However, it's something to look forward to after we get settled in our new house.

Happy Holidays!

My ears are still ringing. I never thought I'd believe that there could be "too much" when it came to fireworks...but the get-together outside of Wichita Falls that I attended had over 2.5 hours worth. We all had a good time, though...and no one blew themselves (or anybody else) up.

I know that it's been forever since I updated the blog. Lots of things have been going on in our lives, and I'm sure I'll actually take time to share the details soon. In short, I'm still working up in Bartlesville, although at a different location...still handling the computer labs for TCC two nights a week, Griffin's growing like a weed...and we're buying a house here in Tulsa sometime in the next couple of weeks.

I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday weekend. I look forward to sharing more details and pictures soon.

Pure, Unadulterated Geekdom

I used to be impressed with Bob's cool little weather station in Lewisville, TX. Now along comes Donnie with the mother of all home weather stations. The only difference between geeks and boys is the price of their toys.

I can't wait until summer, so I can watch him roast out there in the Mesa, AZ desert.

Happy Birthday Griffin!!

I can't believe it...Griffin is 2 years old today! I can't wait to get home, give him a huge hug, and watch him cram cake into his mouth. The past 12 months have been an incredible experience, and we're looking forward to whatever the future holds.

Fridays...YEAH!!

Well, I'm feeling much better today...and it's FRIDAY! W00T!

Pretty good week, all in all. It rained frogs and poodles for the past two days straight. From my vantage point high above Bartlesville, I can see that there are some seriously soggy (if not just downright flooded) areas around here. I'm looking forward to some sunshine and warmer weather tomorrow.

I just read a short interview with Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn in Lord of the Rings), and the following quote struck a nerve:

"I remember, as a boy, just tearing off across a field, bareback, without checking for holes or anthills, falling a - - over tea kettle, and, if the horse didn't run away and I could eventually catch it, getting back on and not thinking much about it.

"As an adult, you're a little more wary, you're a little more brittle, and you can think ahead about the consequences. So if the horse starts swerving around and it's not responding to you and you're riding bareback at full speed, it's scary; as a kid, you're just exhilarated. Until you come off the horse, you're not thinking of the danger. But that's a human thing. As a kid, you don't think much about, well, death. You're just like, 'Ooh, this is fun!' "

I watch Griffin these days, and remember how it was to live without knowing/thinking about the consequences of every action. It's such a pure and innocent time in life, and it give me great pleasure to occasionally glimpse the world through his eyes.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Mondays...blech!

It's a fine Monday morning here in Bartlesville. After some good rainstorms yesterday, the sky is blue and the sun is shining bright today. Unfortunately, the high winds make me feel that I'm back in Wichita Falls. Also, I'm still recovering from a stomach bug that hit me yesterday afternoon, so I'm feeling pretty rotten. I'm still better off than Amy, who was hit around 3:30am this morning. It seems to be short-lived, so we'll both be better soon. Hopefully, Griffin will miss out on the fun this time around.

We had a great weekend up until now, starting with a birthday dinner for my Mom on Friday night. It was the first time since last summer that my entire family was together. It was great to see everyone. Griffin was very happy to see Joshua and "Little Baby Karson", who are both growing up so fast. Saturday, I took Griffin over to my parents to play with Joshua again, since he woke up saying "Joshua? Nana?" all morning. It's great to see him learning how to socially interact with other children. Being an only child, he's at a slight disadvantage to kids growing up with siblings. He does go to pre-school 1 day a week, which he really enjoys. He's also starting to play with other kids when we visit the playground next to the duck pond. The other day, we ended up repeatedly sledding down a steep hill with a couple of other kids and their dad. We were using plastic dishes on the grassy hill, and I can't even imagine how fast they'd be if there was snow to reduce the friction.

Yesterday, we went over to a large local pet supply store. He loves fish! We wandered back and forth from tank to tank for a long time. After that, we moved over to the hamsters/gerbils/guinea pigs where he would say "Awwww" and put his head against the glass trying to snuggle with them. Too cute! He enjoyed meeting several dogs, including a 4 month old Great Dane who already stood a foot taller than him. On our way out, we noticed a group of people from a wildlife rescue preserve. They were there to raise donations for their cause, and had brought along some of the animals. They had a huge tortoise, a cockatoo, a huge python and an alligator. GT petted all of them but the snake, which he wasn't too keen on (I'm not sure if it was the snake, or the hippie herpetologist that spooked him the most). He was quite upset when we had to leave all these cool animals behind, and he continued to talk about them for a couple of hours after getting home.

Well, I really didn't mean to ramble on about Griffin so much...but I'm trying to blog a little more frequently, and you blog about what you know. Needless to say, my life more or less revolves around that little guy.

I finally got DSL at home, so I've been really enjoying some new peer to peer programs, which I will try to talk about next time.

Yankee or Dixie?

I've got a Dixie quotient of 83%...guess that's what happens when you're born and raised in Mississippi.

Take this short quiz and see how you rank.

Thanks to Darla, a Indiana native transplanted to Houston, for the link. She's only 55% Dixie, but I won't hold it against her.

Y'all have fun...I'm fixin' to go to a meeting.

Back in the land of the living

I'm sitting here on the 15th floor of a ConocoPhillips building, looking out the window of my new office(!) high above "downtown" Bartlesville, OK. There's this really bright orb in the sky...it looks vaguely familar, but I haven't seen anything like it in a while. It burns my eyes to stare directly at it, so I'm trying not to do that anymore.

It's going to take me a few days to get accustomed to daytime hours again...but I'm sure my body will adjust quickly.

So far, so good. Just got my computer set up, and figured I'd post up a quick update. I'll post more later.

New Project!

Looks like I'll be able to continue to put food on our table for a while longer. Today, I interviewed and was accepted for a position with the COE team here at ConocoPhillips in Bartlesville.

COE is the acronym for Common Operating Environment, and consists of a common (or core) set of applications, tools, processes, deployment methods and hardware. This includes Windows XP professional and Office XP.

I'll be responsible for testing, documentation and interaction with the end user for all of the various computer programs each group uses. This is scheduled to last until at least August, although they admit that this date is somewhat unrealistic (it could very well go on until late Fall/ early Winter).

It's not permanent...it still doesn't offer any benefits...and it'll require that I keep up the 100 mile a day commute...but it sure beats being unemployed. Also, this project will have me working daytime hours, so I'll get to spend a little time during the evenings with the family.

MOO!

New Photo Gallery!

Here's a few pics to catch you up on things since last November. Sorry the captions seem out of order...I created them before I knew what order the slideshow was going to play. The fact that they are rather corny, I have no excuse.

Ch-ch-ch-CHANGES!

As David Bowie once sang:

Pretty soon now you're gonna get older
Time may change me
But I can't trace time

Well...a couple of weeks ago, I certainly felt a bit older...but that's not the changes I'm talking about. First and foremost is the fact that Blogging Baddley now has its own domain, tbadd.com!! I found a very cheap host that would give me lots more space, so I can restore all of the old picture galleries, and add lots of new stuff. Also, I'll be able to do a lot more with this site that I was unable to do using Earthlink as my host.

My e-mail migration project is ending next week. I'm interviewing with ConocoPhillips' COE team tomorrow, and will hopefully be working with them through to late summer on a new project.

I'll be back soon with some pics, as soon as I can get them all formatted and commented.

Take care!

Turn and face the strange.