Happy Birthday, Bill!!

Ok… I have a few moments to spare before a conference call and I’m bored. So, I thought it would be a perfect time to catch up on a little blogging. However, it looks like most of us are about in the same state as I am…meaning there’s not a lot of fresh stuff out here at the moment.

So… I’m thinking, what can I write about in such a short period of time. And then it hit me… Today is March 22nd, which happens to be William Shatner’s birthday. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!

William Shatner (a.k.a. Captain James T. Kirk, T.J. Hooker, Walter H. Bascom, Denny Crane) was born on this day in 1931 in Montreal, Canada.

I’ve loved watching Bill for most of my life filling a variety of roles and greatly appreciate his famous “over the top” approach at times he brings to his roles. Also, if you have never taken the opportunity to read some of the books he has written, notably the Tekwar series as well as a few situated in the Star Trek universe, you might be missing something.

Anyway… Gotta run for now…

Beware the Ides of March...

Well... Thanks to an old soothsayer's warning to Julius Caesar (according to Mr. Shakespeare & Mrs. Mitchell) the Ides of March were something to be worried about. And... Based upon my personal experience three years ago today, I'd agree.

I lost a car to flood waters down in Mexico. True, it wasn't a great loss since it was a rental, and a P.T. "Looser" to boot... But... It was an interesting experience.

This year the Ides of March has once again saw rain. At least so far today I've only had to dodge the normal idiots out driving around on the roads... No floods... No loss of vehicle...

Maybe something eventful will happen later...

You’re Free Mr. Humphries!

Of all the older BBC sitcoms that I use to watch, and still do when I have the chance, my most favorite has to be “Are You Being Served.”

It was primarily set on a floor of Grace Brothers department store and had a women’s department on one side and a men’s department on the other. The situations were great, the banter witty, and the innuendo was quite inventive.

You had Mrs. Slocombe in charge of the women’s department frequently talking about her pussy (referring to her cat), along with Miss. Brahms. On the men’s side was Captain Peacock leading the way with Mr. Lucas and Mr. Humphries. Of course there were various other cast members playing various parts…

Of them all, Mr. Humphries was the most memorable. Played by John Inman, Mr. Humphries was very quick witted, very acerbic in his responses at time, and about as “limp-wristed” as one could imagine – but never actually claiming anything. But his high pitched, “I’m free…!” rang out often. Where all of the cast were excellent in their roles, somehow, Mr. Humphries seems to bring everything together in the group.

Sadly, I saw today where John Inman has passed away at the age of 71.

A fond farewell to you, Mr. Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries…

Politics + Technology = A Pain in My Rear

I found only one advantage in migrating to the land of Hoosier-dome… We didn’t observe Daylight Savings Time. This was just perfect for me, as I am someone whose internal clock gets really out of whack for a good two to three weeks when all of the sudden time shifted around me. I always knew I was going to have sleeping problems when the time changed.

SO… Here I am, living the life of a stranger in a strange land, but it was all made worth while because I didn’t have to change my freaking clocks (and loose sleep)…until last year. That’s when the State Legislator’s finally decided it would be a good idea to bring Indiana into the 20th Century… {Side note: This state still has a LONG way to go to qualify for the 21st Century.} So, starting last April I once again had to suffer with the old “Spring Forward – Fall Back” crap.

It was bad enough having sleep problems… But as someone who works in the Technology sector, it was a double pain having to update all of the damn computers and various other electronic items that used time settings based upon a zone that never changed the time. Needless to say, even as recent as this past December I was still finding computers and other gear that was still set for the old Indiana time zone…hence one hour off.

Then comes 2007… The year when (thanks to our Congress back in 2005) it was decided that it would be a grand idea to expand the range of DST by adding three weeks to the front, and one week to the rear. So… Once again… I’m back to having to do all sorts of extra work to patch things to account for the new range of dates. Needless to say… I’m not a very happy camper at the moment.

I can only hope that somehow every single politician who voted for this pox upon technologists will find themselves missing every critical appointment they have because their calendars will all be off. Of course… What’s a golf game here, or a fund raising dinner there… If nothing else… Maybe they’ll find themselves in a Causality Loop that will keep them running around in circles where at least they can’t do the rest of us any harm.

Oh well… Guess I’ll get back to applying updates…

The Best Intentions...

Well… I had great intentions towards the middle of February of once again returning to the world of the Blog on a regular basis. However, as I have heard, “…the road to hell is paved with good intentions…” Maybe I need to get off the road for awhile and trudge through the woods!

Since taking my new position in January, I’ve been just a little on the busy side of things to say the very least. Where on one hand I truly enjoy this as it keeps me engaged on a daily basis, it also has the effect of leaving me pretty worn out by the end of the day. So when I do manage to drag myself home to spend some time with the family, I find that I really am not in a mind set to do much of anything else that requires me to actually think.

I’m still hoping, however, to get back to being more involved here both in writing in my own Blog, while also keeping up with and responding to others. The simple fact of the matter is that I miss the interaction. My “intention” for this weekend will be to actually write something with some meaning… I know there are several things going on in the world that I’ve been thinking about, so maybe I’ll pick a subject and write about it. I also know that I have the in-laws coming up on Sunday… That could produce interesting fodder for a Blog entry. Hummmmmm….