May 27, 2003

Interuptus Maximus

Thanks to my brother who pointed out my lack of a link to the story about tax cuts. I think that entry took me nearly an hour to write due to all the interuptions. I'm surprised that was the only thing I missed. Anyways, the entry is fixed plus the link is above. Have fun reading.

Posted by queue at 09:11 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

May 05, 2003

Return From The Void

I am finally done with my trip to D.C. What a trip that was. I wish I'd had more time to visit some more of the museums, but I guess that will wait until the next time I go out there. I had a great time at the Air And Space Museum. I even took the time to see the Space 3D IMAX movie which I have to say was REALLY good.

I have to admit that I didn't believe my brother when he said, "Look for the Star Trek Enterprise Model in the basement of the museum." I believed that as much as I believe there's a basement in the Alamo. So when I got there, just to make sure, I checked the booklet. Of course, nothing. Then, at the end of the day, I was doing some shopping in the store when I came across a somewhat obscure sign pointing down some stairs. On the sign was listed, "More Souvenirs", "Star Trek", and a few other things I can't remember. I went down and sure enough, there it was! I got a picture of it; I'll put it online when I get around to putting all the others online. And, as it turns out, the downstairs store had all the good t-shirts. So I'm glad I found it. Thanks Lee!

Posted by queue at 07:47 PM | Comments (1) | Category: Information

April 26, 2003

Metal Mouth

Well, it has begun. I had my braces put on yesterday. For those of you who have not had it done, let me tell you, it's an experience. They don't really hurt (yet), but they have their discomforts, and it makes eating a lot harder. I get a little pain when I bite down with my front teeth, so for now, I'm sticking to things that I can fit in my mouth and chew with my back teeth. Basically, sandwiches are out. But that's ok, I'm told it will get better.

Either way, I feel 2 years is a small commitment to have straight teeth. And even though I'll have the retainer for pretty much as long as I can stand using it over the years, at least that is something I can take out when I feel like I need a break. I'm considering having some fun the next time I get adjustments done. They've got a whole array of colors for the bands and since July will be approaching, I was thinking of going Red, White, and Blue. I think it'd be great. Probably not original, but certainly fun. And if I don't like it, it's only for six weeks, then I can get them changed to something else. If I do something like that, I'll certainly take pictures for posting here.

Posted by queue at 11:21 AM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

April 20, 2003

No Fantasy Of Mine

I know it has been a few days, but I've been really busy getting things done around the house so that I could take a day to go to Norwescon. I had a terrific time. I got to meet Terry Brooks and sit in on a workshop with him on how to become a professional writer. This guy is not only an excellent writer, he's very humorous and interesting to talk to.

I also saw tons of sci-fi and fantasy artwork, sit in on numerous science and fantasy panels, see part of a Kendo demonstration, and look at vendors' wares. Oh how I would love to purchase some of the swords I saw.

My brother-in-law ran into one of his friends. This guy is 6'8" tall and was dressed as a hobbit the first day of the convention. It was a pretty hilarious sight, although I only saw it from his pictures. The day we were there, he was dressed as some Star Wars person that I didn't really know anything about. All visible parts of his body were dyed blue and he wore a completely white uniform. Needless to say, he stood out in the crowd, despite the fact that about half the people there were dressed up.

I would love to dress up and attend one of these conventions for the entire time, but alas, I have a family life to attend to. I may be able to sneak away for a day once in a while, but I have little time to live in a fantasy world.

Posted by queue at 08:59 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

April 17, 2003

Why Didn't I Take The Blue Pill?

I am SO looking forward to the new Matrix movie, Matrix: Reloaded. I may try to go see it the day it comes out. I may be on travel that day and not able to get there, but as soon as I get back, I'm there! The first movie is one of my favorite movies of all time, and although I never expect second or third movies to be as good, I'm sure this one will at least make a good effort. Unfortunately, the whole newness element will be gone, making it much more dependant on a good storyline. I guess we'll see.

Posted by queue at 08:05 PM | Comments (2) | Category: Information

April 16, 2003

Hanging With The Sci-Fi Crowd

My brother-in-law talked me into going with him to Norwescon, a sci-fi convention held in Seatac, Washington. I've never actually been to one of these conventions, but I've heard enough about them to know it should be a lot of fun. It's a few days over this upcoming weekend, so I'll no doubt have something to talk about after the weekend.

Posted by queue at 08:45 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

April 15, 2003

You've Got Something In Your Teeth

I went in to get x-rays and impressions done on my teeth to prepare for getting my braces put on. They put these spacers between my molars as well. This is supposed to make space for the anchors that go around the back teeth. It doesn't really hurt, but it feels like there's something stuck in my teeth. Oh wait, there is! I have noticed mild headaches on and off today. I'm expecting by the end of next week when I get the braces put on, my gums and teeth are probably going to be pretty sore. However, I'm really looking forward to getting this done and having nice, straight teeth.

Posted by queue at 08:19 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

Cleaning Bug

I guess I'm not the only one with the cleaning bug. My group got together today to clean out our basement area. And I thought my garage was bad. We found stuff that's been sitting down there for 10 to 15 years collecting dust. And let me tell you, there's a lot of dust to collect. The ventilation is really bad there, so every bit of dust that makes it into the room pretty much stays in the room. Every time I have to do something down their, I feel like my hands get caked in dirt. But it will be really nice to have it cleaned up. We use it as our development area, so we're getting new furniture so that we won't kill ourselves in the old broken chairs. What fun!

Posted by queue at 08:07 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

April 12, 2003

Cleaning Out The Closet, Or The Garage

I spent nearly two days cleaning up my garage. It is amazing how messy a garage can get in just a couple of years. But it's very satisfying to finally have it clean again. What is really interesting to me is the amount of stuff that I kept at one point, and upon seeing it now, am baffled as to why I wanted to keep it.

Posted by queue at 07:36 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

April 11, 2003

Compact Wallet

My wife and I went out and purchased a few new CDs today. Her choices were the two most recent Celine Dion albums. I have to admit, they're both very good, but then I've always liked her music. My choice was the latest 3 Doors Down CD. I haven't decided if I like it more or less than their last album. Either way, it's good stuff.

The only downside to all this is the price of CDs. We're talking nearly $50 for 3 CDs. And the music industry wonders why so many people are copying music? I've found the best way for me to save money is to download the whole CD of a particular artist and see if I like it. If I like a significant number of the songs, I buy the CD. I bet the music industry would make a lot more money of they sold music online by the song. Especially if they only charged like $1 or $1.50 per song then discounted for buying the whole CD, like giving a savings of $1 to $3. I know I'd certainly buy more music. Yeah, fat chance of that ever happening!

Posted by queue at 08:45 PM | Comments (2) | Category: Information

April 10, 2003

Trip To The Danger City (D.C.)

In a couple weeks, I'll be taking a trip to Washington D.C. This should be a very interesting trip because I haven't been there since I was a kid. My work is sending me to take some classes at our headquarters. The classes go pretty much the whole work day, but I'll have the evenings and one whole day at the end of the trip to spend sight-seeing.

So I went online to check on Smithsonian times of operation. Turns out all the various museums close around 5:30pm. Unfortunately, I'll only have one day to visit whatever museums I can fit in. I'll have to plan carefully.

Posted by queue at 08:30 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

March 31, 2003

Attack Of The Worms

If you haven't noticed, I didn't do any blogging this weekend. My wife and I took advantage of the rare, Washington sunny weekend and did some gardening (and shopping related to gardening). One of the first things we found was a colony of tent caterpillar cocoons. These nasty little buggers destroyed many trees last year and I'm not about to let it happen to my trees if I can help it. We didn't get any last year, but I'm told by disposing of the cocoons before they hatch, we'll head them off to an acceptable level. By disposing of, I mean either seal in a container and throw away, burn, or some other method of containment because just throwing them on the ground or in a compost bin will still allow them to hatch and cause the problems.

Posted by queue at 07:40 AM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

March 28, 2003

Brace Yourself

Well, I've taken the first step. I went in for a consultation about getting braces. My teeth are not all that bad, but I figure I've lived with it long enough. It's not cheap, especially when your health insurance won't cover a dime of it, but in the end it will be worth it.

The orthodontist advised me against Invisalign. He says mostly it's a novelty thing that is really only meant for people who need only the slightest of corrections. Not only that, it's quite a bit more expensive than normal braces. I figure I can commit myself for the two years that I'll need to wear braces for. This will certainly be interesting.

Posted by queue at 05:00 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

March 24, 2003

Lost For Words

Ever needed a way to look up a word for something you're writing (a blog entry maybe?!), and you just don't have a dictionary handy? Check out Dictionary.com. Very handy!

Posted by queue at 12:31 PM | Comments (1) | Category: Information

March 15, 2003

Death Becomes Her

Nearly a year before I left home, my parents bought a pure bred Cocker Spaniel. We named her Princess Cassandra Lynn, III, after her mother, Cassandra Lynn, II. My mom always wanted a Cocker Spaniel named Princess. That was over 13 years ago. On Thursday, she had to be put down due to heart murmurs, and severe liver disease. She was deaf, blind, losing all control of her bodily functions, and most likely had cancer according to the vet. It was just her time. I am comforted by the fact that I was just down in Florida a few weeks ago and got to see her again.

Chase the birds and squirrels in your eternal sleep, Princess.

Princess Cassandra Lynn, III
Born: January 31, 1990
Died: March 13, 2003

Posted by queue at 09:55 AM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

March 14, 2003

Happy Birthday To Me

Another year for me has passed. As I move closer to my thirties, I find that I take this time to take a long hard look at my life and see if I'm going the direction that I want to go. I have to say, I'm pretty happy with the way things are going for me. I have a job that I love, a family I love, and although I may not be rich, I certainly have everything I need and a LOT of things I want. I'd have to say, I'm happy with my life.

Posted by queue at 08:24 AM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

Don't Judge A Blog By It's Software

I've finally done it! I hope everyone likes the new look of my blog. Since Charter doesn't allow me to have CGI or FrontPage extensions, I've piggy-backed on my brother's blog software, Movable Type, and directed my site to show a frame containing my blog on his server. A little round-a-bout, but it works. Hopefully this will encourage me to blog more often since now it will be a lot easier for me to make entries.

Posted by queue at 08:11 AM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

February 25, 2003

Another Gap In The Rant

Ever notice when you're traveling, you don't check e-mail as often as you like?  I found writing my blog suffers from the same symptom.  The good news?  I'm done for a while and hopefully can keep up once again.

Posted by queue at 09:05 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

February 15, 2003

Sleep Deprivation Dept.

I'm tired. Nuff said!

Posted by queue at 09:12 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

Lame Excuses Dept.

Ok, I won't make excuses.  I didn't have access to the Internet for a few days, but that doesn't account for the other week I didn't post.  I expected that I'd miss a day from time to time, but I'll try not to miss so much at once.

Posted by queue at 09:10 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

February 03, 2003

Out With The Old, In With The New

I've come to the conclusion that I love playing with new hardware, but I hate doing maintenance on existing hardware. The disadvantage in working with a small development group is my job description includes, but is not limited to, reasearcher, designer, implementer, coder, documenter, maintainer, and all-around fix-it guy. If I could shed the last two parts, I'd be 100% happy with my job.  But alas, every job has something that is undesirable or it wouldn't be a job.

Posted by queue at 09:14 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

February 02, 2003

Water, Water Everywhere...

After being in a serious drought, the state of Washington is finally getting more than its fair share of rain.  I visited Snoqualmie Falls yesterday and was quite impressed with the amount of water going over.  We're dreading this summer if we don't get more snowfall.  It will make for another serious drought.  Luckily, the area I live in does not depend on run off for its water supply.

Posted by queue at 09:29 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

January 27, 2003

Blog Theft

Ok, let me get this out in the open.  My inspiration for starting to blog came from my brother, Lee.  You can read his blog at D.T.P. by Lee (Daily Tales and Punditry).  But to be fair to myself, I've been reading about blogging in PC Magazine for quite some time and keep telling myself I'd start.  My brother starting was just the jewel that lured me into the guild.

Posted by queue at 09:39 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

January 26, 2003

A Final Note, B#

Occasionally, I will attempt to share the computer knowledge I've gained over the years and continue to gain with each passing day.  Did I mention that I'm a computer scientist for a government agency?  I get to try out some of the most advanced toys...er, equipment available.  As the saying goes, "Why buy one when you can have two, twice the price."

Posted by queue at 09:51 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

Permit Me To Rant

I admit it.  I love to rant about all kinds of things.  Regular visitors will get to hear my opinions on such topics as SPAM, pop-up and pop-under ads on the web, government life, technology, the entertainment industry conspiracy, and more.

Posted by queue at 09:50 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information

Starting Again

Welcome to Blog Queue.

Since I never had time to keep an actual web page going, I thought I'd give blogging a try.  No special software.  Just me using FrontPage. Maybe I'll get around to trying out some blog software at some point.

Posted by queue at 09:46 PM | Comments (0) | Category: Information