Tour de Annoyance

I try to share the road with bicyclists, but after days like today it's just so damn hard.

My employer, as a sponsor, was hosting the local Tour de Cure. An e-mail had been sent out regarding this, and some parking restrictions were in effect as a result.

I had left the house a little earlier than normal, and even earlier than what was probably necessary, because I needed to make a couple of stops before driving to work. When I pulled into the drive to make my way to the building in which I work, I was stopped and was told I couldn't park there because of the biking event. The woman who stopped me referred to the aforementioned e-mail.

Now I didn't remember the e-mail saying anything about the parking ramp being completely closed, just that the parking lot next to it would be closed. Of course I didn't have a copy of the e-mail with me (maybe next time!), but she didn't seem inclined whatsoever to allow me to pass, instead referring me to parking facilities on the opposite end of campus.

In my annoyance I threw my truck into reverse and began quickly backing up to choose another route when she stopped me again. I was now even more annoyed, and she asked for my name and department. Since she'd get it anyway from my license plate I provided said information and departed.

All this because of a bunch of bicyclists.

I'm sure I'll be hearing about this from my manager sometime next week, but I should have the backing of the e-mail to show that I should have been allowed through to park in the ramp, and will hopefully receive an apology.

Mood: Annoyed
Music: Eric Clapton: "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It"

Sticks

When I was in high school the choir director gave me a pair of unusual aluminum drumsticks as a gift for playing with the jazz choir my senior year. They did not in any way resemble the Ahead drumsticks I had seen, and they were obviously old, as much of the lettering molded into the plastic parts was worn and unreadable. They were very slim, thinner than a 7A but longer.

A while back I tried searching for some information on them. Seeing a V-shaped mark on them, I thought they might be made by Vater; no such luck. They remained a mystery.

Today I decided to try looking again, and I finally found them. It turns out I have a mismatched pair of these, one light blue, one dark blue.

Mood: Intrigued
Music: Styx: "Come Sail Away"

Host

Yahoo is pulling the plug on GeoCities, so it looks like I'll have to find a new host. I've already looked at Atspace, NXServe, and IzFree, but would entertain other suggestions as well.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Aerosmith: "Love in an Elevator"

Jimmy

I recently finished watching Anatomy of a Murder, a film from 1959 with a cast including Jimmy Stewart, a very young George C. Scott, and a score from Duke Ellington.

After having also recently watched The Glenn Miller Story, along with the other Jimmy Stewart movies I've seen over the years, I decided to do a little research over at IMDB.

Does anyone else find it a travesty that besides a lifetime achievement award, Stewart only received five Oscar nominations and only won once?

Even considering some stiff competition throughout the years including Charlton Heston, Jack Lemmon, Spencer Tracy, Laurence Olivier, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda, Charlie Chaplin, Mickey Rooney, and Clark Gable, among others, I find it a little disappointing that Stewart didn't win more Academy Awards.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Boston: "Long Time"

Birds

In addition to the improvement in the weather, there have been two other tell-tale signs of spring around here. I've seen (and heard) robins, and I've seen red wing blackbirds.

Mood: Excited
Music: Led Zeppelin: "Ramble On"

Links

Here is some more material for your arguments against Creationist "science."

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Eagles: "Hotel California"

Safe Bricks

Check this out.

Mood: Impressed
Music: Styx: "Come Sail Away"

Darwined

Take that, Creationists.

Mood: Amused
Music: Foghat: "Slow Ride"

Waylon

Does anyone else see a resemblance here?



Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Yes: "Owner of a Lonely Heart"

Weekend Observations

Friday was Maryanne's birthday. She wanted to go out and try the Cloud 9 Grille; my review is here. The weather was cold, but she got a good turnout, and was able to enjoy her day.

As a result of Sarah's ad nauseum viewings of Disney's Sleeping Beauty, I have come to the conclusion that all the misfortune throughout the movie is the fault of the three "good" fairies. (I use quotes because they could be subconsciously sadistic). Observe the following:

• When Maleficent arrives at the castle, no one does anything to stop her before she curses Aurora. The fairies would have had the best chance to do so.
  
• While hiding Aurora in the cottage in the forest, it is through their careless use of magic that they are discovered by Maleficent's pet raven.
  
• At King Stefan's castle, it is when they leave Aurora alone that Maleficent is able to draw Aurora away and cause her to prick her finger.
  

I'll concede that it has been a while since I've read Perrault's version of the fairy tale, the version on which the movie was based, and I don't recall which of the above are from the "book" and which are creative license on the part of Disney. I'll also concede that fact that the fairies do their best to redeem themselves, especially by effectively rescuing the captured prince. Still, for three fairies that are supposed to be good, they certainly do a good job of botching things before getting them right.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Ozzy Osbourne: "Bark at the Moon"

Greek

After finishing watching 300 last night, and with still reading The Greek Myths by Robert Graves, I came to the conclusion that until now I had an innaccurate understanding of ancient Greece. I used to think of ancient Greece as a more or less unified nation, with power shifting from one city state to another throughout history. I think now, though, some research and reading may be in order. I'm currently revising my understanding, realizing that Greece wasn't so much a place as Greek was a culture shared by different people throughout what we now know as Greece, people of similar ethnic background and with similar religious and philosophical views. The aforementioned movie is probably not a good history lesson, nor is the distorted mythical interpretations of still older events presented in the Greek myths collected in the aforementioned book. Nonetheless, it does show that I have a lot to learn about the people that shaped civilization and perhaps formed one of the first bridges between Asian and European cultures.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Ray Charles: "Ring of Fire"

Uncovered

I was listening to Rod Stewart's beautiful cover of Cat Stevens' "The First Cut Is the Deepest" the other day, and remembered that I had recently heard part of Sheryl Crow's version of the song -- only part, because I turned it off.

So I thought to myself, "How many more cover songs is Sheryl Crow going to mangle?" She already destroyed Derek & Dominos' "Keep On Growing." About the only thing she's done that I like is "Picture," and that's a duet.

Mood: Disgusted
Music: Great White: "Rock Me"

Fishes

The other day I remarked to Maryanne that not only do the Darwin badges some people put on their cars bother me, but so do the resulting Truth badges that feature a traditional ichthys eating the Darwin parody. While evolution and Creationism may be at odds with each other, evolution and Christianity are not mutually exclusive ideas. I think it's possible for a person to accept scientific ideas and still live a Christian life.

I think this also illustrates the absurdity of fundamental, hard-line Creationism. Maryanne started watching 17 Kids and Counting, a show I find somewhat disturbing not only because of the rigid, inflexible beliefs of the family members, but their belief in Creationism, which took them to a Creationism museum. The museum featured neighboring displays of dinosaurs and Adam and Eve -- not the same display, but they might as well be showing Jesus riding a dinosaur for the scientific inaccuracy of it all.

I also remarked that Creationism is also very self-serving and prejudiced; it presumes to suggest that the Judeo-Christian Creation story is the only one that's truthful, and the creation stories of any other religions (and mythologies) are wrong. I compared this to the First Commandment: "You shall have no other gods before Me." It doesn't say there are no other gods; to me it just says God wants to be first and only on your list.

Enter The Greek Myths by Robert Graves. Here Graves not only analyzes the symbolism of the Greek myths, but compares them to the mythology and the cults of the rest of the eastern Mediterranean. The similarities are fascinating, as he draws parallels between ancient Greek myths and the myths of other cultures, including Egypt and Babylon, and even the Norse and the ancient Jews. It's the kind of academic examination of the stories that seems to be lacking from those who take a literal view of scripture.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Led Zeppelin: "Dazed and Confused"

Decorating

I finally got the Christmas tree up yesterday, which turned out to be a bigger project than I expected. It required moving a large number of large items out of the living room, including moving a number of Sarah's toys into her room and moving one of our end tables downstairs temporarily.

The remaining challenge is getting some Christmas shopping done. Between my work schedule, Maryanne's work schedule, and dealing with two young children, I really don't know when, or if, we'll get any of it done.

Mood: Stressed
Music: Autograph: "Turn Up the Radio"

Making Memories

When the Packers thoroughly dismantled the Bears, I thought maybe it was a sign of them getting their season turned around. Of course, that was before seeing them get dismantled in turn by the Saints, and then lack any kind of special teams play against the Panthers. I'm now anticipating them finishing 8-8 on the season. No, I'm not one of those people that's going to blame it on Favre being traded away. The quarterback has nothing to do with inconsistency on defense and special teams.

The Thanksgiving holiday was fun, though, and in retrospect I'll likely remember it more than the Packers' mediocre season. November 22nd saw the arrival of some family for Magan's baptism: my sister and niece flew in from Colorado for the event, and my aunt and uncle flew up from Florida; my mother even came. Then over the course of the next few days everyone drove to Door County to have Thanksgiving at my mother's house. It was good having everyone together, even if it was a saddening reminder of those that are no longer here to share it with the rest of us. I also got to see some good friends. Despite the stresses of traveling with a young infant I think we all enjoyed the trip. Even Sarah enjoyed it, so much so that she didn't want to leave Sunday morning and put up a terrible temper tantrum when we finally left.

December is here, now, and with it the feeling of winter and the holidays. We got quite a bit of snow last night, enough to cause some schools to be delayed this morning. I don't anticipate the snow melting anytime soon. I enjoy having a white Christmas; I think it somehow appropriate, even if it does add another stress to the holiday season. The next several weekends will be busy while Maryanne and I try to ready ourselves.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: The Scorpions: "Wind of Change"

Observations

Some weekend observations...

During Saturday afternoon's Badger football game, did anyone else find it particularly irksome that the first of the two Badgers to be injured was so injured due to an illegal block in the back?

Also, while watching the same game, I was wondering how many of the people calling for the firing of Brett Bielema are cognizant of the fact that many of the Badgers' woes have to do with poor decisions made by the players, especially the ones resulting in turnovers. It's not only the coach's fault if the quarterback throws an interception or a running back fumbles the ball.

Before the Badgers game I raked some leaves in the front yard. I didn't really get to the back yard, because I was running out of room at the curb to dump the leaves, mostly because the Stoughton street department hadn't picked up the last back of leaves I left there. We had the same problem last fall. Between this, how long it takes them to pick up brush left at the curb, and their mediocre performance at snow removal last winter, I don't have a very high opinion of their work.

Sunday brought what was perhaps the Packers best all around game of the season. The Bears didn't have many explosive plays, and the Packers were able to move the ball well both on the ground and in the air. Throw in a defensive touchdown, and it was the team's best performance so far, and hopefully indicative of getting their season turned around.

I turned on the TV before the game actually started, and caught the tail end of the Fox pregame show which featured Terry Bradshaw's rant about the Packers management and how they never should have let Favre go. Normally I like Bradshaw, and find him at least amusing if not insightful as well. However, the Jets success and the Packers mediocrity thus far are certainly not the sole result of Brett Favre, and I lost some respect for Bradshaw for him suggesting otherwise.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Judas Priest: "Breaking the Law"

Struggling

As they say on Fark, "this."

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Billy Squier: "Everybody Wants You"

Barsoom

I was thinking the other day, as I was reading The Chessmen of Mars, the fifth book in Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic Mars series, that the books would make spectacular movies.

Well, the staff of the Topless Robot website must agree, because it was included in their list of sci-fi and fantasy books in need of the movie treatment.

Mood: Thoughtful
Music: Lynyrd Skynyrd: "Free Bird"

Births

With autumn in the air, it is a time of change.

Tuesday, October 14th, Maryanne gave birth to our second child, Magan Jean. We were better prepared this time than with our first child. So far things have gone about as well as could be expected. Sarah thankfully shows more excitement than jealousy over it.

Yesterday there were snow flurries in the air, a sure sign of the coming winter. Hopefully it isn't as harsh as last winter.

This morning there was yet another change: I learned that the radio station I've been listening to, WHLK, 93.1 FM, "The Lake," is no longer on the air under its previous format. It was previously a classic rock radio station, evolving a bit over the last few years. Since early this morning it's been broadcasting nothing but hip-hop. No thanks.

I wrote a long e-mail to the station. You can view it in the full post.

To whom it may concern:

To say that I'm disappointed by the demise of WHLK "The Lake" would perhaps be a gross understatement.

I don't know if there was any advanced warning of the impending end, but imagine my surprise and consternation this morning when I tried to turn on my favorite radio station and instead found something else.

When The Lake first came on the air I was intrigued by its format: a classic rock radio station that went deeper into the roots of rock and roll than most stations did and playing more obscure songs by sometimes obscure artists.

Over the years the station evolved, and I accepted that evolution, as all things must change to stay relevant and current.

This most recent change, however, seems to be a surrender, as if Mid-West Family Broadcasting is saying it can't compete with other classic rock radio stations in Madison and just gave up to play something else.

The Lake gave me an alternative to the repetition of WIBA, a station owned by Clear Channel and therefore a station I don't wish to listen to; it also gave me an alternative to the more insipid songs played on oldies stations like WOLX. It gave me a morning show I could actually listen to, unlike the irritating morning show on WWHG. In short, I could almost always count on The Lake to play something I liked, and to feature radio personalities that were interesting; it was rare that I went searching the dial for something else.

Now, unless your company owns another classic rock station in the Madison area, I will most certainly need to search the dial for something else.

This was the response I got:

Terry,

Thank you for the email. It is very difficult to make these decisions but with that said we did what our Research has been telling us to do with this signal for 3 years now.

I thank you for your loyalty to The Lake and I am sorry MWFB does not offer an alternative station for you to listen to.

Thank you.

--
Jolene K. Neis
Chief Financial Officer
Mid-West Family Broadcasting
608-441-3601
Jolene.neis@mwfbg.net

Now I have to find a new radio station.

Mood: Pensive
Music: Rush: "Working Man"

Grounded

According to this article in Rolling Stone, Robert Plant denies rumors of of a Led Zeppelin tour.

Mood: Sad
Music: ZZ Top: "Got Me Under Pressure"