Snow day travel

At Logan waiting to fly to Dallas then on to Tucson. I was supposed to have left at 7 AM, but that flight got canceled yesterday. Now due in to Tucson late tonight.

Vote for Mr. Splashy Pants
Mood:  irritated
Now Playing: Romeo et Juliet, written by Hector Berlioz, performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch conducting
Topic: Fun and nonsense
Greenpeace is apparently trailing a bunch of humpback whales, and has decided to hold a naming contest. Here's your chance to vote. To quote Mike, who sent me the link, you know what to do.

Every effing time

When your plane gets in early, generally that's a good thing; however, every time it happens at DFW, our gate is full, and we have to sit on the tarmac and wait. This seems to happen nearly every time at Logan.

Hmmm, this might explain a lot...
Mood:  caffeinated
Now Playing: the sound of rain and wind outside as the effects of Hurricane Noel pass by
Topic: Riehle good stuff

Last night, while driving home from the MFA's firstfriday event with Jess, we got into a discussion of the devastation that a collision with speeding T car can impart to a  automobile, bike, person, etc. (Owing to the fact that while driving home, a T ran a red light, nearly broadsiding my car as I crossed Comm Ave.) Jess commented on momentum, and I said, "Yes, one-half MV squared." Jess responded, "Isn't momentum mass times velocity?" "No, I thought it was one-half MV squared," replied I, the former mechanical engineer.

After a quick search on Wikipedia, momentum is, indeed, mass multiplied by velocity. It's kinetic energy that's 1/2 mass times velocity squared. So, while we're both right - Jess on the definition of momentum, and me with the extra energy derived from motion that's imparted in a collision, I'm wondering if my basic confusion on this explains my test scores in dynamic systems...and, at the same time, reconfirms the wiseness of my decision to move out of mechanical engineering into marketing, then product management. A lot of lives have thus been saved. I'm pretty sure that everyone owes me a big, "Thanks for knowing enough to get your dumb ass out of that line of work before you designed any bridges or buildings that might have collapsed on us."

I'll be accepting contributions and drinks at your leisure. 

Haunted Hump Day Humor
Mood:  spacey
Now Playing: Duke Ellington
Topic: Fun and nonsense

It's Wednesday - and it's Halloween! Woo! One of Corporate Satan's most favorite of all holidays. As Halloween, or Hallowe'en, falls mid-week this year, it's going to be tough for all of the ghouls and goblins to make it out for trick or treating. So, dear ol' Corporate Satan will attempt to remedy that by handing out a few treats in the blog today.

Let's start off with something truly scary - the thought of Alex Rodriguez joining our beloved World Champion Boston Red Sox. If that doesn't send chills down your spine, I don't know what would. However, you can help ward off the greedy, slap-happy Mr. Not-tober, by signing the petition at Don't Sign A-Rod.com. (In the interest of full disclosure, that's a site I whipped up today.)

Now then, let's progress from the depths of that particular hell to something more charming: Arcade Attack!, a very odd movie from the '80s (wait, that's redundant). Be sure to watch the video clip from the movie - pinball game characters vs. space invaders. Must see TV, indeed!

Speaking of the trippy '80s, I know of no other way to introduce this next clip other than saying what it is, "Merv Griffen and Don Rickles meet Nina Hagen." Words cannot describe. You'll just have to watch it.

Continuing the video clip theme, with trippy overtones, here's an ad for the RAZR phone that was nixed by Motorola...after having dropped $800,000 on it. Not sure if it'd make me buy the phone, but it was interesting - and probably as effective as most ads.

As for commercials...this one for Nissan looks good AND features The Clash's version of "Pressure Drop." I'm torn - I'd have never bothered to look at the ad if I hadn't heard The Clash (score one for Madison Ave.), but I'm never going to buy that vehicle (score one for me), and I'm left wondering, WWJD? Yes, what would Joe Strummer do if he he were still alive? Would he have OK'd the use of the song, or for that matter the use of "London Calling" in the Jaguar commercial and the recent promos for the Giants vs. Dolphins game in London? The old punk in me wants to say, "No way, man!" However, the aging realist says, "Well, maybe...Joe was also practical." This could turn into an entire post about my '70s and '80s musical heroes shilling for corporations via the licensing of their punk anthems, but, that'd just make me sad. So, go put on The Clash, hoist a beer to Joe, and re-experience that great music.

To close out this post, here's an excerpt from The Greatest Prank Call Ever! You riehle, really need to listen to this. It's a wonderful mid-week treat.

Special thanks to Mike for the Arcade, Prank, and Nina videos!

Happy Halloween, everyone! Have a safe and wonderful night. 

Rocky Mountain High in the Mile High City
Mood:  celebratory
Now Playing: background office chatter
Topic: Fun and nonsense

A great sports weekend all around - especially in the rarified air of the Mile High City, where my beloved Boston Red Sox were once again crowned World Series Champions, sweeping the Rockies, and where my equally beloved Green Bay Packers rode the arm of Brett Favre to a thrilling overtime victory against the Broncos on Monday Night Football. As Mike Klis of the Denver Post wrote this morning, "Please, somebody pack up the national stage and get it out of town."

Not that I don't like the city of Denver or the state of Colorado - I love the scenery, the biking, and have great freinds who live there - it's just that it was a great weekend to beat up on two of their pro sports teams.

And, as a bonus, my alma mater, the Badgers of the University of Wisconsin, steamrolled the Indiana Hoosiers, 33-3. Too bad the UW hockey wasn't playing against Denver or Colorado College - that would have been a true aligning of the stars.

The Red Sox have a victory parade planned today in Boston. I won't be attending, but I did stop by for a photo of Fenway Park yesterday. Little did I know that there was a celebration with players, fans, and media going on on the other side of the Park.

While I missed that celebration, I did enjoy some fine Duxbury oysters and Lucien Albrecht Cremant d'Alsace sparkling brut rose, just around the corner at Great Bay with Jess. I got turned on to the great $1/oyster special at Great Bay thanks to a recent Globe article. I'll be making stops at the other spots that offer cheaper prices, too - can't pass up bivalves for a buck! By the way, the Duxburys were great - smooth, silky texture with a good meaty core, a touch of brine, but not salty. As Jess commented, "They envelop the tongue." Now there's a thought.

On that note, it's back to work. More musings later. Cheers and Salut! 

Bitching, bivalves, and baseball, oh my!
Mood:  irritated
Now Playing: Symphony #9, by Gustav Mahler
Topic: News of Note

The Red Sox did win last night. And, I did stay up and watch the whole game, despite the 12-run lead. As it was raining over night, I knew it'd be a wet morning, with no real point in going outside early.

Rain seemed appropriate for all of the niggling li'l things that went wrong this past week. Not meaning to bitch or complain, but there were just enough irritating issues to throw me off a bit. 

To wit. 

WARNING: Lots of whining to follow. Feel free to skip :)

As mentioned earlier, my debit card had been canceled last week, due to a security breach at some unnamed merchant where I may have used my card. Visa wasn't releasing information on which merchant. That was an irritating start to the situation, which became worse once I got my new card. While attempting to update all of the services being billed to my debit card - everything from iTunes purchases to the auto-renewing domains names that I own - the new card got flagged for possible abuse, due to a large number of validation attempts in a short period of time. This caused my card to be locked as a credit card, but not as a debit card, leading to all sorts of problems trying to pay for things. Very frustrating, requiring numerous calls to my bank, vendors, and finally a visit to the bank before the issue was resolved. Turns out that when the bank reset the "attempts" field to zero, the authorized purchase field was also reset to zero (dollars) - thus preventing any charge from going through. A bit embarrassing while in line at Starbucks or out on a date to get hit with that; although, I think that most people are so used to this happening now, that it's not a big deal. Anyhoo. Now resolved, allowing me to spend like a drunken sailor. Hmmmm, maybe that's not a good thing.

As for the unnamed merchant, it's now been named: Not Your Average Joe's. Ironically, the location where I ate and used my debit card is directly across the street from my bank. I shan't be dining there anytime soon. At least not until they offer me a free dinner and drink as an apology.

Another issue, which seemed simple enough at the start, was that the battery in my Polar S720i heart rate monitor was showing as being low. No prob - it's been more than two years, time for a new battery. Checking on-line, the Polar web site gave no indication what battery model was needed as a replacement, nor did the user manual. (I wanted to get it before I opened up the unit - and didn't want to send it in to Polar, as the  site recommended. No interest in paying $75 to change a battery, and no interest in being without the unit for more than a week.) I called REI, where I'd purchased the unit, and they didn't know. So, after tracking down a screwdriver small enough for the job, I got the back off the unit and discovered that the S720i takes a CR2354 battery. (I couldn't find that info anywhere on line.) No prob, I thought, I'll hit the drug store on the way home. Turns out, this model is much tougher to find than one might think. Four CVS stores didn't have it. Neither did Staples, nor Walgreen's, nor Shaw's, nor Osco, nor Best Buy. Finally, I tracked down a Battery Plus store in Woburn that did carry that model (and nearly every other battery known to man). So, that was finally resolved. I'm just posting it here in case anyone out there Googles Polar Heart Rate Monitor S720i battery replacement, they'll know that they need a CR2354 for the job. And, a riehle small screwdriver.

As for the other issue this week, the Boston Symphony, of all places, seems to have gotten me caught up in a case of mistaken identity. It's not so much identity theft, as it is patron ID number confusion. While trying to swap two pair of tickets for different dates, the ticket office told me that I'd already swapped one of the pair, along with several others, at the box office on September 8. Um, no I didn't, I told them. I wasn't even in Massachusetts on September 8. It seems to me that simply going by patron ID number, and not having to enter a member name when doing an exchange at the box office can lead to problems. The six-digit number was probably entered incorrectly, leading to the confusion. This is especially confusing, given that one of the ticket pairs that had been exchanged was for this past Saturday, a concert I did attend. This still isn't resolved. Symphony Charge is talking to the box office to sort out what happened. They need to resolve this quickly, as I need the tix for the concert in two weeks - never mind finding a date.

Whining ended. Safe to continue. Please proceed downward. 

On the non-complaining front, the Globe ran an article lately on the renewed interest in oysters as a culinary treat. I love a good oyster, as I've so amply demonstrated in pictures, and here, and here, and numerous others. Speaking of which, it's been a good six days sans bivalves. Who wants to go for oysters and champagne?

Dear pal, and oyster-devouring partner in crime, Miss O, is winging her way to AZ today. She's making her first TV appearance as the spokesperson for a national chain of men's clothing stores. I won't steal her thunder in blogging about it herself, but I did want to send out bon voyage and bon chance wishes to the universe.

Now then, to wrap up this whole post, back to the Red Sox. How do I know that the Red Sox would win the World Series this year? (I predicted it months ago, by the way.) Here's the clue: For the Red Sox to win, one of their serious fans needs to be out of the country, and another needs to be recovering from cancer surgery. That's how it happened in '04, that's how it'll happen this year. O will be in France, and I'm on the mend from this summer's excision of offending tumor. I'm not saying that I want O out of the country every October, and I certainly don't want to go under the knife every year, but if having already done so gets another crown for the Sox this year, so be it. Just making my contribution to the Red Sox Nation. 

World Seried Time!
Mood:  energetic
Now Playing: Red Sox leading the Rockies, 13-1
Topic: Fun and nonsense

Greetings from cool and rainy Boston - host of Games one and two of the 2007 World Series. Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, is about 2.5 miles my home - one and a half blocks to Beacon Street, then straight down Beacon to Kenmore Square, bang a right on to Brookline Ave., and you're there. As I'm writing this, it's the bottom of the sixth inning, and the Sox are up 13-1. I'm thinking, I can go to bed before the game ends, and not wake up to find a shocking turn of events tomorrow. Let's hope.

And now, a couple notes on the Series, from my local perspective. 

During the pre-game blather by Buck and McCarver, they showed a picture of the Challenge Burger from the Eagle's Deli, in Brighton, MA. That's 5 lbs. of beef, 20 slices of cheese, and 20 slices of bacon, and it comes with 5 lbs. of fries. The Eagle's is about four blocks from home. I've eaten there once - for pancakes. Nothing to write home about. But, for late night burger pigging out, I'm sure it's fine.

Now, the seventh inning. Can McCarver not second guess every move and non-move by the manager?!?!?!?

I was back and forth past Fenway a few times today, but didn't get to hang out, or get too close. I can say that Kenmore Square, home of the Citgo sign you see over the Green Monster, is a mess - still torn up from all of the on-going construction.  It wasn't too bad at 9:30 AM, and I'm glad I got through it a bit before 5 PM tonight. I'm sure the driving has worsened as the day went along - so many pedestrians to avoid. Lots of folks wandering around not watching where they're going. 

It would be great to go to the games here, but I'm not willing to part with that kind of cash, nor trade sins of the flesh for tickets...not that most of the offers on craigslist are for guys. (But MissO will have more to say on that topic soon.) We'll see if anything turns up for game two.

OK, time for the bottom of the seventh. I think I may need to hit the hay, secure in the knowledge that the Sox won't blow this one.

Niters.

Post-Hump Day Humor, and do I ever need it
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: Red Sox leading the Indians in game 5...Go, Sox!
Topic: Fun and nonsense

A mixed up week, to be sure.

Monday and Tuesday in Tucson, looking in on Mom as she continues to recover from her foot surgery of last month. She's in good spirits, but still in a wheelchair for getting around. I was able to take her to a number of medical appointments, as well as taking her out and around the neighborhood for some fresh air. We also took a drive up Mt. Lemmon for a great afternoon on Monday. Mom hadn't been up their since before my father died in 2004, and hadn't seen the reconstruction that has taken place after the devestating alpine fires of 2003. The homes up in Summerhaven seem to be all brand new since the fire, and the roads were completely redone by mid-2005. Mom had a great time going up, and it was pretty easy getting her in and out of the car and chair.

I flew back to Boston on Tuesday, hitting the office on Wednesday AM. What did I come back to? A new boss and new job responsibilities as part of another corporate re-org. No one's leaving, just a reshuffling. So, I now have my 23rd boss in less than nine years, along with a number of open questions as to what exactly I'll be doing.

Thankfully, to take my mind off my job situation, my debit card was declined at Costco. "What the F?!?!," I asked. "I *know* there's enough dough in the account." Sure enough, there was, and is; however, upon calling my bank, I was told that my debit card had been canceled because VISA reported that one of their merchants had a security breach, which compromised a number of debit cards. There was no fradulent activity on my card, thankfully. And, I don't mind the card being canceled under these circumstances, but the fact that VISA won't/doesn't have to tell the bank which merchant had the breach does upset me. If I'm spending money and providing sensitive information someplace, and that establishment isn't keeping things safe, I think I have the right to know. When the breach happened at TJX it was national news. When the Boston Globe accidentally wrapped its papers with sheets of user credit card numbers, it published a front page notice. So, where's the disclosure of information here? Maybe the Globe should get an alert about this.

On the lighter side, however, here are some things to take my mind off of the above. Thanks to Mike and Nick for sending, or providing me with impetus to track down a few of the videos - ah, fine memories. So, without further adieu, here you go:

Bill Watterson, of Calvin and Hobbes fame,  reviews the new biography of Peanuts creator, Charles Schulz. I doubt I'll read the book, but the review provides some great insight of one cartoonist by another. Watterson's known as being highly reclusive, he did, however, respond to one inquiry we sent him in my days at Kitchen Sink Press - and he did a book intro, and a bit of a grouch. It'll be interesting to read a bio on him at some point.

Speaking of Peanuts, Nick sent this link: Peanuts if done by Charles Bukowski. Great stuff. Perhaps something like this was rolling around in Schulz's brain when he was working on the strip?

Also on the Peanuts theme, check out Blue Peanuts - a good mash-up video of Peanuts cartoons and dialog from Blue Velvet.  You might need to log-in, as there's some office inappropriate language. OK, maybe in your office, not mine.

I've got that original on a VHS from back in the early '90s. On that same tape came two other mash-up gems:

The Archies performing "God Save The Queen," by the Sex Pistols.  Yeah, tough to get a better match-up of packaged bands ;-) I love the end bit of Betty talking up Sid Vicious.

Apocalypse Pooh - wherein our favorite bear with not-so-much-brain and his pals find themselves in a very different spot than the 100 Acre Wood. Oh, bother.

Finally, this came from Mike - a fun mirror prank from a German Candid Camera-style show. You don't need to understand German to get the gag, but it'd add a bit. (I don't, and I still enjoyed it.)

OK, time to wrap up this entry, and get ready for bed while the Sox take a 7-1 lead into the bottom of the 8th. 

 

Desert days
Mood:  on fire
Now Playing: Funeral Music For Strings, by Lutoslawski
Topic: Riehle good stuff

In Tucson for about 10 days. Helping out Mom, as she continues to rehab from her foot surgery. She's got another 9-10 weeks with a cast on her right leg. So, I'm taking care of some house things, and making sure she's comfy - and getting a few spins around the 'hood in her wheelchair. She can't put any weight on her right foot, so she can't get up and out much. It's a hassle, but she's in great spirits and knows that this period of discomfort will be well spent once she's able to get back to walking, hopefully pain free.

It's sunny, cloudless, low 90s, breezy, and, yes, dry, here. Summer continues for moi.

Speaking of family, my pal Rafael, who's been a near brother at times, is a fantastic artist - both graphic and tattoo (he did my Ice Shark tat). For a look at some of his new illustrations, check out his blog sketchbook. Good stuff.