Please read our journal for the lastest info


SOCIOLOGY
FILM
COOKING
HOMEBREW
CALENDAR
LINKS
WRITINGS
MUSIC
OUR DOG: Ellis
PHOTOS
WEDDING
FAQ
MAIL
RANDOM SITE
RANDOM THOUGHT



Gift

Our Amazon Wish List

Reading

Building Electric Guitars: How to Make Solid-Body, Hollow-Body and Semi-Acoustic Electric Guitars and Bass Guitars

Eat

C & N Recipes

Find

U.S. Clock
Refdesk


Blog

The Agonist
Kuro5hin
Talk Left
Talking Points Memo
Road to Surfdom
Wil Wheaton
Sisyphus Shrugged
Boing Boing
The Morning News
Daily Kos
Wiz Bang
memepool
Wired
Gizmodo
Techdirt
Engadget
Scienctific Amercian


Humor

Satire Wire
Onion
Red Meat
Worst Case Scenarios
Here In Reality

Read

Utne
The Nation
The Progressive
Mother Jones
Moving Ideas


Random


Stumble Upon

Baseball


Ultimate Mets
Baseball Reference
ESPN Baseball
Mets Blog


PC

Price Grabber
Pure Performance
PC Pitstop
Annoyances.org
Bob Cerelli's Windows
PC Tools
Winplanet
Microsoft TechNet
Microsoft Security
New Egg
Price Watch
Analog X

Online Radio




.::daily thoughts views opinions outlooks postures feelings rants loves glissades
impaires memories oddities observations nonsense vision viewpoint since 1998::.


.:: Friday, February 29th ::.

~ 11:58 AM ~

"...leap day..."

Neale is almost done with her case. She has an election next week. On Wednesday she went to dinner with her mother, Debbie at Brio. Some guy at the bar in his 20s had the lack of imagination and intellect to quote Churchill (i.e. young and liberal no heart, old and conservative no brain). At least he thought he was quoting Churchill. That quote is attributed to Churchill and is most likely a paraphrase. As for Churchill quotes, here goes: “I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” As for Brio, I have been there once and Neale was more impressed than I was about the place, especially when we have the Hill.

Neale is out bowling after work. Tonight, for me, it is the Drive By Truckers at the Pageant.

It is a typical Friday though. I have some grading to do, exercise, and walk Ellis. However, the Mets are playing the Cards in spring training game in a few moments.

Linktastic:
Soap
rumble
dead heart

.:: Monday, February 25th ::.

~ 01:54 PM ~

"...find the river..."

Neale won first prize at her Oscar party.

Linktastic:
baseball
name game


.:: Sunday, February 24th ::.

~ 07:56 PM ~

"...Neale is at a party and not wearing sweat pants..."

If you are wondering what two adults without kids talk about, we had a 40 minutes discussion while walking about rudeness. During the '07 summer, a buyer/re modeler of the house next to us was getting out of his car in front of the home next to us. The timing was at the end of our walk and Ellis and I were jogging home. Thinking he was a new neighbor (and a human being), I said "hello". He looked at me with disgust and did not return the exchange with a reply. We find this rude but I differ in how to deal with it. This was prompted by a fellow dog owner passing us during our walk and I said 'hello' to which I received no response. Neale believes that some people have a right to be jerks without conscience. I disagree.

I made cheese soup for Neale before she left for the Oscar party. We used some feta this time, which was a nice change.

I am bottling my Pale Ale clone tonight while watching the Oscars.

I have a dog in my PC.

~ 11:10 AM ~

"...there will be milkshakes....drainage!..."

Yesterday, the AMC Best Picture marathon was enjoyed. We saw "Michael Clayton", "There Will be Blood", and "Atonement". Neale was on about 5 hours of sleep after watching the kids the night before the festival. But, we were not planning to see "Juno" or "No Country" again. Despite having sat for five hours, I was actually up for "Atonement". It was a better picture than I expected. The theater has a loose policy about bringing in outside food and we were allowed reentry so I stopped at Border's for coffee. Why don't most theater's sell coffee? They were giving us free popcorn but I cannot bring myself to eat full calorie/butter/salt popcorn. Also, I really reconsidered soda, diet or otherwise. Next year, like the couple next to us, we are bringing our own meals. Overall, great event and films.

We had takeout from CJ Muggs after the movie and Ellis was happy to see us.

Neale went into work and I was in the mood to make breakfast. So, I made biscuits, sawmill gravy, and bacon for her. My biscuit technique is not what I want it to be. I over kneaded this morning. The bacon and gravy turned out well.

I am making cheese soup for dinner. Neale is going to an Oscar party afterwards.

We got some snow overnight so I need to shovel.

Bill Taulbee's home (the Roxanna project house) has closed. We will get paid soon and meet with an investment firm. Part of the money will go towards a Roth IRA too.

Linktastic:
majesty
history
Arnold's movie films

.:: Friday, February 22nd ::.

~ 01:47 PM ~

"...innocent..."

Typical Friday for me. But, I am not grading because I am caught up. Neale called and said she got Mets/Cards tickets. We are using the Left Field pavilion option (free food & drink during the game).

I made scones this morning and they turned out better than I remember the first batch did. They are Alton's recipe with cranberry & cherries, which were leftover from the fruitcake. On Sunday, I am making biscuits.

Our electric skillet arrived. I am going to do a French onion soup soon.

Ellis is doing better. He is back to normal. Our vet will have info tomorrow.

Yesterday, we had a terrible sleet, snow & ice storm. I should have called off at work but I was raised to be responsible and do the right thing. It took me an hour & a half to get to work and I had 1/4th of students I normally have in class. Oh well.

Neale is babysitting tonight and I may stop by Costco for a few items. Tomorrow, we have the AMC Best Picture fest.

Linktastic:
Bad food
Name that solo
Another use for shiraz
Oak Island
GOP mimics "24"

.:: Wednesday, February 20th ::.

~ 09:22 AM ~

"...How many days has it been
Since I was born
How many days until I die
Do I know any ways
That I can make you laugh
Or do I only know how to make you cry..."

Ellis might be under the weather. The vet asked us for a urine sample. If you have never tried to gather a urine sample from a dog that lives three inches off the ground, there is yet another challenge for you. Neale dropped off the sample.

I stayed with Ellis when I got home yesterday so I have to reschedule my haircut. Neale and I were going to do dinner as well.

We watched the Arsenal/Man. U. game and had mixed feelings. It is the FA Cup so the best 11 for each side were not playing in a midweek game.

We have a new arrangement that I will cook more often for Neale. On Monday, I did a savory South Beach chicken. Today, I did this:

Sutcliff Bon Super Bon Poule

3 strips bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/4 lbs. skinned and boned chicken breasts, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 med. red bell pepper, cut in strips
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1/4 c. thinly sliced scallions
1/4 tsp. tarragon
White wine
Feta cheese
sea salt & pepper

Since our plans to go back to Europe this summer/spring were changed, we decided to stay in the US. However, Neale is going to DC in August and I decided to teach all summer. So, winter is our next option. The leading location is Sedona.

Linktastic:
Take the work out of your work out...Hawaii chair
Choose life...now piss off

.:: Tuesday, February 19th ::.

~ 12:05 PM ~

"...Will you please dance on my grave?..."

Ellis was a bit of mess this morning so that was not a good start to the day. It is still sticking with me.

We are both getting our haircut tonight and since we use the same guy (Dan), we are going out to dinner afterwards.

Man U. vs. Arsenal on FSC tonight.

Linktastic:
Close plane landing
What makes a terrorist

.:: Monday, February 18th ::.

~ 01:06 PM ~

"...Uh, we had a slight weapons malfunction, but uh... everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you. How are you?..."

President's Day...no, I don't have that holiday. Neale does but she is working.

There is no activity in the barley wine yet. The process went fine except for my grain bag failed. I had to strain the batch and clean the pot.

As for you, fair visitor, you typically spend 2:34 minutes/seconds on the site. What's the rush? Hello to Brazil as well.

Linktastic:
Trane

.:: Sunday, February 17th ::.

~ 03:02 PM ~

"...and fair play to you..."

On Friday, we went to the best Italian in the STL. Despite having loyalties to the Hill, we went to Bar Italia Ristorante & Caffe in the Central West End. The food was great. Neale thought it was too loud (we sat upstairs) and the table next to us of 20-somethings were in jeans. Neale's boss is a regular there and bought our wine for the night. We did not abuse his generosity. I suggested the Newstead Public House afterwards but Neale was tired from the day. We'll make it next time. We just learned about the Rotten Apple in Grafton, which should be good.

On Saturday, we went to Bodyworlds III, had brunch at Sqwire's, and saw "National Treasure : Book of Secrets" with our free movie passes. Bodyworlds was fascinating, Sqwire's was good, and Nick Cage & Co. need better scripts. We got to the theater early because we were first in line at Bodyworld's (bought tickets online) and Sqwire's was empty. They were doing child ID photos and fingerprinting (the Hannah Montana crowd was there). We played some skee ball and air hockey.

It is rainy and windy here today so we are not walking. Neale went to the mall for new sheets and to use her Valentine's gift cards. Our sheets are 650 count and that is a nice change. Currently, BBC America is doing an Izzard marathon.

I am brewing my barley wine today. I bottled the pale ale last night. It was quite good.

I learned a slight rouse was being played on me. We are leaving Charter Cable for AT&T U-Verse and they cannot install until March. So, they gave us free top grade DSL for a month. Usually our times are 3000/500 but the AT&T elite level is clocking at 3.6/600. I have noticed a slight change but I attributed to the new memory and cleaner machine. Needless to say, we are not keeping the elite level DSL. It is only $10 more a month but not worth it for our needs.

Linktastic:
Back in your head
Free TV Online
STL Hops
Free History
Time to Pretend

.:: Friday, February 15th ::.

~ 02:20 PM ~

"...halo..."

I was grading this morning and I just finished.

I was in the mood for waffles so I allowed myself two for breakfast. Ellis and I will walk after I finish my workout. We are going out to dinner tonight for Valentine's Day.

Tomorrow, we are seeing "Bodyworlds III", which has been in STL for a few months. Then, brunch and a movie. Our free passes are set to expire. But, there is nothing good out that we have not seen or will see at the AMC Best Picture festival. We have not see "Micheal Clayton" or "There Will Be Blood". Daniel Day-Lewis does not disappoint.

We needed a new battery for our APC unit. It does a good job. They recycle the battery for us, which is a plus.

Linktastic:
Kirkwood Memorial Fund
B Movie Central
Granite City Brewing
the only band that ever mattered
newstead public house
a rarebit

.:: Monday, February 11th ::.

~ 12:52 PM ~

"...After God had finished the rattlesnake, the toad, and the vampire, he had some awful substance left with which he made a scab. A scab is a two-legged animal with a corkscrew soul, a water brain, a combination backbone of jelly and glue. Where others have hearts, he carries a tumor of rotten principles. When a scab comes down the street, men turn their backs and Angels weep in Heaven, and the Devil shuts the gates of hell to keep him out...--- Jack London"

Neale noticed the other day that a new business is opening in a nearby strip mall near Grant's Trail. It is the location of my hardware store, Westlake ACE and our UPS store. However, they just have the sign up currently. It is called Friar Tuck and they claim to have a LARGE beer selection. Moderation is key.

~ 09:22 AM ~

"...who is The Turk?..."

Despite the setback to my DIY ethic in December, I installed more RAM into our rehabbed main PC. I ordered the memory in December thinking that the problem was a bad stick. Using the Crucial website and scan tool, I was able to properly find the right memory since the motherboard was unknown to me at the time. The mobo will take 4GB but my Win XP will only use or recognize 3GB so I went with 3. The instructions to "push hard" took me back but it is true. I also moved the retainer clips back and they clicked back as the slot was filled. I am still a believer in full PC towers. My butcher's hands and the wires in a half tower is a struggle.

Neale is working from today. She feels less than 100%. I am still congested so I have some meds in me. It is another cold day here and they say there will be snow.

Yahoo Fantasy Baseball is open for business.

"When there's nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire." -- "Your Ex Lover is Dead" by Stars.

Linktastic:
Pastavore
Men's Health
convert

.:: Sunday, February 10th ::.

~ 06:12 PM ~

"...twist..."

Neale out having dinner with Britt & family, Debbie and Ed. I am still feeling alittle stuffy.

I cleaned the house though.

Linktastic:
Mead
Eat

~ 12:19 PM ~

"...You've got your reasons
And me I've got mine
But all the reasons I gave
Were just lies to buy myself some time..."

More pictures of Titan courtesy of Dee, Cassie's mother.

Despite being warm and sunny yesterday, it is currently cold, sunny and windy. This variance in the temperature has caused my sinuses to react badly. I am feeling rather stuffy. I may pass on walking today.

Neale is watching the Chelsea match.

Last night, while I was brewing the Kolsch, I was reading Sauce and found a vegan black bean soup recipe. I made it this morning.

We watched "3:10 to Yuma" and it was quite good.

Linktastic:
Boy With a Coin
How to Install more RAM
John Barleycorn

.:: Saturday, February 9th ::.

~ 06:42 PM ~

"...walk and don't look back..."

Congratulations to Noel and Cassie. Titan Joseph was born yesterday. We are very happy for them. Gram pa and Gram ma Sutcliff are happy too.


Neale got home late last night. She was at the Old Rock House with coworkers. I made a tasty potato leek soup (hint...use waxy potatoes) that she enjoyed for breakfast. We went for a walk on the bike path. People asked what kind of dog Ellis was and he was happy to show them....he is a friendly dog. But, we did meet a kitty that was not dog friendly. The cat hissed at the pair of dogs ahead of us and swung a paw at Ellis. Ellis tried to start a play session but the cat wanted nothing of it.

Afterwards, we tried the newish Gatorade and Coke Zero. The Gatorade was good. However, the coke was not as good as getting a cold one from my Grandmother's fridge after mowing the lawn on a hot summer day. Coke Zero still pretty good.

We went to Whole Foods for water and a few small items. I had a taste for beets. We also got flowers. We laid the flowers at city hall in Kirkwood after stopping at Kaldi's.

Linktastic:
Homer thru the years
The Ripper
Making this
School in Kansas
Remember Ark II?
10 Dog Commandments

.:: Friday, February 8th ::.

~ 09:32 AM ~

"...fried chicken and gasoline..."

We are thinking about and waiting for news about Noel & Cassie's new child. They started labor yesterday and it has been 18 or 19 hours so far. There should be some news soon.

Congrats to Britt & family on their new home. They got a sweet deal.

In Saint Louis, we made the national media for the very disturbing act of violence last night in Kirkwood, which is our neighbor community. Neale's mother, Debbie, has had a home there for years and it was first part of STL that I saw besides an airport or an Arch when Neale and I started dating. We regularly go to Kirkwood for food (Dewey's Pizza for example), exercise (Connection Runs, Turkey Day, & bike trails), and to look for future homes. We were late to the news last night about the violence at City Hall because we were watching DVR programs. Once this story has all the details it will probably be an unfortunate example of senseless aggression, long standing tensions, and a lack of forethought. Last year, Kirkwood dealt with the Devlin abduction case and the Kevin Johnson case. It has been painful to watch.

In other STL/Metro East news, a local radio personality threatened gun violence against our electric company because of an outage during the Super Bowl. His timing and his words coupled with a lack of remorse (as of today) will probably be his downfall.

Two area girls took a stand on safe sex too. They could be in my classroom in a few years.

I am grading today, exercising, may get a walk in before the rain, and I may brew. I have a kolsch recipe and a barley wine to do.

Linktastic:
Deep fried pizza...yeah, you read that right
$$$ drinks

.:: Wednesday, February 6th ::.

~ 09:27 AM ~

"...now prepare to call me hero..."

Our main PC is back and running well. Since this is the fourth time I have started with a fresh OS/hard drive in my short career of owning home PCs, I like to think I learned a few things. Needless to say, it took me a few hours and I have the usual software installed. Here is a short list:

IE 7
CCleaner
AVG
Messenger Live
Adaware
Comodo
Firefox
WMP
ATI
Canon
MS Office
HP

....thanks file hippo

We voted yesterday and helped make democracy work. Simple ballot for this primary here.

Linktastic:
Increase your metabolism
garlic
burger blog
Where the locals eat

.:: Monday, February 4th ::.

~ 01:18 PM ~

"...Let's drink to the hard working people
Let's drink to the lowly of birth
Raise your glass to the good and the evil
Let's drink to the salt of the earth..."

Giants surprised us too.

The Super Bowl tradition of dips and chips continued. We both made a Queso/Rotel-style dip. Neale choosing the standard Velveeta and I opted for slightly more involved cheese dip using Tillamook cheddar. The guac was also great and I did a homemade salsa. We got full on the dips so there was no need for any tacos. However, I will mix in more green vegatables today. It is 70 currently so this morning was terribly foggy on my communte. Ellis and I will walk when I get home. Computer Saint Louis called and stated our PC is ready but I do not want to deal with it today. I would rather get my workout done and work off some calories than install software. So, I will wait until tomorrow. I hope they got everything right this time.

I am going to replace the switch, pots, and tuners on my Strat. The tuners will help improve the stability. I should block the bridge.

We had our first Black History Month/Diversity event today. We invited a professor from Wash U. to speak about racial linguistics. In other words, how much do people react to a person's speech and attribute racial beliefs to the sounds?

Linktastic:
blast

.:: Sunday, February 3rd ::.

~ 11:28 AM ~

"...Highway in the sun, I'm gonna drive right out of here
Burn my pretty sun you always know the way is clear..."

Our dinner at Robust was great. Neale tried a wine flight and she ordered me a glass of Hahn Syrah. We each had a salad. My impression of the dressing on the warm pear was lukewarm. The hummus and olive plates were tasty. It was a popular place and we were lucky to get a table by the window.

We made it downtown for Obama's rally (he is still running behind Clinton in MO) and about 20,000 people showed. Romney is at Dave and Buster's watching the Superbowl. Wait, what?

The Hairy Woodchuck of 2008 was a b-52. Tasty.

Neale is out tanning. Ellis and I already played ball once. He enjoyed his walk yesterday but needed a scrubbing.

Linktastic:
Pro-choice...maybe
attack
puppy

.:: Saturday, February 2nd ::.

~ 05:13 PM ~

"...Yeah, the harder they come, the harder they'll fall one and all..."

It was nice here so we went for a walk. Neale packed our tax materials and sent them to our accountant. She believes she can do them next year.

We are going to see Obama tonight. He is making an appearance at the Edwards Jones Dome. We are trying a new spot for dinner before the event. Neale heard Mrs. Clinton in the East Room while she worked in DC. She also saw Kerry in '04. Obama came to LCCC about two years ago, I believe. Also, the Illinois governor stops by to see the tax dollars in action.

I made salsa for tomorrow.

Linktastic:
Robust Wine Bar & Cafe


.:: Friday, February 1st ::.

~ 10:44 AM ~

"... You ever feel as if your mind had started to erode?..."

We got 7 to 9 inches of snow last night. Neale remembers the record back in 1982, which was 13.9 inches on January 30th & 31st. Our heaviest snows are in February and March. LCCC is closed but I do not work on campus on Fridays. Instead, I got up before Neale left to shovel and clear a path for Ellis in the backyard. He had to hop around the yard.

We watched the Democratic debate (or conversation) last night after having some Happy Joes. We have had our Obama yard sign for a few weeks. We are attending a rally this weekend.

Computer Saint Louis made a major mistake with our main PC. In short, they did not repair it. In a mistake that defies the name of good business practice, they stated they installed a new hard drive and reloaded the OS. I went last night to pick it up and asked for my old hard drive so I could destory it properly. They could not find the drive. Can you see where this is heading? They said they would call when they found it. I got home and plugged the tower in. I got the same boot error message. I called them and entered the BIOS. The truth became apparent quickly and painfully. The OLD DRIVE WAS STILL IN THE SYSTEM! Neale drove me back to the shop because I was unable to drive and I needed her support. The manager informed us they recently had a staff shake up and people when fired/hired. Our money for service was refunded since we had a rational complaint and were calm assertive. They are fixing the problem currently and I should have a call soon. This better be done right.

Linktastic:
Puccinis
XN View
CMAT

.:: Wednesday, January 30th ::.

~ 05:58 PM ~

"...failure pile in a bowl of sadness..."

We watched "Ratatouille" last night. It was really good.

Neale has been summoned for jury duty. She has to report in March. Developing.

Despite our drastic change in weather, Ellis and I went for a walk today. He did alright missing two days with the rain/wind last night and the cold on Monday.

Our main PC is ready. I will have Thursday and Friday to get it back in proper form. Have you backed up your data recently?

This weekend is two minor holidays in our household. First, there is the annual "Harry Woodchuck" toast on Saturday to observe Groundhog Day. Second, we have the Super Bowl on Sunday. We have a Tex-Mex theme this year.

Linktastic:
Trench War
Are we at war with Iran?

.:: Monday, January 28th ::.

~ 01:46 PM ~

"...In the side of our lives
Where nothing is
Ever put straight
She turns herself round
And she smiles and she says
'This is it'..."

I am in my office and caught up on work.

Yesterday was the Soulard Pet Parade. There were many participants since the weather was great. The parade lasted over an hour. Pictures will be posted when the PC is returned and ready.

The PC repair shop called and there seems to be a lack of communication in the shop. I will check back. I am not interested in picking up today since I have to workout and walk. Tomorrow would be better to get it back. However, I do need it soon for work.

We went for a walk yesterday and had breakfast at Einstein's Bagels. We read the real estate ads to check out the local area. Then, we went to the parade and had lunch at Llywelyn's Pub. We were possibly having a get together for Britt's birthday but it was canceled. So, I brewed (Hearts clone) and Neale relaxed on the couch. The brew was really active and I had to clean up this morning.

I purchased a ticket for the Drive-By Truckers. Neale is not interested.

Linktastic:
Rasmussen Reports
On the Issues
Stickers

.:: Saturday, January 26th ::.

~ 05:53 PM ~

"...its no big deal..."

We both did errands this morning. Neale had to renew her plates and pick up some tailoring. I returned the weather station (the new one is working fine) to the UPS store, picked up some groceries, a script at Walgreen's, and waited to go to Cartridge World since Neale went to Breadsmith's. Then, we meet up to go for a walk. One of our neighbors that we had not seen in awhile was happy to see us pass.

Not to jinx anything but the home we worked on in Roxanna (Neale's grandfather's place) is under contract.

AMC Theatres is doing their "Best Picture Showcase" and since I am not painting a house, I get to go this year.

I made red velvet bars for tonight. We are going to a trivia night, which has become an annual event.

Our main PC is getting a new Western Digital hard drive. It is slightly larger than the previous drive that is dead...very dead. We did not lose anything that cannot be recreated. They will reinstall Windows XP SP2, basic drivers, and have it ready on Monday. So, I starting from scratch and I will have a better back up schedule.

We are considering a Mac when we make a computer purchase in the future.

Linktastic:
Apple Store
Paige Davis is back
Wilhelm Scream

.:: Friday, January 25th ::.

~ 01:52 PM ~

"...nobody loses all the time..."

Our main PC has a bad hard drive. It is being replaced and the data is being transferred.

I made pancakes this morning with Match pork. I also made my first attempt at giarineria. I started a chowder using the leftover Match crab cake mixture since soup sounded good. I am making Neale a cream of chicken after I workout. I may brew my Hearts Ale today as well. I tried Rogue's Red Ale last night. Very good.

We watched the Republican debate last night. Rudy...see ya.

I cleaned and gave the pantry another coat of paint. Then, I vaccumed the living couches to free them of Ellis' hair.

Linktastic:
Walkin' After Midnight
Some Lovin'
celebrate


.:: Monday, January 21st ::.

~ 06:39 PM ~

"...do you deal ivory?..."

My donation went well. They were closed except for platelet donors. I noticed the last time I donated that there was a Japanese/Thai place in the same strip mall. As I watched Food Network, Jeopardy, and some Oprah, I noticed no one went into the restaurant. I stopped in afterwards and got dinner for us. Neale liked it. They were very nice and I hope I was not their only customer.

Linktastic:
Dead Letter


~ 10:40 AM ~

"... MLK..."

Neale is tanning. She played ball with Ellis in the backyard. It is slightly above freezing.

I am donating today so I getting my workout done before the needle.

Computer Saint Louis says my hard drive is failing. It starts sometimes and fails others. So, I am requesting a Western Digital 320GB be installed. The data recovery guy is not in today but we will see what we can get off the old drive. If it was not heat or memory, the drive is the next logical choice.

Fazio's is still under construction.

My pale ale is bubbling nicely. I found a new stainless steel pot on Ebay, which could be an uprgade from my aging enamel pot.

Linktastic:
Johnson Treatment
Music Radar: NAMM

.:: Sunday, January 20th ::.

~ 09:44 AM ~

"...everything is wonderful again..."

I just finished making bluberry muffins this morning. No box or mythical Betty was needed.

We bought new shoes last night. I needed new work shoes (black) as my Timberlands were fading. Also, I needed a pair of shoes for causal that were not Adidas. Steve Madden was able to supply both pairs. Neale got a new pair of Skechers. I appreciated her input on the new shoes.

We had dinner at Athena's in Ellisville, which is far west Saint Louis county. Our favorite Greek places are in the city but Athena was really good. We are never out that far west though.

We are going for a walk today, watching some football, and I am brewing my pale ale. I have ingredients for the barley wine but I will wait on that.

Linktastic:
Pan fried toufy with kale


.:: Saturday, January 19th ::.

~ 04:07 PM ~

"...were never in my hands..."

I added a doorbell extender to the basment. The garage door issue is solved as well. There are a few loose ends that I would like closed and I got a few of them done.

I did some errands: return at Lowe's, buy doorbell extender, pick up materials at brew shop, and buy brew water. I also stopped at Breadsmith since I was not on Hwy 40/64.

Neale needs new license tags so she got a safety check and emission test at Dobb's, which does it electronically now. The license bureau was closed this weekend.

We went for a walk. It was a sunny, windy 17 degrees. Later, we are shopping for new shoes and having dinner at a new Greek place.

Linktastic:
Flame Gun
Spice rack
Soulard Mardi Gras


.:: Friday, January 18th ::.

~ 10:57 PM ~

"...the clapping song..."

I solved our doorbell issue. We needed to be able to hear it in the backroom when the door is shut. I also replaced the casters on the downstairs TV to make it more stable. Finally, I solved the garage door opener problem...almost. The wire got damaged when a table stored in the rafters fell and tugged the wire. I bought new wire but the existing spade connector is not large enough for all the wires.

~ 12:51 PM ~

"...the drugs don't work..."

I watched "Superbad" and it is was pretty shallow. Nothing special.

I discovered that my Dierberg's is selling Match "meats". Tasty stuff. I had it last at Schlafly as a burger.

I cleaned the kitchen drawers. They were disorganized and in need of a cleaning.

Ellis destoryed his soccer ball. Luckily, I had one more in reserve. This weekend he is getting a bath.

Linktastic:
Are pets good for you?

.:: Wednesday, January 16th ::.

~ 06:18 PM ~

"...knockin' on heaven's door..."

I got a message from Computer St. Louis yesterday that my main PC was fixed. I show up today and pay the diagnostic fee, which was reasonable and got some advice about installing new memory. I bought memory in case that was the problem, currently it is not, so I can add it to double my current memory. That would have been perfect. I get home, set it up, and I get a boot screen. I call them and they get me into the BIOS as the machine is booting from the CD/DVD drive and/or the floppy. We spend ten minutes on the phone and can't get it fixed. So, I take it back to them. Luckily, they are only 10 minutes away. They check it back in, try to run it, and suspect the hard drive failed. But, that is not conclusive yet. I am frustrated.

My frustration was cured slightly by making Neale dinner. I made a chicken feat dish. I hope she liked it.

I have my first meeting of my night class. Same schedule as last year for one more semester.

Linktastic:
All I Know

.:: Monday, January 14th ::.

~ 09:19 AM ~

"...not sure I follow..."

The mac n' cheese turned out well. The cauliflower soup was alright, which was made on Saturday. I have a haircut today. Also, the semester has started on campus. I do not have any MWF class this term. There is a movement to change the schedule to MW and TTH but the logisitics of that escape me. It should take a few years.

Linktastic:
Weird Statues
Touch the Rainbow

.:: Sunday, January 13th ::.

~ 03:27 PM ~

"...there is a seperate sky for each of us..."

I made breakfast (scrambled eggs and has browns) today. My trick with hash browns is that I bake the potatoes the night before and chill them overnight. We went for a walk on the Grant's Trail path, which was pretty empty. The sky was overcast, the wind was blowing south, and it was not too much over 30 degrees. We saw flurries but that did not amount to much. Aftwerwards, we warmed up at Kaldi's in Kirkwood. We discussed dinner tonight and Neale wanted homemade baked mac and cheese. She went to Pier One for a new bathroom decoration and I cleaned the shower curtain while watching the Colts/Chargers.

"Hotel New Hampshire" was on the other day and it is a strange film. I do enjoy it. The first time I saw it, I believe it was a Saturday or Sunday afternoon movie in Cleveland. "The World According to Garp" did not make sense to me until last year. "Being There" was the same experience. A manager I had at Borders (Vicki) told me to see that in 1995.

Linktastic:
The real sociology



.:: Friday, January 11th ::.

~ 09:50 AM ~

"...save it for later..."

It is a gray Friday here. I am done with course prep. Also, I am use to getting up at 5:25AM. I have been coming in to work on my TTH schedule to get back to normal. It is me and the three older members of the faculty on the floor that time of day. Despite my suspicion, the copier did not break down this week. I made my final copies this morning. I have populated my online classes (there are 3 this semester) and students are starting to visit.

Ellis and I will go for a walk after I visit Costco this afternoon. I have my last meeting in a few minutes. Then, I am off for the weekend. We have no plans.

Neale was exhausted last night. But, my chicken in cream sauce with morels was well received.

Linktastic:
Dog

.:: Thursday, January 10th ::.

~ 02:13 PM ~

"...big boy pants..."

Ellis and I walked yesterday. We went to other side of Elm. There were some teenage girls that seemed up to no good that wanted to pet Ellis. I passed. Since I had headphones on, I decided not to acknowledge them. The worst part was we has to double back pass them again. They saw us coming about 2 blocks away and were whistling, which was to get Ellis' attention. Some kids need more productive, resume building after school activities.

It is rainy here and we walked everyday this week so we will take a pass on today. I am picking up groceries. I plan to make Neale a chicken dish. She has been getting home late this week with the hearing. It is going well but she is worn out at night.

My course prep is done and I can populate my courses (add students) when I feel like it. I have only had one meeting a day this week. Not too painful this year.

We watched "Cashmere Mafia" (ABC) last night. Not good. It seemed like an attempt at an updated "Sex & the City", without the the writing and performances.

I rolled over 100,000 miles in my Lancer on Monday. This is the last year for the car. Next January, I am moving to a Prius.

Linktastic:
Scared


.:: Tuesday, January 8th ::.

~ 07:07 PM ~

"...can you write with the other foot?..."

Neale's hearing is on. She got home late. I made her dinner and dessert for this circumstance.

Computer Saint Louis has our PC. They seemed informed and the tech had good people skills. I should know something tomorrow.

Today was my first day back to getting up at 5:30. There was a storm last night so our sleep was not peaceful. I had a productive day and finished 3 course preps. I have 5 more to go. I got home around 3 and was going to walk with Ellis but the rain returned. We waited an hour and was able to go.

Linktastic:
Acoustic guitar sizes
D56SW

.:: Sunday, January 6th ::.

~ 10:57 PM ~

"...In this world, a man, himself, is nothing. And there ain't no world but this one...."

Today, it was 70. Given the chance to wear shorts and work outside in January I finished the leaves. Ellis and I were in the yard for about 2 1/2 hours. Neale went into work because she has a hearing starting tomorrow. I picked up the wood for our drying rack too. When Neale got home, we went for a walk. One of the party tables came loose from its place in the garage and pulled the front garage door opening wiring loose. I reattached it but the wire was damaged. So, I will run some new wire.

We watched "The Amazing Race" and I made chai. During the "Race", Neale's friend/former co-worker called from San Francisco. She has found a place and is getting set-up.

Tomorrow, I start back to work. This year, if I was given another week, I would not know what to do. Also, I will attempt to find another repair place for the PC.

Linktastic:
Stereogum Best of 07
Green Your Bathroom
ABCs of Yoga


.:: Saturday, January 5th ::.

~ 09:00 PM ~

"...three yards shy..."

We went to see Juno at Plaza Frontenac. It is a good place to see a show and the crowd behaves themselves (i.e. no cell phone, whispering and general annoyances). Afterwards, we went to Breadsmith for a late lunch but they do not serve sandwiches. We got a focaccia for a later date. Then, we stopped at The Wine & Cheese Shop for cider and cheese. Finally, we returned to Nacho Mama's, which Neale had sworn off since her bad experience with some spinach.

We came home to walk and feed Ellis. Neale caught the end of an English soccer league game and I cleaned. Have you looked behind your headboard? Take a look friendo it probably needs to be cleaned. Yes, I have cleaned the house from top to bottom this last week. It felt like the right thing to do.

Linktastic:
BBQ sauce
Golden Globes
Political Philosophy quiz
Pioneer Woman

.:: Friday, January 4th ::.

~ 01:43 PM ~

"...Oi..."

I updated the cooking page. I almost have my homemade BBQ sauce perfected. I am not a fan of manufactured sauces because the main ingredient is usually corn syrup.

A moving truck (2 Men & A Truck) moved materials into the house next door. We believe they are renters.

Linktastic:
Chicago has some hot wings
You want Det. Chris Sutcliff

.:: Thursday, January 3rd ::.

~ 06:25 PM ~

"...When anything that's anything becomes nothing that's everything
and nothing is the only thing you ever seem to have..."

Ellis and I went for a walk around 1 in order to take advantage of the warmth. It was around freezing today.

Neale wanted cheese soup for tonight but changed her mind to broccoli cheese soup. I used Tillamook sharp cheddar. It turned out well. Also, we watched Alton make Swedish Meatballs last night so I made her those as well. I can't bring myself to work on class prep yet. I also took the day off from finding a solution to the PC problem.

Linktastic:
organize

.:: Wednesday, January 2nd ::.

~ 04:53 PM ~

"...dig in..."

The holiday decorations are down and stored for next season.

Computer Problem Busters were stumped by my PC problem so I trying to find another company. The tech recommended that I contact Gateway and ship it to them. I want another opinion before I consider that as a reality. The tech was not able to get it started up but did find a skematic through Intel to at least get the wiring back together. But, he thinks it could be anything from the power supply to the chip coming loose. In all, he spent about 30 mins. but did not charge me.

Linktastic:
Life Costs


.:: Tuesday, January 1st ::.

~ 11:16 AM ~

"...2008..."

Happy New Year. We went to Annie Gunn's with Kelly and Sara. We came home for some English Premier League (Chelsea/Newcastle United)

I am using my original PC because my main PC will not fire up. As I mentioned last week, I was having a random shutdown issue, which is probably a memory issue. I ordered new memory. On Sunday, I decided to clean the interior of the PC again and I removed the chip fan. Well, there is a bracket below the motherboard that the fan screws into as its base. I moved the case not knowing that and the bracket shifted. So, I had to take the motherboard out to move the bracket back into place. I undid the wiring and when I went to rewire it I did not get it right. So, it is receiving power but will not start up. It is clean though. I spent a few hours on Sunday trying to fix my mistake but to no avail. I need help otherwise I will just get more frustrated. I plan on calling Computer Problem Busters on Wednesday. I hope they can do the work because they did well in a recent news story regarding PC repair in Saint Louis. Overall, this is just a minor issue but it does change my plans. I was considering starting my course prep this week. The older PC slows me down.

The previous journal has been archived.

Linktastic:
Times Square

T O P

PAST JOURNALS


| Contact
| Calendar
| 2001 Journal
| 2002: January & February
| 2002: March & April
| 2002: May & June
| 2002: July & August
| 2002: September & October
| 2002: November & December
| 2003: January & February
| 2003: March & April
| 2003: May & June
| 2003: July & August
| 2003: September & October
| 2003: November & December
| 2004: January & February
| 2004: March & April
| 2004: May & June
| 2004: July & August
| 2004: September & October
| 2004: November & December
| 2005: January & February
| 2005: March & April
| 2005: May & June
| 2005: July & August
| 2005: September & October
| 2005: November & December
| 2006: January & February
| 2006: March & April
| 2006: May & June
| 2006: July & August
| 2006: September & October
| 2006: November & December
| 2007: January & February
| 2007: March & April
| 2007: May & June
| 2007: July & August
| 2007: September & October
| 2007: November & December

| Home | Journal | Sociology | Cooking | Film | Calendar | Links | Writings | Music | Our Dog | Photos | Wedding | FAQs | Mail | Random |