Category: Albuquerque

3/26/2003

PNM is asking the regulatory committee if they can sell power from the upcoming wind farm. If they wish, customers could optionally pay more to buy green power which costs more to produce. Wonder how many environmentalists will do this if it goes through.

We went to the Manzano Mesa Multi-generational center (just rolls off the tongue) where they have some exercise equipment. As 1st Timothy 4:8 says, “bodily exercise profits little.” Well, that’s how the King James version says it. Sounds a bit more pessimistic than other versions, but always gives me a chuckle when I exercise.

I was playing some 80’s MIDI files through the adapter to the keyboard last night. We were singing that A-ha song and some others. I must learn to play them! In a western town in a dead-end world!

2/24/2003

We’re having a hard time finding an NIV bible for our PDA. The program with the best interface doesn’t offer the NIV version. Vanessa found a site with free older books for your PDA. She downloaded a Sherlock book for me. I was talking with Vanessa about the idea of clipping the index fingernail to sharp point to use as a natural stylus for the PDA, but then one might accidentally scratch people and things.

Over The Top was on cable again last night. It’s the arm wrestling movie featuring Sylvester Stallone with his signature “over the top” arm wrestling move in which he cunningly moves his fingers “over the top” of the opponent’s fist. Yes, one of those artsy intellectual films. I think this movie should be shown at immigration centers to show new Americans what is expected of them. They will be expected to arm wrestle, drive semis, grow large beards, double their weight and drink motor oil like the rest of us…yes, even that Latvian woman sitting in the back will be expected to do this. Allow me to paraphrase the wise words of Sylvie from the film, “When I turn my hat around. I change…I’m like a machine…like this truck.” I’ll have to remember that when I’m programming at my keyboard at work.

We saw flamenco dancing yesterday at UNM. The star of the show was some guy who looked like your average guy on the street…but he sang like Gypsy Kings and flamencoed very well. He sweated his heart out there on the stage. (He was literally flinging the sweat from his hair upon his “clapping crew” as he danced furiously. I saw one of them flinch.) There were many students dancing in the show. It included an unexpected “flamenco to classical music.” Anyway, I’d like to see these people play Dance Dance Revolution. They’d be unbelievable. After flamenco, we went to a Mexican bakery with the mum-in-law and gramma Peny. I got an apple pastry thing and something with “orange stuff” inside that was pretty good. For lunch, we had gone to Cafe Istanbul with me two brothers. They were not exactly crazy for the food. I have to give them points for trying though.

1/30/2002

I was looking at Comcast cable modem costs if you don’t have cable. 15 more.

Ah, I found out who that channel 16 eyeshadow woman is. Geraldine Amato Now that I’ve solved the mystery, I’ll probably never watch her again. That channel puts me to sleep anyway. Oh, and she has her own show on Albuquerque public access. Amato’s World! Party time! Excellent! (just kidding)

In the parking lot where I sometimes park for work, there’s an empty Dark Eyes vodka bottle. Do you really want to put that name on a product that, if made incorrectly, could cause blindness?

1/27/2002

Today’s Dilbert explains why I once took a Sega Nomad into the mountains with me.

We went to CompUSA yesterday. There we saw Apple’s 23 inch 3500 flat screen monitor. It’s a beautiful thing if you happen to have 3500 lying around. You can get a nice big HDTV for that much! Anyway, you can use it on a PC with a 150 adapter and a videocard that outputs DVI. Funny how Apple is so careful never to mention the words “Windows” or “PC” on their hardware pages even though PC owners probably account for a lot of the purchases of these monitors.

Co-worker went to hybrid rocket launch in Rio Rancho this weekend. He had heard about some people using a special parafin to burn as fuel in the rocket. He tried candle wax. Here is the result. It looks like the three engines didn’t cut in properly. The one with candle wax probably just clogged or something. The rocket ended up pointing at the crowd and not having ejected the parachute yet. Zoiks! Anyway, it ejected into the dirt and nobody got hurt.

The computer parts I ordered were delivered Friday. The Fedex website said they were delivered but it wasn’t on our porch. We got a call at 10 from someone at the same address on a different street that had our package on their porch. We went over and got it and I put it together Friday night. Cheapest parts money can buy. I sliced my finger on the case at one point. I didn’t even bother with a floppy drive ’cause I never use them. Anyway, so far, so good. Haven’t gotten to try any games yet. We’ll see if it freezes up or rides smoothly. This page was deleted accidentally.
Fortunately, I had it in my cache at work. Yay for cache!

We went biking in the foothills one day and hiking with the dog there the next. You can go to the
end of many Albuquerque streets leading up to the mountains and find a place to park and then hike the trails…very convenient.