New Computer Specs

Since I've had a few people ask me about the beast I'm building ... here are the specs:

• Asus M2NPV-VM main board
• AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Processor 6000+ - two 3.01GHz cores with 1MB L2 Cache per core
  
• 4GB PC800 DDR2 RAM (yeah 4 GB)
  
• 2.1 TB Storage (one 400GB, six 320GB and one 300GB SATA-II Western Digital Drives, the 400 is the video scratch disk); the 300 is the system drive, the six 320's are a RAID5 storage array)
  
• NVidia 6150 video with 256mb VRAM
  
• Coolermaster Centurion 534 Plus Tower (yeah, cause it has a Cylon name and is silver and black. I'm gonna replace the blue LED's with RED ones. Cause I'm *that* nerdy)
  
• Coolermaster 700 watt power supply
  
• Sony 16x DVD-RW Dual-layer, dual-format
  
• 7 USB 2.0 ports (three in the front, four in the back)
  
• 2 Firewire ports (one in the front, one in the back)
  
• HDTV Output with DVI or Composite; S-Video or RCA output
  
• Windows Vista Ultimate
  
• NOD32 for Vista, cause it RULES and is the only AV product worth the $40 to purchase and $27 to update every year.

So is it fast?

Um, yeah. It is.

My old computer (Intel 2.8GHz single-core with HT; 2GB RAM) took about 3 hours to render a 1.4gb AVI file to DVD. New machine - 53 minutes.

So I'm gonna rebuild the old computer with a single 80gb EIDE drive, an additional 250EIDE drive for storage, a DVD burner and sell it, and the 21" Sony CRT monitor ... anyone want a kick-ass system, cheap? It's a Dell, comes with a licensed version of XP Pro ... it's loaded and in good shape. Just too slow for me. I'll throw in a new keyboard, too. All for $200.

(Yes, old friends, you see my days of Gigabyte/Intel CPU requirements have ended, eh?)

Showing off my Kitchen Skills

So it's a well-known fact I'm not all that skilled in the culinary arts.

As any single person will tell you, cooking for one sucks.

In addition to that, I had the weight-loss surgery almost four years ago and really don't eat a whole lot. Food is fuel to me these days, not the hobby it used to be.

Because of the surgery, there are some things I can only eat in very limited moderation. Like ice cream. I average about three or four spoonfuls once or twice a month.

Same with Oreo cookies.

A pint of ice cream, in the freezer, as long as it stays frozen, will last me three months before it gets freezer-burned. Oreos, however, are flawed in their packaging.

I, however, have worked some kitchen magic, to solve this issue, at least for me.

Here's the problem.

THE PROBLEM

Once you open them, Oreo cookies tend go stale in like three days cause the package is not air-tight once the seal is broken, and you can't reseal it, either. It's a marketing gimmick to make you eat them in a couple of days, or they taste like crap, and you go buy more.

However, I eat two Oreos a week, maybe three. Yeah, a week. (see paragraph 3 above).

My kitchen-magic:

MY SOLUTION

And the end result:

FRESHNESS FOR MONTHS

Yeah, I got mad kitchen skills.

(Oh, and for the record, no I don't dunk them in milk. I'm lactose intolerant)

Red Wanting Blue photos posted

Went up to the House of Blues last night to see a couple of friends play with their band. I will totally admit it was weird not driving, but the knee's still not up for that.

I spent most of the night on a stool, sitting beside the stage snapping photos. Worked out well. Collected on the beer Mark McCullough owed me ... and finally went to a show with another crazy rock photographer, despite the fact we've known each other for more than ten years.

In fact, I might have to steal the stool from the singer more often ... I like the way these shots turned out.



Scott Terry of Red Wanting Blue

John Kengla of Red Wanting Blue


Eddie Davis of Red Wanting Blue


Mark McCullough of Red Wanting Blue


Greg Rahm of Red Wanting Blue

See all the photos here.

Grammar Alert: Articles are 'pretentious'

According to ESPN's 57 Rules for College Football Fans ...

9. You are allowed to root freely against the following schools for no specific reasons: Notre Dame; Notre Dame in their puke-green jerseys; Notre Dame when playing on "Triumph of the Will"-shaming propaganda house organ NBC; USC; any school that plays its fight song approximately 4,387 times per game like USC; Michigan; Miami; Ohio State; any school like Ohio State with a pretentious "the" in front of its name, because otherwise how would we know which Ohio State university they were talking about?; any school coached by Steve Spurrier; any school coached by Nick Saban.

Can I get a ruling from the Grammar Police on that? Is that indeed pretentious? Or is the "Entertainment and Sports Programming Network" as they once billed themselves forgetting they once used an article before just becoming ESPN?

Then again, it is ESPN. And they did lose a bunch of highly marketable big games to The Big Ten Network. Which nobody has. Or watches outside of bars.

And ESPN did cave into threats from the NFL to stop production on the 'pro football' show "Playmakers" after it apparently hit too close to home on issues that happen outside of the football field.

And ESPN did turn their back on the NHL and forget it even exists (welcome back to Some-SportsCenter. Here's today's action on the cricket scene).

So basically ... I guess if they want to call it pretentious, who's to stop them? Anyone have Paul Tagliabue's number?

Daytime TV sucks

My old boss had a great saying ... there's NOTHING that will make one feel better, faster, than watching daytime television.

Today ... while flipping channels, I saw the third or fourth redux of Family Feud. Starring the guy who was Tim Taylor's assistant on "Tool Time" ... Richard Karn.

But it was a special "For Charity" Feud that featured ... a 70's flashback ... of Disco Divas versus the Village People.

For real.

It was filmed in 2003 and featured such Disco Divas as Thelma Houston, Evelyn "Champagne" King and Martha Wash of the Weather Girls.

I'm kind of embarrassed to say that I watched it.

I wish I was able to walk / drive / or sleep.

My 25 Favorite Photos

Since I am the list maker ... and the quantifier ... here's my current 25 favorite photographs I've taken.

Knee = not good.

Well, one week after surgery ... time for the first follow-up.

I'm now 40cc's lighter. The doc drained 40cc's of some of the most disgusting looking stuff I've seen come out of my body. Three different draws from three different spots in my knee.

The good news is the pressure I was feeling is reduced.

The bad news is the pain is increased.

And I get to spend the next 72 hours with lots of ice, rest and off the knee as much as possible.

Oh, and I'm not allowed to drive or return to work until at least 9/17 now.

Good thing I have Heroes on DVD to watch, eh?

Oh, and Season 2 of Dead Like Me.

And the current season of The 4400.

I love TV on DVD.

A visit from Dr Cammi

This is soooo cute. It's my adorable daughter taking care of me after my knee surgery. And please note ... I said "Doctor Cammi" cause she's a blonde, not a redhead :D. The video was shot by her big brother Adam!

Surgery was successful!

Hello. Well, I'm at my ex-wife's house resting after surgery. Went in about 8:30; went under about 9; woke up about 10:30 and left the hospital about 12:45. I'm sitting here with my daughter, drinking a Dunknin Donuts Iced Coffee watching Cartoon Network :D

I'm sure I'll have some pain as the days go on, but for now, today, I'm doing well.

Thanks for all the kind words and well wishes.

I have pics taken from inside my knee I'll post when I get home and have a chance to scan them in.

-E

Danielle Lyn Photos posted

While waiting for my pain meds to kick in tonight I did manage to get the Danielle Lyn photos from Sunday's show at the Mahoning River Blues Festival posted on my website.

Click here to see the page.

Here's a tease:

 

Knee surgery on Tuesday. Will update as I'm able.

Still to come:

• Two Cow Garage, August 25, 2007
• Two Cow Garage, August 10, 2007
• Semi-Precious Weapons, August 18, 2007
• Other stuff as I find it.

Catching up

Semi Precious Weapons:

Stunning. As usual. Don't believe me?

Justin "Precious" Tranter

Chest Rockwell

---

Washington DC:
One of those cities I'd like to spend weeks exploring, not a couple of hours. Especially at night, since most of the cool sites are now cordoned off by concrete barriers and police. Maybe the terrorists have already won. I have a couple of good photos of the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol taken at night, but that was all I got.

---

Projekt Revolution:
Linkin Park was quite fun. They had a very rockin' entrance, slowed it down in the middle, then blasted out again at the end. Love the fact they're not afraid to push the envelope still, after eight years, but did realize that their song "Shadow of the Day" is damn near a note-for-note iambic pantameter rippoff of "With or Without You" by U2. Hey, if you're gonna steal, steal from the best.

My Chemical Romance was as I expected it to be. Very good corporate alt rock that's radio friendly save the occasional f-bomb put in places easily masked or edited for radio/tv. They could have headlined if not for Linkin Park. Lots of MCR fans.

Taking Back Sunday surprised me. From what I heard while waiting in line for my $8 pizza. I like their CD's ... their live show was pretty much as you'd want. Not a whole lot of change from the recorded versions, but that live energy and boost.

Now comes the bad. Specifically, HIM. Goths from Finland. Sounds promising ... but oh, well, uh ... here's where I was shocked. I've seen and heard so much about this band. I've seen so many people talk about how great they are. I can't figure it out. I've seen dozens of bands that ripped off Ronnie James Dio much better.

Cut Me, Mick

Well, it's official ...

Surgery is required to fix my knee.

Again.

Sigh.

At least it's coming quickly. Tuesday, August 28th.

Gonna go get 'scoped and cleaned and re-aligned. By the same doctor that did it 8 years ago.

Odds are I'll be off work for a week or so, and holed up in my little box at the top of the stairs, to quote Neil Young ... but I'll be able to get caught up on my photos and videos I need to work on.

But the knee will be better ... and the pain will be gone ... once the surgery heals.

Weekend Update

Jane, you ignorant slut.

Oh, wait. That's soooo dated. Most of you won't get that.

Anyway ...

Had an MRI on my knee this morning. Been having some problems and not too sure what, but I've had problems before with that knee and surgery, too ... so it's damaged, to say the least. Lately it's been really, really bad, so I'm back to the Orthopod who fixed it last time ... 7 years ago.

But MRI's are weird ... and like anything else in life ... when they tell you not to move your leg, all you want to do is move your leg. Like when you're having surgery, and they tell you not to eat or drink after midnight, at 1:30 a.m. you're starving and dying of thirst.

But I go back on Tuesday to get the results.

Another fun weekend ... today (Friday) I'm taking Jessy and Mandy) to the Projekt Revolution tour ... Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, HIM, Placebo and other screamers ... two of Jessy's favorite bands are Linkin Park and MCR. I like Linkin Park ... the rest of the bands are cool ... but for the most part, I'm being the cool dad/uncle.

Saturday morning picking up Carolyn and heading to Washington, D.C. to be tourists. (Oh, and see Semi Precious Weapons ... cause they rock!)

Sunday is my ex-wife's company picnic at Kennywood so we're all going to that, too. Quite a fun, busy weekend, but that's me.

Song of the Day

Clutter
~ Aaron Tashjian

If I was lonely
And burned out slowly
Like a cigarette
Would you kiss me
Just to feel like someone else is there
I'm a liar
The devil in me is the honesty
It glows gently
Like a Christmas light
In a window square

My addictions and my haircut
And my tendency to rant and rave
And my good days and my bad ones
Where all I do is misbehave
Are racing through my bloodstream
With anxiousness and alcohol
And filling me with a false hope
And a chance to hold my head up tall

I could be joking
I must be lying to myself
And I'm in shambles
But now it's not for someone else

It's a long road
Back to your house
And I don't know what to do
I am weary
And I'm nervous
And I'm not sure of anything at all
But the silver beams
From the tv screen
Make you look just like
A movie star right now,
Tonight

I could be joking
I must be lying to myself
And I'm in shambles
But now it's not for someone else

And my head
And my head
Is full of doubt

And my heart
And my heart
Is feeling down
I've been let down

And there's so much clutter
In my head,
Tonight.
Yeah there is so much clutter
In my head
Tonight.

Greatest Opening Lyric ??

Reading this article about the 25 best opening lyrics of any song made me stop and think about my favorite opening line.

From the lyrical genius that is Aaron Tashjian and "Ghost"

"The greatest summer of my life I got stoned and listened to Wilco"

(for the record, the entire Autumn Under Echoes EP "The Smile and the Nod" can be downloaded, for free, from Aaron's new website.)

What's your favorite opening line? Give me the artist and song!