Past couple of weeks - General Update.

The RTD strike ended after a week. Didn't cross the lines. Glad its fixed...
The weather got warm last week. Monday was the first time this year I didn't wear a coat of some sort to work. On Wednesday I left Duffys and it was warmer outside than inside. Thursday I woke up and it was pretty warm in the morning.... I am not looking forward to the summer. Last summer was just stupid hot. I think I am going to have to move. Downtown seems like its 10-20 degrees hotter than, say, a neighborhood with fields, and grass, and trees and such......
I have seen the following movies recently:
Brokeback Mtn - A
V For Vengeance - B-
Lucky Number Slevin B.
I had higher hopes for V For Vendetta than for Lucky Number Slevin, so that might explain why I enjoyed the latter more....
I learned a couple of new ways to tie my shoes from this guy, IAN.
I learned the Correct Way to fold a burrito from this guy, Bill.
Went up to Fort Collins last weekend. Took care of some chores so far this weekend. Went to the YMCA quite a bit... And thats about it.

Our Vacation From Murder is Over.

There was a shooting on 16 and Welton last week. One person was killed, the other was wounded. I don't know if this is the first murder since our over 6 week record breaking murder free vaction period started. Regardless, we need to reset our record calender now.
By the way, the incident happened at a club called "Beyond" I believe. It occured at about closing time on Wed morning.

Another Good Thing About the Internet.

We have 2 newpapers in Denver. Thats kind of a monopoly. They both suck. (Oh yeah, we have 1 alternative paper also. It sucks too.) Prior to the internet being so dominant, I would pretty much have to read the paper once a week. Now, never.
I can get all the info on, upcoming shows, the weather, movie reviews, local events on the Web through about a billion different sources.
I hope all of contemporary journalism goes out of business. They are like the scribes who used to want to outlaw the printing press. New technology implies new ways of business.

RTD on Strike.

The Denver Regional Transportation District has been on strike since Monday. I take the bus(es) to work about half the time. Not now though. I don't want to cross any picket lines. Did read that they are close to an agreement. May be back in business next Monday.

By the way, you know who does cross picket lines? Bruce Springsteen. The Boss/Scab walked right into a concert hall being protested by the hardworking people Bruce made a zillion bucks singing about. I don't recall the specifics, but The Nation magazine gave him a pass on it. Cause he's Bruce after all. Let me know if you need help spelling HYPOCRITE.

George Bush = Worst President Ever.

In no particular order:
1. Where are those weapons of mass distruction?
2. When he came in we had a budget surplus, now we have a big ass deficit.
3. That tax cut he gave didn't do shit for me.
4. He says that immigrants only do jobs Americans won't. The man has never worked a day in his life. Where does he get off saying other Americans aren't willing to work?
5. We all know he can't speak English.
6. He was an owner of a major league baseball team. That team was, of course, government/taxpayer subsidized.
7. He pretends to be a cowboy.....

You get the idea. He has pissed of a lot of people, including many of the people who voted for him. I don't think much of any of the democrats these days either though, sadly enough. So, to recap, were fucked.

How to handle your alternator life span.

You are supposed to get your alternator checked every so often. AutoZone might be able to do it for you. Possibly free.
If, like me, you don't do this, you might end up with your alternator dying on you on the way to work. Then leaving work that night with just enough battery power to get your car to the Baja Fresh/strip mall parking lot a couple of blocks from work. Then taking the bus home. Then having to have your car towed, the next business day, in a snowstorm, to Big O Tires, (lurid name now that I think about it). Doing it my way is more expensive in terms of time, money and frustration.

Insurance Hassle Round 2

I had a physical in January. I got another thing from the insurance company saying it wasn't covered. Called them back up and the woman on the phone said, "Yeah, it probably should be covered on your plan. Physicals usually aren't, but on your plan they are. So I will send it to the adjudication department." So, for a rountine exam, it is going on 3 months to get this settled.

MicroSoft Dominance.

Economist, April 1
An article claims that online applications might eventually eclipse Microsoft's dominance of the software market. Suppliers such as Salesforce.com offer programs that may come to rival Microsoft's big sellers, Windows and Office. "Online competitors have also mastered quick development and deployment times that Microsoft cannot match. Meanwhile open-source software—developed co-operatively and distributed free of charge—is also gaining ground,"

I've head this line before. Over 10 years ago. Java was going to destroy Windows then. Keep up with those predictions guys, maybe someday you'll be right.
(I think Java's the one thats going to fade out. It's a bloated mess. C#, Sql-server, Windows 2003 are quick, reliable and will cost you less than Java, Oracle, linux. Thats not a prediction, that's my experience. Your mileage may vary.)

Springtime is here.

Went to Lodo today. First time I had been down there in a little while. Anyway, downtown seemed really busy. The weather was nice. It was a Friday. Nothing in particular going on just a lot of people out and about.
Living downtown, you notice these things. On Sundays, or during the cold days, all this would have been fairly barren.