Projects for this weekend

1. Easter Vigil Mass - It's a marathon of music
2. Organize Softball team for Summer
3. Surround Sound Speakers
4. Get Stacker system working for Directivo
5. Upgrade TiVo Software
6. Transfer Quicken data to Mac
7. Get my free printer
8. Gesturing SW for Mac
9. Seriously, isn't that enough?

iMac

So I finally broke down and bought a computer. Been without one for about 6 years. Just using my work laptop when I needed it. But it's been acting up lately and I thought it would be nice to have one at home to expand my use of.

Given that I spend oodles of time making phones work with my PC and just making my PC work I decided it was time to make the jump to Mac. Yes, an iMac with Intel inside. Yes, the ability to dual boot did influence my decision, though I haven't done that yet. Mostly I didn't want to have to twiddle a lot. I just wanted stuff to work.

Observations so far. iTunes import was beautiful, found my airport and everything. Still synching the iPod with the PC though... Network setup was also super easy. The hardest part there was figuring out the iMac's MAC address to tell my router. iPhoto is nice, but i have to redo all of my folders and labels from Picasa. Not sure I'm sold on iPhoto yet. Oh... I have a LinkStation on my network, and the iMac found it and mounted it with ease.

Safari and even the Firefox for Mac are lagging a bit behind their windows counterparts... but might be lack of experience. I do like expose. I can't adjust the mouse tracking to be fast enough for me.

Biggest issue is transferring Quicken data from PC to Mac. It is not straightforward at all. Intui basically says you will lose info, and refers you to a data transfer service to do it manually. I think I found a way to do it in steps without losing too much, but may have found the first reason to install windows (you know, besides that I can.) Also need to find a gesturing program for Mac. I have one in Windows and like Vespa's industrial strength hair dryer, ' I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT IT'

Vonage Good

I've had vonage for 3 months now. I like it. Once I got past the firewall setup on my router it worked great. No QoS problems at all.

My favorite feature has to be that I get an email when anyone leaves a voicemail, and I can then listen to it over the internet. Since it's a wav file that you download you can easily replay sections to get phone numbers or whatever.

I highly reccommend it. Oh and feel free to tell them kerrnal98 referred you!

Kudos

To the Apple store. I bought an iMac and no one mentioned the $100 rebate on printers. The rebate requires the printer and computer to be on the same receipt, so I called. They called back letting me know that I could return the computer and buy a computer and printer together. Free printer here I come.

Moment of Zen

I need one... now.

Pool Anyone????

My New Pool table
Originally uploaded by kerrnal.

That's right, I'm just a flat screen, mirror ball, and jacuzzi away from the ultimate bachelor pad.

I get all my great ideas in the shower

Shower White Board

Great idea.... I wonder if it's 'dry' erase board.

That's a sweet feeling...

When you pass a Porsche Cayenne on the freeway in your Prius hybrid. Doing 90mph at 45MPG. Booyah! If you buy a Porsche, ya better use it.

Fundue

Need to convince the wife you need a new computer? Just show her the old one is good for this.

A study you need to see

Now you know. It's all a government plot to control your mind.

This is some HOT sushi... wait, that's just the plate

Wow. This is unreal. I usually don't like sushi, but I'd be willing to try this, and of course my birthday is just around the corner. You think I'm kidding, click to see all the action shots. I hope those leaves are glued down. Must take a lot of focus to just lay there the whole meal. Side note... the picture show goes from this restaraunt to a place called 'Extra Virgin.' I couldn't make this up.

Thirty & Broke

Yikes.... this is really scary stuff. $100,000 in student loan debt.... Yowza.

Pictures of My New Condo

Check 'em out!

One of those days....

So I had one of those day today. Just kind of woke up on the wrong side of bed... Services at PRCC were ok, but something just felt out of step. I came home and got a call from my accompanist, who was sick and couldn't make it to mass later that afternoon. I had a little time to look over the parts for the songs I was doing, and switch out a piano heavy song for an accapella one. Then I got to church and was moving this big black wheeled cabinet that we keep all the micropones equipment in. It's about 6' tall and about 4' wide (did I mention heavy). As I was wheeling it down the ramp of the altar, a wheel came off. I didn't notice until it started to fall over the ramp edge and dumped the 15lb speakers that were on top of it off onto the floor. I was hanging on for dear life to prevent it from falling over. Miraculously there were two people in the church (it was really early usually no one there) who helped me get it upright. Boy was I spooked. So, no accompanist, and I nearly lost all my equipment, and almost got a monitor in the head. Something was just off. Forge ahead. So during practice I couldn't get one of our pieces to work, between spotty attendance and my inability to play piano while simultaneously singing bass, and tenor. So I decided I would do a meditiation piece in it's place. My drummer came, and he's an amazing musician... which was really helping out. We finished rehearsal, and I still had to pick a piece to do. Mass starts, going well. Homily time, I'm looking to see what I have on hand. I'm indecisive. Then I start listening to the homily and Fr. Don is talking about how our lives are gifts from God, to give back, and everything we are is his... And I have the perfect song. 'I'm Yours Lord' Kind of rocking, but it fits. So it's me and my guitar and i start, and then I notice drummer is hanging out and jams with me. It was awesome. Not only didn't we practice it, I hadn't played it in months. It just rocked. He's a great musician. Then we went into an amazing version of Deep Within, and my new clarinet player was awesome. The choir was singing with a lot of feeling, and then we did the last refrain accapella (I just decided to do it on the spot) but the drummer was filling space. It was awesome. Tight harmony, beautiful singing. Then we really rocked 'Freedom is Coming.' Here's the thing, in the middle of me being unsettled, i listened a little and found the right piece of music. Then some angels came and played and sang with me. They carried me, and God carried us all. Sometimes great music comes from chaos. And you never know what can happen in God.

Think Secret - Updated Mac minis arriving, details revealed [updated]

It's like they don't want me to by a mac mini.

Slow Wireless Network? Get some of this

Wi-Fi Speed Spray DramaticalIy Increase Data Throughput

Selling the house

So... I'm in the process of selling my condo. And of course all that goes with it. Painting, cleaning, de-cluttering, fixing little things I've been meaning to get around to. The place looks so nice, I don't want to leave it.

So I've been interviewing three agents. Two of them essentially came up with the same asking price. The third, who lives in the neighborhood (so I assumed she'd be very familar with the pricing etc) suggested a price.... wait for it. $100,000 higher than the other two realtors. Which would be great, but it would mean that my humble garden unit would sell for almost $35k more than the penthouse, and $130,000 more than the other garden that sold last year. I wish. Yikes. small mistake? good thing I did my homework.

Sex Retreat

No, seriously. The Jesuit group I work with, Charis, is sponsoring a weekend retreat on sexuality, 'Sex in the City of God'. I've worked with this group on several occasions, and highly reccommend them. This is their first attempt at this particular topic however.

I arrived late to a recognition dinner for the group, and Jenene asked me if I had plans for the summer. I should have suspected something right away. I have some plans, but nothing grandiose, no month long escapes to Italy. So when Jenene asked if I'd do music for the summer retreat, I agreed. Not making the connection that I'd be doing music from 70's porn flicks....

Ok I admit, that part was my idea, but it could be an interesting retreat, and we'll have some fun with the music for sure. And I can't wait to see what kind of a crowd it draws.

That one's going on my resume.

Brain Fart Theater

Well, I pretty much packed a year's worth of brain farts into one Mass. I forgot to tell the priest that there was no Gloria, accidentally banged the strings during the gospel, forgot to turn the guitar on for another song, and after reminding the cantor to announce the number of the mass parts I played over the top of her.

Wow. Just not my day. Couldn't seem to get the brain and body working together today. God was teaching me humility.

Good vs. Great Marketing

Good marketing: I found a locksmith's business card tucked into the window seal of my car.

Great marketing: If I had found it inside my car.