Yes, today is the first day of summer.  And Mother Nature is making it one to remember here, with record-setting temps and heat index readings approaching 110F.

Summer is fine for youngsters and those used to these temperatures.  But for me, it's misery city.  I lost off of my resistance to the heat over the years, and feel much more comfortable in cooler climates.   But it's where my work is, so... I deal with it as best I can.

It's still miserable...

So here's the Memorial Day weekend, a three day holiday away from work.  And what am I looking at outside my window?

Wind, grey clouds and rain.  Lots of wind, lots of clouds, and lots of rain.

It seems our little low almost, ALMOST managed to pull things together to form a tropical system.  But while it's not going to get a name or anything, it's pulling all this rain and wind up into it, and as you know, the bad part of the storms are always to the east of the center.  And where am I relative to this?

Yep.  East of the center, right were all the rainbands are rolling out of the Gulf and into Florida and Alabama.

*sigh*

As if I really wanted clear blue skies, warm temperatures and barely clad babes at the beaches.

*chuckle*

Today is May 17th, which means there's two weeks until the official start of hurricane season.  OFFICIAL start, that is.  But just to show who is in charge, Mother Nature might decide to throw out the first pitch early.

From the National Hurricane Center:

MANY OF THE GLOBAL MODELS ARE SHOWING LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING OVER THE N CENTRAL CARIBBEAN...
EITHER EXTRATROPICAL OR SUBTROPICAL...AND MOVING GENERALLY N. THE DEVELOPMENT AND TRACK OF 
THE LOW REMAIN UNCERTAIN...THOUGH COMPUTER MODELS SUGGEST THAT WINDS WILL INCREASE AROUND THE LOW.

And from the National Weather Service in Mobile:

LITTLE CHANGE TO EXTENDED PACKAGE THIS AFTERNOON AS MODELS REMAIN IN FAIRLY CONSISTENT IN
DEVELOPMENT OF THE GULF LOW PRESSURE THAT WE HAVE BEEN MENTIONING FOR THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. 
AS MIDSHIFT SAID...THERE ARE SOME SLIGHT DIFFERENCES AMOUNGST THE MODELS...BUT ALL OF THE 
GLOBAL MODELS DO DEVELOP A SYSTEM WHICH EVENTUALLY WINDS UP IN THE NORTHEAST OR NORTH
CENTRAL GULF COASTAL REGION IN THE FRIDAY/SATURDAY TIME FRAME. WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO 
MONITOR THIS SITUATION. DOES NOT APPEAR THAT THIS SYSTEM...SHOULD IT DEVELOP...WILL BE 
PURELY TROPICAL BUT A GOOD RAIN AND SOME GUSTY WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE IN THE WEEK AND 
NEXT NEXT WEEKEND...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND NEAR THE COAST.

Just what we needed... thanks, Mom.

What 10-15 science fiction movies would you have in your ultimate collection?  Here's my choices...

2001: A Space Odyssey
Blade Runner
Solaris (1972 Russian)
Forbidden Planet
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951 version)
A Trip to the Moon (Georges Melies, 1902)
Things to Come (1936 version)
When Worlds Collide
Fahrenheit 451
Colossus: The Forbin Project
1984 (1984 version)
Aliens (1986 sequel)
Akira
Serenity
Twelve Monkeys

Comments?  Thoughts?  Suggestions?  The floor is open for debate.

Just saw the new trailer for Disney's "The Princess and The Frog".  Which takes place in......

.....

.....New Orleans. 

You may all panic now.

Went to the Camellia Grill this morning.  It is, quite literally at the foot of the Harbor Bridge as you travel east from Fort Walton Beach as you enter Destin.  Right next to it is Pat O'Brien's, which was fortunately closed at 8am in the morning.

The owners have indeed gone through great lengths to recreate the atmosphere of the old place, and they succeeded.  Other than the sights and sounds of Destin Harbor outside the windows, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference that much.  And the old traditions are there, from the shining of the silverware to the opening of your straws before offering them to you.  The menus look identical to the old place, with the only change being the location listed as Destin.  As for the food...

I warned folks that the omelets were huge, and they were indeed.  They measure close to a foot from one side to the other and about 3 inches across.  As for myself, I ordered a waffle (always a good thing) with sausage (nice and spicy) and a side bowl of grits (yes, the spoon stands up when you put it in.  Just right.)  The pricing is reasonable for the breakfast, and all were nice and full after.  Coffee is Community Coffee, and the coffee drinkers were wired after the second cup.  *chuckle*

All in all, it works.  It's a nice little slice of New Orleans for those who want a taste of the old place.  You can't ask for much more... well, you could, but you'd have to go downstairs to Commander's Palace.  *gryn*

Here's a few shots:  One of the exterior


And the famous menu:                         


The crew hard at work:                       


And a couple of salty sea dogs:             

So I went and downloaded the Release Candidate 1 for Windows 7 through legit channels (read MSDN Network).  Yes, I know, folks have been grabbing theirs through the torrent sites, but since I have a (mostly) ethical attitude towards software, well... and since I happen to have a spare 250gb SATA drive from out of my system along with an external SATA case, it was time to test the software.

First thought... life support system.  The little pulsating Windows logo when you start your machine reminds me too much of a heart monitor.  "Your computer is about to suffer a stroke."

Second thought... Cylons.  The little line of light that signals that Windows 7 is being installed looks a lot like a Cylon scanning for enemies.

Third thought... Vista Light!  Yes, with 33% fewer annoyances!  And I will admit that it does feel faster than Vista, but not quite as fast as Windows XP x64.  We'll see what it's like after all software has been installed on the machine.

First major annoyance... the taskbar.  Microsoft, I don't want pop-up windows, and I certainly don't want my desktop disappearing when the cursor accidentally goes over one of those pop-ups.  And I don't want transparent windows, I want to know that where I'm looking is what I'm looking at.  But Microsoft is trying very hard to mimic the Apple model, and they've got a lot of eye candy installed.  We'll see what happens when it comes to real work.

I don't know what it is of late, but since Hurricane Katrina, it seems that Destin Florida has become dotted with fixtures of New Orleans.  The first was Ruth's Chris Steak House, but that's always been a bit of a chain restaurant.  But then came Acme Oyster House in Sandestin, then Commander's Palace last year, and this year the arrival of Pat O'Brien's and the newest eatery, The Camellia Grill.

I kid you not, the old eatery on Carrollton has begun to spread out, and this was the first place to open up.  They even kept the white linen and the same general design that made the old place so nice to visit.  I haven't made a visit to the new eatery yet, but I'm planning that for this weekend, barring any problems.

Not that Destin can be any better than New Orleans... but it is nice to have some tastes of the old place.  We even had a place in Navarre that had New Orleans-style po-boys, complete with French Bread from the city (it wasn't Leidenheimer's) instead of the usual hoagie style bread.

For those who do not know, I am from Iowa.  Specifically, I'm from Storm Lake, Iowa.  Now I may not have lived in Iowa since I was 2 years old, but the events of the last week are a reminder that I am from a state with a unique heritage, one that should be celebrated within this country instead of scorned as many have done.

Earlier in the week the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that gay and lesbian couples have the right to be married, just as any other couple.  This is inherent in the first section of the Iowa Constitution, which states "All men and women are, by nature, free and equal, and have certain inalienable rights--among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining safety and happiness. "  This one statement, simple and concise, strikes to the very core of the reason why the Supreme Court ruled in the way it has.  And in no other state is this one statement taken with such seriousness and intensity as in Iowa.

As has been noted elsewhere, Iowa was the first state to ban interracial marriage (in 1851!), ban segregation (schools in 1868, public accommodation in 1873), as well as open it's doors to women in the state university system (1870's).  It also is home to the Amana colonies (a religious group that immigrated from Germany and is more famous for the fact that they built some of the first microwave ovens), a sizable Asian-American population (many churches and towns took in Vietnamese refugees after the end of the Vietnam War), and a more pragmatic view of life in general.  Oh, and they have the annual bicycle ride across the state, where people from around the world get to see Iowa up close and personal.

So why are people so surprised that Iowans would do this?  They've done more radical actions over the years in clear opposition to the 'prevailing thought' in this country... this is no different.  Oh, and did I mention they voted for a black candidate for president... in 1988??  That candidate's name?  Jesse Jackson.

As a lot of you folks know, I have been recently rather active in coin collecting, particularly coins from outside of the US.  My general themes include wildlife coins, historical figures, natural wonders, and of late the International Polar Year.  However, as I buy coins, I run into coins that have been slabbed.

Now, a slabbed coin is one that has been sent to one of the coin grading services.  There are several out there, the best known ones being NGC, PCGS and ANACS.  Now, what they do is take your coins and hand it over to a 'professional grader' who evaluates the coin and gives it a grade.  The best grade is MS70, which is a pristine proof coin, no marks or blemishes.  The problem is that the only way you're going to get that from a coin is if it was taking straight from the minting press as it comes out.  Let me repeat that:  the ONLY way you can have an MS70 coin is if you plucked it straight out after it was minted.  MS69 is a subjective rating, it means that whoever looked at the coin found something so microscopic that it made the coin less desirable.  *SNORT*

But there are a lot of MS69 and MS70 graded coins on the market, far more than anyone can account for.  The majority come from PCGS, but the other graders have their lot as well.  And a coin graded MS69 or MS70 brings a hefty premium from the shee^H^H^H^Hbuyers.  Example:  A 200 shilling coin from Somalia, gold.  You can get the coin in the original container for $40, or pay $125 (!!!) for a PF69 graded coin.  Mind you, the coin is 1/50 of an ounce of pure gold... it's smaller than a dime.

The other issue I have with slabbing is the destruction of whatever came with the coin.  The original box, the certificate of authenticity, all those items are destroyed when a coin is slabbed.  So instead of having a nice coin in a wooden case and with a numbered certificate, you've got a coin in a piece of ugly plastic with a tiny slip of paper that is 100% arbitrary in nature, and with no provenance for the coin now.  They coin may be beautiful, but the value of the coin has been partially destroyed with the loss of what came with the coin, and the only value now being assigned is what the coin grading company and dealers think they can get for the coin.

So which would you choose?  A coin (say, the $150 gold hologram coin for the year of the Horse from Canada) that you can get for $300 or less in the original box, or the same coin having been slabbed and graded and now the dealer wants $600+ for the coin?  Especially when you can still get it for $300???

I'll rarely post a video link, but this is one I stumbled across on YouTube.  I was checking on the competition that Above and Beyond (the group) was putting on for a fan-created video, and found this:

Jamie Boots "Wildlife Art" - View here

The music is Above and Beyond Presents Oceanlab's "Miracle", and I think the commentaries are self-explanatory.

Be amused.  Be amazed.  And be in awe as you watch him finish the piece with the aye-aye's.
 

You can down download legally Sita Sings the Blues!  Go here for the files.

Help make this movie famous!  Well, more famous than it already is.

*GRYN*

For those who have any interest, Nina Paley's single-handed opus of film making is now available for viewing online.  If you want to view it, you can go here to view the streaming version.  Once it's been shown on WNET-13 on Saturday, March 7, it'll be available for downloading.

Watch it.  Enjoy it.  See why Roger Ebert has raved about this film.  Spread the word.

(The narration alone is hilarious at points, discussing all the fine points [or lack thereof] in the storyline.)

...because they know I'll likely give in.

Case in point:  Yesterday was payday.  So I take care of bills, allocate funds for later bills due at the end of the month, plot what I'd need for groceries, spend some on new coins (SHINY!)... and figure it's going to be a boring weekend again.

Instead, I decided to spend a few shekels on some Florida Lottery scratch-off tickets during lunch, and end up with a $10 that paid off $100, and a $5 that paid off...

$500.

So now I have $600 more than expected... and since I really am bored, I will be taking one of those day trips to Biloxi and see if the Gods will be REAL nice to me.

I'd like to get Aki one of those Treasures of Australia coins... the one with the opals embedded in the coin.

We'll see...

So much for the job offer.  They picked someone else.  Found out this morning when an automated email showed up in my inbox.

Well, just regroup and try again.

Such is life... probably because I work in a small site that might have been a strike against me.

But I'm not going to worry about it much.

Just life as usual.

And I'm speaking more of the commercials than the game itself.  25 years ago, Apple presented a commercial that was perhaps one of the greatest examples of guerrilla tactics in history.  But since then?  We've had 25 years of horrible commercials, none of which have reached that level of sheer audacity.  Instead it's been juvenile humor, talking lizards, dancing lizards, superstars promoting things I'd never purchase or services I'd never use.  (Ok, Budweiser does occasionally do one feel-good commercial that's actually worthwhile and isn't trying to push their beers.)

Ah well... at least I can turn on the radio streams and have something worth listening to today in the background.

The interview I think went well.  Lasted about 40+ minutes on the phone, being bombarded with questions from three different folks.  With one exception... I don't have anything to do with budgets, so asking me about them is kinda useless.  But I did give at least an answer.

Now comes the waiting.  They should make a decision by the end of next week.  I'm not sure what their time frame is after that... but we'll see.

Crossed fingers...

... step up to the plate and swing!

As most of you folks know, I work for $A_Major_Aerospace_Company.  Unfortunately, where I work the prospect of advancement is slim, unless either a) we're suddenly showered with contracts or b) I suffer a pre-frontal lobotomy and go into management.  The third option is to leave the site if an opening elsewhere comes available.

Well, option three may be developing.  A few months back I applied for some openings that were coming out, openings that would provide both a chance to move up in the company (along with an increase in pay) as well as move to somewhere different.  In this case, somewhere different is Europe.  Today I get notified that I've made it through the pre-screening and they want to interview.  FRIDAY.  Via phone.  Apparently they're wanting to get folks hired and in place quickly since the news was announced that a program was given the green light, so...

I'm going to give it my best shot.  I know mshollie will likely be both excited (trips to Europe!  Whee!) and sad (he's 8 hours ahead of me!)  but it's one of those chance of a lifetimes that you don't get many of.  So... let's hope for the best.

Besides, there's also the money... *gryn*

Can we return it for a refund already?

I know, I know, consider the positives.  Once I can find one, that is...

At least the Vegas trip is still counting down.  And so is the hotel rate.  When I initially placed the reservation, the rate was $580 for the seven-night stay (not including taxes.)  As of this morning, the hotel rate is $431.  Yes, it's fallen almost $150 (and yes, the hotel has re-adjusted the reservation to the lower rates.)  So that gives a little more to enjoy Vegas on.

The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino sent me their usual coupons... a $100 free bet, a $200 free bet and $50 credit at Mr. Lucky's (the restaurant in the place).  Since I don't have to stay at the hotel to use them (unlike the Venetian and the MGM Grand), well... I'm going to take advantage of them.  Free lunch and a couple of chances to make a nice small pile of money?  You betcha!

Ah well, such fun is planned.

I just saw the trailer for a new movie, and I'm think now that Disney has gone off the deep end.  First we've got "Bedtime Stories" starring Adam Sandler, which was bad enough.  (Even if it might, MIGHT actually be slightly amusing.)

But now?  Welcome back my friends to Witch Mountain.  Yes, they've gone and made ANOTHER Witch Mountain movie, but this one stars Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock.  Boy, we're scraping the bottom of the barrel here.  Couldn't they leave well enough alone with the first ones from the 70's???

My head hurts...