Back to the lab

Posted by todd at 11:19 PM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2006

And When You're Out of Fuel, I'm Still Afloat

We've been in California for about a week and already Ruth went surfing today. My envy was so great that I baked her a cake while she was gone.

Posted by todd at 9:34 PM | Comments (6)

September 19, 2006

Do This

Seriously, do this.

Posted by todd at 10:00 PM | Comments (2)

September 18, 2006

Me Hearties

Tomorrow (today, by the time anyone sees this) is Talk like a Pirate Day. I know you always thought you'd stop observing when you left Bard, but that was a silly idea. Anyway, the least you can do is go and learn the history of the word buccaneer.

Posted by todd at 9:52 PM | Comments (1)

September 17, 2006

Fun with Defaults

Ruth and I have been experiencing spotty wireless access since we moved in, despite the fact that the router is just downstairs. This finally became a real problem today when I began setting up an old laptop as a file server and none of our other machines could see it. I confirmed that we were all on the same wireless network (called, cleverly, 'default'), and then spent a very frustrating hour trying to figure out why I couldn't ssh or even ping from one room to the next.

I won't regale you with how, but eventually I realized that the boxes in our office and those in the rest of the house were connecting to two different routers named 'default'. These two routers were both D-Link machines, with only slightly different model numbers (ours is a DI-624, the neighbors is a DI-524).

I also discovered that our neighbors had also been careless enough to leave the default administrator password on their router. This left me with a quandry when I decided that the best solution was to rename one of the networks: Rename ours, and potentially annoy our landlady/housemate, or rename theirs, and potentially annoy ... I'm not sure who, exactly.

I'll leave the solution as an exercise for the reader.

Posted by todd at 10:55 PM | Comments (6)

September 16, 2006

Oddly Depressing

Now that we've been in Irvine for a while, and I've gotten my laptop back, things are starting to settle a bit, and I've finally fired up BlogBridge and begun to catch up on things that happened while I was away. And I've just noticed that Monica has stopped blogging. I heard this was going to happen months ago, and she hasn't posted in ages anyway, but I find this oddly depressing. In part because the idea that one of us -- those of the TBND old guard, who've been at this forever -- could live without a blog means that we all could, and forces me to reconsider why I do it, and who really has a good answer for those questions?

Posted by todd at 9:21 PM | Comments (2)

September 15, 2006

A Hearty Recommendation for IBM

About a month ago now, I bought a Lenovo ThinkPad T60, and I cannot recommend the product highly enough. I really love it. But this post isn't about the hardware.

Not long -- maybe two weeks? -- after I got the laptop, Ruth and I packed up her car to bursting and set out from Waltham for California. On the very first night of our trip, I busted out my trusty new ThinkPad in Frackville, PA, and found that sometime that day the LCD had been cracked. Half of the display was black, and the laptop was essentially useless. I would have been aghast, had I not purchased the accident protection plan.

The first cool thing about IBM is that all of the machines appear to come with a three year parts and labor warranty against defects. This is basically the equivalent of a free "Apple Care" plan, except without the Genius Bar people condescending to you.

The second cool thing is that, for roughly the cost of the "Apple Care" plan, I got three years of accident protection. My laptop is basically insured against anything except for theft, for a measly $150.

And by far the best thing about IBM is the customer service when you do have a problem. Here is a timeline of my repair process:

• Saturday, 11pm: I call up the help line and tell them my problem. A kind of goofy guy in Atlanta talks too much about World of Warcraft, which I don't play, but in the meantime he assures me that my warranty will cover my problem. The plan is standard: they send me a box, I send in the machine, they send it back, fixed. He also says I can keep my hard drive, which is great news. Too many friends have had theirs needlessly formatted for me to be comfortable mailing mine off. Also, that is correct: Saturday at 11pm. 24/7 tech support is awesome. They actually pay a guy to sit up at 2 am in Atlanta doing this. Crazy.
• Tuesday morning: Box arrives. I remove my battery and my hard drive and box the machine up.
• Tuesday afternoon: Drop off the machine at DHL. I could call and arrange to have it picked up, but there's a drop-off place on the way to somewhere.
• Thursday morning: My machine shows up at my door, a full week before even my most optimistic expectations. IBM had it shipped overnight both ways, as well as performing the repairs and shipping it back out all in one day. The end result is that my laptop was out of my hands for fewer than forty-eight hours, despite having been repaired in Memphis.

If that story isn't a reason to buy IBM products, I don't know what is. I have never had so satisfying an experience with customer support.

Posted by todd at 10:23 PM | Comments (2)

September 14, 2006

The Most Delicious Neighborhood

A list of all of the types of fruit which have been spotted growing in our neighborhood: oranges, lemons, mangos, limes, grapes, persimmons, and bananas. The irony is that we live on Avocado Street, but have not seen hide nor hair of any Hass.

Posted by todd at 9:47 PM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2006

The Most Relevant Facts

A young man in a black trench coat and a mohawk haircut opened fire Wednesday at a Montreal college, slaying a woman and wounding at least 19 other people before police shot and killed him, witnesses and authorities said.

Am I the only person who thinks that an organization as large and influential as the Associated Press could have found at least one more interesting fact about the gunman with which to lead than the style of his haircut?

Posted by todd at 9:54 PM | Comments (3)

September 12, 2006

Ghosts and Empties: Day 7

The seventh day of our move from Waltham to Irvine was last Wednesday. We drove from Nashville, TN to Checotah, OK.

The best part of this day was the lengthy stop in Memphis. We ate at an outstanding barbeque restaurant from Roadfood called Leonard's. This restaurant has been open since 1922, and Leonard was apparently the man who first served a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw on top. This fact was enough to convince us to give the restaurant a shot, and we weren't disappointed. The sandwiches were oustanding, and the onion rings were some of the best I've ever had -- large slices of onion, great batter, and exceptionally crispy. Unfortunately, we didn't have room to eat many of them, because the sandwiches were massive and the fried okra was even better than the onion rings. Even the sweet tea was great.

From there, we went to Graceland. Ruth was very excited about this, but I wasn't sure I could get into it. As usual, she was completely correct.

How can you argue with a place where people with such amazing hair, such love of Elvis, and such excellent wedding dresses go to see the King of Rock's copy of Gods from Outer Space.

We also learned that Elvis could have taught Bo a thing or two about peacocking, and the 70s were an amazing time to be very wealthy.

One more amazing thing about Memphis: the city has a road called American Way, on which we found this strip club.

On our way through Arkansas, we were able to stop at two more Roadfood destinations. The first was Family Pie Shop in DeVall's Bluff. The town consists of about 450 people, and the shop consists of a kitchen built into a cinder block garage. But the pie is wonderful. The second was Feltner's Whattaburger in Russelville. We didn't get any pictures from there, but we did have some terrific burgers and a great peanut butter milkshake.

Here is the best shot from the road that day: someplace in Arkansas.

Posted by todd at 9:10 PM | Comments (3)

September 11, 2006

Only if You're Selling Led Zeppelin Albums

Ruth and I set out today hoping to fill in the gaps left after yesterday's marathon trip to Target and IKEA. We looked up all of the nearby Salvation Army locations on Google Maps, and set out for the closest.

This part of Southern California -- what I guess you would call "the greater Los Angeles area" -- is a confusing patchwork of nominal cities. There are no breaks in the suburban landscape, it's just that occassionally you will pass a sign announcing that you have now entered Tustin, population 71,043 or welcoming you to Orange. The sign will usually appear on the sidewalk between a CVS pharmacy and an independent doughnut shop; for some reason, neither of Dunkin nor Krispee Kreme seems to have found much of a foothold in the area.

Our trip to Salvation Army took us to a new town -- Santa Ana. Almost as soon as we passed into this new area, we began to notice a serious change in the condition of the buildings we passed. Being used to places like Winston-Salem and Kingston, NY, it hadn't occured to us until just then that there are cities where the Salvation Army serves a section of the population other than "hip high school and college students looking for funky T-shirts."

We had just passed the Salvation Army, and were trying to figure out where to park, but we were a little unsure of what to do next. Our bafflement must have been apparent, because just then we became aware that the young man in the car we were waiting next to was talking to us. He was in a very nice car -- by far the nicest we'd seen for some time. A Lexus, or something. Also, he looked a little upset. Uncertain, Ruth rolled down the window.

"You guys want to buy some rock?" the man asked.

We spent the ride home trying to figure out whether he asks everyone next to whom he stops that question, or if something about our appearance -- out of place and utterly confused -- indicated that we might be searching for crack.

Posted by todd at 11:20 AM | Comments (6)

September 10, 2006

Moving In

Unpacking everything you own is always an interesting experience, isn't it? How many times today have I thought, "Oh, here's this. I really thought this was going to make me so much more efficient, but then I never used it. But maybe if I put it here, it will be so much easier to access, and then my entire life will be so much better?"

Anyway, still no time to catch up on road trip posts. Until I do, here are a couple of good pictures from day seven: Welcome to Bucksnort, TN! and the best meal I've had in ages.

Also check out the Day 7 gallery for a ton of pictures of Graceland. It's full of poor boys and pilgrims and families, I promise.

Posted by todd at 10:30 PM | Comments (0)

September 9, 2006

Hey Yo, Big, Wake Yo' Ass Up

"Whoa... Cali?"
"No doubt, baby. You know we gotta get this paper."

Posted by todd at 8:29 AM | Comments (1)

September 8, 2006

Apparently I Have Fallen Behind

Couple straight nights without internet, and now there's three whole days to tell about. I guess I'll catch up after we get there!

Update:I have also gotten so far behind Eastern time that when I post at 9 pm it shows up as tomorrow. Crazy.

Posted by todd at 9:10 PM | Comments (0)

September 7, 2006

Well, this sucks.

You would not believe what I am going through to put up this post.

Posted by todd at 10:57 PM | Comments (2)

September 6, 2006

Take it Easy: Day 6

Yesterdy was a very nice, slow day. We spent all of it in Nashville, visiting Ruth's mother and grandmother. We woke early and ate at another Roadfood favorite, The Pancake Pantry, which claims to have something like twenty-three varieties of pancake. We had sweet potato, sugar and spice, buckwheat, and blueberry, and they were all outstanding.

Later in the day, Ruth and I went shopping a really great used book store, where I finally found a used copy of Little, Big and Ruth got a new cookbook. We also stopped in at a local cookware store and bought some coffee.

Like I said, slow day. Also, I thought the new House was a bit over-dramatic.

Posted by todd at 8:19 AM | Comments (0)

September 5, 2006

Misty Mountain Hop: Day 5

Yesterday, we drove across lower Appalachia, from Winston-Salem, NC to Johnson City, TN and then on to Nashville, TN. We got lost (read: Todd is a terrible navigator) just past Boone, and ended up taking a detour through the very rural outer reaches of north-eastern Tennesse. Over the course of about an hour and a half, we saw roughly 173 Baptist churches. But we also saw a lot of wonderful mountain roads, so that was neat.

We picked up a car-top carrier at Ruth's parents house in Johnson City, and had something of an adventure trying to figure out how to affix it to the Saturn. In the end, we settled on a sort of busted configuration that involved attaching straps to structures never meant to bear any sort of load. Hopefully this won't end with the thing blowing off into the middle of Interstate 40 in the middle of the New Mexico desert.

This configuration of straps also forces us to leave half of our windows cracked ever-so-slightly, which logically implies that we should drive into a Biblical deluge not ten minutes from the house. Luckily, we were able to hide at a BP station until the worst of it was over, and I had brought a roll of tape, which we used to cover the space where we weren't able to shut the windows completely.

After the downpour, our trip to Nashville was relatively uneventful. We arrived around 9:30 PM Eastern time, or only 8:30 Central. We then spent a few hours catching up with Ruth's parents and her grandmother, which we both enjoyed a good deal. Everyone seems to be doing quite well, and Ellen's treatments seem to be progressing well, which is always good news.

---
Still working on catching up on my uploading of pictures. I will post links to the highlights when I get to day five.

Posted by todd at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

September 4, 2006

We Love to Party: Day 4

No time for posts! Must catch up soon!

[Later:]

Sunday was possibly even better that Saturday. We got up early on Sunday, and went for a long (seven mile!) run. We are trying to stick with our schedule, which ends with a half-marathon in late November, but traveling has made this tricky. The seven miles was very tough.

After getting cleaned up, we went to Tina's house and I got to see my dad for a few hours. This was terrific, because I think it was getting close to two years since I had seen him. The last time I remember being together was watching Team USA lose to Argentina in the 2004 Olympics. So we caught up, and he seems to be doing better than he has been in a long time. This put me in a good mood. Also, Tina has a nice little home out in Walkertown, which was good to see.

From Tina's, we went back to my grandparents' house, and I began preparing fish tacos for a party of eleven. By quarter of six, everyone was standing around enjoying Sam Adams Black Lager while I nearly caught the house on fire. I got the oil too hot, and it spilled over, igniting the burner. Good times. Once the kitchen was cleared of smoke, I returned to the frying pan and turned out a few plates of very delicious fish tacos. Many skeptics were made to eat their words.

After dinner, we discovered that my cheesecake was badly made, but Bethany's Kahlua cheesecake was delicious. Also, Keith and Bethany are both even worse poker players than myself and Ruth, which is saying quite a bit.

After the party, Ruth and I stayed up late repacking the car for the second leg of the trip. We were amazed to find out just how much fits into the back seat and trunk of a Saturn. In the end, we left behind nothing at all that we can't live without.

Posted by todd at 7:52 AM | Comments (0)

September 3, 2006

Snakes on a Road Trip: Day 3

Description and pictures to come later. Now, I have fish tacos to make.

[Later:]

Saturday was a lot of fun. We slept in, and during the afternoon I prepared and baked a cheesecake. We hung out at my grandparents' house for a few hours, and then we took a big ten-person party out to dinner.

For dinner, we introduced several members of my family, as well as Keith (one of my best friends from high school) to Indian food, and pretty much everyone discovered that they loved it. This is good, because I refuse to associate with anyone who feels otherwise.

After dinner, Ruth, Keith, Bethany, and I went to see Snakes on a Plane. It isn't really a movie that should be experienced in any other way than with a friend who you can count on to provide a lot of good one-liners. But it's full of opportunities for the same, so we had a good time. Also, the airplane bottles of Starbucks liqueur may have helped.

Posted by todd at 5:07 PM | Comments (0)

September 2, 2006

Goin' Down South: Day 2

Yesterday, we got up early and had breakfast at The Dutch Kitchen in Frackville, PA. This is one of our favorite road food restaurants, and we actually stopped in Frackville specifically so that we could have breakfast there.

We stopped for lunch at one of the Barrett family's favorite road stops, Edelweiss in Staunton, VA. They had outstanding German food, and a remarkable selection of German beers. Unfortunately, we did not partake, as it seemed like an odd thing to do at lunch time on a road trip.

Posted by todd at 12:17 PM | Comments (1)

September 1, 2006

Going to California: Day 1

Ruth and my grandfather picked me up from work yesterday at 12:30, and we drove as far as Frackville, PA. I'll upload more pictures later, but here are the two best from the day: Ruth sleeping in a mess of boxes and half-packed crap, when I left for work, and Ruth looking miffed outside of John's Italian Family Restaurant.

There's kind of a weird story behind that restaurant. It's in the middle of nowhere on I-84 between Newburgh, NY and Scranton, PA, and I've eaten there at least four times with different groups of people. I never try to eat there -- the food is OK, but not amazing or anything. It just seems like everytime I take 84, I end up starving in the middle of nowhere right around there. Ruth is annoyed because she was hungry an hour earlier, but it took us forever to find a place to stop. Also, I'm taking forever with the pictures.

The last time we were there, it was breakfast time, and it was in the middle of a torrential downpour. This time was much less interesting.

Posted by todd at 8:06 PM | Comments (0)