Posted on August 21, 2002 at 1:21 pm | No Comments
The heatwave is over. We’ve got sunny seventies, and the pull of the outdoors is doing it’s best to keep me from getting any real work done… but the work won’t stop. 2pm and I haven’t even eaten lunch. Must… leave… building…
Y’know, I just realized I never said anything about last week’s Also-Rans show in Brooklyn, and that’s ‘cuz Chris said it better than I ever could have. Check out our show diary for the inside-jokes. Suffice it to say, it was one hell of a good time.
Everything’s Relative …
Finally finished putting up a couple of pages of pictures from my mom-in-law Felice’s surprise birthday party in Manhattan a couple weeks back. Go check out the family photo action.
Now, let’s get a little linky, shall we? …
The Holy Grail of Mail…
I’ve seen the light, and it’s called MailWasher. Get on over there and download this excellent new application that has seriously helped me cut down on spam in just a few short days of use. Just run it before you check your mail, and it grabs the titles of all your incoming emails and let’s you ‘bounce’ any spammers, sending them a message that your email account does not exist. It also allows you to ‘blacklist’ these addresses, so they can’t get through again. Once you’re done, it automatically launches your default email program so you can grab the good stuff. Simple, efficient, and it just plain works.
How Now Mr. Clowes…
A random visit to a listing of upcoming Wordsworth Books readings revealed that Mr. Dan Clowes (Ghost World / Eight Ball) is making an appearance there in honor of his new collection David Boring in September. Very cool. Scroll down further and you’ve got P. J. O’Rourke and Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club) coming up, too.
Scared in the Square…
Another cool series of events in the Harvard Square area: check out the listing for the CfA Sci Fi Movie Nights. Maybe I’ll check out The Thing on October 1st. (thanks to mari anne for the tip)
And Next on the RIAA’s List Is…
I have seen their next target, and it’s called Soulseek. It combines a Napster-like interface with features from the much-missed Audiogalaxy, and according to Den, it’s got a lot of download depth for something so new. And a bonus: No trojan advertising/snooping software is included. I’ve only had a few minutes to check it out, but it looks promising. As someone who actually ends up buying more cds because of online mp3 action, my ears are psyched, but my wallet is most decidedly not. First up on my search list: Tram, Hem, & Saloon.
Alright, it’s just about time for some sunshine…
Posted on August 16, 2002 at 3:01 pm | No Comments
Well, that was one crazy week, right there. Two drives down to New York City (one for family in Manhattan, one for the Rawk in Brooklyn) in the space of 5 days. My internal clock is all outta whack thanks to a 5am Williamsburg-style bedtime, followed up by the 13-hour work shift I pulled yesterday. My eyelids are heavy, and the world is hot n’ hazy.
The NYC drive was a planned one, but my hundreds of loyal readers will notice I made no mention of it here on the ‘Nac. Why so very hush-hush? Why so QUIET about it? Well, it was for a surprise 60th 30th birthday dinner party for my dear mom-in-law, Felice, that’s why. Y’see, she’s recently hopped aboard this whole “inter-web” thing, and I wasn’t going to be the one to do any pre-party bean spilling. Ends up she had no idea that 40 or so of her closest family & friends were waiting for her at the Russian Firebird Restaurant.
And what a restaurant it was. The interior looked like a palace, the service bordered on over-attentive, the string duo was perfect, and the food… whoa … some of the best I’ve ever had. Amazing hors d’ouvres, killer entrees (for me it was salmon wrapped in a light pastry crust), and desserts that were far too tasty to feel guilty about. We drove down n’ back in a day, and it was so worth the trip … and I’m talking about seein’ the family, not eatin’ the food. The more time I spend with them, the more I realize I wasn’t just lucky finding Amie… I got some great relatives as part of the package deal…
I’ll have lots more pictures from the party posted this weekend.