one down, one to go... Endeavour's last mission is GO

Space Shuttle Endeavour (more info here) lifted off this morning at 0856 EDT for STS-134, her final mission - a 16 day mission to deliver components and supplies to the International Space Station... good luck to ship and crew, and here's wishing you a safe return!

Godspeed, Discovery

Discovery on Pad 39A

STS-133 will launch at 16:50:27 EST today for Shuttle Discovery's final mission. She will be delivering supplies and a module to the International Space Station.

Currently, there are only two more missions scheduled for Shuttle Atlantis to perform; this will bring the Space Shuttle program to a close after a long and distinguished service. I sincerely hope that we humans will not take too much time to develop the next series of vehicles that will continue to carry humans to space, whether that be Earth-orbit, lunar exploration/colonization, interplanetary missions or beyond - I believe that we cannot survive without the technical know-how, the room to grow, and the grand vision that space exploration provides. It will bring a return-on-investment far beyond our expectations - we just need to learn to balance long-term goals with short-term responsibility. Just ask any successful businessperson about that :)

Human spaceflight must continue, for many reasons. Unmanned missions and Earth (and near-Earth) based observatories are excellent tools for many tasks and will always be needed, but there will always be a need for humans to be out there, poking our noses into whatever we can find.... it's kinda what we do ;)

But then, I'm a dinosaur. :)

Q.E.D.

original here

Hooray for Interwebs! (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Facebook)

Right - I could care *less* about mafia wars, farm towns (hell I grew up on the real thing), rainbow hugs, etc... I just don't have the spare brain cells to devote to a lot of that. However, Facebook has one thing going for it... in the last week I've been reunited (virtually) with a number of friends from back in the day... back when I weighed 200 pounds (soaking wet), had a Ford Pinto, was in my first band, had my first big romance.... time has a way of moving us around on the Chutes and Ladders (tm) of "real life", and often we take different paths to get to the goal square. For all its inane chatter, Facebook did something that I've not been able to do in 12 years, with all my "mad Internet skillz"; it helped me turn back the clock just a bit :)

The Elder Caribou says....

Q: Why is it that we often find that children are the most mature among us, and adults are the most childish?

A: Because some so-called "adults" are whiny little bitches that need their diapers changed, thats why... NYAH! :P So there! LOL

(okay, that was therapeutic :) )

We have seen the monkey, and he is *us*.

Road-Song of the Bandar-Log

By Rudyard Kipling

Here we go in a flung festoon,
Half-way up to the jealous moon!
Don't you envy our pranceful bands?
Don't you wish you had extra hands?
Wouldn't you like if your tails were--so--
Curved in the shape of a Cupid's bow?
 Now you're angry, but--never mind,
 Brother, thy tail hangs down behind!


Here we sit in a branchy row,
Thinking of beautiful things we know;
Dreaming of deeds that we mean to do,
All complete, in a minute or two--
Something noble and wise and good,
Done by merely wishing we could.
 We've forgotten, but--never mind,
 Brother, thy tail hangs down behind!


All the talk we ever have heard
Uttered by bat or beast or bird--
Hide or fin or scale or feather--
Jabber it quickly and all together!
Excellent!  Wonderful!  Once again!

Now we are talking just like men!
Let's pretend we are ... never mind,
Brother, thy tail hangs down behind!
This is the way of the Monkey-kind.

Then join our leaping lines
       that scumfish through the pines,
That rocket by where, light and high,
       the wild grape swings.
By the rubbish in our wake,
       and the noble noise we make,
Be sure, be sure, we're going to do some splendid things!

My Bou!

kinda says it all, don't you think?

god i hate meetings.

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!

Ricardo Montalbán

1920 - 2009

I debated whether I should use the above title for this post, but nothing else had any zing! Besides, even those too young to remember the Chrysler Cordoba have probably seen Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan... and if you haven't, then head over to your local cheap-dvd outlet and pick up a copy - you'll thank me for it! After the movie, you can scan the 500+ channels on your idiot box for Fantasy Island - quality entertainment at a bargain price! 

Mr. Montalbán was a pioneering Mexican-born actor in radio, theatre, television, and film. His filmography alone extends from 1943 - 2005, and his work in television ranged from 1956 - 2008 (he provided the voice for the genetically-engineered cow in the Family Guy episode, "McStroke").

Ricardo, wherever you are, may your chair be covered in soft Corinthian leather, and may all your fantasies come true!

Hey, is this thing on?

Blogging from my CrackBerry... Now *there's* a productive activity...

sunday! Sunday!! SUNDAY!!! 4/20 - The Humiliators will have you buzzin'...

Come check out the early show at the Red Eyed Fly (8th / Red River - Austin TX) - it's more fun than anyone should have on a Sunday night!

You blew it up! Damn you! Damn you all to Hell!!!

I guess these things come in threes....

Charlton Heston
1923 - 2008

To many of us, he was Moses, El Cid, Judah Ben-Hur, Mark Antony, Col. George Taylor, Cardinal Richelieu, and many other memorable roles... he was also a WWII veteran, Civil Rights activist, and a fervent believer in the right of Americans to keep and bear arms. Whether you share his views or not, he made an impact on millions of lives - and the world will be a smaller place without him.

Oh, and Al - you can go try to take his rifle now, but I'd bet you'll still have a fight on your hands.

New Blog!

Check out Elder Caribou's Wrangler Resurrection - my Spring Project for 2008! Fun for the whole family! Do it! NOW!

Open the pod bay doors, HAL...

More sad news: Arthur C. Clarke, visionary inventor and science fiction author, died today in his home in Sri Lanka. Clarke pioneered the concept of the geosynchronous orbit and communications satellites, as well as writing classic science fiction such as Rendezvous with Rama and 2001: A Space Odyssey, which Stanley Kubrick turned into the iconic movie of the same name. He also joined Walter Cronkite as a commentator for the Apollo Moon missions.

Godspeed.

RIP Gary Gygax 1938 - 2008

Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons and arguably the Father of Roleplaying Games has passed... may all your dice rolls come up 20's :)

... and now, this update:

The man comes on Friday to install our internets - if the cats don't eat them first, I plan to have a real blog update this weekend! There has been a lot going on since the last update... here's a preview

• Dawn got a new mountain bike
• I got a new kayak
• The Humiliators played at the Austin Marathon
• I started working on the Jeep
• There was a Lunar Eclipse
• And so much more!

Bet you can't wait!

omgomgomg im gonna die....

There's nothing like living on the edge...

After a six-month break from mountain biking, I am about to embark on a fitness program that will culminate in two events in May - The Armadillo Hill Country Classic on May 10th, and the Muddy Buddy Bike-n-Run on May 18th. We'll see how this all works out - it's a good thing they have short-distance rides for the Armadillo, or I'd be in a world of hurt!

It's still gonna be interesting, especially since I'll never be a member of the 120-pound-no-body-fat club... but I was riding 15 miles, 3-4 times a week last year at my peak, so I may not be Lance, but I probably won't die, either - it might even be good for me!

What I Did On My Autumn Vacation (Part I)

Really, it's been how long? Mid-September? Geez, I'm surprised that any of you remember where this thing is... or else you are terminally bored and the cable is out. So, to fuel your ennui, here's some of what's been going on in my world:

 

Divorce

Probably the biggest thing that happened to me last year (and to some extent is still happening) is that Paula and I divorced after almost 18 years... and yeah, divorce sucks. There's no two ways to put it. I really feel that we were both ready to take our lives in new directions, and it was a mutually amicable divorce; but still, it sucks. If you've been there, you know what I mean, and if you haven't — well, it just sucks, take my word for it. After all the legal stuff is done, there's still the moving out and the dividing of stuff and who gets the dogs, and a million other details that no one ever thinks about till they are staring you right in the face. No one ever gave me the "divorce" speech, either — you know, like the "birds and the bees" speech or the "it's time to move your lazy ass outta the house you bum" speech or the "hey look what I found underneath your socks in your dresser, how long have you been smoking this" speech... it just isn't one of those topics that parents seem to talk to their kids about. Now mind you, I'm not blaming them - the big "D" in our house was not an option, and my folks are still going strong after 42 years. Just sayin' that invariably there are certain things that one must face with little-to-no preparation, and you can learn a lot about yourself in how you deal with those situations.

 

Goin' to the country...

I am moving in with my girlfriend, Dawn... waaaaay out in BFTX. Okay, actually just a few miles northeast of Seward's Junction, near Liberty Hill, but you get the idea if you check out the map. It's 9 acres of Hill Country, and I love it! It's far enough away from the city that you can actually see stars at night and hear the neighbors in their backyard, half a mile away – yet close enough to main roads to allow you to make it to South Austin in 45 minutes to an hour. I love not being able to see any of our neighbors from the porch, and since we are not part of any housing addition, there are no HOA's, restrictions, etc. — no crazy neighbors to call the cops when the dogs bark or I want to put an antenna up. The only real drawback is that there are very few options when it comes to network connections... and brother, I mean few! In another year or so, there will probably be fibre pulled out there, since the area is growing fairly quickly, but right now the options are: dialup (gag); wireless DSL (okay, but the local provider has a lock on the market and knows it - and charges accordingly) and satellite (HughesNet) - which sucks for anything other than email and some browsing, since there's a huge lag built into the system due to the distance to/from the satellite in geostationary orbit 36,000 km above the planet. Try playing Quake with a 1/3-second lag time built in, on top of the normal lag... teh sux0rz.

Suffice to say that I am suffering thru 'Net withdrawals... but, the benefits far exceed the discomfort :)

 

How much wood...

Its a good thing that this winter has been mild thus far — we haven't had to burn an excessive amount of wood in the fireplace, although it's probably a bit cooler in the house than we'd like it to be. I'll trade that for skyrocketing electric bills any day of the week, though! Plus, I love the smell of a nice wood fire...

 

CAUTION: Bike Season Ahead

Thanks to a fantastic Christmas gift (a bike repair stand), I was able to finish repairs on my mountain bike (see this post) and just in time - I really need to get myself ready for the Muddy Buddy event this May, if I hope to be ready in time... guess I'll just have to ride in the cold. As long as it holds out like it has been, I should be fine. I am really ready to get back on the trails, and there are plenty of good places to ride out here, if you don't mind sharing the road with folks that drive 75mph on roads built for 30mph...

 

Where's Godzilla when you need him???

The Humiliators have been taking some time off for family, but we did manage to almost play a Halloween party with The Whoremoans (the music got shut down by the cops before we got on stage... ask one of us sometime), and we got to play a Christmas gig with Grub Dog, "The Island of Misfit Toys" at Trophy's... another fine night of hilarity and music was had by all! Look for us at mile 25 of the upcoming Austin Marathon — we were chased out of our Mile 1 spot by Steeler Jacket Dude from last year, before we even had a chance to play! Some folks just don't want to rock, I suppose. We have some new material in the works, so keep your eyes on the band website for upcoming show dates.

 

-- To Be Continued

Seriously?

Oh. My. Gawd. An update to the blog?

No, really, false alarm - I'm just testing offline publishing tools.

I'll be updating the blog soon.

Seriously.

ACL weekend update

ACL 2007 Weekend

This weekend I went to my first Austin City Limits Music Festival... what a blast! Three days, 130 bands and lots of fun! The weather was hot but not as bad as in recent years, so that was a plus... and I only bought the Saturday pass so that I could see what it was all about without having to worry about not using the whole pass. Next year I'll do the full weekend - it was really fun! I got to see a number of great bands, plus the people-watching is a sport in itself :)

Friday night, Dawn and I picked up Jessica and the gang at their hotel and drove to Opal Divine's on 6th St., where we met Dawn's friend Mando and had a great time with much food and drink... our server, Anna, really did a great job keeping up with us :) Then it was time for bed, to get ready for Saturday...

Saturday started off right - by sleeping in till noon(ish), and then having a leisurely lunch and drive into Austin... Dawn dropped me off at the ACL Shuttle dropoff and then was off running errands, while I got on a shuttle bus and was carried over to Zilker Park, and then the fun began!

While there were a lot (!) of people, there was none of the massive crush of humanity that I had expected after hearing some folks' descriptions... It was really well laid out, I had no problems finding anything and the only real problem was the fact that with so many people in one place using cellphones to locate and keep track of each other, the local cell nodes were so overloaded that sometimes you had to send a message five or six times to get it through! However, I soon met Jessica at the WaMu stage and we hung out there, listening to Beau Soleil, before going over to the AMD stage for Arctic Monkeys and Arcade Fire. It was a great time, and I will definitely be going next year! I left ACL early, however, because my brothers from SuperCrash were playing at Hanover's in Pflugerville at 10.30p... and I wasn't about to miss that show :) (Can you say "free beer"? I thought so.)

I made my way to the exit, and stood at the top of the hill for the first couple of songs of Muse's set (and light show - wow!)... then made my way to the shuttles to be carried back downtown. I was really impressed with the efficiency of the shuttles, but then I wasn't riding at peak times, either :) Once I got back to the shuttle dropoff, it was a short wait before Dawn picked me up and we headed north to Hanover's... I think I have found a new favorite watering hole! I can't believe that it's taken me this long to find this place! It's your basic rock bar; since it's in Pflugerville you can smoke (if that's your bag), and the staff are friendly and it just has a great feel... plus there are tables, volleyball courts and horseshoes/washers pits in the Biergarten out back. SuperCrash put on a great show, as usual! Following them was a Hendrix cover band called Stone Free that really put on a good show as well. As the bar was closing, we made our way home and crashed.

Sunday was a day for sleeping in, and then it was off to grab some lunch, run some errands and generally wind the weekend up in a nice way :) I'm looking forward to next year's ACL already!