Microsoft Virtual Earth has a nifty option that let’s you see a “bird’s eye view” of a location on the map.
This is my house.
Christian Arnheiter
a.k.a. Christian Anarchy of The Hates
No, THIS is Thriller…
1500 Filipino Inmates of Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines perform “Thriller”
That’s a LOT of undead Filipinos…
New Set Of Wheels
My 1997 Honda CR-V was acting up again. Not surprising given the age and the 187,000 miles I’ve racked up in the 10 years I’ve owned her.
After the repair shop told me what it would cost to fix her this time I had a tough decision to make. Repair the car or spring for a new one…
Affectionately known as “Jezebel” (the name Cynthia gave the CR=V after being shocked by an electrostatic discharge on more than one occasion), my old car has served me well. Endless times hauling band and camping gear, repeated trips to and from Temple, TX dealing with my mother’s illness, eventual passing and the liquidation and dispersal of her estate. Daily driver to work as well as all recreational locations such as Galveston, Corpus Christi, Austin, San Antonio and all points in between.
As reluctant as I was to admit it, it was time for a new car. I needed something reliable and also fun to drive. I knew it would be a Honda and as luck would have it it’s year end model close-out time at your local Honda dealer.
After work I headed over to the dealership and I was able to get a very competitive price on a 2007 Accord Coupe EX-L V-6.
Black on black, his name is Jack.
Again, Cynthia has named the car…she names ALL the cars.
Jack was so named as a result of a misunderstanding regarding the price paid for the car.
After spending most of the evening at the dealership I drove the new car home. Based on our conversations earlier I thought she would be somewhat enthusiastic when I arrived with the new vehicle.
I could tell right away that Cynthia was apprehensive and I finally sorted out that she thought I paid way more than I did. Once that was cleared up she seemed to have a much better response at which point I said that her reaction had made feel as if I had come home with a handful of magic beans. It was then that she pronounced that the car should be called “Jack” and I immediately agreed.
The Free Radicals
“The horn-heavy, continually evolving collective Free Radicals produces a wildly eclectic fusion that has as many influences as there are items in the Houston, Texas, pawnshop in which they honed their sound during all-night jam sessions.” -The New Yorker, 3/27/2000
Geek Party
The party celebrating the 12th anniversary of Technology Bytes was, by all measures, a huge success. We had a good crowd and a good time was had by all. DJ Amanda Robinson was excellent in the mix and The Free Radicals were quite a lot of fun, especially when they performed a version of the theme song we use to open the show each week.
Thanks to everyone who came out!
Here are some random shots I managed to take in between all the socializing…
Inishmore – Finale
As the rains began to fall I made for the main area next to the docks where there were some restaurants and shops and so-forth. Even with the precipitation I was struck by the stark beauty of this humble fishing community.
As I continued to ride the rain began to come down in earnest so I put on the hustle and made my way to the fish n’ chip shop I had passed earlier. Parking the bicycle outside I went inside and placed an order for the catch of the day. After they called my number and I collected my food I went out on the covered patio and had a seat.
My bus back on the mainland was not scheduled to pick me up for another 4 hours so there was no point in leaving right away. The dock on the mainland was just a parking lot where buses came and went as they dropped off tourists looking to catch the ferry to the islands.
I sat in the fish n’ chips shop and made friends with the local wharf cat who seemed content to beg for scraps from the wet and bedraggled tourists.
After I sat for a while the rain began to slack a bit and I decided to return my rented bicycle and have a go at the island on foot. As I was leaving the bike shop I was accosted by eager tour bus drivers offering a three hour tour of the island that included a trip up to Dun Aengus, a stone fort on the west side of the island.
I decided to pay the 10 Euro and take the tour. We drove past endless stone walls and got a bit of the back story on the island from our tour guide as we worked our way to the far side of the island.
Once we arrived we were given an hour and a half to climb the hill and explore the ruins.
It was a wet, slippery and precarious climb up the stony hillside to reach the top where the ruins of the 3,000 year old stone fort stood watch on the rocky shore of Inis Mór, but the view was spectacular (even with the rain). At the very top, within the stone walls of the ruins you could peer out across the vast ocean, squint and imagine New York in the far, far distance.
There were no railings here, no signs warning of the danger. Only a wet, rocky terrain that abruptly ended in a 300 foot plummet into the ocean below…
Of course this meant that I had to get as close as possible and peer over the edge…
I was probably taking a bigger risk than someone as clumsy as I am should have been…but there I was, on the edge of the world and it was spectacular.
I was so glad that I didn’t let a little rain deter me from having such a grand finale to such a wonderful trip.
Blarney Fest
Back in 1995 and 1996 I organized two Celtic music events at the now defunct Rockefeller’s Nightclub.
The first event was called “Blarney Fest” and featured my band, the The Flying Fish Sailors, along with Ceili’s Muse and the first major public performance by the legendary band, Clandestine. The master of ceremonies was Jim McKenzie. The concert was completely sold out and by any measure, a huge success for all parties involved.
The second event was called “Son of Blarney Fest” and featured the same bands and also included Gordian Knot and a solo performance by Mary Maddux. This event also sold out and was again, a huge success.
Both concerts were recorded and a limited run of CD’s and cassettes were sold and they were never reprinted. But now, thanks to the digital age, these recordings are available once more via web download for ABSOLUTELY FREE!
Click on the following links to get your copy today!