Thursday Threesome time!

Onesome: Driving - Hey, what are you driving this winter? Same old, same old? …or was Santa very nice to you (and if so, please pass him/her along to the gang {g}!)?
I drive My Element. I still love it. Lots of head and leg room and it’s got a really good stereo in it (essential!!).

Twosome: you - Hmmm… If you could, and money were no object, what would you be driving? …and sure: taxes, license, dealer fees, gasoline, tires, insurance, etc. would be covered by Santa!
I’d probably drive either a Honda Pilot or a Hummer. Not really sure, though. I’ve never test drove a Hummer. No, I’m not going to get one of those little cars (like a Viper or Crossfire or Porsche or Lamboghini or such) because there is simply NO head and leg room… I’m 6′7″ and need all the head and leg room I can get!

Threesome: Crazy! - …and it’s crazy, but we’ve made it through another year. Are you going to be doing any celebrating to ring in the New Year? Yes? What’s going to be your way to say “Hello” to 2006?
KC and I are headed to friends’ house with other folks to ring in the New Year. If we lived closer to Davenport, I’d really push to go to Kelly’s Irish Pub for their New Year’s blast - Spatterdash and Wicked Liz and the Belly Swirls are playing.

Things that are difficult to say when you’re drunk…

1. Innovative
2. Preliminary
3. Proliferation
4. Cinnamon

Things that are VERY difficult to say when you’re drunk…

1. Specificity
2. British Constitution
3. Passive-aggressive disorder
4. Transubstantiate

Things that are ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE to say when you’re drunk…

01) A Boxing Day/Week (post-Christmas) shopper or “I’m totally broke and why would I keep shopping after Christmas anyway”?
Shopping is shopping. When I want something I go shopping, when I don’t want anything then I don’t go shopping. Christmas has nothing to do with it… REALLY!

02) Someone who thinks the human culture far in the future will be much like now or someone who thinks human culture far in the future will be very different from now?
I think it will be different, maybe even magical by our standards. Heck, if you go back 100 years, it was a reall innovation to have electric lights. Now we have computers, iPods, DVDs, etc. What will be in the future? Who knows?

03) A digger for truth or one who waits for truth to be brought to you?
Digger for truth. I want to know the truth no matter what.

04) A believer that biology explains most human behavior or a believer that higher mental processes dictate most human behavior?
While much of human behavior is in the higher mental processes, there are some things that are only explained via biology.

05) Afraid of nuclear war happening or afraid of a mega-tsunami hitting shore near you?
Well, where I live (Iowa) if a tsunami hits here, pretty much all of the US is in trouble. Therefore I’m more afraid of a nuclear war.

06) One who thinks that having different adulthood and drinking ages is sensible or one who thinks that having different adulthood and drinking ages is stupid?
I personally think it’s stupid. Hell, I know 40 year olds that aren’t mature enough to drink OR vote. And I know 15 year olds who are mature enough to vote but can’t (and don’t) drink.

07) One who thinks that having different adulthood and sexual consent ages is sensible or one who thinks that having different adulthood and sexual consent ages is stupid?
Again, I think it’s stupid. See the reasons above.

08) A gear in the system or a monkey wrench in the system?
I’d like to think I’m a gear. I don’t want to throw the system out of whack - I want to make the system work better.

09) A stammering idiot when around a gorgeous specimen of whatever gender you’re attracted to or the same around them as when you’re around plain people?
Definitely a stammering idiot if I even say anything. Well, at least until I get to know them; then it’s only a stammering idiot when I check out cleavage, etc.

10) One who feels stinged when someone you don’t know is critical of you or one who honestly doesn’t care when someone you don’t know is critical of you?
Well, when I don’t know someone and they are critical, I usually don’t care. Of course, not knowing someone in real life and knowing someone on the internet are two different states of knowing someone.

It’s here! It’s here! This blog is now running on WordPress 2.0! Lots of changes in the administration area, but for the most part, it was an easy upgrade. I followed one of the guides readily available on the WordPress website and I’m now upgraded. Now all I’ve got to do is get used to the new interface, but that shouldn’t take long.

Merry Christmas. I wish you all a safe and happy holiday.

That’s right. Got home last night. It was an uneventful trip, unless you like eating your kneecaps. The planes I was on for the return trip were small - VERY small - and full. Only two empty seats on each leg. First thing I did when I got home? Did laundry. (How boring)

Today we head over to KC’s family for Christmas. We have Christmas with them and tomorrow we’ll have Christmas with our family at ZDog and J’s place. I’m really looking forward to it.

Today my co-worker, Mike, and I went up to The Woodlands and converted four workstations in a showroom that the office we just converted owns. That represents the final stations to be converted. We still have some problematic things to get, but we’ll finish up tomorrow. Most of our issues are with defective/deficient/old hardware. However, there are a few software configurations on the destkops for me to do. Nothing serious, mind you; but things we need to do.

On a brighter note, Mike and I have got tickets to tomorrow night’s Rockets-Raptors game. I’m really looking forward to the game; we’ve got a “Guy’s Night Out” package that includes beers (or soft drinks) burgers and fries. For $52 each I thought it was a pretty good Christmas present (did you hear that KC?!). Yeah, tomorrow will be a full day at work, but it will be a nice evening of entertainment too. Then, Thursday, it’s back to Iowa (and the VERY cold weather).

Not the kind you get from Saturday Night Live, either. What a weekend it was. I left last week for Houston for work. That’s right, I’m in the great state of Texas. A co-worker and I were sent down here to convert a company we acquired from their computer domain to ours. My weekend was 26 hours spent in an office building changing domains and loading new apps and transferring user profiles on 40 or so workstations and resetting about 10 network printers. My co-worker handled the server end of things: setting up the email server, the file and print server, the DHCP server and the local domain controller server, as well as transferring data from the old servers to our newer ones. Welcome to Houston, BillH!!

On the upside, we’ve eaten barbeque a few times and also gone to other local restaurants when we could. The local office only has a contractor that handles their IT needs up to now and he’s been great. He’s quite knowledgeable and been extremely helpful with our needs both in the office and getting us to a number of fine eating establishments. After all, if I’m going to travel, I’m going to eat local!!

It’s been a comfortable 55° here. I’ve been talking with KC on the phone and it’s been a rather balmy 8° there! I was concerned when I heard about her latest issue there: due to the garage door being left accidentally open for a few hours in the dead of the night and the temperature reaching -5°, we had water pipes freeze. Luckily she remedied the situation and found that not only had the pipes frozen, but some had actually burst. She got in touch with a plumber who came and fixed it the today, but she did go without water this morning. The good news is the plumber’s bill will only be about $50 or so.

Well, we’ve got two more days at the office here in Houston before flying back on Thursday. We’ll get back in time to take the company vacation day for Christmas (Friday). Works out pretty well, I think.

Happy Birthday, Carrie!

Missed it the last two weeks, so here is this week’s Thursday Threesome.

Onesome: Candy canes - Treat of the Christmas season or something you just never got into? (Oh, and “traditional” or with green stripes for the aficionados out there {g}?)
I’m not much into the candy canes for Christmas treats. I prefer the divinity and fudge and such. Hey man, gotta be chocolate!

Twosome: and Peppermint - or cinnamon scented candles and such? Which do you prefer when you walk into a home or business this time of year? …or maybe even fresh evergreen from a real tree?
I have a Glade Wisp that I just got an Apple Cinnamon scent for. It’s pretty holiday smelling. KC is much more into the scented candles than I am.

Threesome: sticks - ..or schtick? ..or even maybe kitsch? Yeah, what is your most un-favorite piece of Christmastime memorabilia? That display at the hardware store? The “Simpsons Nativity”? That ornament you made in third grade that still ends up on the tree each year? Inquiring minds and all that…
What bugs me the most is the way the stores commercialize the whole thing. It’s NOT about the presents or the feasting or the candy or the candles or the tree. It’s about celebrating the birth of our Savior. Stores that get their Christmas stuff out (especially those that get it out in OCTOBER) and push the commercial end of it just sicken me.

This week’s Take Me Back Tuesday is about the year’s favorites.

What were some of your favorite songs that you discovered this year, either new or new to you?
“Next Contestant” and “Rock Star” by Nickelback
“Heartstrong”, “Blue Jeans” and “California Rain” all by Silvertide
“Learning to Crawl” and “Dim” by Spatterdash
“Give It Back” by Just Bus

What were your favorite albums of this year?
Show and Tell - Silvertide
All the Right Reasons - Nickelback
Truth Serum - Spatterdash

What new artists did you discover this year?
Silvertide
BB Chung King and the Budd
Just Bus
Ed Stallman
Doyle Bramhall

Happy Birthday, Al!!