Burnerblog

That’s not a bad thing. Since I use this computer for work and for play, mirroring the two 300GB drives wasn’t a bad idea… but I did lose a save game that was being stored on the “other” 300GB drive. Yeah, the only thing installed on the other drive was my game-du-jour, and I didn’t back it up or get my save game before pressing “go” on the migration to RAID 1. OOPS.

Oh well… it’s a fun game (UFO: Extraterrestrials) that I’ll just have to start over with.

Hot diggity dog.

In the past, I’ve written about my correspondence with people like Tammy Bruce, the band The Lovely Feathers, the band Freezepop, Martyn from Silverman, and even RuPaul, but my latest correspondence, while quite innocent and really not a big deal, is kind of a big deal to me.

I HEART Giant Drag. Very muchly. Well, Annie Hardy has an ebay store that she sells stuff related to the band at, and I sent a message asking if they’d be having any signed photos up so that I could get one for the wall of fame in our music room. Much to my surprise, she replied herself! YAY! I know, I’m making far too much out of it, but it’s cool to me. No, not because famous people make me moist or anything, but because I dig her music a lot, and it’s nice to connect with someone like her, even if it’s for something not really important. Kind of like standing in line for the bathroom and realizing you’re in line with one of your favorite singers or songwriters. Just neat.

Wow… I just watched some reverse mortgage commercial on TV and while I wasn’t paying too much attention to it (actually, I was messing with my eeePC during the commercials), I heard a familiar voice: Robert Wagner. I loved the TV show Hart to Hart when I was a kid, and I often wished I was like him: a millionaire with nothing else to do but solve mysteries and crimes with my hot wife. Add in a cool butler that helps with everything and private jets and vacations in exotic places all over the world, and  you have what was my dream life.

Anyway, I looked over at the TV and was shocked to see some old guy with silver hair instead of the Robert Wagner I’ve known all my life. It seems he’s finally given up the ghost of having pigment in his hair and has embraced his gray. He looks completely different, but I know we all age and we will all hopefully one day be all gray and look different than we did when we were young. It was just a shock to see him this way, since only a month or so ago, I remember seeing him on another commercial looking quite a bit older than I remembered him, but at least with his signature black coif. Oh well.

They’ve gone and done it again. It appears that the December 11th deadline for ordering new episodes of Journeyman came and went without said order being made. NBC isn’t making a big deal out of it; they’re allowing Journeyman to just slip into obscurity. After tonight’s episode, there was no mention that Wednesday night is the last night of Journeyman’s last episode, nor was there any mention of the “end” of the series. That fact alone gives me hope, since there has been no official cancellation announcement, yet the December 11th date came and went without that all important order for more episodes.

I’m quite bummed about this. Journeyman is one of the best new shows on TV, and it’s been the most dramatic and well-written show aside from Pushing Daisies, Boston Legal, and 30 Rock. I’m really surprised it hasn’t done better that it has, but then again, it is quite complex involving time travel, and the noodle that is time, especially when it gets messed with.

So, here I am, mourning the impending loss of one of my favorite TV shows and I’m watching an old Clint Eastwood movie called “Play Misty For Me.” I remember seeing this one the first time it was on TV when I was a kid. I wasn’t supposed to be watching it, but my dad fell asleep on the floor in front of the TV, and I just decided to be very quiet and continue to watch. It’s weird how much I remember, yet how much I don’t.

<jeebus> the “bishop” came to our church today
<jeebus> he was a fucken impostor
<jeebus> never once moved diagonally

Gelli will be performing live and in front of more than just a few friends and family for the first time on Monday, November 12th at a place called Full Throttle Coffee. It’s an open mic night, which means anyone can sort of show up and perform, but what it is for the venue is to see if Gelli can draw a crowd. If we can get folks to show up and watch her, then she will get her own “night” or “nights” to perform.She’s very excited, and is looking forward to it. She has been on stage at the shop twice now to get used to it, but she didn’t need that. She got up on stage, sat down, and wowed anyone in the audience. The reception of her music has been very strong, and she’s met with one producer already about recording her songs. Obviously, he wants her to write a lot more, but the bottom line is that things are moving for her. Sherry worries that I push her along, but I’m not. This is her dream, her wish, and my job as her dad is to keep her safe, keep her grounded, and to keep bad people away from her. It’s also my job to support her, and I’m doing what I can to help her with this. Obviously, school and grades come first, and if those slip, there will be a hiatus in her future when it comes to performing. But, if she keeps her grades where they are at right now, I see no reason for her not to be recording and performing.

And it’s fun to see my little girl on stage. She’s awesome.

Taken from Jodi, here are some search terms and my answers to them (to help in the future).

• Brian Haun: It seems someone was googling themselves.
• What is “Chemo Limo” about? It’s about a girl having a dream about being told she has cancer and deciding to spend her chemo money on a limo and going out in style. Listening carefully to the lyrics will help with this.
• Haley Bennett’s Ass: Yes, it is a nice one, but you won’t find it here.
• “I just want to thank you, even though I don’t know who you are”: That is a line from the song “Whoever You Are” by Geggy Tah. Fun song.
• Backyard forts: They are fun, indeed. I have no plans for them here, though. Sorry.
• Bolingbrook: My former home town. Check out www.bolingbrook.com.
• Britney Spears topless photo: I don’t have any, but I’m sure they’re not hard to find.
• Burnerblog: Wow… someone was actually looking for this place by name!
• Crappy cowboy costume: I’m thinking you’d be better served looking for a decent, or even good cowboy costume. But hey, it’s your search.
• First mountain bike ass hurts: Yep. Get yourself some biking shorts and keep riding. The pain will go away.
• Girl fart face stories: I have no idea what this means, but it frightens me.
• How long can you take pseudephrine: Consult a physician or the packaging of the Sudafed.
• How many bands did Morrissey play in: That’s a trick question. As far as I know, he didn’t “play” in any, but he sang in only one that matters; The Smiths.
• How to adjust gun sights: It really depends on the gun. Please refine your search and try again.
• How to tell if there’s a crack in the sewer: Sink holes, water or sewerage leaking from the ground where it shouldn’t, the smell of sewerage.
• Hungary, spanking: My parents were from Hungary and I was spanked as a kid. I hope that’s what you were getting at…
• I’m pentaxian: I’m Edge. I welcome my alien overlords.
• Intelligent pensils (sic) drawing posters: If I see this happen, I’m going to check myself into a mental hospital.
• Is darvocet good: Oh hell yes.
• Jean Luc Picard Song: aka The Picard Song. Yes, it’s funny, and yes, it’s worth checking out on Youtube.com.
• Penis men: What?
• Photos of Kelli Dayton: Try searching for photos of Kelli Ali (her new name).
• Photos of football players tackling each other: This sounds kind of homoerotic, but umm, yeah. ESPN, buddy. ESPN.
• Tojasos nokedli: Hungarian egg noodles similar to spaetzle but served with eggs scrambled onto them. Yummy goodness.
• Whale Penis: I’m hung like a gerbil, what would I know about this?
• What do you do for a fractured patella: If you have a fractured patella and you’re searching on the Internet for what to do, you need to step away from the computer and dial 9-1-1. I’ve had a fractured patella before, and the best thing you can do is get it immobilized by a doc so it will heal properly.
• Why did John Entwhistle have financial problems? Wow… good question. Can you say “drugs?”
• Zero carb lunches: It’s called a water and water diet.

What A Busy Weekend. Friday night was tame enough due to the canceled plans for Stevie and my daughter (and Anita, et al) so Stevie stayed in at my house with his family and he put on his Friday night radio show (every Friday night on TRM Radio). Saturday morning, we left VERY early and went to the Renaissance Festival. I went as a Hungarian Knight from around the 1450’s-1460’s while Sherry went in an Anne Boleyn dress, Brendon was a pirate and Gelli was a… gypsy, I think? Stevie was a peasant, but he was kind enough to be my squire for the day, as getting in and out of my armor is impossible alone, and just walking around with a helmet on my head makes visibility a problem. I did strip off the armor half-way through the day, and that made it much easier to get around and to enjoy the goings-on. We watched a few good shows, had some good food and drink (Sangria… mmmmmmmmm), and we ended up leaving a bit early to beat the traffic. This is the first year of 6 that I experienced no traffic on the way in or out. It was also the most crowded I’ve ever seen the fairgrounds. The only real drama of the day was Brendon losing his cell phone. By the time we left, we’d still not heard anything from the individual who found it.

A while after we got home, we received a phone call from the person who found the phone, and he told us he’d have it at will-call at the faire for us on Sunday. YAY.

After some showers and changing, the family and I went to Full Throttle Coffee to hang out and to watch some nice music played by a band called Pushwater. They were really good, and nice guys to chat with after their first set was complete. We then went and grabbed some sammiches at Wendy’s and went home for some well-deserved rest.

Sunday was more of a lazy day. Sherry and I had breakfast at the Sunrise Taquitos restaurant close to our house, and then we did the week’s shopping. We then madee the drive out to the fairgrounds to pick up Bren’s phone. We stopped at Chuy’s along the way for some good lunch, and once again (due to good timing) missed the traffic on the way out and back. It was a really nice drive through the country with the windows down and some really nice chatting. All in all, a very nice Sunday.

Once back at the house, I caught up on the NASCAR race with TiVo, and by getting through all the yellow flags and commercials, I was caught up with about 30 laps to go. I should watch all NASCAR races like this!

It’s supposed to be a happy day, a good thing; we’ve reached the end of the work-week. However, for me it means a busy weekend full of walking and spending. Tonight at least I can stay in while my daughter goes out with my friends to see She Wants Revenge downtown. My son will be babysitting my friends’ two daughters, and I will be picking my wife up from the airport. Tomorrow morning, however, we will wake up early and head up to the traffic clusterfuck known as the Texas Renaissance Festival. Sure, it’s a lot of fun, and I get to wear my chain mail armor and historically accurate garb, but it also means staying on my feet for about 10-12 hours (it’s hard to sit in armor) and spending money on overpriced food and drink. Then, of course, there are the other “goodies” that you end up buying that you never knew you needed.

I sound far more cynical about it than I really am; it’s always a good time. Really, it is. But I’m kind of worn out after the past few weeks, and I really would love nothing more than to be able to sleep in and just take a rest. I don’t see that happening anytime soon, however. At least not until Sunday, and even then, there’s a race that I still may drive up to Dallas to see. That’s up in the air because DING DING DING it costs more money!

Why am I all up in arms about money? Surely I have some, right? Of course I do, but the Christmas season is coming, and I need to start getting things in order so that I can lavish my family and friends with expensive gifts to show them how much they mean to me… okay, well, maybe not so expensive, but the “circle” of friends has grown over the past few years, so now the whole affair requires budgeting and saving. I don’t complain about this; it’s a good problem to have. I honestly love giving gifts, and it is for that reason I gladly save to be able to afford it all. Now, trying to keep what I bought a secret, THAT is the true challenge.

Back to the post; TGIF. I guess I’m okay with it being Friday, as I don’t have a boatload of work to do today, and it will be nice to hang out with family and friends tomorrow. I just wish I had a horse to ride on all day. But then again, that’d cost even more money.

Gelli auditioned for her high school’s production of “My Fair Lady,” and was selected for call backs. Today, she will have to do a cold reading in a Cockney accent as well as sing a song or two with facial expressions and some dancing. She’s fine with all but the Cockney. She practiced a lot, but it’s a difficult accent for Americans to master without sounding silly. Just ask Dick Van Dyke how hard it can be.

We’re proud of our little girl making the call back list. She was the only freshman on the list. She’s very excited and is hopeful that she will get a part in the play. For her sake, I hope she gets a part, too. It’d be great for her to be involved in a school play. She’s had experience in three stage productions at Class Act Productions and the Woodlands Repertory Theater, but she has yet to do a HS play (to be fair, however, she is just a freshman in her first semester of HS).

Now, we wait and see what happens after tonight’s audition.