Insignifica

vegetarian anniversary

Wow, I almost missed a rather important anniversary in my life: Ten years ago today, on May 28, 1994, I ate meat for the last time (on purpose - there have been a few accidents). I believe I'm a happier and healthier person for it.

What non-meaty ways should I celebrate?

memorial day, lots of events

I was thinking to myself on Tuesday that this would be a quick week. We've been busy at work (long weekends mean more prep ahead of time), and I've had lots to look forward to. Three day weekend starting tonight, and at least one occasion of getting to see friends, plus plenty of opportunity for relaxing. Next week is a short work week, because I'm leaving Friday morning for Las Vegas.

Vegas should be awesome. I'm going with Marek (we haven't gone to Vegas together since the Great Trip of December '99), and rooms are nice and cheap, as we're staying at a non-strip hotel. It'll be nice and hot (around 100 degrees), but that's what Vegas air conditioning is for.

After Vegas, there's a week of work, then Gary's bachelor party, which is shaping up to be another awesome event. I'd like to throw a party on the weekend of 19th or 26th for general principals (it's been too long), but that'll depend on who can come - the 19th is just a week after the bachelor party, and the 26th is just a week before the wedding. I'm sure we can gather some amount of people, though, for a BBQ and party - it's always a good time to see friends.

1067 - joz is famous

For months, I've been telling Joz that she's one of the most popular bloggers I know - she comments on other blogs a lot, has made an amazing amount of connections with other bloggers and blogging communities, and keeps her blog very regularly updated.

She's never believed me how popular she is, though - but she pointed me to something that can only make her bigger - she's mentioned in a New York Times article about obsessive bloggers. Congrats to her and her NYT mention.

poker weekend, Vegas upcoming

A happy Monday to you and yours. We had a small poker tournament this weekend, and I was able to finally do well - I haven't placed "in the money" in any of my previous tournaments. I also went out to see my mom in the 909, and up to Santa Monica to meet a friend I've known for years but have never met. Came home Sunday happy to sit and do nothing in the evening.

Lots of plans/events coming up in June and July - bachelor partys, weddings, trips to Vegas, Santa Cruz and perhaps other locations, friends moving away, friends moving nearby - lots of changes. Lots of good times, too.

I've been lacking on my political posts lately; this isn't due to lack of interest, just that other bloggers are doing it better. Check out Andrea's posts at Shameless Agitator - she tends to say it much better than I can anyways. I also tend to go back and forth between being outraged at religion and being outraged at politics, and religion's been on the mind lately. You can expect more on that soon, I'm sure.

I'm going to be in Vegas June 4 - June 6, if you're going to be there too, let me know and we'll meet up. Life's too short not to meet readers and friends.

slashdot post and tips

Welcome, Slashdot visitors. I love making one little post and getting all sorts of reponse and traffic because of it. I printed the following a while back, regarding getting highly moderated posts:

ren faire, dentist, etc.

Ren Faire was a great time this weekend. Got to see friends I don't see enough, play dress up (I have a pirate costume - arr), and enjoy the silliness of adults pretending they're in the renaissance. If there's one near you, visit sometime (even if you wear your civilian clothing).

Got a call this weekend from Jen and Chris, who surprized us by saying they're moving down to the big Orange. We're really looking forward to having them in the neighborhood.

I'm taking tomorrow off for a dental procedure known as "crown lengthening", in which my gums are cut and scraped down to expose more tooth structure for a crown I'll have put on. Wow, and if that doesn't sound fun enough, I get to go to Hawthorne (about an hour away) to have it done. In theory, at least, the dental work on those teeth is close to completion.

new plates

Since long before I had a driver's license or a car, I've thought about getting personalized license plates. I just thought it would be cool not to have the standard format, plus I could put a little message in that hundreds of drivers a day would see. I thought initially of "MICHRIS", the name of my other server, and a favorite word of mine since Chris and I came up with it in 1988. I also considered "NRKNDUK", for "Anarchy in the UK", but realized that didn't match my personality, and I didn't particularly care for the song; it just would have been a cool plate.

My car registration is due this month, and I found you can choose vanity plates online, and it will tell you if they're taken or not (you used to have to look in a big book at the DMV). I played around a little, and found that "GEEK LFE" was taken, as was "ATHEIST" and "ATHE1ST". I knew "GEEK" wouldn't be available, but I found the following, and think I'll be very happy with it:

Frankly, I was surprised it was still available. So when you see "GEEEEEK" driving around, you'll know who you're looking at.

To play around with the plates yourself, go to the California DMV site, choose "Order Personalized", and see if your personalized plate is available (don't worry about ordering, it takes place after choosing).

linux rant

Good morning, (or afternoon, as the case may be).

Another beautiful May day in Southern California, with clear skies and warm-but-not-hot temps. It is hazy, though, but that's just a fact of life around here.

I've decided it's been too long since my friends and I have gone to Las Vegas. I haven't been there to gamble since November 2002 (I went in November 2003 to perform a wedding, but got very little table time in). I'm hoping if it put the date far enough in the future, we can all save a few dollars a month. How's February 2005 work for you?

Now, Linux. I've been passingly familiar with various Linux systems for many years now; Insignifica and the rest of the Michris Family of Websites run it, and I've used it at some places I've worked. I have also had good luck with Knoppix, and considered installing it for a long time. I finally took an old machine, formatted it, and installed Debian day before yesterday. Some thoughts:

1. Anyone who tells you Linux is more intuitive/easier/quicker to install then Windows is likely lying.
2. If linux developers want Linux to catch on, they're going to have to make it EASIER than Windows to install and use. People don't want to switch to something they'll have trouble with.
3. Requiring users to know every piece of equipment in their machine and various network settings is not going to win many friends in the non-ubergeek set.
4. Presenting users with a command line after 45 minutes of installation issues doesn't help, either.

I wanted to use and love Linux, really. It IS more powerful, it IS more secure, and the philosophy behind free software (as in beer and as in speech) is something I can really get behind. I thought maybe my problem was just with Debian, so I tried Mandrake. The installation was indeed prettier, and seemed much easier to follow. I still had to identify my graphics card and network card, however, and even after setting those up, neither worked as they should. And after installation, I was still presented with only a command line to deal with my two non-functioning pieces of equipment. Linux is not new, you'd think the various groups would have made it easier by now.

One funny point: When setting up the network card in Debian, I loaded what I believed to be a working driver. I couldn't ping hostnames (no DNS server), but when I'd ping an IP address, it caused my entire network to stop working for about 10 minutes at a time. I have NO idea why that would happen, or even that it could.

early may weekend wrapup

Another relaxing weekend - too short, as always, but a good mix of relaxation and activity. Upcoming weekends are looking busy, but fun. Another poker tournament, Ren Faire next Sunday, and possibly a party sometime around Memorial Day. June brings us dangerously close to Gary's wedding (and that reminds me, I have a bachalor party to plan), and then onto the summer. Fun times, indeed.

mother's day weekend

Happy Friday, folks. I'm looking forward to an entertaining weekend of relaxing and celebrating Mother's Day, and possibly doing something tonight. I also have frames to buy - two Chris Clark originals need to be protected, and I have a velvet Jesus that was sent to be without a frame. I wouldn't mind taking a trip to the 909 or 805 for some gambling, but that depends on what time I wake up. So many possibilities for the weekend!

In dental news, my teeth are feelin' fine. They alternated between ache and outright pain on Wednesday night, but I woke up Thursday with no problems - they're not even sore. I can feel the difference when I chew and brush, but otherwise they're very natural (even moreso than when I've gotten cavities filled, and can feel the fillings). Good job, dentists!

Yesterday was the National Day of Prayer. Among other things, Bush said: "Our calling is to align our hearts and action with God's plan". As an atheist and as an American, this frankly scares me. He's talking about the evangelical Christian God, and saying we, as Americans, should follow "God's plan". Undoubtedly this is the Bush-Evangelical version of "God's Plan", which is all the more frightening.

Enjoy your weekend, stay away from Donald Rumsfeld and his torturous minions, and do something happy.

NDOP

A thought on the National Day of Prayer, taken from Matthew, Chapter 6, verses 5-6:

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father in secret shall reward thee openly."

More discussion on this at Atheistweb. Feel free to leave comments here and there. See also my 2001 piece called "The Presumption of Prayer" - highlights my issues with prayer to an all-knowing god.

oww

Oww! Usually the worst pain at the dentist is the shot to numb you, and drilling that gets too close to the nerve, at least for me. I'm not used to pain afterward.

This is pain afterward.

I had a root canal finished (which took time, but didn't hurt at all), then my teeth "prepped" for a crown, which involved drilling, fitting a post, some filling, and two metal temporary crowns. The drilling got close to the nerve a few times, but I numbed and it was tolerable. The crown fitting was uncomfortable but didn't last too long. Since the numbness has worn off, however, there's been a dull but strong ache on that side of my mouth. No added pain when I bite down, which is good, but I'm just guessing the whole part of the jaw there is recovering from the somewhat major work that went on. I was prescribed some strong pain relievers, but can't take them until I'm at home. Hopefully this all won't last long.

Who would have thought the root canal would be the easiest and least painful part of all of this?

cinco de mayo weekending

Great party on Saturday for Cinco de Mayo - lots of friends were able to make it, and I also got to meet a friend in person for the first time (I met her online last year). Lots of good food, too much tequila, and a good time had by all. A reminder for myself next year: don't do the pinata in the house, and where ever you do it, don't use candy that magically comes off its sticks and out of its wrappers.

The next party will likely be in early June, and feature an Island or Russian theme. Marek may also have party plans...

Lots of changes out there lately: Gary getting married in 8 weeks, Chris's girlfriend Vanessa graduating from college this weekend, and Ryan and Deedee buying a house. Congrats to all.

Huge increase in comments spam on this and many other blogs out there, much of it with the "@sexmuch.com" domain. I have a feeling it's related to the Sasser virus, as the IP addresses are all different, implying to me that they're coming from compromised machines. I do believe the newest version of Movable Type has better tools to deal with such things - I'm looking forward to getting to use it.

Upcoming events for the month include going to the Ren Faire on the 16th, the aforementioned party around Memorial Day, and a visit to the dentist tomorrow. Good times!