Ode to Jethro Tull

Lately I have been feeling the urge to write another ode.

I have been listening to my collection of music... over and over. I have found many new interests to keep my collection updated, but there are some of the old standards that continue to surprise me. Of all the many genres of music, I would have to say that 'classic rock' is one of my least favorite. I just want to shoot myself when I'm forced to listen to a 'classic rock' station. Of the VERY FEW exceptions to this rule, there is one band that is not only a tolerable 'classic rock' group, but has become one of my top 3 favorite groups of all time. Of course I'm speaking of the group of wacky Brits known as Jethro Tull.

I'm sure that many of the readers of this blog are completely (helpless without their spectacles) unfamiliar with the sound of Jethro Tull. It's not easy to describe Tull because their music is so varied. They have been making music since the 60's, so that means a lot of variation. The greatest creation they've ever had is a 45 minute odyssey called 'A Passion Play'. It always seems like I notice something new every time I listen to it. It seems like they really took time to develop every little detail in their music and chose many different instruments to transmit feelings and moods.

I'd like to make that track available for download, but it's huge so it presents problems. If anybody wants it they can email me to get it.

Smartphone

I feel the need to tell everybody about my new phone. I have recently acquired, what is in my opinion the worlds best smart phone, the Cingular 8525. Why is it the worlds best smart phone? First of all, it runs Windows. This is a major step up from embedded systems - even Linux. Windows Mobile 5 is (obviously) a scaled down version of the mama OS, but is still packed with features. The neatest feature would have to be a program called ActiveSync. ActiveSync is a tool used to download MS Exchange email and it is constantly checking the exchange server for new mail messages. I also have the ability to download my own personal POP mail account (I picked gmail). The phone also features a 2.8" touch-screen; a full QWERTY keyboard that slides away; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Infrared capability; MS Office Mobile (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint); Windows Media Player for local files and streaming media over the Internet; a 2 megapixel camera that takes movies with sound; and an expansion slot for a microSD card. Windows Mobile also has a terminal services client which means I can set up VPN's and terminal (Remote Desktop) to any computer on the LAN at work - I could use my computer at work, from wherever, as if I were sitting at the console. On top of all of that it makes telephone calls too!

Of course I got this phone from work, but it's still the only phone I have. Bryan and I split more phone minutes than we could ever use. We also have an unlimited data plan which allows us to pla... uh work on the Internet whenever and wherever we like. I also have a hand-me-down Bluetooth headset - ya, I'm that guy.

Gun Show

Who is this guy who posts every other week? Anyway, last week Sean and I went to a gun show at the KCI Expo Center. Although I was really temped to buy one of the several Automatic Kalashnikov-47 carbines for around $300-400, I decided to wait (for now). I did, however, find a selection of shotguns that I was not able to resist. I purchased a Charles Daly 12 guage semi-auto shotgun that is all black with composite stock and handle. It is a used gun, but appears to be well worth the $250 price tag - especially considering other semi-automatics were going for $400+. It was nice to buy a shotgun at the show because you could walk out the door with it. Another good thing about buying at the show is that it doesn't necessarily have to conform with local gun laws. My gun holds 5 shells in the magazine and one in the chamber, and I'm pretty sure it's only legal to have 3 in the magazine.

We took it out and shot it last Sunday. It did jam a lot, but I blame that on the rain. I can't wait to get out to Mancamp and put the new gun through a field test.

First Week at MLLF

Well folks, I've been at MLLF for a week now. Overall, I'd have to say that I'm happy with the change. Most things are going as I expected them to. There haven't been many surprises. It didn't really take long for me to settle back into the 40 hour week routine. I revisit many of the thoughts and feelings I remember having at the last 8-5 job I had.

One thing that I didn't expect was the amount of work. I expected that at the end of the first week we'd have less work to do. In truth, we have uncovered many non-normalized parts of the overall information system which have created a great deal of new work. I could definitely see us working for months just on projects we've come up with in the last week.

One exciting bit of news is that I have been named 'chairman' of the newly formed website committee. The purpose of the committee is to direct and administer the website on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Currently the website is hosted by a local provider, but the eventual plan is to move the site completely in house.

Thanks to everybody who wished me well with the transition. It's going smoothly, and I'm happy about the change, so far...