snow day and show day
Topic: various and sundry

Aaah, the first true snowfall, a couple of inches of white outside. And I am happily ensconced inside, school having been cancelled for at least the morning. Given my lack of voice, there was little chance of my getting out anway.

I went and did it. As promised, the pics are at the Coffee Hound on Devils Glen in Bettendorf next to Healthy Habits, my happy place. The photos went up last night and will be on display for the month of December. First time I've done anything like this; I'm rather proud.

Go read the lastest rant (or most any rant) by Patrick O'Grady in Velonews. It's called Spinal Rap, a funny bit about chiropractic treatment and O'Grady's (positive) take on it.

Time for more coffee.

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cinema verite
Topic: various and sundry

I played more with Windows Movie Maker 2 today.  I took about 25 minutes of video of me doing dishes, just to have some material.  I found that I can make the video look like old scratched film, including adding a sepia tone.  There is also an auto moviemaker that will put your clips together with nice smooth transitions is one of about six different formats.  I tried the sports newsreel.  Every few segments, a scoreboard scrolls down from the top.  I first looked for that under transitions, but then I figured out it was under titles and credits.

I think it will be awhile before I need to buy new software.  The video quality is controlled as much by my camera as the software, and I need lots of practice in scripting and videography.  Grab your camera and get out there!
 

another try to embed
Topic: various and sundry

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Cool, cool, cool. Because of a Qumana update, I can now put a Gcast player into a post. Of course, as I can upload a sound byte directly to a blog post, it would be going out of the way to post to Gcast and then paste the player here. Unless, of course, I wanted lots of people to find it on Gcast. Hmmmm, hadn't thought of that one.

Oh, duh. You see one title in the player window. If you click on the Posts button, you will see a list of all (two) of my posts.

Check out Gcast.com and GarageBand.com, and listen to lots of indie music. Another great place is music.download.com. Lots of free (and legal!) downloads of some great (but maybe not famous) musicians, singers, and music.

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simply wednesday july 10
Topic: various and sundry

Hola, mis lectores. Como estan? Please forgive the lack of diacrictics.

Spanish class is going well, very enjoyable, muy divertida. Of course, my approach and attitudes are quite different from most of my classmates. I do not have to take the class. I take it for the joy of learning, the love of languages, and yes, the utility. I was able this very day to say a couple of things in Spanish to a prospective student and understand what she said to me. The preterito and imperfecto are a bit overwhelming at the moment, but it's just a matter of time and usage. We have the same uses in English; we just don't just the same forms to get the job done.

Note the "Powered by Qumana" at the bottom right. Pretty cool tool. I can post to my blogs (at least my Tripod blogs) without logging in. It may seem a small thing, but it saves steps.

Va a hablar sobre el Tour? Is he going to talk cycling? Well, duh! I got to see the end of today's stage on OLN. First day in the Pyrenees, and we see some fireworks, though not from the teams with contenders. The French took the day, sharing the glory with the Spanish. An uneasy cooperation at the end; is that indicative of the EU? Not being snotty, just talking. I actually felt a welling up of emotion in my chest as I watched them climb. If you've been reading of my adventures, you'll understand where I'm coming from. I've got some inkling of how hard it is to go that far, that fast. Where they were going 8mph, I would have been going maybe 5mph. When someone is going even a half mile per hour faster, you think you are going at the same pace, but really you are slipping, slipping, slipping.

And of course, the daily compliment to Robbie Mac. When he pulls the trigger, he flies like a bullet. I'd like to see Boonen get a win, but you cannot fault McEwen or Oscarito. Them boys are good!

Here's my opinion on OLN's name change to "Versus". I understand the concept, which I take to be a desire to encompass any kind of competitive activity. However, the name just falls flat. What I hear is "versez", and by itself, that comes out as "verses" as in the parts of a poem or song. I have to applaud OLN for the coverage they give to cycling. I acknowledge that OLN is not the bass fishing network anymore. But a little more thought should have gone into the name change. But as long as I get to watch men on two wheels, they can call the network what they like.

Enough said.

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Solution to the Wifi problem
Topic: various and sundry

Okay, so I lost wifi while in France and Italy. What happened was that I accidentally hit Fn+F2 on my laptop keyboard, which disables the wifi. And for whatever reason, I could not enable it again any other way. I didn?t find that out until I took the laptop back to Best Buy?where they did not charge me to give me the fix. Gotta give them credit for that!

It will become obvious that I like using different fonts. Sometimes a change in font is enough to keep me writing. Does it work the same for any of you out there?

I also have this thing for old typewriters, either electric or manual. I have a Royal portable from the 1940s and a Smith-Corona Electra 120 from maybe the 1960s. There are a couple of Electra 120s on eBay right now for $9.99. I bought mine for three bucks.

Why would anyone in their right mind use a manual or electric typewriter in these days of word-processing? A couple of reasons. First, they're great for hammering out a couple of labels. They're still the only way to go to fill out a multi-part form without handwriting. And for me, there is something comforting about the feel and the sound. I still associate that sound with writing. And there is something visceral about the feel of hammering those keys on the manual. Some of that same springy feel has been built into computer keyboards. So, that's why I keep them around.

And if you want your congressman to actually look at your letter, type it out on a manual. It shows that you took the time to compose it yourself, and it will definitely stand out from other letters. For my age group, a typewritten letter has the stamp of authority on it.

tuesday, jan. 31
Topic: various and sundry
The knee is feeling better. Yesterday's activity loosened it, I think. Dance class tonight should keep it active. I may get on the trainer before going to class; I'll have to decide whether that's a good idea or not.

Weight is 224 today. Another ten weeks puts me at April 10. If I continue to drop a pound a week--and I don't backslide again!--I'll be 214. That should be the weekend of Sylvan Island. And also Bee-Line 29 that weekend.

My first race will be Scott County Park #1. I'll still be a bit heavy, but by May 21, QCBC 20K, I should be good to go.

ciao for now.

getting blogged down
Topic: various and sundry
I have put up a second blog, one for my speech class. I don't know how useful they will find it; actually, I just hope they find it!

I also put up another web page. I may have to take down my older one; I haven't kept up that site. I only put that one up as an HTML exercise years ago.

The weight is down to 225.5, so it's going in the right direction again. No trainer last night, but a lot of dancing is coming up tonight. I could call it cross-training, but it's just more of an activity. Yes, a good activity, for those of you interested!

a few broken spokes
Mood:  special
Topic: various and sundry
Not a word since April 18. Pretty much sums up my performance lately. Not exactly on the ball. Projects to do, opportunities out there. I move around but I don't touch much. Or I start new things and then drop them.

So, pick something up and do it. Continue the daily tasks, find some satisfaction there.

To those few who know this is here, hi! I hope you are doing well. I'm actually in a good position. My life is in my own hands. Not, THAT'S a scary thought sometimes. It's hard to blame the boss when you're the boss.

I've picked up another task or opportunity. I am now a race official for USA Cycling. That may mean doing fewer races, but it's also a contribution to the sport. I can still pick my races, ones that I want to do while I help some race organizers.

Take care. I know I've got lots of friends out there.

nuff said.