Monthly Archives: May 2007

One Piece at a Time

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My Tiger Direct ordering experience took a strange turn, when my friend, who had ordered one of the same machines I wrote about here informed me yesterday that his order had shipped, and was due to arrive on Friday. Hmm, I’ve gotten no shipping confirmation yet.

A visit to TD’s website revealed that my order was in credit hell, for reasons manifestly unclear to me, They had my accurate, currently paid, AmEx number, the name as it appears on the card, the billing and shipping addresses, all of which matched the Amex info. They also had the 4-digit security code off the physical card. But there it was, I was in credit hell, and “the credit department would contact me if they needed any more information”. Geez, AmEx was and is the one on the hook if I’m some kind of deadbeat. Whatever.

So, dusting off the hammer of diplomacy, I left the TD folks a message regarding the order, that went something like this:

I’m totally unable to fathom the reason for delaying this order. Therefore, process it TODAY or cancel it.

And, on arriving home tonight, I see that the cases have shipped, and that the power supplies are in process. The rest of the items 1 are all Pending shipment from drop shipper.

I can see it now; a bunch of little boxes arriving at scattered times. I’m beginning to feel like I’m in the Johnny Cash song about working in the Cadillac plant:

The first day I got me a fuel pump
And the next day I got me an engine and a trunk
Then I got me a transmission and all of the chrome
The little things I could get in my big lunchbox
Like nuts, an’ bolts, and all four shocks
But the big stuff we snuck out in my buddy’s mobile home.2

SWMBO is gonna be lovin’ me for this.

-k-
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1 motherboards, disk drives, memory, DVD drives, ethernet cards, CPU cooling fans, and Gig E switch – 2 each

2 HT Lyrics:Cowboy Lyrics.

RIP, Charles Nelson Reilly

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Charles Nelson Reilly, self-described “Game show fixture”, has passed away at age 76.

I’ve been a fan of game shows forever, and with the advent of cable and satellite TV, we watch the Game Show Network on multiple occasions, where Charles still rules.

Charles was predominant on The Match Game and Hollywood Squares. I always liked him on game shows; he was never a pompous smart-ass; I think he realized that the contestants had to potential of making big bucks, at least to them, and he was willing to assist.

He played seriously, and it always seemed to me that he really cared about whether the contestants won or lost.

I appreciate his contribution. And I still like game shows.

-k-
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Memorializing

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Happy Memorial Day! A day off. Always a good thing. We’ve seen yesterday’s race cars, many in military service livery, roar around the track. President Bush has made the visit to Arlington, to adorn the Tomb of the Unknowns. All this is right and proper.

I don’t know anyone who has given up their life in service to the country. I don’t know a family who has suffered the loss of a loved one who died in service to their country.

So, I always take time out to remember my own friends and buddies who have passed on; my life is not as rich without them, and I note them here:

  • Terry Collins.
  • Van Plankey.
  • Dale Sunnquist.
  • Ryan Carver. 1
  • Dale Slusher.
  • Rob Smiley.

These guys, one and all, have enriched my stay here on earth, and I’ll never forget any of them.

-k-

1 He’d be 39 tomorrow.

What Does a Feller Do?

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Racing has resumed at the Brickyard, and green has fallen on Charlotte. They’re racin’ their brains out in both places.

Danica Patrick now runs 4th at Indy. There’s a boatload of laps to go at Charlotte.

I think I’ll see if history unfolds at the Indy 500. 1

-k-

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1 And wear out the teevee remote, if need be.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

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Well, the Indy 500 is under a rain delay right now. And I can salute the teams that saw it coming, and planned their strategies accordingly. We’re past halfway in the race, so the race is official, if they can’t get back to racing.

According to the ABC/ESPN coverage, Roger Penske, legendary team owner, sends one of his jets out to scout for rain during these events. The Penske jet reported back that about 40 minutes remained until rain. About 40 minutes ago.

Man, competition is really turned up for these events.

Hoping to see the green at Indy, before the green flies over Charlotte.

-k-
UPDATE: My admittedly challenged readings of weather maps reveals that we could go green yet again. Weather Underground rules!

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NASCAR HotPass Lineup

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Via Jayski, the DirecTV HotPass Channel line up for today’s running of the Coca-Cola 600 from Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte:

#17 Matt Kenseth, 795
#20 Tony Stewart, 796
#48 Jimmie Johnson, 797
#01 Mark Martin, 798
#8 Dale Earnhardt Jr., 799

And at DirecTV’s HotPass site, you can sign up for half-price for the remainder of the season, if you’re so inclined.

-k-
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Warmin’ up the Pipes

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Jim Nabors won’t be singing this year at the Indianapolis 500. I can remember very few Indy 500′s where he hasn’t sung Back Home Again(in Indiana). When I hear it sung, I never fail to tear up a bit, not because I’m an expatriate Hoosier, but because I know about the longing for places one holds dear.

There have been few Indy 500′s where Jim hasn’t sung the song; and over the course of those years, I think I’ve learned to belt out a good rendition myself.1 So, I’m offering my services to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year; if you need me to sing the song in Jim’s stead, send your jet to Dulles Airport. I can be to the ‘port in 10 minutes, from whence you can whisk me to the Brickyard, and I’ll perform.

Since it’s not bloody likely the foregoing will happen, here’s the song. 2 Jim will be shown on the Brickyard’s Jumbotrons tomorrow, leading a sing-along.

Back home again in Indiana,
And it seems that I can see
The gleaming candlelight, still shining bright,
Through the sycamores for me.
The new-mown hay sends off its fragrance
Through the fields I used to roam.
When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash,
How I long for my Indiana home.

May your mimosa-fueled singing be as joyful to you as mine is to me.

-k-

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1 And the girls look better at closing time, too.

2 The chorus, actually.

Hogzilla was a Mere Suckling Pig

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Jamison Stone, age 11, of Montgomery AL, has bagged a wild boar using a pistol. This specimen measured 9 feet, 4 inches from snout to tail, and weighed in at 1050+ pounds. Or, as the cited article puts it:

Think hams as big as car tires.

They’re mounting the head, which measures 54 inches in circumference, and processing the rest into 500-700 pounds of sausage.

The legendary Hogzilla, taken in 2004 in Georgia, has grown to mythical proportions with the passage of time, like “the one that got away.” Hogzilla was exhumed and examined by National Geographic, who estimated his weight at a svelte 800 pounds.

Jamison’s record hasn’t been officially confirmed; I’d say there’s a lot of competition for appearances and roles in the Hogzilla movie to seize upon his 15-minute fame allotment; witness the creation of Jamison’s website, Monster Pig, wherein the pig has grown to 10′ 7“.

Still, 500-700 pounds of sausage? Hams big as car tires? Wooo, Pig, Sooie.

-k-

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Final Ride, Biker Edition

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The story of the Harley Hearse was picked up on the AP wire yesterday, and appeared on every news site I happened by. These conveyances are made by the Tombstone Hearse Company of Alum Creek PA, and feature a 19th century styled handmade coach, pulled by a Harley V-Twin trike. The hearse attaches to the trike via the 5th wheel method.

From Tombstone’s services menu:

At Your Service – With proper notification we can arrive at your service dressed in white tuxedo shirts, string tie, along with black pants, vest and shined boots with a single spur. We feel the uniform exudes nostalgic style and a sense of dignity and professionalism as we take the departed on their final journey.

I like the whole idea, even though I’m not a biker. Maybe enough to trade my final ride in the back of a Cadillac for such a send off. Not that I’m in a great hurry to ride in either anytime soon.

-k-

H/T Photo: Harris Funeral Home.

Click the photo to embiggen. New plugin via Yellow Swordfish. Thanks!
Plugin requires JavaScript’s being enabled. I go, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century.

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Nodes 2 and 3

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The order is away for nodes 2 and 3 of the tbbs-land Linux Test Lab cluster. In a bit of serendipity, I had my order keyed in, and was ready to provide billing info, when I got a mail-o-gram from a coworker and friend pointing me to a better system, at roughly $200 less than my selection.

The downside of the whole deal is that my friend’s recommended systems are barebones, whereas my initial selection was assembled. The upside of the barebones system is that I will have a larger disk, greater expandability, and a DVD writer. So, overall, it was a no-brainer, and I can put the stuff together when it arrives.

SWMBO will give me the stink eye enough to insure they’ll be properly and promptly assembled when they get here.

And I owe my friend a few beers for the tip. Damn, I hope I really did save some money on this deal. We’re both from the “cold and within reach” school of beer guzzling drinking.

-k-

I also learned, that at least at Tiger Direct, you can update a shopping cart from one window with selections from another window. I just deleted my original systems from my in-progress order, and added stuff from the link my buddy sent me from that one.

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