Ha. I haven't posted here in quite nearly a year. Damn, that's a long time. If you want more up-to-date information on me, check out http://dramadian.blogspot.com/ -- it's a little more politico-activist, though. Maybe I'll start using LJ for personal stuff, Blogger for the rest of it. I dunno.

I'm only posting here right now, though, 'cause I want my niece to check my blog and see that I'm thinking of her. I LOVE THAT GIRL! Hey, Chels, can you stand a kiss from your uncle? :-*

Heh, alright, I bet all your friends read this and it embarrasses you. If that happens, call me and I'll take this post down. ;-)

current mood: jubilant
current music: Postal Service -- Such Great Heights

I have an addictive personality. Caffeine, nicotine, and -- at times -- alcohol all have me in their sway. But of late, my biggest addiction has been Diablo II. Sad, but true.

This weekend was my last weekend with Liz before she left. I went down to Austin with her and we partied like rock stars. Alcohol is all fun and games until one gets shitfaced, so I made sure to moderate my ingestion. I'm a loser, so when we did a Power Hour I crapped out somewhere between five and ten minutes. Sad but true.

Marika got all whored up for Friday night, which was fun. I broke out the shot glass chess set, which was also fun. I had a White Russian, and Jeff made a Kahlua cake. Mmmmmmmmmm. After the trip, I went to church and spent some time with Jenn and Robert in Dallas. We had fun, dinner and a couple drinks to cap off the night. They introduced me to The Postal Service, who are fucking awesome, and you should all listen to them.

At home, I've found that I'm sleeping like a normal person once more. It's been six years (roughly) since I last willingly went to bed before midnight and got up before nine. This morning I awoke at 6:00 a.m. and found myself refreshed. I don't know if it's the medicine or something else, but it makes me a happy man. I've spent the last two hours dicking around on the computer while listening to the news. It turns out that the AAC is planning to supplant the ECUSA. That pretty much pisses me off, as it degrades the entire notion of unity and Communion in which we Episcopalians so strongly believe. If the AAC doesn't like the decision to put Robinson at the head of New Hampshire, they can join another church. (There are plenty of non-Episcopalian Anglicans around.) But, quite obviously, a lot of Episcopalians are homosexual-tolerant. Get over it.

Speaking of homosexuals, it turns out that I would be the Funky Style type of Gay Guy:



What type of gay guy are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Go, me.

current mood: accomplished
current music: The Postal Service

In the midst of some health concerns, it appears I may not be staying in the Army for long. So I'm looking at other things to do with my Christmas vacation.

As of now, my hope is to spend a week or two at St. Gregory's Abbey in Michigan. The Episcopal mission Canterbury House at Southern Methodist University supports St. Gregory's, and I've long had a desire to spend some time in a monastic setting. I'd like to both personally reflect and also to explore the monastic vocation without joining it.

Meanwhile, the American Anglican Council apparently voted 'overwhelmingly' to stay within the Episcopal Church of the United States of America. This is good. It means that a minority of our denomination will not destroy the message of communion and unity we've been advocating for a few centuries now. Go, AAC (but you need to get over the Bishop Robinson thing).

current music: Jars of Clay - Like a Child

Back from a long hiatus, I'm alive. No one reads this, as far as I can tell, so it doesn't matter. I've got a hell of a lot of homework to catch up on, so I'm going to do that now.

current music: propaghandi - bullshit politicians

I'm here with a shitload of bloggers that I don't know but wish I did. Damn. And I just realized who Cory Doctorow is. Why'd I forget to bring my dongle?

Waiting now on the tech guys to figure out how to get their PowerBook's video out onto the projection screen. More than a little frustrating, but it's nice to be here for part of the show.

For those who still don't know, SXSW is providing a free one-day Executive Pass to those who fill out a survey here. With it, you can get into the trade show or do a number of other things, like watch the Weblog Awards.

They just got the projection screen on. Looks like the cables weren't in right. Now they're off again...

Apparently good mass-transit buses are hard to come by. (Thanks to Jonathan.) Today I was riding the bus to work when, on the corner of Red River and MLK, I saw a Capital Metro UT Shuttle Bus being towed downtown. Have you ever seen a bus being towed? Think about how big the tow truck must be. Exactly. It's like a behemoth.

So I'm sitting there, watching this thing try to turn left, and two other shuttle buses drove up. Then I realized I was sitting in a bus myself. It's sort of odd, experiencing mass transit. East Texas, where I grew up, has little tolerance for such environmental goodies. These buses are on the order of the eighteen-wheelers I grew up seeing drive down my road, and they look -- if you get them at the right angle -- like whales with big eyes.

So three of these whales were watching another whale, which had apparently been beached, get dragged away. It was sad, in an odd sort of way. But it also reminded me that we tend to give our most familiar machines personalities. I know my iBook has a very distinct personality. I suspect most users come to see their computers as a member of their community. Perhaps one doesn't feel compelled to tell his or her laptop the latest gossip, but one treats it with care -- they're almost like pets to us. So when I see my iBook, I see what might also have been my pet dog. And my bus? It's a big, friendly whale that likes to carry me on its back.

Schlotzsky's has been offering free WiFi access since late last year. What a lot of people haven't yet noticed, though, is that the wireless access is integrated into a new concept for the old-time deli. I'm sitting in the location at 218 South Lamar right now, and I'm noticing something different about the place. Parts of it, at least, seem classy. I can go to Schlotzsky's now and buy wine and freshly baked bread. It distinguishes this deli from others, which seem a little more plain-Jane to me.

It's also interesting to note that this is the first/only store I've seen that's deployed both the G4 iMac and the eMac. I don't know what revisions either of these are. It seems sort of an odd selection; but, more than that, it seems savvy. The eMac is a spectacular value for any consumer machine built on the G4. If you're willing to sacrifice the iMac's gravity-defying screen, the eMac makes a lot of sense.

These things are exactly why I decided to start working for Schlotzsky's. Well, these things, the coffee, the pay raise, the promotion, and the health insurance.

I'm thinking about getting an AT&T mLife phone. Their pricing is actually fairly good -- $40 for 10 hrs. of anytime minutes, unlimited nights and weekends -- and the money would be well-spent. Long distance calls are a pain in the arse, if you haven't already noticed.