Two weeks from tomorrow L & I will be married in Santa Fe, NM. I’m a mix of nervous, excited, and exhausted. I didn’t think I’d get nervous; hell I’ve done this before, right? But I strangely am. It’s not cold feet, or question whether this is right, it’s just nervousness over taking that step. And obviously the excitement needs no real explanation. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to spend the rest of my life with this woman. And as for exhausted… Fuck, I am so tired of wedding planning and minutia-level details. I just want it to be done, and get back to pre-wedding planning life. I look forward to getting back to things like trying to make something interesting out of this site, the podcast and all my other stupid projects that are simmering somewhere in the back of my brain.

I’ve been working [albeit at a snails pace] on a handful of things

• Blog research/review on mobile computing platforms
• Blog research/review on Post WEB 2.0 gateway services and productivity enhancement
• A handful of Steampunk design projects [both graphic, decor, and "invention"]
• New [And regularly posted] Podcasts
• Music Reviews
• Redesign of the wedding-soon-to-be-married web site.
• Stuff…

I’m just want to try to get back to whatever it was I use to call normal.

Anyway, I suppose I should think about building a mass email that needs to go out Wednesday for the office. Blarf.

Technorati Tags: Fall, wedding, WEB 2.0, Steampunk

I don’t really care how time is reckoned so long as there is some agreement about it, but I object to being told that I am saving daylight when my reason tells me that I am doing nothing of the kind. I even object to the implication that I am wasting something valuable if I stay in bed after the sun has risen. As an admirer of moonlight I resent the bossy insistence of those who want to reduce my time for enjoying it. At the back of the Daylight Saving scheme I detect the bony, blue-fingered hand of Puritanism, eager to push people into bed earlier, and get them up earlier, to make them healthy, wealthy and wise in spite of themselves.

Robertson Davies, The Diary of Samuel Marchbanks, 1947, XIX, Sunday.

And damn you too, Mr Franklin for even the notion.

Anyhow, last week was filled with last minute preparations for this decade’s Y2K of computer shenanigans, and as expected, Daylight Saving Time came around with not so much as a fart from any computer system under my authority.

That aside life has been quiet and busy.  I’d like to say that I’ve been working on the next podcast, but right now it’s just a note in my widget notepad.  but rest assured it will be coming soon enough [Though I GUARANTY it will not be this week, for reasons I'll discuss in a minute].

I did Houston’s Annual AIDS Walk again on Sunday and had a great time as always.  And the after party at my friend/former boss’ house never disappoint either.  After that is was on to see Snow Patrol @ The Verizon Wireless Theater.  I managed to finagle tickets to said sold out show with my new Live Nation connections here at the office.  Sadly, I missed 90% of the first opening band, whom I really enjoy, the Silversun Pickups.  Ok Go, was, well ok as usual.  I saw them open for Death Cab for Cutie here at my own Theater back in February, and I tried to give them a fair shot, but they’re just kind of lack luster I suppose.  Though I:

1. Have to give them points for doing a great cover of Electric Light Orchestra‘s Don’t Bring me Down
2. Give credit to the fact that these guys get the whole [Noun] 2.0 aesthetic, and know how to market themselves to their audience.  Not content to be held be the reigns of traditional, you can only see/hear us on MTV/Radio bullshit, they release their stuff themselves and make it easily available.

And Snow Patrol, were, simple awesome.  Great stage presence, lots of energy; you could really tell they ENJOY doing this.  I had my lingering fear of the "Grey’s Anatomy/One Tree Hill, I’ve only heard Chasing Cars" bullshit, and don’t get me wrong, there were a fair share of those folk there.  But, to the bands credit they played a pretty even mix of older songs vs. newer songs, not content to just play the "hits".  My only [meager] complaints:

• Too much strobe.  I had to turn away and close my eyes to avoid educing a seizure more than a few times.
• The crowd SUCKED.  I pogo.  A LOT.  And the crowd just wasn’t moving AT ALL.  LAME.  Dance, bitches; enjoy yourself.

Oh well, those tiny gripes aside, I had a great time.

Now I just have to sit here and not climb through my skin for the next hour waiting for L’s plane to arrive from Florida.  She’s been gone since the end of December, and I miss her something awful.  Sadly she will only be home for about six days before heading off yet again, this time to North Carolina for another gig, but I will take the time I get.  That being said, I’m going to be largely "Off-the-Grid" this week, making the most of the time we have together this week.  Back in a few days…

Technorati Tags: time, Daylight Saving Time, AIDS Walk, Snow Patrol, Silversun Pickups, Ok Go, work, music, concert

A number of the best albums of ’06 [In no particular order]:

• The Brother Kite: Waiting for the Time to Be Right
  Sun-bleached melodies, with a lingering melancholy without being heavy. The album reminds me of ‘Pet Sounds’ if Brian Wilson weren’t so full of himself.
• Secret Machines: Ten Silver Drops
  I can best describe this album as ‘anthemic’. It has arena heavy drums, swirling guitar sounds, and great lyrics.
• ill lit: Tom Cruise
  If I HAD to choose, this album would be my favorite. It’s cosmic road music for a generation that is trying to find home. Somewhere Gramm Parsons is smiling.
• Band of Horses: Everything All The Time
  I suppose this is best described as southern-influenced rock; a indie with a twang, if you will. There’s a comfort in the familiar sadness here.
• Belong: October Language
  This album is skittery and static-y the perfect album to turn on and drift into your own head late at night. Lyrics would have ruined this album, as its swells and distortions conjure create the emotions without manufacturing a feeling.
• The Black Spoons: The History of Modern Silence
  The sophomore album from a trio [well, currently duo] of talented musicians. It’s intelligent, thoughtful rock music with no pretenses.
• Blue October: Foiled
  If you haven’t heard Blue October by now, you must be living in a cave [Can I come over and have tea?]. It’s dark, raw, honest rock music. As an added bonus Imogen Heap sings ‘Celebration’ with them. What more do you need?
• Dirty on Purpose: Hallelujah Sirens
  This is an album of jangly indie-pop music, again, probably best suited for late nights alone with bottle of wine.
• Girl Talk: Night Ripper
  Again, if I had to chose, this album would be #2 for the year. It’s a continuous mix mash-up of hip-hop and pop music. Things you never thought could go together somehow mix SEAMLESSLY with one another. A must-have.
• Letting Up Despite Great Faults: Movement
  Apparently as I compile this ’06 was a year of melancholy. This albums is a great mix of organics like a string section, acoustic guitar, and a piano with the blips and bloops of daydreaming synthesizers and gentle, sad music.
• Snow Patrol: Eyes Open
  So, sometimes I tend to be a music snob, and I almost missed these guys without giving them a chance. Just a great emotional indie-rock album.
• Eels: With Strings – Live at Town Hall
  I typically HATE live albums, as I’ve rather SEE a band live, but this albums I think captures the intimacy that Mr. E set out to accomplish. You can almost smell the scotch on his breath.

Other notables include Té, Tex La Homa, Metallic Falcons, Brightback Morning Light, Chin Up Chin Up, Amusement Parks on Fire, Blue Sky Black Death, and the list goes on. Hopefully I’ll get around to reviewing ALL of these and more in the next year. Which brings us to our next list…

A Few Things I Intend on Doing Next Year:

• Write more regularly: Both on my blog and in general. I’m still struggling to regain my previous habit of writing. I caught myself procrastinating too much this year and self-editting to the point of destroying a piece before it’s ever started.
• Get married. I think this requires no real description.
• Read more. I got burned out on reading this year due to the high volume of tech blogs I read daily and the general exhaustion from work. I need to force myself to do this. There’s a great deal I want to read, but I just haven’t sat down to do so.
• Work on some animation. I have these ideas rattling in my skull, I should try to get them out.
• Take more time for myself. It seems simple, but I am horrid with that. I need to take time to mediate, read, and take care of myself so I can better take care of those that I care about.

Well, it’s time to get dressed and head out to toast the END of the Rockettes. Happy New Year!

Technorati Tags: best albums, The Brother Kite, Secret Machines, ill lit, Band of Horses, Belong, The Black Spoons, Blue October, Imogen Heap, Dirty on Purpose, Girl Talk, Letting Up Despite Great Faults, Snow Patrol, Eels, Lists, Resolutions, New Year

Well, obviously, and as most of you who read this blog know, L and I are now engaged.  On November 4th [our one year anniversary], I proposed to her at the Byzantine Chapel.  But beginning at the beginning…  We started the day of driving around to different furniture stores in search of a new bead and mattress, as:

1. We had been given a generous gift of money from the sale of some furniture that had been given to us that we had no way of actually claiming.
2. Our old bed a a futon [a nice futon, but a futon none the less] that was taking a toll on both of our backs.

After a trip to the "the Dump" [For those of you out of town, it's a store full of overstock, etc., with DEEP discounts] we purchased a top of the line hand-stitched pillowtop mattress [cliche as it may be, it's like sleeping on a cloud].  And less than an hour later had found a the bed frame that we had really liked at a different store, but in the correct mattress size AND $200 less.

Later, we had dinner plans that night for our favorite restaurant, Divino’s, but I told her I had a surprised planned before dinner.  So we got dressed for dinner and headed out.  Near the intersection of I-45 and I-59 I told her she had to close her eyes.  We arrived at the Byzantine Chappel and I guided her inside.  I then made her stand at the back of the church, facing the back.  When she opened here eyes and turned around there I was, on one knee, holding this:

Yes, that is an LED light built into the box…
and yes, I am that big a geek

So, yeah, she said yes. [Well, to be exact she said "Oh my God!  Seriously?  Yes!"]  We are planning on getting married on November 3rd, 2007 in Santa Fe, NM.  Detail and documentary of all the planning and our thoughts [I'm trying to get her to TRY to blog during this period] will land on our newly acquired site www.lydiaandjoel.com.

Elsewhere in life, work has been busy.  The Radio City Rockettes [or as we call them at the office, Evil Bitches from Hell...  I should note, the Rockettes and just about everyone with the show is very nice, it's just the fact that we are all tired as hell from 58 performances of the same show in less than 30 days] have been in the theatre, but their last performance is tomorrow afternoon.  After which all of us at the office will start new years about 11 hour early and start popping open the corks.  So yeah, life on the work front is busy.

And Christmas has come and gone.  I put away the Christmas decorations today and threw out the tree.  After which I set loose the newest member of our family Nunu, the Roomba, to handle the aftermath [I wanted to name it Suckey, but L didn't like the name].  I am quite surprised by just how effective it is.  My floor is spotless and Nunu is took itself back to it’s charging station.  Morgan gets major props for this gift!  The better gift was just having Morgan home for a few days, as I haven’t seen him in close to a year as he is finishing his education elsewhere.  It was nice to have a holiday with the post-nuclear family; Morgan, L, the Goblin [and now Nunu :)].  Other notables include a new 80 GB iPod [as my 4th Gen 40 GB is nearing death], the Riedel O-Series Sauvignon Blanc/Riesling wine glasses, A Scanner Darkly on DVD, and a massager for my recliner.

And that brings to the present.  L is away for about three month in Sarasota for work.  The Goblin is currently on Christmas vacation in Illinois with her mother, to return later this week.  And me, well, I’m just here, doing my thing.  Looking forward to a slower time at the office so I can clean my office [with a Bulldozer] as there is a great deal of crap my predecessor left, well, EVERYWHERE.  I also hope to spend more time working on this site and get some mixtapes up in the podcast soon and maybe a few music reviews.  And of course wedding planning will own my life a great deal this year.

So begins a new year and a new chapter…

Technorati Tags: The Radio City Rockettes, Christmas, Roomba, Engagement, Mariage, Wedding

I have a fiancé…

I’ll blog about it later.

Technorati Tags: girlfriend, fiancé, love