The Phantom Of The Opera Is There… Inside My Mind…

Hey gang…

Trying to do something akin to a New Year’s Resolution… not letting things get ruined for me…. and to actually follow through and do the activities I want to do… instead of letting other things get in the way.

Case in point.  Tomorrow… my roommate and I are going to the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center to see Sir Andrew Lloyed Weber’s The Phantom of The Opera.  I am pretty excited about it.  I have seen it 3 times before…. twice in Toronto at the beautiful Pantages Theatre… and once years ago… when it first came to Orlando.

I have read the original novel “Le Fantome de l’Opera” by Gaston LeRoux many times… and I absolutely love the musical.

I am pretty excited… and I think it will be wonderful to go and to take some time to enjoy some live theatre.

I cannot believe however, how expensive it is to go see it.  Over 200$ for 2 people.  I guess I should mention that while I am not sitting on the farthest reaches of the upper levels of the balcony, I am not sitting right on top of the Orchestra either.

Anyway… I am looking forward to tomorrow night… and am excited to be doing something that I want to do… and I will be trying very hard not to let people ruin it for me.

Who Says That “Miracles Don’t Happen Anymore”?

Interestingly enough…there is a whole population out there… who don’t believe in MIRACLES.  I guess the parting of the Red Sea by Moses, The Burning Bush, Turning Water Into Wine, and other assorted biblical occurrences are to be relegated to 1940’s/1950’s cimena where they “belong”.  I don’t necessarily believe that.  I think that miracles occur everyday…. and one does not have to wear their rose colored glasses to see them!  I bet… if you think about it…. you would find many miracles… albeit small ones…. in your life.  I guess I can take this blog down a path to where there are two types of people.  You know who they/we are.

• For instance… I am a “glass half-full” kind of a guy…. versus a “glass half-empty”.  I know that I am blessed beyond what I probably deserve (don’t get me going on that) but appreciate my current situation and the material things that I have.  I try to be mentally, emotionally, and spiritually a positive person.  When I have my “down” days…(and who doesn’t?) I try not to ask what else could go wrong… or how things could possibly be worse…because I have seen them go to total crap after I had that thought… and seen how things could get worse… as they in fact… got worse!
• At any rate…. I am a positive person… trying to believe in the best things in people.  On the flip-side… are the negative people.  Always bringing their own dark cloud into the mix.
• I am a thankful person versus a person who goes about their life feeling they deserve everything handed to them… and that Love, an education, a good Job, and a fancy car are all entitlements to them. They just take possession of situations and things… and give not a thought to what they have.

I think that if you are a positive, thankful, and glass half-full person… then I think that you may be the kind of person… who would recognize a miracle if they saw it…. because these types of people… are more likely to ask God for one and believe… truly believe… that he will deliver!

What has gotten me on this train of thought?  Well, something happened at the end of December… just before Christmas.  Something very sad.  My 14 year old kitty (named Kittie) got out of the house… and was out and about…. in the wild for over a month!  He is back now… so don’t worry… but more on that in a moment.  When Kittie was gone… it devastated me.  I was heart broken.  On the one hand I physically and emotionally missed my elder feline boy…. but I was also concerned for his well-being.  As it turned out… this was a very cold time in Central Florida… and Kittie was out in the cold… all alone.  My roommate and I were out EVERY NIGHT… looking for him.  We were calling his name, posting bulletins on the communal mailboxes, and all-in-all… going nuts trying to bring Kittie home!  As time passed… more and more of our neighbors pitched in… and we started receiving “spot reports” on his locations… so we knew that he was a live at least.  We had to fight the negativity of some people out there…. co-workers, neighbors, and other miscellaneous people we came across.  Many said that huge hybrid water moccasin/boa constrictors had eaten him… after all this is SWAMPY FLORIDA!  Still others said that vultures were circling our house…. because they obviously were eating the body of our dead cat.  I believe that in the 32 days that Kittie was missing… I had heard the whole gamut of explanations on how Kittie had met his demise.

It was very heartbreaking to hear all of this… although I knew that many people… in their own way… were trying to be helpful… and I tried to kick-in in my own heart of hearts… that they were not trying to be out and out mean to me.  Overall, the statistics for finding a lost pet… show that the probability of a safe return falls sharply after one month’s time.  My roommate and I tried to keep our hopes up… but it was tough.  I told my roommate… that based on how I was raised… I HAD to trust in God.  I could not give credence to all these strange ways that Kittie was supposed to have been killed.  Against all logic… I had the faith in God… that he would watch over my baby.

From my recollection, there was not one day that he was missing… where I did not pray for the safety and return of my kitty.  Every time the mercury dipped really low… I was anxious.  Was he warm enough… was somebody feeding him…. was he healthy?  All these thoughts flooded my mind.  Somebody who Dave and I ran into… suggested that we pray to Saint Anthony of Padua… patron saint of lost causes and for finding things/people that are lost.  I am Catholic… so I was kind of surprised that I had not thought of it before.  Part of the particular prayer that I was praying… stated that it might take a Miracle to get Kitty back…but if that it was it takes… then a Miracle is what I am asking for…!

Well, in the long run…Kittie did come back.  He lost 2.25 pounds… and was scratched up… but he was ok.  The vet said he is in good shape and that he should be all right.  Not too bad for being outside in the “wild” for 32 days.  Some would argue…that it is not a Miracle that Kitty is home… they would say that cats just come home…. although that is not necessarily true.  Every day that he was missing… it was not “a given” that he was going to show up at the door!

Personally, I believe that God was keeping my boy safe… and that He also so to it that he would return to us… to answer not only my prayer, but my roommate’s prayers as well. I am thankful that Kittie is home…. and every time I think of him being gone I feel a flush of my desperation I felt to get him back… and am thankful all over again… for the little Miracle that occurred.

I know that there are Miracles out there… thinking of Kittie made me think of times when I was down on my knees, spirit broken, and desperate for a miracle.  My father’s heart stopped during open-heart surgery… a very dangerous operation… and I was praying for him to be safe… and the operation to be free from complications.  God performed a miracle… the surgeon (an excellent one by the way) pulled him through… and my Dad is around today.  There are many I could cite… but let it suffice it to say… that I do believe in Miracles.

Have you ever had a friend or relative recover from Cancer or some other sickness that the doctors said they would never recover from?  You ever have a friend or family member stop drinking suddenly… after you prayed that his/her life would be mended?

I guess what I am trying to say is… that anybody can say stuff is up to chance…. or luck… or whatever…. but I think it all boils down to context.  I trust in a God… three parts in one…. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost… and my context is… that the world is full of Miracles.  It has been full of Miracles, is full of Miracles, and will be full of Miracles.  Why am I so sure of this?  Because Miracles are a reflection of how much God loves each and every one of us.  Miracles are not granted by who we are… or what we have done to earn them… Miracles are given to all who ask for them… by the grace of God.  While other’s are counting on pure chance and the roll of a die… I will be counting on my faith… and keep praying for Miracles.

I Used To Be A “Hipster”, But Now Am An Orphaned First Generation iPhone Owner!

I am going to do something that is very dangerous… and prognosticate on the future actions of Apple Inc.  LOL.  I already know… some facts about the iPhone:

1. I paid 500$ for it
2. The 3G does stuff that the First Generation iPhone cannot do
3. The 3Gs does stuff that the 3G and the First Generation iPhone cannot do.
4. Version 3.0 of the iPhone OS runs on all three models of the iPhone.
5. Version 4.0 of the iPhone OS (which everybody is drooling over) is not supposed to run on the First Generation iPhone… I am effectively becoming a de facto iPhone Orphan.

Yeah…. sucks huh?  How long have I had my iPhone?  Hmmm over 2 years.  If you bought it and used it for one year… the cost is 500$ to have one.  If you had it and used it for 2 years, the cost is $250 a year… much better for being hip and cool….

Even better if you can own it and use it for 3 years.  The price per year shrinks to $166.  Hmmm will i make it that long before upgrading?  Who knows.  Is my iPhone useful now… even though it does not have a true GPS inside it?  Yes.  Is my iPhone useful now without an electronic compass telling me which is North?  Yes.  Is it useful even though I cannot take video with it… clogging the net with impromptu YouTube videos?  Yes.  Is it useful if I can get my AT&T Edge network connection anywhere in the country and pay a lot less than 3G coverage which I might not be able to get at all?  Yes.

Ok, you get my idea.  The iPhone that I have…will still be useful…. and I am not going to throw it out.  It is awesome…… still!  If it is true… and OS 4.0 will not run on my ancient iPhone… i will stay on 3.1 … and still live my life.  My life might be a bit more fabulous if “The Steve” realizes… that there are a lot of iPhone First Gen’s around like me… and he decided to show us all a little love.  ;-)

Everybody At Work, And The Media In General Are All Gawking About The End Of The Decade… Too Bad The End Is Not Until The End of 2010!!!

Well, I know what you are saying…. I was one of those people who did not party the end of the 2nd Millenium… until the end of the year 2000… and you would be right.  I just don’t know why people don’t get their facts straight.  Maybe it is the pure urge for people trying to find meaning in societal events or in their personal live.  ”Irregardless” … (Don’t get me started on this word either) … it is nice to see articles on the web… that are in agreement with me.

An article in the on-line version of the Evansville Courier & Press, courierpress.com, talks about this subject.  Personally, I try to be precise in everything that I do… probably because I am a picky Virgo and a anal retentive jack-knob… LOL.

—-

Well, it is now a few weeks later… and the din created by this has died.  It was still in my draft box… so I thought I would publish it…

It is still lame… It still annoys me.  So.  Oh.

AT&T SUCKS !!! Or “Why Is AT&T Wireless Calling My Parents, Calling Me A Deadbeat, And Trying To Get Them To Pay My Cell Phone Bill? !!!”

Ok, there are some absolutes in this world….

• Dog people should marry Dog people
• Cat people should marry Cat people
• Mac Fanboys Like Macs
• Microsoftians Like Windows
• AT&T Wireless CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS worse than any other wireless service on the planet!

On the way home from work…  I was talking to Dad on my iPhone…. I happened to call the land line they have.  We got interrupted by his cell phone going off… and he told me it “looked important” so he had better answer it.  I hung up… and then finished driving home.  I had a fear that I knew what was happening.  Why?  Because in the case of AT&T Wireless’ greed, the past is prolog.  Let me explain that I have my parents on my cellular plan.  My mom told me that she was unhappy with the high price of her plan on a competing carrier… and I was happy to move them to my plan… it would be cheaper… and I decided that I wanted to pay for their cell phones so they did not have to worry about anything.  I have tons of rollover minutes… and since my mom and dad have been on my account… I have not had any minute overages at all… none… NADA!  Well, 2 times before, when I did not get any bills or anything from AT&T Wireless that I had a balance due (no e-mail, no phone calls, no texts) my mom and dad… who are no 70 and 69 respectively… got calls from AT&T… telling them to quit being deadbeats and to pay their bills!  I was so upset… that I called up AT&T Wireless…and complained… both times it happened!  Somehow… the primary account was listed as my dad’s number… and after the first time… they changed it.  The only thing I can think of is that AT&T Wireless has multiple billing systems with one system not knowing what the other one is doing…. and the change did not propagate through their systems.  I was furious when it happened for the second time.  See…both my parents wondered why I was being a dead beat and came down on me hard… for not paying my bills.  But… all of you current and former AT&T Wireless customers… know how poor their billing system is.  In fact… I checked my iPhone AT&T application to see what my bill was… and as of yesterday… I did not have a balance.

Wow..things change… because when my Dad called me back all upset…. that I was a deadbeat again… I called up the horrible AT&T Wireless customer service.  Cameron… the poor bastard…  who got stuck talking to me… did not know what was going on.  I asked him to dig up the skinny on the phone call that was made… and he did.  He was so uncomfortable over the phone… because he could tell what happened…and saw the prohibitions on the main customer screen…FORBIDDING anybody to talk about billing information with the auxiliary people who are on the account.

I was so mad!  I told him that I was sorry for being so upset… but that he got my father upset.  (Thank God that my mom was out playing bingo with her sister!)  Cameron informed me that I had an outstanding balance of over a $184 and that he would be happy to take my credit card number right now…. and put an end to this unseemly incident.  Since I was driving down the road… I was not going to pull over.  It was so stupid that I just got madder!

AT&T… let me tell you in the nicest way… You are despicable!  I like my iPhone… but your customer service is so poor that I would chuck the iPhone… and go without a cell phone…. just to get out from under your horrible influence.  No wonder you got the poorest customer service rating of all major domestic carriers for the 4th quarter of 2009!  I hate your incompetence… I hate your billing… I hate your crap in general!  I am serving you notice… that if I get one more incident like this… I am contacting the Federal Trade Commission and the State of Florida’s Attorney General and file complaints against you!

If you are reading my blog… and you agree with my LOW OPINION OF AT&T Wireless… then forward the URL of this blog to everybody you know who is on AT&T cell service!

Apple Marches On… “No Rest For The Wicked” – The Mighty Leopard Of Snow Gets More Bug Fixes!

Natalie Posted Mac OS X 10.6.3 to Address Bugs in Snow Leopard in the Apple forum of netbookboards.com.  This is good news.  The realization that Apple is working to fix bugs in their software is much more consoling than the talk at the proverbial water cooler at work… Namely how the Mac is finished.  After all, the new Google phone is going to kill the iPhone, iPods will die the ultimate truth death that all overpriced crap does, and Windows 7… the Operating System that was programmed by the hand of God and delivered on an optical disc carved of stone (carried down to the masses by Moses) will reign over the earth for a thousand years!

I guess compared to this religious analogy, statements like “Windows 7 is Vista done right” and “If you cannot make Windows 7 bend to your will and do exactly what you want, then you are a computer-ignorant jack-knob” sound pretty ok.  LOL.

Somebody asked me today… “Why are you still playing around with Macs when obviously the Windows family of Operating Systems has been perfected with Windows 7?”  I tried to explain how I want a computer that will be ready to let me do what I want… i.e. work, play games, screw around, etc. when I want to do it…. not lure me in… only to find that some program corrupted… and I cannot do anything until I run the recovery console.  When I answered, their eyes glazed over…. and all I got was a big “Dude, ….whatever Dude…..” LOL.

Oh well.  I did not have the heart… to talk about my almost pristine install of Windows XP on my old desktop PC… and how I went to install the Windows Live Messenger… and there is no way in HELL to get it to login to the Microsoft system.  I did my internet searching on the problem space… and yes, I opened a console window and pain-stakingly  re-registered 17 Dynamic Link Libary (DLL) files.  Did not help.  I rebooted after the rebooting of the reboot… nothing.  I followed arcane link after arcane link… and ran small programs that were supposedly able to fix the problem…. nope… nothing.  The Windows Live Messenger…she no a log on…. LOL.

Anyway… glad that a new update is around the corner… and glad that it is being made better…. as our problem reports…. are sent in after a system crash or hung program.  ALl Operating Systems have problems… I understand that.  I am simply falling back to my previous often said statement… you drive a Ford, and I drive a Chevy… Does it really matter which one you use… as long as you can deal with its associated crap?  I thought not…

“The Great Wal(Mart) of China” … or “Why I Am Frosted Because My New Stanley Stainless Steel Thermos Is Made In China”

Ugh.  I saw a new thermos…. from Stanley…. in Walmart the other day.  I don’t usually go there, but I went with my friend Rick after we had lunch.  I needed a bigger capacity thermos… and the big boy I bought looked like a thermos my grandfather used to have.  I was reliving my youth… as I walked to the checkout counter.  I flipped it over… as i was approaching the clerk… and saw those fateful words… “Made In China”.  Perhaps we should pass a law that says that all ROC imports should be stamped / labeled “Made In Communist China”…. but then they would probably make us put Chairman Mao on our dollars… as they own them all anyway.

I hated buying it…but I needed a thermos….. and to be honest, I probably could not find a real honest-to-goodness Made In America thermos anyway.

Are my flakes frosted? Yes…. Did I run out of the store screaming “Die commie, Die”?  No.  I did get a thermos… but knowing that I did not support a LEGAL working person in my own country…. made me sad.

Hmmm, Note to self…. try not to shop at the “Great Wal(Mart) of China” any more.

Are You being “xserved”?

Well, what am I talking about hear?  I may not know myself.  Ha ha…  xserve …. is Apple Computer’s server platform.  You rarely know what server hardware or Server OS you are connecting to … unless some web site tells you…. “Running on XXXYYYZZZ hardware or Server OS”.  Does it matter?  Not really… as long as the server does its job and you get the information you want in the time period you want it.

I decided to be a bit ambitious… I picked up an older G4 PowerPC based xserve server… running Mac OS X tiger (10.4.11).  I have it in my possession… but it is not installed… YET!  LOL.  I will beging the daunting task of setting it up… and that goes with it… when I am on my christmas break.  BTW… the picture of the xserve that I have… is the slot loading DVD one…

I have been reading a copy of Schoun Regan’s “Visual Quickpro Guide – MAC OS SERVER 10.4 TIGER” book.  Pretty good.  I have already bought my new domain… http://www.TheMactrix.info domain… which is currently being parked on www.Godaddy.com (Go Daddy, Go!).

Ok… so this blog entry is not hard hitting….  it is not complaining (there might be hope for me yet, right?), or attempting to whip you up in a frenzy… it is just more of me… geeking out.

At any rate… when I get the domain turned over…  I will let you all know so you can check it out…

“Tutti Frutti on Zeituni (Onyango)” … or “Life Ain’t Too Sweet When You Got The IMMIGRATION BLUES”

I cannot start of this blog entry by singing “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom!”… but I can start it off by giving you this link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091201/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_aunt .

Funny…  Auntie Zeituni… is feeling the pain/anxiety of separation from her nephew… seems that her immigration troubles (i.e. being in the country illegally) have prevented her from spending time with the only family she has in the United States of America!  The bright side is… she is understanding in not wanting to cause him political problems…. and the President is understanding… by not seeing her at all.  My main concern is… we have civil service in the US… to make sure that issues like these don’t get out of hand… as in …. somebody in a position of power in the Government… cannot influence issues where they have a vested interest.  It seems that dear Auntie is quick to say that she has not received any special favors or status because her nephew is the President… but with all the press about her since Obama appeared on the scene… why hasn’t her situation been resolved (either way…according to the law).  Gosh, with my luck… if I were here illegally…. I would be trounced out quicker than anything… and I would be “A man without a country”.

At any rate… blood is blood…  and I can understand that Zeituni Onyango is sad.  Who would not be?  Much like starving in the midst of plenty.  I don’t feel sorry for her about her immigration woes… and the fact that she is here… living in public houseing subsidized by the Government that her nephew heads… BUT… I do feel sorry for her that her nephew can turn his back on her.  Gosh… with the money he made off his book… he could siphon a small amount from that… and get her a cell phone or something… so that they can talk to each other at least.  I feel much the same way as I do about his half-brother… living on pennies… 50$ would be a small fortune for a man who lives on pennies.  That might make his life…living in a shack… that much more comfortable.

Thank God for not being in a situation where I would have to deny my family.  With God’s blessing, may I never have to….

One more thing to dread this Holiday season… office Christmas parties

Ok, let me yield up front…  LOL.  As I get older… I can honestly say that my tendency is to become more cynical.  I don’t like it… but it is happening.  I am no longer the little boy being driven to my grandparents house for Christmas Eve.  My brother is not sitting next to me… just as excited as I am… and my parents are not there in the front seat driving us there.  I still remember those Christmases past.  My brother and I, as my Dad’s parents only grandchildren, were spoiled this time of year.  I have always stated that Ghengis Khan never saw such a “golden hoard”.  In my family, I was always the first one who wanted to put up the Christmas tree (much to my brother’s embarrassment)  and I was always glued to the TV set to watch Rudolph, Frosty, and whatever other Christmas show was on.  If all this is true…. then why am I warning you off of office Christmas parties?

Well, first… let me remind you of the Seven Deadly Sins.  Do you remember them?  Wrath, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Lust, Envy, and Gluttony are they.  Well, just because Jesus came over 2000 years ago to save us from Sin… does not mean that these Cardinal Sins / Capital Vices have gone away.  If you don’t believe me… go to your office holiday party!

Over the last few years… I have seen many horrible things go on at office holiday parties.  After seeing it all do down, as it were, I realize that these parties more closely favor “Festival”… from the Star Trek Original Series episode entitled “Return of the Archons”, than a true Christmas holiday party.  In case you missed the Star Trek reference… these modern parties more resemble orgiastic revelry than a celebration of Christmas.  I know that a lot of that has to do with the presence of sweet treats… and the whole secularization of the feast of Christ Mass….  but I wonder if a few Christmas carols wouldn’t be all that bad.

I submit to you…. that there is no place more favored for an office bully to manifest themselves… than at the office holiday party.  Why?  Because, they see this as a prime opportunity to seize control of the plans and make their co-workers pay dearly.  Kind of sad… but often seems true.  They can rule the holiday committee with an iron fist…. telling the rest of the poor mortals what to do, how to do it, and when it must be done.  Add to the party… the much maligned “chinese gift exchange”… and you have a control freak’s dream… and the average quiet person’s worst nightmare!

I got a notice today about my office party… and I just deleted it as soon as it came.  I got another e-mail asking about my preferences on another holiday party… I just deleted that too.  Not very into seeing the 7 Capital Vices appear before me in the flesh!  Greed, Envy, Lust, gluttony, and envy didn’t have anything on that party last year.  even though there was a $15 limit on gift to be exchanged via the Chinese gift exchange, people went all out!  [PRIDE].  They bought multi-bottle alcohol gift sets… which got stolen, restolen, and stolen again!  [GREED, ENVY, LUST].  Everybody was so wrapped up in the food and the sport of the gift exchange [GLUTTONY] that things got out of hand.  Comments were said… and in spite of the laughter… I am sure that feelings were hurt.

I choose to see Jesus Christ in the season that carries his name… and to remember “The Reason for the Season”.  I don’t want to focus on the base emotions that ‘orginal sin’ fans the flames of our destruction.  Instead… I want to concentrate on “the Light of the World” coming to us… illuminating our path to salvation!

A subset of the holiday party… is the Thanksgiving pot-luck lunch.  that is where you bring in a part of the meal to contribute to a bounty… where we should be thankful for all that we have.  we all sit around… have a serving of what everybody has prepared… and appreciate out coworkers, and the many blessings that we enjoy.  unfortunately, these parties have a dark side as well.  I experienced a dark side of this phenomenon.  I brought food in to a holiday party…. and people made rude comments about what I brought in.  (In this case, pumpkin bread)  Instead of passing it over, many people present had to tell everybody and carry on how they were sure it was ‘nasty’.  It must be I guess, because a loser like me made it!  LOL.  Anyway… when they were packing up the food to put in the office refrigerator so that they could have it in the next days that followed, I marveled at how delicious it looked, how wonderful it smelled, and lamented that I was the only one who ate any.  Oh well, I just picked the plate up… and went to the garbage can and dumped the plate clean.  After I accomplished the “necessary” deed,  people started chastising me (as people are prone to do).  They demanded to know what I was doing… throwing away food?  I told them that all of you were telling me how gross the pumpkin bread was… and how you would not touch it, let alone consume any…. so I thought I was doing a favor for my coworkers… by throwing it out”.

Many stood there looking at me…. mouths gaping wide open and eyes startled.  I just simply took my plate, and left.  Ever since that moment… I have been more critical of these types of events… and the overall pettiness of the people who attend them.  I am saddened by the lack of manners that people show these days.  It is tough enough in this world to keep a positive outlook in this world… without actively seeking out situations where this task is made even harder.

So, be warned… of the evil that lurks in the hearts of those blinded by greed (and the chinese gift exchange).  In the immortal words of Scrooge… “You keep Christmas in your own way, and I will keep it in mine!”.   Joy to the World, the Lord has come!

[Dedicated to V]