Author Archives: Steve

1980: The Second Day of Christmas IV, Springfield 2

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Steve

This is the Christmas when the whole holiday season lost its luster for me. After receiving the Millenium Falcon a year earlier, most gifts afterwards seemed anti-climatic, short of a personal computer; in 1980 those things cost as much as … Continue reading →

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1975: The First Day of Christmas IV, G I Joe Day

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Steve

Christmas is over and that means Picayune reminisces (or navel gazes) about past holiday breaks. I thought I started doing this in 2006 but it originated during 2007 when I probably spent more hours hanging out at Blue Marble (sadly … Continue reading →

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Onward to New Year’s Eve/Day!

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Steve

Christmas 2010 around Chez Maggi was a Slacker holiday. We slept in (actually, I got up at 5 AM to feed the monsters, aka cats), had breakfast and lounged around the house, watching Netflix and DVDs. There was a brief … Continue reading →

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On vacation! Posts will still happen

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Steve

It would’ve been nice if I had more advanced notice of getting the Holiday shutdown off, my first since 1997 and even that one sucked. As a contractor, I had to give up what little vacation time I accrued to … Continue reading →

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Belated RIP Steve Landesberg, aka Sgt. Dietrich

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Steve

Comedian Steve Landesberg’s passing is old news by now but the other day I had a little personal revelation about the well-loved character he played, Detective Sgt. Arthur Dietrich. I’m somewhat like him at work…in a good way. Hear me … Continue reading →

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Happy 43rd Birthday Paul!

Posted on December 24, 2010 by Steve

My third and best college roommate, my bud through thick and thin, and a whole host of other roles…including designated prancer, keeper of the starcrunches and Heavy Metal expert. Sadly, he has the second-worst birthday date in the Western world, … Continue reading →

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Katz’s is closing on January 2, 2011

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Steve

Another little part of Austin I fell in love with when I moved here in 1994 bites the dust as the city continues to transform into Dallas II; I could live with San Antonio, Jr. but I think it’s becoming … Continue reading →

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Lunar eclipse was a bust in Austin

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Steve

Anyone else out there have any luck seeing the rare event? Lunar eclipses happen from time to time but not during the Winter Solstice. NPR said it was the first in 400 years. Despite my recovering health, I took an … Continue reading →

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1970: Nixon meets the King

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Steve

Contrary to the power of Photoshop and the imagination of The Onion, this picture is real. Nowadays the infamous photo has made the rounds for so long it loses the humorous punch it once had in the Eighties; there was … Continue reading →

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TRON: Legacy

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Steve

I’m a fan of the original Tron. Yes, I know the plot is silly, the acting is belabored, the effects are dated and the computer lingo sprinkle throughout the dialog was trying on my mother (who took me in 1982) and … Continue reading →

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Sonia came to town!

Posted on December 19, 2010 by Steve

What a weekend! My friend Sonia came up to Austin Friday night to spend some time with me! Coming with her was her nephews Alex, Tony and Jeremy and her sister Evie, I may be wrong the last person’s name. … Continue reading →

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Electric bill improvements

Posted on December 18, 2010 by Steve

Tell me again why I should be in favor of nuclear power? So far the rate decrease I just received on my upcoming contract for 100 percent wind with Green Mountain deflates the argument to start building more Three Mile … Continue reading →

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Regular Joe, more like Tom, gets lifetime opportunity

Posted on December 17, 2010 by Steve

This happens a bit more often in the lower-level leagues and I think it was caused by the rumination of my cousin-in-law over the movie Rudy. Personally I prefer the movie Miracle which actually happened too. It’s a bit of … Continue reading →

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RIP Blake Edwards

Posted on December 16, 2010 by Steve

Revenge of the Pink Panther was the first non-Disney or Star Wars movie I got to see in theaters. With all the slapstick from Peter Sellers, it was small wonder why kids found it funny and my parents took us … Continue reading →

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1990: Graduation!

Posted on December 15, 2010 by Steve

Better late than never was the defense I used for needing an extra semester. Maybe my family wouldn’t have been as irked if I were attending a public university taking the standard six-year plan at Illinois State. The biggest stigma … Continue reading →

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