Virtual Apple HQ achieved in running

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Steve

A week behind schedule to coincide with my 15th anniversary for working at Apple, I finally have run the equivalent distance between my house and 1 Infinite Loop. Somara asked how long this took, three years and three months give or take a week. I would’ve been there sooner if it weren’t for that damned head cold I came down with 12 days ago. I’m still way ahead of last year by 38.6% yet the daily average has slipped below 1.9 miles/day. I have less than three weeks to bank additional miles for Las Vegas. Life will go on. Every mile now puts me ahead of May 2013 and gives me a fighting chance to beat the June 2013 and overall 2013 record.

Where to next? Paizo Publishing (where the true successor to D&D is made) in Seattle, WA, which is 2117 miles away.

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Stars end 2013-14 regular season spectacularly…

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Steve

…if you don’t include the 4-3 loss for the final game.

It doesn’t matter, they clinched home ice all the way through before the weekend thanks to a victory in OKC and the Monarchs being unable to get the points.

Last night’s sold-out game opened with a deluge of trophies for the Stars. A perfect finale to a record-breaking season.

  • Curtis McKenzie received Rookie of the Year.
  • Travis Morin was MVP for leading the AHL in points and assists.
  • West Division champs, two years running despite last year it was the South Division.
  • The Stars won their first Macgregor Kilpatrick trophy which is for having the most points in 76 games. Pretty sweet too, they only had 17 regular losses, 59 games with at least one point.
  • Travis and Colton Sceviour made the All-Star Team.

For the Abbotsford Heat, it was a bittersweet victory. The Vancouver ‘burb grew tired of making up the difference in the team’s lackluster revenues. What were they expecting? The Flames’ farm team hanging out in the Canucks’ backyard? To Americans, it would be equal to the Green Bay Packers having a farm team in the Chicago suburbs. The Chicagoans’ pride would have most refusing to see an affordable game due to their loyalty to Da Bears. They’re in the playoffs but who knows where they will be next year. The smart money is Glen Falls, NY to replace the vacating Phantoms who are going to Allentown, PA. I figure another team going East is inevitable. The bigger mystery to me is how will the AHL re-align. Will the governors designate a team into our conference or just go with the 16-14 split like the NHL. I wish the AHL could support more teams on the other side of the Mississippi River yet I’m a realist, football and basketball, especially at the college level, are the state religions in the South and West. Hockey is a Yankee and Canadian import usually supported by transplants. Portland (OR), Seattle, San Diego, Albuquerque, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas are possibilities. I only know the last city is iffy now, the Wranglers are getting kicked out of the Orleans.

Back to my Stars!

They were down 3-0 thanks to some piss-poor defense and bad luck. Then they came back to tie the game. It was short lived. On the upside, they didn’t give up an empty-net goal. What concerns me is they may go into the first round of the playoffs this Wednesday with lackluster play against the Barons, the team that killed our victory buzz last time. Plus the Oilers didn’t finish well so there’s a chance certain eligible players from the NHL can be around the boost. We don’t have such a luxury, Dallas landed the wild-card spot against the Ducks.

Either way. I’m stoked. I received my newest personalized jersey (photo to appear later) to wear to cheer my Stars on. It’s our fourth year in the playoffs out of five. It’s our second divisional title in five and likely chance to get a Calder Cup. I say second because last year we should’ve done better while 2009-10 was an awesome fluke; they exceeded my expectations by just being in the playoffs. First home game will be April 30, when I hope we perform the killing blow a la Mortal Kombat. Suck it OKies!

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Happy Record Store Day 2014!

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Steve

Nothing says Spring in Austin like the great (overdue) weather, US Taxes being filed, the Cubs and Astros are already in last place and Record Store Day!

I didn’t get up early or anything because there wasn’t a release I was compelled to buy nor did a friend need a favor. However, this year’s ambassador is Chuck D of Public Enemy and Air America fame. I say good for him. RSD demonstrates its diversity of how all genres are welcome plus Chuck D has been a pivotal figure in music even if I’m not a fan of Rap or Hip Hop or whatever it’s called this year. I like Chuck D the person, the music can be inconsistent plus he should ditch Flavor Flav, that joke hasn’t been funny for a some years.

The crowds were probably pretty crazy. Last year there was a line way around the corner. I have no idea, I waited until the Hipster dust settled to drop by. My friend Chip had a poster for me to give Dana Gould and while I was just perusing, I found a DVD containing highlights of the 1983 US Festival concerts! Maybe I can use it as an entry in my “Favorite Live Album” list with the histology book I got for Christmas.

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Into the home stretch, first round of playoffs

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Steve

OK, the Flyers are off to a miserable start with the new crappy confusing format demonstrating the NFL-ization of hockey. Wild Cards? Who gives a crap. It was used to drag out baseball and football an additional month. The difference is that the NHL’s wild cards don’t expand anything. It remains 16 teams with just the chance of one division having five teams advance over a guarantee of four. Seems rather pointless and didn’t make much difference when six divisional winners with 10 point earners advancing.

At least it explained why my team had to face the Rangers. The traditional order would’ve had them facing the Lighting.

This season I got 20-to-1 odds on the Flyers going all the way. The pundits are predicting the Bruins. Really? Despite the bomb at the marathon in 2013, Boston had a dud in goal as they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Well, the Blackhawks had a good, abbreviated season which was the only way they could succeed. Playing 82 games would’ve exposed them to more injuries and their unbearable fans to reality, the ‘Hawks aren’t consistent.

So do my Flyers have a chance? Better than last year. They’re a clutch team in the final month. It wasn’t under the wire like Dallas though. Expectations are mediocre; the head coach was fired earlier in the season, their farm team is awful (makes depth questionable) and the media will hate them for lacking a big-name player they love.

Who may win it all? Probably a team I dislike. Boston, Anaheim, Pittsburgh and Colorado seem to be the smart money. I’ll stick with my team because winning $200 would make it sweeter. Then I can spend it on something to tell the ‘Hawks and Bruins fans to suck it. Winning doesn’t suit them. Titles force their residents to find something new to bitch all day about.

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Cheap Thrills: Acquired taste

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Steve

cheapthrillsThis gruesome comedy-thriller is mostly an updated, modernized version of Hitchcock’s “Man From the South” but has double the protagonists and antagonists. I think it also throws in our contemporary obsession with photographing every damned thing every damned few minutes. I was also drawn to it because of David Koechner being in the lead, his comedy style has grown on me plus he’s very sinister for a change.

The trailer wasn’t widely available so I’ll give a quick synopsis. Craig is a struggling writer who just lost his job at an oil-change joint. It couldn’t have come at a worse time. His wife is unemployed, they have an infant son and they’re going to be evicted in a week. While trying to take his mind off his troubles at a nearby bar, Craig’s old high-school buddy Vince runs into him. Based upon their catching-up conversation, sounds like life has been rough for Vince and he operates a free agent thug breaking arms for loan sharks.

When Craig returns from using the bathroom, Vince introduces Colin and Violet. The couple came into the bar to celebrate Violet’s birthday and they’re looking people to party with. As they consume an expensive bottle of tequila, Colin starts pitting Craig and Vince against each other through various little challenges for money: who finishes a shot gets $50, make a nearby woman slap your face for a $100, etc. The stunts work their way up in risk alongside their rewards.

Is it funny though? For me, most of the time. I liked the surprises and a couple vulgar stunts, think Dumb and Dumber. Cheap will upset the squeamish but I felt it didn’t do these things to get attention. The point in my opinion was to show what desperate people will do when ludicrous amounts of money are at stake.

Alamo Extras: Shorts involving dares, a Betty Boop cartoon, Dave Koechner skits of him buying flowers, Dave Koechner’s talk show, a puppet interviewing the stars of the movie, Dave Koechner and Will Arnett doing a skit, Weird Al’s video “Dare to be Stupid,” and pieces from Tarantino’s bit from Four Rooms.

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Still got it with Legos, Chapter 2

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Steve
legocar1-winner

Miss Peneleope with her pit crew. From left to right: Nikita the mechanic, Harvey who used to be on the TV show “Honey, Where Are My Pants?” Hipster Colin and Hugo, the ugliest bearded lady in Legoland.

Another trip to the Lego Store where I discovered there’s a brick shortage. I blame the movie but the manager said it was due to the holidays. Still I managed to get some cool pieces in a cup with my Lego VIP points.

This visit’s challenge was a car or road vehicle to get me out of my aircraft/spaceship rut. My heroine Ms. Penelope has decided to get into racing so I decided to make a bitchin’ vehicle she can win with. It lacks tires yet I’m confident it tears up the road.

legocar1-front

legocar1-backlegocar1-above

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The Grand Budapest Hotel: Must See

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Steve

grandbudapestThe mention of a Wes Anderson movie tends to make my eyes roll. Admittedly this opinion is based upon outdated information/experience. I saw Rushmore in theaters and the director’s name was put into my mental “do not bother” database. The Royal Tenenbaums and The Darjeeling Limited did little to change this. A friend convinced me to try Moonrise Kingdom (haven’t gotten around to it yet). Then this appeared as a trailer before American Hustle. I was willing to give Anderson another chance because this appeared to have a narrative, my main complaint against Rushmore, a meandering mess lacking an actual plot.

Budapest has Anderson channeling the spirits of Capra, Sturges, Wilder, Hawks and Lubitsch even though the romance element is different or played down. As the trailer shows, Gustave is the infamous hotel’s concierge who is skilled at screwing more old ladies than a bingo parlor. Meanwhile he has taken on lobby boy Zero to be his new protege, grooming him for a promising future. When the elderly dowager Madame M dies, Gustave inherits a priceless painting over the objections of deceased’s son Dmitri. Matters kick into high gear with chases, punches, stalking and a whacky prison escape.

It wouldn’t be an Anderson flick without the director’s color usage, framing and inventories. Otherwise he’s just copying from the previous directors I listed.

My only complaint is the opening and ending employing a flashback to a flashback to a third flashback before the story finally begins. I found it pretentious yet par for the course with Anderson. Not a deal breaker once Budapest actually starts.

I highly recommend seeing this. Very few comedies succeed trying to recreate the frenetic pace, plot, dialog, etc of past classics like It Happened One Night, Miracle at Morgan Creek or (the original) To Be or Not To Be. The closest in recent memory for me was The Hudsucker Proxy. All too often, contemporary comedy involves Wil Ferrel skewering a sport, Adam Sandler doing the worn-out frat boy thing and Eddie Murphy wearing a fat-guy suit.

Alamo Extras: A couple Wes Anderson shorts, namely his take on Han Solo shooting first; a beer commercial directed by Anderson; an SNL parody of a slasher movie if it were directed  by Anderson; the “Page Miss Glory” cartoon I saw as a kid ad nauseum back in Springfield on KPLR; trailers for movies this movie is inspired by: The Good Fairy, The Shop Around the Corner and The Mortal Storm.

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Max Brooks

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Steve

maxbrooksLast week was the “reading” and signing event with Max Brooks. You probably know him as the author of World War Z. To me he’s also the super talented son of comedy legend Mel Brooks and actress extraordinaire Anne Bancroft. Super talented because he writes books, comics (GI Joe) and comedy (SNL), ergo he isn’t riding on anyone’s coat tails. To my friend/co-worker Aaron (pictured on the left), Max is a huge deal due to his love of GI Joe and he made WWZ interesting to me despite the movie having little in common with the source material.

So Max came to Book People to promote his new release, The Harlem Hellfighters. A graphic novel telling the story about America’s mostly Black regiment in WWI. The qualifier “mostly” is used since the unit’s higher-level officers were White. Many characters in the story were real people while the narrative is guided by amalgamations of other actual soldiers. Hellfighters was 15 years in the making too. It’s pretty hard to get publishers behind something rather heartbreaking or gruesome. There is silver lining. Max told everybody that Will Smith’s company bought the book’s rights two weeks before it hit the stands. Plus he did receive a positive blurb from Spike Lee, a tough critic on anybody writing about Black history.

Back to why I put quotes around reading in the opening. Max said it’s pretty hard to read from a graphic novel versus standard literature. He borrowed my copy to demonstrate! Either way, I can’t wait to pour over this. Max and illustrator Canaan White ignored no details on what the clothes, hair cuts, slang, etc were like in 1918. This would be a formidable task, especially when the Black American Diaspora didn’t occur until the Forties; Black Americans in New York used different slang and accents than we’re all accustomed to hearing. I doubt many writings or recordings exist for reference. It isn’t for the squeamish neither. The horrors of this war were the inspiration for the cliché the war to end all wars.

Max took questions from the audience. We respected his request to stick to Hellfighters first, then we’d move on to WWZ and other things. He has his father’s gestures! Namely the stance with arms out. Mel Brooks fans don’t need me to describe this, if you’ve seen the key films, it’s etched in your brain!

The signing part rocked. See below…

maxbrooksautographI think Max thought it was amusing I brought this up, hence the customization. During my face time I told him how I could see his dad in the gestures, “I get that a lot.” He provided a hilarious Lorne Michaels imitation, “Max, you’re disappointing as a son and comedian.”

Keep an eye out for Hellfighters the movie! I plan to hit it on opening day, whenever that may be given Hollywood’s problem with “development.”

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I’m mostly back! Stupid cold and cold weather!

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Steve

notpismobeach

As my current head cold recedes, I am gradually catching up on a slew of crap I had to put aside. Any celebration over 15 years with Apple has been postponed when matters both financial and health normalize. Let me clarify the financial angle so nobody worries. We owed money to the IRS this year. It wasn’t devastating because we always have reserves to fall back on but I am like all human beings, I would prefer a refund over a bill. Part of having reserves means putting money back into it in case another unplanned expense happens. Therefore, Somara and I are cutting a few expenses to speed the process along. For me it meant suspending my Y membership, letting a few comic book subs run out, playing it cool with other little D&D goodies and brining my own lunch to work more often. Jointly, much fewer dinners out. It’s also pretty sweet we’re paid by the hour and our departments need additional support.

Get ready for a new onslaught of stories regarding my recent movie views, celebrity encounters and other jazz.

I have posted a new countdown. The countdown to when my tired ass will be on a plane to Las Vegas for a few days to party with José and company. This year is shaping up pretty well, two trips to Sin City.

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Music rule with my car

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Steve

roadrule1

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Fifteen years at Apple today

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Steve

I wish it were under better health circumstances. Somedays I swear, my body conspires against me, especially when I have bitchin’ plans, often during weeks with a great concert on the horizon.

This week was obviously no exception, I was acting Team Manager again while my boss was in training. Not exactly a no-stress week but I’ve been enjoying the opportunities to help with my co-workers’ development. Have frank conversations on where do they want to go, what do they want to work on, etc. The hard lesson for me is letting my peers spell it out for themselves. It’s not laziness, it’s really wise; people don’t like to have orders imposed from “outside,” if you state a goal and ask for their input on how to solve it, everyone is happier with the outcome. I also work super hard to make sure they take credit for the awesome things they do. People mistake not drawing attention as modesty when all they do is gyp themselves.

Anyway, on this day, I started my 15-year journey with the struggling computer company that has now reclaimed its title as a fellow Tech Titan. Did I think Apple would transform into what it is today? No. I also didn’t think Apple would die. I figured at best, Apple carried on as a dominant force in its specialized markets; Apple is the BMW to Microsoft’s GM approach. At worst, Apple would be acquired and transformed into a division of another corporation; say how Marvel is being handled by Disney. It’s amazing what a 180 has occurred in Austin along. When people asked about who I worked for and I replied Apple, the response was “oh, that’s too bad ,maybe you should go to Dell, they’re doing great.” Now, the answer is, “Can you get me an iPhone?” while Dell isn’t looking too hot. Sadly, Michael Dell will walk away with his subsidized fortune (as the biggest welfare recipient in the state for 20 years) and thousands will get the golden handshake before it’s over.

I don’t regret much about staying and toughing it out. After the dust settled in the dot com meltdown, I never seriously fretted Apple’s future. I may have missed a couple chances to leave, work elsewhere or get in on the bottom floor with some new trend like my friend Jeremy did. Despite what the Millennials, Gen Y and fellow Xers may see as complacency has been its own challenge. Thankfully, I have been working in a constantly evolving department with some thoughtful managers, mainly some who “got me.”

Thanks everybody! I hope to have a little celebration once I have shaken off this damned head cold. I never bothered with photos last time.

On to 20? Let’s see. Right on the cusp of 15 I was headed toward being a Sr. Specialist. Nowadays, I am the Sr. Sr. Specialist and sometimes a backfill team manager. Thanks to Eddie, I may aspire to be a Team Manager after my last real opportunity was 14 years ago, things have changed for the better in my opinion.

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New record reached in running

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Steve

I have now run 200 miles this year, putting my daily pace slightly over two miles/day and I’m about 30 percent over where I was last year.

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You can blame me for Marquette’s sorry performance

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Steve

When I was in Las Vegas last year, I spent 10 bucks on a futures bet on the Warriors (they will never be the Golden Eagles to me) to win the NCAA championship to be played tonight between Connecticut and Kentucky High School. I didn’t think Marquette had a prayer but I figured they’d at least get invited. Besides, the wager paid 60:1. So the 600 smackers I could’ve won would be reimbursement for a couple semesters’ of textbooks I had to buy.

Anyway, my alma mater had a disappointing .500-ish season. They weren’t even approached for the NIT, aka the Not Important Tournament. The flashy coach Buzz Williams fled to a school with fewer scruples, I think West Virginia, after having five previous years of great success. Meaning his questionable decisions didn’t get his employer suspended by the NCAA’s toothless disciplinarians.

This leads to the recent NLRB’s decision allowing the Northwestern football players to unionize. To this I say finally!

Let’s face reality. Who the hell are we kidding other than ourselves with this student-athlete crap? NCAA Division I football and basketball are truly the farm leagues for the NFL and NBA respectively. American universities also serve this purpose for MLB and the NHL to a lesser extent but the latter league has a more well-established junior system all over Canada. These athletes are hardly students. Trust me, whenever a basketball player was spotted in a class you were taking, you knew it was relatively easy. It didn’t matter if this were true, the perception and cynicism were the problem; why would a university jeopardize its viability as a winner by making the players take courses these (mostly) morons could fail?

The NCAA and its accomplices continue to perpetuate the myth purported by the Victorian Era. Athletics were the pursuit of the wealthy-learned classes. Professionals were vulgar mercenaries. Ergo, the children of privilege attended universities and played on the teams because they didn’t need to worry about tuition, living expenses and spending money. This same flawed logic continues with the Olympics too. The average American family can’t easily relocate to Colorado to assist a promising child become a star gymnast, ice skater, etc. Instead, our nation is often represented by the wealthy elite or gamblers.

I say let the college players organize and be paid to play. Then the schools can make them pay tuition like the rest of us stiffs had to. More scholarships can be freed up to the people who truly deserve them…the poor with potential and those with awesome grades.

Personally I wouldn’t mind the other possible outcome happening. Numerous institutions abandon their ridiculously bloated athletic programs, forcing them to focus on their original mission of educating young people. Some will continue like Texas because football is the state religion and there’s a legion of alumni who are hellbent on such a futile pursuit, never mind China and India’s advancement in space exploration.

It will also destroy the stupid argument about sports being a major recruiting/enrollment tool. I’ve always felt that if your kid picks a college based upon how well the team performs. You need to reconsider sending them in the first place.

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Muppets Most Wanted: Must See

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Steve

muppetsmostOn the surface, this appears to be a remake of The Great Muppet Caper. With Hollywood being too scared to do anything original, rebooting everything from a successful franchise’s past is the norm. The easiest example is the steaming turd Star Trek Into Darkness was as it remade Wrath of Khan. Not so with Wanted. The premise is obviously illustrated in the trailer, Kermit is replaced by an evil impostor who uses the Muppet Show as cover for stealing priceless treasures. It bears some resemblance to Caper about as much as Jimmy Neutron does to Dexter’s Laboratory.

It has the usual elements: musical numbers, celebrity cameos and inside jokes. Will it hold up over time? Probably. Younger generations may need someone to explain who the celebrities were and why were their appearances funny. That’s nothing new. The majority of them from 1979’s The Muppet Movie have passed away yet they remain funny.

The bigger question encompasses the core story though. I say it will with a resounding yes, more than Caper, Manhattan and Space. If the writers and director made Ricky Gervais tolerable for more than 10 minutes, I would say they succeeded. I personally can’t take him in large doses. Tina Fey and Ty Burrell I’m cool with.

I’m mostly glad Bret McKenzie returned to write songs for the key sequences, namely “I’ll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo in Malibu).”

Alamo Extras: Different commercials the Muppets did (since the last time we saw a Muppet-based film there), namely La Choy Chinese food and a PSA against tailgating; Jimmy Fallon, the Roots and the Muppets singing the Sesame Street Theme, something from the Ed Sullivan Show and a comedy bit demonstrating a robot gas-station worker.

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Great weekend for the Stars, namely Brett Ritchie

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Steve

Friday was a tough night to beat but my team did it again today, clobbering the (Cleveland) Monsters and strengthening their post-season position.

I want to rewind to the previous game. The bigger deal was Mike Modano coming to say thanks to the Austin fans. Then it morphed into the second home hat trick I’ve been to this season, all courtesy of forward Brett Ritchie! Good thing I brought another hat I don’t care about. I could get it back if I wanted. The scoring didn’t stop there. Brent ended the evening with five points (four goals, one assist), tying him with Travis Morin and Colton Sceviour in the Stars’ record books.

Sunday didn’t have anything unique like Friday, it was just a repeat of the Stars giving the Monsters another drubbing.

Lets hope my team can keep the momentum all the way to the Calder Cup.

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