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06/01/99 - Homeownership. The shining city on the hill. It turns out shining cities require lots of upkeep. I guess I knew that. How often do you see a beautiful rental property? Earlier in life personal collections included things like Star Wars cards or CDs or Guitars... now thoughts turn to things like: "Hmmm, how can I neatly store a collection of nails?" As a musician sore tired hands were a thing of the past... 2 days in the studio along with 2 nights playing 10pm - 2am make the hands strong. But 9 hours tearing down a silly wall surrounding a patio (Question Du Jour: Give me a reason why a pation would be completely walled. My answer: naked sun bathing) really leads to painful hands. The truly amazing thing is this: no splinters, no smashed fingers. Carpentry skills in a computer programmer are likely as rare as computer skills in a carpenter. Kara is equally (actually, probably more than equally) as overworked and sore as I. She spent 3 days removing hideous wall paper, painting and doing other, related tasks... but our house will be awesome... when we get the money to make it that way... and after we get a little rest.
06/02/99 - It's my pseudo-birthday today... at least it feels like it... I'm getting cards and gifts. Hot Peas, Star Wars Legos... cards, software. Yee Ha! So far I've flown Battle droids all over the basement here and, since there are no students here, no one has looked at me like a freak... I deserve to be seen as a freak, I'm afraid. How many 29 year olds play with Legos (while making sound effects) AT WORK. Interestingly enough, I pretty happy with myself for maintaining a childish sense of childishness long after I should have matured. Ok, asides, asides, asides. This is a serious place and it's time for me to knuckle down and get back to work... did I mention I broke a hammer fixing up the new place? My fingers are almost unsore now, too. 1 Hour until a psued-birthday lunch (Indian buffet). As I'm not certain about a certain words spelling, and too unmotivated to grab the dictionary, I've spelled it two different ways... I think the first is correct.
06/03/99 - Robert E. Lee's picture has been removed from a display of pictures at Richmond's Riverwalk opening. Ok, the Riverwalk is this thing downtown. The old canal, used to get goods around Richmond's rapids before railroads did a better job, has been restored to a park like setting. Pictures regarding war (?) have been hung here and there to provide interesting vistas maybe. Anyway, Lee's was among the pictures. Being a Lee fan I was happy. But a Richmond council member was offended because Lee fought for the Confederacy which supported slavery. It would be easy to fight back with arguements like: The US Govt prior to Jan 1, 1863 supported slavery. The fact is Lee was a good man. When the war ended few on either side did as much as he to bridge all chasms of difference. One story of worth in this specific case is of Lee at church. A black man went to the communion rail and the white congregation sat stunted until Lee went to the rail beside the man.
06/04/99 - Ok, as of yesterday R. E. Lee came off the flood wall because a councilman threatened something. Now the Sons of Confederate Veterans say they're boycotting the Canalwalk opening. And we wonder why war is so prevalent in this world when an arguement over symbolic art goes this far. Can't we all just get along? No. History is chocked full of little things that aren't really little and therefore end up big... no elaboration. So what follows is Parker's remedy... a) Learn to spell. b) When misunderstanding arises THINK. Ok, I'm embarrassed by this whole thing. Stupid council guy obviously doesn't grasp history... that pisses me off. And stupid SCV folks are making the matter worse. Lee was a good man in a violatile time. As I can find no evidence that yesterday's story is true I'm going to assume it's fictitious because to do otherwise would be unwise. What would Lee do were he here? He'd probably take his picture off the wall. I don't believe he'd want to be the focal point of strife. It is the responsibility of those who honor Lee to make his memory worthy of honor by honestly portraying his character, not by squabbling over where his picture is hung.
06/07/99 - Bye, Coach.
06/08/99 - Mr Woodman sat on a stump until it grossed him out. "Hey! I'm made of wood and it's not proper for me to sit on that from which I came." So he arose and walked around and sat back down on the ground. "I feel better about this now" he said with a frown because his knees hurt from where they'd rubbed the dirt. "If only someone would invent plastic or mabye a chair made of air then I could sit anywhere without feeling bad." Sitting is important to Mr Woodman for the same reasons it is important to say you or me. Sitting is important because... well, you're not standing. Nor are you lying down. And everyone knows it's best not to lie. So Mr Woodman sat there pondering ways to best seat himself when along came a strange thought to his brain... "What if I invent plastic! It's lighter than metal and stronger than air and it's not made of wood so it won't grow on trees and maybe I can get rich. But then I'd have to invent pants and wallets so I'd have a place for my money." Perhaps I should just pick the dirt out of my knees.
06/09/99 - It is greatly satisfying to read words redeeming my hero. For the last two days awesome editorals have painted a picture of Robert E Lee as a man of honor and conviction. Neither Lee nor the writers belittled anyone. Hoping these links will stay active for some time:
John Elrod Lee as Educator Sought to Heal Wounds
H. W. Crocker, Jr General Lee / How Sad It Is That Robert E Lee Was Maligned in Richmond
It appears the communion story has some truth to it. But more importantly, the fact that Lee causes such division is evidence a problem exists. Solving the problem isn't even the biggest challenge. Defining it seems most difficult. Lee's portrait deserves to be on the flood wall; no effort needs go toward that decision. Effort must be spent bridging the gaps between the issue's combatants. This is not about Robert E Lee; it's about something unspoken. Redeeming Lee is necessary but not going to solve the bigger problem.
06/10/99 - The benefits of chicken wire. Lisa pointed out, unlike Ray, she can do just about anything in her yard. She can raise pigs, but she can't open a commercial kennel. She can put a chicken coop anywhere on her yard she wants without having to clear it with the Cul De Sac Committee. In fact, she could surround her whole yard in chicken wire and throw lightbulbs and empty beer bottles at passers by. The resale value would take a huge hit... but that's beside the point. If exotic monkeys weren't illegal she could leave them out in the yard typing away trying to rewrite Hamlet. She could put a brick on her lawn mower's throttle and just got check on the gas level every few hours. She could paint the mother pink. 3 words: Lawn Ornament Art. Out houses. Corn fields. Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore. The point is freedom is great but isn't it better when practiced tastefully? Too bad Ray's Cul De Sac Committee is so weenie; he more than Lisa would try something really strange.
06/14/99 - The Kara and Lee House Report... brought to you by the University of Richmond: Paying Lee's salary so he can afford to be in debt. This weekend Kara and Lee made great progress. The front door was destoryed to the point that even wood filler couldn't save it... Thankfully black paint covers the destruction at distances greater than 12 feet. The holes previous owners had made in the brick facade have been patched... Lee is not a brick mason and judging by his handy work never will be. The flower boxes were hung by the windows with care in hopes that Sant Nicholas will soon bring stronger brackets because it truly is a mircle those flimsy aluminium things bear the weight of box, dirt, flowers and water. Kitchen: cleaned and stocked. Built in bookshelves: cleaned stocked and re-knobbed (if that's a word). Master bath: cleaned stocked and functional... yeah. Lee's vote for man's greatest inventions: the drill and the wheel barrow. Next time on the Kara and Lee House Report: Bob Vila had to start somewhere and "What do you mean the screen porch needs rebuilding?!"
06/15/99 - As you probably know, Richmond radio sucks... Speaking metaphorically: This desert ain't got no oasis. A barren wasteland. A shoe store with only flip flops; you can sit on the deck with a beer but you really can't do much else. Ok, those are crappy metaphors but the radio stations stink. As an alternative Spinner.Com has entered the picture. Even with decent PC sound gear the quality is less than good but the songs are new and fresh and with, like, 100 channels from which to choose you can always find something. Alt.90's is on now... Frank Black (former Pixies front man) is playing... never heard this song before. Yippee! I also like the African channel; where else can you hear African Pop music? Well, there's the obvious answer but I can't really be there all day can I? See, so I recommend you check it out... the technology will only get better.
06/16/99 - Bad Guy Names: Darth Vader... what a cool name. It's familar speech now but 25 years ago it came fresh from George Lucas's head. No one says "That name sucks" because it doesn't. Dr. Evil... less good a bad name but it obviously labels a bad guy. How about "Wet Pants"? Likely not a happy person but then it's not artful like Darth Vader. The thing I like about Darth Vader is Lucas spun the Darth part into a whole line of bad guys: Darth Maul and Darth Sidious appear in the new movie... cool names but they don't quite get marks as high as Vader's. How about "Grag"? Too close to Greg, maybe? What if I add another "A"? Graag! That looks pretty bad. It's even fun to say. Clench your teeth, tilt back your head and grunt it. It helps if you shake your head a bit too. Ok, now for a good guy... Mr Woodman! He's already my children's book character... made completely of wood but looks less like Pinochio and more like a ficus tree. Ok, "Ree Pa Ka" ok, that's me but I'm a good guy, right? Well, I'll ponder this one for a while.
06/17/99 - George Will said something about Communism's end being the point at which man kinda agreed on how politics should be run (by and for the people)... well, George said someone else said it back in 1989 but this same idea guy recently retracted his thoughts or adjusted them. Ok, this is going nowhere. I was trying to read something too brainy while attempting to keep milk from spilling from my spoon into my beard. It took me a whole bowl of cheerios to get 3 paragraph's deep into Will's article so I switched to an article about silly stuff I don't remember. Obviously George didn't stick too well either but I'm going back tonight to finish reading about History's end and human's mutability which, if I remember the title correctly is what the piece attempts to explain. The whole thing about names yesterdays ties nicely to an email my aunt sent.
<< Here's how to find your STAR WARS name! > > Take the first 3 letters of your FIRST name. > Then the first 2 letters of your LAST name. > Then the first 2 letters of your MOM'S MAIDEN name. > Then the first 3 letters of the TOWN YOU WERE BORN IN.I'd be Leepa Roric... not bad.
06/18/99 - Thanks to my Dad I'm listening to the Diane Rhem show from wednesday which is about WW1. WW1 is my current fascination. Ug, what a mess. Ok, I had to stop... as much as I like talk radio I can't work and listen at the same time. Music, on the other hand is do-able... switched to Spinner.Com where they're playing the Talking Heads. Ok, I've got this idea. Let's see how many lego things I can balance on a lego battle droid. I had 1 STAP and 2 cars before he tumbled. Maybe it's coffee time. Yeap, it's coffee time. During the Civil War some southerners missed coffee so much (Union Blockade worked pretty well against coffee) they brewed acorn drinks. Did they roast the acorns first? Perhaps in the fall I'll try it... not expecting good results. Well, my friend Laura gets married tomorrow morning... I'll be driving to Atlanta in a few hours. Have a good weekend.
06/21-22/99 - Driving to Atlanta for Dummies: Many people may be tempted to drive to Atlanta; Atlanta is a cool city but most people don't live there. Single men can travel 540 miles in less than 8 hours by driving like idiots: over 70 miles/hour with a single stop for gas/food/bathroom. Men married to vegitarians cannot travel like single men (unless their wives are not in the car). Men with vegitarian wives must remember several things ** I interupt to state this journal has been interupted by insane work stuff. I haven't been negligent just busy. Ok, back... Men with vegitarian wives must remember several things: a) burger and fries doesn't cut it; b) neither do McDonald's salads; c) Pretty much nothing at a gas station passes; d) expect to stop for more time than it takes to pump 10 gallons of gas. Item D is important. If past experience says a single man can travel distance x in time t... add at least 20 minutes for every 200 miles in x PLUS 45 minutes for every 4 hours in t... this makes for a long trip. But, and this is non quantitative yet HIGHLY significant... this extra time is not wasted because you're spending it with your wife. Oh, and avoid North Carolina during rush hour.
06/23/99 - Yee Ha... rapid writing time. Words can come quickly but then they lack calculated meaning. Speedy is shoddy. Ok, training in PL/SQL this week. Wrote a rando number generator... based on the clock (basically the second's ones digit... not all that complex... when used programatically it generates the same random number for every second; pretty useless actually). Looking at a cluttered desk makes one... well, want to clean it, but there is something beautiful about disorder... randomness. Hey, that's an unintended segue. The move is going... stuff is strewn between here and there. Boxed, stacked, bagged... well, you can't really stack bags. It's amazing how much stuff a car will hold... really, it is. Ok, time for more learning. Sorry about the clutter... it's ubiquitous these days.
06/24/99 - Here we are at 5pm on yet another day with a late journal entry. Darn it! The forces who are my task masters need to remeber my need to waste time. If I keep having an adequate amount of important work I'll disappoint my loyal fan base... my wife, a few guys in the band, Mom, Ann and Sam (who'll be heading to Europe and not reading for a while; got that passport yet?). Write your Congressperson; tell them a government grant should pay my living expenses so I can escape the nasty work world and write crap all day. I spent all day today writing alousy function that likely exists but I learned bunches like, say, Role permissions don't cut it when compiling PL/SQL packages... but that's nerd stuff. Quick break to tap out a beat with chopsticks and desk clutter... it's not like anyone misses the 5 additional minutes, right? Off to put the finishing touches on a move.
06/25/99 - I have made my last trip to work from the old house. Tomorrow morning the remainder of our stuff goes truckin' over to the new place. Truckin' is, of course, not anything in which the stuff has a say. The stuff is a passive participant. Andy, Kara and I are the active elements. Rather than I truck I wish UHaul rented robot movers for, like, $40. Fit a few of those in the truck then saw: "Robot, grab beers and move stuff... careful with those beers the glass can break." Then maybe "Mow the lawn; you're not due back until 4 and it shouldn't take that long." Or maybe: "You know what? My back itches could you scratch it?" Whay am I even bothering to ask? Robots are just computers and I don't say "Please fetch that data" I say "Fetch the data as quickly as you possibly can then do some stuff with it that's too boring for any human to possibly do." That's the only way you can treat robots... but is it socially acceptable to treat anything so coldly. Maybe I should write a polite computer language.
06/28/99 - U-Haul sucks. I shall elaborate. On April 30th I reserved a 24 foot truck from 8am to 4pm on June 26th. At 7:40am on June 26, I arrived at U-Haul and was told I had reserved 2 24 foot trucks. "No," I said, "I needed and reserved only one truck." Long story short THEY DIDN'T HAVE MY TRUCK! I dislike saying this but the people with whom I dealt possessed large amounts of both ignorance and irresponsibility. Did I mention I called last thursday to confirm my reservation? Ok, it's not good to retain this much anger. Don't use U-Haul. Don't use U-Haul. Can I say that enough? Nope. With a yard full of trucks and 90 minutes of pleading turned angry they sent me 20 miles south for the only truck they could find... a 10 footer. Can you say "All day move because nothing fits"? Perhaps a poem... a haiku, even:
Never again U-Haul
Completely Incompetent
Irresponsible.
Painful frustration
smelly ten foot crappy truck
bad bad bad U-Haul.
Got the point?
06/29/99 - Good news and bad news... the books, CDs and stereo are unpacked BUT I HAVE NO SPEAKER WIRE!!! My Goodness! How am I supposed to thrive without tunes?! That's like asking the Pope to function without indulgences... no, those are long gone, right? Ok, that's mean. This Pope seems to be a solid guy free of corruption unlike many in job's past. Think of a better simile, please. I'm too beat from house work to do much of anything well today. Well, today is tuesday and I'm set to work straight through to next friday with only a one day break. Most people don't work over July 4, but that means computers aren't heavily used so big changes can happen without bothering many people thus us techno dweebs lose the holiday. Have I mentioned I'm teaching myself Java? I should have learned this one years ago... a computer language named after coffee... too cool. Well, tonight I find my clothes... I'll stop here.
06/30/99 - Somewhat bored... never fails. Overwhelmed by the absolute impossibility of doing everything the mind settles on doing nothing. Much to my Mom's delight, this is the time at which lists come in handy. Pick the top item and start working. This overwhelmed erasing of tasks occurs at home and at work. Lists are needed in both places. The planner suits the work need when the planner is maintained... 40% of the time. Home... well, a bulletin board may help. Oh, extra good news! The key to the safe/filing cabinet has been found. Bullet proof, fire proof, extra heavy... yee ha. Have you seen Star Wars yet? How do you suppose Gungans built that underwater city? How did I get a paper cut on my left hand? Is it lunch time yet?