Spreading Some Love

Quick post to note that I have added a new Daily Blog to the mix: SINEDDIE. Not sure if e.d.s is planning on posting daily or not...but he deserves a warm welcome (albeit belated) from me as he is an old, old friend and a member of the comment crew for Blades of Blue. He's got some interesting album reviews up there now. And in fact, I am listening to Drag The River as I post this quick note. Good stuff.

External Anti-Depressant

Too funny to not share. Click image for larger view. Go here or here for daily laughter.

Gates of Fire - The Battle of Thermopylae

"The qualities of a good battle squire are simple enough. He must be dumb as a mule, numb as a post and obedient as an imbecile. In these qualifications, Xeones of Astakos, I declare your credentials impeccable." - Dienekes in Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield

I finished Killer Angels and am carrying the theme "backwards." Last week I started Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield - this is an historical fiction novel that explores the great battle of Thermopylae. This battle is the story of the invading Persian army into Greece and the heroic stand of the 300 Spartan warriors against the might of the Persian army.

I know I mentioned previously (in my first post) that I was not a huge historical fiction reader. I guess actions may start to speak louder than words in this case. I definitely never thought I would read two novels about war back to back - especially since I would consider myself as having a strong pacifist streak. The thing about this book is that it is about so much more than just a battle. You learn about the traditions of the Spartans, you read about the adventures of a boy whose home is sacked by an invading army and how he finds shelter and family in Lakedaemon (la-ke-dee-mon), you learn about Greek and Persian history. It (along with Killer Angels) will go on my list as one of the best books I have read.

Publisher Note: I have added a "Reading" section to the sidebar of the blog. Personally, I think the addition of an image over there does something for the feel of the site. Don't worry, no advertisements planned. Enjoy.

WHIT List (3/12/2006)

Crazy long weekend. Back from Utah on Friday night, sushi for dinner two nights in a row, soccer tournament for my U-15 boys team, volunteering at the Fernwood 5K, went to a MLS exhibition game, venison, Grey's anatomy.

So the U-15 team went down in the semi's but the guys put up a good fight. What was really weak was that the referee got the game length wrong and shortened the halves to 30 minutes. We were down 2-1 and were coming back. 10 minutes is an eternity in soccer and I wish we had those 10 minutes today.

Real Salt Lake and the Columbus Crew came to Lafayette this weekend and packed the local soccer stadium with fans. It was great to see the local support.

And you can't go wrong with sushi two nights in a row followed by some fresh venison kebobs.

WHIT List

1. The SXSW music festival is in progress in Austin. Even though it is so close, it is out of reach yet again this year. No real reason I have yet to get out there - I just have yet to make it a priority. Oh well. Go here and you can download hundreds of songs from the over 1300 artists at the festival. The two zero's in "1300" are not a typo or an exaggeration.
2. Red Bull bought the MetroStars and has decided to rename the team: Red Bull New York. This little tidbit of news even made Saturday Night Live. It's just a matter of time until it is Red Bull New York vs. Houston Bell South's. Seriously. Do we have to suffer through stadium names and team names including products? I have a bad feeling about this trend. Perhaps the MLS should allow sponsor symbols on the team kits so that we can have team names that don't make us all sick.
3. Too much fun to not try. Church Sign Generator. Brought to my attention via And the Ass Saw the Angel (a blog of a family member of a friend of mine; read: I stalk a family on-line).
4. Freeware list - looking for a free email client? Free PDF creator? This is a good list to start from.
5. Music Find of the Week: If I could buy it, I would do so in a second. This is a live set by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco with the guitarist Nels Cline at the University of Chicago - posted on Wilco's Roadcase. Stream it loud, it is wicked cool.
   
6. This one is just too weird and sometimes disturbingly catchy not to point out (found by cruising through the A's on the SXSW website above). Adult Radio were described as a cross between Ween, Butthole Surfers, and Townes Van Zandt. Download a track here. Scratch your head. Download more at their website if the itch hasn't gone away.
   

5th Near Death Experience

Ellen: "Clark."
Clark: "Yes honey?"
Ellen: "Audrey's frozen from the waste down."
Clark: "Ah, it's all part of the experience honey."
-National Lampoons Christmas Vacation

It's been a long two days in Salt Lake City. One left. Work is going well but is also mentally draining simply because you need to be engaged constantly. I've gotten to see a lot of great sites. Rapid blizzard conditions today - which cleared out fast. The entire horizon is white. Mountains.

The other day I was debating between the lake or the temple. I ended up hiking to a point where I could look one way and see the lake - the other way and see the city. I followed it up with a tour of Temple Square. This place is amazing. The Church of Latter Day Saints runs the square like clockwork. One on one tour guides everywhere. Following work today we went to Park City and toured the 2002 Olympic site. 20 degree sleigh ride. I almost lost a toe due to frost bite. It was my 5th near death experience.

Here are some photos - the photos link to larger shots. In the following order:

1. The hike
   
2. The Temple (above post)
   
3. The Olympic Ski Jump
4. The sleigh ride

(I missed a post yesterday. Odd. The guilt that is.)

Clone War

"Blind we are, if creation of this clone army we could not see." – Yoda

So I have one day in Salt Lake City (and very little free time). As of this morning, it is a toss-up between the Temple Square and the Great Salt Lake. If only I could do both at the same time...hmmm....

Talk Like an Engineer

I went to an engineering school but majored in Financial Systems - stocks and bonds. My financial approach is limited to the standard 401K path of most other professional people my age - so the formal part of the education didn't really go many places. I consider myself the financial equivalent of an "IT professional - money under the mattress" guy. The 401K is obviously better than a mattress, but I don't "manage" my money real well beyond that just yet.

I do however, occassinally speak like an engineer. It has drawn comments from multiple audiences in my personal and career walks of life. I use the term "delta" and this is a sure fire way to move the conversation into me trying to explain to someone what RPI is. I prefer the stock phrase: It's like MIT but better.

Anyway. Headed to Salt Lake City, UT today. The temperature delta is 30 degrees. This was just a really long winded way of saying I am actually looking forward to the cold.