August 2006


ITF Business31 Aug 2006 12:38 pm

Here’s my latest ITF experiment. I setup the webcam pointing right into the ITF intern’s office. Check it out.

I also added a feature to the sidebar, whenever you load the homepage it grabs the most recent image from the webcam. It won’t update there though, just on the webcam page.

I don’t know how often I’ll let the webcam run or how long I’ll keep this feature active, but it’s fun to play with. By the way, anybody know an easy and free solution to posting streaming video?

There’s also a gallery of images from the webcam.

Medical30 Aug 2006 11:03 am

I’m back. Forced into the electric dentist chair. The clock is ticking, it’s just a more fleeting minutes. i’ve already taken my coping methind, myu valim pills. There starting to ckik in, and you know, I’m feleling better about the whole atrocity, but still, even with chemcical support, the dread and fear and dark storm clouds of dreadufl anticipation loom frightening just right over head, threatening to crush my indomitable and indefatigable declining spirit. I don’ts want to go, the peoploe are nice, I like the dentist, he’s a good guy, he has small hands, he likes to joke around with me, which I get a kick out of, and I’m not afraid to tell him what I think about the whole dentist profession,a nd he kinda likes my refreshing honest I feel. but at the same time he thinks it’s no big deal, well of corse he wouldn’t, he’s on the OTHER end of the drill and pick and amalgam and suction and grinders and every manny of devious inhume instruments. Sorry, I have MUHC MUCH more to say but I have to leave now. Pray for me.

Music29 Aug 2006 07:17 am

I went to the Goshen Air Show this summer, like I said. I just went in the evening because I wanted to catch the concert. They were putting on a show by the familial a cappella group, the Knudsen Brothers.

Pretty cool, not a bad show. They had horrible problems with the sound, or rather the generator running all the equipment. Not sure who the local people weren’t paying, but they finally just stopped the concert for 10-15 minutes to fix it.

These boys are six (out of ten!) real life brothers. It’s amazing enough if six people manage to form a group and stay together for any length of time, let alone six brothers!

Hoosierville&Misc26 Aug 2006 10:22 am

I’ve been bothered quite a bit lately by the phone lackeys of the Hoosierville Maternal Order of the High Priest Brotherhood of Hoosierville Police.

I’m sure it’s a fine organization with a very worthy cause, but their solicitation methods grow quite wearisome.

Yada yada, this won’t take much of your time, blah blah, window decal gold supporter platinum level, yawn, well if not, then surely we can count on you to be a silver contributor?!!

Sorry bud.

Though come to think of it, I maybe would settle for the silver package if they’d promise never to bother me again!

Chester, who called me the other tonight, surprised me by saying I was one of their most valuable supporters! I’ll tell you one thing, if that’s really the case then they are in some seriously troubled waters!

Then I asked Chester, I said, “Chester, will this here window decal help me out if get pulled over?”

He stumbled around and said, well, he couldn’t say that it would, but it would be there in the window and the officer would see the sticker and know that I support officers and their families.

Nice, Chester.

I stalled around some more and a minute later asked again, so you can’t guarantee that this window decal you keep bribing me with will help me out if I get pulled over?

No, he couldn’t, but once again, the officer will see it and know you support policemen and their families!

Goodness. I’m not sure if Chester should get a raise or be fired!

Music23 Aug 2006 01:44 pm

Yesterday a comment came in on an old post, and I wanted to draw attention to it.

Wayne Woodhams left this comment:

Wayne Hooper has been a close friend of mine for the past 30+ years. Several years ago he developed cancer, and it has been in remission for quite some time. I just found out that it is in full force again, and into the bone structure. Most likely Wayne has less than a year to live. Friends in the Ventura County area are planning a program honoring him in early November. If anyone wishes to pass on short messages, I’ll combine them in a tribute to him. It would be preferred that any words or messages be related to his music contributions, and not about his personal situation. He honored God throughout his career, and we wish to remember his work and efforts. You can email comments to Wayne Woodhams, Ventura, CA. at my email: wwoodhams@adelphia.net
Many thanks.
Wayne

Thanks for the information, Wayne.

Once again, here’s a link to a bunch of Hooper arrangements online.

Hoosierville&Misc22 Aug 2006 03:58 pm

We were in PA recently, you know, and I kept hearing this really bizarre speech anomaly. People were trying to pluralize the word “you!” It sounds like “use.”

“Are you’s going to go somewhere?”

“What time did you’s get here?”

“We’re glad you’s were able to come.”

The more I heard it the funnier it sounded! What are they thinking?!

Since then, I’ve heard a Hoosierville man (not sure if he’s a native or not) constantly use another variation of “you.” This one is even more bizzare. “You’uns!”

“What did you’uns do?” “How were you’uns able to go?”

You’s you’s you’uns you’uns! Oh for the pure and unadulterated Utopian mother tongue.

Misc&Music21 Aug 2006 10:42 am

I saw this post about Yahoo Answers, then this post about clicking the exclamation point on the Yahoo home page.

I always kinda wondered who did the Yahoo yodel, so I submitted the question to Yahoo Answers. About a half hour later the answer came. It’s a cowboy singer/yodeler named Wylie Gustafson (here’s a pic), who travels with a group called Wylie and the Wild West.

There’s a boatload of sound clips on their site. They’re not bad, but they can’t touch my favorite cowboy act of all time, Riders in the Sky.

AHQ18 Aug 2006 08:16 am

As you know, AHQ is no longer active. We do like to sing a little though when we happen to be together again.

Last Christmas was one of those times, as we were all together at home in Oregon. We had been invited to contribute some vocals on an upcoming project of some friends of ours, so we needed to visit a studio.

I run a recording studio here in the ITF office, but I couldn’t haul my equipment out to OR for a brief session. So I got my buddy Nathan to setup his studio for us.

We take a relaxed approach to recording.

Konrad the Handyman fixed up an elaborate headphone cable support system. He fabricated it from a quilt stand and quilt stick.

We were only together for a few days, and we didn’t have a lot of time to rehearse. So in that circumstance, you end up doing some rehearsing in the studio!

Look for an upcoming post where I’ll give you a song we recorded that day.

Misc16 Aug 2006 04:28 pm

Like I said, we went to PA last weekend. It was a long drive. Nay, it was eternal.

As you know, I have a rather dubious attitude towards Chevys. And that was certainly fostered further last Friday!

We had just entered the questionable state of Pennsylvania, and decided it was time for a snack. It was around 8 or 9 in the evening, and we had a long ways to go yet. I pulled off of I-70 and turned into McDonalds. The chevy promptly gave up the ghost.

Fortunately, I had joined AAA earlier this year. I gave them a call and got a tow truck to come out. When he arrived we deduced that the chevy alternator had expired. Joy of joys.

We were towed to a hotel (the Relax Inn, doesn’t that name just inspire visions of luxury and comfort!), then in the morning we got another tow to a repair shop. I had called the local NAPA store first thing in the morning and secured an alternator for a princely fee.

The repair shop was just a few blocks from NAPA, and the boys got on it right away. It wasn’t a real easy chevy alternator to change though, so it took a little bit. I inspected the serpentine belt when he removed it and realized it would probably be a smart move to replace it while the opportunity was presented. No problem, they said.

We were back on the road in under an hour, and we made it to the wedding in time. Now I don’t mean to complain, the boys at Taylor’s took care of the chevy and got us going as quick as they could. Back back here in the ITF office, I inspected the bill and discovered that they charged me $45.81 for the chevy serpentine belt!

Good lands!

Astounded, I looked it up on NAPA’s website and found the price there to be a mere $18.99!

So I’m less than thrilled about that.

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