[11:33:02 AM] pD says: http://nsa-chatters.blogspot.com/2007/06/jolly-roger-vote-chocolate-la-chapelle.html
[11:34:32 AM] nsy says: i also read the discussion from last friday when i was hiding. very nice!
[11:34:55 AM] pD says: found out that Donnelly Chocolates uses Valrhona from France
[11:34:57 AM] pD says: http://gc-gastronomic.blogspot.com/2004/12/valrhona.html
[11:35:10 AM] pD says: and Callebaut from Belgium
[11:35:14 AM] pD says: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callebaut
[11:35:32 AM] pD says: they both make good quality chocolates for chocolatiers
[11:36:02 AM] pD says: on the other hand, they are also "limited" by what Valrhona and Callebaut make
[11:36:46 AM] nsy says: wow - i'm learning so much about chocolate, and I foolishly thought myself an expert just because i eat so much of it
[11:37:05 AM] nsy says: did you find that out from their web site?
[11:38:57 AM] pD says: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valrhona
[11:43:42 AM] pD says: my CD Rom trey won't pop out. any suggestion other than re-booting?
[12:09:35 PM] pD says: met their stand a couple of years ago in a benefit thingie and that was one of the standard questions that we always ask.
[12:09:44 PM] pD says: naturally, i have forgotten about it, but my boss reminded me of that
[12:10:04 PM] pD says: yeah, we are a bit of geek when it comes to chocolate
[12:18:18 PM] nsy says: cd rom - use a paperclip in the tiny hole on front
[12:18:52 PM] pD says: i will try it next time, i rebooted already
[12:19:14 PM] nsy says: sorry - crazy busy today
[12:19:52 PM] pD says: no worries, that is why you are paid the big bucks
[12:20:25 PM] nsy says: heh. indeed ;)
[12:37:48 PM] pD has changed the chat topic to "top story: my favorite judge"
[12:37:55 PM] pD says: Judge denies flashing at commuter - A senior judge, accused of flashing at a woman on a
train, holds up a pair of his underpants in court.
[12:38:07 PM] pD says: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6744861.stm
[12:48:40 PM] pD says: cannot decide which story i want to believe: a flasher judge, or a judge being hauled onto the court for being a flasher
[12:51:40 PM] pD says: correction: not believe, but which I find more entertaining
[12:56:15 PM] nsy says: i love this: "he believed a judge also had a responsibility of "probity" that went beyond a person's ordinary responsibility."
[12:57:53 PM] nsy says: you gotta watch out for those stuffy proper types. its like the wise adam ant says "don't drink, don't smoke. whatcha doody doody? Must be something inside..."
[12:58:32 PM] pD thinking
[12:58:44 PM] pD says: are you talking about me? the stuffy proper types?
[12:58:53 PM] pD says: my cover has been blown
[12:59:16 PM] pD says: i may have to kill you now...
[1:00:08 PM] nsy says: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhvqVqLAdLI
[1:06:10 PM] nsy says: adam ant will protect me with his lip gloss
[1:10:05 PM] pD says: MTV from the 80's
[1:10:10 PM] pD sigh
[1:10:18 PM] pD says: youth...
[1:10:56 PM] pD says: the clip is actually quite innocent
[1:13:08 PM] nsy says: i miss innuendo. i like using my imagination. now they show you everything and its boring
[1:13:31 PM] nsy says: MTV is boring!
[1:22:40 PM] pD says: don't have MTV, so cannot comment on it
[1:23:10 PM] pD says: do people still watch "music video"?
[1:23:37 PM] pD says: it was pretty neat for a while, but i thought the MTV channels moved onto other youth entertainment thingies - whatever they are
[2:48:09 PM] pD has changed the chat topic to "all about mike"
[2:48:23 PM] pD says: just out of curiosity, what does mike do?
[2:49:35 PM] nsy says: heehee. i assume you are talking about my sweetheart because you know what michael jordan does
[2:49:55 PM] nsy says: he's a tech support guru at OSH
[2:50:17 PM] pD says: you mean my high school buddy who is white and cannot jump if his life depends on it?
[2:50:26 PM] pD says: no, i actually do not know what happen to that michael jordan
[2:50:30 PM] pD says: but, i digress
[2:50:39 PM] pD says: yes, what does mike the steak eater do?
[2:54:13 PM] nsy says: he's a tech support guru at OSH
[2:54:22 PM] nsy says: now sears
[2:54:39 PM] nsy says: where we met in 1997
[2:55:24 PM] nsy says: what does "the (original) boss" do?
[2:57:24 PM] pD says: for a number of years, she was trying to teach yoga - Iyengar style
[2:57:34 PM] pD says: did not work, Iyengar is not a popular style
[2:57:54 PM] pD says: she is now looking into getting a degree in shrinking
[2:58:12 PM] nsy says: is that like curling? ;)
[2:58:35 PM] pD says: but, in real life, she works in semiconductor managing highly toxic wafer/chip making processes
[2:58:52 PM] nsy says: sounds dangerous!
[2:58:56 PM] pD says: oh, shrink as in "the first memory of my mother..."
[2:59:32 PM] pD says: so, you and mike are more or less doing the same thing?
[2:59:56 PM] pD says: tech support is hard - there are so many idiots in the world who should not but do operate electronic equipments
[3:00:13 PM] pD says: myself included, but at least i do not pretend to enjoy operating any equipment
[3:00:20 PM] pD is honest that way
[3:15:13 PM] nsy says: haha. no, you are actually quite adept. and yes, there are many idiots. they made me so crazy i started supporting really spart people (java developers), but many of them are condescending and pretentious(sp?), so now i have a happy medium. tech admins.
[3:15:31 PM] nsy says: spart=smart, btw
[3:16:09 PM] nsy says: mike spends a lot of his time frustrated supporting end users at a hardware store
[3:16:31 PM] pD says: I think the tricky life of a support is that you only deal with people with a problem, so that is not the best way to start
[3:16:48 PM] pD says: then, you either get asshole-know-it-all's or nincompoops
[3:16:59 PM] pD says: which does not enhance the situation
[3:17:10 PM] pD says: mike supporting hardware store?
[3:17:24 PM] nsy says: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4z8HqOBACU
[3:17:27 PM] pD says: like how to use a rotating saw? or how to work the registry?
[3:17:38 PM] pD says: or, how to input the right inventory number?
[3:18:25 PM] nsy says: yes, lots of inventory tracking system questions - like those RF guns, the registers, the office computers, data lines, etc
[3:21:26 PM] nsy says: printer repairs - eew.
[3:22:40 PM] nsy says: so whats the deal with Iyengar yoga? why is it less popular than something like bikiram?
[3:40:11 PM] pD says: iyengar is a pretty stern style. you hold a pose for a long time and they focus on details such as alignment
[3:40:56 PM] pD says: whereas bikiram is "easy" to do similar to doing aerobic
[3:41:35 PM] pD says: i think it is partly a cultural in terms of local audience
[3:42:12 PM] pD says: but, a lot of it has to do with most people do not have the level of conviction (therefore patience) to do Iyengar properly
[3:43:45 PM] pD says: printer repair - that is just a rather distasteful idea
[3:44:14 PM] pD says: does mike get the call from people who use the CD ROM trey as a coffee holder? or, that is a bit old
[3:44:39 PM] pD says: i recall one time (many many years ago) when training a bunch of mainframe users
[3:44:57 PM] pD says: the instruction was point the mouse at the object and click
[3:45:22 PM] pD says: and, a mainframe user (who was a purely command line guy) picked up the mouse and started to click.
[3:45:51 PM] pD says: ay... he was not "wrong" but i am not sure if the instruction could have been any better either
[3:56:51 PM] nsy says: LOL!! that is hilarious! yes, mike deals with stuff like that too. people calling support because their computer is broken, and the monitor is powered off, etc.
[3:59:21 PM] pD says: yeah, it takes a special person to be a good tech support
[3:59:45 PM] pD says: and, whenever i talk with tech support, i just keep reminding myself that they are often only the messenger...
[4:00:10 PM] nsy says: i'm glad at least one person understands that
[4:00:44 PM] pD says: i said try, but i would not care to speculate on the success rate...
[4:20:17 PM] nsy says: this is his current music project -that are a minutemen tribute: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=71844567
[5:02:57 PM] pD says: very cool
[5:03:21 PM] pD says: what kind of music does the band play?
[5:04:26 PM] nsy says: the minutemen were an early 80's punk/funk/poetry/prog/rock sort of outfit, i suppose. hard to explain.
[5:04:59 PM] nsy says: the frontman was killed in a car accident, and they have a sort of cult following
[5:05:42 PM] pD says: so, mike plays in a band that is doing a tribute to the minutemen?
[5:05:48 PM] pD says: want to get the basic story straight
[5:06:12 PM] nsy says: yes - thats exactly it
[5:08:47 PM] pD says: so, what does mike's band do?
[5:11:20 PM] nsy says: um... they play shows every now and then - usually with other bands that like the minutemen. the minutemen have some very loyal fans so they are often very excited to hear the songs live
[5:12:12 PM] pD says: ref my plan for midlife crisis, maybe i should think about signing up with Mike one of these days
[5:12:18 PM] pD says: what is Mike's band's name?
[5:12:43 PM] nsy says: the history lesson
[5:12:59 PM] nsy says: sure! he would love that. its all about the music with him.
[5:13:17 PM] nsy says: i think i've asked you before, but indulge me - what do you play besides electric tuba?
[5:13:37 PM] pD says: of course, I would need to buy a new guitar since I play classical guitar...
[5:13:54 PM] pD says: electric tuba?! that is a new one
[5:14:03 PM] pD says: do they even make that?
[5:14:10 PM] nsy says: oooh! thats hot. did you know that is the only way to beat the steve vai devil?
[5:14:38 PM] pD says: ?
[5:14:40 PM] nsy says: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idb2dUtTpuU
[5:14:43 PM] pD says: who is steve cai devil
[5:15:09 PM] nsy says: its a reference to the movie crossroads
[5:15:26 PM] pD says: i do not know the hot part, but classical music is pretty warped in its own way
[5:15:52 PM] pD says: robert johnson - who sold his soul to the devil to play the delta blues?
[5:15:55 PM] pD says: reputedly
[5:17:40 PM] nsy says: yeah - i'm sure the script started there. a great movie if you ask me. this kids parents make him learn classical guitar, but he wants to be a blues player, so he goes to the south, and the devil challenges him to a guitar duel (see the link), and he almost loses (because the devil is Steve Vai), but he busts out the classical riffs and kicks the devil's butt
[5:17:55 PM] nsy says: steve vai is a famous rock guitar guy
[5:18:28 PM] pD says: i will have to look up the film
[5:18:49 PM] nsy says: its actually pretty cheesy, but was great when i was 13
[5:19:11 PM] pD says: the funny thing about guitar is that it is an easy instrument to pick up but very hard to play well
[5:19:44 PM] pD says: and, i think a lot of it has to do is that it really takes a lot of patience to get good with guitar but a little bit of effort does not sound bad either.
[5:19:47 PM] nsy says: i agree whole-heartedly. i played for a while, but i was never any good at it.
[5:19:54 PM] nsy says: but it was fun
[5:19:55 PM] pD says: at least when the strings are tuned properly
[5:23:55 PM] nsy says: now that i see the duel again, i think steve vai was just working for the devil, but not the head cheese. i haven't seen it in a while...
[5:30:40 PM] pD says: actually, i have not played my guitar for over a year now
[5:30:56 PM] pD says: i use to practice several hours a day
[5:31:17 PM] pD says: drives the boss nuts, but it was very calming for me
[5:31:23 PM] pD says: going through the scales and what not
[5:32:57 PM] nsy says: yes, i can relate on both counts.
[5:33:39 PM] pD says: say, does mike use skype?
[5:33:50 PM] pD says: do you think we can arrange for a special guest appearance on our blog with mike?
[5:33:55 PM] pD says: that could be kind of fun
[5:34:16 PM] pD starry eyes thinking about cool punk bands
[5:36:24 PM] nsy says: ha - i don’t think he's a regular, because sears has traffic filters so they don’t allow IM, or visits to fun web sites, etc. and at night he is over computers so he just check s the band's myspace account and his g-mail, then he's over it.
[5:37:27 PM] nsy says: wow, was that even readable? sorry
[5:38:14 PM] nsy says: we would have to blog when he is off work... hmm
[5:40:06 PM] nsy says: it would probably have to be an email thread. :(
[5:40:57 PM] pD says: i am flexible, if he is game
[5:41:15 PM] pD says: i think bringing in diverse views is important
[5:42:37 PM] nsy says: he posts to a few music forums, i should find out which ones.
[5:42:56 PM] nsy says: well, i'll start an email thread if you choose a topic
[5:43:09 PM] pD says: does he do it after work? does sears allow forums?
[5:44:00 PM] nsy says: if they haven't catalogued the site yet, it will be reachable for a while. but he does most of it from home
[5:44:24 PM] pD says: and, i suppose he is at work when we are at work...
[5:44:30 PM] pD says: timing, it is everything
[5:45:30 PM] nsy says: yep. sometimes he works weekends and has weekdays off, but he usually plays disc golf on those days
[5:47:17 PM] pD says: well, check with him if he wants to do an email thread. same process, we just CC everyone to go back and forth and post it after everyone is tired of it! :)!
[5:47:36 PM] nsy says: okeedokee
[5:49:13 PM] pD says: i wonder how is AE doing
[5:51:43 PM] nsy says: me too
[5:52:08 PM] pD says: i wonder if he was ever tempted to run back home...
[5:52:09 PM] nsy says: his texas family sounds a little scary
[5:52:19 PM] nsy says: my guess is yes
[5:52:21 PM] pD says: oh, then, he will run even faster...
[5:52:32 PM] pD says: i guess i will need to ask him about it when he is back
[5:52:48 PM] nsy says: yes, we can probably have a whole blog about it
[5:53:17 PM] pD says: scary texas:
[5:53:18 PM] pD says:
http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/new_line_cinema/texas_chainsaw_massacre__the_beginning/r__lee_ermey/chainsaw.jpg[5:53:34 PM] pD says: i lived in texas for a few years, really enjoy the place and the people
[5:56:14 PM] nsy says: heh - great image!
[6:01:17 PM] nsy says: how do you feel about poetry?
[6:01:38 PM] pD says: only if she is cute
[6:01:46 PM] pD says: what about poetry?
[6:15:56 PM] nsy says: just thinking of a poet friend who would be interesting to blog with, but it looks like she is busy with some projects and a radio show, so no go/ sakena saliva godden
[6:17:00 PM] pD says: oh, so sad
[6:17:06 PM] pD says: would be fun to talk poetry
[6:17:20 PM] pD says: it took me a very long time to warm up to poetry in english
[6:18:08 PM] pD says: i think a lot of it is that poem makes a lot of unspoken assumption and assumptions come from context which, as you know, can be quite different from mine
[6:19:17 PM] pD says: as a kid, i was forced to memorize a lot of poems
[6:19:52 PM] pD says: did not understand most of them then, but it is kind of neat that i still remember them and it really helps to expand the horizon
[6:25:15 PM] nsy says: i feel that way about bugs bunny cartoons
[6:25:18 PM] nsy says: ;)
[6:26:05 PM] nsy says: but seriously - i love poetry. thought about making that my course of study, then realized i don't like being poor, and poetry is just as fun after work
[6:26:30 PM] pD says: i know what you mean
[6:26:39 PM] pD says: a lot of things are more fun when you do not have to make money off it
[6:26:46 PM] pD says: that is how i feel about music
[6:26:54 PM] pD says: would hate to be a pro for music
[6:27:02 PM] pD says: same thing with my ph.d. plan
[6:27:12 PM] pD says: i would only do it after i have retired
[6:27:18 PM] nsy says: the translation thing is definitely an issue. i love rielke's poems, but i feel like i'm just looking at the tip of the iceberg, and its still a germanic language - can't imagine from chinese
[6:27:32 PM] pD says: so i can study what I wan as oppose to what i think the academic market wants
[6:27:49 PM] nsy says: sounds like a good plan. what kind of phd?
[6:28:11 PM] pD says: reading poetry is sort of like looking at painting
[6:28:28 PM] pD says: i spent a lot of time doing background research just to understand the symbols
[6:28:45 PM] pD says: greek mythology, biblical stories, histories, etc.
[6:29:30 PM] pD says: without all the info, a painting of venus emerging from sea shell is just a slightly overweight (for today) woman surrounded by a bunch of other women...
[6:31:20 PM] nsy says: yes, i often appreciate art more when i know the artists intent or inspiration. but sometime i wish i had left it as " beauty is in the eye of the beholder" instead
[6:31:54 PM] nsy says: i saw a documentary on bukowski, and sometimes i wish i had never seen it
[6:32:17 PM] pD says: i think you really need both - ultimately appreciation comes from the gut, but having the information surrounding the work at your disposal gives more options
[6:32:46 PM] pD says: after all, even Rothko (the painter whose is known for painting a canvas black) comes from a specific tradition and style
[6:33:27 PM] nsy says: i knew it - you're a reader, aren't you?! (hey fellas - get the torches!)
[6:34:42 PM] pD says: reader?
[6:39:19 PM] nsy says: someone who reads books.... there's a great comedy routine that Bill Hicks does about being accosted in a texas diner because he is reading a book - i can't seem to find it online at the moment
[6:39:46 PM] pD says: does comic books quality?
[6:40:06 PM] pD says: i have a wide spectrum in Spanish, English, Japanese, and Chinese
[6:40:47 PM] nsy says: wow - impressive. the only comics i have are jhonen vasquez. what do you collect?
[6:40:50 PM] nsy says: http://www.bullz-eye.com/entertainment/standup_hof/bill_hicks.htm
[6:40:50 PM] pD says: graphic novels, i think that is currently preferred term
[6:41:09 PM] pD says: i do not collect per se, just bought them over the years
[6:41:29 PM] pD says: very helpful when you are studying a language since it is much more fun to read comic books
[6:41:42 PM] pD says: my favorite is Mafalda
[6:42:43 PM] pD says:
http://www.escuela32.com.ar/imagenes%20y%20animacion/mafalda-lee.jpg[6:43:04 PM] pD says: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafalda
[6:43:37 PM] pD says: very political in its way
[7:07:51 PM] nsy says: nice! thanks
[7:08:10 PM] pD says: going home, ciao
[7:08:25 PM] nsy says: ta1
[7:08:26 PM] nsy says: TA!
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