Yesterday, when my alarm went off at 5:30am, I attempted to reset the alarm for 6:00am, but in my daze it appears that I didn’t get it set. So 6:00am came and went and a little after 7:00am my eyes opened and I had that moment of confusion and panic where you’re not sure what’s going on, then you realize that you’ve been asleep and that you’ve woken up on your own, which is odd because normally it takes an alarm… crap!
Author / Michael Ashby
Dancing With The Muses
On Friday of last week, Holly invited me to attend a function for her Women of Music Business Association. They were having a social event where everyone was going to go to a Haunted House and members were allowed to bring their spouses/boyfriends along. I hadn’t been to a haunted house since I was 10 years old, so it sounded like something fun to do.
Everyone was meeting at Blackstone for a drink and a bite after work, before heading off to the Haunted House. When we arrived, Holly recognized two of her fellow members and we grabbed a few tables in the bar since we were the first to arrive. As I sipped on a fresh brewed Nut Brown Ale, we made small talk with Angela and Lindsey. After ordering some fish and chips, Amy and her boyfriend Bob showed up. A little while later Meleia, Dana and her boyfriend arrived and that made the group a total of 9.
Stumpy The Clown
I didn’t ride like I had intended yesterday morning. I chalked it up to the fact that it was Monday and Monday’s are always hectic. Yesterday was also another misty morning, so I was extra sorry that I didn’t get a chance to ride. Determined more than ever to ride the next day, I set my alarm for 5:30am and went to bed early at 11:30pm.
Monkey Is On The Mend
Just thought I’d give a quick update on the state of Monkey’s health. For those of you that haven’t been following, our cat monkey has been sick. I’m happy to report however, that he has rounded the corner and everything is looking great!
Earlier this week we took Monkey to the vet for some more blood work. The purpose of the tests were to see if the his liver levels had lowered to the point of being normal. When we admitted him to the hospital, many of his numbers were in the 1000 range, when they should have been in the 150 range. His last test showed that all of his liver levels were back to normal. Woo hoo!
A Glorious Misty Morning
I don’t know what it is about a misty overcast day, but those days, more than any other, are the days that I really want to go riding. As luck would have it, that’s exactly what today was here in Nashville this morning.
My Favorite Periodical
I do a lot of reading. Between the news feeds, web sites, E-mail, magazines, technical manuals, O’Reilly computer books, self help books, and pleasure reading, it seems like I’m always reading something. Out of all of the reading I do, there’s one periodical that stands out above the rest. I eagerly devour each issue and can’t wait for the next one to arrive. The latest issue just arrived this week and I’ve been gleefully perusing each and every page. What’ the name of this coveted gem? It’s The Rivendell Reader.
Admittedly, I’m a bit old school, especially when it comes to bicycles. I like things simple and proven. I just want Juliet (my touring bike) to work reliably and I don’t need the latest greatest gizmo. The Rivendell Bicycle Works company is right up my alley. To quote their web site, “We’re and eight-year-old manufacturer and mail-order bike shop for bike riders who prefer traditional, classical bicycles and parts and accessories to today’s ever-changing high-tech fare.” The Reader is a classic example of old school bicycling.
Adobe Acrobat Nonsense
Every so often, I’ve heard a few of my techie friends rail against Adobe’s Acrobat PDF technology. When ever they’ve gone off, I’ve just chocked it up to them being a purist when it comes to file technology. I’ve used the PDF for years as a way to send invoices to my clients and it works wonderfully. I’ve never had a problem with them and kind of saw them as a standard in corporate America. However, my love affair ended rather abruptly the other day once I tried to work with one.
I know that the Acrobat PDF format is designed for publishing. The end goal of any PDF is to be printed, yet if you look at Adobe’s advertising, you’d get the impression that it can do more. Heck, even the name of the extension leads you to believe that it’s versatile – Portable Document Format. Hmmm, portable document format huh? Sounds like I should be able to do more with it than just print don’t you think? Where is all this seething animosity coming from? Allow me to explain.
Pleasantly Confused
I have a habit of pushing things that I like onto my friends, family and basically anyone who will listen. When I first fell in love with the Franklin Day Planner I extolled it’s virtues till I was blue in the face. Later came the PalmPilot and I’ve been carrying on about that awesome device since 1997! My most recent ‘favorite thing to talk about’ has been Movable Type and creating your own weblog. Well, my buddy Dan finally yielded and created his own.
Are You Ready For A Revolution?
Some people may not like the fact that they are older when they have a birthday, but when you receive 3 tickets to The Matrix Reloaded at the local IMAX theatre for the opening night, it’s hard not to like your birthday! Of course I don’t mind getting older, so birthdays are always fun, but this one was extra sweet.
In addition to the tickets to the The Matrix, I also received the The Matrix Reloaded DVD as well as some great clothes, cigars, money and a gift card to Barnes & Noble (which I desperately needed). Although all the clothes that I received are great, one of the standouts was a T-Shirt that Holly got me. It’s a special Tour de France official 100th anniversary T-Shirt. It’s very, very cool.