Omphaloskepsis

Good Samaritans?

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I got off the train to find my Vue not starting. The car wasn’t turning over, it feels like a dead battery or something similar. I called Sarah and she loaded up the kids and headed to the train station to come and give me a jump. While I was waiting I got the jumper cables out and popped the hood to be ready to rock when the family arrived.

During the time I was waiting with the hood up two other commuter trains stopped, people unloaded, got in their cars and drove off. Not one stopped to ask me if I needed some help. I probably would have decline as Sarah was on the way, but I was still a bit suprised.

Anyway, after having lots of trouble trying to jump the car (the Odyssey didn’t give enough juice to turn over the Vue?) the kids were starting to freak out, so Sarah and the kids bailed to go get dinner.  I called my mom and she was coming over to help me, or at least schlep me off to buy a new battery.  I left the hood up while waiting for my mom because I wanted to give it one more ago.

While waiting another train stopped.  Again, no one stopped.

Anyway, mom showed up, car got started, NTB replaced the battery, all is good.  Car started again this morning, crisis completed.  But its got me thinking…

I understand the desire just to go home, how many times have I not stopped to ask someone if they need help?  I’m not running off to do a transplant surgery or something else time sensitive like that, it’ll only cost a small bit of time to be a non-crappy human being.  Today, I’ve mentally committeed to not being that guy anymore.

Beer, Chicago, Entertainment

The end of an era

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I saw this on the morning news on NBC 5 this morning. So I could share it here, I found Metra says so long to its rail saloons in the Trib’s online edition.

Every weekday at 5:17 p.m., the bar car on Metra‘s Milwaukee District West line becomes the place where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came.

With beer and wine cups in hand, a cast of characters that seems straight out of “Cheers” tries to make the daily commute home as merry as the sitcom.

“It’s happy hour on the rails,” said Kevin McHone, 40, an information technology engineer from Gilberts and a bar car regular.

But just as every TV show eventually ends its run, this Friday will be last call aboard what Metra officially calls its “refreshment cars.”

I never took advantage of the bar cars, but I might have to this week before they are gone forever.  I suppose you can still beer up in the station and bring it onboard, but something about buying in the bar car is different.

Entertainment, Music

Buddy Guy: Legend

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Before college I always respected the blues but never really got into it.  Even now, I think my appriciation is bigger than my blues collection.  (Although, just turning on the Blues Music Choice channel on cable often fills a need as well.)  That being said, thanks to my friend Jon and the old Blind Pig in Urbana, while at college and afterwards my exposure went way up.  At various venues I’ve been lucky enough to see live performances by the late Junior Wells, the late John Lee Hooker, James Cotton, BB King, and Eric Clapton among others.

Of course, living around Chicago for most of my life seeing Buddy Guy is almost a requirement.  I’ve seem him at his place at least twice, and I keep meaning to make it more.  In the Tribune today was Buddy Guy helps Yahoo! music make its mark talking about Guy’s concert as part of a Yahoo! Music series.  In the article they talked about what Guy brought to the show such as walking around and interacting with the crowd as he plays.  This should be no surpise to anyone who’s seen him perform.

What spured me into writing a blog post was the last paragraph of the article.  For me, it really is a perfect example of what I think every passionate musician feels about his craft.  Really, I think it can be expanded to fit every person who is passtionate about whatever craft they do.

When Guy was asked to cite the best solo he’d ever played, he turned the question back on the fan: “What’s the best love affair you ever had?”

Comics, Entertainment, Geek, Linux

Truth in comics

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I love xkcd and its geeky geeky ways.  It often captures things I’ve lived and/or seen.  Today’s is one I have lived and seen lived.

This reminds me of a post on usenet my friend Anne made in 1998.  To quote:

So I am left not bitter just tired of this whole meeting people, emotional ties, finding a compatible person and then having them yank away.

It is just an emptiness right now.

From what I have observed from my male friends, though, this is exactly the climate required to learn Linux. Without a full and happy lovelife or distraction of soft lips and a reason to kiss them, there is enough room to grasp the intricacies and nuances of such a fine operating system.

It has already begun to happen. As I walk down the street I am not thinking of emptiness, kising, nathan or any other previous SO’s, I am thinking of penguins, rm -rf / and lilo.

I am already convinved that linux will dull the pain better than heroin.

I still loves me some linux hardcore, though.

Geek, iPhone, photos, ____ of the day/week

WordPress for iPhone

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I noticed that the WordPress for iPhone native blogging app appeared in the iTunes store last night. This is me giving it a try.

I don’t think i’ll bang out long posts this way, but you might see lots of smallish stuff since it’ll be so easy to add. Especially some on the fly photo blogging. Heck, it might replace my use of Twitter for some thoughts. Especially those thoughts over 140 characters.

As and added bonus, here’s Vik’s cat, Inky.

photo

[non iPhone Update: Looks like Declan had the same idea on his blog.]

Geek, Geek Celebs, Internet

Now you have two problems… again

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Even though I use Twitter, I can appreciate mocking it.

With a tip of a hat to jwz, in response to reading Dr. Horrible’s twitter feed, Dave said

Some people, when they are having site availability problems, think, ‘I know, I’ll put up status on twitter!’  Now they have two site availability problems.

And one should not forgot Skottie Young’s post from yesterday on twitter.

Keith's attempts to fix the cable of life