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November 28, 2005

Family Trees

While I was home for Thanksgiving my mom got out some family trees that one of her aunts had put together in the 80's. It was fascinating to see the a small portion of where my family came from and it actually has me looking into geneology software for the mac. From what I've read the best program out there is Reunion, which has all the features and costs $100. There are less expensive ones, but they haven't gotten nearly as much positive feedback. I downloaded a demo and played with it and the program's pretty easy to use.

So I think that I'm going to buy the program and get into charting my ancestors. I wish I'd started this 5-10 years ago when my grandmother and her sister were still alive so that I could get their stories and input, but I guess better late than never.

Oh, and I learned something interesting looking over that family tree. Apparently I'm descended from kissing cousins! My great, great grandparents (mom's dad's dad's dad & wife) were first cousins. And (before the southern jokes come flooding in), this was before anyone immigrated, back in Germay. We don't know whether it was a due to lack of jewish spouses available or if it had to do with family money or property, or if perhaps they were just in love (awww). But it's pretty funny nonetheless.

Posted by Daniel at 03:50 PM | Comments (2)

November 26, 2005

Stuffed

I'm back in Boston after a successful Thanksgiving. I ate more this week than I have over the past month. It was all very good, of course, but I don't forsee many large meals are in my immediate future.

And of course I can't forget to commemorate Aliza's first Thanksgiving in the bible belt. At one point she was informed by my cousin that our feast would feature a cameo by the Klan as they rafted down the Alabama river (this was not, in fact, true). She ate her first collard greens and experienced grits at Waffle House. She also managed to keep her head straight while meeting my many cousins, which is a feat in and of itself.

I also got to see my former roommates Afsheen, Gwen, and Paddington. Unfortunately we were only able to meet for a few hours last night, as I spent much of my time in Alabama.

All in all, it was a great trip. I'm kind of worn out, since we spent so much of the time going from one event to the next, but it was well worth it. And it's not like I have a job right now so I can rest this week (while I hit the job search hardcore).

I took a bunch of pictures that you can see in the gallery. I hope everyone else had a good week as well. I know I owe some phone calls and emails, so I'll work on that over the next few days.

Posted by Daniel at 05:35 PM | Comments (1)

November 22, 2005

Heck of a morning

My alarm was set for 4am, as I was expecting the taxi to pick me up between 4:45 and 5:00. Of course, I expected to hit the snooze alarm a few times, but when I looked at the clock and saw 4:36, I was a bit surprised. I jumped up, showered quickly, and called Aliza at 4:45.

That's when the fun began.

You see, I needed my cell charger, which was at her place. I called her land line but it went straight to voice mail. Strange. So I called her cell. After a few rings she picked up, asked me what time it was, and informed me that her power was out and that I'd just woken her up. A glance out the window confirmed that the taxi was, in fact, waiting outside.

Aliza then hung up to rush getting ready (and get my cell charger). Shortly thereafter, my power went out. I was mostly packed, so it wasn't a huge problem. Also, I knew where my flashlight was, so I was able to manage pretty well. I threw my remaining items together and set my bags by the door just as the power came back on. The cab showed up and after a quick double-check that I hadn't forgotten anything, we were off...

... verrrry slowwwwllllyy.

This was, quite possibly, the slowest cab driver I have ever experienced. Aliza and I were discussing our hectic mornings and how we were running late, and the guy was hardly going over 20. I understand that the rain and dark made things a bit treacherous for him, but come on. Even after we got onto the pike, we were being passed on all sides (when the cars could get around us, that is. See, our driver wasn't too keen on lanes...).

Yet we still made it to Logan on time and now I'm here in Atlanta, writing this from my parents' house. The weather here is overcast and chilly, but nice. Oh, and I just ate lunch at Fellini's Pizza. So take that.

Posted by Daniel at 01:59 PM | Comments (5)

Ready to go

I'm heading to the airport in a little under 5 hours, but I'm finally packed and ready to go. The garbage has been taken out. The dishes are done. The apartment's kind of a mess, but I'm not going to stay up to straighten it. If I get to sleep soon then I have almost 4 hours before I have to get up.

Today was exceptionally lazy. I didn't have a whole lot to do to get ready, but I really just spent most of the day on my ass watching TV or playing logic games (my new favorite is sudoku).

Anywho, time for sleep. Next time you hear from me I'll probably be in Georgia!

Posted by Daniel at 12:18 AM | Comments (0)

November 21, 2005

Naked President

I'm a big fan of Mike Luckovich's political cartoons. One of his recent ones is particularly entertaining.

Words don't do it justice. Just check it out.

Posted by Daniel at 06:12 PM | Comments (0)

Preparations

Today I'm getting ready to travel. I've got laundry to do before I pack and packing to do before Aliza and I get on a plane tomorrow morning and head down south for Thanksgiving.

I'm very excited about the trip. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and it'll be really good to see my family (immediate and extended). For those of you who don't know: I'll be spending the holiday in Alabama with my mother's extended family. We'll be having a big Thanksgiving meal on Thursday in my great aunt and uncle's house in Selma. I wasn't there last year because I spent Thanksgiving in Boston, so I'm excited to see everyone.

Not a whole lot else to report. I may write from Atlanta once I'm there. I'm definitely looking forward to Fellini's pizza (mmm). The last time I was in Atlanta was for about a day in the spring, so it'll be nice to spend a bit longer there.

And now I'm just rambling, so I'm going to go get my clothes out of the laundry.

Posted by Daniel at 09:24 AM | Comments (0)

November 20, 2005

Banner Change

I decided to change the banner to the site because the old one didn't really match the Boston scenery these days. I like the idea of having the site be somewhat seasonal. I'm too lazy to completely redo the color scheme this time around, though. Maybe for winter.

Posted by Daniel at 09:03 AM | Comments (0)

November 19, 2005

I miss the Arclight

I've been to two movies in recent weeks at local theaters. I saw Jarhead last weekend and Harry Potter tonight. At both movies I had the unpleasant experience of, well, other people.

I don't remember when I first learned that silence was golden, but it's been a moviegoing standard as long as I can remember. Some people, however, seem to have missed this basic tenet of filmwatching etiquette. At both of my recent experiences there has been a group of people, usually near the rear-right of the theater, talking rather loudly throughout the movie.

Now, I'm sympathetic to occasional movie chatter. I'll whisper comments to my friends from time to time and I certainly don't mind when others do the same. What I do mind, however, is when people keep a running commentary going at full volume. I do not pay $10 a ticket to be part of a live Mystery Science Theater 3000.

The best part, and by far the most baffling, is that the scene inevitably escalates. Eventually those sitting in the vicinity of the loud patrons will grow weary of their banter and ask them to please quiet down. This is usually attempted with a forceful "SHH!" However, to a movie-talker, "shh" is understood to mean "I slept with your momma last night, and she was great," because the movie-talker response to "shh" is "you SHH!" at a louder volume than before.

Apparently, were one to acquiesce when asked to "shh" during a movie, one would be bringing shame and dishonor to his or her family and would be forced into exile or perhaps ritual suicide. Hence, the necessity for an escalatory response.

By now, the volume has risen to the point where the radius of influence is extended by at least a dozen rows. More patrons ask the offender to "shh," prompting yet more obligatory "you shh" responses. Or perhaps a variation, such as "don't you tell me to shh," as though the movie-talker would gladly quiet down had they been asked by someone else.

The next phase adds obscenities, threats, and in one instance a thrown beverage. I haven't encountered fisticuffs, but I'm always braced for the moment when I'm forced to throw Aliza to the floor and cover her with my body to shield her from gunfire.

This has yet to happen.

And this brings me to the title of this post. I miss the Arclight. (For those of you who don't know, the Arclight is an upscale movie theater in Los Angeles where tickets are $14, seating is reserved, and the theaters have huge screens, stadium seating, and amazing sound.) Somehow that extra $4 per ticket discourages the rabble and the assigned seating means you don't have to worry about mobs when you go to see Harry Potter on opening weekend. To my friends who still live in LA - I envy you. I took my pleasant, comfortable moviegoing experience for granted. It is only now that I truly appreciate what I had.

To everyone else - shut the hell up when you're at the movies. You're in public for crying out loud.

Posted by Daniel at 10:05 PM | Comments (6)

November 17, 2005

Long-Awaited Update!

I finally have a post in the "work" category because I finally have news about the job search.

Now, keep in mind that I'm trying to be a bit more discreet in this highly visible public arena than in previous times, so I'll try to be as specific as I can while still keeping things a bit less google-able.

As you all probably know, I've been waiting to hear from the State Senator who I volunteered for regarding a job on her staff. Well, she called me today to let me know that she has hired a chief of staff who will be handling the rest of her staff hiring and will be in touch with me. So that's exciting. Additionally, she asked if I'd be interested in speaking with a woman running in a special election to fill her old State Rep seat. The primary for the special election is going to be January 10th and as of now she might need a campaign manager. I'm not sure if I'm qualified for the job (I could probably handle it with help), nor am I sure that I'd even want to do it. I'm going to hold off until after Thanksgiving and see what the situation is then before making any decisions.

I'm also applying for a job as a Political Affairs Assistant with a local service union. The job would involve communications and political strategy and would definitely be a good one if the statehouse job doesn't come through so I've been polishing a cover letter this week and hope to get it off tomorrow.

And that's that. I doubt I'll have news on any of these things until after thanksgiving but it's nice to finally feel like there's some forward motion happening.

Posted by Daniel at 04:39 PM | Comments (0)

November 15, 2005

IE Problems (cont)

I took some screen grabs off Aliza's computer so that people can see what's happening:
Grab 1 - The top of the page. Notice the lack of navigation bars on the right.
Grab 2 - The navigation picking up at the end of the posts.

Now here's something strange - notice the blue horizontal bar between the posts and the nav links in grab 2. That bar is part of a CSS "container" that should encompass both the posts and the nav bars (each of which is in their own CSS container). The blue line usually lives at the bottom of the title image.

If anyone has any thoughts, let me know. You can see the CSS for this page here

Posted by Daniel at 08:19 AM | Comments (4)

November 14, 2005

Target, I'm mad at you.

I used to like you Target. You've been convenient, cost-effective, and a one-stop resource for many of my shopping needs.

Which is why it's so hard for me to say goodbye to you today. It's not because you suddenly became inconvenient. Quite the contrary: there's one of you not too far from me at the Watertown Mall. It's not because your prices went up. No, all of these wonderful qualities remain the same. Everything about you is just as it has always been.

But what I didn't know about you, Target, is that you have no respect for reproductive rights. You think it's okay to deny prescribed emergency contraceptives to people if it conflicts with your own personal morality. And that's a quality that I don't like in my friends.

So Iong, Target. I hope that we can reconcile one day, but until then I'll have to search elsewhere for low-priced kitchen and home sundries. I'll have to go to neighboring Best Buy for CDs and DVDs. I'll have to find my 6-packs of socks and 2-for-1 boxers at other retail outlets. If you ever come down from your moralistic high-horse, give me a call. We'll go shopping.

Posted by Daniel at 06:11 PM | Comments (6)

November 13, 2005

IE Problem?

I just looked at this page for the first time from a Windows system with Internet Explorer. It seems the browser is putting all of the navigation links in a column below the posts instead of on the right-hand side of them. Has anyone else had this problem or is it just this system?

Posted by Daniel at 10:21 AM | Comments (8)

November 11, 2005

Yogurt?

As many of you know, I have spent the overwhelming portion of my life allergic to dairy products (not lactose intolerant, allergic). As such, cheese pizzas and ice cream have always eluded me. Fortunately, Domino's makes pizza without cheese and since I was young there were soy ice cream substitutes on the market.

But only recently have I discovered a whole new world of yogurt! That's right, at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, there are now soy-based yogurts. Unfortunately, most of them have a consistency resembling Maloxx. But one brand, Stonyfield Farm, has a line that's pretty good.

Now, I can't compare it to real yogurt, but for someone who's always missed out on those little plastic cups of cultured something-or-other with "real fruit" on the bottom, this stuff is pretty darn good.

Posted by Daniel at 04:26 PM | Comments (1)

Rave Reviews

Okay, so I'm a little bit jealous. It seems that my esteemed friend and former roommate Ben has received a positive write-up for a movie he directed.

I can at least take solace in the fact that they misspelled his name.

Posted by Daniel at 11:28 AM | Comments (1)

November 10, 2005

Welcome

Welcome one and all to my new blog. I decided to to change to this new one for a few reasons -
1. I thought it was time for a site that doesn't have my full name in the URL. What with trying to get a job in the public eye and all.
2. I don't yet have said job and I was bored.

There's a new photo blog and I've imported every entry both from my former blog and also from the long-defunct Third Wheel Films journal. So if anyone else has as little to do as I do, there's ample reading available.

I'm still working out some of the design kinks here. So far it works fine in Firefox and Safari. Internet Explorer for Mac is giving me some layout issues that I'm hoping to work out in the near future. But if anyone comes across glitches using different platforms or browsers, please let me know.

Posted by Daniel at 10:08 PM | Comments (4)

November 08, 2005

2/2

I spent today volunteering for an alderman campaign in somerville and... we won! This one was more uncertain than the state senate race I volunteered on. I'd done some canvassing over the past month and today I got out some votes and held a few signs at street corners. The candidate beat a 22-year incumbent by around 14%, so it was a pretty sweet victory.

Posted by Daniel at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)

November 04, 2005

I've been workin' on a web page...

Part of me wishes that I hadn't learned basic HTML in high school (thanks a lot, Afsheen...). Because now, when I start creating a new page, I spend hours upon hours tinkering with code instead of just using Dreamweaver and being finished with it in a third of the time.

There are two things that make the process slow:
1 - I'm not that great a designer and I'm overly ambitious. Therefore, I want to create masterfully designed pages that are far outside my realm of creativity and graphic design.
2 - My knowledge of code is amateur at best. Therefore I borrow (yes, borrow...) from a variety of sources but don't quite know how to make the pieces fit together.

For the new page I'm trying to work primarily in CSS. There are definite advantages to this, but it's also a new learning curve for someone who grew up in the "table" era. (For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, this probably isn't the most exciting entry.)

I'm working off the basic MT template and trying to do most of my changes to the CSS instead of the HTML. For those interested in seeing just how much one can change on a CSS-enabled page without touching the HTML, check out CSS Zen Garden. The different designs all use the exact same HTML code but with different CSS style sheets.

I don't think I'll work too much on the page this weekend. Tomorrow I'm joining Andy and his friends for a pub crawl of Allston-Brighton's finest drinking establishments. And then Sunday I'm going to be nursing a hangover. But hopefully by mid-late next week I'll have something online for people to check out.

Posted by Daniel at 10:28 PM | Comments (3)

November 02, 2005

Brainstormin'

I've been thinking about mixing things up around here in my little blogoverse. First of all, I think it's time for a blog whose URL isn't my full name. I've been thinking about a few things but if anyone has suggestions that are catchy and not too long, leave 'em in the comments.

If I do set up a new site I'll probably phase out thirdwheelfilms.com and this site. And of course a new-site design will be necessary. Fortunately I have no job still, so I can devote countless hours to this new endeavor.

Speaking of the job front - I'm hoping to hear more this week or next. I touched base with the Senator last week and she was interviewing for chief of staff. Once that position is filled she'll be able to focus on the rest of her staff positions.

Posted by Daniel at 03:30 PM | Comments (5)