Noah was here

Any friends in the Gulf coast area of Texas who still read LJ, please let us know that you're okay. That's a pretty scary storm in your vicinity.

For you Kindle fans and e-book reader fans in general, what are digital rights issues like with the e-books? Are they tied to readers, or can they be stored as files, backed up, used on different readers, etc.?

Current Mood: relaxed

For those of my RATMM and MSTie friends who have not yet heard via Facebook or Twitter, our fellow RATMMer and MSTie Bill Livingston passed away last Sunday, March 14th. I just learned this today, and am shocked at the untimely and sudden passing of my old friend. Bill was smart without being snotty, funny without being mean-spirited, friendly without being obsequious, and an all around great guy. We only had the opportunity to meet Bill and his lovely wife Paula in person once, at Dragon*Con a few years ago. My beauteous and oft-praised jungle_goddess and I are stunned, but just raised a glass to our absent friend. May Bill's lovely wife Paula, and we, find some comfort in our happier memories.

Bill's obituary

Current Mood: sad

[cross-posted to nsingman and quartercon, and adapted from a similar entry from last year]

So far, the Rock and Bowl arrangements were a bit diffuse, and I know you all want details. So here are the details!

The cover charge for the place (because of the live music) is $10/person. The band is Rockin' Dopsie (pronounced Doop-see), Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters. Rock and Bowl lanes are all reserved until 9:30, at which point they have open bowling. I'll reserve a pair of lanes for us at 9:30 PM, for two hours each. The total charge is $80 ($20/lane/hour), which we'll divide over the number of bowlers (I'm guessing 8 of us actually bowling, so figure around $10/person). In addition, there is a $1/person charge for renting those interesting multi-colored shoes.

The best way to get there is by taxi, and it should be about a $10 (and 10 minute) ride each way. With at least two or three people in each taxi, I'm thinking that's how we'll go. The nice lady at the Rock and Bowl told me that they'd be happy to help us get cabs for the trip back to the Quarter.

Astute observers will note that the original times for the Rock and Bowl were a little earlier on Saturday night than our actual lane reservation time. However, this means we leave a bit later, and can enjoy a more leisurely dinner or post-prandial relaxation. I suggest that we get taxis right around 9 PM from the Maison Dupuy (or your hotel, if it's different), and hang out until the open lanes are available at 9:30. With a two hour lane rental, we should be back before midnight.

See you Thursday night!

[cross-posted to nsingman and quartercon]

Here is what my beauteous and oft-praised jungle_goddess and I will be doing this weekend. Join us!

( The big schedule!Collapse )

Please note!
If you are interested in Saturday afternoon's spa party, or the Rock-n-Bowl Saturday night, please let me know as soon as possible! Otherwise, see you within two weeks!

[cross-posted to nsingman and quartercon]

One of the more popular (by attendance) activities last year was the Abita Brewery Tour. About 20 of us hopped on a small bus I'd reserved, drove from the Maison Dupuy to the Abita Brewery, got a tour of the facilities, and drank as much beer (in all their varieties) and root beer as we could. This tour has to be one of the best advertisements there is, because they don't charge for the tour or the beer at the Visitor's Center!

Because it was so much fun, my beauteous and oft-praised jungle_goddess and I are going again, and we'd like to know who would like to tag along.

WHO: You tell us!

WHAT: Abita Brewery Tour

WHERE: Pick up and drop off at the Maison Dupuy, and the bus does the rest

WHEN: Friday, 20 November 2009, from 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM. We're allowing 90 minutes to reach the brewery and planning to take the 2 PM tour.

WHY: Dude. Free beer samples! Free good beer samples!

COST: Approximately $20/person for the four hour bus rental

RESTRICTIONS: You must be 21, and you must wear closed-toe shoes


So, as I noted, Connie and I will be attending. Who else would like to join us?

Current Mood: busy

[cross-posted to nsingman and quartercon]

In three months, my beauteous and oft-praised jungle_goddess and I shall host the 12th Annual Jungle Goddess Sunday Champagne Brunch at quartercon. We would like to know how many of you we can expect to attend so I can apprise the nice lady at the Maison Dupuy. Here are the details:

WHEN: Sunday, 22 November 2009, 11 AM - 2 PM

WHERE: Le Meritage (Dominique's successor) at the Maison Dupuy in the French Quarter

WHO: That's what I'm trying to find out

WHY: Because we love you guys, and it's a tradition!

WHAT: The menu is below:

Current Mood: busy

Our friend bronxelf_ag001 has a long history of offering her time, effort and considerable talents to helping others. Now she could use some help for the veterinary expenses of Hydrox, one of her slightly weird but very lovable cats. To that end, I'm glad to be able to pass along this entry (http://geodyne.livejournal.com/517781.html) from geodyne. geodyne is an obviously gifted weaver, and is offering one of her hand-woven scarves for auction to help out.

Thanks for reading, and please feel free to pass that link around.

[cross-posted to nsingman and quartercon]

Here is a revised schedule of what my beauteous and oft-praised jungle_goddess and I will be doing this weekend. Join us!

( The big schedule!Collapse )

Current Mood: busy

[cross-posted to nsingman and quartercon]

Okay campers, we're only 11 days away from the official start of QuarterCon 6. That means that it's time to revisit, revise and confirm. Our first draft was here. There are two significant changes from that draft, both of which stem from an effort to be a little cost-conscious.

First, the limo services I've seen require a three hour minimum most days, but a four hour minimum on Saturday. So we're going to do the Abita Brewery tour on Friday at 1PM (three hours is plenty to go back and forth and have our 2PM tour, and works out to approximately $30/person), and move the other activities around. Second, the Rock-n-Bowl trip will still be on Saturday, but with a four hour minimum, I think the cost is going to be considerably more than the cost of a bunch of taxis back and forth, especially considering that only about 10 of us are going. So I say we call United Taxi and tell them to expect a bunch of businesses that evening, in both directions.

Based on responses so far, I'm expecting the following 17 attendees for the brewery tour: jungle_goddess, nsingman, Momma Goddess, Auntie Goddess, soundwave106, crystalgee, blackfeatherdjr, sharkbait, sb_pyrat, spo00on, m0usegrrl, dizzdvl and her friend Ashley, everyinchofme, assassin_kittie, khanadasc and nstantkarma.

Also based on responses so far, I'm expecting the following 12 attendees for the Rock-n-Bowl: jungle_goddess, nsingman, Momma Goddess, Auntie Goddess, soundwave106, crystalgee, blackfeatherdjr, dizzdvl and her friend Ashley, spo00on, everyinchofme, and assassin_kittie.

This doesn't include anyone who was unsure. The most important confirmation is for the Abita Brewery tour, because I'd like to reserve our transportation no later than Tuesday (two days from today). The Rock-n-Bowl has some group rates, but we'd need a bigger group (I think the minimum size is 16).

And last, but not least, the party we're hosting in the suite on Friday night will have snacks and hard and soft drinks. We'll obviously have lots of Abita Amber, standard spirits (vodka, tequila, rum and yes, EVIL gin) and mixers. If there are particular requests, please let me know so we can have them ready.

Current Mood: excited

Thanks to the lovely eleri, I was made aware of this entry from theferrett. As a geek, mammophile, and occasional convention attendee, I find the concept fascinating.

As an aside, the comments on the entry vary widely across the pro and con spectrum.

Current Mood: pensive

Prank calls from a 33-year-old Colorado Springs woman may be linked to the raid at a West Texas polygamist compound, Colorado Springs police say.

Rozita Swinton was arrested at her home Wednesday evening on charges of false reporting in a local case, but Texas Rangers were present for the arrest, Colorado Springs police said Thursday night.

ABC News reported on its website Thursday that former Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints member Flora Jessop, who operates a rescue mission for teenage girls trying to escape the sect, told Texas authorities she had gotten calls from a girl claiming to be an abused member named Sarah.

A girl with that same name made the original calls for help to a San Angelo, Texas, hotline, sparking the raid in which 416 children were taken into protective custody.

Jessop told ABC News that the Texas Rangers directed her to record the calls and the Texas Rangers traced those calls to Colorado Springs.

Though announcing the Rangers' involvement, Colorado Springs police declined to elaborate on the Texas link, and records in Swinton's Colorado Springs case have been sealed by a judge. Colorado Springs police said Swinton's Wednesday arrest was on local charges involving calls in which she claimed to be an abused child being held in a basement.

Current Mood: unsurprised

Today, the National Football League's New York Giants (who play their home games in East Rutherford, New Jersey) and the New England Patriots (who play their home games in Foxboro, Massachusetts) will meet in Glendale, Arizona (home of the Arizona Cardinals) to play for the NFL Championship. The game begins shortly before 6:18PM, EST, and I'll be watching.

I'm an optimist, and I'm hoping the Giants will win. However, if (as is widely expected) the Patriots win, I'll focus on the fact that their perfect season will be a slap in the big mouths of the 1972 Miami Dolphins. So for me, it's win-win!

And now, it's time to take it to the streets. I'm going to shake the dust of this crummy little town off my feet and see the world! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, campers.

Current Mood: relaxed

This one comes from my friend redneckgaijin, a Libertarian Party member who is politically active in his home state of Texas. I'm a very radical libertarian (too radical for the party), but he was interested in seeing this propagated, and I found it interesting (his answers and mine) enough to make a rare entry of this type.

( And when I say I'm a radical, I mean it!Collapse )

Current Mood: pensive

If you've noticed any strange entries on your LJ, then those folks are joining me in wishing the late Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson a very happy 175th birthday!

Current Mood: amused

Hi, campers. Would those of you familiar with DVD recorders (standalone decks, or with VCRs) please offer some suggestions?

We have one now, from Go Video (VCR/DVD recorder combo), but my beauteous and oft-praised jungle_goddess has had trouble playing the DVDs in some of our players. I wondered which ones those of you who had investigated this thought had the best overall compatibility across players. My Google-Fu on this has been relatively weak, I'm afraid.

Thanks in advance for the info, and also for your part in helping us add to seasonal consumer spending. :-)

Current Mood: curious

No, I didn't. And no, I won't.

Current Mood: thoughtful

Enron founder Ken Lay is dead.

Current Mood: sympathetic

For those who know him and haven't heard yet, I just received a text message from my friend Charles (spo00on) in Alabama. He said no damage, but no power. It's hot and humid there (d'uh!), but he's well, and that's good news.

Current Mood: relieved

[cross-posted to nsingman and quartercon]

My beauteous and oft-praised jungle_goddess and I are sitting in one of Continental's President's Clubs at Newark-Liberty International Airport as I type this. We're on our way to St. John's, Newfoundland, for RATMM on the Rock 6!

However, I didn't sign on just to make you all jealous. No, there is one additional bit of business to which I must attend, and it's about a gathering in New Orleans three months from Saturday.

( QuarterCon brunch menuCollapse )

Current Mood: cheerful